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03-02-10

The reading that I enjoyed the most has got to be Blood Dazzler. It really helped me actually see what the people of New Orleans have been through. I have never been to New Orleans but I I have heard so many good things about the city. There is no wonder why the people of New Orleans do not want to leave this great city. What I really liked most about this reading was how the author bashed on the Bush administration during this catastrophic event in America. How President Bush handled the situation was terrible. He decided to sing along with a country singer while his people in New Orleans were suffering.

Patricia Smith

Smith's writing really described to me how the people of New Orleans were affected by the hurricane. People abandoned their homes that some have lived in for generations and knowing the shear reality that what they know as their only home is going to be washed away. It reminds me of when a tornado ripped through my town when I was little. This disaster is way smaller than that of New Orleans but it was the largest disaster my town has seen. I am from the Chicago area where tornadoes are not common. After the storm died out, I remember looking around my house and seeing so many giant trees around my house were knocked over. Trees that I used to watch for birds, squirrels, and other wildlife scurry about, scaling up and down the tree, flying from tree to tree. At the time, my backyard was the my favorite place of my home and watching a tornado bring down the giant trees that stood there for decades was very devastating.

My Hut

Name of Hut- Old Wiggy

Where is it located? Be specific.
My hut is located off the western edge of Lake Tahoe in California.

Briefly describe the exterior and interior of the hut:
Inside you will find two run down lounge chairs that I found in a nearby dump around a stone fire pit in the center of the hut. Daylight enters through the doorway and a hole in the roof where smoke from the fire pit escapes. From the outside, the hut looks like a Native American wigwam, a dome like structure.

What is it made of?
My hut is made of branches collected from surrounding trees in the area. The floor of my hut is bare ground in which I dug out all of the snowfall.

Describe a ritual you could enact that would be appropriate in your hut and express things fundamental to you.
Take in the cool mountain air by the fire while smoking a cigar. Then, look up at the moon and listen to the sounds of nature that surrounds me.

Create a tribute to someone important to you.
I would create a tribute for my grandmother. She was a Holocaust survivor and I will always admire that she was still able to raise a family after everything that she had been through. She was the nicest person I have ever known.


Choose a particular music that would be played in your hut. Under what circumstances?
I would play classic seventies rock music in the nighttime as I chill out under the stars. During the day I would play alternative rock, primarily from the nineties.

What smell would be prominent in your hut?
A smoky aroma with a hint of tobacco.

What living person would you like to bring to your hut?
Bear Grylls

If possible to raise the dead, which famous dead person would you like to bring to your hut?
Jimi Hendrix

List three personally important objects you would display inside:
1. My guitar
2. A football
3. My trumpet

What would someone close to you discover about you by visiting your hut?
Someone close to me would discover that music is a large part of my life, I love football, and I love mountains.

What about you would most interest after a visit to your hut?
WHAT?!

What one food would you serve there?
Beer-battered brats! It is the ultimate camping delicacy.



What one memory would you commemorate? How?
I would always be reminded of the first time I went camping with my friends in the summer of 2008. It was what got me interested in going out and seeking out nature in the first place.

What one photograph of yourself would you include?
A photo of my friends and I when we graduated from high school.

What one photograph of another?
A photo of my parents in Hawaii.

What on thing you’ve made?
My wall-mounted grandfather clock I made in middle school.

In-class writing 01-19-10

Whenever I go camping, especially in Ames, it is a huge culture shock to me being from the Chicago area. Leaving the city/suburban scene and living out in nature is really different, but in a good way. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city and all the rich snobs of my suburban town is quite a relief. I used to think that rural empty areas were very boring in which I could never see myself taking a drive out to "nothing". But ever since I started to get sick of the city, I look forward to going camping in the summer and during the school year. It is a nice ritual of mine where I listen to the animals of the summer instead of the sounds of traffic. I wouldn't say it is my "place" but it is definitely a temporary place of mine.

Hometown photo

This is a picture of a new park in my hometown. It represents my town, Northbrook, as a close-knitted town where everybody is familiar with most of the people who live in town. This new park, one of two in my town, is now another place for the people to organize events for the town such as festivals, sports tournaments, and holiday gatherings. It is also a little slice of nature in this small suburb of Chicago for the people to enjoy.