Memory...

I had watched a video of a horse that my trainer thought would be good for me. I really liked him and my parents thought that it could be a good thing for me. They told me that they would talk it over, and let me know. One day they told me that we were going to the barn so that they could talk to my trainer about getting him, about the costs and the responsibility. They, for some reason thought that I should know what I was getting into, when in fact I already knew. I spent so much time taking care of other people’s horses, why couldn’t I take care of my own? When it was time to leave I was looking around for my paddock boots to wear, because I never like to go to the barn without them. I couldn’t find them anywhere, and when I asked my mom if she had seen them, she told me they were in the back of the car. I thought this was weird because I hadn’t put them there, but I didn’t think much of it, and just thought they had been moved. We, my parents my sisters and I, drove to the barn. This was a little weird I thought, because if we were just going to talk about a horse, and we weren’t going to do anything else, why were my sisters coming? We got to the barn and my parents went into the office with my trainer, but before she walked in the door of the office, she told me that there was a new horse over in the other barn that she wanted me to go get and clean up a little. I walked over, thinking about nothing really, because she always had me do things like that. I found the horse where she said it would be and I had a thought that it looked like the one in the video. But no, we were just talking about getting it. I took it out and walked from that barn to the other in the snow, having an excited feeling that it could be him, but it was probably just wishful thinking. But a girl can hope, right? I walked in the barn door and my dad took a picture and I looked up and my mom was in the hayloft with a video camera. At the point where the flash went off I knew that this was my horse, this was Chateau. I was really excited, and later my mom told me that I didn’t look very happy at all. I told her that it was because I was so shocked. She thought that I must have known beforehand, because I didn’t act excited, but it was just that I had no clue. I probably had tears in my eyes, but I who really knows. I tacked him up and walked through the snow again to the arena where I got on him and the first thing he did, was buck. Not just a little, “I’m stiff buck,” but a full on “I have a ton of energy buck.” I just laughed and thought it was funny, but later my mom told me that she thought I was going to get off and say I didn’t want him, and that I didn’t like him. I rode around, and realized that this horse really was all that I had made him out to be. He was basically amazing. He went into the most beautiful frame ever, with extreme ease. His canter was beautiful, big long loping strides. You could sit it and not even move. His trot was also perfection, the kind of trot that you can sit and win an equitation class on. My trainer then told me a command to give him. It was something I had never done before. I was supposed to give the command of a canter, but keep my inside leg on him too. And he moved his haunch in. This was cleverly named haunches in. She gave me a few more commands to do, and he did them like they were nothing. Then she told me to hop off because she wanted to show me something he could do. She got on and cantered him in a pirouette, his back legs stationary, as the front pivoted around. Not only was he an amazing mover and jumper, but he was also trained up to fourth level dressage. I was so lucky to have gotten him, and I don’t know what my riding life would have been like if I didn’t.

Off Topic Discussion Reflection

Today in class, we were talking about the piece of writing "How I Started to Write" which we had read the night before. The author is Mexican because his father is, but he was born in Panama City. We talked about how this influenced his writing and his relationship with his father, and how he didn't really connect with Mexico until he was there. From there, we started to talk about how Alex just got his green card in the mail, and how he now had dual citizenship. Then we said that America doesn't recognize the citizenship in of the other country. Someone asked why that was, but that was even too off topic for us.

Therefore,

Dual citizenship is allowed. Most of the laws that forbid it are no longer in action because of the cases, of Afroyim v. Rusk, in 1967 as well as Vance v. Terrazas in 1980. However, you can only have it if you were a US citizen first and then become a citizen of another country. When you become a US citizen, you are supposed to renounce your other citizenship. As a minor, you don't have to do this until you are of age. You can hold both citizenships, in a way. If the person's native country chooses to ignore that US law, and let you keep your citizenship, the US is doing nothing to stop that.



http://www.richw.org/dualcit/faq.html#noway


NOTE: Alex's kitty folder = baller

How I Started to Write

Carlos Fuentes has a story telling style to his writing. He starts off by telling you in a descriptive manner, about his mother, and his birth. His story telling isn't in any way monotonous. He doesn't just state the facts and just tell you what happens. He shows you what happens, by explaining what they were doing, where they were, what was around them. In the opening, he talks about his mother at the movie, watching a silent screen version of an opera.

His style is also influenced by his Mexican heritage. He starts by talking about how he is a Scorpio, and how that exemplifies who he is as a person. I think this shows that he is proud of his background, or at least lets it influence the way he writes. By letting his background into his writing he creates a unique style that can't really be copied, because no one has had the experiences he has, to shape is writing style.

P.S.

I just want it to be known that I find it incredibly annoying that it says "1 comments" at the bottom of the post. It bugs me.

Discussion of "Red Sky in the Morning"

I enjoyed this story very much, especially after reading "The Crack Up." While reading "The Crack Up," you had to try to figure out what Fitzgerald is trying to say. Its not really up for interpretation. You just have to figure out what he is saying. In "Red Sky in the Morning," there is an intended message, but the author leaves it up to the reader to find what it means for them personally.

We first talked about the quote, which titles the book, "I could tell you stories." The middle aged woman says this to the author, referring to her relationship and life with her husband, who is often mistaken for her son. We discussed what we usually think of if someone said this to us. It could mean that she really didn't have anything to say, or it could mean that there was so much to tell, but she never would. The woman leaves an air of mystery by saying this, and the reader is allowed to jump to whatever conclusions they want to.

We also talked about, " A story, we sense, is the only possible habitation for the burden or our witnessing.” We talked about how a story is all we have left over after something happens. A story is the best we can do to try to help someone else understand what we have experienced. "A burden of our witnessing" could mean that it is your duty to tell the story, and to share it with others. A story is a strong thing, it connects us all, whether we know it or not. When someone tells a story and someone listens, the listener now has the story with them to share with others.

"Red Sky in the Morning" was a good piece for a class discussion, because of the way it can try into the other pieces we have read, and the new topics we could bring up after reading it.

How class is going so far.

I think that so far class is going well. Having a little homework every night instead of a lot of homework every few nights is helpful. I feel like if its given at a steady pace, then we know what is going on and are able to participate in discussions in class. During class I like that we have discussions that i think everyone is able to join into. Having one person take notes is helpful, because I know that my notes are okay, but I also know that other people wouldn't be able to follow them. Our discussions are usually pretty good, but we go off topic, while still on the topic a lot. These conversations are always interesting, but then the questions that were supposed to be answered never get answered. Sometimes thats not a bad thing, but others i feel like it would have been more beneficial if we had stayed on the question that was posed in the first place. Overall I think class is going well, and if it continues like this, or somewhat close, I think it will be a good year.