Vocabulary Words 3-12-12: What do you think of the open gradebook?

I think that the gradebook prevents students from beguiling their parents into thinking that they are doing better than they really are. Although some parents may make callous remarks about bad grades, the gradebook's good qualities overshadow its flaws. My parents know that I tell the truth to them, so they don't feel the need to look online to debunk what I have told them. However, the gradebook has been very helpful in motivating me to get better grades.

Vocabulary Words 3-5-12: If you could drop one class from your schedule which one would it be and why?

If I could make one class no longer abide in my schedule, I would choose Family Living. Last year I chose two different art electives as my options, but got financial literacy and web design. Even though finance is a required class, it is going to become an online course, which would allow me to focus on my other subjects more. I vehemently believe that taking that course for a half a year would have wasted my time. The only class that I was able to join without changing my schedule was Family Living. Although penology for children can be interesting, I would prefer to not be in that class.

Macbeth 3-2-12

• Where did this curse come from?
• This curse came from the use of witchcraft and detailed explanation of black-magic rituals. These actions caused people to attempt to become witches. At the time that Macbeth was written, people were extremely superstitious and believed that witches did not like their secrets being revealed. The people believed that revenge was taken in the form of a curse over the play, and that it would never have a successful show. Over the years this has proven to be true, which further enforces the fear surrounding Macbeth.
• Which ones were the most shocking from the list of terrible things that happened during the performances of Macbeth?
• Each of the terrible things that happened during Macbeth are horrible and cause even the most hesitant theater fanatic would be superstitious about the play. The most shocking thing that happened was when an actor had a heart attack on stage during the beginning of Act III. When I imagine this happening, I picture confusion at first from the actors and the audience as they expect the character to get up. Then I picture chaos in the theater, as most people don't expect to see death when they go to see a theater production.
• If you had to avoid the curse, which strategy would you use?
•  For my whole life I have had a connection to theater in some form. I will never say "good luck" before a show and Macbeth is the same way. My strategy to avoid the curse is to avoid the show altogether. This includes not saying the name of it in a theater or backstage. If for some reason I had to perform in Macbeth, and I had the power to change the script, I would make the witches other minions of Lucifer and change Macbeth's name in order to avoid the curse.
• Do you believe that there is a curse? 
• I am usually not superstitious, but when it comes to theater I would rather not take the chance. There are thousands of things that can go wrong in any show, and even if the curse does not exist, if someone says Macbeth or shows nervousness about performing it, the other actors will be frightened and make more mistakes. Due to this I will err on the side of caution by not causing any problems.

Vocabulary Words 2-22-12: What did you do instead of watching the oscars?

During the week off my family and I went on a family vacation to Costa Rica. On Sunday I spent 12 hours traveling simply to get home. Unfortunately, I had a migraine on the plane and my face was pallid as can be. I felt that it took extreme temerity to make it through the flight without crying or becoming querulous, especially when my sisters thought that I was lying and repeatedly said pejorative things.

Stephen King Mini Stories

My favorite story out of the 5 mini stories by Stephen King was "Earliest Memory". This story was about the first injury that Stephen could remember having, which was a bee sting followed by 5 broken toes. It was concise and to the point, yet still had enough detail to paint a picture of the scene. I did not feel bored during this story I was eager to see what would happen to the hapless two year old Stephen King. As I was reading I was thinking about Stephen King's views and advice with regard to proper description and found that I enjoyed the amount of detail used in this story, and the fact that I still had room to creatively picture the setting and characters.

Vocabulary Words 2-6-12: What was your favorite part of the Superbowl?

My favorite part of the Superbowl this year was the Cirque De Soleil trapeze artist performing. He was fastidious when he did his act and the control and bravery that he showed was awe-inspiring. While I do love trapeze, tight rope, and other various circus acts, it would take a lot to goad me into performing in front of such a large, expectant crowd. Overall, this performance was effervescent and the most interesting part of the Superbowl.

Vocabulary Words 1-30-12: What is your favorite day of the week?

A large percentage of my week is composed of work. This makes me abhor Mondays because I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me. Every day that I have to calibrate my alarm clock to wake me up at 6:30am is a day that I will not enjoy very much. In addition, my agnates are extremely cranky when thy wake up early. Because of these reasons, my favorite day of the week is a Saturday, and is connate because my sisters and parents share this trait.