Hurricane Hunger

          If there is one thing Louisianians know how to do, it's cook. We cook to celebrate life. We cook to celebrate death. We cook to celebrate football. We sent people to New York after 9/11 to-- you guessed it-- cook. Most relevantly, we cook to celebrate hurricanes.
          My dad and I continued this tradition today, as we prepared dinner. With the wind whipping the citrus and banana trees beyond an unpleasantly thin window pane, I peeled, sliced, separated, and cried over an onion. The onion was thrown into a pan with a liberally salted and peppered browned pork roast. Our endeavor did not become much more complicated than that, with us adding only two bottles of beer and some water for our meal to braise in. Already, six hours before we planned to eat it, our dinner smelled wonderful. Luckily for us, we have an automatic generator, so our electric oven would keep on humming, even if we happened to hear the boom of a nearby transformer exploding.
           To the people of South Louisiana, especially those who live a few steps inland and don't take the brunt of the storms (bow, bow, thank you very much), hurricanes are not generally a cause for extreme panic or alarm. Therefore, occasionally, boredom sets in after a couple of hours sitting in the house, helpless to affect of the forces of nature. That was where I was when I stepped into the brightly lit, aroma rich environment of our kitchen. Pork sizzled in the pan, stray pepper flakes floated through the air, and yes of course, a knife and an onion were placed in my hands. In short, the small effort put into an otherwise unfilled hour of dear ole Hurricane Isaac, resulted in a meal that was to die for (if I do say so myself.)

Reading Response 2

          This week I read Rapture by Lauren Kate. It is the 4th edition of a series I read the majority of over the summer. My log goes as such:

8/17- 15min. 8/19- 1hr 15min. 8/19- 30min. 8/20- 10min. 8/21- 10min. 8/25- 30min. Total: 170min. 1%-26% (I read it on my kindle, which doesn't give page numbers.)

          Rapture is an intense and dramatic book. I love fantasy, action, and drama, and this definitely fits the criteria. Main characters Lucinda Price and boyfriend Daniel Grigori (a fallen angel) are trying to stop Lucifer from wiping the slate clean back to the Fall. 7,000 years of history- gone. A thriller? Yea, you could say that.
          This series is high on my list of favorites because it is so easy to get lost in it. Kate does an excellent job of bringing the characters close to you, and making the far-fetched story of star-crossed lovers Luce and Daniel come to life. Rapture's complicated plot, cinematic story, and dramatic telling are all major bonuses in my mind.
          Just like Struck (see Reading Response 1), I would recommend this novel to almost any teen. I'm not sure it would appeal to many boys, but who am I to stop them? I love Rapture. Unfortunately, I will probably finish it by next week.

In Defense of Little Brothers: A Big Sister's Manifesto

          They smell awful after football practice, pester you to no end, and act like they're all macho-man and cool, but what would we do without them? I love my little brother. We drive each other crazy occasionally, but we would both be bored out of our minds without the other around.
        A lot of sisters complain and whine about how horrible they have it, dealing with a little brother. Honestly, it isn't that bad. My brother, at least, is generally helpful and supportive, though he can't stand not to take a dig at me when the opportunity presents itself. We know each other better than just about anyone, as siblings, friends, and partners in crime. I understand that I'm lucky to have the little brother I do, but everyone who has a sibling can vouch for me: we wouldn't know what to do without them.
          I must say however, that I'm not too excited to be driving him home from practice in about a year. I have smelled few things more pungent than boys after football practice in August. They can make excuses for why, but I don't really care: they still stink. I suppose there is a down side to every relationship, and if a sweaty ride home is all I have to deal with, I think I'll be keeping my baby brother.

Reading Response 1

          For my summer reading choice book, I read Struck by Jennifer Bosworth. I must say that this novel would make a pretty awesome movie. It's a thriller.
           The novel drew my attention with its unique subject- the complicated life of a lightning addict in post-appocolyptic Los Angeles. Heroine Mia Price is the main character, and she has been struck too many times to count. The pain is something so white hot that it is the most alive she has ever felt, even if it does leave her skin latticed with bright red lightning scars. Mia struggles between several groups. One, led by a false prophet, another trying to hold off the full destruction of Los Angeles, and yet another, a boy who wants nothing more than to save her from her imminent choice.
           As I was reading this novel I found myself trying to help Mia make decisions. I wanted to find the truth as much as she did. I am sure that not being able to put the book down for a full day is the mark of a great story. Struck makes you feel everything Mia goes through, and drives you to wrack your brain for solutions. Clearly this was a fast-paced and thought-provking novel.
          I would recommend Struck to pretty much any Young Adult reader. Though it's not relevant to anything I've ever experienced, sometimes you need a novel to take you far away for a while.

Free Post 1

          Hey everybody! Welcome to my blog. I hope you all like polka-dots. I thought they were pretty cool. So if any of you don't really know me I guess I would describe myself as a tom-boy with a girly side. I wear makeup, paint my nails bright colors, and would rather put an old camouflage hat on than tie my hair up with a ribbon. If you think that's weird, well, your welcome to your opinion.
          I can't tell you what all my blogs are going to be about because I simply don't know. I can tell you, however, that I am looking forward to writing a lot and to reading Macbeth. A lot of our class doesn't like anything Shakespeare, but I happen to love it. It is so interesting to read how people thought, spoke, and sought entertainment way back when. I'm really looking forward to our English I class.