This past winter break has been one of the greatest breaks I’ve
ever had. I had so much stuff to do all the time which is a new feeling for me.
There were only a few days where I did not have anything planned. To start off
this wonderful break, I went to a friend’s concert. His name is Keagan Potts
and he is in a band with some college kids. His band is really good but it was
super loud so I had trouble hearing after it. Oh, and I should mention that it
was at The Depot which is this little coffee shop on excelsior boulevard near
Knollwood mall. It was pretty tiny but it fit everyone that was there pretty
comfortably. Next on my agenda was Christmas. Christmas is always a stressful
time for me because I’m pretty bad at picking out gifts for people. I never
really know what they want unless they tell me. I am also apparently hard to
buy gifts for because I never ask for anything so my parents don’t know what to
get me. This is very frustrating for both parties involved but this year I had
some good ideas. I got most of what I wanted which was nice, especially since I
actually wanted the stuff. Before Christmas even started, my family had a
dinner with all of my cousins and aunts and uncles in Minnesota. We got together at my cousin’s
house and caught up with each other. All of my cousins are either in college or
out of it so I hadn’t seen them for a very long time so it was nice to talk to
them again. Then we sat down to a nice homemade meal which was so good. After
that, we hung out some more and talked. Our final activity of that night was to
go around and answer questions that were pulled out of a hat. It was really fun
to hear everyone’s answers as they relived funny moments from the past year.
The next day was Christmas Eve. The same group of people assembled at my house
for our annual Christmas dinner. We decorated cookies for the first hour which
as really fun. Everybody got really creative and started making cool designs
and funny ones too. Even though it was a happy time, a shadow of sadness loomed
over our little party. This was the first year that our grandparents had not
been able to make it for Christmas. They were down in Arizona
and couldn’t get up to Minnesota
in time. Everybody was pretty sad about it but we called them and sent them
pictures to make them feel like they were included. Everybody went home after
dinner so we went to bed, excited for what was to come. When the morning sun
shone through the shuttered window of my sister’s bedroom where we were all
sleeping, a rush of joy hit us like a tsunami. It was Christmas morning and our
family was all together and there were presents to be opened. My brother, who
is younger and therefore quite materialistic and all about the presents wanted
to rush down at seven thirty in the morning. SEVEN THIRTY IN THE MORNING! Hell
no, we made him wait until nine o’clock before we decided to go downstairs. Joey
had already sorted all of the presents into our respective piles for us to
open. We decided upon a system to open them by. Youngest first, then all the
way to oldest, and then it repeated. I got a pair of mittens, a bow and arrows,
loafers, running shoes, Timberlands, some gift cards, an electric shaver, a new
toothbrush, deodorant and other such toiletries, a half-zip sweater, some more
clothes, pajamas, a book that I really wanted, and some other stuff that I can’t
recall at the moment. Then we went to my grandparents’ house for our Christmas
day brunch which is a tradition of ours. We had the annual crab and mushroom
egg dish that my grandma always makes and cinnamon rolls. Needless to say, I ate
my fill and did not feel the need to eat the rest of the day. The remainder of
that day was spent playing with my new stuff and enjoying a quiet day for
family. I shot my bow quite a few times and realized that I would need some
more arrows because the arrows that came with the bow were pretty low quality
and the little fins on them kept coming off and I had to keep duct taping them
back together. The next day was another very chill day where I just hung out
with friends and enjoyed the relatively warm weather and played with my new
stuff. The following day, I departed for Chicago
with my church. The trip is called Mission Chicago and like the name says, it’s
a mission trip to Chicago.
There were about seventy of us kids and 12 or so adults that were leaders. We
did a bunch of service projects there. The projects ranged from packing food,
to delivering the food, going to homeless shelters and serving the food,
winterizing houses, playing with kids, talking with people who were down on
there luck, doing odd jobs for shelters or soup kitchens and even visiting a
recovery home for men who were prostituting themselves on the streets, kind of
scary stuff right? We did have a lot of free time though which was nice because
we could explore the city as long as we had a leader with us at all times. They
were not very strict with that rule and as long as a leader knew where you were
going then you were fine. We visited Millennium
Park and saw the Bean
which is super cool. I am always amazed at how smooth and shiny it is. We also
went to the park after hours and the security people yelled at us to leave so
we did. As we were leaving, we ran onto the ice rink that was closed and ran
all the way across it. Luckily, the security people didn’t see us so we were
fine. We also went to Gino’s East as a big group. Gino’s is a pizzeria in Chicago that serves some
of the best deep-dish pizza I have ever eaten. It was so amazing. We all wore
funny Christmas sweaters too so we all looked ridiculous. On the fourth day
that we were there we had to say goodbye to the city. It was kind of sad
because as seniors, this was our last chance to go on the trip. We made the
most of it which I was happy about. New Years was a blast!! I had so much fun
(safely and legally of course) I went to three parties and got my groove on. I
also got a New Years kiss which I was pretty pumped about, and it was a legit
New Years kiss. As the ball dropped, we stepped into a doorway so as not to be
seen by the parents in the room. I held her in my arms as she wrapped hers
around my neck and we smooched. J it was awesome! Sorry if she happens to see this because
she might get a little mad that it’s up on the internet but oh well! That about
wraps up my break. It was epic and fun and relaxing at points and I didn’t want
it to end. Good times 2011!

2 seconds

The game is going great and I'm pumped for my dinner

We're up 2 to 0 and I think we are winners

Here comes the ball nothing unusual here

There is number seven but he won't come near

I reach for the ball, I plant and I swing

It flies far from me, isn't that something?

And then I drop, broken and confused

2 seconds and it's all over

Why?

What?

Rage fills me as I clench my teeth

This isn't some sprained ankle

I lay down and I pray for it to be nothing

Knowing it's worse.

I used rhyme in the first part of the poem because it makes it seem more nonchalant, like everything is going great and I don't have a care in the world. There's a meter that isn't super strict which I think also adds to the nonchalantness of the poem. This goes on for 6 lines and then I break the pattern, it doesn't rhyme and doesn't have a meter. This illustrates how everything went to shit when he tackled me. I used the short "Why?" and "What?" to show how I was dazed right after it happened and was really unsure of what to do. The next part is sort of a way to vent and it's basically everything that went through my head as I felt the pain in my knee.

Struggles

What to write? This week is gonna suck, I've got so many tests and other things to do and not enough time to do them all and sleep. Soccer game, church, homework, I can't do it all.
How do I get through this week? By looking ahead, and seeing that MEA is next week so I will get a break then. All I have to do is survive, but I should strive to succeed in all of the endeavors I must take on. I need self-control to get to bed early, perserverance to make it through the week, and smile so I don't go crazy. There's no reason I should freak out, everything will work out one way or another and I will be happy with the result regardless.

POEM:
What to write?
This week is gonna suck,
Soccer game,
church,
homework,
I can't do it all.
MEA is next week!! I'll get a break then.
I just need to survive
And I will be happy with the results.

Obama's Words

I stand here today humbled by the task before us,
grateful for the trust you have bestowed,
minful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank for President Bush for his service to our nation,
as well as the generosity and coopoeration he has shown throughout
So it has been.
So it must be with this generation of Americans.

Line Enjambment and Caesura Homework

Is there a tune more happy than a daughter's windchime laugh?
A silence more crushing than her rolling tear?
Is there a breeze more cooling than a son's slumbered sigh?
A thought more awesome than the question that he asks?
And is there a truer joy when I am the clown?
Shame when I accuse and rage?
Peace when I pull up the sheet?
Pride when I strike the flint?
I made these kids and I make these kids.
And they make me.

10 ways of looking at a tree

1. Tall and strong, indifferent

to the weather, immovable and
serene

2. Thin as board, bending but
holding, hidden strength and
determination

3. From the smallest of things
to dominating the landscape
overlooking all

4. Broken and dry, hopeless and
waiting to be nothing

5. So thick you can't see through them

A natural army waiting to be summoned

6. So densely do they blot out the sun

Under them is near darkness

A cool climate inhabited by the animals

That roam at night

7. Tall as can be and strong

Who dares challenge them?

They remain undefeated

8. Leafy tops on strong trunks

Hundreds grouped together

Dominant

9. Lying on the ground

Defeated and over

Waiting to be a table

10. Falling slowly

Ending with a crash and a shudder

leaves shaking with an air of finality

Palms like fish skin I watch the road
Every corner could be a ticket
Darkness surrounds my car as i move along
Not daring to go 1 mile above the limit
Eyes moving like a metronome, sweeping for a hint of danger
Dangerous thoughts circle my head, I can't focus
Halfway there and I can't not think about it
If I'm caught it's over
Who knows what will happen to me
They can't put me in jail, can they?
Slowly, I pull into the foreboding driveway,
Another car stares me down, headlights off but menacing
I turn off my car and wish it could've been silent
Every step is an earthquake and my heart is in my throat
The door could not be squeakier and the lock a loud thunk
My shoes won't come off and I panic, the strings like dried rawhide
My socks slide on the icy floor
I go up the ominous stairs
My voice is a whisper
My dad grunts in response
I'm home and safe, 20 pounds lighter
I drift to sleep, happy as a clam
Knowing I pulled off a miracle