As I listened to Drowning Anna by Susan Mayfield, an overwhelming chill came over me. Bumps rose to the surface of my skin as I listened intently to the girls reenacta part of the grim book.  Bullying and suicide are extremely intense topics to share and write about. I was completely blown away by the detail and characterization of the podcast. Along with the choice of music, which fit perfectly into the final product.  I chose to write about this podcast, because events in my past have had to deal with this topic. (Not for me personally, but helping my friend cope with the endless struggle in his life.) The way the music flowed with the emotion of each break.  Also, the way the girls made the characters come to life and made it so that you could close your eyes and just imagine each movement and event in each section.

*To listen to this podcast: Ya! Cast

Well, I speak for myself when I say that I text all the time.  I’m all for texting.  It’s an awesome way of communicating with other people.  Though, I do have to say it’s sometimes hard to tell the emotion that the person is trying to get at. On an average day, I think I may send and receive 500-700 texts and I text my boyfriend daily, but I There are a bunch of people I text.  It depends on how I’m feeling. Because I have people I text when I’m sad, mad, or in a good mood.  I haven’t noticed that texting has effecting my writing abilities.  Actually, it’s helped my spelling skills a lot.  Though, I think it depends on the person you talk to. Everyone texts differently.  I text (for the most part) Farley accurately to the way i would write. There are some words like “text” I spell like “txt”, “thought”…”thot”, “people”…”ppl” just to make what I’m trying to say shorter.  Text messaging is a growing popularity in our society today.  It’s a new way of communication and a new way of life.  So, in books, and mainstream tv today, it’s a way that adults are reaching out to the young people of the nation and the world.  I hear a lot of teens now a days saying things like, “Omg!” ( oh my God/goodness) and “Jk jk” (just kidding just kidding). Also, a classic example, “ttyl” (talk to you later).  It has effected the way people talk, but, the thing is, our English language has been changing since it’s been invented. From old English to modern. We don’t say “Where for art thou” anymore. So, it would be stupid to say that text message speaking is a bad thing.  It’s just the newer English.

After reading Cristina’s blog on texting, I thought I’d add to mine a little bit:

*I recommend reading hers!!

She said something about how girls would rather be told about a crush in a text then in person. And I wouldn’t say that I fit into that category, but I’m not going to disagree with it. It’s a good way to “break the ice” with someone. I know it helps me a bit to get some of those first few jitters out of the way. But I’m not the kind of person to rely on texting all the time. I defiantly call and talk to people in person too. Texting to me is a past time and a way to quietly have a conversation with someone. (:

The letter that now keeps his mind off his job during the day and won’t let him sleep at night (what had he scrawled, what had he put on that sheet of paper he sent to Mariana?). p.182

-What do you think he wrote?

-Why was he so paranoid about it?

But what about the rest? He knows that they examine, sniff, feel, and read between the lines of each and every letter, and check its tiniest comma and most accidental stain. p.182

-Did he code or put something in his message?

-If so, why did he censor it and be executed?

Naturally, he censored it without regret. And just as naturally, he couldn’t stop them from executing him the next morning, another victim of his devotion to his work. p.184

-Why did he censor his letter without thought of Mariana’s safety?

What is a blog?  A blog is a place to share your thoughts and feelings with other people and reflect on the same ideals as other topics.

Where have you ever heard of blogs?  On the commercial for twix candy bars, when the guy said that he wanted to go back to his appartment and blog about his ideals. It’s one of the instances that I’ve heard of it. But, I’ve heard bits and pieces about it.

How comfortable are you with computers?  I’m fairly comfortable with working with computers. I’ve taught myself how to do alot of different programs through the years. Through middle school i took a media class that forced me to learn the different programs on Mac computers.

What kinds of things do you do with computers typically?  I mainly use it for researching projects and E-mailing friends. Though, I know how to use video programs  and music downloading programs like Zune.

What is your opinion of writing?  I enjoy writing. I think that writing is an important skill that you need to have to succeed in todays fast paced world. I also think that some people that don’t enjoy wfiting as much, maybe think of it as a hastle.  That, maybe they aren’t as good with expressing themselves thriugh writhing, but maybe through painting or some other hobby.  

What kind of writing do you like to do?   I like to write about important times in my life. Though, I like to connect storys I read to things that have happened to me.  Sometimes I just write to myself, it’s a great way to vent about your problems and struggles that I deal with from day to day.

Why are parents, teachers, and others so concerned about teens’ safety when they’re using the Internet?  There are many ways to get caught up in the internet and all of the dangerous sites and the people that come along with it.  Most of the time teens’ don’t know what site they are on and if it is safe or who else is on it too. (i.e. myspace, you never know who could be on myspace)

Is the Internet dangerous?  It can be if you don’t take the right precations with the sites you may be on.

What do your peers generally do with computers and the Internet?  I would assume that they are on myspace and other sites like that. It’s the new trend of talking and connecting to other people.

What do you think/how do you feel about the year ahead, knowing that you will be using a blog a lot in Lit 10 Honors?  At first I didn’t like the idea of having a blog, because in a way, it’s like a myspace/facebook. But with the procations that we are taking, I feel better about having one.