Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Passover (yikes!)

Note: I am writing this post assuming that you have some knowledge about Passover, if you don't, click on the links that I posted, or look it up, but be careful: I am writing about the Jewish holiday of Passover (not the christian version), so if you find some information about a christian version of Passover, this post may not make much sense!
For the last few weeks I haven't been able to blog much, and it's all Passover's fault! (and no, I'm not just blaming Passover for my inattention to the blog...this is seriously true!) For the past few weeks I have been preparing for passover, not only have i been loading up on the carbs (basically all of which are not okay to eat during passover), but I have also been helping my mom change our kitchen from a bready cooking space to a passover friendly cooking space. This process included vacuuming about 5 times, mopping the floor, washing everything, and exchanging our normal everyday dishes for our special passover ones.
  We also spent two days cooking for our 19 guests who were attending the Seder (which includes a meal, not just Jewish rituals). One major part of prepping for passover (besides koshering the kitchen--getting it fit for passover) is what most people call 'SPRING CLEANING'. As you know, spring cleaning consists of vacuuming every corner of the house (which took over a week to do.) One of the highlights of this custom we call spring cleaning, was when my dad pulled out 100 year old dust from a little nook between the stairs (which evidently hadn't been cleaned since the house was built- I'm talking petrified dust!)
  Anyhow, after all that work, we had a wonderful Seder with some friends and family, we sang songs, the food was delicious, everybody had a good time...then they all went home, and I stayed up till 10:50 washing dishes. Then the next day (yesterday) we went to some other family for the second night's Seder. This family had just flown home from the Midwest...as my aunt put it: 20 minutes after she got home they were cooking for a Seder. All I can say is: impressive!
 Anyhow, I apologize for not blogging and for the somewhat all over the place post (I'm reeeeaaaally tired), but I feel that I have good reason!
[Quick Fact: Some (more traditional) women actually go crazy because of passover preparations...they have to go to the psychiatrist...'nuff said!]

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Critical Thinking Question 4 (by Atticus)

Although Atticus knows that defending Tom Robinson will bring much hardship to himself and his family, he takes the case anyway. Why? What reasons does he give? When does he address this question?

I’ve taken Tom Robinson’s case, even though I know that it will cause much trouble for our family, especially for Jem and Scout. However, I knew that I had to take to take the case, because not only do I like to think of myself as one who honors what is right (and defending the innocent is most definitely right), but also because I couldn’t face the world if I hadn’t taken the case. I would have felt as though I was running from a case that I couldn’t win, and I am determined to love everyone, blacks and whites, equally. When Judge asked me to take it, and I knew I had too…just got a sense of duty right then and there. I know that if I didn’t take the case, I wouldn’t be able to face my children, or tell them to mind me, ever again.


Scout asked me why I took the case, after Cecil Jacobs had been bothering her about it. I simply told her that by nature of the work, every lawyer has one case that changes them personally, every lawyer. I don’t believe that there’s ever been an exception. I told Scout to keep her head high, and not to let the others bother her about me taking the case, but I’m worried about her, she can’t resist fighting and to her, anyone who says something bad about her family had better watch out. I told her to fight with her head, not her fists…but I’m worried about her. I know that she’ll try to mind me, but there is always the exception, the one time where it gets to be too much and she feels that she has to defend me and our family’s pride through a fight. It's going to be hard for us all, but we must try.

Critical Thinking Question 3 (by Atticus Finch)

After the death of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus tells Jem that even "if you hadn't lost your head, I would have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her..." What is it that Atticus wants Jem to understand? Why is this so important? [Note to reader of blog: It is impossibly hard to capture Atticus's voice, so, if you have read To Kill a Mockingbird, you will know that I haven't quite been able to.]

I told Jem that I had wanted him to see something about Mrs. Dubose, that I would've sent him to read to her anyway. As usual, I wanted him to learn something. That seems to be what I most often do with my children. I teach them life lessons. However, I'm getting off topic. See, I wanted Jem to understand what real courage was. Not only to understand what it takes to say sorry for something that one has done, but also to understand the courage that Mrs. Dubose had. I wished for Jem to understand what Mrs. Dubose had been through with her morphine addiction, and all that she had been through, breaking the addiction and dying free. That took real courage.

I am not entirely sure why this was so important to me, however as I wrote above: my life is full of teaching the children life's lessons (and for that matter, many other people-I hope-learn from me). I teach the children the lessons that they won't be learning in school. They will never quite realize how important it is (what I teach them) until they must one day teach these things to someone else. However, I do my best to raise the children as properly as they may be raised without a mother. I feel that these little lessons, such as that of Mrs. Dubose's courage, are very important for them to learn...and for me to teach.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Critical Thinking Question 2 (by Scout/Jean Louise Finch)

Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

It was the only time that Atticus had said something was a sin, and I do remember him saying that killing a mockingbird was a sin.(though it's not in the bible.) When he said that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird,  how was i s'posed to know what he meant. Atticus is sometimes like that: talking all lawyer like so that I can't understand him.
Anyhow, then I went over to Miss Maudie's and asked her about what Atticus meant. She told me that it was'cause the mockingbird  never does anything but sing. He never ruins the garden or nests in corncribs, he just makes music and lets us listen to him while he sings.

I wish somebody'd want to listen to me singing pretty like that. They would say it would be a sin to kill me, but I s'pose it would be sin enough to kill me anyway...without me having to sing. I  guess I can see as how it might be a sin to kill something that hadn't ever done any harm but to sing...and they do sing aweful beautiful. Ha, if I told that to Dill, he would tell me that his momma sang beautiful just like a mocking bird for the opera. Dill sure is full of em', big whoppers they are too!

Well, Atticus was right again. I guess that it is a sin to kill a mocking bird, after all.

To Kill a Mockingbird (which I do not recomend that you do!)

Currently in English I am reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. My English curriculem (Oak Meadow) has me doing "Critical Thinking Questions" (in which, to answer, one must think critically). For a long time I have been getting bored of doing the same type of (boring, in my opinion) questions: over, and over again. So, because I am 'artistically inclined', my mom found a sheet listing some fun (artsy) projects that one could incorperate their work into. One such project was writing blog posts from the point of veiw of one a character in the book that one is reading (for English). Of course, how could I resist...so the following posts that include either the words 'Critical Thinking Question' or 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in the title are probably not coming from me...they are coming from a character who was invented about 52 years ago!

Characters that you should know:
  • Scout/Jean Louise Finch--main character (a 2nd grader living in Alabaama in the 30s, with her brother, her father, and their african american hired help)
  • Jem/Jeremy Finch-- Scout's older brother who is 12 years old
  • Atticus Finch-- Scout's father who works as a lawyer and will take cases from 'blacks' as well as 'whites'
  • Dill-- Scout and Jem's friend who stays with his Aunt (and their neighbor), Miss Rashel, during the summer. He is also 'engaged' to Scout. (They're both about the same age.)
  • Miss Maudie-- a neighbor their father's age, who is very friendly t Scout when she is left out of the boy's games
  • Calpurina--Scout's family's hired help
  • Mrs. Dubose--a sickly old woman who is always ready to insult the children when they walk by he house, and who after an 'incident' they must go read to
  • Tom Robinson--a  'black' man who Atticus will be defending in a tough case

Sunday, April 3, 2011

I've been tagged!

Wow, i'm very excited to announce that I have been tagged by Emily Rose (from Mist of the Blossom Rain) This is my first tag and I'm very excited! (Even though you're probably not supposed to tell other bloggers that this is your first tag..) Anyhow: "The Long Tag"


~Your Favorite~


Color?    It used to be yellow, but now I like purple...especially deep royal purple!


Candy?    Hmmm..thats a hard one! I really like lollipops, tootsie rolls, gum, and Reese's peanut butter cups
                ---> who doesn' t <---

Main Dish?    Veg-head meat balls and pasta..but really: I like anything!

Dessert?    Ice cream!

Drink?    I realy like Root beer and chocolate milk


Go to Starbucks Coffee?    less often than I wish!


Go to the mall a lot?    I also wish I went more...I'm not quite a shopoholic, but I do like to get new clothing!



Veggie?    I really like tomatoes, broccoli (cooked), and mushrooms (raw)




~Do you~



Talk on the phone everyday to someone you is not in your family? No



Read your bible everyday?     I'm jewish, so I don't read 'bibles' however I do read the jewish version of the bible (the Torah) every Saturday.




See your Grandparents everyday?    Unfortunatley: no


Bake a lot?    I also wish i did this more often: I like to bake but don't do it often enough!

Clean your room everyday?   No, I should, but no! (But don't think I'm a slob, I clean it every friday and tidy up at various   points during the week!)


Have to say your sorry to someone everyday?    No, i'm actualy a very kind person!  : D


~A certain thing you dislike of each category~



Veggie?      I don't like brussel sprouts or spinach: the former unless it has a good sauce, the latter unless its raw and has a good dressing.



Color?  Pepto Bismol pink/HOT pink and puke green!




Animal?    I don't know, i don't really like mosquitoes, scorpions, or centipeedes


Drink?    Onion Juice! (Joking!) (Well, maybe i'm not joking...it sounds pretty gross!)


~Random~



Go shopping? Where?    Yes, I go shopping..I usually end up going to JCPenny's, Kohls, or TJ maxx... but I also like to go shopping at thrift stores!


Eat out?    Not usuallyparticularly often and NEVER to McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's or most other chains.


Go visit?    Family and friends



Read a good book at?    on my bed...or various other soft, comfortable places)


What color is your room?    White wallpaper with pink roses, green vines, and blue violets on it...it came with  the house.




~Do you have a~



Pet?    Yes, two adorable kitties!



Gift card at the moment?    Probably somewhere in my purse!


Sewing machine?     Oh, yeah!


Big mess under your bed?     No way hozay!


Pack of gum in your bag or purse?     I wish, unfortuatley people who have metal in their mouth don't usually get to chew gum!




Computer in your room?    sigh...no


~Have you ever~



Been on a plane?     More times than I can count!


Been out of state?    Um, yes!


Been in an eighteen wheeler?    I'm not even quite sure what that would look like!


Been in a car accident?    Not really


Read about 150 page book in an hour?      Probably...I wouldn't put it passed me though!


~More Random~



Do you share a room with anyone?     As Emily said: No (yay)




Have you ever went swimming in a pond?    Swim Lessons!!!!!


How old are you?  13



What year were you born?    1997



Are you related to anyone important or famous?      I wish, maybe someday I'll just have to make myself famous!


Have you ever met a vice president?    No, but my parents once saw the president.


Are you getting bored yet?    Why do you ask?!?!


What are you thinking? For future reference: don't ask me that ever again...your just making me confuse myself!

*** *** ***
Well, that was Fun! And unfortunatley, some of you are about to get tagged!

How About AtomBender, Cherry, and Ceanna...Sorry guys: you've just been tagged

"Tag, you're it!"