Amir and Atonement, Do Now

Amir is seeking atonement for all his sins dealing with Hassan and how bad he treated him. I would describe them as horrid and unforgiveable. He needs to make amends for leaving him in the street to get raped, for hiding the watch under his mattress, for throwing pomegranates at him, and taking advantage of Hassan for not having a proper education. For him to become good again he would have to take more painful hits then Hassan took for him. He would have to save Hassan’s life and treat him as an equal. The only problem would be Hassan would just accept his apology.

Mistakes, Do Now, Tryouts

I have made countless mistakes throughout my life. Although I don’t usually regret my mistakes, I try to learn from them. I describe my most recent “regretted” mistake. Just this past weekend I had tryout for a New Jersey state team. The tryouts are invitational only for college players, players out of college, and a few selected that are still in high school. I tried out for the same team last year and stood a very little chance of making it. This year I felt it would be the same.
To my surprise, I was not. I have grown as a player and at times I felt just a equal as the players around me. I did not believe in myself and did not capitalize from it. The problem was I had already predicted the outcome of the tryouts before I even got there; I told myself I would not make the team and that I didn’t really want it. When the selections came out most of my friends in my age group made it and I did not. I know that its not because they are better then me, it’s because I didn’t truly want it and I didn’t truly believe in myself. That’s an everyday mistake that I must continue to work on.

Emma, Do Now, IR Into.

I read the first two chapters of Emma by Jane Austen.  This book starts out with the main character Emma living with her widowed father.  She claims she has a certain gift, playing matchmaker.  Just recently Emma introduces Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor to each other.  Not shortly after Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor got married. 

            Emma uses her looks to attract attention from men, but she has started to feel lonely lately.  The only one she feels close to her father and he has started to become sort of an annoyance, although she loves him dearly.  George has always been around for her but she still feels lonely. 

            I believe in future chapters she will continue to play matchmaker and have relationships that work out in the beginning.  Then I feel that she is going to wish she had a significant other for herself and everything will start to go down hill.  I think she will find that significant other in the place she least expected it, right in front of her.

 

Inspiring Picture, Do Now, The Lone Soldier

Have you ever had a rush of adrenaline fill so much within you that it knocks your breath away? That sort of rush was filled within my feet has I hurdled over countless rocks, jumped through streams, and climbed up and down slippery hills. I had a family that I needed to still take care of. There was no time to look back now. I was running alone and my mind was starting to play tricks on me. My feet finally slowed down when I reached a covered forest area. I was breathless has tears fell down my face.
The sun began to fall away in the distance and I tried to think of nothing. Being a soldier, I knew how to make camp. I sparked a fire and tried to think of nothing. My exhaustion took over me and you can’t stop yourself from thinking when you dream. Flashbacks from the day filled my head: the short quick glimpses of being ambushed by the Afghanistan’s, the scramble to free ourselves from the gasses that few overhead, the sound of men you called your brother scream and fall in defeat, and the look in their eyes. This all now haunted my dreams and made the journey ahead of me look long.
I had to find away back home to my beautiful wife and baby girl. The thought of them made it all the more important to survive. I had to survive, I was not ready to let them go, I couldn’t. I walked for days and days through unfamiliar territory, across streams that flow into the unknown, and having considering turning around because each tree looked as familiar as the first. I hadn’t eaten in days. Nor did I plan to start anytime soon. I took a break every so often to gather my thoughts and remind myself that rouged journey was worthwhile because of the prize in the end. I had not quite developed a plan, nor did I know where to start.
How could I make a plan? I had not source of communication, had no idea of where I was, and had no idea where the enemy troops where or what they were planning.

Kite Runner, Decisions, Do Now, Writing

Many factors go into one making a decision, like what you want, how it will effect the ones around you, is it the right choice, is it the wrong choice, will help you in the long run, etc. One of the biggest decisions a teenager makes growing up is choosing what college they want to go to, if they decide to go at all. This decision not only affects your future, it affects your family, friends, and society as a whole.
I had trouble deciding between the two colleges Boston University and Michigan State University. I had to consider all of the factors; location, weather, team, coach, majors, and happiness. I then broke it down. Michigan is far from home, but I have a lot of relatives scattered through out Michigan. Boston is not located as far away, but I have an aunt and uncle near by. In Michigan the weather is cold and snowy, but I love the snow. In Boston, the weather is cold but not too much different then PA. At MSU the team seemed down to earth and people I could see myself getting along with. I never got the chance to meet BU’s team. The coach at MSU, Rolf, trains in a European way and gives days rest to his players. BU’s Coach, Ainslee, trains hard and runs more of an American style play. Both coaches are equally liked and have knowledge of the sport. MSU had all the majors I wanted to look into concerning Nutrition, Dietitian, Kinesiology, and psychology. BU did not have the same level of education in these areas like MSU did. I decided I would be happier at MSU.
This decision effected the world around me because I took a stop someone else could have taken, I’m moving closer to relatives, moving farther from my close family, and taking courses that I’m passionate about.

Do Now, Afghanistan Recipe, Feeds the whole Family

*100 years- oil
*300 years-Muslims
*50 years- monarchy
*30 years- republic
*20 years- theocracy
*200 years- independent
*Endless years- trade

Do Now, Spring Break, mp4

There was never a dull minute during my spring break. Friday night I went to the Phillies scrimmage with Dana DelConte and we ran into a couple friends. Saturday mourning I left for California to play along side the national field hockey squad. We trained everyday, twice a day, and no one could stay up past 9:30 because of how exhausted we were. On wed, we got a little bit of a break and took the afternoon off to go to Sea World. We show the dolphin show, Shamu, and a bunch of penguins. We continued to train throughout the week, and I took a red eye back to Philly Saturday night. When I came home unpacked my bags a little bit and then went to hang out with a few friends; we got ice cream from wawa and watched P.S. I Love You. To close my spring break was Easter. We went to my Grandparents house and had a delicious home cooked meal.