OR Blog #22: Today, I read an article from DANCE magazine called "Start Out Right". It's about how you should do a warm-up before the day so you won't pull a muscle. The article is mostly about dancers being able to stay agile in the winter, but I think it works with anybody, it doesn't have to be dancers. One recommended exercise is pilates core work like 100s. The article says to start out slow, like 10 crunches, and then gradually increase the number. I think it's a good idea to do some exercises in the morning so you stay healthy and fit. That's what I read for today.

OR Blog #21: Today I'm blogging about the All My Sons movie we watched in class last week. I thought the movie was kind of depressing, but I guess that's what the book was like too. The ending in the movie felt a lot different then the ending in the book. In the book when Chris says he didn't mean to and then Kate tells him to go live his life and everything would be o.k. it didn't seem that emotional, but in the movie you can see how upset Chris is and how he's crying and how Kate is trying to comfort him. I thought the ending in the movie was more sad than the ending in the book. That's my blog for today.

OR Blog #20: Today I read a poem from Shel Silverstein's book Where the Sidewalk Ends. The poem is called "Sick". This was probably the first Shel Silverstein poems I've read. I remember in one of my classes, the teacher read this one aloud to us. It's about a kid so is going on and on about how he/she is sick and at the end when they realize they don't have school that day all of a sudden they feel so much better. The last few lines of the poem are, " What's that? What's that you say? You say today is . . . Saturday? G'bye, I'm going out to play!" The illustrations are always fun to look at. In this one there is a giant bed and all you can see of the kid is his/her eyes and the top of the head. That's what I read today, Wednesday December 17.

OR Blog #19: Today, I read an article form Popular Science. The article was entitled "Killer Connection". This article was kind of creepy because it was about serial killers and how new technology can identify the remains of the victims. "If people only knew how many there are... If you go back even 20 years, there are literally hundreds if thousands if families who have missing loved ones" said a researcher. The article says that there are at least 2 serial killers per state in the U.S. Scientists are now using DNA samples from relatives of missing people to find out if they are related to any of the serial killer's victims. I just think this stuff is really gross. How could someone just kill someone at random and not feel guilty and keep killing others. You would have to be really messed up to do something like that. That's what I read for today.

OR Blog #18: Today I read another poem by Shel Silverstein from his book A Light in the Attic. The poem I read is called "Here Comes". It's about how short summer seems. I think that's so true because when you're just hanging around in the summer all of a sudden school is starting again. The last line is "Woosh--shiver--there it goes". That's what I read today for outside reading.

OR Blog # 17: Today, I read a book called Five Minutes' Peace. It is a children's book written by Jill Murphy. It's about a mom who has been very busy and just wants to relax a little. But her kids keep bothering her and not letting her relax, or have "five minutes' peace". I kind of feel bad for the kids because throughout the book their mom is ignoring them. On the other hand, I feel bad for the mom because she doesn't get to rest. I love the illustrations in this book. They're so bright and colorful. That's what I read today. 

OR Blog #16:  For this outside reading I read from Jump Rope Rhymes, Nothing But the Classics.

I remember in elementary school, at recess when we would always jump rope and when I saw this book I wanted to try and find the songs me and my friends would sing. I found a couple of them. One was where it started with "Cinderella, dressed in yellow.." and the other one I found started with "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around..." There's a lot of different rhymes that I haven't heard of. That is what I read for outside reading today.

OR Blog #15: Today I read an article in Seventeen magazine called "A cop held me at gunpoint!". This was an article about a seventeen year-old girl who was driving home from a friends house when a cop car started to follow her. She turned on her hazard lights and headed home. Then two more police cars came toward her. When she got home one officer quickly got out of his car and pointed a gun at her. It turned out that they had pulled her over because she had expired insurance tags. The article says she was really upset. I don't blame her because I would be too! I mean the guy pulled out a gun and pointed it at her face! They put her in handcuffs, took her to the police station, and after being searched finally let her go.  She got revenge on the officer by filing a formal complaint and he was suspended for 30 days.

OR Blog #14: Today I read a poem by Shel Silverstein. It was a poem in his book A Light in the Attic. The poem was called "Unscratchable Itch". I could totally relate to this poem because it was about that one spot on your back that you can never get to when it itches. As the poem says, "Right between your shoulder blades". I hate it when that happens and you can't get to it. That's why I liked this poem. 

OR Blog #13: Today, I read a short story entitled Weslandia. I thought it was an interesting story. It was about a boy who is always teased and just doesn't fit in. During his summer break he creates this land in his backyard made out of an unknown plant. His little country becomes very popular and by the time school starts in again he has made lots of friends. One reason why I think this book is so cool is because everything the main character does in his land is very environmentally friendly. He makes everything out of his mysterious crop. That is my outside reading for today.

OR Blog #12: Today, I read some Guinness world records from 2005 from the Guinness World Record book. One of the records that caught my eye was the world's largest handbag. The handbag measured 12 feet 1 inch tall, 11 feet 7 inches wide, and 5 feet 3 inches deep. The picture of the handbag looks like a tent to me. It was made by the leather accessories company, Santa Marinella and was unveiled at the shopping center in Iquatemi, Brazil. "The giant handbag was used to store canned goods for charity" is a quote form the description. I think that's pretty cool that it was used to store food for charity. That is what I read this Sunday.

OR Blog #11: Today, I read an article in DANCE magazine "Wunder KIDS. Child prodigies in Dance". I found this article to be very interesting because it's about kids my age and younger who are on their way to becoming professional dancers. There is a flamenco dancer, three ballet dancers, a Indian dancer, and a tap dancer. I thought the 11-year-old flamenco dancer had a great personality. He just really loves what he does and loves expressing himself through dance. This is what his teachers had to say about him: "He's got an amazing talent. He belongs in Spain where he can be challenged, studying every day". That is what I read this Wednesday.

OR Blog #10: Today, I read an article in the StarTribune called "Hair Raiser". The article was about a fashion show/fundraiser for the Minnesota AIDS project at the Varsity Theater last Friday. This article caught my eye because the pictures were in color and showed some models with bright red hair and others with bride of frankenstein-ish  hair. For the people in the audience, there was a team of stylists in the lobby that ratted, fluffed, and sprayed your hair. The point was to make your hair stand as high as it could. I think that this would be a really fun thing to go to. It says in the article that many people looked like they were from the 80s. That's what I read for outside reading this Sunday. 

Athena for Odyssey National Hero of the Year

What makes a hero? A hero is someone who rescues people when in danger, someone who would risk their reputation with their friends to do the right thing, someone who has powers that no human has. These are all things that we are looking for in this year’s Odyssey National Hero. One person alone can define what a hero is in the Odyssey and that person is Athena, daughter of Zeus. Athena would make a great hero of the year because she rescues people from danger, always wants to do the right thing, and has super human powers.

The number one reason we are endorsing Athena for national hero of the year is because she rescues people from danger. A good example of this is when she rescued Odysseus from Poseidon’s storm. Homer writes, “A heavy sea covered him over, then and there unlucky Odysseus would have met his death—against the will of Fate—but the bright-eyed one inspired him yet again” (V, 479-482). Unlike Athena, Poseidon would not be a good choice for national hero of the year because he holds grudges. He makes the storm to kill Odysseus because he is holding a grudge against him for blinding his son. This quote shows how harsh Poseidon is, “ But just as great Odysseus thrashed things out, Poseidon god of the earthquake launched a colossal wave, terrible, murderous, arching over him, pounding down on him, hard as a windstorm blasting piles of dry parched chaff, scattering flying husks—so the long planks of his boat were scattered far and wide” (V, 402-407). By rescuing Odysseus Athena has proved herself the rightful winner of national hero of the year.

The second reason Athena should be the Odyssey’s national hero of the year is because she is always striving to do the right thing. She never wants to see Odysseus’s family upset, so she does the right thing in comforting Penelope when she is sad. Homer writes, “And again the bright-eyed goddess Pallas thought of one more way to help. She made a phantom now, its build like a woman’s build, Iphthime’s, yes, another daughter of generous Lord Icarius, Eumelus’ bride, who made her home in Pherae. Athena sped her on to King Odysseus’ house to spare Penelope, worn with pain and sobbing, further spells of grief and storms of tears” (IV, 893-900). Poseidon on the other hand doesn’t care what happens to Odysseus or his family. He probably wants all of them dead. Zeus explains to Athena, “No, it’s the Earth-Shaker, Poseidon, unappeased, forever fuming against him for the Cyclops whose giant eye he blinded” (I, 81-83). When she comforted Penelope, Athena shows why she should win this award.

The final reason why Athena should win the national hero of the year award is because of her super powers that she uses for good. She uses these powers when she disguises herself as Mentor when traveling with Telemachus. She uses her powers again when she gives Telemachus the courage to speak in front of others. Homer describes the situation, “Poised Telemachus answered, filled with heart, the heart Athena herself inspired, to ask for the news about his father, gone so long, and make his name throughout the mortal world” (III, 84-87). Even though Poseidon has super powers, he doesn’t use them for good. He’s usually trying to kill Odysseus. By using her powers only for good Athena has showed that she should be national hero of the year.

In conclusion, Athena uses her super powers, rescues people from danger, and always does the right thing. All these things make up a hero and all these things make up Athena. This is why you should vote for Athena for the Odyssey national hero of the year. She won’t let you down!

11/3/08 Homework assignment: 

1. Athena shows that she is most human in many ways.
2. Athena shows that she is most human by wanting to help humans, caring for what happens to them, and acting like a human.

• First of all, Athena shows how she resembles a human by wanting to help humans.
• Secondly, Athena cares so much about what will happen to Odysseus and Telemachus that this makes her seem human.
• Thirdly, Athena always disguises herself as a human. 

OR Blog #9: Today I read an article in DANCE magazine called "The Extra Step". It's the story of how a dancer became a full ballet company member with her perseverance. Kara Brosky is a strong dancer with clean, classical lines. Because she's not the best in her class she has trouble standing out in auditions.  Her teacher Jessica Lang, noticed Kara's talent in changing styles smoothly during a routine and when Kara asked for a recommendation for an apprenticeship with Richmand Ballet, her teacher was glad to do it. Brosky had to be calm and collected when her flight to her audition was postponed to the day of. She ended up getting the job. I think that if your determined enough you can get any job you want. Just like Kara Brosky, you need to be able to work with what your given. For example, if your running late to an appointment, make sure your calm and able to do what you need to do as if you weren't late. The person who wants to hire you will see that you can get things done under pressure. This is what I read for outside reading this Sunday.

OR #8: Today, I read a poem called "The Meeting" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This poem is from a book called Good Poems and the poems were selected by Garrison Keillor. This poem is about friends and family getting together for Christmas and New years. It should be a happy time, but the poem says that everyone is feeling sad because they are remembering the ones who have died in the past year and how they're not able to be with them this Christmas. I think that this probably happened to the author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and he is remembering how sad it was for him. I also think that he has a pretty awesome name.

OR #7: Today I read an article in the Minnesota Daily. This article was written by Mike Langseth. The article is titled, "Metro Transit bus runs over biker's legs on 10th Avenue". This headline really caught my attention. What happened was that there was this lady and she was biking north on 10th Avenue against traffic. She swerved a bit and fell down. Then the bus rolled over both her legs. One of the witnesses reported that they heard the bones snap and pop. I was shocked when I read this. I think both drivers and bikers need to be more aware and careful of their surroundings. The victim is now in the hospital, but the hospital will not release the condition of the patient.

Heroes in a Box

For the heroes in a box assignment, I chose to research American musical heroes. One of the categories I used was women. The artifacts in this category  were (1)Aretha Franklin's song "Respect", (2)Judy Garland singing in The Wizard of Oz, and (3)Dolly Parton. 

(1)

"Respect" Video

I chose this artifact because it shows a great American musical hero doing what she does best. This contributed to the definition of a hero because it shows the charismatic stage presence that makes a musical hero.

(2)

Wizard of Oz Video

I chose this artifact because it adds to the definition of a

 hero by showing that being an American musical hero you need to be expressive when you are either singing, playing an instrument, or conducting.

(3)

This artifact helps the definition by showing how heroes always have a good attitude.

Another category for the artifacts was that two of them got to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The two artifacts that fit in this category are (1)Johnny Cash and (2)Elvis Presley.

(1)

This artifact shows that a hero has to be determined, just like Johnny Cash was with his music.

(2)

The picture of Elvis here adds to the definition of a hero by showing that a hero is looked up to (like having an idol).

Conclusion

In studying American musical heroes I now know that a hero can be either gender and that they are well-liked and looked up to. I have explained this with my artifacts above. I believe that these musical heroes have influenced many other musicians after them. This was my Heroes in a Box project. 

OR POST #6: Today, I read another poem of Shel Silversteins. This one is called "Have Fun". It is only four lines long, but I thought it was pretty good. Here's the poem: 

"It's safe to swim 

In Pemrose Park

I guarantee

There are no sharks."

The poem doesn't really make sense without the illustration because the illustration is of someone swimming and under the water you can see an octopus. I like Shel Silverstein's illustrations because there not that complicated and you get the impression that it's just a quick sketch. That is my OR blog for Wed. Oct. 22! : ) 

#5 OR Blog: I read a poem by Shel Silverstein called Allison Beals And Her 25 Eels. I love Shel Silverstein's poems and this is one of my favorite of his. It's about what she uses all of her eels for. For example, Silverstein writes, 

"Two of them with silly faces

She would use for sneaker laces".

The last line of the poem is, 

"And one got a new job on page fifty-nine."

And if you go to page 59, you see one of the eels as a plug to a computer. That's what I read for outside reading today.

Siddhartha Blog Assignment #4

I have just followed Siddhartha in his journey to enlightenment. I saw him leave Kamala, befriend Vasudeva, gain and lose a son, and reunite with his old friend Govinda. After following Siddhartha, I think that he learned that everything has a good and bad side to it, and I think I saw him learn this lesson best when he was with Vasudeva by the river.

When Vasudeva sat with Siddhartha as they listened to the river, Siddhartha heard everything jumbled into one. It turned out that the one word was Om, meaning perfection. This told Siddhartha that there was perfection in everything, good and bad in everything, or just a different side to things. Like on page 135, when Siddhartha says, "He could no longer distinguish the different voices-the merry voice from the weeping voice, the childish voice from the manly voice." 

I feel as if Siddhartha has reached Nirvana. He has lost his Self into the big picture of things. Witnessing all these things makes me feel hopeful for other people out there searching for Nirvana.

For this outside reading bog I'm reading The Canning Season by Polly Horvath. I think it's a pretty good book ( it received a national book award), but I think the front cover illustration is a little creepy looking. The book is about a girl who goes to live with her great-second cousins because her mom sends her. The main character's name is Ratchet (sounds to me like a hardware tool). At first Ratchet really does not want to go. The author writes, "I'm going where?" Ratchet gasped." But, as she gets to know her great-second cousins (she calls them her aunts), Ratchet really enjoys her stay.

I read Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. I really like this book, it's probably one of my favorite books, even though it's a very easy read. It's about a elementary school boy who has to write poems in a journal as an assignment. He doesn't like to write poems, so he hates the assignment. Jack writes, 

"September 13

 I don't want to

 because boys don't write poetry

Girls do."

In a lot of his poems he writes about his yellow dog. I thought one of the poems about his dog was really sad because I always imagine my dog as the dog in the book. By the end of the book he has more enthusiasm towards poetry. I think this is a great book.

For this outside reading blog I read, The Seashore. It says that a crab has ten legs and is called a crustacean. Shrimps and lobsters are crustaceans too. The sea anemone is an animal too. It eats shrimp. A scallop moves along by clapping its two sides together. A starfish has no head, but a mouth on its center. A plaice is born with an eye on each side of its head, but as they grow, the eyes move to the same side. That is what I learned from reading, The Seashore. 

Dear advice columnist, 

My friend Siddhartha hasn't been feeling his best. I can tell he is very depressed. I think he might be thinking about suicide and I am worried he won't get better. One time he said this about himself, "Might the fishes devour him, this dog Siddhartha, this madman, this corrupted and rotting body, this sluggish and misused soul." Is there anything I can do to help him? - Pragya

Dear Pragya,

Your friend, Siddhartha won't kill himself. He needs to have this experience so that he can learn from it later. Once he has figured that out he will be happy again. You don't have to worry.             - Advice Columnist  

For my outside reading, I read an article in Scientific American called Why Migraines Strike. The article was about migraine headaches. It said that migraine pain stems from the dilation and stretching of brain blood vessels, leading to the starting of pain-signaling nerves in your brain. The article also says that migraines can be set off by alcohol, perfume, dehydration, exercise, stress, weather changes, seasonal changes, allergies, lack of sleep, altitude, flickering of lights, and hunger.(77) The four phases of migraines are prodrome: difficulty concentrating, yawning, fatigue, and sensitivity to light and noise, aura: visual illusions of sparks and lights, often followed by blind or dark spots in the same configuration as the earlier bright hallucinations, headache: excruciating pain accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and sometimes the pain affects half the head, and postdrome: persistence of sensitivity to light and movement, as well as fatigue and difficulty focusing. Some people call the postdrome the "zombie" phase. This is what I learned about migraines.   

Govinda: i need some advice

Avatar: what about?

Govinda: my friend, siddhartha, has just left me and i feel very sad that he's not with me anymore

Avatar: well, i think it was time for u 2 move on 

Govinda: but i've spent my whole life with siddhartha

Avatar: ya, and now you should go your own way

Avatar: u pledged ur allegiance to gotama by yourself, not after u saw siddhartha do it, so this is a good thing for u

Govinda: ok i guess ur right, thnx

Avatar: no prob 

I don't think that Govinda is taking his separation from Siddhartha well. Ever since the beginning he has said that whatever Siddhartha becomes, he wants to become also. So, when he saw that Siddhartha was going on without him, he also saw that he wasn't going to become great, like Siddhartha. Now, I bet he's wishing he hadn't pledged his allegiance to Gotama and that he had stayed with his friend. Govinda wants to become enlightened too, so I think he also feels left out when he sees Siddhartha going off to find Self. 

My name is Pragya. I am 66 years old. I have seen Siddhartha as he learns things from the Brahmins. He is very smart and everyone seems to like him. His friend Govinda is like his shadow. He follows him everywhere. One day I happened to be passing in the forest and I saw Siddhartha and Govinda learning from the Samanas. They both look as if they are on the verge of dying, but their expressions are blank because they are meditating. There has been a rumor going around town about someone called Gotama, the Buddha. I went to go hear him talk and I saw Siddhartha and Govinda there. By the end of Gotama's teachings I saw Govinda step up and say that he would follow Gotama and become a monk. Siddhartha did not step up. Govinda tells me that he has gone to find Self.

My name is Megan and this is my blog. My favorite season is summer because of the warm weather and no school. I love to go tubing and swimming in Lake Minnetonka. I have a golden retriever named Hobbes and two older brothers. My favorite color is a bluish-greenish color, kinda like aqua. I love listening to all types of music and watching movies. This was just a little paragraph about me and now, here's my blog!