Jessica’s Blog!

I admit, when I saw the topic for this week, I automatically turned to the internet. I was never one for mushy love stories and quotes, but a few minutes of searching and I came up with something that I believe truly describes love in just a few lines. 

“They do not love that do not show their love. The course of true love never did run smooth. Love is a familiar. Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but Love.” -William Shakespeare

I love Shakespeare’s perspective on love. If one really loves another, then they wouldn’t be ashamed to show it. I also find it ironic in Romeo and Juliet that they supposedly love each other, but they cannot show it, yet Shakespeare claims that to really love someone would be to show it to the world, and be proud of it. He believes love is a very complex, difficult emotion. Nobody can really define it, yet everyone must have it. 

I completely agree with the statement that love is a familiar and a devil. It is something that has stayed with you for your whole life, you embrace it, and it is somewhat of a basic need for survival. Yet it can ruin your life if you fall for someone and then everthing falls apart. I absolutely love the contradicting words in this quote, “evil angel”, for describing love. Love is a precious and dangerous thing, for it is probably the one emotion that everybody longs for, yet it can lead to many bad consequences, not the least of which are divorces, jealousy, and greed.

This week I am a bit apprehensive about Romeo and Juliet. Since i was little, I have heard the great yet scary stories about his wording, especially in sixth grade, where I had to participate in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was properly introduced to his strange descriptions and wording. The play was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but I had a suspicion that it was simplified. I also volunteered at the library, and curious about his literature, I decided to look through some of his plays. A few seconds of flipping through Hamlet was enough to ensure a place in my heart where I would always fear Shakespeare’s plays. Since then, I have not touched another play or sonnet by him. Now, in ninth grade, I am hoping that it will not be as difficult as I thought back then. I am hoping to “re-experience” Shakespeare and be able to enjoy his plays and story lines now that I am older.

As i child, i grew up in the suburbs of Marlboro, New Jersey for the first 6 years of my life. It was only natural to have fond memories of the great place that solved all my boredom problems, the place I went to whenever I could just to have time to myself: the backyard. 

My backyard was quite different from the one I have right now. I remember a white fence surrounding the area. A few feet out from the back door, a grassy slope formed, covered with various white, pink, and yellow flowers. At the very top of that hill, our family had our own personal swimming pool, complete with pool chairs and tables. I remember it went up to fourteen feet deep. Beyond that was the wilderness of the woods, where I do not remember ever venturing into. 

The backyard was a place of wonders. Something different could be done each and every day. One day its staring at the clouds for no particular reason, another day its watching and helping my dad catch wild rabbits (which were released later). I remember every winter, there would be at least a foot of snow, and many snow days. We had a sled resembling a huge red trash can lid, and the hill would provide hours of fun, letting us zoom down again and again without tiring. During the summers, there was always the swimming pool. Some friends would be invited over, and everything would be set for a party. We even had a tiny inflatable boat and and lots of noodles for neverending entertainment. Even in cooler seasons like fall and spring, the water could be heated for convenience. I remember rolling down the long grassy slope day after day. I never got tired of it. I seemed to have everything a kid needed in life when i was little. 

Childhood seems to be the time to enjoy everything and have fun. Children have less sense of danger and caution, so they seem to never be afraid to try new things, jumping off of swings or somersaulting into a pile of freshly fallen leaves. Once they get older, there is schoolword to do, and everyone seems more aware that they could get hurt if they jump off swings. I will always remember the days of childhood, where every day seemed full of fun and excitement, but now I think it is more important to concentrate on school work and grades.

I enjoyed the topic of this week’s blog post because we can have more control over what we can write about. The article i chose really stood out for me. 

Being a piano and viola player myself, I am very interested in music. I have always had a suspicion that people’s music preferences are related to their personalities, but this article confirms it. I can relate some of the music choices to my friends, and they really do listen to the type of music that supposedly defines them. I was somewhat surprised about the comment that heavy metal listeners are gentle and creative. I hate to admit to stereotyping, but i always thought they were louder and more arrogant or outgoing. I would also like to point out the second to last statement about the richer people always blasting the music at full volume from their convertibles, and the more financially challenged ones listening to relaxing music. This struck me as odd at first, because I when I picture the cars with loud music, I always see a teenager or someone in his twenties. Teenagers usually don’t have that high of a salary right? And the millionaires I always have in my mind are usually old and wealthy, but I see them listening to something like Mozart or Schumann. Also, the article seems to have contradicted itself. Earlier in the passage, it states that the wealthy ones like opera more. Although opera does not necessarily fall into the “relaxing sounds” category, I just don’t see it as the type of music that you blast from an expensive sports car. It was just something I felt like pointing out. 

Although it was just a survey and a personality test, this study seems to have a lot of truth in it. It applies to a lot of my friends, although I can think of some people who are probably the opposite of what is said in this.

Fall has never been one of my favorite seasons. After all, there is nothing particularly special about it. Anything you do in fall could be done in other seasons, although this may be seen as a good thing rather than bad. Nevertheless, there are many things to look forward to this fall.

Fall ties in with the beginning of school, an important part of everyone’s lives. There are new friends, longer lunches, and homecoming events to look forward to. It is a season of cool breezes and gently falling leaves. I can finally put some good use to my long sleeved shirts that have stayed in my closet collecting dust for 3 months.

I can also anticipate the many holidays that occur during fall–Thanksgiving break, for instance. My family always finds time to go somewhere special during the five day holiday. One year its the mountains, the next its the beach. Halloween is also one day that I especially enjoy. It is the one night in the entire year where you can walk around at night and get tons of free candy. I still have some leftover candy from last Halloween! Besides, in any neighborhood, there is always at least one house that gives out giant candy bars or big goody bags full of sweets.