A Morning in Florida with my Laptop

Today in society, millions of people tend to value their cell phones, their laptops, houses, cars,etc. But, only hundreds tend to value special moments they share with others or maybe even themselves everyday that help build who we become as a person. Why is this? Is it because we are so caught up in the world with all of its advanced technology and we don't care anymore about the value of moments that can bring such joy to us. Back when we first started to evolve as human beings, we valued fire, water, families, food, and all the basics of life. How does the value of fire and water compare to cell phones and laptops today?

I wake up to the sun shining in my face, an instant joy comes to mind. Fresh, clean air circulates my room as I slowly make my way out of my bed. As I open the bedroom door, a great rush of breakfast aroma fills my nostrils. My stomach rumbles as my desire for food increases with every step I make through the kitchen of my grandparents' house. Everyone is scattered, one making one thing, the other making another. I go out to the patio where I hang loose and watch some Sportscenter to lay off until breakfast is ready. By the time breakfast is set, I have seen most of the sports highlights and I am ready to dig in. The table is filled with food. Fresh oranges from the orange tree in the backyard, pancakes, grapefruits, eggs, bacon, french toast, and sausage all consume the space of the table. We grab our plates and utensils and dash for the food. My cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers, parents, and I all gather in the master living room to enjoy our food. As I gobble up the rest of my food, my cousins, my brothers, and I head to the pool and hot tub. Usually we start out in the hot tub to digest our food and loosen our muscles for a few minutes. Then we head to the pool where we like to play Marco Polo and other fun pool games. After I have had enough, I go inside to get dressed and get ready. By now it is usually mid-morning and I am ready to start the day. Some days we go to the beach, others we go out on the boat or go shopping. These morning moments are the start to having a perfect day in sunny Florida weather.

As I grow with boredom, I realize something that can entertain me for hours, my laptop. My laptop is very valuable to me, I can find an answer to almost every one of my questions, I can play games, chat with people on Facebook, watch funny videos,etc. My laptop is black and it is called the HP Pavilion dv6500t. I feel like I can do almost everything with a laptop. My laptop costs $600 but it sure was worth it. Most importantly, my laptop is portable so I can take it wherever I want to because it has a battery and it is very helpful. One early morning, I woke up to a lot of snow on the ground. I went to turn on the television but it was not working for some reason and it wouldn't go on. I really wanted to know if we had a snow day so I decided to go on my laptop and look up the Springfield news station. When I came to the website, I saw "South Hadley Public Schools-Two Hour Delay", I was bummed out but at least I wasn't the first student to school two hours before the next student arrived. My laptop is very valuable to me because it cost a lot of money and it means a lot to me. Also, my laptop has been a big help when I had a problem or a question that needed to be answered.

I value both my laptop and mornings in Florida for different but also similar reasons. Mornings in Florida brings me happiness and joy to my life because the environment around me is very peaceful including the warm, sunny weather. The vibe I receive is one of the best feelings to have hoping that the rest of the day will bring as much happiness to me as the morning. Mornings in Florida are priceless. My laptop allows me to do many things. I can do almost anything mentally driven on a laptop and it helps me gain knowledge on things I did not know of before through Internet research. It makes me happy and excited to use it and I never get bored of it. My laptop is very valuable to me because I paid $600 to buy it but also it helps me solve any problems I encounter.

First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

21: Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. Free Press, 2002. Genre: Non-fiction

The book 21 is about six M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students that organize a blackjack team. Kevin Lewis and Jason Fisher lead the team and teach the rest of the members to count cards and win millions of dollars in casinos. When the team heads to Vegas, they organize a plan that they will use in the casino. Usually the two leaders of the group will do all the gambling and counting of cards while the rest of the members disguise themselves and stay in sight. The job of the spotter is to show certain signals to the main gamblers if there is trouble coming. Sometimes the players will act severely intoxicated so their opponents try to take advantage but they just end up losing their chips to the blackjack team.

“In this high-octane tale with rich, sharp dialogue bordering on Elmore Leonard turf, the plot races by at a NASCAR pace and the characters on both sides of the table are as real as an inside straight, making their moves and planning their scores like a croupier on speed. Take the odds, bet the bank, and stare down the dealer. Bringing Down the House is a cant-miss deal.” –Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of Gangster and Street Boys.

This story shows the risk these college students were willing to take and the seriousness they went about what they were doing. They knew that if they got away, if would be an amazing feat, but if they got caught trouble was coming their way.

Ben Mezrich was an author of several books. He also wrote Rigged, Busting Vegas, and The Accidental Billionaires. I have not yet had a chance to read them but relating to their titles, they seem similar to gambling stories. I enjoyed reading 21: Bringing Down the House so I am confident that I would also enjoy other books Ben Mezrich wrote.

“Three of them, coming around the nearest craps table. Big, burly men with narrow eyes. No time for niceties.” (3) Ben Mezrich showed the thoughts of the character by italicizing the text.

This story really brought together my attention. I am a big risk-taker and I don’t usually hold things back. That’s mainly why I enjoyed this book because it kept me wondering what was going to happen next and the situation the characters were in made me think of how mentally strong the players must have been. Just knowing that these college students knew they were gambling illegally but still continued to do it made me think of what people would be able to get away with.

Dave's Decision

A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer
Ender's Game, Ender Wiggin
Dave's house

Dave Pelzer was a lonesome boy who had nothing worth living for in life. He was abused and beaten both mentally and physically by his mother at such a young age. His mother ordered him chores and when they weren’t completed he was beaten and left with nothing to eat. When he did complete his chores on time, he was lucky enough to get a few scraps of food that had such low quality the dogs wouldn’t even eat them. Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy.
One gloomy evening as Dave was taking out the trash he stumbled upon a minuscule creature laying in the grass. It was wearing some sort of monitor device. Dave stood still and examined the creature as did the creature to him. “Who and what are you and what are you doing here,” Dave asked. The creature stood up at only about three feet tall and said “I am Ender Wiggin; I have traveled to earth to try to get away from the stress of battle school.” Dave was depressed and had no interest in Ender so he walked back down into the dark, cold basement to get some rest. As Dave was about to lay down, he heard Ender’s voice again. He looked over and discovered Ender. “I’m sorry but I didn’t get to learn your name,” Ender stated. “Dave, now leave me alone I don’t want to be bothered anymore,” Dave acknowledged. “What is wrong with you Dave, why are you so low-spirited,” Ender aggressively asked. Dave enraged and eventually broke down into tears while he spilled out his life story to Ender. Ender was heart-broken.
The next day Ender returned to the house at the same time as the night before. Dave and Ender had found each other once again and Ender has something on his mind he wanted to ask. “Dave, why don’t you come with me back to battle school to live a happy life instead of having life-threatening difficulties here on earth,” Ender unexpectedly blurted out. Dave was stunned, he wanted to be happy and have someone to care for him but at the same time he worried about his family and mother who was an extreme alcoholic. Dave told Ender he would think over the decision thoroughly and give him an answer the next night.
As you may have expected, Ender returned. Dave was excited to see him again and was ready with his decision. Ender knew that Dave wanted to come so he was excited to hear what Dave was going to say. “I am going to stay home,” Dave shockingly stated. “I can’t leave my mom, she is battling alcoholism and I know that she has treated me despicable but it’s for her own good.” Ender was crushed and left immediately without saying one word. Dave felt like he had betrayed himself and his friend. He knew that deep inside he really wanted to go and that Ender was looking forward to spending time with Dave. The following evening, Dave had forgotten to take out the trash so his mother took out a knife and threatened to kill him if it ever happened again. Dave realized he had enough and his mother was beyond his help. But, due to his decision he was stuck in a battle of life or death for now until he is sent another savior.