Tuesday, August 27, 2013

"My Summer Reading Essay" by: a high school student who didn't read the book

“My Summer Reading Essay” by: 
(a high school student who didn’t read the book)

  1. Describe in 200 words what you learned about Ernest Hemingway by reading The Sun Also Rises.
The author of The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway, who is a very famous author.  I do not know much about Hemingway, but my sister is a big fan of the “classics,” however I am not at all.  I am more into Judy Moody books because I have a lot of individuality and attitude, and she doesn’t.  

We have had to read many other books written by the famous Hemingway for summer reading in the past.  There is also a restaurant named after him in Destin, Florida which serves splendid snapper in a “Hemingway” sauce, which probably contains alcohol because I imagine that Hemingway has an alcohol problem, which is basically the vibe that I get from most authors; that they are alcoholics.  I am all for people doing what they want to do, but they can hurt someone else and they are slowly ruining their lives.  

independent.co.uk

Because Hemingway is a classic author, I imagine him to have an extensive vocabulary.  Because I am good at peering into the souls of people, I also imagine him to be a little bit bitter because of all the alcohol he has been consuming.  And because he was not as famous as his drinking buddy, the guy who wrote The Great Gatsby. 
timesunion.com

        In summary, even though he was a bitter alcoholic, it goes without saying that he had periods of lucidity in which he was able to write famous pieces of work.  

        2.  Describe the book’s intended audience.

I think the book’s intended audience was definitely college-level or adults.  I think this because this book was obviously written by an author with an extensive vocabulary and a vast muse.   

This book was not meant for high school students because it requires a deeper level of understanding. The funny thing about Hemingway is that some high school students are very intelligent and can actually understand his work, but not every high school student is like that. 

Teachers think that students will really try to dig deep and understand what is going on in these stories, but in reality, students give up because it is frustrating to read page after page of words that make no sense to you. 
gemmlearning.com

        The average high schoolers brain is deluded by alcohol and drugs anyway, so it makes it that much harder to understand the point Hemingway is trying to make. Well, I would not actually know if alcohol and drugs make it harder to understand, but I would imagine it would.  
        
        Actually, since Hemingway was an avid drinker, maybe drinking would actually make it easier to understand what his writing meant, since he was drunk when he wrote most of it.  I may have to try out my theory someday when I am able to drink alcohol. 

fineartamerica.com
In summary, I learned that I am glad Hemingway was alive because if he wasn't, we wouldn't have the nice restaurant in Destin that he created. I also learned that I did not like this book and not to bullfight since it is very dangerous, especially if you’ve been drinking.

Friday, August 2, 2013

14 Points They Don't Cover in Driving School—But Should


12 Points They Don't Cover in Driving School—But Should

       I’ve taught three teenagers to drive without once, well hardly ever, ripping off the “OH-MY-GOD handle.” (handle located in interior of vehicle above door.  Grasped tightly to avoid chiropractors, or possibly even REAL doctors)

       My daughter is attending driving school next week, mostly for the insurance discount and to learn about driving with beer goggles.  

http://www.arlnow.com/2011/06/02/prom-bound-wakefield-students-learn-about-dui-risks/
       
          Actually additional beer goggle practice would be advantageous so that in a bar in college she can discern Tristan Framingham III, with a bulging wallet in his back pocket, from Joe Darryl with a bulging Skoal can in his back pocket.

http://latestnewspics.blogspot.com/2013/06/rich-
and-single-celebrities.html


http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/southern-boy










       
       Driving school can teach her how to turn her wheels in a skid, but it should also touch on other essential information, such as:

       Emergency protocol when arriving at an important peer group debriefing meeting and all the spots are taken at Sonic.

       How much farther can one really, really go on two tablespoons of gas.

       Perfecting the “guilt wave,” after close calls.

       How to throw blood hounds off the scent of the body in one’s trunk.

       How to get out of a ticket. (Taken in conjunction with Improv/Role Play 101)

       What not to wear to one’s traffic court appearance.  Hint: shirt emblazoned with  “Cocaine and Caviar.” (You can’t make this stuff up)


pic by Cathy Cantu at traffic court (for none of ur bidness).  He
crossed his arms because he must've thought I was a narc and because I suck at being nonchalant taking pics with an iPhone.

       Knee driving 101 (Eating/cell phone usage), 201 (Grooming/shaving/brushing teeth), 301 (changing clothes), and Graduate Program (all of the above while finishing algebra homework due in fifteen minutes)

       How to blend in when lost in a neighborhood where one sees lots of chalk body outlines.

http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/life/06-13-13-police-arrest-teens-beating-death-murder-sam-morris-south-dallas/

       Excuses for rolling down the window, or "Purging the Cabin," when one is driving with one’s significant other and feels a Silent But Deadly coming on.

       Combining Red Bull and alcohol only makes one do stupid stuff with more enthusiasm.

       Legal limits: For driving under the influence of Benadryl and Zyrtec.                For the circumference of a spastic dog in driver’s lap.

https://www.facebook.com/DogsAreFamily

       Funeral procession procedures.  Where’s your respect?  Geez, you people just need to pull over and wait.  Except not me of course, but the rest of you.

       And just for ladies:

       How to approach an ATM without opening the car door and leaning out the window.  Tips for remembering to release the parking brake before arriving at your next destination.  I know I’m making broad generalizations here.  Deal with it.

       And a few classes for parents:

       Method to circumvent the “Con Your Mom” anti-phone tracking app your minors have.  Procedure 100% effective roughly 60% of the time.

       When Facetime-ing minors to verify their location, how to distinguish whether they are seated in front of real or faux library books.

http://www.visualphotos.com/image/2x4165748/portrait_of_teenage_girl_reading_book_in_library
Artist: Lea Roth  Agency: Beyond Fotomedia

       How to translate a minor’s texts from Dos Equis into American.

       Most 16- to 18-year olds embrace the obnoxious DAWNeD ideology:  (Daring, Arrogant, often Wrong but Never in Doubt) 

       And just a warning from parents to all teens:  Most of us in the OAT (Old And Treacherous) set know how to throw off the bloodhounds.