The Yearling

This is my book review of the yearling, which I read for honors English and surprisingly liked :)

When I first started reading this I thought that I was going to hate it, I thought that it was going to be a boring book about a boy and his deer. As I got further into the story each day, I discovered it was more than that. It was the story of a boy and his family, a family that had hardships. Jody wants to live life to the fullest extent, he wants to enjoy it. Being the only child in times like those though? Made living life just for fun, pretty hard.

Jody lives on Baxter Island. A small area of land that his father owns on which they live and raise their stock and care for their crops. He has always loved hunting with his father; he felt that it wasn't really about the hunt, so much as the journey. Even though Penny is Jody's comfort and friend, he still felt lonely. Even when he was with his best friend Fodderwing, he felt lonely. He wanted to get rid of that loneliness, and he did. Jody was out hunting with his father just like any other day, when they shot a buck. Moments later did they discover that the buck had a fawn. Jody saw that fawn and knew what he wanted to do, he wanted that fawn as his pet. Jody takes care of this fawn and later names it Flag. Flag is Jody's best friend, his greatest confidant, other than Penny of course. He takes care of Flag, but he soon realizes that this will be harder than he thought. Flag starts causing trouble for the Baxter's, destroying their crops, and one time to many. Some thing has to be done with this fawn, for he is now a yearling, and a restless one at that.

When I finished this story I found that I actually liked it. Although it was not what I would have traditionally read by myself I enjoyed it none the less. One thing that made it a little difficult to read though? The grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. The spelling is the thing that made it the hardest to understand. Because although it might make sense to the author, I had a hard time understanding some of the vocabulary because I am not quite sure how to pronounce it; and since I do not know how to pronounce it I can't figure out what word(s) I am reading.

Some things I really loved about this though? The descriptions of everything. such as this quote. "The marsh was golden. The whooping cranes were washed with gold. The far hammocks were black." I love the descriptions of the objects. They paint a great visual picture that I could not have seen any other way. The same goes with this simple quote. "The sunrise reached long fingers into the clearing." They just they create such an amazing way of describing it so well that you can clearly see it in your head.

This book was a great story. Though I will admit I had a hard time getting through it, I loved it in the end, and I hope that any one who reads the book will love it too.

Ratchet and Clank

Recently a new video game that I absolutely love was released. It's called: Ratchet and Clank: All 4 one. Usually it is Dr. Nefarious's job to be evil, but in this one he does a little good. my parents have been putting the blame on me for the game getting there late (but they were only just joking) My parents first discovered this game when they went to go buy a different video game that was similar in name. They couldn't remember the name of the other game (neither can I for that matter) and thought that Ratchet and Clank was the one. When my step dad came home with it and my mom informed him that it was in fact, the wrong game. But they played it anyway, and discovered that it was better than the other one they wanted anyway. There are 10 games in the series, and probably 7 of them are the main story. This isn't really a children’s game, but I played it when I was little.

The first game in the series that came out was called: Ratchet and Clank - "A worldwide favorite with consumers, Ratchet & Clank is best known for its overpowered weapons, ingenious gadgets, intergalactic exploration, and outrageous humor. At the heart of this multi-million unit selling action-adventure saga are its two main characters: Ratchet, an impulsive wrench-wielding mechanic, who is the last Lombax in the galaxy, and Clank, his logical and witty robotic partner. With the help of self-proclaimed "hero" Captain Qwark, Ratchet and Clank have defeated most of the universe's most vile villains including their latest nemesis, the diabolical Dr. Nefarious." That is the description of the game from www.ratchetandclank.com. When this came out in 2002, I watched my parents play it, and it looked like so much fun! So I decided to start my own game; and what do ya know, I loved it. Ratchet is the last of his species, and spends his time fixing his ship. One day a ship crashed onto the planet ratchet lives on, and he goes to explore the crash site and finds a robot, who then becomes his sidekick - clank.

The next game that came out was Ratchet and Clank: Going commando
"From the creators of the critically acclaimed smash hit Ratchet & Clank, Insomniac Games, comes the next installment of the most exciting sci-fi action adventure ever. Ratchet & Clank are back, and they're going commando! Featuring more than 50 of the coolest weapons and gadgets ever imagined, the more stuff you blow up, the stronger Ratchet gets and the bigger and badder the weapons you'll have! Plus, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando features all-new side challenges; destroy hordes of enemies in gladiator arenas, upgrade your ship and pick off enemies in space combat and leave competitors to eat your dust in hi-speed challenge...You up for it?!" Many Hastings (Alex Hastings, Brian Hastings, and Peter Hastings) worked to create this game. The Hastings' jobs were at Insomniac Games. When this game came out in 2003 I also loved it. I still replay it all the time.

The third game in the series was Ratchet and Clank: Up your Arsenal
It is mainly about the weapons, and you fight a lot in it. (I don't know that much about this one, but its fun!)
Ratchets' weapons are increased in this game, and they upgrade. This game is also the first multi-player game in the series. Clanks' gadgets are also upgraded, with his flying capabilities, and Ratchets' gadgets too.

The fourth game is Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked
"Ratchet and Clank are captured while investigating the disappearance of several famous heroes. Our duo discover that the missing heroes (including themselves) have been abducted by a deranged media mogul, who intends to use them as contestants on an underground reality combat show called "DeadZone." To keep himself and his friends alive, Ratchet will have to participate in the games and keep driving up the show's rating with victories. Will our hero break free and take down the evil media mogul? Stay tuned...." In this one ratchet is captured while looking into missing heroes, and he finds out that his hero that he looked up to, is a fake. Clank is his (Ratchet's) kind of...... I guess you could say assistant, while Ratchet is trying to stay alive clank is trying to make it so that they can escape.
There are a bunch more games, and if you want to learn more about them you can look at this website www.ratchetandclank.com

Relieved.... yet worried

Ugh, my feet hurt so badly! I just got back from my first Rhapsody in Blue concert with me in it; and I have to say that I think it went great! I don't know why I was so nervous; I guess I was just worried about messing up the choreography. Luckily I didn't :) Well..... There was one thing. When we were switching formations from "Kiss the Girl" to "Under the Sea" I ended up next to the wrong people, so I had to slide behind some people on the step and slide into my correct place. Honestly? I had a blast. One thing that sucked though? Was when we were in the room waiting to go on. I was just sitting by myself while everyone else was talking to each other. I guess that could have kind of been my fault, considering how I am not as outgoing as them. But oh well, what's in the past is in the past, and I am letting it go. I wish we would have been allowed to sit in the audience so I could hear the other choirs sing. That is one thing I miss about not being in choir; is getting to hear the other choirs. When we walked on we were waiting backstage and we got to hear the Advanced Girls Choir sing their last song. Then we walked on (apparently not where Mrs. Miner wanted us to) and got into our first formation, for the first song in the medley. Everything went great! Except that one thing I told you about earlier. I am so glad that we switched up the original choreography and made it just a little bit simpler. We removed some of the original formations, and put us into lines. This was because Mrs. Miner said that when we were doing the difficult choreography and singing, we lost the energy of our voices. You couldn't hear us. What good is choreography to a CHOIR concert if you can't hear the words? Its' not. So that is why we changed it. It was a really cute concert (from what I heard).

Tomorrow I have to play my orchestra solo in front of the whole class (I hate that Mrs. Tuke makes us do that)! I just figured out what I was going to play, two hours before I had my choir concert. I am hoping that I will do well enough. I have to be really good considering that I am first chair viola; I mean, it's not that big of an accomplishment considering that there are only five violas. There are so little, that we had to add a 3^rd violin section to the orchestra! I practiced for hours until I had to start getting ready for my choir concert; and I am hoping that it will be good enough to at least make it so my teacher isn't disappointed. Next term I am going to make sure that I have an amazing solo! I will do it out of Suzuki Viola Book 4 (I will try my hardest!). Well wish me luck!