Lil' Bit 'o Choice

This is what we need to cover during the rest of the year:

1. Novel (Slaughterhouse Five or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
2. Poetry
3. Creative Writing Unit
4. Senior Scrapbook (your Final)
5. Short Stories

We have five (5) months. (That makes me incredibly sad to write...)

We are lucky enough to pretty flexible with units. Is there anything you want to do? Anything you want to read? Any kinds of projects you would like to complete? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

(...I really am teary-eyed now!...)

Theme Song

We need a class (as in class period not class of '09) theme song.

1. State your period.
2. Your song nomination.

Thank you.

New Groovy Go-Getter

Okay, so we are going to start this year out right:

1. Write your class period.
2. Write your nomination for the month of FEBRUARY. (The person you are nominating must be in your class!)

Thank you.

Titus Andronicus

So, I love Titus Andronicus, and I think it is brilliantly written. Since TA was Shakespeare's most famous play and the one everyone wanted to see performed again and again, I think that is a telling sign of how much people have not changed...

What were your thoughts? Did you like it, love it or hate it? What was your favorite part?

If You Could Go Anywhere...

Honestly, there are so many places that I would want to go if I had unlimited resources. I would go to Scotland, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Peru, Nova Scotia, and the list goes on and on.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Mars? The bottom of the ocean? Your cousin's house? Another country?

Governor Patterson's Proposals

I know all of you have heard about Gov. Patterson's proposed tax increases/budget cuts. Here is a summary of what he is proposing. And yes, it does affect you!

1. Tax clothes and shoes under $110
2. Tax anything downloaded from the internet (music, movies)
3. Tax sporting events (Bandits, Bills, Sabres)
4. Increase fees for licenses, license plates and registration
5. Tax non-diet drinks
6. Tax haircuts and massages
7. Tax the price for a movie admission
8. Get rid of the current gas tax cap
9. Increase college tuition
10. Tax your life

Okay, number 10 is fake, but what do you think? Do you think this will help NY get out of this downtrodden slump? Do you think this is just going to make people want to move?

Talk about it here, people!

Go Bills! Go Sabres! Go Bandits!

So, of our Buffalo teams, for whom are you rooting?

Are you still hanging in there, hoping the Bills squeak out another win?

Are you still riding the Sabres bandwagon, praying that they crawl out of this terrible slump?

Are you wishing the Bandits keep their Championship title again this year?

Or, do you favor another team completely?

We Need a Theme Song

So I was thinking: we need a theme song. For each of my classes (1/2A, 1/2B, 4/7A, 11/12A, 11/12B), I want you to nominate a song that we can listen to as "our own".

The song should represent our class, our beliefs, our togetherness. (...That, and it needs to be school appropriate!!) =)

1. Write your class period and day.
2. Give your suggestions.

Personally, I think "Imagine" by John Lennon would be a good one...

Oh! Oh! Oh! Maybe we should have the Barney song as our theme song! ??

Choose the Geist's Groovy Go-Getter for the Month of October!

Here is a chance for you to nominate your classmates for the monthly "Geist's Groovy Go-Getter" for the month of October. Think about your classmates. Who deserves this honor? Who comes to class on time and prepared? Who volunteers?

Please nominate a classmate here. Write your class period and the nominee's name.

College Unit: Was It Helpful?

Let me ask you this: Did you find the College Unit (and Everything Else, too!) helpful?

I want you to talk to me about it a little bit. What would you have done differently? What would you have included or excluded? Do you think you will have use of these types of papers in the future?

(Be honest, but please do not be hurtful!)

Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite time of year. I love the candy, the costumes, the haunted houses. I want you to tell me: What is your favorite Halloween candy? What is your favorite costume? Do you enjoy haunted houses and scary movies?

1. Hmmm, I love all Halloween candy; I cannot narrow it down to one! However, if I had to choose, I would pick Twix. And Reese's PB Cups. And Baby Ruth.

2. I would have to say I have always wanted to dress up like Rainbow Brite (a toy of the 80s) but I could never find the right costume. Oooh, I also always wanted to dress up as Batgirl (even before the movie craze.) However, the most creative costume I ever saw was when a person superglued probably around a thousand smarties to his pants: SMARTIE PANTS!

3. I love, love, love haunted houses. I scream like a baby and believe me--if we were together and zombies were chasing us, I am tripping you. =) Regarding the scary movies, I do not like them so much. Either they are campy or gross. Very rarely do horror movies scare; mostly they just "gross out".

Choose Our Next Play!

Since we are going to be starting Shakespeare, I am giving you -yes, YOU- the option of choosing our next play. (Awesome, right?) I want you to search online for a short synopsis of the following plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Titus Andronicus and Othello.

Then, what I would like you to do is in post your class period and your preference. (Oh, and please do not forget to mention why you want to do this play!)

If You Could Meet Any Person NOT ALIVE, Who Would That Be?

Obviously, for those of you who know me, if I were able to talk to any one deceased person, I would choose the one and only Mr. William Shakespeare. I think the man is brilliant, humorous and witty. (LOVE him!)

If you were able to talk to one person not currently walking the world known as Earth, to whom would you speak? What would you ask this person? (If I met my one and only, I would ask him to marry me.)

Questions

1. What did you like about English this year?
2. What would you change?
3. What was your favorite (or at least tolerable) unit? (Short stories, the college unit, F451, Kite Runner, Lord of the Flies, I-Search Paper)
4. Which did you absolutely loathe?
5. What kind of literature would you have liked to have read?
6. What kinds of activities?

Advice for Underclassmen:

Given that you will be leaving us soon (nooooo!) what advice would you give to incoming "Freshmeat"? Next year's Sophomores and Juniors? What about next year's Seniors? Reflect on what you would tell them and what you wish you would have done differently (or not!).

Say Something Nice About Your Classmates...

We have SIX days left of school before you go off and do your own thing. Take the time to say something nice to your classmate because who knows when you will see them again after you graduate.

Blogging

We have been blogging now for quite a few months. I would like to know your thoughts on it. I have enjoyed it (mostly). I like reading your opinions and I think that having the guise of a screen name allows you to post your ideas without being singled out by your friends and classmates.

How do you feel about the blogs? Do you like them? Are you going to do them in the future (i.e. create your own blogs)? Did you like the posts? Did you like the idea of "guest posting"?

I am currently thinking about what I want to keep next year and this is one opinion I would really like to hear.

Women's Rights

All I have to say is:

WOMEN ROCK!

Too many times "The Man" keeps us down.

Ladies, do you agree?

Gentlemen, do you?

What Advice Do You Have for the Juniors?

The time has come for you to pass the torch to the Juniors.

What advice do you have for them? What would you tell them to do? Give them advice!

Vacation Plans

Okay, so this break I am going to be wasting my days sleeping in, gardening, cleaning my house and --unfortunately-- exercizing. (Yay, fun.)

What are you guys going to do? (Oh, and if you tell me you are going away to some exotic place, I don't want to hear it!!---Okay, I am just kidding!)

OH!!! I will probably go frisbee golfing if any of you want to join me at Chesnutt Ridge Park...

Yay, Frisbee Golf!!

Smoking in Public

I have grown up during a time when the laws for smoking in public places have changed. At first, everyone was allowed to smoke in restaurants and bars. Then restaurants became conscious of people's dislike for smoking so they created designated seating areas where their smoking patrons could sit away from their non-smoking counterparts. Then legislation changed and absolutely nowhere in a publicly owned building could one smoke--bars, restaurants, break rooms.

I have mixed feelings. I mean, if a person goes to a bar and grille, it is sort of expected that people will smoke there. However, having experienced the non-smoking public places, I really like leaving and not smelling like smoke.

What do you think? Should people smoke wherever and whenever they want?

G-Town Showdown!

What are you looking forward to during the G-Town Showdown? Are any of you performing?

I can't wait for all of the school's bands to play! I am also looking forward to seeing Rattler and the Shakers. They always put on a good show!

What would you like to see next year?

Chap 5 Summary

Page 77: "On two sides was the beach; behind, the lagoon; in front, the darkness of the island." Symbolic of the evil of man.

ISLAND = MAN

Page 80: Hygiene is breaking down. The boys are starting to go to the bathroom near the fruit. Who's not to tell them?

Page 81: "Can't you see we ought to--ought to die before we let the fire out?" Fire = Savior; No Fire = No Savior = Death

Page 83: "Course there isn't a beast in the forest. How could there be? What would a beast eat?"
"Pig."
"We eat pig."
"Piggy!"
FORESHADOWING

Piggy = Scientific

SIMON GETS IT!! Page 89: "Maybe," he said hesitantly, "maybe there is a beast...What I mean is . . . maybe it's only us." BAM!!!

Chap 5 HUGE break down in rules/laws/society/language

"Graduation Garb" --By Bandits.on.the.Power.Play

Just recently a group of Native American students went to the board in order to get approval to wear a stolle and an eagle feather that signifies their culture, much like what NHS wears to signify their belonging to the group.

Would you be offended if this were approved? Should everyone wear the same gown? Does it matter? Shouldn't we support diversity? Discuss.

Do We Have Reason to be Arrogant?

The other day someone made an interesting comment. He stated that we deserve everything because "America kicks @**."

Why do you think other countries do not like or support us? Do you think it is because of this attitude? Do we have reason to believe this? Are we really as great as we say we are?

Granted we have much, much more than most countries, but does that make us spoiled, whining babies who exert our power when someone else disagrees?

Would you want to live anywhere else?

I pose a lot of questions here and I would like to start an intelligent conversation.