Have you ever thought that your life was in a downward spiral? In Elizabeth Brown's Perfect You, Kate Brown's sophomore year is not going as planned.
To start, her father quit his job at a software company to sell Perfect You vitamins because of a freak accident in which everything on his desk was broken excepting a vitamin bottle.
Her best friend Anna suddenly became popular over the summer and now can not find time in her schedule of cheerleading, perfect boyfriends, and pretty friends to even speak to Kate. What really bothers Kate is the fact that no one ever asks why she and Anna are no longer friends; they simply accept that the new Anna had no room left for Kate in her life.
Because of Mr. Brown's sudden career change, Kate's family is stressed. Her disapproving grandmother moves in, toting her checkbook, and Kate begins working at her father's vitamin booth in the mall to help cut the cost of employees.
Not everything is bad in Kate's life, though. Will, whom she has been in love with since her first day as a freshman, starts talking to her on his breaks from his job at the shoe store in the mall. After an encounter in the storage area behind the mall, Kate and Will develop a love-hate relationship.
If you've ever lost a best friend, you know how horrible it feels to watch her walk down the halls with her new posse. High school is tough and Elizabeth Scott's tale is both touching and wise. I recommend this book to anyone.
279 pages
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Spring Break
I was fortunate enough to spend my spring break with 75 of my closest friends in the "happiest place on Earth". That's right-the band went to Disney World!
Although the 17-hour, overnight bus trip was made slightly more comfortable by the charter buses we rented, I would not recommend sleeping in those chairs.
Once in Orlando, we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, home of the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. Ask some of the guys what they thought of the Little Mermaid show too! Even though I learned to love roller coasters on the trip, the Beauty and the Beast musical was my true favorite.
One night we ate at Medieval Times, a dinner and tournament show where grown men dress up as knights and joust on horses. That was quite entertaining, let me tell you!
I also got to go to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure for the first time. All the best roller coasters are in those parks. Dueling Dragons and the Hulk were probably the most fun. I never knew how much I loved zooming through the air and above water on thin pieces of steel while defying gravity until that day.
On Saturday we competed in the All-American Music Festival. We played the three songs we had prepared for the judges and attended the awards ceremony that night in Universal Studios. We won our division and also overall for concert band. The Mardi Gras parade that night only heightened our excitement.
On our last day in Orlando, we had park hopper tickets and used them to the fullest. The group I was with went to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom that day. The highlights of Sunday included posing for the camera on Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom, watching the fireworks show over Cinderella's castle, laughing hysterically as Sam nearly got thrown out of the park for chasing Goofy and poking him, and singing Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid at the top of our lungs on the ferry while leaving the park for the last time.
The ride home was easier to endure because our exhaustion made sleep a necessity. I am grateful for the opportunity to go on such a trip and know that I will not soon forget all the fun we had.
P.S. For a glimpse of some of our wacky experiences, check out Carrie Beth's videos on Facebook. Our dance is hilarious!
Although the 17-hour, overnight bus trip was made slightly more comfortable by the charter buses we rented, I would not recommend sleeping in those chairs.
Once in Orlando, we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, home of the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. Ask some of the guys what they thought of the Little Mermaid show too! Even though I learned to love roller coasters on the trip, the Beauty and the Beast musical was my true favorite.
One night we ate at Medieval Times, a dinner and tournament show where grown men dress up as knights and joust on horses. That was quite entertaining, let me tell you!
I also got to go to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure for the first time. All the best roller coasters are in those parks. Dueling Dragons and the Hulk were probably the most fun. I never knew how much I loved zooming through the air and above water on thin pieces of steel while defying gravity until that day.
On Saturday we competed in the All-American Music Festival. We played the three songs we had prepared for the judges and attended the awards ceremony that night in Universal Studios. We won our division and also overall for concert band. The Mardi Gras parade that night only heightened our excitement.
On our last day in Orlando, we had park hopper tickets and used them to the fullest. The group I was with went to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom that day. The highlights of Sunday included posing for the camera on Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom, watching the fireworks show over Cinderella's castle, laughing hysterically as Sam nearly got thrown out of the park for chasing Goofy and poking him, and singing Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid at the top of our lungs on the ferry while leaving the park for the last time.
The ride home was easier to endure because our exhaustion made sleep a necessity. I am grateful for the opportunity to go on such a trip and know that I will not soon forget all the fun we had.
P.S. For a glimpse of some of our wacky experiences, check out Carrie Beth's videos on Facebook. Our dance is hilarious!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Anthem Essay Contest-An Excerpt
Ayn Rand's Anthem is a tale of the victory of the individual human over the philosophy known as collectivism. The main character, Equality 7-2521, scales multiple hurdles in his quest for a better lifestyle. Although he ends up a vastly outnumbered fugitive of the only home he has ever known, his undying hope leads him to a more liberating freedom than he could ever have imagined.
After reading Rand's novel, my English class submitted essays to the Ayn Rand Institute for a writing competition. The following is an excerpt from my entry:
"In Equality 7-2521’s world, society as we know it lies abandoned for centuries, while Equality 7-2521’s crimes seriously challenge the Brothers’ social order. He believes he has done an admirable service by finding his new light, but the Scholars say that “what is not done collectively cannot be good,” (Anthem, page 73) The philosophies of choices and freethinking, along with what we consider today certain, unalienable rights, are unheard of in this fictional future.
The society Equality 7-2521 was born into facilitates monotonous beings that perform pre-assigned labor with obsolete technology. The authorities in his world discourage individual thought. As Equality explains in the beginning of the book, “it is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down on paper no others are to see. It is base and evil…and we know that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone” (Anthem, page 17). Thus, members of his civilization have been taught.
Through all this strange hardship, Equality 7-2521 clings to the hope for a better way of life. He searches for knowledge at every opportunity, risking his life to make discoveries in his beloved, sacred tunnel."
After reading Rand's novel, my English class submitted essays to the Ayn Rand Institute for a writing competition. The following is an excerpt from my entry:
"In Equality 7-2521’s world, society as we know it lies abandoned for centuries, while Equality 7-2521’s crimes seriously challenge the Brothers’ social order. He believes he has done an admirable service by finding his new light, but the Scholars say that “what is not done collectively cannot be good,” (Anthem, page 73) The philosophies of choices and freethinking, along with what we consider today certain, unalienable rights, are unheard of in this fictional future.
The society Equality 7-2521 was born into facilitates monotonous beings that perform pre-assigned labor with obsolete technology. The authorities in his world discourage individual thought. As Equality explains in the beginning of the book, “it is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down on paper no others are to see. It is base and evil…and we know that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone” (Anthem, page 17). Thus, members of his civilization have been taught.
Through all this strange hardship, Equality 7-2521 clings to the hope for a better way of life. He searches for knowledge at every opportunity, risking his life to make discoveries in his beloved, sacred tunnel."
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