Thursday, December 1, 2011

Extended Writer's Notebook




Please select one entry from your Writer's Notebook from the fall semester, and re-write it here as a comment. You may extend the entry or heavily revise it--I just want you to share something you feel proud of or interested in from the semester.

28 comments:

  1. This is the tree. Mr. Keebler The Elf and his elf friends and workers live here and bake cookies. I guess that's not very smart to make cookies in a tree, things could go wrong, you know? Not a very smart on his choice of location for his disgusting cookie making business. I mean...more than a few things have gone wrong in his business. For one, I can not even tell you how many times his stupid tree has caught on fire. The fire department is about to just stop rescuing it because it's caught on fire so many times. Think of a number of times a tree could catch on fire..yeah take that and multiply it by hmm..20? Yeah..that's how many times it's caught on fire. And despite the fact that the tree has caught on fire so many times, you would think that these elves work really hard on making quality cookies. Oh, think again. The cookies suck. I mean, they're absolutely terrible. I bet you have never tasted a worse cookie. I'm pretty sure I found one of their pointed little shoes in there disguised as a chocolate chip. What, do they think that's funny? I never knew elves could be so tricky and deceiving..or such bad cooks. I thought elves were supposed to be awesome at baking. They come around during the holidays, right? The holidays are filled with cakes and cookies and food, right? Well hmm, that doesn't make sense, does it now Mr. Elf? I just do not understand how Christmas elves are related to Keebler Elves. I bet they're not. They're all phonies and fakes and frauds. That's right, I said it. And also besides the fact that their tree burns down, the cookies suck, and the elves are fakes...they're rude. One time i visited their tree to see what was up in their business...I couldn't even fit through the door it was so small. They're very exclusive and if you are not under the height of 4'5, they ignore you, except for Snookie. They absolutely adore Snookie, all four feet eleven inches of her. Gosh, she doesn't eat cookies anymore! I wouldn't either if I had the Keebler Elves' cookies.

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  2. It was the day my grandmother exploded. One day, I walked into her house and admired some very expensive pottery, when suddenly it fell to the ground. I immediately screamed and my grandmother came into the room. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the floor and nothing came out of her mouth for a few seconds. But then, she shouted, " WHAT DID YOU DO? DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD THOSE ARE? THEY ARE WORTH A FORTUNE AND YOU BROKE THEM?" For the next ten minutes she screamed at me for breaking her treasures. She did not realize either that she screamed at a 7 year old boy. My grandmother exploded. Well.... not the way you probably you think. She exploded into shouting around the household and I could here her 2 stories above me in the attic. And that was the day that my grandmother exploded.

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  4. Clack, clunk, clack, clunk
    “Hmm...” The man stops in front of the Mona Lisa. “She don’t have no eyebrows.”
    “As if we don’t hear that everyday! What does he think? We’re blind or something!?!" The guide says in rapid French to his coworker. People drift in and out of the gallery throughout the day, leaving litter and the stench of public transport behind.
    “Blue Boy! They’re gone! Let’s go! I need to move. I’m so stiff my paint is cracking.”
    “I’m coming Jesus Twelve. Where’s Saint John the Baptist and the Apostles?
    “They got held back in the surge between the giftshop and Winged Victory.”
    “A little boy with sticky little fingers covered in snot was nearly two inches from my frame today before the security guard saved me! Someone has to call in a team of
    etch-a-sketches to remind parents to keep their beasts in sight!”
    “Calm down Blue Boy, the only problem is the boredom. I wish I was owned by a private collector with so many houses that he or she was never actually around. I bet they would have an indoor pool I could float in. I’m made from oil based paint you know, I can float.”
    “But, I bet they’d have all kinds of “modern art”. Scribbles would be a more accurate title. Who even cares about Campbell's soup?”
    “Hey! You two! Keep your voices down! If the security guard was actually awake, you would get caught out of your paintings. Humans don’t react well to anything but themselves. Especially 2D, walking, talking paintings!”, said an armless Roman sculpture.
    “We have rights too you know?!?”
    “No we don’t your idiots. We’re all here against our will. We aren’t even real! This is all a figment of Madeleine’s imagination!”
    “What’s a figment”
    “Oh, shut up Jesus Twelve!” said Blue Boy.
    “There’s No Place like Home. There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home.”
    Dororthy’s voice drifts through the air, remnants of the Turner Home Classics Channel, which I was watching last night. My eyes blink open. My clock says it’s only 3:00 a.m. I turn on my side and go back to sleep. This time, it’s dreamless, and my subconscious is utterly bored.

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  5. Yes there has been a time when i have had to streach the rules a bit inorder to win. In my case however it didnt quite work. My grandmother comes every Christmass abd a few other time a year. Every single time since me and my brothers were little kids we had always played monopoly when she came. My oldest brother Robert ,who is 4 years older then me, always wins. Noone could ever beat him. His stragedy never failed. Not once. After probably 16 years my grandmother never beat him once. I decided to try some new tactics however. I would take a bit extra money when I could but still no luck. He would always win. Every time i cheated and when I played fair. To This day he regis champion over that monopoly board. I'm also stilkl determined I will beat him just once.

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  6. The image on the wall confused me, just like déjà vu, I recognized it but could not place it. The picture consisted of only random symbols and marks that appear to have no pattern at all. I looked around, realizing that the previous hundred people that surrounded me had disappeared. When I looked back at the image, I realized that the symbols slowly started floating of page, eventually surrounding me. The symbols circled me as if they were vultures hunting for their prey, increasing their speed as if to disorient for the reason of making me an easier prey. My eyes blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges of my eyes, and then I fell on to the cold, marble floor. The last thing I saw was a pale white face looking at me void of emotion.

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  7. If i could have dinner with anyone from the past i would want to have dinner with my great grandpa the dad of my grandma on my dad’s side. Because everyone who knew him seemed to love him and have a special bond with him and I am told that I look like him, this makes me feel like I have a special bond with him. His job was to talk on the radio and he wrote song slogans some of which are in the Tulane library. I am close with my grandma which makes me want to meet Paw Paw even more. My grandma even admits that she had a much better and closer relationship with her father than her mother and I know that much of my grandmas personality must have been similar to his. I know for sure she gets her sense of humor from him and I wish I could have seen the two of them together! He was definitely a funny, caring, hardworking man who made everyone fall in love with him. I would ask him about his relationship with my grandma and what he would do in life if he had more time. I am fascinated by all the traces left by him that my family has even my dad has some of his old books that he used to read every night according to my grandma. I would love to meet Paw Paw.

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  8. When I hear the word "journey", I think of one of the most famous journeys of all time. The Wizard of Oz! The Wizard of Oz is the tale of a young, small-town girl named Dorothy whose house gets picked up by a tornado and deposited in a new, beautiful, and magical land. She meets many interesting characters such as the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion. Finally, near the end of her journey she meets the wicked witch of the west and the great, powerful, and magnificent Oz!!

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  9. Penelope sits calmly in the center of the room. Her red, flowing gown drapes over the chair and falls to the floor. The space in which Penelope and her maids do their weaving is not a secluded and private, but surrounded by windows. It is as if the urgency of the task at hand and Penelope’s own grief over her husband are open for the viewing of suitors. They lean nonchalantly through the windows, gazing at her. One man’s arm strains towards Penelope, clutching a bouquet of flower the same garish color as her dress. She continues to gaze intently at the shroud. The maids turn toward the suitors, their expressions both embarrassed and amused with the attention. The man with the flowers, however, only has eyes for Penelope.

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  10. Glorious Hot Cheetos I find satisfying in every way
    When the bag empties the soul feels only dismay
    delightful to the mouth, attracting the the eye,
    There is no greater snack under the sky
    Had you not entered my life
    There would be no strife
    For every hour I am athirst
    feels like a year that I am cursed
    To once again bite down on the red
    I would give a thousand wonderbreads

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  12. Anyone who walks through the South Hampton Mall is as normal as can be. Most are your average, overweight Americans who shouldn't have stopped in the food court for another ice cream cone. They are harmless; they aren't dangerous or threatening in the least. And they are so clueless.
    For me, anyone walking past me would think that I'm an abnormally skinny, ice cream eating teenager with oddly colored eyes. But this, my dear reader, is my disguise. You can think of me as a chameleon, changing colors to fit the environment. Are they eating strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream today? Yesterday was chocolate, but today's new color happens to be cookie dough. This is the one thing I love about this mall: nobody cares. Nobody in this busy mall would even blink at me, or give me a second thought. I've always wanted to know what their reactions would be, if they ever found out. About what was really behind the mask.
    But that's my story. If you're interested, you can keep reading. If not, don't spare me a second thought. I was just that normal person in the mall, and you probably don't even remember me. Oh well, your loss.

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  14. The day my grandmother exploded was the first day of summer vacation. The air was sticky and hot, but the clouds were starting to get dark overhead. I was enjoying time with my friends when I got a call from my mom. She was frantic and out of breath. I was trying to understand what she was saying, but her words were quick and jumbled together. Frustrated, I hung up. Within seconds, my dad pulled up and motioned me to the car. He didn't say a word to me and we drove home in silence. We both knew that was better than discussing the horrible news that I knew awaited me at home. I arrived home to the sight of my house floor drowned in tissues. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my mother sobbing uncontrollably in the corner. As I walked over to comfort her, I saw what was so alarming. My grandmother was in pieces. Everywhere I looked I could see bits and pieces of her body. My grandmother had actually exploded.

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  15. This prompt was a sentence and you had the build off of the sentence. It was, "the day my grandmother exploded..." I took that and made a story. The day my grandmother exploded was the start of the end of the world. My whole family did not believe on the 2012 stories and how that was the last day of the Aztec calender. A big tradition in my family is a huge new year ever party. So, all my realtive came including my grandmother. At these parties, everyone must bring a type of cake. No one is allowed to enter the house without a cake. it is also a contest, to see who has the best cake. The oldest person at the party is the test taster. The official judge this year it Grandma. The judge has a chair and all the cakes next to them. This year we received 50 cakes. Grandma has to eat all of them. She finishes all of them and is about to the winner, but instead says, "end of the world"! and bam! she exploded.

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  16. Disguise
    I was in the airport waiting to get on my flight back to California after my short vacation. My agent called, and said that the popularity of my TV show went way down in the last three months, and he told me that my fans don't really appreciate me anymore. What does he mean by that? My fans love me! I was actually so paranoid about them, that I even wore a silly disguise today to trick the paparazzi. Just to prove him wrong, I got up from my seat and went to one of the little snack stores in the airport. I walked in and I looked straight to the magazine shelves. I was immediately reassured by the fact that my face was, in fact, on the cover of one of them. I looked closer, and took off my big sunglasses to see it better. The words under my face, read "Where are they now?" That's impossible, they say it like I'm not even famous anymore! I snatched the magazine off the shelf and immediately marched to the cashier and showed her the cover. “Do you recognize this person?” I asked through clenched teeth. She shook her head. “Can’t say I do. Is she famous or something?” She asked. By now, I was shaking with fury. I slammed it onto the checkout counter. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Could I buy this please?” I asked with forced enthusiasm. The cashier gave me a weird look, while she rang up the magazine. “Do I know you? Your face looks really familiar…” she trailed off. I was immediately filled with hope. “Really?” I asked. Then the cashier shrugged. “Never mind, I must’ve been mistaking you for someone else.” She said. She handed me the magazine, and I stormed out of the shop. Now, I felt silly in my disguise. I took off my sunglasses and my cheap wig and threw them both in the nearest trashcan. Now that my identity was out in the open, I looked around for any hidden paparazzi or random fans. I didn’t encounter either of them.

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  17. I Often Look Back in Time

    I Often look back in time
    To escape the pollution and crime
    To remember when I was young
    When I was not nearly as tightly strung
    And all the things that seemed so large
    Are much smaller when I'm in charge
    I was young, careless, and naive
    Time really did fly by faster than I can believe
    Now I have standards to meet
    Numerous difficult test and homework to complete
    Most of my days I am deprived of sleep
    Once I begin to dream I hear my alarm clock beep
    At 4 a.m. this morning my alarm clock rung
    As they say youth is wasted on the young

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  18. I can remember the day my grandmother exploded. It was thanksgiving, and everyone was there. My grandpa and grandma, great grandpa, all of my cousins, and every one of my dad's siblings had come up to St. Louis that year. We had just finished thanksgiving dinner, and were all sitting around the table stuffing ourselves with pumpkin and pecan pie, and talking amongst each other. Out of nowhere, a bird flew in through an open window. People jumped up and fled the room as the bird desperately wound its way around the room, looking for a way out. Only my aunt Toby, grandma, and I remained in the room. We tried to herd the bird towards the window, but it would not cooperate. Grandma got impatient with the bird, and stood up on a chair to try to catch it. The second her feet touched the chair, the bird changed direction. It sped towards grandma over and over, and tried to attack her. I watched in horror as my grandma fought in what seemed to be a life or death situation with a tiny bird. I covered my eyes as the bird dived towards my grandma one last time. The bird made contact with grandma's arm, and just like that, she burst.

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  19. Brain Drain...(doing a poem) A typical day

    Wake up at 5 o'clock to get ready for school
    I see my sister's pillow and I noticed she drooled
    I get dressed, eat, and head out the door
    Oh how I wonder what today's day has in store
    When I get to school, I see the same familiar faces
    Being new to Kinkaid, this helps me get to different places
    I navigate from class to class learning as much as I can
    But I recently learned that studying late nights is a new part of my homework plan
    Lunch is great as usual and the food is so good
    I'd dare somebody disturb me while im eating, I really wish you would
    I would swat at your hand like im swatting a fly away
    And finish my lunch in peace and go about my way
    I finish the day with some recreational time
    And then get home no later than nine
    When my homework is done, my words are few
    I switch off my light and doze off, my day is now through

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  20. Some may call it cheating, I call it, changing the rules in a way that is favorable to me. Everyone has probably cheated at one time or another in their lives. Whether it was on a test, game, diet, cheating has happened. The first time i ever cheated was when I was playing the game monopoly. I had invested about 2 hours in the game and it looked as if I was about to go out soon. I'm competitive and hate so I thought of ways to make a comeback. Instantly a sinister thought came to mind. Soon after, I followed through with that thought. As I casually reached for a water bottle, I knocked over the tray containing the money. Acting completely apologetic, I helped pick up the money. Little did my competitors know that I was also helping myself. In the process of picking up the money I also stuffed a couple of $500 bills in my pocket. The money I collected was enough to turn the tide of the game. Later that evening I won and was filled with pride and excitement. Soon thereafter I remembered what I had done to reach top. The feelings of glee I had immediately faded and were replaced with chagrin. Sometimes cheating is not done to be sinister. Sometimes the obsession to win or succeed could your judgment of what is morally right and wrong.

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  21. Eat lunch with someone who has passed? Classic question. But without a shadow of a doubt, I would love to sit down and share a meal with Walt Disney. He’s one of the most creative people to walk the Earth. He has inspired millions and brings real magic into people’s everyday lives. He entertained America in tough times, and his movies are still around to be loved today. Not to mention Disneyland, his gift to the world; a place to escape to and find magic. I would ask about his inspirations for everything. What really happens inside his vast imagination?

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  22. An experience that I often look back on happened the 24th of November 2009, the day my friend Nick Doize's funeral. His funeral was on November 24,2009. This was also the day of my 13th birthday. I always look back at this experience because the death of my friend made a huge impact on my life and the way I live my life. That day,at the funeral, they told a story about how he wasn't a good speacker, but he was going to be interview by a lot of people. He told himself that he had to do this interview, so he went in with confidence and nailed the interview. So when I heard this story, I was inspired and I thought to myself if he can be stand up and talk to a ton of people. then I can stand infront of a smal group of people and talk. I was also a very shy person infront of many people. At one point of the funeral, there was a time where the audience could share a memory of Nick or just say something to him. I would have never raised my hand but since that story inspired me, I raised my hand and told all Nick's friends, family, and loved ones a story.
    "One day we were at the Karpen's house, a friend of ours, for a soccer party. Nick wasn't doing so well with his Leukimea treatments, so they let him go home and spend time with his family. At our friend's house Nick, Dayna, his sister, and I were swimming in the pool along with the rest of the team and he taught me how to play underwater ninja, and we also tried to stack three people on top of each other. Dayna, me , and them Nick."
    As I finished those last word, I could not stop crying. This was one of the worst days of my life. Not only was a day of moarning, but I also learned how to face my fears by speaking infront of two hundred people. Being inspired by Nick, missing him, and having him make such an impact on my life is why this is and experience I often look back on.

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  23. I think that the people wanted to make a name for their selves so that one and another could recognize them and so that everyone else would know who they were. Since they were building a huge tower, they wanted to name it together and call themselves after it. They were almost done and then god confused their language, so they were all confused and no one understood another. Because it all sounded like a bunch of babbling people they called it the tower of Babel. I think people are still like this today because we love to be recognized for what we are, do or represent. For example every country has a proud name, and everyone know if you say “China” what you are referring to. Also some people like to brag what city they are from. For example someone from Houston might say, “I’m a Houstonian”. I believe that people love making a name for them today and in the past.

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  24. If I could have coffee with anyone it would probably be Marcus Dupree. He is the best that never was. What i mean is he was the best running back to walk this earth and he threw it all away because of disciplinary problems. I would sit down with him and tell him that he needed to get his act together and go play football, and take some constructive criticism. Because he could of been the best by so much. There even a documentary made by ESPN called The Best That Never Was. And lastly I would ask him if I could be his agent.

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  25. Can you see through the smile she fakes?
    Do you recognize the fright in her eyes?
    Or are you all all her so-called 'friends',
    Unable to see through her disguise?
    Her face, hidden behind a lovely mask-
    Beautiful, yet far from real
    While it seems as though she really laughs
    None of us know her story nor how she feels
    If she told you her story, would you listen?
    If she burst into tears, would you care?
    Or would you not see past who she pretends to be;
    Forever that mask she wears?
    Get rid of your costume; let everyone see
    Who you are inside not who you pretend to be
    Trust those around you, do not be afraid
    Others might listen; progress may be made
    Forget your past, act as who you are
    This is your life, you are the star.

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  26. I am lost. How did I end up here? I am almost positive I'm not still on Earth. I have no ida what to do, not a clue where to look. I just stand still in that on spot, surrounded by darkness, waiting for something to happen, anything at all. In my head, I was sure something spectacular was going to happen, but another part of me was just hoping for anything to happen, for a sign that I wasn't alone. I take one step forward. Nothing happens, not a sound. I then take another step, then another, and eventually I'm walking without direction. Suddenly, the ground starts to shake, and there is enough light to see a single, tall silhouette in the distance.

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  27. The image was horrific. As the bombs plummeted toward the ground, screaming through the air, people ran for any cover that they could find. Hundreds would die instantly from the explosions and from the debris. Others were not so lucky. They would burn to their death. Those who survived this had to face the absolutely worse threat, the mutants that were quickly approaching the remains of the once proud city of Houston. The others that had survived at the kinkaid bomb shelter watched as a teenage girl tripped over a piece of rubble was almost immediately was in the grasp of a mutant with three eyes, lobster claws, and a colossal tentacled mouth on his stomach. We all knew what her demise would be. A single bite from one of these monsters would cause your body to mutate and completely change how you thought. We watched as slowly the creature bit the struggling, screaming victim. She instantly went limp. Out of her back five new arms and large bat wings sprouted. Her skin turned into scales, her teeth into venomous fangs. Her tongue split in half, becoming forked. Her eyes fell out of her head and she grew at least five feet. When she awoke she said, “klliot levii,” and the other said, “ klliton vsurieht sdaerpot siboj yrouneht nwo, gdoo.” Then the horrible pair left the area.

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  28. The day my grandma exploded...

    The sun scorched on my face as I relaxed out by the pool. That day in the summer was as normal as any other day spent at Grandma's house. I reclined by her pool immersed in a good book, while Grandma, humming along to her favorite records, cooked strawberry pie and played solitaire. I spent almost all my summers with her; just Grandma and I. She lived in Florida alone in a small and cozy home near the beach. This summer, though, some of my friends were vacationing near Granma’s house. I decided to spend the day at the beach with them. As I pulled out of the driveway, Grandma stood in her red sun- dress waving and smiling. I waved back with a gentle smile, and drove away. I was a good ways from the house, when I realized I left my phone. I abruptly turned the car around, and headed home. I pushed the key in the front door, and as I turned the knob I heard a huge crash.
    “Grandma, are you ok!!!” I screamed.
    I bolted in the house. To my surprise, Grandma was in all black holding a knife to a ninja’s head.
    “Grandma?” I questioned.
    “Oh, hello sweetie, I thought you went out.”
    “Grandma, what are you doing?
    “I’m saving the world sweetie!”
    Then, the ninja kicked Grandma, and she fell to the floor.
    “Run!” screamed Grandma.
    I dashed out the front door, as Grandma’s house exploded into a humungous inferno. That was the day Grandma exploded, and the day I realized Grandma was a trained spy.

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