Journal Entry 5

         My fantasy world would be set on an island called Charlies, completely surrounded by water. Nobody would ever know about it and could only be seen by people who knew of its existance. Of course, I would be supreme ruler and nobody would ever go against my leadership; I make all rules. The only people that could live on the island would go through my approval.  There would only be a population of 500. Everyone would live inside trees with trunks the size of houses. There would be absolutley no bugs, mice, snakes, or any other critters. All mammals would have the characteristics of a dog and could communicate with humans. There would be no system of currency. There would be no such thing as fast food.  Fresh pizza, cooked steak, and all other home-cooked meals would grow off of trees. Trees would grow in minutes and were unlimited. The weather would always be warm, breezy, with occasional rain and thunderstorms. The climate would never be humid, cold, snowy, or cloudy. Everyone's birthday would be celebrated with a parade and a party. Everyone would be showered with glitter, beads, masks, and confetti. Everyone's free to worship the god of their choosing as long as there is no discrimination and competition. There would be a variety of people from every culture and language. Everyone would learn and incorporate different traditions and speech. All children would go to one school where they are taught to chop wood, swim, and learn other languages and cultures. Mainly, everyone would live simple and entertaining lives.

Assignment 6

        Growing up, October was always a month to look forward to. I celebrated my birthday every year on the 28th and continued the festivities days after, on Halloween. Picking out the most creative costume was always the best part. Never being the princess type, I chose any costume that involved fake blood, fangs, and wigs. It was tradition to go trick-or-treating with all my cousins. We met up at grandma's house. That's when the photo shoot began; the worst part. My uncle would drive his truck through the suburbs, allowing for us to ride on the tailgate. This part always brought out the most excitement. That kind of freedom was more than a kid could handle. Our mothers' scowled when we jumped off too soon, while the truck was still moving. As soon as our feet hit the pavement, it was a dead sprint to the front door, a race to get there first. Like it had been my whole life, I struggled to keep up with the boys. My legs weren't fast enough to make it to every house. At the end of the night, our pillowcases of candy would be scattered all over the floor. After trading away all my Almond Joys and Fireballs, I sorted and counted every single piece, jealous my brother always came up with more.           These days, Halloween is celebrated a little different. No longer do I run from door to door trick-or-treating for candy. That tradition is long past. Every year when Halloween comes around, the boys pick out the cheapest costume they can get and the girls pick the one that reveals the most. Apparently, Halloween is the one night girls can dress like a sluts and get away with it. Halloween no longer has anything to do with candy. People are more worried about which party they'll be attending and how drunk they are going to get. Taking hundreds of pictures is about the only tradition that remains the same. My view on Halloween is completely different than it was ten years ago. Although Halloween means something different now, I still look forward to it every year.

Assignment 7

       The Mona Lisa has many reasons for why it is considered one the most famous paintings in history. There is so much mystery behind the woman and the artist. Originally, Leonardo Da Vinci was hired by Lisa's husband to paint a portrait of her. Da Vinci liked it so much that he kept the painting for himself. The reason for this, nobody knows. Some say he liked it because it was a portrait of himself. The characteristics of Da Vinci and his painting have similiar characteristics. Others believe that he was in love with Lisa and therefore being the reason to keeping it. There is no known truth about the story behind the entrancing portrait.
      The woman in the painting has an expression that keeps everyone wondering. You get her sense of happiness without seeing a real smile. She's wearing more of a unique smirk, almost as if she knows a secret. All the expression and detail comes straight from the eyes. She is able to capture attention without being beautiful or glamorous. She has plain features that almost make her more masculine than most women. One theory describes the Mona Lisa as half man and half woman. It is said that the left side is woman and the right side is man.
      Another aspect that intrigues veiwers is the landscape in the background. During this time period of the Renaissance, this was the beginning of landscapes being incorporated into portraits. Also, portraying only the upper half of the body was new at this time. These are the reasons the Mona Lisa has remained so famous throughout history.

Assignment 1

       This summer wasn't exactly the most entertaining one in recent years. Who knew you had to grow up and become responsible after high school? However, I did find time to go on a vacation. Three of my friends and I took a road trip down to Florida. My best friends' mother moved to Panama City Beach a couple years ago. So we packed up the car and headed South to go stay with her for a week. I made plenty of memories jet skiing, staying up late, attempting to catch seagulls on the beach, drinking, going out dancing every night, meeting Elvis, and making friends. I took tons of pictures, most of them not appropriate enough to post on Facebook. After about a week, I didn't want to leave. I had so much fun, it was a tough time saying goodbye. We already have plans on going again next summer!
        Mid-summer, I went to the driving range with my mother, uncle, and two cousins. It was my first time ever even swinging a golf club. Assuming I was going to embarrass myself, I was surprised to learn I had a natural talent. Being in the zone, I was oblivious to my surroundings. Unfortunately, my cousin took a driver straight to the shin. His leg began gushing blood immediately. He screamed in pain and called me plenty of names, even though it was his fault! In my opinion, he walked into my swing. After minutes of arguing and cursing, my mother had to step in and tell us both to shut up. When we got back to my house, we bandaged up his leg, which had developed into a nasty wound. For weeks, he called me "stupid" and warned everyone to stay away from me with a golf club. No longer feeling sympathetic for the idiot, I take pride in putting a permanent dent in his shinbone.
       Also this summer, I joined a co-ed beach volleyball league with a few friends that graduated a year before me. All being under the age of twenty, we were the youngest team in the program. There was about twelve other teams and we played every Wednesday night. We quickly found out that we weren't very good and most teams hated playing us. A good portion of the time, we spent it laughing and not taking the game too seriously. The boys on my team loved to talk shit, causing plenty of arguments with our opponents. Sometimes we got the enjoyment of a victory, but for the most part we lost pretty bad. Regardless of winning or losing, I had a good time playing and we'll probably all be on a team again next summer.