Never Underestimate a Hungry Cat

be of good courage
~Homer  

“Justin dinner is ready” my mom called up to me as I was finishing my math homework. I started walking down the stairs and already knew what she had cooked. Salmon. Fresh, grilled, topped with a nice, smooth sauce. One of my two cats, Flame, followed me downstairs, wondering why I left my room.

Overcoming difficulties

If you don’t overcome your tendency to give up easily, your life will lead to nothing

~Mas Oyama

I was 10 years old and had been doing karate for 7 years at Callahan's Karate in Bedford. I was perfectly happy going to Karate when I had time and learning new attacks and defenses. When I advanced through my belts I only had to do some techniques in front of a group of parents then they gave me a new belt. I was told that to get my black belt it was different though I had to do a whole day of testing. I did not want to do this and I was happy just getting my belt with not as much work.

Ocean

In Their Last Moments, People Show You Who They Really Are

~Heath Ledger as The Joker

People appreciate their lives much more when they’re minutes away from death. In July, 2021 I took a trip to Martha’s Vineyard with my friend, Noah, for a hockey camp and to hang out on the beautiful, warm, magnificent beaches. On our second and last day there we went to a beach on the east coast of the island that had towering waves. We body checked the waves trying not to fall over battling an unstoppable force hoping to win. Noah told me, drenched in water: “whoever gets knocked over first loses.”
“Deal,” I told him. We ran forward as the waves flew over us then crashed down on top of us throwing us around like dead seaweed. Soaked with water, covered in sand, and topped with seaweed; we kept going. I again ran to hit a wave, but this time I went a little too far. I took one extra step and to my surprise there was a huge drop off. My footing was gone. I quickly exclaimed, “Oh… [using every swear in the book] grab my hand.”

The Hardest Sport Overall

Winners don’t always win…
They just never give up
~Shelby J Vincent

It’s 5:00 in the morning as a tired mom and son load their huge suv with a hockey bag bigger than him. They drove 45 minutes to the New England Sports Center(NESC) where they had an early morning practice. Although there are eight rinks at the complex the struggle for ice time makes for early morning and late night practices. The team got dressed in the freezing cold locker room with their freezing cold gear. They got on the ice and skated down and back until their legs became numb. Hockey may not be the most fun sport, but it sure is the hardest. Hockey combines more elements than any other sport which makes it the hardest to play. You have to be tough to play hockey; you have to be skilled to play hockey, and you need to have courage to play hockey.

It was a back and forth game, but the Union hockey team was down 2-1 against Quinnipiac going into the final minutes of the 3nd period. Messa rink in Schenectady was ecstatic cheering for the team to tie up the game. The Team got onto the Ice and was looking to capitalize on the power play to complete the comeback.

You can Write for Hours on Hours

By Ernest Hemingway

You can write for hours on hours, 
Of all the things that you wish you could be, 
But the truth of the matter is simple,
People are not poetry,
And I know that you wish you weren’t awkward,
The sweet words could roll right off your tongue,
But your time here’s too short just to worry,
How each single sentence is strung, 
It’s okay to be rough around the edges,
To be bruised up and broken and scarred,
But it’s not okay to let people tell you, 
That it’s reason to change who you are, 
Your hair doesn’t always sit neatly, 
The way a poem sits so neatly in lines,
And sometimes you might feel like a word,
That nobody has learnt to define,
You might not be a star that lights darkness,
Or a bird that can teach us to soar,
But it’s okay because you are too complex,
To be crammed into one metaphor, 
It’s okay not to know what you’re doing,
Since your feelings don’t have to all rhyme,
Though a poem once complete is eternal,
You have the freedom to change over time,
You’re much more than can ever be written,
There is no title to say, “This Is Me”,
Because people are not poetry

English Exam Metacognition

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst
~ Maya Angelou

Wow, this was a tough exam. I was surprised at how many mistakes you can put into a couple short paragraphs, and I don't think I even got all of them. I got through it though. luckily I already had both of my essays posted coming into today so I did not have to waste time posting those onto my blog; however, I was sad that I was not able to get extra credit for memorizing the comma rule names. I did well on this exam though. While there were many difficult parts, I got through it. The next time I study for a Fitz English exam I will be sure to study whether or not weather and wether are really different. I would also make some more comma rule sentences, but I studiously studied which prepared me well for this final exam. I worked through this exam at a good pace so that I was not rushing but not just lollygagging along. I got all of my writing and comma rules done well before the due date so I had more time to work on other exams and prepare for this one. That is what put me into the right spot to succeed in all the work I did ahead of time.This exam was much more fun than all of my other exams. I got to do some editing and some writing without much pressure because I had loads of time to complete the assignment. I am super happy now that all of the exams are over so I can just sit back, relax, and watch the Christmas Carol in peace. 

Literary reflection: persevernece

It always seems impossible until its done
~Nelson Mandela 

With some perseverance you can achieve anything. The Old Man and the Sea, By Ernest Hemingway, showed me that something that seems impossible can be achieved with perseverance.  It’s themes ran deep throughout the book and made me do a greater look into each of them which I will remember for years to come. To read The Old Man and the Sea, I had to persevere to finish it without having to cram anything in the day before. While it is not the longest book only being around 120 pages it is still dense. The book has many underlying themes that I had to pay attention to. Many times I did not completely understand a passage or knew that there was more to it than I had realized so I had to go back and read it sometimes multiple times to completely understand the depth of the passage. 

Aiden LaCamera
Justin Graf
Matty Carolan
Old Man and the Sea final
December 17, 2021

Exploring a good friendship

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.

~Christy Evans

The book, The Old Man and The Sea, is a powerful story, the author, Ernest Hemingway, explores the impact of friendship on a young man (Manolin), and an Old Man (Santiago). They spent five days fishing together on a small boat in Cuba in 1950.