DADDY, WERE DOWN!!! (blogger goes down)

Last night I attempted to blog only to find that the site was down! Actually, the real story goes like this: I was up in my room playing Coin Dozer on my iPod at like 10:15 when all of a sudden I remembered that I had forgotten to blog. I quick ran downstairs to my computer. Instead of going straight to the blogger website like a good student would, I decided to quick check my Twitter. While scanning the "twitter feed" I discovered that Liz Rohde (@jizzofliz) had tweeted that the blogger website was down. Then I went to bed. I didn't even check. That's how dedicated I am :)

ANYWAYSSSS>>>>>I finished the book "When It Happens" and we also started reading The Scarlet Letter for English Class. I honestly don't really like The Scarlet Letter. I mean, I understand the story line and all, but I hate the old English grammar because I'm too lazy to try to figure out the metaphors used. I watched the movie Easy A (which is supposedly based off this book....ITS NOT!) and it is nothing like this book. The only resemblence is the A. Seriously.

I really enjoyed this project. I think that its a good idea to encourage kids to read. I also like how it tied in the technology part. I suppose if you're not tech. savvy and you don't like reading, you probably hated this project. I, on the other hand, am a pretty good reader and I love working with computers so I really liked this project. I liked that we were able to choose the books that we read. Because, as previously mentioned in my other posts, I enjoy shallow books about teenage love with no point.

Overall, my favorite book that I read was, "Forget You." (not the song by Ceelo Green)

FINAL TOTALS!
BOOKS: 6 and I started my 7th (Scarlet Letter)
HOURS: 38ishhhh hours = YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YA!
PAGES: I dont know.....................
















































































































































































































lexi has a problem.
just kidding strusz, you know we're besties!!!

THEME

So, I finished the book Forget You in like 3 days. I stayed up until midnight one night reading. Books make me do things I normally would not do...anyways...That book was about a girl who gets into a car accident and doesnt remember what happened the night before and the through out the book she's trying to gather together bits and pieces of information of what actually happened that night. It was probably my favorite book I have read for that project.

Now I am reading a book called When It Happens. This book was recommended to me by Aimee. It is really good also. It's about this super smart girl and the her relationships. Basically, she was dating this super popular guy who turned out to be a jerk, but then this sort-of-loserish guy who's in a band. Now the book is basically about this girl who's a senior and her relationships. Im on page 221 out of 310 :)

I think that the theme of my book (when it happens) is don't judge a book by its cover. In the beginning of this book, Sara would never have thought about dating Tobey. He was a slacker and she was a straight A student. He was definitely not her type. But, he starts talking to her and he's really funny so they go on a date & the rest is history.

I believe this is the last blog post of this project and I'm sad to say the I did not keep up with Strusz :( BUT I did read more than 20 hours so I think will get an A :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

FINAL TOTALS!

books: 5 almost 6
magazines: i read 3 or 4 but didnt use them towards the project....
hours: 30ish :) :)
pages: too many to count

Bible Passage...

So, I finished the book "Stuff White People Like". I found it to be quite amusing. It was definitely an easy read. I never found myself bored while reading it. It was for sure right up my alley. The humor was something I really enjoyed because of the sarcastic tone. I found most of the "Stuff" to be very accurate and true but quite exaggerated. I'm not really sure how to apply a Bible passage to this book, but I'll give 'er a try!....So one of the things White People "Like" is having religions other than their parents so hopefully this passage works...1 Kings 14:9
You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.

I just got a new book from Amazon.com called forget you & I will be starting that this weekend :)

Hours: 23ish

Stuff White People Like.

The book I am reading now was recommended to me by Strusz. Its called "Stuff White People Like". Its hillarious. Here are the pictures that I feel that go with my book :)



STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE:
 Being the Only White Person Around


 Having Two Last Names (Rebecca Romijn Stamos)


 Coffee (they don't really like it, but they pretend to)

Not Having A TV (just so they can make you feel bad for having a TV)

 Snowboarding (so they can feel relavent in sports)

TOTAL HOURS: 20 and a 1/2 hours

my goals

So, my goals at the beginning of this were to read errrrryday...thats not happening.
I have sooo much going on & I don't really make time to read.
I could have PLENTY of time to read but, sadly, I fill that time with useless other things.
I dont read very often, but when I do I read for hours!
When I pick up a good book, it suddenly becomes my priority over everything.
I finished "Two Way Street" last week and I honestly haven't read anything since then... :/
I'm waiting for Ian to finish the other book I bought at Barnes & Noble recently.
It's a girlie book so I'm surprised he's enjoying it. It's like 400+ pages & he's dominating it.
SO yea, the hours & pages etc. are the same as last week...this week was kind of a fail.
I was distracted my the awesome Journalism Unit we have going on in English right now.
Sorry to let you down STRUSZ... :(
Next week will hopefully be better...well, let's hope :):):)

Book Review

So I listened to the Books on the Nightstand book review & it was about a mom who was trying to find good "middle reader" books for her 7 year old. I totally agreed with their recommendation of Magic Tree House books. I used to read those books in like 1st & 2nd grade & I loved them!! We had a mini 'library' at our grade school & whenever a new Magic Tree House book would come in, we would fight about who got to read it first! Also, I would recommend the Bailey School Kids series. I love those books! They were also a big hit in my grade school days. The books are about normal kids who just happen to run into monsters. For example, there is one called "My Gym Teacher's an Alien" and they're all pretty much like that. They kept me very intrigued. Also, I LOVE the Junie B. Jones books! Sometimes I find myself picking those up now & I laugh every time!

SOOOO, I finished Two Way Street! It was amazing! I finished it a couple of days ago but I didn't get around to blogging. Ok here's a summary:
Courtney & Jordan used to date, but they planned to drive to college (in a diff. state) together before they broke up. Courtney's parents are still making her go on this road trip with him even though she doesn't want to. Well, we find out later in the book that Courtney's dad and Jordan's mom were having an affair!!!! Jordan comes home one night & sees them making out on the couch (gross). Courtney's dad threatens Jordan & thats why they have to break up...(Jordan told Courtney a fake story about a girl he met on the internet). So Jordan still likes Courtney, so he tells her dad that he'll tell Courtney the truth about the affair if Courtney doesn't go on the trip with him so thats why she was forced to go.
During the trip, Courtney does her best to pretend that she's in love with someone else (because she thinks Jordan has a new GF). That doesn't work out nicely & Jordan tells Courtney's dad that he's going to tell her the truth. BUT, Courtney's dad tells her 1st & then she gets mad at Jordan for not telling her right away (Jordan was scared of her dad so thats why he didn't tell). In the end they end up getting back together. I thought it was a really good book & the affair thing was a huge twist that I was not expecting!! :)

TOTALS
Books: 3 (mid way through #4)
Pages: 1358
Magazines: UNO
Hours: 19

bloggin' it up...freestyle yo!

So, this week is FREESTYLE week. YESSS!!! Actually, I dont really like not having structure because then my brain goes all over & I can't focus but I'll try my best...

So I've honestly given up on the Lauren Conrad book because this "Two Way Street" book is way better! (even though im not that far....) The author switches between Courtney's side of the story & Jordan's side so it keeps it interesting. It's only just a matter of time before they fall back in love with each other I can just tell! At the beginning, it said that Jordan had a secret he had to tell Courtney so I can't wait to find out what it's going to be! I'm on approx. page 70...yea I know, im slackin' :( Don't worry, I'll pick up the pace this week & give you the lo-down next week.

TOTALS:
books: same as last time
pages: 1000ish+70ish... (quite exact)
magazines: UNO
hours: 15 hours 45 min. ish (there i go being all exact & stuff)

Theme Song...Oooops

So the week of the theme song was my 1st 'ooops' week. I totally forgot about blogging. OK, anyways...I went to Barnes & Noble & recently bought two new books so I kind of set the Lauren Conrad book aside (I'm almost done with it though) & started reading "Two Way Street". Its about this guy & girl who used to date but broke up & now they are forced to go on a road trip together. I haven't read much yet but my guess it they're probs. gunna fall in love.
THEME SONG: My theme song would probably be Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. I chose this song because in my book,  Jordan (the boyfriend) has a new girlfriend that he met on the internet. Courtney pretends not to care, but in reality she really likes him...I can't wait to dive into this terrific read!!!

TOTALS:
books-almost 3, started the 4th
pages-around 1000
magazines-1
hours-15ish

the reading habits of ME

My reading habits suck. I dont read as much as should. I usually spend my free time watching recorded episodes of Tosh, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Pretty Little Liars, Glee...etc. I also spend a great majority of my time on Facebook. I generally cannot go on the computer without logging into Facebook...it might be an addiction. I could spend hours just browsing people's photos and creepin' :) ...I have no life. The ratio of time reading to time spent watching TV or going on Facebook is probably 1hour/8hours. Although, sometimes, I can really get cruising on a book & I can easily read 3 hours in one sitting. I like this project because I can read whatever I want & that keeps my attention because most of the books we have to read for school don't keep my attention because I enjoy shallow books with no point. Exhibit A: The current book I am reading... Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad. It is the 3rd book in her series: L.A. Candy.


So, I finished my 2nd book and I got a pretty good start on my 3rd. I am blogging from school so I am not exactly sure what page I'm on but I believe it is somewhere around page 200. The book is basically a continuation from the 2nd book. It's about these girls who are on this reality show in California. They get paid to be filmed and they all have cool jobs/internships with fashion designers & party planners. It talks about their relationships and friendships & the paparazzi drama. It's pretty much just their everyday life. I'm not sure why this type of useless literature interests me, but I've read all three of these books and they've kept my attention so far. If you've ever seen The Hills starring Lauren Conrad, it's pretty much just a spin-off of the show. (approx. book reading time : 3 hours)

Also, I got a new Seventeen Magazine over break & I have already completed that. I devour magazines as soon as I get them in the mail. Magazine reading pretty much trumps anything else I do on the days that I get new ones. Victoria Justice was on the cover. I'm really not a big fan of her. Seventeen has kind of been slacking with their cover girls the past couple of months. Last month was Miranda Cosgrove & I really don't care much for her either but, hey, you win some, you lose some. ANYWAYS>>>>>> In this months isssue of Seventeen, it was the hair issue! It showed you how to get fashionable updo's & the latest cuts & colors (I've never dyed my hair & don't plan to). It also had a section about this highschool cheerleader who was raped by a member of the boy's basketball team at her school. He was sent to jail for only a short sentence & was allowed back at her school. She refused to cheer for him while shooting free throws at a game & she got kicked off of her squad. Her family tried to sue the school but it didn't work so now they're taking the case to the Supreme Court. It was actually really interesting to read about.
(approx. magazine reading time 1 hour 30 minutes)


TOTALS:
Books: 2 (almost 3)
Magazines: 1
Pages: not 100% sure...?
Hours: 13 hours 30 minutes

ONE BOOK FINISHED...yeah man!

Theme: Write about your last trip to a book store/library.

Hmm, let me think...The last time I went to a book store/library was this winter. I went to Barnes & Noble. I'd only been there a few times prior to that trip. I love how you can just pick up a book & sit there and read it. Most of the time when I'm walking through Target & I see a book I want to read, I'm tempted to sit there on the floor and read the first few pages before I buy it (to make sure it doesn't suck). I figure this is most likely frowned upon, so I usually scan the back or inside cover & read the summary of it. Most of the time I end up putting it right back on the shelf & not buying it. But, at Barnes & Noble, there's chairs & couches to sit on while reading the books from their store. There is also a coffee shop where you can buy Starbucks :) .....anyways >>> The last time I went to Barnes & Noble I bought 3 books because I had a gift card from my birthday. I spent pretty much the whole day there. It was a great time....FIELD TRIP STRUSZ!?!?! Ehhh???

Ok, now onto my book. Well, I finished my first book, The Truth About Forever, on Saturday. That book was 374 pages. I really liked it! Here's a brief summary : The story takes place in the summer after Macy (the main character) 's dad died unexpectedly from a heart attack.  Before his death, Macy was a big runner. But, after he died, she wanted nothing to do with it. This was because he woke her up one morning to go for a run but she decided to sleep in. She changed her mind about ten minutes later & after he'd already left.  She figured she'd catch up to him. So she went to go catch up to her dad but she saw him laying on the sidewalk ahead of her & someone was giving him CPR. He had had a heart attack. He was taken to the hospital where he died. During the summer, Macy was planning on concentrating on her drills for the SAT & her job at the library while her boyfriend (who sounds like a loser to me) was at Brain Camp. While he's away, she sent him an e-mail saying she loves him. He responds by telling her that he wants to 'take a break'. She is really frazzled after this happens & ends up getting another job at a catering company.  Macy begins to hang out with some people that her mother doesn't approve of & she starts to like a guy that works with her named Wes. She still works at her miserable job at the library, but then at the end of the summer, she decides she's not happy there & quits. Once again to her mother's dismay.  She ends up seeing Jason (her ex-bf) at the end of summer & he wants to get back together. She almost goes back to him but then realizes she actually loves Wes. Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it. I thought it was a really good book & would recommend it to any teenage girl who likes a good love story :)

I also started another book this weekend & I've been going to town on that one too.  This one is called Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad. This book is the 2nd book in the series L.A. Candy. I'm on page 295 of 309 so I'm pretty much done with that book too :) I'm not going to summarize that one right now, but I'll make a post when I finish the book (which will hopefully be within the next 24 hours).


TOTALS:
PAGES:  669
BOOKS: 1 (almost 2)
APPROX. HOURS: 9

Whoops...

Well, I totally failed on the point of this week's post. I forgot that we were supposed to apply our reading to our real life so here it goes...

In my book, Macy's boyfriend goes away to Brain Camp for the summer. This summer, my boyfriend will be going away to college & I will be staying here in good ole' Fond du Lac. It will definitely be hard & a big change for me. After Jason goes away for the summer, he decides it would be best for them to break up.  Because of this, she learns that a boy doesn't make or break who she is. She finds a different job & moves on. She even finds a new guy! Sometimes when break-ups happen, they feel like the end of the world. They're sad because you've invested so much time & love into that person but all of a sudden, its irrelevant. This book has reminded me that no matter what happens next year when my boyfriend goes off to college, I still have a life.  I still have my friends & so many other blessings & I know I can move on if something bad does happen.

Ok, ok...I'm done with the sappy stuff. Sorry, but that's the best way I could apply it to my life. Tune in next week when I fill you in on all the exciting happenings in The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen :)

El Libro.

So...I haven't been doing that terrific on reading for this project.  My book is really good so far, but I just find myself getting busy or finding useless things to do with my time. For example, last night after the basketball game I decided to watch Tosh.0 instead of read...bad choice (the episode wasn't that great).
ANYWAYS, what I have read of my book is really good. My book takes place in the summer. It's about this girl, Macy, who has a boyfriend, Jason. They're both super smart & Jason went away to "brain camp" over the summer.  He asks her to take over at his job at the library for him & she says yes because she doesn't want to disappoint him. These two snotty girls work at the library too & Macy doesn't like them.  Macy ends up getting a job for this catering business. While Jason is away, she tells him that she loves him but he freaks out & breaks up with her. She ends up becoming really good friends with the people that work with the catering company & she goes to a party with them. She ends up liking this boy, Wes.  Ok well, that about as far as I've gotten...Don't worry Strusz, I'll keep you posted on what happens next. I know you're dying to know what's going to happen!!

approx. reading time: 3 hours

The Truth About Forever

The first book I'm readnig is The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.  I've read some other books by her & I've liked them so I hope this ones a keeper.  I also heard from Erin Issakson that this is a good pick so I'm pretty pumped to read it.  My goal is to read everyday & try to get an A.  I don't think I will be able to beat Mr. Strusz because he's an avid reader & I only read in my spare time.  Ok well, I'll keep you posted on my awesome book that I'm reading!!!!!!