Surreal

Well, it happened, and the outcome was amazing!  Yosemite will never seas to amaze me, and now it will never seas to amaze my classmates as well.  I'd like to give some special shout outs to Lynnae (the person who made this crazy project possible), Deeps and Cristina (our outstanding field educators), Ricardo (the chef...yummmm), Dr. Preston and my classmates (for putting their trust in me), my parents (for being awesome) and my community (for donating and supporting all of our fundraisers)!

I am currently compiling a final presentation for this entire experience that will be complete in a few days.  In the meantime, here is a picture taken on top of North Dome.  The hike to North Dome proved to be the most difficult and rewarding experience of the weekend.  The mind altering views connected us all and provided an experience that my classmates and I will never forget.

This entire experience has been a blessing and I can't wait to share it will you once my project is complete!

GROWTH

I never could have imagined that I would have so much in common with Thoreau, but my experience with Yosemite has made me even taller than the Giant Sequoias!

CREATING YOSEMITE

LOOK UP

One Step at a Time

     I'm probably not the only senior that's anxious to be done with classwork and grades.  It's getting harder and harder to get home in the evenings with the mentality to get homework done.  This week provided a first for me.  This Monday was the first time that I have decided to just not do an assignment in one of my classes and accept a zero.  Laziness is becoming easier and easier while reading a book outside is becoming more and more tempting.  AP testing is this week and next week and rather than taking them one test at a time and really focusing, I was thinking of how happy I'll be when they're over.  This mentality isn't going to cut it.  It's far too easy to be distracted right now with Prom this weekend, Grad Nite next weekend, and Yosemite two weeks following that.

     Today I had to refocus myself so I found this picture that kind of helped me.  I'm so focused on the future when I should be focused on the present.  I just need to keep reminding myself that my adventures are waiting for me.  They aren't going anywhere so there is no need for me to focus on them.  The real adventure is tomorrow.  Three essays and fifty-six multiple choice questions in less than three hours will be a huge task, but I can't think about anything else until I conquer that test.

"GROUPTHINK"

Since the beginning of last week, I have not been home for increments any longer than 45 min. before 8:00pm.  I can honestly say that I have not had the time nor the chance to work with a group to get feedback during the poetry boot camp.  I'm hoping that I will be able to get a chance to collaborate with a few classmates before the test on Thursday, but at this point, I have no group feedback for this post.

"GRIDLOCK"

Title of poem means	Back From Vacation- John Updike  This title is very literal.  The poem is about people getting back from vacation.
Paraphrase parts of the Poem	This poem is very literal, it doesn't need paraphrasing.
Connotation of some of the words – changing literal meaning to implied or associated values	"Gray days clicked shut around them," the time repetition and work is back now that vacation is over.  "The world is so small,"  people only see a little bit of the world so it seems small.
Attitude What is the attitude of the author, characters or yourself?	The attitude is objective and matter-of-fact.  The speaker wants to show that travel is good,but so is routine.  It's not a terrible thing to go back to work, but broadening your horizons through travel and acknowledging it will build character.
Shift At first we think or feel one way – then there is a shift:  identify the shifts and explain them	The second stanza provides a shift from the sorrows of returning home, to all of the amazing things that happened while away.
Title revisited Any new insights on meaning or significance of title?	No new insights.
Theme	There is more to be discovered outside of your personal world.

"SEVENTH READING"

Poem #1: Hope, Emily Dickinson
Poem #2: A Crazed Girl, W. B. Yeats
Poem #3:  Back From Vacation, John Updike

I am finding that with each poem that I break down, I am having to read it fewer and fewer times to get a complete understanding of it.  I guess this is good because when test time comes, I won't have time to re-read the text multiple times until I understand it.  I had to read Hope 9 times before I mastered it, A Crazed Girl 8 times, and Back From Vacation 5 times.  Just a few more poems and I should be ready!