25 Random Facts About Me

1. My first name means "healer"
2. I like to skim board
3. I like to go to the beach
4. We have a beach house
5. I've only been on a plane once
6. I have a brother
7. I have a sister
8. I have 4 dogs, a cat, a bird, and some fish
9. I wear glasses
10. My dad is 50 years old
11. I like to play paint ball and airsoft
12. I have two paint ball and airsoft guns
13. I have a really nice skim board
14. We have a boat
15. I live in Maryland
16. I am 15
17. My first name is Jason
18. All of my grandparents are alive
19. I have 3 cousins
20. I am not smart when it comes to school
21. My favorite movie series is Fast and the Furious
22. I have lived in two different houses as a kid
23. I don't have a favorite band or singer just favorite songs
24. I have six aunts and uncles
25. I don't like school

Cambell

Campbell Alexander and his family relationship was that he was the lawyer for Anna

Campbell is about in his about 38 years old

In life he is a lawyer

The personality traits that he has is that he likes to lie and will help someone in a case as long as they have the money

Some hobbies and interests he has is to help Anna and her case against her family

A weird quirk that he has is to trick the people that come into his office

He deals with weird things such as he says "For God's sake, what kind of message does it send when a group of Native American students names their intramural basketball league 'The Whiteys'?" (p.116)

Similes and Metaphors for My Sister's Keeper

Similes:
1) Trailing her spine, like a line of blue jewels, are a string of bruises.
2) it will bounce us back like a rubber bumper.
3) gave me a maid that smelled like fresh sheets.
4) They come in like a hurricane.
5) Her mind is running in circles, like a gerbil on a wheel, the same way mine is.

Metaphors:
1) My cheeks are on fire.
2)  The information is endless, a series of darts thrown so fast I cannot fell them sting anymore.
3) Brian and I watched the doctors hover over Kate's feverish body, bees over a field of flowers, drawing what they can from her.
4)
5)

I am a Keeper of my Brother

I feel like I am the keeper of my little brother. I feel this way because whenever he is about to do something stupid, or is debating about doing something stupid, I try to convince him not to. I also try to help him out whenever he needs it and I teach him how to do different things, like skim boarding. Another thing that makes me think that I am his keeper is that I am older than him so I just feel like that I have to teach and protect him from different things. That is why I think that I am the keeper of my little brother Ryan.

Into The Wild Editoral

Chris McCandless: A Nut Job’s Journey to Alaska

By: Jason Drager

            Would you leave a good life with a promising future to go to Alaska on foot unprepared? Chris McCandless was a different guy. He couldn’t stand the modern civilization and he gave it all up on his journey to Alaska. He gave up a life of good grades, a caring family, and a promising future. “During his course of travels, Chris had acquired a machete and a .30-06 rifle…” (Krakauer, 119). Chris McCandless was an unprepared fool that didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

            I think that McCandless was a crazy guy. He walked on foot to Alaska and he acquired the majority of his materials on his way there, and yet he didn’t have a map for the area that he wanted to stay in when he was in Alaska. He was just an unprepared idiot that thought he knew everything, but he didn’t! “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten pound bag of rice. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber… He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station” (Gallien, 5).  If he would have been prepared for his journey, rather than acquiring his materials throughout it, maybe he wouldn’t have died.

            McCandless also didn’t take very well of himself while on his journey, such that he didn’t bathe, and even when he was working at a place on his journey, he wouldn’t bathe, but yet he would brush his teeth. Now this makes me wonder how the heck you could brush your teeth and not take a bath in the wild. Is it easier to brush your teeth in a river of waterfall than take a bath in them; that just doesn’t make sense: idiot. And when people told him that he smelled bad, he would take it too offensively and he would get mad. “When he first started working, he was homeless and he’d show up for work smelling bad. It wasn’t up to McDonald’s standards to come in smelling the way he did. So finally they delegated me to tell him that he needed to take a bath more often. Ever since I told him, there was a clash between us” (,41). He just didn’t like people giving him advice of what to do to make himself healthier. As a matter of fact he just didn’t like people telling him that he was wrong.

            One more thing that proves that McCandless was crazy was that he never wanted to have a good relationship with anyone and he had a hard time forgiving people such as his dad. Chris and his dad always got into big fights only because of what he did in the past and Chris couldn’t forgive him. Chris was mad at his dad because he had an affair with another woman while he was married. The only time Chris actually came out and opened up to his dad was when Chris got drunk. “He got real emotional. He was almost crying, fighting back the tears, telling Dad that even though they’d had their differences over the years, he was grateful for all the things Dad had done for him” (Carine,118). This is one of the only times that Chris ever came out to forgive his Dad for what he had done which shows how stubborn and stupid he was, which in the end killed him.

Some people say that he was a hero and the people that were criticizing him for his stupidity were actually the stupid ones because they were saying that he was stupid. Does that sound right? I do agree that he went on an epic adventure, but he went unprepared and he died because of it. What is even worse about his case of stupidity is that he was killed from a plant; not a bear, not the weather nor a wild boar, but a plant. The thing that is even worse is that he had a plant book with him with pictures of all of these different plants that said if the plants were edible or inedible right under the picture of the plant. How much more dumb can you get when you can’t look and pictures of read words like EDIBLE or INEDIBLE. The journey must of made him illiterate, I mean because he was a straight a student in college. “He had begun to eat large quantities of the wild potato seeds” (194) which than killed him. What was even worse was that if he had walked up a mile or so up the river, when it flooded over so that he couldn’t cross, there would have been a place to cross. You can see how stupid and ignorant Chris McCandless was.

As you can see how crazy this guy was. His foolishness and his unpreparedness utterly killed him in the wild. If he had prepared and brought all of his goods on the trip and to the goods that the people gave to him while he was on it, he probably would still be alive now. If I were you I would not feel bad for this guy because he was an unprepared fool that went into the wild. I would like it if you took my side for this fools trip into the wild. I also hope I taught you guys a few things about this guy.

Chris McCandless character chart

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/09/23/usa-pilgrimage-into-the-wild/

Chapter and page #	Description/quote from novel	What impression you get about Chris with this character trait or description?
Chapter 1, page 4	“Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build, he claimed to be 24 years old and said he was from South Dakota.  He explained that he wanted a ride as far as the edge of Denali National Park, where he intended to walk deep into the bush and ‘live off the land for a few month.’”	Chris is not physically fit for walking into such a dangerous environment.  He seems a little crazy.
Chapter 2, p. 14, p. 12	“Virtually no fat remained on the body… At the time of the autopsy, McCandless’s remains weighed sixty seven pounds.” “S.O.S I need your help I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here I am all alone, this is no joke, in the name of God, plese remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless.	He died of starvation and starvation only. He was very desperate and was on the verge of death so he was asking for help.
Chapter 3, p. 16, p. 16	“He was small with the hard, stringy physique of an itinerant laborer. There was something strange about the youngster’s eyes. Dark and emotive… and conveyed vulnerability…” “Wayne Westerberg… remembering the odd young man he knew as Alex.”	He has been traveling for a while and has been in need of food too. He was probably very cold and anxious to get some real food and water and rest for a little while before continuing on his journey. He was probably just returning from one of his adventures and he was probably a little weird because of his lack of communication with people.
Chapter 4, p.37, p. 27	“Malnutrition and the road have taken their toll on his body. Over 25 pounds lost. But his spirit is soaring.” “McCandless steered the Datsun off the pavement where it crossed a broad sandy was. He drove two miles down the riverbed to the south shore of the lake.”	He has been traveling for a while but he was persistent and never gave up and so he still had a lot of hope and life in him because of his personality. He probably drove so far because down the riverbed so it would be hard to find it and continue to track him on his journey.
Chapter 5, p.41, p. 38	“When he first started working, he was homeless, and he’d show up for work smelling bad.” “When his camera was ruined and McCandless stopped taking photographs, he also stopped keeping a journal, a practice he didn’t resume until he went to Alaska the next year.”	He does so much travelling around that he doesn’t care about the way that he smells. He found it unnecessary to keep a journal until he was all alone by himself in Alaska.
Chapter 6, p. 50, p. 48	“He was polite, friendly, and well groomed.” “McCandless made an indelible impression on a number of people during the course of his hegri.”	He took good care of himself throughout his trip and he also kept his kind and out-going personality too. He was a really nice kid and he left a good impression on all of the people he met through his journey.
Chapter 7, p.62, p. 62	“And in walks Alex with a big old backpack slung over his shoulder.” “During those four weeks in Carthage, McCandless worked hard, doing dirty, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted to tackle…”	He had been traveling for a while and he probably was in need for some money to get more supplies so he was looking for a job at Westberg’s business. He was used to all of the dirty things that he had to do on his journey around the country.
Chapter 10, p. 99, p. 98	“When Alex died, McCandless was wearing a blue sweat shirt printed with the logo of a Santa Barbara towing company.” “Last Sunday a young hiker, stranded by an injury, was found dead at a remote camp in the Alaskan interior.”	He probably wore out all of his other clothes and that is what he was left with to wear before he died. He probably just died and did not have his body identified so no one knew who he was.
Chapter 11, p. 107, p. 104	“He wasn’t antisocial – he always had friends, and everybody liked him – but he could go off and entertain himself for hours.” “Chris as a rapt eight year old in a yellow rain slicker on his first backpacking trip…”	He was really easy to get along with and he make do with what he had and still had fun even though he loved his friends. It was his first time going on a vacation that he needed to pack a backpack for.
Chapter 12, p. 118, p.119	“He got really emotional. He was almost crying, fighting back the tears, telling dad that even though they’d had their differences over the years, he was grateful for all the things Dad had done for him.” “During his course of his travels, Chris had acquired a machete and a .30-06 rifle…”	He was a very emotional guy and he loved his parents very much. He felt a bad because he never expressed how much he loved his dad so he just let it all out. He was very unprepared for his trip to Alaska and he needed to gather the supplies on his way there because he packed so poorly.
Chapter 13, p. 127, p. 128	“Chris as a seven year old in a pint size suit and crooked tie, standing beside Carine who is wearing a frilly dress and a new Easter hat.” “Standing five feet eight inches tall, Carine McCandless is the same height as her brother was, maybe an inch taller, and looks enough like him that people frequently asked if they were twins.”	He is very little and is most likely celebrating Easter. Chris was a short guy and he and Carine were a lot alike. This could also explain why they were able to get along so well because of their indifferences.
Chapter 16, p. 158, p. 159	“He was surprised, therefore, to find someone already in the steaming water, a young man who introduced himself as Alex.” “McCandless was candid with Stuckey about his intent to spend the summer alone in the bush, living off the land.”	He was trying to stay out of the cold and try to stay warm. He felt comfortable talking to the guy and the guy respected his plans.
Chapter 17, p. 174, p. 177	“McCandless mistakenly thought that it was impossible to reach the other side of the river.” “It’s an appealing setting, open and filled with light. It’s easy to see why McCandless decided to make this his base camp.”	He didn’t come prepared with a map so he was too lazy and tired to walk down the river to try to find a crossing that he would have found. This was the home in which McCandless had while he was in the wild.
Chapter 18, p. 188, p. 191	“After subsisting for three months on an exceedingly marginal diet, anced on a precarious edge.” “Extremely week. Fault of pot seed…”	He was struggling to find food in order to survive. He was so anxious to get food that he mistakenly ate the pot seed which than killed him.

The Amazing Belt That I Would Make

For my belt I would have a few objects on it. One object that I would include on it would be my old house. My old house would be on there because I had a lot of good memories there. Another thing that would be on my belt would have to be my old beach house. My old beach house is important to me because it was the first beach house we ever had. I would also have to include my skim board. I would have to include it because skim boarding is my favorite thing to do. Another thing that would have to be on the belt would have to be the car from The Fast and The Furious. I would have to include it because that is my favorite movie. I would also have to include a tennis racket because tennis is my favorite sport. I would also have to add my paintball gun because paintball is amazing. One more thing that I would have to add to my belt would have to be my new beach house because without it I wouldn’t be able to skim board as much as I  do and there is a lot of good memories there. The final thing that I would include on my belt would be the house that I live in now because there is some amazing memories that have happened there.

Where I would like to go in the United States

If I could go anywhere in the United States, I would go to Hawaii. Hawaii would be and amazing place for me to go because I love the beach. I would get there by airplane. If I went there I would have a few expectations. One expectations I would have would be that the people there would be nice and friendly. While I were there, I would go to the beach everyday.

In order for me to get to Hawaii, I would have to travel there. The way I would want to get there would be by airplane. There would also be a few things that I would have to pack. I would have to pack my clothes. I would also have to pack my laptop so I can have a computer for Facebook. I would also pack a tooth brush, tooth paste, mouth wash, and my retainers. A few more things that I would pack is shampoo, soap, deodorant, and a towel for drying off. I would also pack a few things for entertainment. One thing I would pack, is my laptop so I can get on Facebook and watch You Tube. I would also have to bring my ipod for music and games. I would also bring a few DVDs and a DVDs player so I  can watch movies on the way there and back. The final things I would bring is my skim board because I can't go to the beach and not skim board.

While I were at Hawaii, I would do a few things. The first thing that I would do is go to the beach. I would probally go to the beach the first few days because I like the beach so much. After I would go to the beach, I would go and see one of the volcano's. The main volcano I would want to see is the Mauna Loa volcano. One reason that I would want to see it is because it is the biggest volcano on Earth. Another thing that I would want to do is a zip line in Hawaii. The zip line is called the Flyin Hawaiian. It is the biggest zip line in Hawaii. It reaches speads over fifty miles and hour and it also reaches over 250ft high in some parts. Another interesting fact about the zip line is that it is over 2 miles long! The final thing that I would do in Hawaii is that I would go snorkeling. The place that I would go snorkeling would be at a beach called  Molokini. Molokini is said to also have one of the clearest waters in all of Hawaii. These are the reasons that I would want to go to Hawaii and what I think makes Hawaii great.

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maunaloa/
http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/molokini.html
http://www.flyinhawaiianzipline.com/contact.html

Introduction to Into the Wild

The book into the Wild is about an Alaskan homeless man who roams the wilderness. For many years he is on the road and he meets and affects the lives of many people. He tries to return to society and is unable and he on his final days, was weakened by hunger and the cold. He ends up spending 100 days in the wild. He stays their of being suspected of causing damage of a local cabin owners' land. He eventually dies and his body is found by Alaskan hunters. This sounds like this could be a good book.

Third Quater

We atre still finishing Mid Summer Nights Dream which I truly would not recommend you to read cause it sucks. I have learned that John Carroll is a cool school since I have been here. From September until now i have changed by becoming more lazy when it comes to school which I am going to try to change this quarter. Once again i would highly recommended you to not read the book it is  horrible.

Jason

Zurkoski

English 9

Greens

Adrift Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea 

“BANG! A deafening explosion blankets the subtler sounds of torn wood fiber and the rush of the sea. I jump up. Water thunders over me as if I’ve suddenly been thrown into the path of a raging river (Callahan, 14).” This happened while Steven Callahan (who also happens to be the author of the book) was in a race from Penzance to the Canary Islands. He was caught in a big storm that capsized his boat and forced him to survive Adrift for Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea (which happens to be title of the book). When his boat capsized, he only was able to retrieve three pounds of food and eight pints of fresh water. Once those supplies ran out he had to live off nature for 73 days. During that time, the character was put to the test by the elements. He had to catch than eat his food raw and had to hope for rain storm to get water. Callahan had to use his Boy Scout survival skills to stay alive.

Steven Callahan had several important personality and physical traits. One physical trait that he has was that he had been a big guy. He originally had been a heavier guy and because of the work he had been doing at sea, he lost a lot of weight. Another personality trait was that he never gave up even though every once and a while he wished he could. Another personality trait he had was that he was nice and had a lot of feelings. One thing that demonstrates his feelings was when he was killing his fish for food. The thing that made him sad for them was that he felt that he could relate to them when he killed them. As his friends and family were missing him and wondering where he is, he thinks that the fish’s friends and family could think the same. He was a caring and companionate human being,

While the character was lost at sea he experienced several life changing events. The first event took place at Day 14 when the first ship passed by. He saw the ship when he awoke from what he thought was a Dorado hitting his raft so he grabbed his gun and went outside. He then saw lights flickering in the distance and then he rushed to find his flares. He found them and then shot one, than another, than one more … and then six and the ship still didn’t see him. The second major event took place when the third ship passed without noticing him. When the ship past without seeing him he doubted himself and thought about just giving up. He thought that he probably would never be found and thought there would be no use if he kept trying. But then he remembered his friends and family so then he thought he could keep on going in order to see them again. The final and third event that affected the character was when his raft popped. It happened when he caught a fish and the arrow in the fished punctured the raft when the fish was still squirming to get free. Since that event he had to repair then pump his raft all day long. This event deprived him of his energy and made him not want to do anything else. The character had a lot of life changing events and decisions that happened to him while at sea.

Once the story ends the character underwent several major transformations. One of the transformations that he underwent was a physical one. The physical change he went through was from a heavy guy to a normal sized guy. The character also underwent a personality transformation too. The positive changes that he made were that he became a lot nicer and was a lot more thankful of the life he had. The character had drastically changed when he returned home to his friends and family.

In Adrift Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea Steven Callahan (who also is the author) underwent many struggles while at sea. The character placed a very high importance to the theme of the story because it showed that you should never give up no matter what the hardship. Also, the character was all alone and it made you feel bad for him and wish you could be there to help him. The character left a lasting impression on the reader and that built the theme of the story.

Bibliography:

Callahan, Steven. Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.