Ode to Baseball

Playing baseball everyday
There really is no better way
To spend my time
And make new friends
The fun in baseball never ends.

Some people just can’t understand
The base hits
Or the screaming fans

Some people think that
Baseball’s lame
But they can’t play
A thinker’s game

The Old Man's Obstacles

Since the beginning of time, man has struggled against the forces of nature. To reach his goals, man must endure various challenges of nature and by enduring these battles, man’s character is shaped and refined. In the novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the protagonist Santiago, is an optimistic character who seeks to land a great fish and in doing so must endure the challenges of the sea and human emotions.


Over the course of the story, Santiago struggles with loneliness. His wife had passed away and he lives alone. Although he enjoys the boy’s companionship, he seldom has the boy by his side. “No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable” (48). In his journey to land the great Marlin, Santiago travels alone. Even though he would welcome the assistance and companionship of the boy, the boy is unable to make the trip and the old man finds himself traveling alone at sea.


Santiago has been unlucky in catching fish. He has not caught anything for 84 days. He decides that he will travel out further to change his luck. He soon finds himself unprepared for the challenges that await him. He ventures into the Gulf Stream in his small skiff. His luck turns when he hooks a marlin bigger than any he has ever seen. However, in catching the marlin, the old man’s struggles are just beginning. The marlin is powerful and saps the old man’s strength as he pulls the skiff further out to sea. After a 3 day tiring struggle with the marlin, the old man is racked with pain and weary from battling the great fish for so long. He finally harpoons the fish. He realizes that he cannot pull the enormous fish into the boat. “Even if we were two and swamped her to load him and bailed her out, this skiff would never hold him” (95). He has to tie the marlin to the outside of the skiff.


Santiago feels great admiration for the marlin. During their battle, he finds he has much in common with the great fish. He envisions bringing the fish in to the village and the money he can earn for such a large fish. However, he is saddened that this great fish will be eaten.


Now far from shore, the old man has to begin his journey back home. He did not plan on going so far out and finds he does not have adequate food, water or supplies. Santiago is forced to fight off many of sharks but he finds himself unprepared. As he battles hunger, weariness and loneliness, the old man tries to fight off the sharks that approach because they are lured by the blood of the marlin. Wave after wave of sharks approach the skiff, lured by the blood of the marlin. At first, the old man uses a harpoon to defend the marlin. But as they continue to attack, he loses the harpoon, rope, a spear he fashioned from a knife and an oar. The old man’s body is wracked with pain from fighting to catch the marlin and the fighting to keep the sharks away. He is weary from lack of sleep. The fish is deteriorated and he is not sure he will survive the journey home.


Left with no way to keep the attacking sharks at bay, the old man watches as the sharks strip the meat from the marlin so all that is left when the old man finally returns home is the head, the bones and the tail. “It was too good to last, he thought. He took one look at the great fish as he watched the shark close in” (101). The old man is sorry he ever caught such a great fish only to see it devoured by the sharks.


The struggles that the old man faced help shape his character. However, Santiago who is down on his luck stays confident. His light spirit contributes to the story by allowing him to not give up or let go of the fish, even after it was destroyed by the sharks.


The old man meets with many harsh obstacles when he tries catching the great fish and bringing him into shore. He must battle inadequate supplies, the big fish and the sharks that attack it. He also battles loneliness. Even though Santiago does not bring the fish back to shore intact, he was still respected by the town’s people for catching such a big fish and he was still a hero to the boy. Although people may not always fully accomplish their goals, they can still benefit from facing the challenges while striving to achieve their objective.

Another Boring Day

Connor S
BG
English
Jan. 30, 2009

It was an early morning in late August – the end of summer, as Sean and his fellow lifeguards headed out to the beach. The sun began to rise over the ocean. Sean and his pals were in their bright orange bathing suits and putting on sunscreen like every other morning. Sean started out complaining about the lack of action in their jobs. However today would not be like every other day.


Sean had extensive training in his life guarding skills but he rarely had the opportunity to put them to use. His days often consisted of staring out at the ocean hoping for some action. Today he would get everything he could handle.


As Sean made his way to the lifeguard tower, he put his gear down and did his normal walk of the beach. It was one of the last beautiful days of summer and the crowds were really starting to pack the beach. By mid morning the beaches were as crowded as he had ever seen them. As the sun climbed higher, the heat drove the vacationers into the water. Sean pulled on his Ft. Lauderdale tee shirt to offer protection against the blazing sun. He scanned the beach with his binoculars.


By midday a sand bar had formed about 10 feet off shore. It drew the attention of many people. Sean rose tall in his chair above the clamor of the beach below him. He had an acute sense that something was about to happen. As he peered through his binoculars he noticed a sudden change in the texture of the ocean. Suddenly, the sand bar collapsed into the sea. Sean saw four kids who were on that section of the sandbar pulled into the ocean. He immediately recognized the signs of a riptide.


He grabbed his bullhorn and quickly ordered everyone out of the water. He radioed for assistance. A lifeguard commander knew something was wrong through the sound of alarm in Sean’s voice.

“Sean, what’s wrong?” the commander asked. “Riptide! Section four! I saw four kids pulled out about thirty yards. I’m going in after them. Send help!”“Help’s on the way, be careful, and remember your training!” The commander replied.


Sean dropped his radio, grabbed his torpedo buoy, and raced towards the water. He grabbed the surfboard near the shoreline and headed into the surf. He cast his eyes out to the children who had been dragged out. He could see that they were panicking and going under. The riptide had ended and the water became placid. Sean used his strong swimming skills to propel the surfboard towards the children. He reached one boy and pulled him onto the surfboard. The boy was about eight years old and he was hyperventilating. Sean calmed the boy down as he searched for the others. He saw two other boys and quickly brought them onto the surfboard. They were frantic and said their friend had gone under. Sean noticed one of the boys had a deep cut along his left leg and blood was pouring into the water. The boys pointed to the spot where they last saw their friend and Sean dove in that direction. He took a deep breath and dove down three fathoms to the ocean floor. The boy was tangled in a bed of seaweed but Sean quickly emancipated him. Sean was running out of air as he pushed hard off the ocean floor and used his powerful stroke to pull him to the surface. Most other lifeguards would have rued ever becoming a lifeguard in this quagmire. However, Sean was indefatigable and he pushed the last boy onto the surfboard as he paddled them toward the shore. Sean had no inkling that lurking behind him only ten feet away was a shark attracted by the blood flowing from the cut on the small boy’s leg. Luckily, Sean was bestowed with a strong kick as he powered the boys towards the beach on the surfboard. He peered towards shore and couldn’t help but notice the fracas. He heard many shrill screams and people pointing in his direction. He did not realize the quandary until he saw the look the in the eyes of the boy who had been under the water. The boy was staring past him. Sean thought he was trembling from the trauma he had just endured. The boy raised his hand and pointed behind Sean. As Sean turned his head back, he saw the fin of the shark that was rapidly approaching. Sean burst forward but he knew he could not out swim a shark.


Just then, Sean heard a high-pitched whine approaching from his left. He glanced over and saw his lifeguard commander cutting through the water in his jet ski, coming between him and the shark. Sean was exhausted as his fellow lifeguards helped pulled the boys to shore. Sean nearly collapsed on the beach trying to catch his breath while a chorus of cheers came from the bystanders on the beach. The paramedics took the children for treatment while Sean headed to the lifeguard station.

As they left work for the day, his friend Matt kidded him, “Just another boring day, huh Sean?”

Another Boring Day rough draft

Connor Sheridan
BG
English
Jan. 30, 2009


It was an early morning in late August – the end of summer, as Sean and his fellow lifeguards headed out to the beach. The sun began to rise over the ocean. Sean and his pals were in their bright orange bathing suits and putting on sunscreen like every other morning. Sean started out complaining about the lack of action in their jobs. However today would not be like every other day.


Sean had extensive training in his life guarding skills but he rarely had the opportunity to put them to use. His days often consisted of staring out at the ocean hoping for some action. Today he would get everything he could handle.


As Sean made his was to the lifeguard tower, he put his gear down and did his normal walk of the beach. It was one of the last beautiful days of summer and the crowds were really starting to pack the beach. By mid morning the beaches were as crowded as he had ever seen them. As the sun climbed higher, the heat drove the vacationers into the water. Sean pulled on his Ft. Lauderdale tee shirt to offer protection against the blazing sun. He scanned the beach with his binoculars.


By midday a sand bar had formed about 10 feet off shore. It drew the attention of many people. Sean rose tall in his chair above the clamor of the beach below him. He had an acute sense that something was about to happen. As he peered through his binoculars he noticed a sudden change in the texture of the ocean. Suddenly, the sand bar collapsed into the sea. Sean saw four kids who were on that section of the sandbar pulled into the ocean. He immediately recognized the signs of a riptide.


He grabbed his bullhorn and quickly ordered everyone out of the water. He radioed for assistance. A lifeguard commander knew something was wrong through the sound of alarm in Sean’s voice. “Sean, what’s wrong?” the commander asked. “Riptide! Section four! I saw four kids pulled out about thirty yards. I’m going in after them. Send help!”“Help’s on the way, be careful, and remember your training!” The commander replied.


Sean dropped his radio, grabbed his torpedo buoy, and raced towards the water. He grabbed the surfboard near the shoreline and headed into the surf. He cast his eyes out to the children who had been dragged out. He could see that they were panicking and going under. The riptide had ended and the water became placid. Sean used his strong swimming skills to propel the surfboard towards the children. He reached one boy and pulled him onto the surfboard. The boy was about eight years old and he was hyperventilating. Sean calmed the boy down as he searched for the others. He saw two other boys and quickly brought them onto the surfboard. They were frantic and said their friend had gone under. Sean noticed one of the boys had a deep cut along his left leg and blood was pouring into the water. The boys pointed to the spot where they last saw their friend and Sean dove in that direction. He took a deep breath and dove down three fathoms to the ocean floor. The boy was tangled in a bed of seaweed but Sean quickly emancipated him. Sean was running out of air as he pushed hard off the ocean floor and used his powerful stroke to pull him to the surface. Most other lifeguards would have rued ever becoming a lifeguard in this quagmire. However, Sean was indefatigable and he pushed the last boy onto the surfboard as he paddled them toward the shore. Sean had no inkling that lurking behind him only ten feet away was a shark attracted by the blood flowing from the cut on the small boy’s leg. Luckily, Sean was bestowed with a strong kick as he powered his the boys towards the beach on the surfboard. He peered towards shore and couldn’t help but notice the fracas. He heard many shrill screams and people pointing in his direction. He did not realize the quandary until he saw the look the in the eyes of the boy who had been under the water. The boy was staring past him. Sean thought he was trembling from the trauma he had just endured. The boy raised his hand and pointed behind Sean. As Sean turned his head back, he saw the fin of the shark that was rapidly approaching. Sean burst forward but he knew he could not out swim a shark.


Just then, Sean heard a high-pitched whine approaching from his left. He glanced over and saw his lifeguard commander cutting through the water in his jet ski, coming between him and the shark. Sean was exhausted as his fellow lifeguards helped pulled the boys to shore. Sean nearly collapsed on the beach trying to catch his breath while a chorus of cheers came from the bystanders on the beach.


The paramedics took the children for treatment while Sean headed to the lifeguard station. As they left work for the day, his friend Matt kidded him,”Just another boring day, huh Sean?”

2 quarter outside reading book review

New Boy by Julian Houston. Houghton Mifflin Books, 2005. Genre: Historical Fiction.

New Boy is about segregation and racism during the late 1950's in Virginia. The protagonist, Rob Garrett, is a fifteen-year-old boy who is enrolled by his parents into a private school called Draper in Connecticut. Few kids in his town have the special opportunity to get the education he is. In fact, he is the first and only African American student there and he overcomes many obstacles while students try to put segregation to an end in his hometown in Virginia.
"He looked at my ticket and then returned it to me. 'You know, when we get to Washington,'he said in a confidential tone, 'you'll have to move to the back of the train."
Rob Garret has always been dealing with segregation and racism and he is tired of it. When he comes back to his home town from his schooling in Connecticut, he attends meetings where many of his former classmates organize a sit-in at a lunch counter where blacks are not allowed. The entire book is in Rob's point of view and you experience what it is like to live in a southern state in the late 1950's.
"The first thing we saw was Albert, and then another student, seated on stools with their backs to us, lying face-down on the blood spattered lunch counter."
I really enjoyed this book and think that it sent out a good message about racism and treating people differently because of what they look like in general. I learned about how the blacks were treated during the 1950's and what they had to go through in order to accomplish simple things because of segregation.

Weekends and Boards

Is the meaning of value an expensive object that you own and cherish? Could it be a special moment that you experience every so often? In today's society, most people value something that they posses. It can be as simple as a piece of clothing or as complex as a car. However, would you know the difference between something that has value and something that doesn't?

On a Friday afternoon, the students are counting down the minutes until they are free. I sit in graphics class, as the clock races to two o' clock. We rush to write down our homework and gather up our backpacks, finishing up our projects on the computers.

The last bell of the day finally rings and the class is dismissed. We rush out of the school and in a good mood and I wait patiently for my brother to get outside and unlock his jeep, which towers over me. As we storm out of the parking lot, we try our best to avoid traffic and the music from his Ipod blares rap over the car stereo. I ride home with the whole weekend in front of me and I can finally relax, thinking about my plans for the next two days.

I grab my scratched up board by the plain black, sharp grip tape that has “Fat-Trax” in colorful letters on the bottom of the board as a graphic. Fat-Trax is a skateboarding, snowboarding, and biking shop. On the bottom also include trucks, wheels and bearings. Trucks are a metal component bolted to the board that is used for steering and the wheels are set to them. Wheels are what enable me to roll and bearings are circles that fit inside them, which lets them spin. Without all of these necessities, skateboarding would not be possible for me.
I walk outside and lay my board under me as I begin to roll down the street. I Pop and flip the board under my feet, and I land trick after trick just as a warm up. We are lucky enough to be granted a ride from one of our parents to the local skate park where we meet up with other friends.

We host a miniature contest for fun to see who can perform the best maneuvers. I go for my difficult trick that I have been practicing in front of all my friends. Surprisingly I come very close to pulling it off. My friend has his camera nearby and it influences me to try it again. I build up adrenaline and I drop in on the ramp. I gain speed and set up my feet on the nose. I pop the board and it flips between my legs, coming back around to the grip tape. My feet reunite with the board as I stomp on it, riding away and landing the trick perfectly making it look easy. My friends cheer and I review my trick filmed on the camera.

I value my Friday afternoons and my skateboard very much. These values both make me happy and they are ones I wouldn’t trade for anything. While I am on my way out the door after school on Friday, I feel a sense of freedom that is similar to when I am riding on my board. These values also let me relax. Even though skateboarding doesn’t sound relaxing, I feel that it is because I am not only riding and having fun, but I am spending time with my friends too.

However, I do see my two values differently too. For example, my skateboard lets me express my creativity and it gives me the opportunity to impress my peers. Friday afternoons are different because they just make me happy when I am out of school and I have the whole weekend to do what I please without having to worry about getting to bed early or if I have my gym clothes prepared for the next day.

In my opinion, value is what makes me happy and what matters to me the most regardless of the price because anyone can buy an object if they have enough money. You cannot put a price tag on a memory or a priceless moment. An object can be lost, stolen, or broken, but if a memory is special enough, it will stay with you forever.

First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

The Life You Imagine By Derek Jeter and Jack Curry. Scholastic Books, 2000. Genre: Autobiography
This autobiography is about Derek Jeter's life from childhood to young adulthood. Derek was always a determined, talented athlete who was respected by his fellow students and his teachers. He was raised by biracial parents who had strict rules that kept him in line, but also kept them very close. Derek has a sister named Sharlee. Sharlee was four years younger and Derek was always trying to set good examples for her to follow. Derek overcomes many obstacles such as dealing with racial slurs but he also is always trying to improve in baseball.
"This year's most valuable player on the All-Star team and a shortstop for the New York Yankees, Jeter would seem to have the perfect life. His skills on the field are stellar, and he's already been compared to some of baseball's most legendary players. Teammates and fans respect and adore him. In this affable volume, Jeter, who says he hopes he can set a good example for young people, shares some of his personal history as he outlines the 10 principles that led to his success," Says Publishers Weekly.
Jack Curry explains Derek's life in very specific detail and uses important descriptions in his writing that motivates the reader by making Derek a role model. This book was written to give the reader life lessons and advice that anyone can relate to for achieving their dreams.
This book reminds me of The Contender because both Derek and Alfred are determined to reach their goals and become successful. Derek wants to become a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees and Alfred wants to become a contender in boxing.
"I'd usually get up a couple hours later and drag my grandmother out of bed and force her to play baseball with me. I didn't care how early it was and neither did she."(Page 72)
I really enjoyed this book because it was about Derek Jeter who has always been a huge fan of mine on my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, ever since I was little. I could relate everything that he was talking about to my life and the goals I want to set. I have even been to Yankee stadium to watch him play. I understood everything that he was talking about when he spoke about baseball , such as his batting average because it is my favorite sport.