Newsworthy

Yesterday, I did part of the driving portion of Driver's Ed. It kind of started on Saturday, when the instructor got confused and thought I was supposed to drive. We crossed over the Mississippi River Bridge at one point. I used to get so scared when we would drive over it because it was so high. However, Yesterday I barely even noticed the height because I was concentrating on the road.

Coming up to the bridge I had to speed up more to get up it. Even though I was pushing down harder than usual I still slowed down. When I was approaching the apex I realized how wide the bridge really is. After reaching the halfway point, i almost completely took my foot off of the gas so I wouldn't be going too fast coming down it.

Reading Response 2

Currently I am reading Dune by Frank Herbert. It is a 1965 science fiction book based far into the future. This raises the question of why I enjoy science fiction books. In Dune, the people have ornothopters, a version of a plane that has wings that are manipulated like a bird's. Also, the people use shields which emanate from a belt worn by a person. These shields are strange because they deflect the quick blows but admit the slow knife.

On Arrakis, the planet this book is set on, there are giant sandworms throughout the desert landscape. This sandworms create melange. Melange has many benefits, it increases a lifespan; it greatly improves the mind for short periods; and it allow a group of men to travel through space. Melange allows the navigators to safely and instantly transport a huge ship anywhere. This is a great reason how an empire could stretch so far.

Dune	Frank Herbert	8/20	1 hour	50
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/21	1 hour	51
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/22	1 hour	49
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/23	1 hour	50
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/24	2 hours	100
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/25	1 hour 45 minutes	74
Dune	Frank Herbert	8/26	1 hour	49

Ride the Bull

On Saturday, August 17, 2013, my dad and I went down to Grand Isle, LA in order to participate in an extreme kayak fishing tournament called Ride the Bull. this year it became the largest catch-and-release kayak fishing tournament ever to occur. My dad and I have participated in this event for the past three years. However, this year we fared far better than anytime before. Our success was helped by our new anchors and a fish-finder that we installed.

I caught a black-tip shark and two southern stingrays, while my dad caught three hard-head catfish and a white trout. The shark was a little baby at only two feet long; we had to cut the line when it got to the surface so that we wouldn't lose any fingers. My dad is scared of stingrays so he had to cut the line for them instead of removing the hook. Saltwater catfish, like stingrays, have sharp appendages that cause great pain. In fishing, there is a 'three cat rule' which means that if three catfish are caught in one area, the fisherman should move.

Reading Response 1

Over the summer, I read Inferno by Dan Brown. One thing I noticed was that it is about a scientist who creates a disease that only affects one third of the population, the same percent that was affected by the bubonic plague. Also I noticed that this book has deep ties with Dante’s Inferno about his trip into and out of hell. I wondered why Dan Brown would connect this book to another that was written in the fourteenth century.

Something that surprised me was when a girl that was with the protagonist the entire book left him. Later, after Dan Brown lead the reader to believe the girl turn on the hero, it is revealed that she was also trying to save the world. I was also surprised at how well Dan Brown fit in all of the symbols that he used. I really appreciate the work and effort that went into writing this book.

Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/12	30 minutes	24 pages
Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/13	30 minutes	26 pages
Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/15	30 minutes	25 pages
Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/16	30 minutes	26 pages
Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/17	2 ½ hours	126 pages
Dune (Frank Hebert)	8/18	1 hour	51 pages