College Is Right Around The Corner!

College is slowly, but surely creeping along. I cannot wait to be out of high school and at UK. Tomorrow and Saturday I have Merit Weekend at UK. I get to schedule my classes for fall semester ahead of most people. I also get to go to informational sessions for Activities, Residence live, Dining Plan, Honors, etc. Just thinking about all the things I will learn about college life is really exciting.

I already know what my major will be which helps scheduling my classes much easier. I was accepted into the Human Health Science Program in the College of Health Science. This major will greatly increase my chances to get accepted in the Physical Therapy Doctorate Program at UK when I am a junior. In the Human Health Science Program I will learn about the administrative and legal sides of healthcare. I also got into the Honors Program which adds some really interesting classes to my schedule. One class I can take is called HON 151: Mirrors of the Universe. It sounds intriguing!

Getting my classes schedule ahead of most freshman is extremely important because I will get good class times; classes that are not too late and not too early.

Update on The Odyssey

I am reading The Odyssey for my Independent Reading. I am close to half-way through it and am finding some interesting connections between The Odyssey and The Hobbit. 

When I wrote my essay over The Hobbit, I mentioned some traits that defined Bilbo as a hero such as having intelligence, a mentor, and an important item. In The Odyssey, I am finding that Odysseus also has a couple of these characteristics.

Bilbo had the help of Gandalf the Grey during the beginning parts of his journey. Odysseus has the help of the Greek gods and goddesses, but especially Athena. There is one significant difference between the role of Athena and Gandalf. Athena is more involved in Odysseus journey home than Gandalf is in Bilbo's quest. Athena helps him through many trails such as his confrontation with the Phaeacians. Athena also does not teach Odysseus anything, she is more of a friend rather than a mentor. 


Bilbo was also very intelligent and quick-witted. Odysseus shows his intelligence in his escape from the Cyclops's Cave. Odysseus seems to be more of a natural-born leader than Bilbo, but I think that originates from Odysseus's time in the Trojan War. 

I am interested to see if Odysseus has any other traits similar to Bilbo.  

Creative Spelling?

Not to brag, but I feel that I am very good at memorizing things. Formulas, Theories, and concrete things come very easy to me. Most of English does not come easy to me because of its creativity. However, spelling is an area I excel in because it is stable, concrete; the way words are spelled does not change. This "creative spelling" idea seems preposterous to me. The fact that kids in eighth grade are not getting corrected for their misspellings astounds me. 

I learned a long time ago that spelling is extremely important. My Grandmother was a Speech Pathologist, and she was very adamant about spelling words correctly. During elementary school I would go play over at her house. Between playing games we would stop and work on spelling. She gave me valuable tips that I still employ today. 

I understand that some people have a hard time with spelling because they are bad at memorizing. Just because you are bad at spelling doesn't mean you should give up and accept the fact that you are a "bad speller". Some things that I do to help learn and memorize the spelling words are writing the words and definitions, saying them out loud to my parents, and then rewriting them again. Following this process is extremely beneficial to me. It might not be for others, but if you have trouble with spelling you should give it a try.

The Never-ending Guilt Trip Cycle

Feeling guilty about something, is a normal, acceptable emotion to feel. The problem is when you have so much guilt it consumes your life. I am not to this point, but I sometimes feel as though the guilt of a decision could demolish me. I think there is a vicious guilt cycle, where you feel guilty about something, attempt to get rid of the guilt, and then another opportunity to feel guilty arises again, and so on.

I am one to frequently fret over what I say to others. Questions like "Did what I said make sense?", "Was that acceptable to say?", and "Could it have offended them?" cross my mind multiple times throughout the day. I want to look good in everyone's eyes which occasionally forces extra guilt and worry onto myself.

One thing that helps me get over my guilt for incorrect communication is going back and saying something to the person I wronged. I feel that this eliminates most of the guilt that I have until I mess up another time which yet again adds more guilt.I do not think a person can remove all guilt, but I do think it is possible to decrease its effect in daily life.

First Impressions of Beloved

Within the first sixty pages of Beloved, I knew that this book was going to be a challenge for me to read. I am a very straight forward person and like things in chronological order. I could hardly follow what was going on because there were so many flashbacks. There were also some flashbacks within flashbacks, or what I like to call "flashbackception".
I also find it hard to relate to the characters. I understand that in literary books the reader does not always connect with the characters, but I feel that the reader should be able to relate to the characters on some level. I felt like some of the meaning of the book was lost on me because I did not feel empathy towards the characters. I hope this changes as I keep reading.
One thing I somewhat liked was the suspense. I like how whatever happened at Sweet Home is only hinted at. It seems that almost all memories of Sweet Home are untouchable. One of my journals yesterday was about Denver and Sethe's conversation about Sweet Home. So far Sethe has only mentioned the good or decent parts of Sweet Home, but the bad memories are not spoken of. I look forward to uncovering the mystery of what occurred at Sweet Home.

LAST SEMESTER OF SENIOR YEAR!!!

A couple of days ago, it hit me that this is my last semester of high school. My epiphany was caused by all of the annoying scheduling announcements said every morning and afternoon. It's strange to think that after this semester I don't have to come back to Dunbar ever again. I don't have to schedule classes for next year because I won't be here next year.

I think (and hope) I am ready for college. Being on your own and making your own decisions can be frightening at times, but there will be good times too. One thing I worry about is being homesick. I never went to any summer camps as a kid because I hated being away from my family for more than a week or so. I'm hoping that going to UK will make it easier on me because I can visit my family whenever I want.

Most teenagers cannot stand their siblings, but I think that I will really miss my little sister when I go off to college. Even though we have nine years in between us we still get along really well. She used to joke about getting my room when I leave for college, but now she doesn't talk about it anymore. She says little things like "You won't be here much longer" and "I will really miss you sissy" that show she doesn't want me to leave. At least I can visit her often!

The Road vs. I Am Legend

I have not come in contact with many post-apocalyptic stories throughout my readings. Actually, I have only come in contact with one other, which is I Am Legend. I was forced into watching the movie with one of my friends, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Whether it was because Will Smith is one of my favorite actors or because I liked the story as a whole, I will never know.

While reading The Road, I actually thought about I Am Legend quite a bit. I think there are many comparisons that can be made between both of these stories. 

One comparison being that both stories contain situations where little hope is found, but the main characters keep moving forward as if they were genetically programmed to keep surviving. A scene in I Am Legend comes to my mind; Will Smith's character keeps checking the radio every single day in hopes of someone picking up on the other end. In The Road, The man and the boy slowly make their way south in hopes of finding food, shelter, warm weather, and more "good guys".

Another similarity I found is between the main characters of both stories. Both Will Smith's character and the man idolize someone or something. For Will Smith's character it is the dog; He feels it is his duty to protect and love the dog. As for the man, it is the boy. When the mother decided to commit suicide, the man had nothing else to believe in so he put all his faith, hope, and trust into the boy.