Morning

Morning is my favorite time of day. Unlike the rest of the day, morning is very peaceful. I prefer to wake up early, and enjoy it for as long as I can without losing too much sleep. It is a peaceful time for me because I have nothing I usually have to do, and nobody to talk to, nobody to do tasks for, and nothing to distract me from reading, or doing whatever else I prefer. Cold winter mornings are especially pleasant. I love to get a good book, curl up under the thick wool afghan that my grandma knit for me, and just read. No distractions. Nothing to think about except what I'm reading. This is usually the way I start my days. By getting up early and spending time doing something that I really enjoy, I am able to prepare myself for the day ahead, and ensure that during the course of the day I have a good time and am relaxed. I sometimes have a hard time getting out of bed; especially on those really cold, snowy mornings that I love. But the nice thing is, that on those mornings when it's hardest to get out of bed, I'm always happiest I do, because those are the mornings that are the coziest, and those are the mornings when I really feel like my day has gotten off on a good foot.

My Life as Bread

I am comparable to a slice of bread. For simple reasons, such as my fondness of bread, but also for deeper reasons comparing how varied bread is from loaf to loaf, and how my mood and my life vary from day to day.
I have loved bread for my entire life, and have eaten a lot of it. Perhaps that is why bread and I are so similar. Both of us grow brown in excessive heat. With enough heat, bread turns a golden brown color, similarly with enough sun, I turn a shade close to that loaf. More deeply however, enough heat can also dry out a loaf of bread and make it chewy and tough. When I am stressed, feeling the heat of life, when, for example, I have a lot of homework, or when things aren't turning out the way I'd like, I also tend to feel dry, worn out, like that overcooked loaf of bread. Comparable to how that burned loaf is chewy and unpleasant to eat, I am tough and unpleasant to be around when the heat of life it turned up to high, or when I’m subjected to it for too long. But just like bread, when all of the ingredients of my being are mixed to pleasing proportions, the consistency of my life is like that warm, soft loaf - satisfying.

Catcher in the Rye

Catcher in the Rye is easily one of my favorite books. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to guys our age. It is not about sports, or gaming or anything like that. It is about a kid at boarding school who seems a bit crazy, and does not really care about life much. He swears a lot and isn't afraid to say anything about anyone. The book has a long history of being banned and challenged. Here's a history of when, where, and why it was banned. Reasons for banning the book include vulgar language, sexual references, blasphemy, undermining of family values and moral codes, Holden being a poor role model, encouragment of rebellion, and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, and promiscuity according to wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.
The main characteristic of Catcher in the Rye that makes it such a great read, is the voice of Holden Caulfield, the main character. His outlook on life is very negative, and he expresses this negativity in very odd ways that are very captivating and cool. He also just doesn't care about life much. He is very frank and tells about his life as it is. This lack of care is the main aspect of his voice that makes it such a great and entertaining book. Catcher in the Rye was written by J. D. Salenger, and you should definitely read it. (If you can, get a really old copy because they are way more fun to read, and they have that awesome "old book smell.") By the way Mrs. Reinertsen, am I supposed to italicize Catcher in the Rye, or underline it?

Blog Expectations

My name is Alex. This is my super cool blog, which I will personalize and make my own (but not post pics of myself on or use my last name on). I will always use appropriate language on my school blog and follow the conventions of the English language.

The expectation for this assignment is that I post on my blog once a week for the remainder of the school year. I am expected to comment on texts that I am viewing in the world around me. These might include, but are not limited to: books, magazines, movies, internet articles, television shows, trips to museums, etc.
Each post should be at least 200 words. Each weekly post is due by 8am on that Wednesday. Therefore, Q1 due dates are: 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, and 10/29. That makes for a total of 7 posts this first quarter. I understand that blogs are worth 100 points per quarter and are graded holistically (That means there will be no specific grading rubric). I also understand that blogging is a significant component of my quarter grade. By the way, what I have just typed is only 196 words! Now it is 200!

My Journey

I am interested in taking a musical journey. I love music and listen to and create much of my own. The type of musical journey that I am interested in taking would involve joining a band, traveling and performing with them, and meeting a lot of cool people. Through an experience like this, I would learn a lot about music, and a lot about traveling and performing live, two things that I don't have as much experience in as I'd like. The type of band that I want to be a part of would play funk, jazz, and R&B. These are my favorite types of music because they are very fun, as well as challenging for an alto saxophone player to play. Being part of a band like this would be a very interesting experience because it would allow me to meet many other people who share my interests. I practice saxophone and piano a lot so that some day I might have the opportunity of being accepted into a band where I could meet people, have a bunch of interesting experiences, become far more competent as a musician, and most of all, become involved in the type of music that I listen to.