Vocabulary: Spring #4

accolade - an award or privilege granted as a special honor as an acknowledgment of merit
When the football season was over our whole team got an accolade for a season well played.

acerbity - sharp or forthright

His acerbity showed when he noticed his wife choking right across from him.

attrition - the action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure
The union wore down the confederate army by attrition.

bromide - a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate
Bromides that feel good create the illusion that the problem has been solved when in reality it hasn't.

chauvinist - a person displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism
John was being a chauvinist by having a confederate flag on the bag of his windshield.

chronic - persisting for a long time or constantly recurring
She suffered from chronic depression and needed help fast.

expound - present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail
Stephan Hawking expounds a great argument when talking about the creation of the universe.

factionalism - the splitting of a group into factions
Democrats and Republicans are examples of factionalism in America, they both want to do good but in different ways.

immaculate - perfectly clean, neat or tidy
I showed up to the party wearing a rather immaculate suit.

imprecation - a spoken curse
The psychic spouted out her imprecations at all who laughed at her.

ineluctable - unable to be resisted or avoided
Black holes are ineluctable, nothing can get away.

mercurial - subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind
I feel as though I am mercurial and subject to random bursts of depression.

palliate - make less severe or unpleasant without removing cause
This specific kind of treatment works by palliating symptoms.

protocol - the official procedure of system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions
Protocol clearly states that we cannot go into the woods during our mission.

resplendent - attractive or impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous
Courtney was resplendent in her dark, blood-red dress.

stigmatize - describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval
The hotel we ended up staying at was stigmatized as a last resort.

sub rosa - happening or done in secret
I often times have a feeling that the whole government operates sub rosa.

vainglory - inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity
Richard Sherman is very vainglorious.

vestige - a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists
The last vestiges of the body were found when it was almost too late.

volition - the faculty or power of using one's will
Without conscious volition Debra eerily backed into her room.

Hafta/Wanna

Life during high school is a lot more simple than life after high school. In high school you are required to go and most want to achieve good grades regardless of whether they pay for school or not. Life after high school, however, is more difficult because you have to pay for classes if you choose to go to college and you are far more inclined to get good grades because you have to pay to be there. Even if you don't go to college it is equally as difficult because you have to find a job (without a college degree) or you can join the military which is always a challenge. I think people always take their habits, good or bad, with them after graduation. Some might lose a few habits and some might gain a few. I personally will probably lose some because I will be moving to Colorado to go to college so living there will take some getting used to. I balance the things I want to do with the things I have to do by trying my hardest to get the things I have to do out of the way before doing the things I want to do. It is often easier said than done but until I find out a better way of going about it that is what I am going to do.

Vocabulary: Spring #3

apostate - a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle

Tony was now titled apostate by the people in his church because he had given up his faith in Christianity.

effusive - expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner

Albert, being unexpectedly effusive, voluntarily explained the meaning behind the poem.

impasse - a situation in which no progress is possible esp. because of disagreement; a deadlock

The situation came to an impasse because the husband and wife couldn't decide on a color of paint.

euphoria - a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness

Oddly enough, he felt a sense of euphoria after nearly being ran over by a passing car.

lugubrious - looking or sounding sad and dismal

The girl was acting rather lugubrious and it concerned her parents.

bravado - a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate

The mans impressive bravado intimidated everyone in the room.

consensus - general agreement

The jury finally came to a consensus and found the defendant guilty of manslaughter.

dichotomy - a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different

They ultimately rejected the dichotomy of left vs. right politics.

constrict - make narrower, esp. by encircling pressure

The python kills its prey by constricting it or wrapping its body around it and in turn suffocating it.

gothic - of or relating to the goths or their extinct east Germanic language, which provides the earliest manuscript evidence of any Germanic language

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most well known gothic writers.

punctilio - a fine or pretty point of conduct of procedure 

They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.

metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages

The child seemed to go through a metamorphosis that day when he saved all of those people.

raconteur - a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way

The school teacher was a real raconteur and held the students attention for the whole class period.

quixotic - exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

His theory about the universe was completely quixotic because he thought the sun and stars orbited the earth.

vendetta - a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone

The congressman accused the papers of pursing a vendetta against him.

non sequitur - a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement
Having a character blurt out random things during the show was non sequitur and ruined it for me.

mystique - a fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something
There was a certain mystique about him as he walked in the room and it drew everyone's attention.

quagmire - an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation
When Robert rushed home from work only to find his wife with another man, he found himself in a real quagmire.

parlous - full of danger or uncertainty; precarious
The two heroes embarked on a parlous journey of epic proportions.

Life After...

My vision for my life after high school is simple. I envision and plan on moving to Colorado during the summer. It will probably be after my 18th birthday in August but it might be before. I'll be going to community college there for two years then transferring to a university. I don't know what I want to major in but I'm still thinking about it. After college I have no idea what will happen but I'm sure while I'm in college I'll figure it out. 

Visual Storytelling

One technique that makes visual storytelling effective is the music that creates a feeling that the director wants to convey. It is a very easy way to create a mood whether it be a sad one or a happy one and everything in between. Another technique is having characters have noxious conversations or have them bicker about pointless and tedious matters. The noxious conversations are usually about things that are tough to talk about and it makes the viewer feel as if they are part of the conversation while the tedious bickering shows that they have conversations that are more day to day and normal. Finally, every story, that is told visually or otherwise, needs a contretemps. It wouldn't be a story without it and the unfortunate occurrence is usually the driving force. Some of the occurrences hit more home with people and it makes the experience more effective.

Profile in Courage

My first impression of the movie was that wheelchair rugby looks difficult. I also immediately knew that nothing could stop these guys. They can drive, go to the grocery stores, dress themselves, they even would fight if they had to. One of the things that one of them said was, "you want to hit a kid in a wheel chair? Go ahead I'll hit you back". That was humorous and he was stating that just because he was in a wheel chair doesn't mean you can fuck with him and he won't fuck with you back.

Vocabulary: Spring #2

accouterments - additional items of dress or equipment, or other times carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity

On the hike this morning, John's countless accouterments slowed us all down.

apogee - the highest point of development of something

After reviewing my essay I feel that the apogee for it has been met.

apropos - with reference to; concerning

I watched the New Years fireworks in the Colorado Rockies at the beginning of the year; apropos, what did you do on New Years?

bicker - argue about petty and trivial matters

When my brothers were smaller, it seemed like they were constantly bickering about pointless things.

coalesce - come together and form one mass or whole

After it had rained, the puddles outside had coalesced and formed a much larger puddle.

contretemps - an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence

When leaving the gym the student had a bad contretemps with a fellow student and it escalated to a fight.

convolution - a thing that is complex and difficult to follow

There are a lot of convolutions of math for me and there always has been growing up.

cull - select from a large quantity

When you cull cattle you must select the thickest one to slaughter.

disparate - essentially different in kind; not allowing compassion

The two students were too disparate to be friends.

dogmatic - inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

Without being dogmatic, he tried to assert his opinion.

licentious - disregarding accepted rules or conventions, esp. in grammar or literary style

The report was so licentious that it was nearly impossible to read.

mete - dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment

There are many accounts of harsh sentences meted out for crimes that should call for no more than a caution.

noxious -  harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant

Many people have noxious conversations every day.

polemic - a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

Polemic against politicians is common.

populous - having a large population; densly populated

The island of Malaysia has a very low populous.

probity - the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency

Politicians try to have probity but it often never seems that way.

repartee - conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies

Courtney could easily exchange repartee against at least a dozen at once.

supervene - occur later than a specified or implied event or action

The fair had to be supervened due to rain

truncate - shorten by cutting off the top or the end

Gangrene has caused many people to have to truncate their limbs.

unimpeachable - not able to be doubted

The president's speech was so unimpeachable that the entire crowd was moved by it.

The Choice

          Keep the dog, or send it to its death? That was the decision I was faced with when I was a freshman. We had been wanting a dog for some time now and we had finally found him. He was a purebred rottweiler and we decided to name him Franklin.

          He was an about twelve week old puppy when we got him. He was really cute, as most puppies are and he was larger than most full grown dogs. After the first week we obviously had a couple accidents like him peeing on the floor, chewing up pillows, and digging in the trash, normal puppy things. At the time that we got him we were also fostering kittens so the messes the puppy was making were a bit much to handle but we did it and we managed.

          After about three weeks with the puppy my parents were pretty much fed up with it. My littlest brother really wanted to keep it so he practically begged my parents to keep it. They agreed in hopes that it would get trained and break its bad habits. About a week after this we went to the beach and when we returned we found our pet rabbit dead lying at the foot of our stairs. We immediately knew who had done it. My mom started crying and wanted to get rid of the dog that second. We had the rabbit for quite a long time and we all really liked him. It was an awful sight to see. That night we decided to take a vote on whether or not we keep the dog.

          When we put it to a vote it was only my brothers and I. My littlest brother was upset about the dog killing our rabbit but he voted to keep the dog because he has wanted one for a long time. My second youngest brother voted to get rid of the dog because he never wanted it from the beginning so the killing of the rabbit was like icing on the cake for him. Finally it was my decision to either vote yes, keep the dog or no, get rid of it. I was torn but mostly because I was the deciding vote. I knew we would either put the dog in a shelter or "send it away to a farm" if I voted no. If I voted yes, however, we would keep the dog but it could potentially do more damage and cause more heartbreak. The decision was tough but I ultimately decided to get rid of the dog. I really loved the rabbit and it was getting frustrating cleaning up the messes he would make. I didn't want a dog in the first place but he was cute so I figured that would help him get adopted if he went to a shelter.

          I know we shouldn't have taken the killing of our rabbit personally because it was only instinct but we felt that he wasn't the dog for us. He also should have known better because we introduced him to all of our animals before hand in hopes that something like that wouldn't have happened. I think I made the right decision because Franklin wasn't the dog for us but there is someone out there that he would be perfect for. It was a tough choice but I felt I made the right one.

Vocab #1 Performance Review

I got a ten out of ten on the vocabulary quiz that we took today. I know that this is a reflection on how well I studied the material. I didn't study it nonstop but I did study for about 10-30 minutes on Saturday and Sunday and that was how long I needed to memorize the definitions for each word.

Vocabulary: Spring #1

adumbrate - report or represent in outline
Sherlock Holmes adumbrated the crime scene and handed it over to the police chief.

apotheosis - the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax
Playing Khan in the new Star Trek movie was Benedict Cumberbatch's apotheosis of his career.

ascetic - characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons
People who are part of religions that make them fast live ascetic lives.

bauble - something that is superficially attractive but useless or worthless
Some people go out of their way to find baubles when all they are really doing is wasting their time.

beguile - charm or enchant (someone) sometimes in a deceptive way
Some are still beguiled by Houdini's magic tricks.

burgeon - begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish
When plants are given the correct kind of fertilizer it seems like they begin to burgeon.

complement - a thing that completes or brings to perfection
Just by adding a dash of salt, it complemented the mash potatoes in such a way that it made the entire dish that much more divine.

contumacious - stubbornly or willingly disobedient to authority
The teenager was contumacious towards the teacher.

curmudgeon - a bad-tempered or surly person
The old man that lives down the street is curmudgeon especially when you go on his lawn.

didactic - intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive
The book was intended to be didactic in that it teaches that everyone is equal.

The Choice (First post of 2014)

1.) The choice has to do with the girl and whether or not she wants to take the poison herself or have it shoved down her throat.

2.) It is a real choice because she literally has to choose between two different things. They both have the same result but she has a choice on whether or not it's done violently.

3.) The author uses the word poison in the first line because it has similar effects that poison does.

4.) The child wants to play with a toy that is intended for older kids because even she knows she might not make it to the certain age so she might as well play with the toy now. I do agree because the child seems like they are smart and would know not to use the toy in a wrong way if they already knew what might be a possibility.

5.) If I thought I wasn't going to live until the age of thirty I would finish school and even go to college for however long I needed to all while spending as much time with my girlfriend and family as possible. I would have a job but I would always be saving up money to take my girlfriend to new places and have new experiences. I wouldn't change a lot but I would want to be happy for as long as I could be.

6.) This circumstance is a good of example of why it makes sense but only if everyone involved has agreed that it is for the greater good.

7.) I think that yes suffering is a necessary condition of life and love because it makes you appreciate love so much more and reminds you that not everything's perfect.

8.) We empathize with the author because we can all imagine a loved one being in the situation and what it would be like if that happened to them.