Reflection

This semester I read 1733 pages. My reading was mostly non-fiction. At the start of this class, I was not really a big reader. I only read for school. I read in my room sitting on the floor. About half way through my nightly reading, I would lay down on my tummy. I never listened to music because I get distracted and sing along. Also, I always put my phone away and my computer turned off. It is really hard to work with my phone. During the semester, I read a lot of factual books. I really enjoyed them because they were documentaries in book form, and I love documentaries. It was sort of hard to find reading material because some factual books are really boring. I have changed because I realize that there is always time to read. I have started to enjoy book more. Also, I am a faster reader now which helps with homework and school. I have started to read more factual books because in the beginning I thought factual books would be boring. I think I am more likely to read over the summer because I have many new books that I want to read. I am now more motivated. In the beginning, I was not a fan of poetry at all. I thought poets were a group of bored writers with nothing better to do. However, now I like poetry a lot more because I understand it much much better. I actually enjoy some poets now. Overall, this class was fun but there was a lot of work. I liked the blogs but four to three posts is a lot. The last week with two posts was the perfect amount. Overall, FIVE STARS :)

stressed out!

School is almost over. This is a postive for the obivious reasons like SUMMER and no homework. BUT it's a negative also. Why? Well... you don't see your friends as often and all the teachers decide to pound you with projects. I have a project/paper/big test right now! omg...

The Great American Stickup, pg. 49-110

The first chapter is called "The Clinton Bubble." Under Clinton, many deregulation acts were passed. Citigroup started and Clinton supported them not seeing the negative effects. DC was filled with lobbyists. Although it was a bloom time, the foundation for the crash was setup.

The next chapter is called "The Valiant Stand of Brooksley Born." At the time, she was the only person against deregulation. She was for the people because of her background. She was one of the few women in DC. Everyone was against her including DC and the media. Eventually, she was just pushed to the side.

I am enjoying the book so far. I have learned about a lot of people that I hadn't heard of before. I like this book. :)

The Great American Stickup, pg. 1-48

This book is about the recent stock market crash. This book explains how, when, where, who, and why! The first chapter is called "It was the economy, stupid!" The author Robert Scheer blames the top wealthy ten percent of American who bribed politicans to better fit the aristocracy's lifestyle. He goes on to blame Robert Rubin, who was a part of Clinton's adminstration. Even after the crash, he wouldn't let the media blame the government. He said it was a one day collapse and everything would whip into place. That wasn't true. Rubin was just covering his butt. Scheer says the main goal of the book is to prove some common myths about the market.

The next chapter is called "The high priestess of Reagan revolution." Under the Reagan adminstration, he blames the Mr and Mrs Gramm. Mr Gramm was a senator and reversed an act put in place in the 70s to regulate the market. Mrs Gramm worked in the CFTC. She led to mass deregulation. Those two are often blamed for the crash.

So far, I am really enjoying to book. For some reason, I really like to know why the crash happened. I have watched many documentaries on this subject, however the book gave a lot of new information.

Myq Kaplan

This is one of my favorite comedians. Myq Kaplan is from NYC, and he was on Last Comic Standing. I found him on a NYC based podcast I listen to. Myq's style is very wordy. There's a lot of puns etc. Sometimes I listen to his CD, Vegan Mind Meld, and I think, "WOW, I'm such a nerd." His website is myqkaplan.com. CHECK HIM OUT! He's HILAROUS!

Dishwasher, pg.326-354

The first chapter is called "The Blue-Rimmed Plate." He got a job in Pittsburgh. Pete and Amy Joy got an apartment and a dishwashing job. He was the 'reliable' guy. He was settling down but that bugged him. All the dishes had white rims except one. Pete started to count how many times he washed that dishes. He left frustrated. Then, Pete decided that by his next birthday he would work in all 50 states.

The next chapter is called "Hell Train." Then, he went on to Rhode Island. He got a job on a train. The train was super busy! The water was brown. The machine barely working. After his shift, he was done.

The next chapter is called "In a Lather." Then, he moved on to Myrtle Beach, SC. There were a million restaurants, but he couldn't find a job. Then, he found out that there was a group of teens who worked together to steal all the jobs. He decided he was done.

The next chapter is called "Kiss the Dishmachine Good-Bye." One day, he decided to retire and left. After he left, he remembered that he forgot to kiss the dishwasher but didn't go back.

The next chapter is the Epilogue. He married Amy Joy and moved to Amsterdam. He decided to find a job but couldn't. Then, he found out that he wasn't being hired because minimum wage for teens was lower; therefore, he had no job. He decided no more dishwashing.

The ending wasn't AWESOME but it was good. Overall, it was a good read. :)

Poems for Anthology

My theme is nature. My poems are Spring Snow By Linda Gregerson, Haiku Journey By Kimberly Blaeser , Morning Warming By Joyce Sidman, Taking to the Hills By Rachel Wetzsteon, The Flowers By Stéphane Mallarmé, Falling Leaves and Early Snow By Kenneth Rexroth, Furry Bear By A. A. Milne, Wind on the Hill By A. A. Milne, October By Bobbi Katz, and Earth Day By Jane Yolen. The poem that I'm turning into a video is Earth Day By Jane Yolen.