Writing Challenge #3

It's 2:03 in the morning on Sunday, 3 minutes after bar close. It was a dark night downtown, darker than usual. And let me just say, this week sucked. This girl at work got a promotion over me because she has fake boobs, this guy I just started seeing does heroin, and on top of all of that, I have my period, I'm bloated, and I didn't get hit on by one guy. I really just want to be home now. I said my farewells to my friends, and started stumbling away. I'm a little drunk, great, and I drove myself here. I wanted to get to my car as quick as possible. There's an alley, my mom's voice just popped into my head, "Don't go in dark alley's alone sweetie, yeah, I know you know but, just don't okay?!" Whatever, I'm going into the alley. Finally, there's the parking ramp. As I was walking in, there were literally no cars left, I wish it would've been this empty when I came, parking wouldn't have been such a bitch. This parking ramp all the sudden became really dank, It's too cold out tonight for it to be this humid in here. Whatever, I'm probably breaking out in a sweat because of my damn period. As I headed toward my car, oddly enough, there was another car parked two spaces from me. This car was extremely superfluous, it defintely isn't american. There's a figure in the car, firmiliar looking hair, and necklace.. Is that Lisa? I go to knock on the window. "Lisa, who's car is this?! I thought you were going home with Ashley? LISA?! Are you okay? I didn't think you drank that much to pass out." And with a slight turn of her head, effortless, blood, all over her neck. I started panicing, It keeps getting hotter in this ramp. I scramble to find my cell in my bag, there it is! I flip it open, I can barley read the numbers, my vision is blurring, I should be sobering up at this point. I get tapped on the shoulder, a unfirmilar face, a man, about 25, not too shabby looking with his 5 o'clock shadow. "Oh my god! Can you help me? My friend is locked in this car, and is it your car? Do you know whose it is? Can you dial 911 for me?" He takes my cell phone, and throws it from the 3 story parking garage into the streets of downtown. He smiles, "Well I can't when your phone is broken.." I start running the completely other direction, back to the entrance of the ramp. He catches up to me, throws me to the ground, and takes authority over my drunken body. I don't know weither he's gonna rape me or stab me. At this point, I'd rather die. I've heard stories about my rape, my mom was a victim. I didn't want to live with that for the rest of my life so, death is my choice. I don't think he's going to give me an option though.  His eyes burned into mine, ardent. His eyes turned blood red, and his smile became more ferocious.  Is this guy human or did he put on fake contacts and fangs without me noticing? All the sudden, he goes for my neck. Is he going to suck the life out of me like a vampire, seriously? Well. This is an interesting way to go out. I felt his cold lips on my neck... I flinched awake in a sweat, figuring out my surroundings. I'm in my room, in a sweat. I still feel a cold sensation on my neck. I get up to look in the mirror, and as I launch out of bed, a book falls on the floor.. All I see is a dark red stain on my brand new white tee, and I look to see what book fell. That's what I get for drinking wine and reading "Twilight" before bed.

Writing Challenge #2

Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen team up to take over The Royal Wedding.

On Sunday, April 24th 2011,  Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen were seen leaving a private jet together in England at 3:04am. "They tried being very nonchalant and were in deguise" said an on location paparazzo. The duo have recently been in the news, Lohan for Theft, Sheen for his drug abuse and custody battle over his children with Brooke Mueller. Lohan spent 5 hours in jail on Friday the 22nd, after being sentenced to 120 months. "After leaving the LA area jail, she asked an friend for the number of Charlie Sheen (her friend was rumored to be one of his goddesses)" says a stand-by reporter who saw her leaving the jail.

"She (Lohan) always wants to be the one in the spotlight, and no one will stop her in her ways of doing it. She always complains about the no-talents that get the spotlight but, she never complained about Sheen." says a close friend. "I think she understood him on a different level, he wasn't trying to be anybody but himself, she respected that." The two got together for coffee at a local Starbucks in the LA area on Saturday at around 5 AM, they were both bothered by the recent event to take the country, and the England area by storm, "The Royal Wedding". "They're both fame-hungry, and wanted to make this event about them, after all,  E! True Hollywood stories didn't seem comparable when the network decided to get coverage of the whole wedding, and dedicate one of the networks new shows "Fashion Police", to the event."

"They came in holding hands, laughing, and the occasional peck and butt grab" said "I Do" wedding dress shop owner Pipi Kelly.  She said "I want the biggest, most extravagant wedding dress you have, price isn't a factor, show me what you got." Her and Sheen left the shop after an hour of shopping and spending $954,000 dollars on their attire. 

Lohan and Sheen arrived, uninvited to the Engagement party, at the Westminster Abbey, the location of the wedding, hand in hand, in wedding gown and tux, during the toast to Prince William and Kate. "Kate left the room in tears, embarrased of the situation, yelling obscenities, "THOSE STUPID METH HEADS! THEY CAN SUCK MY.. !@#$%^&*()" said her close friend. Police were on location and took Lohan and Sheen into custody. Their sentence is still pending but, got their wishes of making top news story. 

Writing Challenge #1

Last Spring, My mom, Sister, and I took a trip to California. We had always talked about taking a trip but, finally, things worked out. My mom had a friend on sabbatical down there, he wanted to show us the city, and timing was perfect. Not to mention it was my first time on a plane. The night before, I packed my bag. Shorts, Tanning Oil, Swim Suits, Camera, everything I possibly needed. Double checked, and triple checked my stuff. You know you hear about people being so excited that they have a hard time falling asleep? Like, little kids on Christmas Eve. That was me. I've always dreamt of going to LA, and just getting to finally step foot and see the palm trees, and see the moutains, it was surreal. It's a place I've always wanted to be.  I woke up, showered, put on a tank, sweatshirt, jeans, and flip flops, completely prepaired to land in the sunshine state. Being on a plane was one of my biggest fears, I hate heights more than anything. Taking off, I was literally speechless. When we were in the air, it was one of the top most memorable moments I've had. The Clouds, passing over mountains, and finally, lowering down, I saw gorgeous house after gorgeous house. Almost everyone had a pool in the back yard, and the amazing coast line. We landed in Burbank, the famous Bob Hope Airport. I got off the plane and got to walk the turf to the door, which is something I only saw on TV and in old movies. The drive to Claire Mount, where our hotel was, about 30 minutes outside of LA, was an hour long. I had the window down, sunglasses on, and camera out. We got to the hotel, settled in, and I went and sat by the pool, and got some In N' Out Burger (which is as tasty as they say!) I got to see Downtown LA, Chinatown, Hollywood, Pasadena, and probably my favorite, the ocean. We went to Hunington Beach, and it was my first time going to a body of water bigger than Lake Nokomis. I got swept in by the salty water, and now I can say, I've seen something of such magnitude. My last day was bittersweet, I missed home but, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay, start college there, leave everything I knew, to task a risk. Sadly, it wasn't my time. I hopped on my plane, listened to "California" by Atherton. and thought to myself, "That was some advenutre, huh?"

Documentary Blog #10

My group and I are doing pretty well! We had a problem earlier this week with the intro... which lead to us taking an hour and a half to do it, now that we're back on our feet we're moving along. I'm excited to see how it turns out! and to be done :)

The character seems to be an outkast, and she's having trouble with her peers because they turn her away and aren't accepting her. Which brings me back to what it means to be human, and everyone needs to be accepted into some community. The character does her own thing, and I think everyone has felt out of place once in their life, and it's not a good feeling, but once you find your fit, you're in a good place.

Documentary Blog # 8

My group and I have taken time out to begin planning out our final interview, and am still waiting to hear back from 2 art teachers, and if they aren't interested, we're going to ask Mrs. Saddler for maybe a district level contact for our final interview.

The first person that came to my mind when I read that question was Marie Currie. I don't remember how old I was when I watched the film on her work but, I just remembered feeling so inspired. Not necesarily to become a physicist or find something as revolutionary as radioactivity but, just to follow your passion. Marie Currie loved caring for people, and where there's a will there's a way. She found something so important that, what would we do without it?! Also, the fact that she's a girl kicks ass! (So much for girls being the housewife right, whose bringing home the bacon now?!)

Documentary Blog # 7

Trailers were presented today, enough said :) We got some okay feedback from the class, and now we're waiting on respsonses from 2 more interviewees, then we will start editing very soon!

I know this might seem a little silly but, someone that I've seen make a huge social change is actually Lady Gaga. I say this because she has become a movement. Her latest single "Born This Way" is really empowering. It shows that regardless of your shape, size, color, gender, or sexual orentation, you were born they way you were for a reason, and we're all special. She inspires her fans like me, to be proud of who you are. She isn't average either, she makes a statement with whatever she does, or wears for that matter. She seems meaningful to me because it brings me back to, what does it mean to be human? and the class conversation at the beginning of the year of being accepted into communities, and she makes everyone feel accepted in this world. Like I said previously. That to me is, insane. No other artist these days creates music so relatable and inspring.

Documentary Blog # 6

Me and My group are a hop, skip, and a jump away from finishing our trailer. I'm really pleased with it, and the concept we came up for it! We have our title in mind but, I'll leave it as a surprise for the whole class! Today, we expirenced some audio problems with our interviews in the trailer but, no need to fear, John was there to guide us! I'm so excited for my group and I. We're doing great.

A group that I belong to, is the Fashion Board at Nordstrom. What allows me to be part of the group is, the other girls and I all share a passion for fashion, in one way or another, some of them want to be designers, buyers, stylists, you name it. We all come together to expirence the industry first hand, learn from people higher in the Nordstrom company, and get to occasionally work Nordstrom events. A group that I don't consider myself part of, is probably the Senior Clique at school. I don't stick to one group of friends, I go outside the box and am friends with many different kinds of people. I'm a floater I guess. I don't tie myself down and not get to know anybody else, everybody has a story and I'm willing to hear them out, if they're willing to hear me.

Documentary Blog # 5

I liked this reading, I read it last year in Ms. Matera's class I believe, or I've read it before.  I liked that it isn't something totally documentary related, but I'm sure it relates somehow.. You're sneaky Ms. Hodge! Anyways, So I wasn't sure if we were supposed to answer the reflection question on the back, but I will. I don't think there's ever been an instance where someone has gotten me, right. I don't think anyone has really experienced that. You're never to judge a book by it's cover, but let's face it.. We all do. Most people generalize my generation, or the age I'm in as, the wreckless, irresponsible, partying, age. I don't like sticking to the status quo.. in any sort. I like to think I'm really mature for my age, and when people do get to know me. They see that. I just thought of something I get a lot, shy! It takes me awhile to warm up to people, but then when I become comfortable with you, I open up.

I'm coming to the conclusion my group is invincible! (Knock on wood) Yesterday, before we got the interview with Mrs. Saddler, which was awesome. Me and Emily noticed Mariah was gone, and she had our tape. We also had to return our camera, and Emily had no gas. So we worked together, and figured out a plan. But then Mariah showed up! So we got our interview, got our camera back just in time, and finished uploading our film to the computer. I'm so happy that we're conquring over these problems, and keeping our eye on the prize! We need to figure out our title though!

Documentary Blog # 4

Although we already have 2 interviews down, this article helped me personally think over the questions we have prepaired for our interviews, what to tweak, and what types of things will keep our interviewee talking, rather than getting a short ended, yes or no answer. Be creative, and put yourself out there with your questions. Don't be afraid of what answer you might get, because it might just make your documentary a whole lot better!

Tomorrow, my group has an interview with Mrs. Saddler, so far so good! One problem we might have is deciding weither we should get someone at district level to be in our documentary, or if it will just take up too much time in the documentary, because we already have great footage on the way. So the time limit of 10 minutes might set back on that idea.

Documentary Blog # 3

This article was a mind full! There were a lot of questions to comprehend.  But, they did help! I will admit I was thinking about some of these pin points before I read this article (and found solutions to them, I will add :D) which makes me feel really confident, I learned from the PSA unit, don't waste any precious time. My group is rocking this project! This article was the most helpful thus far!

As I said before, We're rocking this! We have 2 interviews, one more scheduled with Mrs. Saddler, we've already begun uploading our film, and deciding what has to get cut. I'm really proud of us. We're working so well together as a team. I'm excited that this time, my project will be able to be on the big screens with everyone else :)

Documentary Blog # 2

Recently, my group got an interview with Mrs. Meyers, also we got some B-roll of her choir classes, and some student interviews from Varsity Choir. We're in the process of getting an interview with Mr. Carter and Mrs. Saddler, we also want maybe one more in school interview with a visual arts teacher, and maybe someone at the district level, or an expert on arts funding. We haven't heard from the Spring Board, so we're trying to find a plan B.

When reading this article, the first thing that came to my mind was the movie Paranormal Activity. I was so hesitant to see that movie because everyone I knew that saw it was saying "It's a true story! I couldn't go to sleep after!" and around the lines of that. Maybe 2 months after  that movie came out, I was watching some MTV awards of some sort, and in the flesh, the main characters of the movie. Now, at the end of that movie, he was thrown at the camera and was dead, because she became a demon and killed him.. So this article showed me how paraphrasing in trailers such as "Based on a true story" can really uphold an audience, make millions, and be straight bologna. I enjoyed this article a lot.

Documentary Blog # 1

For my documentary, Mariah, Emily, and I are taking on the topic of lack of funding for the arts programs. Mostly we are focusing on the impact within South High because for me it feels like, this is the time in my life where you take time to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, and me being artsy and creative, I realized South doesn't have a lot to offer in that aspect. We wanted to get to the bottom of the budget, find out what exactly goes on in the checkbook, and also, to see how students feel about the arts, what they want to see change.

What I learned from the reading was ALWAYS plan ahead. Also, to not narrow your topic down to something that might seem easy, or is more recent, which might make it seem like it would be easier. Dig to find a topic that is enjoyable, and go for it. There's a whole world of voices who want to be heard, so think outside the box!