The Anxiety

Last night, what an experience, with all the excitement in the room. The night went the way we planned it; the food smelled and tasted great, awards went well and the sounds and sights from the power point were the best thing of all. The food we had last night tasted so great that I can still feel the melted cheese on the top of the lasagna and all the emotion in the room made the hair on my arms stand up. When the athlete's name was called to get an award, the anxiety going through them couldn't have felt any better. The heart was pumping so fast that you want to slow it down, but the real fact is that you can't get your heart to quit the fast rhythmic beating. Flashbacks from the last four years flooded through my mind like a movie. It seemed so long ago that we all started grade 9, now all of a sudden we are in grade 12 and graduating. The peak of the entire evening came when my name was called for the Senior Athlete Above & Beyond Award. I didn't expect to be called up, so when I was in the drama room waiting for Mr. Killick to get my picture taken for the Officials Award and I heard my name, the air escaped from my lungs. My thoughts were racing as I made my way to the stage. The applause from the audience was thunderous in my ears, my legs felt shaky under me and I was at a loss for words. As the night ended the emotion in me came so quickly that tears sprang to my eyes and I realized that it was one of the greatest moments in high school. This memory will be saved in my mind forever.

Ranting- Koby Bryant

Why does everyone think Koby Bryant is an awesome basketball player? Don't get me wrong he is great player but whats so great about him. He's not anything special, he scores lots of points every game, passes the ball, and is a great team leader. But don't you get sick of hearing all the comments you hear about him, he should be MVP. You know what I think, he should stop being such a ball hog and pass to his team mates and let them have a chance in scoring lots of points and maybe let someone else be a MVP, because I know Koby doesn't deserve it. You know who I think should get MVP, well if you read my last blog either LeBrone James, Derek Fisher or Rajon Rondo. Those are the players that should get MVP and not Koby Bryant. I know so many people like Koby as a basketball player and should get MVP but give me one reason why he should, and if it's because of all the things that I said at the beginning, well your wrong. Sorry if I insult anyone but Koby is so cocky that it's getting old to watch him play basketball. When I watch the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Koby complains about every little call that is on him and he thinks that it shouldn't have been him. That's why I don't like Koby Bryant because he's cocky and thinks he better than anyone that has ever played basketball.

Do you see what I mean? Koby Bryant complains about everything.

Basketball Players

The top three Basketball Players that I want to write about are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derek Fisher and Rajon Rondo. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher both play for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rojon Rondo plays for the Boston Celtics. I have picked this topic for a reason, its because all three teams have made it to the playoffs, all four players have scored a lot of points every game and they are all team leaders.

Firstly, lets start out with the Los Angeles Lakers. Derek Fisher is a great ball handler when he is one the floor, he scores lots of points in a game and goes hard to the basket when driving to the hoop. When Fisher is on the court or on the bench he is a great team leader. On the other hand Kobe Bryant is the most cockiest play I have ever seen on the court. Don't get me wrong he's a great ball handler, scores lots of points ever game that he plays and he's a team leader on and off the court. When ever I watch him play everyone in the crowned starts yelling MVP to Bryant. What I think is that he SHOULDN'T get MVP. I'm sorry for who ever likes Bryant for a basketball player but I just despise of him.

Furthermore, the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James playing on that team. James is one of my favorite players in the basketball history, well there are two other players I like, but he's one of them. James is a great player all together on and off the court. He's a team leader, helps the rest of the players out by helping them at practice, scores lots of points for his team, but sometimes some of his games are really off and his team mates have to pitch in. The most favorite thing that I like about James is that when he is playing, he plays to the best of his abilities.

Lastly, the Boston Celtics and who plays for the no other than Rajon Rondo. As I watch the NBA games playing on TV Boston is playing against Detroit Pistons. They just finished playing their second game of the seres. Rondo is a great team leader where ever he is and scores lots of points. The one thing that I really like about Rondo is that when ever he has a double team on him, he can find the open player on the floor and get the ball to him. Rondo is another one of my favorite plays in the NBA playoffs.

Song Lyrics

"Holiday" written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens, sung by Madonna has really inspired me. Some of the lyrics that are in Madonna's song "Holiday" are true in many ways. When Madonna sign's "It's time for the good times/ Forget about the bad times, oh yeah", it is true. When you do go on a holiday and get away for a few day's, you want to forget about the bad times at home, but you want to remember the good times that you have had on this trip. "You can turn this world around/ And bring back all of those happy days/ Put your troubles down/ It's time to celebrate/ Let love shine/ And we will find/ A way to come together/ Can make things better/ We need a holiday." This means so much to everyone and not just me. When you are on a holiday you can put everything behind you, and everyone can turn the world around if they just believe it. You always should let love shine, because if you don't your love for someone else will change and will never be the same.

Connections between the novel "Candy" and the poem "An Addict I'm Not..."

Poem

An Addict I'm Not...
© Randi Gray
*An Addict I'm Not... so he pushes me away hoping I won't see it, and lead him astray
*An Addict I'm Not... but I must still live the life dealing and coping praying one day he'll stop *An Addict I'm Not... maybe I feel it more knowing any moment, he could walk out that door *An Addict I'm Not... so I live all alone sure he's here beside me, but it's not him that's home
*An Addict I'm Not... so I deal with his lies the deceit and the pain and all the tear free cries
*An Addict I'm Not... thinking I could help one day my love will be enough, but it won't I can tell *An Addict I'm Not... I see the pain in his heart and the fear that grips his soul as he grabs for his pipe, and smokes one more bowl
*An Addict I'm Not... if only he could just see what I see in him and know he could someday be *An Addict I'm Not... so I watch from afar as he destroys himself a little more each day- Dear God please help him each night I'll continue to pray!
*Because An Addict I'm Not, but I must watch him be

Novel "Candy"

"An Addict I'm Not... so I live all alone sure he's here beside me, but it's not him that's home". I made a connection to the novel "Candy" while reading this poem. This quote describes how Joe feels when Candy and him are at the zoo. Candy and Joe were sitting and talking, when Candy had to go to the restroom. When she came out of the restroom she was a different person. Joe was standing there with her, but really he was all alone.
The lines, "An Addict I'm Not... thinking I could help one day my love will be enough, but it won't I can tell" demonstrates the similarity between the novel and the poem. Joe takes Candy to the cottage his dad bought when Joe and Gina were little kids. Joe wanted Candy to stop taking drugs, become a normal person and have a great life. By the end of the novel Joe knows his love wasn't enought to help Candy, becuase she could't stop, she was addicted.

Journal #1 "Canday"

Quote: "I was thinking about these things, but I wasn't really thinking about them-they were just there, just floating around like dead leaves drifting on the surface of a pond."

For the last four years I have felt like this but I have never really been able to put it into words, and explain it very well. Thoughts have always been floating in my head and I have never really been able to say much about it, because its that instinct that you can't really say much to people that you know will understand.

In the novel "Candy", Joe is thinking about Gina and Mike getting married, what it would be like when Gina moves out, and if mom and dad will ever get married again and what if mom moves back in. Joe has all these thoughts in his head but he can never really understand them. He can't really say anything to anyone that he trusts because he doesn't really understand the thoughts himself. Throughout the novel Joe starts thinking about Candy, Joe doesn't really know Candy that well. When they get together and head off to the zoo in London, Joe starts to understand more about Candy because she is explaining more about herself to Joe than at their first meeting at McDonald's.

I think Joe is going to start to understand what Candy really is and what she does for a living. Joe in this case is not going to let Candy go all that easily but he is going to fight for what Candy could be, not what she is. I think Joe is going to help Candy with her problems.

Ignorance Is Bliss

After reading the short story, "Blood letting and Miraculous Cures", I have become more aware of how people in uniform or of authority are putting themselves in front of others needs. An example from the short story was when Eli's head was cut open and the police officers needed Eli to be fixed up immediately so that they could take Eli to the police station. Although there were several other people in front of the police officers they felt they should be served first. Another example is when I need help and I asked my parents before my brother or sister yet my parents always seem to help them first. As a result I'm stuck doing my work all by my self, and having no clue what I need to do next. It has made me more aware in today's society that people feel the need to be first and are not happy waiting their turn.