B.

B is for Books.

I am a reader. My mother has always said that I practically taught myself to read and write at the age of 2. Words captured me in a way nothing else really did. The bookshelf in Beauty and the Beast was my favorite part of the movie until I saw the Beasts' library and then I was really glued! Like a cross country athlete running to get that natural high, I read for the adrenaline rush. My very first chapter book ever was the original story of James and the Giant Peach which has lots of beautiful illustrations. I will lose myself in the young adult section of the library at school, a place all to myself. My favorite part of reading is when I find that one book, the one I can't  put down, the one I just have to finish before I do anything else. One day I'm going to have a huge library in my house full of classic books and new books and books I've collected over the years. Books are a very good thing.

Lou

Bullied.

Dear Reader,

I know my blog has been a little blah lately because I'm trying to only write when I have something to say. Well I do. It might be a little morbid and a little broken-record, but I really want to talk about this and hear what you have to say.

Everyone, I don't care who you are, has been bullied at one time or another. We all do it. We all talk about someone behind their backs, maybe not as much as others, but we have committed a social crime. I'm 19 and I'm still bullied, I'm just mature enough to handle it better than I did in middle school.

In middle school I was a target of my ex-boyfriends NEW girlfriend. She wanted to make damn sure that I wasn't going to steal him back from her... which I never had plans to in the first place. She got her volleyball team to jump me in the hallway one morning and tell me that I was so ugly that no guy would ever look at me. They told me that if I ever talked to her boyfriend again that they would be back and hurt me again. I was so afraid of these muscular tall girls that I didn't say anything. I thought it was funny that she had sent her volleyball team because they were bigger than her, but she wasn't even there. She would write terrible things about me online, post conversations she had about me that were horrible to places where I could see, and created an online hate page about me.

Me and my friends were just appalled about what was going on. We tried to fight back, say equally mean stuff etc. but it never ended. I can promise you that I never even considered hurting her or posting hate pages. I did bump shoulders with her in the hallway a lot, sometimes she would come out of nowhere and jam into me. Besides venting about it to my friends a lot, I didn't really know how to make it stop or "even the score" so to say.

Then one day this boy had dumped her and that's when I got hurt. She and her friends found me in the bathroom at lunch and started screaming things I couldn't hear. "You had something to do with this" and "you're the reason she's heartbroken" and "home wrecking slut" and many more. Then someone grabbed my arm and swung me around into the sinks and then into the towel dispenser. The girls were scratching my arms where they grabbed me and were just swinging me around and around into things. That's when I hit my head on the edge of the paper towel dispenser and started bleeding all over the place. When I started to cry they all scattered. A teacher found me.

I can still remember my mothers face. It was a mixture of anger, horror, revenge, and sadness. She asked why I didn't tell her and I said that I honestly didn't know it would get to that point, and it wasn't like I hadn't been mean back. My mother demanded to know every name and for someone to pay for my stitches. I can still remember my mom chewing out the other girls mother, waving around the print-outs of the hate page her daughter had written, and then demanding action. The other girls mother tried to defend her daughter but the bruises on my arm and the cut on my forehead silenced her soon enough. She was expelled, the volleyball team was suspended until further notice, and there was legal trouble for her about the website she made about me.

I still remember crying over the mean stuff that not only her, but people I thought were nice, people I didn't even know were saying about me. I still remember feeling anger and resentment at everything that had happened. I didn't handle it well... because by the time I had it was too late. I just remember crying so much because it was so mean.

Now I'm older, in college, and there are still mean girl everywhere. There's no beating them, no running away. I can handle myself better now. I roll my eyes at the immaturity. The way I see it, is that I've already dealt with it once before with girls who were at least acting their age... 13. I am not willing to act with college girls being bullies. Never again. I'm a lot stronger.

If you've ever been bullied, how did you handle it? I'd love to hear your story.

Lou

A.

A is for ART.

Lou

Something Awesome for Earth Day.

I was going to post on Earth day about something Earthy, but I couldn't think of anything to post that hasn't been done before. I mean, definitely recycle your tabs so you can make fantastical bracelets that support the environment and sick children. But I love to read, and frankly these Earth Day bookshelves make me want to read more.

Happy late Earth Day!

Lou

10 Things to Know About College.

10 things you should know about college, good and bad.


1. You can change everything.

Everything. I mean it. From your roommate, your advisor, your not-so-great professor, your major; to your clothes, your friends, your healthy habits, and your hobbies. Change is a great thing in college. Use it.

2. Do not expect to graduate in 4 years.

This is one of the biggest lies your guidance counselor will tell you. I do not know one person graduating from school in only 4 years. You could if you took 18 credits every semester (which is insane, you'll never sleep), didn't do any extra-curriculurs, got straight A's, and did every summer and winter intersession course they offered. You could graduate in four years if you didn't pick up a double major or a minor. College is fun so you'll be glad to stay for an extra year, but it's also a lot of money so maybe not so much

3. Not everyone is your friend, but always be friendly because you'll never know when you'll see them again.

This is so important! I have seen so many of my friends burned because they were rude to someone who turned out to be a professor's assistant or co-captain of the lacrosse team. Plus, being friendly is just a great life rule.

4. College is not like the movies.

The movies portray college as this amazing place where everyone is way more accepting and you'll be friends with the first people you meet forever. There are great parties you'll talk about for generations and hot ladies everywhere. Yes, college is great. Yes, for the most part people are more accepting because there are more people to meet that would be a great match for you. No, don't trust everyone you meet even if they seem great and you've hung out with them a couple times before, trust me because i've been bitten in the butt over this one a lot. Yes parties are fun, just don't do something you would definitely not do sober. Yes, there are very attractive ladies... and hot guys... in college.

5. Make sure you put your grades first and social life second

Try and visit your advisor often to know where you stand. Do something that will make the professor remember your face because classes become easier that way when your more comfortable with the professor. Actually read the required reading for homework even if it's not graded in any way because then studying for the big stuff will be so much easier! Get tutors in every class that's not your strong suit even if your passing, you'll be glad later.

6. Get involved.

College is what you make it. A girl in my hallway didn't even make it one semester because she was homesick and missed her boyfriend. She laid in bed all day and didn't go to any of her classes. So she wasted her parent's money and dropped out. When you get involved you meet a lot of people and being homesick takes a back seat. College is so much fun, so get out there and play a recreational sport, join a club, or go jogging with a friend because the only way it's going to get better is if you use it for all it's worth!

7. Be a good roommate, not a great one.

I'm not saying to be a perfect roommate because no one ever is. Just keep your side of the room semi-organized and don't borrow their things without asking. By the way, there is definitely a difference between messy and dirty, you don't want to be the latter. Try to keep your mess on your side of the room and don't leave trash around. Keep the music and t.v. on low volume at night and please for the love of peanut butter do NOT bring your friends in the room to watch something on t.v. and laugh really loud while your roommate is trying to sleep... it's plain rude for everyone. If you do have a roommate problem, tell your RA first and if it still doesn't work out, switch roommates. You don't owe it to them to stay, make sure your happy with the living situation first.


8. Utilize your tuition

Your tuition pays for a lot of things like your room&board and meals, but most importantly your classes. Every time you skip a class that means you just wasted $. Your paying for these classes, or someone is, so you might as well go even if you don't feel like it. Try not to get 8 a.m. classes that way you're not tempted to sleep through them. By the way, tuition also pays for counseling. So if you want a regular counselor don't be afraid to ask because they are there for you.

9. You are not on your own at college.

One thing you'll notice about college is that the only adults you'll see around are the professors in classes, lunch ladies, and campus police. Besides them, college is ultimately run by students. There are more student workers than campus faculty. The student council makes a lot of decisions regarding campus activities, honor programs, and athletics. To me, this concept scared me. I was always told in high school that in college I had to learn to be incredibly independent because I was an adult now. When I had an issue at school regarding minor sexual harassment I wasn't sure if I had anyone to go to or if I had to just deal with it on my own like an adult. No. The school cares. There are always faculty that can help you if you need it with a ton of resources for whatever the situation is. Just because you are in college does not mean that you are suddenly on your own to deal with every decision by yourself.

10. Never ever keep any illegal substance or contraband in your room.

This is just a no brainer. The consequences could result in expulsion or legal trouble, it's really not worth it in the end. You may think you've hidden it well, but anything could happen especially with a group of 400 19 year olds living in the same building.

Here's me in college, floating rubber ducks in a bathtub with my 1st semester roommate.

See? College is fun!

Lou

Singled Out.

Ever felt like this?

yeah, me too.

Lou

Book Trailer for FGT.

I had my big group presentation today in Young Adult and Adolescent Literature. This was the project that I was worried about working with my best friend... we didn't really get a long. After some insinuated comments and lots of late nights the presentation turned out FANTASTIC. There were five components to the project. 2 book reviews, 2 classroom ready activities, a PowerPoint, and a book trailer. I was in charge of the book trailer. After showing it to my class it got absolutely glowing reviews. Many a weary hour was spent working on this trailer, getting the timing just right, citing all of the sources, transitions, editing the music etc... but it was worth it. The group that went after us had a trailer that didn't really flow or look like they spent much time on it. But I am so happy about how mine turned out without much help from the other members. I think my professor really enjoyed it.

Without further ado: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Book Trailer by Fannie Flagg

Lou

Don't Be Afraid.

To my very few followers that may or may not read this, I do want to tell you something.

I've been reading other blogs by women (I don't know very many men who blog), and it seems that a lot of us ladies have been feeling the pressures of the world lately. Here is what I want you all to say to yourself when things don't feel right.

No matter who you are, or what you love, or what your fears may be...

Don't be afraid.

Lou

Soda Tabs.

This is a personal project of mine. Well, obviously I didn't start the R&M house, but it's been something I've been working on all year. I save all of my soda tabs and then make them into bracelets. I even put collection boxes by the recycling bins in the dorm halls.

Here is the deal:

1 pop tab is 1 inch long

1,267 pop tabs make one pound

1 pound of aluminum can be sold for 40 cents.

For now, I'm just making bracelets for fun. Some of my friends wear them around and people ask them about it and then ask if they can have me make them one. They aren't hard to make, there are tons of youtube videos showing you how to do different styles. Here is the one I learned on:

I figure that If I start selling them for a dollar around my campus then I can donate more money to the Ronald McDonald house. For more information click here so maybe you can help out too :)

By the way, this is a GREAT class project for elementary school kids. Collecting tabs teaches them recycling, charity, and responsibility. Some classes even make this into a friendly inter-grade competition to see who can collect the most by pound. However you do it, it helps kids everywhere!

Lou

Growing Opportunity.

I wanted to do another book review, but I've had a lot of other things going on at the moment. So I thought it would be good for me to get out all of my thoughts in this post. The next next time I post will be about the movie trailer I created for Fried Green Tomatoes, by Fannie Flagg.

The Goo Goo dolls concert was awesome, but I must talk about a thing called "concert etiquette". I go to a small state school in Pennsylvania called Lock Haven University. We have a mixture of every race, academic standing, and for lack of a better term: biotches. Now I don't look down on anyone for having a couple shots before going to a concert because I think I was the only one who didn't drink beforehand. These three girls were trying to push their way to the front of the stage no matter what the cost. They were drunk, they were loud, they were short, they were whiny, they had lots of big hair, they were rude. One of them kept using her hand to flip her hair back and it kept getting in my mouth. If I could have moved without getting separated from my friends I would have. When I told her that she was getting her hair in my mouth she didn't even look at me and said "Well theres like a million people around" and didn't even stop. She was leaning on me because she was so belligerent elbowing me in my rib cage. I turned around and nobody else was acting this way, they were drunk, but not bothering anybody else. Apparently she pissed off some girls next to me because they stuck gum in her hair and watched it get tangled even deeper as she flipped her hair back in our faces. Moral of the story: don't piss anyone off when your drunk at a concert... you might find yourself with a jar of peanut butter and a butter knife later trying to loosen the gum... unless you want to use scissors.

Speaking of being drunk, I want to tell you my views about it. I never drank once in high school because I had no time and all of those 'above the influence' commercials got to me first. The first time I drank was over the summer at a work party and let me tell you... I now know my limits. I made so many people mad because I was so wasted that I was considering quitting that job. I vowed never to get that drunk again. I think that I've had alcohol maybe 4-5 times since last summer where I actually felt something, but I don't usually go out of my way to go to house parties or to Penn State on weekends to drink. I find myself getting excited over movie nights and sleepovers that me and my friends plan for the weekend, and drinking just doesn't make me that excited. I've definitely met people who think they've had a bad weekend if they don't go to at least one party or have just one beer. Have I turned down shots from my friends? Yes. Am I a non-alcohol activist? No.

Last night I felt betrayed by some friends who didn't invite me to go to state college with them even though I mentioned that I'd want to come. I haven't drank since last semester and I said to myself "You know what? I deserve to go out and have a little fun." So I called one of my friends who I went to high school with and asked if I could tag along with him if he went out. We went to a disgusting house right next to the university (dumb.) but there were so many people there and the alcohol was free so it didn't phase me. Let me tell you that average LHU house parties are gross... as I'm sure other colleges are too. The floor is drenched in spilled alcohol, there are dirty dishes everywhere, and everyone reeks of sweat and sex. This all sounds disgusting but the funny thing is that when you start drinking none of it matters. I started to drink what's known as "jungle juice" which is part kool-aid and alcohol of your choice. I danced with different guys in a very inappropriate way (something I am never proud of), I said a bunch of dumb embarrassing things, and then I threw up in the sink -- twice. My friend walked me home and snuck me in the back entrance of my dorm hall. I could barely see, I could barely walk, but apparently I was happy as a clam according to him.

This morning I felt so sick, and I had a dance recital later. I felt so regretful of the night before that I had broken my vow to not get that bad ever again that I actually teared up a little. I was also thinking about the certain people in my life who would definitely be disappointed in me if they found out. Now, I'm not saying that I was the worse person at that party... because trust me I was not. I'm also not saying that I did anything out of the ordinary that people would remember me or even bring up.

But I do feel bad that I let my personal responsibility to myself get away from me. I need to work on keeping my own promises. I sent this text message to my friend this morning: Hey darling, I can't thank you enough for being with me last night. I'm gonna thank you in person, but I wanted to just pre-mention it so that you know I'm really grateful.

Here is my message to anyone who reads this. It's ok to mess up once in a while, it makes us grow as people and in my case as an adult. Even if your personal responsibility, whatever it may be, doesn't always come to fruition because of wrong choices or mistakes, as long as you never lose it you'll be ok. There is always a growing opportunity.

Lou

Perfect Little Me.

5th grade:

I loved to play kickball and swing during recess. My favorite subject in school was reading and it was that subject that brought me to my best friend that I still have today. I didn't wear a bra, I didn't go shopping for myself, I didn't do my hair, I didn't care if my clothes fit perfectly; I just loved what I loved.

6th grade:

This was a whole new world to me. I actually had to switch classrooms for different subjects, and I realized that I was a very disorganized person. This was the year that I met the greatest, meanest, scariest, and most challenging teacher I have ever had. She is what inspired me to become a middle school English teach, and inspires me to do great in whatever I do.

7th grade:

The year I started to enter puberty. I was self conscious about absolutely everything. I needed 'cool' friends, 'cool' clothes, my hair had to be perfect, makeup... how do I even use it? I was embarrassed out of my mind about the stupidest things. Co-ed gym suddenly became the most nerve racking class of the day because boys would be looking at whatyouwearwhatyousaywhatyoudowhoyouhangoutwithblahblahblahblahspazzspazzspazz.

8th grade:

The first time I ever wanted to try-out for cheerleading. But joining the squad was guaranteed social-suicide because every girl was socially awkward and the squad wasn't taken seriously by anybody. I told my friend that I wanted to join and she laughed, "aww wittle cheerweader Lou Lou, how cute. Are you seriously going to do it?" then I said "Nah, I'm just kidding." What was happening to me? Just a few years ago I would've joined in a heartbeat and wouldn't think twice about other people. Instead of cheerleading, I got a boyfriend who was captain of the soccer team. That was cool enough... right?

fast forward to 11th grade:

I got over the whole "I have to be seen with these people" and just hung out with whoever I wanted, a step in the right direction. I made some great friends during high school, some I think I'll keep in contact with for a long time. I was doing cheerleading, being made fun of, but having the time of my life anyway. Now I had other problems. My thighs were a lot bigger than I wanted them to be, my boobs weren't growing like they were supposed to, my clothes were whatever my mother bought me for christmas, and I would never dare wear a bathing suit in front of anyone else. I would find myself looking at the girl next to me and comparing myself to her. "She has confidence because she has a pretty body... she doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her because of that body" or it was "At least I don't have acne like that girl... why doesn't she take care of that problem?" What was I doing? I'm a nice person, but I look back and I have no idea why I ever acted like that.

12th grade:

I got into my first choice college. I won 2 scholarships; one for being one of the most motivated students going into the education major, the other for having the best 'moral character' of my class. I was captain of cheerleading, I was community fair Queen, I had a wonderful boyfriend, I had friends, I had a car, I was taking dance classes. I had everything I ever wanted but I still was so hard on my body, I still compared myself to other "better" girls, I wouldn't tell anyone where I was going to school because "they" were going somewhere "better", I wasn't being myself around people who didn't matter anyway. I had everything... but everything else mattered more.

Freshman year of college:

I deleted my Facebook because someone had hacked it so bad that I lost a potential job over it, I was getting angry messages from people I didn't know, and people were shouting obscene words at me all over campus. My first year of college is almost over and I reflect back on it and cringe. I was so worried about what all these new people would think of me that it almost consumed everything I did. I didn't try out for cheerleading last semester even though my brain was screaming "BUT YOU LOVE IT! DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE!", because they were 'slutty party whores' and they were only 'ok' at cheerleading. I felt the need to dress up to go out to parties because that's what everyone else did, but then the houses and parties would be super gross and not worth the makeup. Even at this small school I was desperate to make friends, I almost think I tried too hard. I will never know because I'm embarrassed for myself about the way I acted.

You'd think I'd learn because I'm 19 and not some pre-pubescent mood swinging crazy girl. I'm supposed to be a sophisticated young lady whose confident in all of my endeavors while trying to better myself at a place of higher education... right?

This week my roommates grandmother died at age 50. That's what made me think. I can waste all of my time thinking about how to have the perfect body, attract the right people, and wear the best clothes (whatever those terms even mean), but in the end life doesn't care if you have thunder thighs or the perfect bikini body, it happens whether you're ready or not. You can die donning a Lord & Taylor dress, or you can die in sweatpants. My goal for next year is to just relax and focus on me first and the only things that should improve are my grades. 

I need to trade one cliche for another. Instead of 'snobby cheerleader' I need to 'believe in myself'.

In fact, I need to love myself. For everything I know I am.

You should too. I want you too.

Lou

Little Sister Averi wasn't afraid to do middle school cheerleading, I'm so proud of her.

Palindromes.

Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba after being a huge jerk to the rest of the world. Somehow he was allowed off the island and started being an even bigger jerk until he finally died in 1821. Believe it or not, he was a literary genius in his own way, I suppose anyone would be if they were exiled and had that much time on their hands. Napoleon perfected what is known as Palindromes.

Palindrome (n) a word or phrase the letters of which, when taken in reverseorder, give the same word or phrase.


Here is the only palindrome I came up with: Hannah sees Bob.

They are a lot harder than one may think, and Napoleon came up with some pretty good ones. His most famous one being about the prison of Island Elba:  Able was I ere I saw Elba

Funnily enough, my Biology teacher was the one who taught me about palindromes today. In Biology a palindrome has something to do with identical twins and they're DNA being the same backwards and forwards. She thought they were so funny that she found this video and showed it in class:

Obviously he is more creative than I am.

Happy palindroming!

Lou

Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Just a little fact about me is that I am now a college cheerleader! Tryout's were today and I am one of 23 girls and a boy who have made the squad out of 40. So I'm a little tired from tryout's all day, but no time for napping because my day is just getting started. I have many things to do tonight including a Goo Goo dolls concert at my school, but I wanted to make time for anyone who reads my blog. Here goes.

I'm questioning this book.

For those who have never heard of this book, it's a simple read. It's a tale of 9 year old Bruno in the times of Nazi Germany and a young jewish boy who lives on the other side of the fence named Shmuel. Bruno's father is assigned to be head honcho at the concentration camp Auschwitz, or as Bruno likes to say, Out-with. Everyday these two boys meet at the fence and create a bond of friendship between Jew and non-Jew like never before. Bruno does not fully understand about the 3rd reich, Jew's, camps, Hitler, and the war. Because of this naive thinking he is able to see and love Shmuel for who is as a person.

Bruno often does not use correct words such as Out-with for Auschwitz. He refers to his mean older sister as "The Hopeless Case" and the Fuhrer is "the Fury". The book is extremely repitive, like a children's book. For example, Bruno will repeat throughout the book "...even the things that he'd hidden at the back of the closet and were nobody else's business" multiple times. This book is a story about a young boy who does not see 'Jews' and 'party members', he see's 'good people' and 'bad people'.

Overall, the book was only alright in my opinion. Was it a page turner? Not for me. Did it have strong characters? if by strong you mean detailed, than yes; if by strong you mean original and enticing, than no. I would recommend you only read this book if you're not sick of Nazi Germany novels taking over the publishing industries. I'm the first one to pick up a novel about World War II, but this was frankly not  even in my top 20.

I don't think John Boyne did the Holocaust justice. I've done some research on this particular novel and some Holocaust survivors are quite insulted by the simplicity and the sugar-covered-rainbows they try to paint over the whole experience. I would say that it does do a great job of giving emotion to a reader, which doesn't usually happen with 9 year old characters. I understand that the book is supposed to be from the perspective of a privileged German child of a very important party member, so I suppose that his experience wouldn't be as horrifying and dramatic compared to an actual Holocaust survivor, but it was still way too sugar-coated.

For example, Auschwitz is recognized as the worst camp ever created at the time. Bodies were decaying and rotting, and even the towns could smell the stench from multiple miles away. To write that Bruno has this camp in his backyard and still has no idea what is going on is completely insane to me. Also, it's unrealistic that Shmuel, a boy living through the terrors of Auschwitz (with top security and most brutal camp of them all) is able to sneak past guards and make it to the same spot in the fence every day is extremely fictional.

So here is where my real questionable beef comes in. All across America middle level education schools are incorporating this book into their curriculum. I'm not sure whether it's better to hand this book to them for an "introduction" to the Holocaust (so as not to scare them with all of the terrible horrors of Hitler&friends right away), or if this book is a complete disgrace to those who lived through the experience. I remember my first book about the Holocaust was The Diary of Anne Frank, and as students we took the novel and all of the circumstances in that book very seriously. It was up to our teachers to present the information factually and let us know that this happened.

Here are my questions:

Should middle school students read this book although it's highly unrealistic and does not do justice (in my opinion) to the experience of World War II and it's victims?

Is this novel more fiction than historical fiction?

What is the best way to present this information without losing any gravity while not scaring children?

Overall, I'm glad that I got a chance to read it and i'll probably see the movie too. I'll admit that I teared up at the end when... well you can read that part. I probably wouldn't read it again all the way through just because the style of writing is not serious, especially for a topic so grave.

One praise I will give it: you may not love what they do, but you will love these boys.

Lou

Lou Lou.

I was wandering through my favorite aisle of my school library a few weeks ago. Sometimes I grab a vanilla chai tea latte (recommended) and walk to the basement where the children's library is. "Children's library" is not really just for children. Lots of students love to work there because it's quite, theres comfy chairs, whiteboards, and it's just a great environment.

So I'll have my tea, my laptop, my diary, colored marker pens etc. and I'll sit in the third aisle of the book shelves. The aisle is just far in enough to be away from other students, and just close enough that it's not creepily isolating.

I was going through the books, just letting myself look at each cover and read the inside flap at my leisure. For some reason all of the YA fiction is in the children's library... of course, the good stuff. That's when I ran into this little number and immediately fell in love.

An actual children's book in the library! My name (sort of)! There are multiple chapters, but it took me only about twenty minutes to read the whole thing. I sat and laughed away at Lulu's grand adventure.

Told by a very sassy narrator, this is the story of a bratty young girl named Lulu and her quest to find her perfect birthday present -- a Brontosaurus. She's mean, tough, resourceful, and downright attitude. When she finds her pet Brontosaurus things do not go her way, not one bit, nope nope nope! This is a very creative story as well as a very well-written children's book that I want to have on my shelf one day. It's one of those books I can pick up over and over again and never get tired of it.

What really drew me in were the illustrations on every page.

I recommend this book for anyone that hasn't been in touch with their inner child. The writing is simplistic and repetitive, like any great children's book I have ever read. A truly wonderful read again and again and again.

I hope I'm not the only college student giggling in the basement of a library over a brontosaurus, but then then again I would not mind.

Lou

Fried Green Tomatoes & Best Friends Forever.

I'm taking a class called Literature for Young Adults & Adolescents. I'm an English Major at a state university of PA, one known for producing great teachers after they're through with them. My secondary English Education major is one of the biggest programs at my school (if not the biggest). So when my YAL professor is also head of the sec. English ed. department I tend to take every word she says seriously. Recently we've read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

I'll admit that I skipped quite a few chapters in the latter book because the style it was written in was just not doing it for me.

Now, at the end of the semester, she gave us literature options. When we choose these books, we get assigned a group and do a very involved project. It involves a poster, a powerpoint, a book trailer, and 2 classroom ready activities.

I'm nervous to do this project because me and my best friend are in the same group and we're already butting heads about how to get things done. It's in both of our natures to be the "leader" in group projects because we're both studying to one day become teachers. We interrupt each other, we try and assign things, and I'll admit that I was annoyed with her when she started to write out a schedule for everyone that was convenient for her. Maybe it's the fact that we're too close to be working together but it probably has more to do with that we both want to out-do each other in everything "English". Do you know those people that constantly ask you what you got on your test so they can nonchalantly say "...oh, I just got a 95 on that...", or those who constantly compare OTHERS to THEMSELVES, as if they are the standard of living? Well, that's how I feel about my best friend. Some people are just not meant to work together -- hopefully she's not my boss one day cause I would lose it.

After some wrangling it was decided that I would make the book trailer due to my fantabulous macbook pro's imovie.

The book we were assigned was Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. I researched the book before I chose it. The reviews were just fantastic and even the movie seemed awesome. The main plot is about an old woman reviewing her life tale to her friend; it's about love and laughter... the occasional murder. Here is the movie trailer I found on youtube:

I suppose in the end that it doesn't matter whose in your project as long as everything gets done. The book seems really wonderful and I can't wait to read it. Now I got it from amazon today... and it has to be read by tuesday... let's get started.

Lou

Little Miss Project.

Keep this is in mind if you ever feel terrible. I did. Girls can unite in a way no one can understand.

Have a wonderful day.

-Lou

Summer Mission.

My summer reading list ::

1. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
2. Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park
4. Empty, by Suzanne Weyn
5. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness
6. The Wonderful O, James Thurber
7. The Odyssey - Graphic Novel, by Gareth Hinds

And there you go. I have never read any of these books and it's my summer mission to read them all. I hope that this list is also influential for you.

Cartoonie.

Another rainy day in central Pennsylvania. My roommate and I love to watch cartoons, but some of the new shows on cartoon network drive me insane. The characters are no longer anything but thick-lined crazy people. Remember the good old cartoons that made you want to fake sick just so you could watch the marathons? Here are a few of my favorite cartoon's of all time.

Bugs Bunny: Daffy Duck

Daffy has always been my favorite old character. No one can deny that Warner Bros. was the most creative cartoon production agency out there. Some of the ideas they came up with were things I thought I would only see in my dreams. I always thought Daffy was way better than Bugs, maybe not as smart, but definitely a lot more adorable and fun in my opinion.

Power Puff Girls

Sugar, Spice, and everything nice! These little girls are the cutest most bad-ass chicks ever to premier on television (cartoon wise anyway). Favorite episode: the Rowdy Ruff Boys.

Doug

I think Doug was one of those shows that annoyed me so much at first because his character was so whiny. He was the typical "My family is weird, I'm an average student, the girl I like will never like me back" character, which we see entirely too much of these days. But gradually he grew on me, and I found myself loving his attempts to make Patty Mayonnaise love him and little Porkchop running around beside him. I sometimes still hum the theme song "do do do do do do do do do do do..."

Pokemon

Gotta Catch 'Em All! I love these zainy characters! I totally had a massive crush on Brock. I had pet rats for a few years and whenever I would let them run around my room I would pretend they were pokemon and start telling them to use their special "powers". Tail Whip move! Shoe nibble attack! You might not have collected the cards, but pokemon was a legendary show nonetheless.

Rugrats

Nothing was better on a bad-weathered saturday afternoon than watching Rugrats. If you watched the show when you were young, admit it, you wanted to ride your dog too. Everyone has a cautious friend like Chuckie and a mean older relative like Angelica. I loved the episodes where they would get lost in different places such as the bowling alley, amusement parks, YMCA, post office, etc.

Dexter's Laboratory

I would have to say that out of every cartoon this is the one that I would turn on first if I was lucky enough it was on. I loved the way Dexter would talk in his weird German-American accent. The animation is really clever and drawn to perfection. My favorite episode is when Dexter traveled back through his lab and met up with all of his old neglected inventions, it was hilarious.

Spongebob

I realize that Spongebob is still on TV, but it's so different now from when it first aired. Now the episodes are full of disgusting monsters that make no sense. The first episodes of Spongebob were great. We had never experienced a cartoon like him; one that loves his minimum wage job, enjoys the simple things in life like the fun of leaf blowers, and loves everybody unconditionally even his cranky neighbor Squidward. Such a wonderful show, ah the good old days.

There you have it, a list of my favorite cartoon's of all time. Maybe I'm just outgrowing cartoon's and that's why I can't stomach any of them anymore. Time to enjoy the rest of my rainy day in my little dorm room.

Lou

First Everything.

Blogging seemed like the only way to get away from facebook without totally being disconnected. My friends don't blog and facebook isn't a reflection on anything about them besides the pictures. I became addicted and just realized that it was the same thing everytime and I could just pick up the phone and call them. Without totally being away from the internet, I decided that I wanted a place where I could constantly talk about what I enjoy in my life most of all: literature and other rainy day activities.

Lyrics, poetry, small-town fashions, and of course my books. All things that I turn to when I want to fall in love again. I hope that this blog is a good replacement from the ever-addicting facebook.

For my first post ever, I've decided to suggest this young adult novel to you: The Other Side of Dark, by Sarah Smith. Published in 2009, it is very relatable to all ages. It was a book I couldn't put down until I finished it in the wee hours of the morning.

Two teenagers, one black and one white, delve into the dangerous history of one of the most historical white families in Boston. Not only are they investigating a dangerous case, but are also being haunted by one of the tragic victims that died protecting the families secret. A must read, about 300 pages, sit down, read&relax, and allow yourself to just melt into the story. It's what I do.