Title: Writing Friday 3#: Narrative: Personal and Fictional

Over my lifetime I have lived about six hundred and twenty eight Saturdays but there is one Saturday that I especially remember. Last year during the school year it was about the middle of the first quarter and it was just me and my dad. The reason was because my mom and my two sisters were at out beach house in Sandbridge, VA. My dad and I knew that on this Saturday there was an event at St. Pauls called Lacrosse for Leukemia. It was a lacrosse tournament featuring some of the premiere college lacrosse teams in the country such as Syracuse, Towson, Johns Hopkins, and Maryland. We decided to check the tournament out, but before we went we went to Bagel Works and I got a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese bagel. There were over twenty teams in the tournament and the best team in it was the one and only, Team USA. On this team were some of the best lacrosse players in the world. Me and my dad went to this and we watched Syracuse play (my dad went to Syracuse) and they won by a lot. We could only stay for one game because at about twelve o’clock I had a soccer game. It was the championship of the Sunday Travel league and in the game I scored the game winning goal (and the only goal) so our team won one of our travel leagues. It was the only league or tournament our travel team won last year. After that I got invited to go to the skatepark with my friend Jake Sachse. We went with his neighbor and my classmate at St. Pauls Ryan Heacox and we were there for about two hours. After that his mom picked us up and we went to Burger King to eat. It was about six o’clock when I got home and me and my dad probably watched college football (I can’t remember but that is probably what we did). After that I went to sleep. This was such a memorable Saturday because I had such an action packed day. I Went a lacrosse tournament, I scored the game winning goal in my soccer game, I went to the skatepark with some friends, and I also went out to eat three times. That is why this Saturday in particular is one of the most memorable Saturday in my life.

Title: Writing Friday #6: Through the Tunnel Annotations

Up to this point in our new book we have read only one story, Through the Tunnel. We have annotated four pages of it pages 2-5. On the first page I annotated, page 2, I annotated a part of the story where the mom and Jerry are acting funny towards each other because Jerry wants to go to the rocks and be independent, but he worries about his mom, and his mom wants Jerry to have fun, but she is worried about Jerry. Eventually they get the point through to each other that jerry is going to the rocks, but it happened very, very awkwardly. The next page I annotated was page three, and in it the first thing I annotated was when Jerry first went to the rocks. He made it seem like it was the most joyous, exciting, amazing event ever. It was pretty new to him to be alone, so it probably was. He also says that he “craved” to fit in with the bigger, older, native boys was filling his whole body. On the next page I annotated when he kind-of got accepted into the group of native boys. He says that he was happy, and later into the page he says that he felt accepted. That is what I annotated on page four. On the final page I annotated, page five, the first thing I annotated was when the local boys dove in and swum under the hole in the rock. When Jerry could not do it, the local boys swam of and he felt disappointed, and let down, and like a failure. He also describes his disappointment as “hot shame.” The final thing I annotated on the page was when Jerry thought that all the boys were drowning underwater (he would learn on the next page that they were all safe going through the tunnel). On page six I annotated a part were the native boys are leaving to get away from Jerry, and this made Jerry cry. After this he accepted this, and he immediately went to his mom to ask her to by swimming goggles for him. After that page the first thing I annotated when he first got the goggles. He says “It was as if he had eyes of a different kind-fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water. The rest of that page he is looking for the hole the local boys went through. Instantaneously on the next page (page 8) he finds the hole in the rock and I annotated that. Later in the page he realized that he would have to learn to control his breathing. The day after that (and the next page, nine) for hours he learns to control his breathing. He begins to make this a “personal goal” and he is focused on this and to him this is the most important thing on the rest of the vacation. On the same page (nine) I also annotate that his mother makes him stay with her the next day because his nose blead badly after his first day of “training.” He describes this as a torment and a waste of a day which shows how committed he is on learning to hold his breathe underwater and going through the hole. On page ten I annotated a part where he is proud of himself because he can hold his breathe for “two minutes” and I also annotate a part where he says “he would do it if it killed him” referring to swimming through the hole. The final thing I annotated on the page was when he is scared of maybe he might get dizzy in the tunnel and drown or pass out. After considering the positive and he negatives he still found himself on the rock wanting to go through that tunnel. On page eleven he begins the journey through the tunnel. During it he describes the tunnel and what it does as that the water pushes his back against the sharp roof which pained his back, and the last thing I annotated on that page was when a sharp pain dizzies him during the journey. On page twelve I annotated parts where he was still in the tunnel and his lungs are beginning to hurt. When he was in desperation he finally sees light through a crack. He was at the end of what he thought he could do and he said “he felt like he was dying.” That was what I annotated on page twelve. On the second to last page, page thirteen, I annotated a part of the story were he is out and drifting up to the surface. He is underwater gasping like a fish and finally reaches the surface. He sees the rock and thinks he cannot make it but he does and grasps it with his hands. His eyes and nose are bleeding heavily and blood fills his goggles. Finally after long pants he knows he is okay. On the last page of the story he comes back to the house and he tells his mother he can stay underwater for three minutes (he accomplishes his goal). The final sentence of the story was this, “It was no longer of the least importance to go back to the bay.” Hence he learns his lesson that the bay was dangerous, ha almost died there so he has no reasons to go back there for the rest of his life.

Title: Writing Friday #6: Through the Tunnel Annotations

Up to this point in our new book we have read only one story, Through the Tunnel. We have annotated four pages of it pages 2-5. On the first page I annotated, page 2, I annotated a part of the story where the mom and Jerry are acting funny towards each other because Jerry wants to go to the rocks and be independent, but he worries about his mom, and his mom wants Jerry to have fun, but she is worried about Jerry. Eventually they get the point through to each other that jerry is going to the rocks, but it happened very, very awkwardly. The next page I annotated was page three, and in it the first thing I annotated was when Jerry first went to the rocks. He made it seem like it was the most joyous, exciting, amazing event ever. It was pretty new to him to be alone, so it probably was. He also says that he “craved” to fit in with the bigger, older, native boys was filling his whole body. On the next page I annotated when he kind-of got accepted into the group of native boys. He says that he was happy, and later into the page he says that he felt accepted. That is what I annotated on page four. On the final page I annotated, page five, the first thing I annotated was when the local boys dove in and swum under the hole in the rock. When Jerry could not do it, the local boys swam of and he felt disappointed, and let down, and like a failure. He also describes his disappointment as “hot shame.” The final thing I annotated on the page was when Jerry thought that all the boys were drowning underwater (he would learn on the next page that they were all safe going through the tunnel). On page six I annotated a part were the native boys are leaving to get away from Jerry, and this made Jerry cry. After this he accepted this, and he immediately went to his mom to ask her to by swimming goggles for him. After that page the first thing I annotated when he first got the goggles. He says “It was as if he had eyes of a different kind-fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water. The rest of that page he is looking for the hole the local boys went through. Instantaneously on the next page (page 8) he finds the hole in the rock and I annotated that. Later in the page he realized that he would have to learn to control his breathing. The day after that (and the next page, nine) for hours he learns to control his breathing. He begins to make this a “personal goal” and he is focused on this and to him this is the most important thing on the rest of the vacation. On the same page (nine) I also annotate that his mother makes him stay with her the next day because his nose blead badly after his first day of “training.” He describes this as a torment and a waste of a day which shows how committed he is on learning to hold his breathe underwater and going through the hole. On page ten I annotated a part where he is proud of himself because he can hold his breathe for “two minutes” and I also annotate a part where he says “he would do it if it killed him” referring to swimming through the hole. The final thing I annotated on the page was when he is scared of maybe he might get dizzy in the tunnel and drown or pass out. After considering the positive and he negatives he still found himself on the rock wanting to go through that tunnel. On page eleven he begins the journey through the tunnel. During it he describes the tunnel and what it does as that the water pushes his back against the sharp roof which pained his back, and the last thing I annotated on that page was when a sharp pain dizzies him during the journey. On page twelve I annotated parts where he was still in the tunnel and his lungs are beginning to hurt. When he was in desperation he finally sees light through a crack. He was at the end of what he thought he could do and he said “he felt like he was dying.” That was what I annotated on page twelve. On the second to last page, page thirteen, I annotated a part of the story were he is out and drifting up to the surface. He is underwater gasping like a fish and finally reaches the surface. He sees the rock and thinks he cannot make it but he does and grasps it with his hands. His eyes and nose are bleeding heavily and blood fills his goggles. Finally after long pants he knows he is okay. On the last page of the story he comes back to the house and he tells his mother he can stay underwater for three minutes (he accomplishes his goal). The final sentence of the story was this, “It was no longer of the least importance to go back to the bay.” Hence he learns his lesson that the bay was dangerous, ha almost died there so he has no reasons to go back there for the rest of his life.

Writing Friday #2: Personal Narrative

My favorite place to play is in my driveway. I enjoy playing basketball, lacrosse, and skateboarding there. It is my favorite place because it is quiet, and I have my basketball hoop, my lacrosse bounce-back, and all of my skateboarding things like rails and jumps are there too. Those are some reasons my driveway is my favorite place to play.
When I play in my driveway during the weekend, which is usually the time I play on it, I sometimes play basketball against my dad, or skateboard with friends. Usually when I skateboard these friends are either Ryan Heacox, Russell Coulter, Jonas Price, Jake Sachse, or Matt Heffner. Also, when I play my dad in basketball he usually wins, but it is still fun. He blocks some of my shots, but usually the second I check the ball to him he makes a jumper. When he occasionally misses he starts laughing and gets the rebound with ease and then goes up for a lay up (which he never misses). Sometimes when I have a friend over we play my dad in basketball, but we have never won any of those games. In the games the teams are my friend and I versus my dad, and we usually lose by a ton. It does not matter too much, because the game is more about laughing your head off then actually puting the ball in the basket. The reason we lose usually is that we don’t work as a team, and we aren't trying very hard. The other main activity that I do is play lacrosse on my bounce back. I throw the ball against the bouncy wall and it comes right back to me. I practice lacrosse by doing that throwing and catching on it. That is why my driveway is my favorite place to play.

Writing Friday #13: Narrative: Personal (for issue Two of The Crusader)

I love to skateboard and I have been doing it for over a year. I skateboard at my friends’ house, at the beach, and at skateparks in Baltimore. Skateboarding is one of the many sports I play including soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and snowboarding. One reason I like skateboarding is because it is a totally personally based thing. You don’t have to go to practice or go to a game, it is just a hobby. Not that I don’t like team sports, but sometimes it is fun to just fool around. Other times, you want to learn a new trick and you are extremely focused on what you are doing right or wrong. Another reason I like skateboarding is because you can do it wherever; in the street, on stairs, or in skate parks. You can go down-town and around Baltimore and just skate really good and sometimes famous skate spots. It could be a ledge, a manual pad, a loading dock, a stair set, or a rail. Places like Ridge Lumberyard in Baltimore Maryland is a skate spot that a ton of skateboarders made and there are rails and ledges everywhere you turn. But there is a downside to skateboarding. Getting kicked out of spots stink and if the Cops come it is even worse. I don’t care what the police say, I am going to skateboard no matter what.

Word Choice sentences #1

My mom said I needed some apparel for school, but I decided to not wear any. My whole family besieged me and tried to not let me go to school in my, “clothes” but I got away from them and hid until the bus came. Right before I went to school I tried to compress all my binders into my backpack which was pretty successful until my backpack ripped. So, I was going to school without clothes, books, or a book bag. At the beginning of school the principal decided to denounce to the whole school what “clothes” I was wearing (my principal is pretty crazy).
When I came to my first class, my teacher decided to dispatch me to the principal’s office (which was pretty normal, I went about three times a day). I came into the office and there was a raging fire. I tried to douse is with the principal’s unlimited supply of alcohol (I told you he was a little weird), but it was no use. I expressly started rolling on the ground because I was on fire! After passing out after I got out of the fire, I was in a dessert and extremely famished (I forgot to mention I lived in a desert). The fire had burned down the whole town, and every city within eighty miles. I was picked up by a group of survivors in a car, and then I was fed.
Since there were about fifty survivors and nothing to eat, the leaders of the expedition forsake me and about twenty other people. For the rest of the week there seemed to be nothing gainful or to any help at all to the twenty unlucky people that were deserted. On the eighth day of searching we saw an immense pool of water. We all dove into it, but it ended up being a mirage.
On the tenth day we ineptly found the other survivors. They were in a cave shivering in fear because their car had run out of gas. We then beat them up and stole all their food and water. Since it was my idea to attack I was proclaimed the leader of the “group” and the most ingenious of all of the twenty members. If I asked for water, I was instantaneously granted some. The problem was that I drank half the water supply because of this privilege, but I told everyone the second-smartest person did it and they believed me. We deserted him for his stealing and we made him eat sand as a punishment. After a while the praising started to irk me.
Once out of the desert I planned to libel a book of our adventures. While I was in the desert I was misgiving that we would ever get out, but finally we did. I told everyone in the tribe to jump of a cliff, and they did (they really obey my command) which is good because I get all the water. I had had a tribe of worthless oafs anyway. Because of the strong winds I began to recede back into the desert I had just come out of. I had to have shelter in the cave were my first tribe was and I told them about my plans to write my book about my adventures. Since they weren’t too fond about me leading the attack of their tribe where we stole all their supplies they said I would have one last supper. I had my last repast before they stoned me to death.

Writing Friday #7: Persuasive

There is a big controversy about requiring seatbelts in school buses. My opinion is that that is a stupid idea and if you look at the facts, it is an unpractical idea too. If they were to get seatbelts for school buses who would regulate them? There is only one adult on the bus (the driver) and she should be keeping her eyes on the road and not on all the kids in the back. Also, a lot of kids don’t even wear seatbelts in their own cars (not a good idea, but it still happens) so what’s the difference in “protection” anyway? Also who would pay for the seatbelts? I am pretty sure a lot of parents might change to my side when they hear that they would have to pay for them with their taxes. Ultimately, my opinion is that seatbelts should not be required on any school buses (like it is now) and that is the way they should keep it. After thinking over everything that I have said, whose side would you be on?

Writing Friday #14: Narrative: Personal: Best Meal Ever (for Issue Two of The Crusader)

The best meal I ever had probably wasn’t an amazing meal according to most people’s standards, but this meal seemed to be out of this world to me. My family and I were driving to upstate New York, and had been driving in the car for over six or seven hours since about four or five in the morning. It was about noon, and we were craving some food. We finally came upon a place that looked good; the name of the restaurant was Bob’s. We walked in and sat down at a table immediately. As you can tell, it wasn’t a very formal place, we probably didn’t make it look like a very formal place either because we were most likely half-conscious. I grabbed A menu and ordered pretty quickly. I got chicken fingers, and within about five minutes, some greasy, appetizing, mouth-watering chicken fingers were placed in front of us by our waiter. I then grabbed my fork and knife, and began to eat the delicious tenders. Before most of my family had finished their first meal, I was ordering my second, and this time I ordered a foot long hot dog, supposedly the restaurant’s specialty. Just like my chicken tenders: the hot dog came in within five minutes and looked delicious. We were so thrilled with our hole-in-the-wall discovery that we went back to the same place, the next day. That is what I believe is the best meal that I have ever had.

Writing Friday #5: Narrative: Personal & Fictional

The event I am writing about is from when I was about four or five years old, but oddly enough, I still remember it pretty well. When I was about four years old I remember the first time I caught myself and said “hey I got to go to the bathroom.” I was in my basement when this happened, but I chose not to go into the basement bathroom. Maybe since I was four I thought if I went alone I would be attacked by monsters, but I don’t know. I went to the bathroom that was near the steps on the middle floor. I can still picture this bathroom in my mind even though it was at my old house. I went to my little toilet seat (the kind that you are on the ground and when you are done doing your business you have to dump whatever is in there into the real toilet). I am pretty sure this mini-toilet was a purplish bluish color, but I don’t remember every single meaningless detail. I pulled my pants down and sat on the toilet, waiting, and waiting, for something to come out. Finally something did, and I ran out to tell my mom. I am not sure if I washed my hands, but I wasn’t a very experienced at going to the bathroom so I probably forgot or did not even know what that was. Yelling and screaming, I told my mom and she was excited, but she wanted me to prove it. We went back into the bathroom and I showed her my accomplishment. She was surprised and happy, and I was probably proud and happy because I was the first one of my family (I am a triplet) to learn one of the most vital skills in life, going to the bathroom. This was the same case with riding bikes too, I learned first, but that is another story. My part-time nanny at the time gave me a present and I remember exactly what it was. It was a Barbie doll, but it was Ken as a doctor (I didn’t use it very much). I remember being disappointed with the present, but looking back on it now, it is not as much of a catastrophe now as it seemed to be then. The next day I don’t remember what happened, actually, the next like four years I don’t remember what happened, so this is one of my really good memories of my childhood. I do know is that I probably liked T.V. shows like Power Rangers and Batman, and I liked toys liked ninja swords and laser guns. That is the story of me being potty-trained, and the events that happened before, during, and after this great triumph.


Michael D’Amelio
10/18/2006
English
My mom said I needed some apparel for school, but I decided to not wear any. My whole family besieged me and tried to not let me go to school in my, “clothes” but I got away from them and hid until the bus came. Right before I went to school I tried to compress all my binders into my backpack which was pretty successful until my backpack ripped. So, I was going to school without clothes, books, or a book bag. At the beginning of school the principal decided to denounce to the whole school what “clothes” I was wearing (my principal is pretty crazy).
When I came to my first class, my teacher decided to dispatch me to the principal’s office (which was pretty normal, I went about three times a day). I came into the office and there was a raging fire. I tried to douse is with the principal’s unlimited supply of alcohol (I told you he was a little weird), but it was no use. I expressly started rolling on the ground because I was on fire! After passing out after I got out of the fire, I was in a dessert and extremely famished (I forgot to mention I lived in a desert). The fire had burned down the whole town, and every city within eighty miles. I was picked up by a group of survivors in a car, and then I was fed.
Since there were about fifty survivors and nothing to eat, the leaders of the expedition forsake me and about twenty other people. For the rest of the week there seemed to be nothing gainful or to any help at all to the twenty unlucky people that were deserted. On the eighth day of searching we saw an immense pool of water. We all dove into it, but it ended up being a mirage.
On the tenth day we ineptly found the other survivors. They were in a cave shivering in fear because their car had run out of gas. We then beat them up and stole all their food and water. Since it was my idea to attack I was proclaimed the leader of the “group” and the most ingenious of all of the twenty members. If I asked for water, I was instantaneously granted some. The problem was that I drank half the water supply because of this privilege, but I told everyone the second-smartest person did it and they believed me. We deserted him for his stealing and we made him eat sand as a punishment. After a while the praising started to irk me.
Once out of the desert I planned to libel a book of our adventures. While I was in the desert I was misgiving that we would ever get out, but finally we did. I told everyone in the tribe to jump of a cliff, and they did (they really obey my command) which is good because I get all the water. I had had a tribe of worthless oafs anyway. Because of the strong winds I began to recede back into the desert I had just come out of. I had to have shelter in the cave were my first tribe was and I told them about my plans to write my book about my adventures. Since they weren’t too fond about me leading the attack of their tribe where we stole all their supplies they said I would have one last supper. I had my last repast before they stoned me to death.

Title: Writing Friday #12: Narrative: Personal (for Issue Two of The Crusader)

When I was little I did many stupid, strange, shocking things but this one seems to stick out the most. When me and my sisters were around five years old we decided to clean the bathroom, with soft soap. I can still picture this bathroom in my mind even though it was at my old house and it was in the corner of the basement. We cleaned everywhere: the shower, the floor, the sink, some of the cabinets (probably not a good idea), and of course the toilet. We cleaned for about an hour and used three full bottles of soft soap. We ended up staining the sink, and the toilet, and the shower had about a bottle of soap in it. We also decided to “clean faster” by adding water to our soap and using the water in the shower and the toilet. That made even more of a mess. There was soap and water all over the floor and we had ruined our clothes with all the “cleaning.” In the end the walls and the sink were ruined, but at least we had fun doing it. If I had been older I would have understood that soft soap doesn’t clean walls, cabinets, toilets, et cetera. Even though we ruined a few hundred dollars of furniture and clothes, I think this was fun regardless of the destruction that took place. The only thing that happened was our parents probably watched us more after this incident.