(Outside Reading #21) Multivitamins

I read the article called "Multivitamins:harmful, helpful or a wast of time? from kare11.com. Everyone seems to take multivitamins but new studies say they might all be a waste of money and do nothing for your health. Dr. David Winter said that the best way to get your vitamins are from fruit and vegetables, not from a pill. I agree with that and think that fruits and vegetables carry the purest of the vitamins because basically that's where they get all of them anyways. Then you know for sure that you are getting vitamins and don't have to go off a bottle. Dr. david Winter says only a few vitamins or minerals can be taken in pill form such as Vitamin D, B12, and Calcium. Otherwise he says most people don't need to take pills. I think if people want to get more vitamins they should eat simply fruits and vegetables, you can't get much purer than that!

All My Sons Blog

After watching the movie of All My Sons I think I understood the purpose more. In the book I never took that many of their sayings as aggresive or in an angry manner. In the movie a lot of the things the character said were in an angry tone. Also in the book I never thought Chris was that mad at his father but the movie displayed that Chris was super angry at his father and was pushing him away physically. I think it was good that we watched the movie of All My Sons because it really helped me understand the purpose of the book and what the characters were really trying to say.

(Outside Reading #20) Jamie Lynn Spears

I was reading an article out of Star Magazine about Jamie Lynn Spears and her pregnancy. The article was saying how Lynne, her mother, wasn't making things any easier. Lynne showed Jamie a video of a real natural childbirth and she threw up. Seeing the video made Jamie even more nervous for giving birth and made her want to get a C-section. I probably would not want to see a video of a mother giving birth if I was what, 17 and pregnant? All of the blood and screaming and pain that you saw would scare me too. Lynne spears did not help and just made things worse for Jamie. Thankfully her birth went well and the baby is healthy.

(Outside Reading #19) The A-List Chapter 26

In Chapter 26 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna opens up to her father. In the beginning of the chapter Anna doesn't know who to talk to, she's a mess. She decides to call Cyn, her best friend. When she calls Cyn, she is with Scott. (Anna's old lover who she wanted to get away from) That made her especially sad and I would probably be a little sad if my friend had a perfect boyfriend that used to be with me but not anymore. After her conversation with Cyn, Anna's father comes into the room to talk to her. She tells him she's leaving for New York tomorrow morning and he apologizes for being a terrible father. FINALLY. He needed to apologize to her for all he's done. I would have left the first day if my father had been treating me like that. Anyways the chapter ended with Anna and her father getting to know each other a little bit better. Anna found out more about her father and Anna's father found out about her night with Ben. For the first time since she was 9, Anna's dad was there for her. My opinion is that she should give him a second chance and stay with him.

(Outside Reading #18) The A-List Chapter 25

In chapter 25 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna finds herself home in her bed. She doesn't remember how she got there or what really happened after she puked all over Cammie. Surprisingly Dee was in her room. I would be very surprised if Dee out of all people would stay and help me if I were Anna. Dee explained to Anna the whole story that happened all the way to getting back into her room. Then suddenly Dee brought up Ben. I would have stopped her right there and said i'm not telling you anything which is kind of what Anna did except she's too polite to be like that. Turns out Dee called Ben's house last night but his mom said he never came home. Then Dee kept continuing and the chapter ended with Dee telling Anna that she was pregnant with Ben's baby. If I were Anna I would be shocked. I would also get a whole different view of Ben and I probably wouldn't want to go near him for a while. Ben seemed so innocent and nice in the beginning but it turns out that he might have just wanted some action from Anna.

(Outside Reading #17) The A-List Chapters 23 & 24

In Chapter 23 and 24 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna gets Cammie back, unintentially. All of the girls are still offering left over food to the homeless. (Anna only doing it for the real purpose, all of the other girls HAD to do it for school) This one guy named parker that Anna met at the wedding asks her to take a walk with him. As she's walking, Anna starts to feel naucious and feels very cold all throughout her body. Parker gives her his jacket, which I think is really nice of him. He starts to tell her something about Ben but people call his name from the buffet. I hate when people start telling me something and then stop. That is something that really annoys me. He said he'd tell her later. Anna still doesn't feel very well so Parker goes to get her seltzer to make her stomach feel better but it only makes it worse. Suddenly Anna is pushed into a picture to be taken for the year book but before she can tell anyone to move becuase she really didn't feel good, she puked all over Cammie. The photographer got the picture of it perfectly as it happened. I hope that the picture goes into the yearbook because Cammie is a brat and she deserves that. Anna will probably be proud of that even though at first she was humiliated, i know i would.

(Outside Reading #16) The A-List Chapter 22

In Chapter 22 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna goes to the charity event to find Dee, Sam, and Cammie there. Anna also finds out that Sam isn't helping out the poor out of her own heart, she has to do it for school. This angers Anna so she walks away. I would be very mad because basically they wouldn't have done it if they didn't have to for school. And obviously Anna wanted to do it out of her own heart and thought Sam did as well. Anna remembers she hasen't talked to her sister in a while so she calls her. Anna's sister is still in therapy helping her recover from her alcohol problem. Susan, Anna's sister, is thinking once she is through her recovery she is going to visit Anna in Los Angeles. Anna wants her sister to come join her, I would too. I would feel so alone if I were Anna just because her dad hasn't been paying attention to her or really spending any time with her since she arrived.

(Outside Reading #15) The A-List Chapter 21

In chapter 21 of The A-List by Zoey Dean there is not much that really happens. Anna is woken up early in the morning by one of Sam's workers/assistants. Anna offered to go help the homeless with Anna but she totally forgot. I would be mad if someone woke me up early in the morning and had been out late the night before. And obviously Sam just wants to know what happened with Ben and Anna. I think Anna needs to stay away from Sam because she is bad news.

(Outside Reading #14) The A-List Chapters 19 & 20

In chapters 19 and 20 of the A-List by Zoey Dean Ben sets Anna up. Anna isn't ready to take the next step with Ben and tells him it's not special enough. Ben seems to understand her position and tells her that he'll go get the car. She falls back asleep and wakes up an hour later to find Ben no where to be found. She gets really angry and thinks that she is stupid she didn't think that Ben was going to use her in the first place. I would be mad as well if I got left at 4 in the morning and felt like somene just used me. Anna gets a ride back with her father's driver and walks through the door to find a woman in a blue robe-her father's significant other. If I had walked in a seen a woman in my house I probably would have freaked out. Anna's father hadn't told her about Margaret and so that would make me especially mad if I was in that situation. Her and her father had a talk before she went to bed and all of Anna's frusterations about the day and how he ditched her came out. I think that he hasn't shown he is capable of being a good father yet.

(Outside Reading #13) The A-List Chapter 19

In chapter 19 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Sam is at her house feeling all alone. After clubbing, everyone headed back to Sam's mansion. Everyone is drunk out of their minds and still drinking and partying. Sam is in her own little world and thinking about Ben. I would probably be out of it and not feel like partying with all my friends if the guy I loved was with another girl. Sam really wanted him back. I feel bad for her. She gets a massage by her italian friend but he starts getting a little creepy with her. I would hate if I was getting a massage by a preverted guy. That would be the most uncomfortable experience ever. I think the next day she will be over herself and find a new man to love. She just needs to get over Ben no matter how hard it is and move on.

(Outside reading #12) The A-List Chapter 17

In Chapter 17 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Cammie goes to visit her mother's gravestone at the cemetary. Cammie is really depressed over Ben and how he chose Anna over her. She has had way to many glasses of wine and decides to go visit her dead mother. Cammie finds her mother's gravestone and sits down and starts talking, intentially to her mother. This shows a side of Cammie that no one has ever seen. Being by her mother's gravestone brings out the sadness in Cammie's life and how hard it's been for her losing her mother. I kind of know how she feels on that subject. She tells her mom that she hopes she doesn't have as much bad taste in guys as she did. Personally, Ben seems like a great guy so I don't think she has to worry about bad taste. I hope one of her friends find out about her feelings toward her mother, That would be hard to go through alone since her dad is pretty much out of the picture.

(Outside reading #11) The A-List Chapters 15 & 16

In chapters 15 and 16 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Ben and Anna get a lot closer. When they are all at the club a man approaches Anna asking how much she wants for the night. Confused by this Anna asks what he means and then realizes that he thinks she's a hooker. He told Anna that the girl with the red curls told him she was (cammie). She excused herself from the situation and tried to find Ben. If someone came up to me asking how much I wanted, I think I would slap him in the face. That's so rude. She finally found Ben a few minutes later and he told her he wanted to get away and be alone with her. Sam was standing right there and was crushed that he wanted to leave with Anna and not her. I can understand her position if she really loved a guy and he wanted to be with another girl but I think she needs to realize that he's over her. Ben really likes Anna. Ben takes Anna to his fathers yacht and they get to know each other well. Chapter 16 ends where they both go into the cabin and get even more close with each other. She was a virgin so all of this was new for her.

(Outside Reading #10) The A-List Chapter 14

In chapter 14 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Sam and Cammie have a fight over Ben. When Cammie, Sam, and Dee all arrive at the club, Dee gets asked to dance. Dean writes,
"Parker came over to Dee. 'Dance, Dee?'
'Say no, Dee,' Cammie counseled.
'Why?'
'Never dance with a boy better looking than you are.' (Dean 117)
As you can see Cammie is not a very good friend and tries to make her friends feel bad about herself. I think that Cammie may be very insecure inside and is trying to make her self look and feel better by saying mean things like that. If one of my friends were to treat me like that I would want to stay away from them. It's no fun being around people who put you down. Anyways after all that went down, Ben and Anna arrive and Sam and Cammie get in a fight over dancing with Ben. Cammie pretends like she really needs to talk to him and leads him to a hallway where they can have some privacy. She leans in to kiss Ben but he backs away. She leans in again but is fully rejected and he walks away. I think Ben made the right decision. He tells Cammie that he really likes Anna and is not going to give that up for a quickie with her. Good for him, I wish all guys were like that.

Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

Thesis Statements:

1) The most important thing that Odysseus does is help others

2) The most important thing that Odysseus does is that he is brave and helps protect his crewmates

Topic Sentences:

1) One way that Odyssues helps others is that he looks out for his crewmates

2) Besides looking out for his crewmates, Odysseus also shares all his treasures and supplies with them

3) Lastly, Odysseus helps others by saving them if they are in danger

(Outside Reading #9) The A-List Chapter 13

In chapter 13 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna and Ben are on their way to Anna's house because she needs to change out of her torn up dress. Anna sees a store open and he pulls into it. It's a sex store but she has to find something to wear. They both try on outfits and the salesperson hits on Ben. She ends up finding some pants to wear and then they head off to the club. If I were in Anna's position I would choose to go home and find something there to wear rather than look in a sex store for an outfit. I wouldn't be comfortable wearing anything of that sort. And if the salesperson was hitting on the guy I was with, I mean that would be a little weird and uncomfortable for the both of us.

(Outside Reading #8) The A-List Chapters 11 & 12

In Chapters 11 and 12 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Sam gets closer and begins to like Anna. Ben turned a dance with Sam down and Sam went to the bathroom crying. Cammie stood on Anna's dress as Anna was standing up from dinner and her dress ripped completely infront of everyone at the wedding. At that point I would personally probably walk out because of embarrassment but she handled it well. She just acted like it was no big deal and went to dance with Ben. A little later Anna met Sam in the bathroom crying. They started talking for a while and then Sam decided she really liked Anna and thought she was really sweet. She asked if she wanted to go partying and ditch the wedding. Personally I think that is so rude of Sam to walk out on her father's wedding. Even though she says her father doesn't pay attention to her and doesn't care, I think she should stay. I would never walk out on my father's wedding. It's one of the most special days of your life. Well we'll see what happens when they all go out together. Sam says she is gonna try to win back Ben there.

(Outside Reading #7) The A-List Chapters 9 & 10

In Chapters 9 and 10 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, the wedding has just started. Cammie-ben's ex-admits that she loved ben and still does. (in her mind) After the ceremony they all get to their dinner tables and Ben and Anna are placed with Cammie and Dee. Personally if I was in that situation I would feel really awkward. I would also be worried that those two girls would embarrass me and frantically ask me tons of questions about being with Ben. Friends of Ben kept coming up to talk to him so Anna had a good conversation with the other people at the table after Cammie and Dee went to the bathroom. If I were in Anna's place I'd feel pretty uncomfortable not knowing everyone but it seems like she's doing a pretty good job of handling the situation well.

(Outside Reading #6) The A-List Chapters 7 & 8

In chapters 7 and 8 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Sam, Cammie, and Dee all saw Ben with his new date-Anna. They all thought he was coming alone but he had not. Cammie was Sam's ex as well, they had just broken up a little bit ago and was also hoping to get him back like Sam was. They all decided to go up to the three and introduce themselves. Ben and Anna told the three that they had been together for about 3 months now and had met at Princeton. Everything was going smoothely until the man on the plane that first tried to get Anna's attention came up next to Dee. Their secret that they had met on the plane got out and Ben and Anna were mortified. If I were in their postion I would be too. Especially because Ben was infront of two of his exes. Anna says it was even worse than getting caught making out in the plane bathroom after she met ben. Zoey Dean quotes Anna, "She thought getting caught on the plane was humiliating, but it was nothing compared to this moment" (Dean 78).

Parent Heroes

Single Moms-My Mom is a hero because she has courage, power, she's caring and she's loving.My Mom has faith in me because she believes I could be or do anything if I put...My hero has done alot for me,because I don't have a dad to help us with things, it is harder for her to take care of me and my sister. If my Mom can be a hero with all these facts to support her, maybe I could be a hero in a special way too!!!!!!!!

For this article I learned that a lot of people think that their single mothers are heroes. I think this is true because it would be a hard job to raise kids all by yourself.

Last week we learned that heroes are everywhere, including the post office and even at home!

I totally agree with this statement. I think that everywhere you go you can find heroes. You never know when you might need help and someone will be there to offer assistance.


All parents want to be "Most Valuable Parents" who help their children and teens make smart choices and avoid pitfalls of growing up

I know all parents want to be the best guardian they can to their kids. Parents always want their kids to come to them if they need help. Parents want their kids to know that they care for them and can help them anytime.

Youths say parents are their heroes
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Young people do not look chiefly to the worlds of music, today's wars or history for the people they most admire. Instead, they turn to their own families.Asked to name their heroes, young Americans surveyed by the Associated Press and MTV make their parents the collective top pick. Twenty-nine percent choose their mothers, 21 percent name their fathers and 16 percent pick their parents without specifying which one. Allowed to choose as many heroes as they'd like, nearly half mention at least one of their folks."They're really hard workers, and they've done everything in their power to make sure my siblings and I have everything we've needed," said Stacy Runne, 21, of New Bern, N.C., now a student at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J. "They're just good people."Next in line as the poll's top heroes: 11 percent choose friends, 10 percent God, 8 percent their grandmother, 7 percent their brother and 5 percent a teacher or professor.Jacquelynne Eccles, a University of Michigan psychology professor who has studied young people, says surveys she has helped conduct since 1980 have consistently found that parents are youths' most-often named heroes."They're gradually moving out of the family, which is what they should be doing, but that doesn't mean that they feel less close to their family," Eccles said. "Parents often take it personally and believe it's a rejection of the family, when in fact it's really a broadening out."

Kids naturally grow up naming parents as their heroes because their parents have been there for their whole life. Children realize that their parents do a lot for them. They provide you with food, clothing, money for school and other personal items, etc.

Foster Parents

If you can imagine your worst fear as a child, it would be losing your parents. Children who are placed in state custody because of abandonment, abuse, or neglect feel that loss along with many more painful emotions. In my work as a counselor with children at each stage of the difficult processes of investigation, removal, and termination of parental rights, I am thankful for those heroes who choose to parent these hurting children.
Children are often first placed in foster homes. Foster parents are needed in every community. Perhaps you will become a hero to children in your town and state. My suggestion for getting started is to explore the site of About's Adoption/Foster Parent Guide or these great resources for foster parents on the Net.

Foster parents are for sure Heroes. If my original parents had left me and someone decided to become my guardian and take care of me they would classify as a hero. Foster parents save children's lives, they give their help when the children really need it.

GKE Quest - Learning Heroes
ParentsAlthough learning is a natural process, its power can be lessened or deepened through appropriate interactions, support, and strategies. A child’s exposure to learning opportunities and the support given to the learning child make significant differences. Parents therefore play a significant role in helping the Empowered Learner successfully navigate the Learning Quest.

Parents often help their children with education and their learning. This article states that the support given from parents really make differences in their children's lives-in education or in their daily life.

Blind foster parent hero
Tuesday, August 7, 2007

David Bearden lost his sight about 16 years ago, but he hasn't lost his spirit of giving.
Bearden beat the odds by raising his own three children as a single, blind father. Once they grew up though, he decided he still had a lot of love to give and trained to become a foster parent.
He's now the only single, legally blind foster home in the United States.
Bearden has fostered more than 20 children since he opened his home a year ago. He says he feels compelled to only take in kids with physical or mental disorders.
Two of his foster kids are visually impaired. He says by living with his own disability, learning how to deal with it and become a productive member of society, he's hoping to pass on coping skills and confidence to children in similar circumstances.
Bearden also does a lot of outside charity work. He's helped organize county clean-ups, created a community awareness project about service dogs and holds many fundraisers throughout the year to benefit Dade City's migrant children population.

This man has devoted his life to raise children that have no parents. He has helped 20 kids live a better life and get their future on track. Even though he is blind, he still does everything he can for these children.


FAMILY HERO: MY PARENTS by Denessha from Newark

My heroes are my parents they tell me not to do things because they want me to be safe. When I’m about to do something that is not safe my parents tell me not do it because they don’t want me to get hurt. If I were to fight in school they would help me not to get in to much trouble. My parents also are my heroes because when I’m somewhere that’s not safe they protect me. When I get a cut they fix it so it won’t get infected. They also feed me because if I did not eat I would be too skinny. They also don’t let me go anywhere by myself because they love and they want me to be safe and that’s being a hero. My parents also tell that my family is important because my family will always be by my side. Some of the people that will always be by my side are my parents and that’s another reason why they are my heroes.

This girl realized that her parents protect her and keep her safe. She said her parents are her heroes because they give her food, they love her, and they care for her. Your parents will always care for you and love you and be there when you need them most.


CONCLUSION:

In this assignment I learned that all parents are heroes. To start off with parents are loving. In both of my topics that I did my tree map on, (foster parents and single moms) they both were said to be loving. Good parents always tell their children that they love them and make them know that someone is always going to be there for them. Parents also help their children grow up well. Foster parents, single moms, and all other parents provide shelter, food, care, clothing, etc. They give their children everything they can to help them live the best life possible. Lastly parents are very unselfish. They have to give to their children and satisfy their wants and needs. Overall, there may be many different kinds of parents but they all are heroes.

(Outside Reading #5) Motionless Boy Article

In the article The Unspeakable Odyssey of the Motionless Boy by Joshua Foer, Erik Ransey is in a terrible car crash. His body is completely paralyzed and he cannot speak. The only thing he can do is move his eyes up and down. They are expiramenting with him and hook up wires to his brain to see if they can read his thoughts and put it into words. If I was in his postion I wouldn't know what to do. Life would always be so frusterating. If I was in pain, I couldn't yell for help. If I needed something, I couldn't ask for it. I couldn't do anything at all by myself, people would have to be helping me constantly throughout my day. When his family and friends rearrange the house so he will be able to live there with his wheel chair I think that is so great. The doctors offered to send him to a nursing home but they wanted him to stay close. If my family did that for me it would definitely make me happier and it would show they haven't given up on me. I know for a family it would be very difficult to go through that so I think that shows that they still really care for him and would do anything for him. In the end I'm so glad that he finally is able to get out sentences and say his thoughts. It just goes to show that miracles really can happen.

Siddhartha Mini Essay

I have been Siddhartha’s friend for quite some time now and journeyed through his life by his side. He has come a very long way-starting out as a Brahmin and ending as a human with complete peace. I think it is very hard to accomplish enlightenment but my friend Siddhartha has accomplished this goal. Enlightenment is something every human sets out to accomplish in his/her lifetime but only few ever do. After following Siddhartha on his journey, I think that he learned that in order to reach enlightenment or nirvana one has to find it through experience, not words or thoughts, and I think I saw him learn this lesson best when he was with his friend Vasudeva.

If Siddhartha had done one thing in his whole life it would have been he found peace within himself. Siddhartha grew as a person as he experienced more things in his life. At first Siddhartha searched on to achieve enlightenment. After experiencing life as a Samana, he learns that eliminating one’s self does not help you achieve enlightenment. His friend Govinda and Siddhartha decided to leave to go to the Buddha after hearing that he had achieved enlightenment. Govinda found his place with the Buddha but Siddhartha still was not satisfied. He learned from the Buddha that you cannot achieve enlightenment through language or thoughts of another; one has to experience it through the material in life. His life continues and he goes through a stage where he feels he cannot love and he becomes distracted from his goal by the riches and goods. He then focuses on his goal once again and lives with his friend Vasudeva, the fairy man. Vasudeva teaches him to listen to the river. When Siddhartha listens to it he hears the calming om. The river has also taught Siddhartha that just like the flow of water, all forms of life are connected in a cycle without beginning or end. Vasudeva leaves after Siddhartha has learned the many secrets of the river. This is when Siddhartha realizes that to reach enlightenment and nirvana, one must experience and find peace through life. In the end Siddhartha definitely has accomplished what he is set out to do. He has finally found the peace within himself that he had been searching for all along just by experiencing different things along the way. He experienced life through riches which didn’t help him other than the fact that he did not want to live his life that way. He realized that focusing on the riches, gambling, and sex only distracted him from his original goal. In conclusion, Siddhartha learned that one cannot achieve enlightenment or nirvana through words or thoughts, one will achieve it through understanding the material of the world.

Siddhartha learned when he was with Vasudeva and the river that one cannot reach enlightenment or nirvana through words and thoughts, only through experience themselves. The Buddha helped him realize that one will not be able to achieve enlightenment through religious teachings. The period in his life when he experienced riches made him realize that he didn’t want to end up like that, a person who was alone and could not truly love. When he began living with Vasudeva he learned to listen to the river and learned many secrets from it. In summary, Siddhartha had accomplished his goal of achieving enlightenment by his life experience not by what he had heard or believed in.

(Outside Reading #4) The A-List Chapters 5 & 6

In Chapters 4 and 5 of The A-List by Zoey Dean, Sam finally gets ready for the wedding and to meet her ex Ben Birnbaum. It just so happens that Anna meets Ben on the plane ride home to see her father and he invites her to the wedding. I'm guessing Sam won't be very happy about this since she wanted Ben to come alone so she could possibly get him back. If I were in Sam's place I would be mad/sad too because I mean she really loves this guy. She's loved him for a really long time and to see him with another girl would really suck. If I were in Anna's position I would love it because he treats her really well and cares more about what's on the inside than the outside. That's what ever girl hopes to find in a guy, someone who doesn't just look at the outside.

(Outside Reading #3) The A-List Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of the A-List by Zoey Dean is all about Samantha Sharpe, the movie star Jackson Sharpe's daughter. Jackson Sharpe is getting re-married and Sam can't find anything to wear. She is brought all of this couture and designer dresses to wear but she can't find anything that's "just perfect". She has all these designers trying to help her but she acts like brat and tells them they can leave since she find anything she liked. If I was in her place and all these people were trying to help me out, I would pick a dress to keep just in case I decide I like it and of course not to hurt their feelings. It's important for her to find a "flawless" dress in her mind because her ex Ben is going to be there and she wants to WOW him. He was last dating her best friend and She is going to try to win him back since he's going to the wedding alone. I know how she feels because she wants to try to look her best for him and whenever you like someone you always want to look your best. I predict he will arrive at the wedding but notice her friend Dee instead of her this time. Hopefully that doesn't happen because if I were in her place, I'd be crushed.

(Outside Reading #2) The A-List Chapters 3-4

In chapter 3 of the A-List by Zoey Dean, Anna returns home to stay with her father. He said he was supposed to pick her up from the airport which didn't happen. His driver told Anna that he was unavoidably detained. Then her father agreed to meet her for lunch since he couldn't make it to the airport but he never showed up and she ended up sitting there for 40 minutes until his driver finally picked her up. His excuse this time was he had an investor's call from Hawaii. Dean quotes Anna, "An ache clenched Anna's throat. Her father kept sending people for her but somehow couldn't manage to show up himself" (Dean 30). I would personally hate to be in her postition. For my father to always be so busy that he couldn't even spend an hour with me would make me so mad. I bet she feels like her father really doesn't care for her that much and she isn't worth his time. I think family is the most important and especially because she hasn't seen her father in over a year it would be important for them to spend some time together.

Advice

Dear Advice Columnist,

I need advice for my friend Siddhartha. He has searched out to find him true self but has not done so yet and I feel has become side tracked along the way. He was a brahmin, then became a semana, then went on to follow the Buddha and finally set out to be free. His goals started out to be free from suffering, attain nirvana, and detatch from himself. He wanted to go beyond the 5 senses and see what else life had to offer. Siddhartha had a desire to look beyond what was just layed out in front of him and go beyond the obvious.

Siddhartha changed as he grew older. He became obsessed with the rich and stood alone with no one and felt loneliness. He became mean and mocked people because they had the power to love and he didn't. Hesse quotes Siddhartha, "He envied them the one thing that he lacked and that they had: the sense of importance with which they lived their lives, the depth of their pleasures and sorrows, the anxious but sweet happiness of their continual power to love." (Hesse 77) He felt that he no longer had a place in the world and that something within him had ceased.

Please give me your best advice so I can help my friend.

Sincerely, Bobo



Dear Bobo,

This topic is hard to give advice on. Siddhartha is at a point that everyone reaches in their life. It may not be as in depth as Siddhartha has reached but some point a long the way one will feel confused and out of place. Siddhartha has to get past this phase and once he does, he will go back to his goal and what he was set out do to. I believe he is a intelligent man and will continue to go far reguardless of this little phase that he is currently in. If anything try to spend some time around him so he might feel less lonely. Care for him like a dear friend would and make sure to be very patient with him. Soon it will pass over him and he will be back to him normal self and realize what he has done and what he needs to change.

Hope everything works out great and you guys continue to be good friends.

Sincerely, Advice Columnist

(Outside Reading #1) The A-List Prologue-Chapter 2

I have heard the A-list by Zoey Dean is a very good book from a lot of my friends so I chose to read it for my outside reading. I have already realized that people in this book come from very wealthy families. They own huge mansions, nice cars, they have servants and housekeepers etc. I would love to live a lifestyle like this. I think it would be a lot of fun to obtain pretty much anything in your desire without having to worry about the bills. In the book there are two main characters that are best friends-Anna and Cynthia. If I were to chose one character I resemble most it would be Anna because she is more of a layed back kind of girl that is very intelligent and plans to go to Yale. Cynthia is very wild and has been around quite a bit. I'm not the type of person who is very wild and goes partying a lot. I'm more down to earth and my education is very important to me like Anna.

Goodbye Govinda

PART 1

Govinda: What should i do? i have never been without Siddhartha.

Bobo: (me) Govinda my advice for you would be to move on and continue your life. You would have eventually separated off from Siddhartha at some point in your life. Now it's time for you to figure out what and who you want to become without the guidance of Siddhartha. Siddhartha realizes that it's time for you to move on with your life. He says to you: "Govinda, my friend, you have taken the step, you have chosen your path." Siddhartha has a different view of his life than you do and you have to accept that. Govinda, you should become the person you want and nothing less than that. Even though Siddhartha is no longer with you that does not mean you cannot follow your dreams.

PART 2

I think that Govinda is having a hard time dealing with the loss of Siddhartha. Siddhartha was his guidance and Govinda followed him all throughout his life. It was hard to detatch himself from Siddhartha because he felt he was lost without him. At first it was hard for Govinda to accept the fact that Siddhartha had chosen a different path but I feel after a while he has gotten used to not constantly being with his fellow friend. Siddhartha is moving on because he still feels he has not found his true self. Govinda feels he has already found his place in life by swearing his alleigance to the Buddha and so they say their last goodbyes.

Govinda

My friend Govinda has chosen a different path for live as I have. He chose to become Gotama or The Buddha's shadow. He will follow the Buddha's teachings and has sworn allegiance to him. I have chosen to continue on and leave Govinda not because I have found a flaw in Gotama's teachings but pursue to find myself. I know he is good here and will enjoy life as one of Buddha's many followers, I will miss him dearly.

I AM SIDDHARTHA

I am siddhartha. I really enjoy reading writings in the vedas and hearing teachings of fellow doctrines. I go to school 3 times a week and the other 4 days I enjoy meditating. I am a very calm person and never seem to be the angry type. I feel the medidations have helped anger leave my body fully. In my spare time when i'm not meditating I enjoy going out to the clubs with my fellow friends and singing kareoke or else finding a nice place to meditate.

Self-Description

I am a very interesting person. Even though I may be fairly short, throughout my life I have been very athletic by playing multiple sports. As I grew older, my time became more scarce so I had to choose a sport to stick with, tennis. I love the game and grew very good at it. In freshman year, I tried out for the Edina Girls Varsity Tennis Team and made it. Not only do I succeed in sports, i also succeed in academics. Throughout my years at Valley View Middle School I continued to make the A honorroll every year. My life does get very busy with sports and academics but when i have free time i love relaxing and listening to music.