Formal vs. Informal Diction

Just this past Saturday, my family and I set out on a short excursion to the little hamlet of Gig Harbor. The quaint little shops that lined the narrow lane beheld the gleaming water, not twenty yards away.  A heavy, swirling mist hung over the surface of the water, kissing my cheeks with tiny droplets. Nearly a fortnight before our arrival, a new museum had just opened in town. Being the historians that we are, we could not pass up this opportunity to learn about the record of this charming community. The elegant white building was adorned with tall wooden columns and polished silver lettering. As we soon learned, the main economic resource of Gig Harbor was the sea. Fishing was the most common trade and an old retired fishing boat was housed behind the museum. I was sure to get a photo beside the majestic vessel.

After completing our exploration of the museum, we strolled down to the marina to take more pictures. My elder sister takes particular interest in photographs and is always sure that we capture these special moments. Presently we stopped into a small deli along the water for a bite to eat. The tiny eatery bustled with people and the warm scent of hot chocolate rose through the air.  After our meal, we ambled back to our vehicle and began our journey back home. We were all cheerless now that out outing had come to an end, but we were glad to have discovered the charm of this small town and were sure to soon return.

Writing About Writing

I love to write. And not writing stories about mythical fairies or unicorns, I love to write about things. Random things like snowflakes, darkness, Thai food. There is nothing I enjoy more than describing a sunset or a misty Washington rain. Using imagery to make something come to life has enhanced my love for words. One of my favorite writing pieces was one that I wrote about a year ago. It was about walking through the snow on a blissful winter's night. It describes the soft blanket of snow covering the earth illuminated by the moon, the billowing form of my breath in the dark air, and the ceaseless passing of time. It beautifully captures my love for language and portrays my unique style as a writer. This was not an assignment for school, but something I did on my own. I had been longing for snow and decided to write about it.
Poetry is also a love of mine. It's so mysterious and deep, no one really knows what an poem means, except for the poet. It's sort of like art, a painting can mean something different to every person who sees it.  
The older I get the more I appreciate words and I hope become a better writer this year.

Outside Reading

The book I chose for my outside reading is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The story begins with Mr. Lockwood visiting his landlord, who lives across the moor. He gets caught in a snow storm and has to spend the night at their house. Nelly, the servant begins telling Mr. Lockwood the story of Catherine and Heathcliff, who had lived at Wuthering Heights. So far nothing much had happened in the book. Bronte's old english vocabulary make it harder to understand what is happening. I am not a fan of romance novels and only chose this book because my friend recommended it. So far, I am not hooked on this book and find that there is much more talking than real action.
One idea I have for my project is doing a poster showing Nelly telling the story to Mr. Lockwood. I could show a speeck bubble filled with elements of the story.
One book that is similar would be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both stories are a flashback. In TKAM Scout is remembering her childhood up to the point of Jem breaking his arm. In Wuthering Heights Nelly is remembering the story of Cathering and Heathcliff as the relates the story to Mr. Lockwood.
Up to my point in the book, Nelly has been speaking of Catherine's childhood growing up with Heathcliff and nothing much has hapened yet. I hope this book will be as engaging as I have heard.

Extending Theme

While reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the character I most identified with was Scout. Growing up I was a total tom-boy and hated (and still hate) to wear dresses or skirts. I loved to play in the mud, climb trees and get dirty. All of these things I still love to do, but being a girl of five years, I was unusual. I lost all interest in dolls around age four and spent most of my time outside. I had a special tree that I called my own and didn't allow anyone to come near it, much less climb it. I constantly had to be entertained, and if I was inside too long, I would start to go stir-crazy. I was so free and had not a care in the world. Like Scout, I hated going to school because it was too easy. Elementary school is still taught at the same level and was monotonous for me as well.
On a deeper level, this book shows me how messed up life is sometimes. How there is evil in the world but we need to try to find the good. Like Scout and Boo Radley. She saw him as an evil being, but later sees the good in  him. Beneath the marred surface of his reputation and peoples' judgement, was his kind heart that showed through his actions. Also, Tom Robinson was completely innocent of the crime held against him, but the evil of racism reigned in society and clouded the jury's view of justice. This book is rich in life lessons that Scout learns during this time of her life, lessons that we can use as well.