Metaphorically speaking ...

Hey class, here is your very first writing assignment of the semester. I wanted you to create 7 original metaphors and 7 original similes, then explain the rational behind the comparison. Have fun and bring them to class on Friday.
P

"I'm a whild and crahazy guy!"

Summer always inveriable constitutes mass amounts of reading for me. It almost feels like a race, a quickly run highly indulgent race. Like watching those professional eaters who in 10 minutes pound down 60 hot-dogs (buns soaked in water/ bite the middle/ shove remaining portion in mouth/ chew once/ swallow/ repeat). My wife absolutely hates it, both the professional eater and me wandering around the house with a book in hand. It renders me somewhat useless and aloof to her "we've got things to do around here!" state of mind. I try to instill my passion for reading in my children, so far it seems to have stuck well. We have a weekly library trip where I often have to negotiate the number of books that I am willing to let my kids check out. Of late, I have turned my tastes more away from fiction stories and to non-fiction biographies. This last trip turned up a copy of Steve Martin's Born Standing Up, a short autobiography of how he came to comedy and his love of vaudvillian magic acts and the like. While I attribute much of my comdic tastes to my fathers exquiste taste for funny comedy albums (George Carlin, Cheech and Chong, essential 60's and 70's drug humor), Steve Martins work was one that I found by accident at about 11 years old. My recently divorced mother and I were staying one summer for several weeks in Santa Cruz Ca. Things had been kinda rough for everyone involved, so a couple of weeks in a beach house seemed to be just the thing that would perk up any kids ailing spirit. Really, looking back on it now, it was a chance for my mom to reconnect with some friends from that area and to gather what she loved most around her. The summer trip was an excuse to get away from the stress of the recent year. The house where we stayed was nothing special, a typical 60's style track home, within walking distance of the Santa Cruz beach and it's treasure of the 80's, the Boardwalk, boasting not one, but two giant arcades that housed the most eclectic and best video games of the day. When we weren't at the Boardwalk, we were hangout around the house, mostly in the evenings. The owners of the home had several albums, yes, albums pressed from plastic, one of which I had never heard but felt horribly drawn to because of the riddiculous cover. The cover had this rather conservative looking fellow in a white three piece suit...sporting a giant ballon made hat and the fake mustache/glasses/nose combo. A veritable miscommunication in the making. It probably wasn't what I needed to hear (a good portion of the contents were not really appropriate for 11 year old ears) though by that time I was a seasoned veteran of my fathers comedy albums. Over the course of several evenings,while my mom talked on the phone or visited with old friends, I listened repeatedly to Steve Martin's seminal work,Let's Get Small. I would put on the headphones so that I wouldn't have to share the more embarrasing jokes with an already overprotective mom, besides, she probably wouldn't find contributing to the delenquincy of a minor all that funny. As I listened, laughing so hard I though that I would surely blow it and draw the attention of my mom, I tried to absorb the nuance of his delivery and began learning the idea of comic timing, though I was too young to realize it at the time. He was just so weird and funny and profane but in a nice way. It was something that I had never heard before. Yes, the jokes were stupid and absurd, but it was also beautiful and just what I needed, someone to laugh at and laugh with.

Sweet Summer will save us all...

Hey, if you are reading this then it is quite possible that you have come out of the study induced coma called "finals" and, regardless of how things wound up for you, will find some solace in the redeeming qualities of summer! Some parting words for each of you as the school year winds down.

Freshmen: You have one year under your belt, don't blow it! Yes high school is exciting and disappointing all at the same time; like getting a sucker from your dentist! A full mixture of seemingly confusing do's and dont's. Things like, "learn to think for yourself!...(as long as you don't question what I tell you to do!)". The goal for you now is to learn how to grow and thrive in such a system. My advice is to you is to start preparing now. I gave each of you a list of summer reading books along with the books that you will be reading next year. Pick up a copy of fun stuff and required stuff and read it. Self preservation means that you will need to take a proactive approach to being ready for next year. My other suggestion is to make a study group of friends. People that you can count on to help you out and vise a verse a when you really need it. Essentially someone who you can work with even if you don't have the same teacher. Odds are that you will have similar assignments so you should still be able to help and learn from each other. As Yoda says, "Remember what you have learned. Save you it can!". Dude, that puppet is hecka smart.
Juniors: You have the biggest task in front of you. The transition from Junior (mentally) to Senior in the course of 10 weeks (the length of summer! Shocking, I know). You have spent to many years in school to not finish well, and frankly, it's time to show your quality. You have the tools and the skills, put them to work for you in a way that insures that you have a successful year. Remember the characters from the stories that we read about, they are a glimpse of who you could become, but also a warning of what can easily befall those who are unwary. Consider the stories of the early Americans and Statesmen, those Revolutionary men and women who stood up and made the world take notice not just with there words, but with their deeds as well. Be the leaders that I know you can be. Lead by example. In your personal life, in your school, in your home, be the example. If you want to change the world kids, its done one person at a time and it starts first with "self". If you are half the people that I believe you to be, you will make excellent young leaders. Funny, and you thought that all you were getting was an "English" class.
Creative Writing: Each of you has the capacity to write the story that is laying dormant in you. Is it hard? Yeah, it is. But that doesn't mean that it shouldn't get done. You took my class cause you wanted to be a writer. Well, writers write...even in the off season...even if they don't take another semester of Creative Writing. Write your poems, stories, plays, and letters. No life was ever changed by sitting still and ignoring the universe. Your time is right now, and it is for as long as you can hold on to it. Put paper to pen every day and make it count! This goes for me as well as you so don't start with the, "Well, he isn't going to do it!" business. Write today because there is no guarantee on tomorrow. I learned this from Ray (Bradbury) so I'm telling you. This isn't for a grade, its for better development as a human being and our desire to connect to something bigger than us...Our window to the divine. Get back to me after the summer and show me what your pen discovered for you!
In closing, I would just like to say thank you to all of you. You shape me as much as I help shape you, always for the best. I will see you in 10 weeks. Adieu

Enders Game Final Question

here it is...

End Game: Science Fictions Alternate Realities

Enders Game is a "gateway" book into Science Fiction. I hate to admit this, but the book sat on my self for almost half of the school year before I begrudgingly picked it up. You see, a student brought the book to me as a "must read" book. The student however, was a very persistant fellow and I eventually took the book home over an extended weekend to read. Best decsion that I have made in a long time. Orson Scott Card's universe of a distant earth is familiar, much like those universe's that I fell in love with as a child (Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Tron). Though Card's world is seen from the eyes of his young brilliant protagonist, Ender Wiggin. It is argued that he is the perfect character to hate and forgive all at the sametime, a walking oxymoron. As a reader, it is easy to simpathize with Ender, what kid has been the butt end of jokes and made to feel insignificant in a world of unfair rules and baised adult opinions. Ender straddles this dual world of unspoken rules amongest kids and the outward rules of the Battle School where he trains to possibly become the greatest General the world has ever seen. As we read through, we will be having much discussion of Ender's situation through several weekly themes. check out the Power point to get a feel for each day.

Guerilla Poetry Project: Oakdale High School

The Guerrilla Poetry Project was something that I fortunately stumbled upon a few years back. I was looking for a dynamic way to integrate poetry into what my Creative Writing classes were doing. If you know me, then you know my dilemma. Poetry, while wonderful, must be made with a careful hand and be full of intent. I see it as the best words for the best possible moment. That is a tough spot to be in when what most of what the world hands you is the cliche, not the original. There is no greater slap in the face to poetry than the stuff of greeting cards in my estimation.
The Guerrilla Poetry Project is a call to all concerned writers, artists, and like-minded individuals to take the word back to the people. It is inspired through a very public and overt outreach program of insidiously leaving poetry everywhere possible. I liked the idea, the movement of how what inspires us, be it the famous well known or the unknown, can be lain out for the public eye, not seeking its approval or requiring its acceptance, but existing in its own space and hopefully inspiring others.
The Chalking(verb!) is what most of the students like to do. Somehow it feels a bit like graffiti, but with a safety net of sorts. You get to play with all of these lovely chalk colors and create/share a brief space of hopeful wisdom with whatever passers-by happens along. Who you are doesn't matter, what you say/write does! The kids know this and certainly the readers do as well.
If you liked what you read today or found one of our inserts, please come and drop us a line about what you think. Include the poem number so we will know whose work you found. Thanks so much!

Nano Scrip Mo

It's time to crack knuckles and break our pencils in. Nano is back! For the month of April, our Creative Writing class will creativly be writing scripts. The first stop was to establish your group that you are to be working in and then sign up at:

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org



for Nano and sign up at Google Docs so that you can build your script online. You will need to have a treatment worked up for the type of script that you are proposing to do by Monday, check the slide and shoot me any questions if you have them.

P.