Food Memory

My favorite food memory is probably about Christmas, however not on the actual holiday. The best food of this time of year is not on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, or even the snacks on New Year's Eve. The best food is on one of those nights in early December when my whole family stays home and helps set up our decorations and the tree. We spend the morning doing the outdoor lights and some of the other Christmas decorating. The afternoon we spend making all kinds of delicious snacks and desserts. Many different kinds of brownies, cookies, puppy chow, chips,  pigs in a blanket, pickle roll ups (a bread and butter pickle rolled up in a piece of salami... It's better than it sounds), sometimes salsa or guacamole, BBQ wings, pizza rolls, and many other snacks. That night, after the food is prepared we get out the tree and all of the ornaments and we snack and decorate the tree together. It is a wonderful time that we spend together and I will cherish those memories forever. Since we have moved to Springfield and moved in with our grandparents, they have also joined my family in our tree decorating ceremony of food. Many more dishes were added to the list of pleasantly unhealthy snacks. On Christmas and Thanksgiving we have certain foods that we like to eat but the menu changes from year to year. Some of my favorites are sweetpotato casserole. It is full of marshmallows and carmal sauce, which is basically a warm up for dessert. Christmas is the only time of year I eat green beans, which are in a green bean casserole. On thanks giving I prefer ham over turkey, but I can eat turkey if it is moist enough. However, none of these traditional holiday foods can stand a chance against snack night while setting up the tree. For these reasons, my favorite memories of food during the holidays have to do with the actual preparing for the holidays and not on the holiday itself.

Movie Preferences

Favorite Movie: Hunger Games, Now You See Me, Lord of the Rings

Dislikes: I don't usually like movies that are very scary or horror films. I'm too much of a wimp for that kind of stuff.

I don't usually watch movies very often. I sometimes watch movies with my family or friends. I never just sit down to watch a movie by myself.

FOR MOVIE VIEWING: Snacks, friends, popcorn, a television, candy, family, other snacks, an entertaining movie, food, a comfy chair, chocolate, and snacks.

The survey told me that I primarily watched movies for socialization and to feel good. I suppose those both fit me quite well, since I rarely ever watch a movie alone. I was surprised I did not score higher on the escapism factor, which means I watch lots of fantasy or science fiction movies that are "out of this world." Like my favorite books, movies have to have a sense of surrealism.

Photograph Writing

Prose:

 

I’m here for the inspiration. Out in these fields behind my house I can find my place in this world. There is inspiration around me. Everywhere I look is an idea, a thought, a story. Writing just feels right to me. I can forget about everything and just be me. I don’t have to worry about other people judging me, because behind the pen, no one knows who I really; I am a creator. I look down at the typewriter in front of me and read what I’ve written so far. “Here it’s safe… and here it’s warm…” Out in these fields, I can escape from the worries of my home. Here I can finally be happy.

 

Poem:

 

I’m here for the inspiration,

There is inspiration around me,

I can find my place in this world,

Out in these fields behind my house,

 

Everywhere I look is an idea,

A thought,

A story.

 

Behind the pen

I am a creator.

I can forget about everything

And just be me.

Out in these fields, I can escape from the worries of my home.

 

I don’t have to worry about other people judging me,

Because no one knows who I really am

Writing just feels right to me.

 

I look down

At the typewriter in front of me

And read what I’ve written so far.

 

Here it’s safe…

And here it’s warm…

 

Here I can finally be happy.

Photo Writing

This is...
General Goldman, a veteran of the Civil War.
Wrinkled face and dim eyes hiding the inner pain,
Staring intently into the large camera.
His dark hair and dark beard hide his once young and lively face.
Dressed up in his Sunday clothes, ready to attend the funeral of his good friend.

This is...
A man who has experienced great loss.
Suffering and remembering the deaths of his young friends.
Lonely, haunted by images of death and war.

Children's Story

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by,

Knocking at my door.

 

"Help me! Help me! Help!" he said.

"For the hunter shoots me dead."

Little rabbit come inside,

Safely to abide.

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Protecting from the not so good.

The smells of pine and apple pie

Hidden in the woods.

 

Follow the path and you'll find

Rest for legs and peace of mind

Come right in, yes you should

Little cabin in the woods.

 

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Wrinkles on his weathered face

And hat upon his head.

 

Watching, waiting for a sign

He wants a friend to share the time

Always lonely, the truth it is

Will you be a friend of his?

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by.

With whiskers on his face.

 

Nose is pink and eyes are black.

With soft brown fur up on his back.

The cutest thing you'll ever see.

Once you see him, you'll agree.

 

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by.

Knocking at my door.
 

"Did the rabbit knock?" I ask.

"Or was it the man in the mask?"

I see the hunter, there he stands,

Rabbit in his hands.

 

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by,

Knocking at my door.
 

"Help me! Help me! Help!" he said.

"Or I just might lose my head!

Up on the wall it goes!

Where the rest is no one knows!"

 

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by,

Knocking at my door.
 

"Help me! Help me! Help!" he said.

"For the hunter shoots me dead."

Little rabbit, come right in!

To see the light within.

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by,

Knocking at my door.
 

"Help me! Help me! Help!" he said.

"For the hunter shoots me dead."

Little rabbit come inside.

In the cabin, you can hide.

Little cabin in the woods.

Little man by the window stood.

Saw a rabbit hopping by,

Knocking at my door.
 

"Help me! Help me! Help!" he said.

"For the hunter shoots me dead."

Little rabbit come inside,

Safely to abide.

Sneetches

TITLE: Sneetches
AUTHOR: Dr. Seuss
IS THERE AN AUTHOR'S BIO? No.
COVER: Large words that say "The Sneetches on a solid blue background with green grass on the bottom. Two Sneetches walk proudly on the ground."
PAGES: 25

Characters: Mr. McMonkey McBean, Star-Belly and Plain-Belly Sneetches
Setting: On the Sneetch beach.
Summarize: Sneetches were segregation each other. McBean comes to "solve" but ends up stealing their money.

DOES THIS BOOK...
Have animals? No.
Use rhyme? Yes.
Teach a lesson? Yes.
Have monsters or creatures? Yes.
Have kids? No.
Have adults? No.
Use humor? Yes.
Have illustration? Yes.
Use color? Yes.
Use actual photos? No.
Have a more sentimental/ lovey tone? No.
Lots of words per page? No.
One word or phrase repeated throughout? No.

Favorite line: "When every last cent of their money was spent, the fix-it-up chappie packed up and went."

What ages is this book appropriate for? ALL OF THE AGES.

Is this a book you would have liked? ABSOLUTELY!

If life was a game...

8. When I was younger I got along with my family fairly well. There are always some kinds of sibling rivalry and living with siblings that causes some fighting. Generally I’d say I got along with them okay. Getting along with my parents has never been an issue too much. I’m a relatively good kid and my parents never really fight about anything major. The things that start the most conflict between my parents and me are the little things. “Oh, you got all A’s? Good.” “Oh, you finished your college applications? Good.” “Oh, you left your sock on the floor? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? YOU ARE TEARING THIS FAMILY APART!” It is certainly not that extreme but that is the general idea. As far as getting along with my other relatives I do pretty much all the time. Times spent with cousins are among my favorite memories from childhood. On my mom’s side of the family we take regular trips almost annually to a variety of places. These vacations are some of my favorite childhood memories.

15. My childhood was basically one big game. From playing imaginary games with Legos or stuffed animals to playing outdoor games with cousins and friends and board games and card games with the whole family, I was a huge gamer. My brothers and I used to be really into Legos and this thing called “Imaginex.” Obviously with Legos we could craft all kinds of marvelous adventures for our Lego people and have a grand ol’ time with them. Imaginex had pieces you could use to build castles, forts, wizard towers, among other things. You would buy one set, the wizard tower for example, and it would come with all the things necessary for a wizard. Then you could mix and match certain pieces to build entirely new creations. We had elaborate story lines full of vampires, knights, dragons, pirates, wizards, witches, and other wonderful things. I distinctly remember a certain red vampire who was the most powerful creature of all. If he was a good guy on a certain day, the good guys were certainly going to be victorious. However, if his actions were swayed towards the evil side, then evil would certainly have a fighting chance. Another imagination game my brothers and I liked to play in our younger years was with the stuffed animals we had. This may not sound as boyish as the other two but this was certainly just as fun. We had certain stuffed animals that were repeat characters on whatever we did. They went to relatively normal places such as the mall, school, or a sports game as well as other imagined places such as Hogwarts, a castle, a space station, and various movie sets. Many of them were Webkinz (stuffed animals that come with a code to enter online and have a virtual pet) or Build-a-Bears. We had the athletes, (Keegan the Kangaroo, Thet the Dog, Yadi the Dolphin, and Skip the Manatee) the nerds, (Snickerdoodle the Leopard, Sunshine the Tiger, and Pillow the Pig) the bullies, (Balto the Husky and Tyler the Dalmatian) and of course the fat ones that just wanted to eat all day (Tyger and Tyger Jr. the Elephants, Twix the Muskrat, and Happy Cupcake the Bear). Our cousins also had many stuffed animals and together we had various adventures with them. Also, with our cousins we played many outdoor games and ‘circle’ games. These games consisted of Mafia, Honey If You Love Me, Grandma’s Big Fat Toe, Color, Signs, some game about animals; I forget what it’s called; and many others. Due to the fact that I’ve already written well over three hundred words in just the answer to this question, I will abstain from going into the details of the rules of these games. We also enjoyed playing many board games and card games and my family is still very big into all kinds of board and card games. Perhaps the most intense is Riskopoly (for the entire set of rules click here): a mix of Risk and Monopoly that is sure to take ages to finish and crush friendships. This game is a cutthroat peak into what it is like to be a leader of a worldwide empire. Hand and Foot is always a favorite to play with my grandparents, but pretty much any card game is high on their list. Anyway, I suppose that’s about all. As you can see, it is quite evident that my childhood revolved around games. One last item of note is that there was not a single video game mentioned here as I didn’t even know they existed until well into middle school.