THE END

Overall creative writing was a really cool class! professor potvin made it very interesting and the class went with a goo0d flow. He graded papers very fairly and he was very helpful. I really enjoyed the fact that we had rubrics but we were still able to write about what ever pleased us. I really enjoyed this class the most this semester because it was different, you were free to talk/write about the topics that interested you not the tiopics that teachers pick. Now that the semesters about to end I plan on going to school full time in the spring and hopefully going to New York in July!!!

Ira relations to nemesis

Ira saying can relate to my nemesis because he stated that you need to get rid of boring parts and Im thinking my beggining is boring it needs to either have a little more spice or just be completely cut out. He also talks about luck and in my nemesis paper luck plays a role toward our friends life!

Radio Show Response

The man discussed several different things on his show most of these are not only important for radio spokesman but they also can deal with every day life. for an example, he stated that "sometimes people tell themselves it's crappuy and then they just quit." I know a lot of people who have gone through this. Sure there are tough times in life and sometimes certain situations can be very painf ul but what you need to remeber is to always keep your head up. You may fail and fail but at least try. it's better to give things a chance then never knowing what could have happened. the man also talked about how failing is a big part of successl. I believe this is true because nobody's perfect you may not always get as far as you want but you must keep trying and soon enough you will become successful!!!

Open Mic Night

WOW!!! I was very impressed with all of the performances. I didnt expect to see students singing and playing instruments. I'm glad we had a variety different performances. I want to applaud everyone and ecspecially those two who sang and played instruments. I was fairly impressed with these two performances. I thought open mic night was a good idea and we should do it maybe once a month because it was a great way of getting everyone together, and I can gurantee everyone enjoyed themselves.

The Book

My final thoughts on Killing yourself to live:
If I was talking to Chuck I would tell him to cut out some of the songs he is talking about. I think the reason to why I wasnt so crazy about this book was the fact that I really didnt know much of the songs he mentioned. So when he's going on and on about Led Zeplin and Kiss and etc.. I was rather lost/bored. The Beetles was really the only band I was familiar with. There were some things I found interesting/true."we alway ar gue about bullshit that doesnt mateer" been there sometimes you do get into it for the smallest things and even though it bothers you, you realize it's just not worth the argument. It was easy to relate to him when he said he was five pretending to be scared of the dark. I babysat these two kids and the little girl would always act scared so that she could stay up and see her mom when she came home from work.
Overall this book was ok to me i would give it a 6.5/10. However I would reccomend that you familiarize yourself with these songs before yo read this book

85% of a true story..my thoughts!!

When I first started reading this book it was different. I liked the fact that Chuck was always very blunt about what he was saying, but some of the things didnt seem realistic. For example who jumps in a strangers car and smokes crack?? Over all I wasnt really into this book. It was probably because he went on and on about these rock bands that I am really unfamiliar with. He also spent way tooo much time talking about kiss. All he had to say was that they sold the most albums at once instead of talking about them for 3 to 4 pages. It also didnt seem very realistic that you actually pay a speeding ticket right on the spot in Montanna. I did like the way he described being 3 1/2 inches away from Washington. most peopl say miles or hours away but he chose inches that was different but clever! The conversation with one of the girls who was partying in the hotel seemed ridiculous. Chuck went on and on about how he doesnt care if their loud in reality I think the girl would have walked away a minute into it and thought he was some creep. In the end I did like the fact that he was going to write a book.
"there are certain people you love who do something else, they define what love is supposed to feel like" I liked his thoughts on love because I believe this is true. After your with someone and you move on sometimes you tend to think about all the good times/things you had with that person and then you go and compare them to the person you are currently with.

THE LATEST

Last week was my birthday on the sixth, I finally turned the big 21! I bought a new alphat and shoes and all my friends got together and we went to a bar downtown. This past week was pretty busy for me. I have been trying to catch up on all my homework, its hard because I have a lot to do and after work I usually feel tired so its even harder to stay up. I spent the majority of the day writing up flash cards so that I could study for my linguistics test , after this class Im going to the library to do math homework!

POST SECRET THOUGHTS

While reading all the entries on post secret I found some to be very eye grabbing and others to be rather dull. "Sometimes I wish your child was dead too, then you could understand how I feel" was the first one that really caught my attention. when I read the first line I thought what a horrible thing to say, why would anyone want to wish a child dead? As I read on however I realized that the person is really hurt and it's hard to imagine how he/she feels after losing their child, the thought is unbearable. That first line was an excellent choice and grabbers like that can be very helpful when writing poems. "when im alone on long road trips I like to dress really slutty so the passing truckers will honk at me, I stop and change right before I get where Im going." this was the second entry that caught my eye , all I could think was that she really needs attention. The third thing I liked was the email that said "I always want to send the same secret but I fear it will change once I send it."I really liked this one because it realtes to life very well. Everyone gossips, you tell one person something and at the end it gets twisted to something completely the opposite of what you said. It's very hard to trust people these days because you think they are your friend but in reality they might not be as good of a friend as you think!

FREE VERSE POEM

It's a never ending circle
should I multiply or divide,
Im confused Professor Merkle
there are too many numbers
I just want to sit here and hide
My brain feels like it's fried.

He teaches us a degree
then he talks about an array
I tell him I disagree
He say's he's right, he can guarantee
My face turns gray
I get up and walk away.

The numbers are never ending
I dont know what to add
The numbers are blending
Math is offending
Subtracting makes me sad
Oh, math makes me mad!

A delightful plan

This week my sister and I decided we wanted to go to Cancun, Mexico for spring break. However when we told our parents, they were really against our plan. They told us that they would worry about us going there because they think it's not safe. I have to say at first I was a little dissapointed due to the fact that we found a great deal, but now I see where they're coming from. After discussing our break with our parents we decided that we are going to go to Florida! We chose Florida because it will still be hot and it will also make our parent's much happier.

Haiku

The wind is too cold.
It is making me shiver.
I wish it was hot.

Poem Reflections

The first poem I read was called Permit, by Raffaello Baldini. I found this poem to be really interesting, the first line; Because with all those leaves really caught my attention. It made me wonder where were the leaves, why or even how were they in the way. The details this writer used really inspired me to include more details in my writing assignments. I really liked the details because they actually allowed me to create an image in my head. For an example, "it's all covered with weeds, nettles, it's awful, you call this a garden?" Allows me to create an image of a garden thats mostly dirt, and in this garden there are several weeds, some of them are even som tall that they are going over the fence. Then he talks about having only one bathroom with five people on it. The way he describe's things is excellent. Imagery is very important and his descriptions are so well that we can actually picture what the garden, or bathroom might look like.

The second poem I read was called A Small Dragon by Brian Patten. I found this poem to be too short, however it also conatined great descriptions. Brian say's: "it's damp and green leaves are still reflecting in it's eyes." I found this to be really interesting because he didn't just say he could see leaves in his eyes, he described the color and he even stated that they were moist. This is good because details are a really important part of stories. However you want to try and remember not to use too many details but to make sure you have enough. In my opinion damp and green were two very good word choices for a description of leaves. I woul consider this to be a Ballad poem because it has four line stanzaz and the poem happens at a very quick pace. First he finds the dragon, thn he feeds it and then it makes a nest.

The third poem I read was called Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. So far I consider this poem to be the best of the three that I read today. In my opinion this poem is very strong and meaningful. The author is actually able to get across what she's trying to say. First she talks about going down in history, then she uses bitter and twisted to describe the lies that peolpe might say about her. You can tell that there's a lot of confidence in this poem by the way she describes herself walking like oil in her living room and the way she says she dances like diamonds are on her thighs. I also really enjoyed the way not all of the lines rhyme but some of them do, it made the poem have a very nice flow. You can also tell that she's a very strong person because she talks about killing with hatefullness and shooting her with words but in the end she is still able to rise. Overall I think this was an excellent poem, it was simple and the author was able to get her poem across.

The fourth poem I read was called Maimonides on What Is Meant by "Vision" by Benjamin Paloff. Im sorry to say this, but I really did not like this poem. The first sentence "Nothing ever comes true" made me not even want to read it because it basically discourages children or even older people to believe. The only thing I thought was good was the fact that he compared problems dissapearing to money burning away. I think the first sentence should be changed so that readers are more interested rather than discouraged.

My Inspiration

My Parents are two people that really inspire me. I look up to them because they are both very good to me and they have taught me more than I can explain. My dad came to America when he was 18 years old and opened his own toool and dye shop , he barely knew any english. He worked very hard on his shop and became very successful. My mom also came here not knowing any english and then she went to beauty school. Now she's a beautition and also started a tanning business. Together my parents raised my brother, my sister and I. They taught us manners, languages, right from wrong and many other things. When I look at them I realize that anything is possible, because they came here not knowing much about America and look how much they have accomplished! They are the ones who encourage me to try my best, because I know that theyre always there to support me I am even more determined to complete my goals.

The Final Improvement

Im choosing to make my folktale from Babe the Blue Ox, Im going to retell the story in first person and give it an amazing twist!

Slim the Green Deer
By Stephanie

The tree’s stay still as I hear the wind blowing, a cold breeze causes a shiver to my spine. I try to walk quickly to keep warmer but the snow is so deep in the woods that it takes me several hours to march through it. As I continue to march I see something strolling through the snow, I pick up my feet and race to it. My heart beats faster and faster, I feel as if it’s going to pop out of my chest and finally I catch up. As I look down I see a baby deer looking up at me, it looks so precious. Its skin is as green as the grass, he shiver’s as he struggles to move through the massive amounts of snow.
I picked up the deer and wrapped tightly underneath my winter coat, for I could not bear to see its tiny body shiver any longer. I continue to march home as quickly as possible, I realize I’m almost out of the woods and close to home as I see the smoke from my chimney hit the deep sky. I can smell the wood burning from here it becomes my motivation to walk even faster. As I walk through the door I don’t even take off my boots. My hands are so cold that I can’t even feel them, they’ve turned to a dead greenish color from the frostbite. I hurry to take my gloves off and run towards the fireplace. As I begin to set my hands by the red, hot sizzling fire the baby deer pops out of my coat. He runs toward the door trying to escape, luckily the wind is so fierce that it blows the door shut in the nick of time.
I bring the deer back to the fireplace, we both lay near the fire. The fire is so strong that I feel it scorching on my back, it feels so good. Finally the green skin turns to a nice warm yellow color from the warmth, we both fall asleep. As time goes on I feed the deer, he eats as many times a day as I do. I feed him carrots, plants and meat. He scarf’s it down like he’s never seen food before. Each and every day I give him more and more, however he doesn’t seem to gain any weight. I decide to name him Slim.
Slim and I spend each day together, he walks besides me through the woods as I bring the logs back home to sell them. As time passes I begin to worry, Slim is so skinny that I can see his ribs through his skin I worry that something might be wrong. The problem is I don’t have enough time to stop because it’s getting dark out and I need to bring the logs back to sell them so that I can continue to feed us. While the moon comes up Slim is nowhere to be found. “Slim” “Slim” I yell, hoping to find him. Still no sign of him, I begin to walk around the woods and look for him. As I come behind this huge grey, icy rock I see a big brown bear. He turns and looks at me, his eyes red and fierce, then he runs away. I walk towards where he was, I see something tiny and yellow lying on the snow. My heart stops. “Slim” I begin to cry, “why did you leave my side”. Slim doesn’t move I pick him up gently. Red blood gushes from his neck, I panic hoping he’ll make it I take him back home. As I lay him down his eyes look so gentle. I hurry to get a towel and wrap him, but when I come back his eyes are closed. I shake him, “Slim” I yell. He doesn’t move and his eyes remain closed. I hold him close, tears began to drip down my face for he is gone. I get up and grab my gun and two bullets, then I run to the woods. The wind blows stronger than ever and there before me stands the big brown bear. I point the gun at his chest “roar” I don’t flinch nothing frightens me now that Slim is gone. He comes closer, “bam” I shoot him, "thump" he falls to the ground, then I stand above him, my eyes fierce, I shoot him one more time. He’s dead now but my heart still hurts, I go home and burry slim in the hole next to my house. As I begin to cover him goosebumps cover my entire body the feeling is indescribable. “Goodbye Slim, I’ll miss you.”

The Happening's of Life

There are so many things happening and so little time. Monday's through Friday's I go to school . Wednesday's through Saturday I work as a waitress. Then when I come home I have to finish homwork and do sosme chores around the house. I feel like theres not enough time to anything because school and work are so time consuming! I want to be able to do the things I like more often , like: see family and friends, go shopping , do fashion shows and play basketball. I can't wait for school to be done because then I can finally stop waitressing and get a real good paying job and I will actually be doing something that I like. Ill be able to work with children and hopefully inspire them to follow their dreams.

Retelling The Four Friends

In the folktale The Four Friends, I believe the peacock is the one telling the majority of the tale. I also believe that this tale is told in first person because the peacock uses words like I and we.

Heres my version of this tale:

The Four Friends
By Stephanie

One day a cow watched a peacock plant a seed. A rabbit came along and asked, "can I help?" "No," said the peacock. "Please go away."The rabbit left crying. Along came a monkey. He asked, "can I help?" "No," said the peacock. "Get out of my way." The monkey left startled. I can't watch anymore, "I have to step in" said the cow. "You need to let them help, all they want to do is give you a hand" said the cow! "No" said the peacock. "I can do everything by myself and I don't need anyone's help." "Fine" said the cow, but as my final words I will tell you again "let them help or one day when you need it the most you will be all alone." "Bad cow you don't know anything , go away" said the peacock. The cow leaves but continues to watch. An elephant comes along and asks the peacock if he can help with anything. " No" says the peacock. " Go find someone else to help." The elephant walks off upset. As time passed the peacocks seed grew into a big tree full of red juicy apples. " I cannot reach the apples" cried the peacock. "Will you help me?" she said to the rabbit. "No" said the rabbit, I offered my hand to you before and you pushed me away so I left crying. The peacock then ran to the monkey. "Please help me reach my apples" said the peacock. "No way" said the monkey. "When I offered my best, you pushed me away. The peacock see's the elephant and runs to approach it. "Elephant, Im so glad to see you," said the peacock. "What do you want?" said the elephant. "I want you to lift me up so that I can reach my apples!" " I will not help you, find someone else" said the elephant. The cow comes back. "See peacock , now when you need their help the most your left all alone with out your apples." The peacock began to cry, "you'r right cow, I wish I would have listened!"
The End

A Favorite Folktale

One of my favorite folktales is The Four Friends illustrated by Dale Beisel. I really like this folktale because it teaches a valuable lesson. Four Friends help eachother grow a seed and in the end they have there very own appl tree. The lesson is that helping eachother can be rewarding. In this sory the reward was not only having there own apple tree, but they also worked as a team to reach the apples so that they could eat them.

My name is Stephanie ,
This is my third year of college. I'm currently going to the University of Michigan, I plan to receive my bachelors in elementary education. I would like to major in science and minor in english. My goal is to earn my masters and move to New York so that i can have a part time job as a runway model and work a full ti me job as a school principal. When I first started going to school i was going for pediatrics. However this year I have decided to switch into education. I believe education is the right thing for me because I really enjoy working with children. Since not all children have the ability to grow up in a strong, caring setting I want to make sure that as a teacher I encourage children to dream. I want to inspire them so that they will believe in themselves and I want to teach them that if you work hard you will succeed!