Sonnet Number 1

The night in which I came from dance early,
I walked into the living room and saw,
Sitting in my mom's lap warm and fuzzy,
A teeny dog that made me scream in awe.
He slept a lot at first but slowly grew,
His wrinkly fur did stretch as he grew old.
The days passed soon he learned where not to poo,
He learned the rules as he we'd often scold.
When I come home from school he jumps with joy.
I've always wanted a younger brother,
And to my dad he's like his little boy;
A furry son to him and my mother.
This dog that's crazy till the very end,
he's perfect, I love him, He's man's best friend.

How to Eat Candy When your Stomach is Weird

Last year I found out something that has completely changed what I eat. I've had stomach problems all my life, but last year they were at their worst so I finally went to a doctor, did some tests, and found out that I am both Lactose and Fructose Intolerant. This is not like a food allergy, thank god, so if I accidentally eat these things I won't die. However, my stomach will hurt like mad, sometimes to the point where I can't function. Most people know what Lactose Intolerance is, I cant eat any dairy products or foods with dairy in them, however, Fructose Intolerance is a little tricky. I cannot eat the specific sugar found in fruit as my stomach can't digest it, therefore, I can't eat super sugary fruits like apples, I can't have anything with high fructose corn syrup, and I can't have certain sweeteners like honey. Sadly this means I can't eat most candy including my most favorite candy bar Snickers!!! My love for candy has caused me to go on a mission to create the best home-made Snickers bar Possible! After searching thousands of recipes I have finally found enough that I could combine into a beautiful Snickers like creation.

Here is everything you will need:

Nougat

            4 tablespoons unsalted butter
            1 cup granulated sugar

            ¼ cup evaporated soy milk (see recipe below)

            1½ cups ricemellow fluff
            ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
            1½ cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
            1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Caramel

            1 cup margarine

            2 cups sugar

            2 cups soy milk

            1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water

            1 t vanilla

Chocolate

            2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (My favorite is Ghirardelli 70% Dark Chocolate Chips.)

            1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

1. First thoroughly grease you baking pan, Then using half of the chocolate chips (1 1/4 cups) and peanut butter (1/4 cup) melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour them into the baking dish and spread until even. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
2. Next the Nougat. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated soy milk, stirring until dissolved, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and add the ricemellow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring until completely smooth. Fold in the peanuts, then pour over the bottom chocolate layer. Again, refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
3. Now for the caramel. Place all ingredients (except vanilla) in a large saucepan. Bring ingredients to a boil stirring often. Cook over medium heat while stirring until candy reaches 245 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over the nougat layer and refrigerate till cool, about 30 minutes.
4. Lastly repeat step one with the rest of the chocolate and peanut butter and pour it over the top. Let this entire layered masterpiece cool for 30 minutes then slice it up and enjoy!

(Fun Fact: You're probably thinking ", isn't butter a dairy product...." well yes it is, however, in the process of making butter most of the Lactose is taken out. Butter contains less than half a gram of lactose in a teaspoon so when eaten in moderation, and with the help of a lactate pill, it's okay to eat) 

(Evaporated soy milk)

Using 3 Cups of soy milk

Pour the soy milk into the saucepan and heat on a medium-low setting. Stir constantly as the milk begins to heat up. You want the milk to simmer, not boil, to prevent scorching.

Continue to heat the milk until it has reduced in volume to 1 cup.

The Analysis of the Thoughts of Victor Frankenstein

This post is a fancy revision of Frankenstein Chapters 21-23 Analysis

When analyzing the classic novel Frankenstein in search of its theme I find much of it is shown in chapters 21 through 23. This theme is helped along through a series of anagnorisis, moments in a work where a character makes a critical discovery, and catastrophes, actions at the end of a work that initiate the falling action. These two things allow Frankenstein to realize that his selfish attitude is the cause of his misery.

With each anagnorisis Victor understands more clearly an aspect of his own character. Overall victor is slowly realizing that he is the cause of the deaths of his family and friends and truly the cause of his own misery. In chapter 23 he admits to himself that his "only remaining friends were not safe from the malignity of the find." This shows that Victor has lost hope for the well being of his friend and is truly giving up. The deaths of everyone he once loved caused by a monster he created is now sinking in. He understands that his own actions are causing his life to spiral out of control demonstrating a major theme that there is no hope and life will never be as peaceful as it once was.

This theme is also shown to the audience through every individual catastrophe. When Victor "saw that lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before" him, a major piece of the plot that the audience already suspected was shown. This moment made it click in Victor's mind that the monster was not planning to harm him rather the monster was going to harm all of his friends. This moment was the full defeat of Victors dwindling spirit. Rather then warn his remaining family members of their imminent doom his pride kept him quiet. With this near last major catastrophe the plot is able to slowly come to a close in the end emphasizing the theme that there is no going back. At that point the only thing Victor can do is accept the worst that is about to come.

This grand theme of the lack of hope causing a downward slope with no return can be applied to the human condition as a whole. Individually speaking people make mistakes all the time, however, it is the reoccurring errors people make with no plan of fixing them that start the slippery slope. A wrong decision followed by another sprinkled with lies in between can eventually dig a hole so deep it is impossible to recover. While this theme was shown through the fictional tale of Victor Frankenstein is can easily be applied to every day life. The main difference being is that there are no big ugly mad scientist created monsters in the 21st century.

Frankenstein Chapters 21-23 Analysis

Consider the tragic elements of anagnorisis and catastrophe as they relate to the events of this chapter.

Draw conclusions that lead to larger thematic questions. How does Victor's tragic anagnorisis and catastrophe relate to the human condition?

In the novel Frankenstein the theme is created through a series of anagnorisis and catastrophes. Throughout the book Frankenstein realizes things about himself he was once ignorant to and eventually understands the cause of his misery.

With each anagnorisis Victor finds out an important piece of himself. Overall victor is slowly realizing that he is the cause of everyones death and his own misery. In chapter 23 he discovers that his "only remaining friends were not safe from the malignity of the find." This shows that Victor has lost hope and has nothing left. The deaths of everyone he loved caused by a monster he created is finally sinking in. He now understands that his actions caused his life to spiral out of control demonstrating the theme that there is no chance of going back to the way his life once was.
This theme is also shown to the audience through every individual catastrophe. When Victor "saw that lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before" him, another piece of the plot was put together. It then clicked in his mind that the monster was not planning to harm him rather the monster was going to harm all of his friends. This specific catastrophe, or puzzle piece, added allows the plot to slowly come to a close. In the end it is emphasized that there is no going back and it can only get worse.
This theme made possible from anagnorisis and catastrophe can be applied to the human condition as a whole. A wrong decision followed by another sprinkled with lies in between can eventually dig a hole so deep it is impossible to recover. Demonstrating that like in Victors case after a while it is possible to ruin your life as well as that of everyone you love.

My Music My Brain

As a sucker for memories and all things nostalgic today I decided to look at old journals I wrote in middle school and junior high. In doing so I began thinking about all the music I used to listen to and whether it affected me or not.  When growing up is it the music you listen to that affects your mood or do you chose certain music because of the mood you are in. Now I can't help but wonder if middle school would have been any less depressing if my favorite bands were not Death Cab for Cutie and My Chemical Romance? Or did those emo bands simply help me through the awkward times that were growing up.

In elementary school my music choices were not so much my own rather then the songs that were popular at the time. In fact my sister put songs on my ipod for me because I had no idea how all that stuff worked. With this knowledge I guess it is safe to say that the music I listened to didn't reflect me at all rather it reflected my sister. Her favorite songs were my favorite songs because they were all that I knew. Thankfully I have a pretty up beat sister so if the songs I listened to did affect me it was in a positive way. I was quite peppy and happy in elementary school so maybe my music selection of  Aaron Carter mixed with Nsync did affect me in a good way.
By the time I went into middle school I started making up my own ipod playlists. Whether music was the cause or not middle school was rough. A couple hundred pre-teens with their hormones all confused stuck in one giant building causes lots of confusion and sad times. I also no longer listened to the peppy songs of my past. Punk rock was my new favorite genre and it felt like all other music just didn't fit me as well. That being said I don't think music was the cause of my problems rather it helped me deal with them. Peppy songs existed during the time I was in middle school I just chose not to listen to them and I doubt that forcing myself to listen to peppy music in middle school would have made any difference.
Now that I'm in high school I feel like everything is in balance. I'm still choosing the music I listen to and to put it simply, high school's been treating me pretty well. If you were to grab my ipod and put it on shuffle you could get any type of song from top 40 hits to slow chill and somewhat depressing. I have a song for every possible mood I can possibly be in and maybe that's proof that music doesn't influence a person so much as it fits what they are already going through. When I'm sad I listen to slow music, excited and I'm playing Katy Perry.
Now that I've gone through the three main time periods of my life I have come to a conclusion. These days people chose the music they listen to based on preference and mood. Sure there are the people who do not have a preference of their own and listen to whatever others are into but I feel like those people are few. Everyone has their own style and taste when it comes to music and if you ask someone simply why they are listening to the song they happen to be listening to they will say, "Because I like it." The music people listen to is what fits them at that given time and is not a cause of someone's mood rather it is an affect of it.

~Ilana's brain out!

Frankenstein Chapters 18-20 Analysis

What is Henry Clerval's symbolic significance and what does he foreshadow? What do these chapters say about the theme of this novel?

Throughout chapters 18-20 Henry Clerval foreshadows impending doom for Victor. Henry's attitude towards life and science being so peppy and excited about the world mirrors that of Victor's when he was a young man starting college. This shows the reader that because Clerval is so similar to Victor that Clerval's life must make a bad turn some time soon. This is because when Victor was young and excited about science it was soon ruined when his experiment caused him to go mad. This example demonstrates an ongoing theme that life can only be so good for so long.
This theme is also emphasized by Clerval's purely romanticized personality. With romantic poetry of Shelly's time there is always a dramatic theme where things go from good to bad or vise versa quite quickly. Since Clerval has such a romantic attitude, it suggests that his life will also mirror that of romantic poetry, giving the reader an idea of the problems soon to come.
All of this foreshadowing combined is later confirmed when Victor realizes the monster has killed Clerval. (Spoiler alert!!!)

Water For Elephants Movie Review

In writing this review I must admit I have broken one of the biggest rules of english. I did not read Water For Elephants before seeing the movie, however, the movie is amazing so I will review it anyway.

For anyone who has not seen this movie it stars a young man, Jacob Jankowski, who has recently experienced a horrible tragedy. On the day of his final exam for veterinary school both his parents die in a car accident. This causes him to not finish his exam, and lose his house due to his parent's debt. The now homeless Jacob begins traveling by foot trying to find a place to start over when he jumps on a train car that is the home to many carny's of the Benzini Brother's Circus. He later becomes the circus's vet and falls in love with the ring leader, August Rosenbluth's, Wife, Marlena Rosenbluth. This causes conflict as Jacob discovers August's violent temperament towards Marlena and the animals. As he tries to save everyone involved the circus eventually collapses and Jacob and Marlena are able to run away together to live a happier life.

The theme throughout this movie focuses on the power of love for all humans and animals alike. The fact that the audience sees Jacob studying to be a vet in the beginning of the movie hints at his caring personality. This is then emphasized by his disobedience to August when he puts down an injured horse against August's wishes in order to end the horses suffering. Lastly Jacob Jankowski's biggest moment of helping someone he loves is the lengths he goes to free Marlena. He risks his own life to run away with her knowing that they may be followed and he may be killed. When that doesn't work he goes back to the circus, the most dangerous place for him, and fights August for Marlena's safety. This proves how love is so powerful it can cause a man to risk his life. It also proves why this movie is amazing.

Frankenstein Chapter 11-12 Analysis

Discuss the relationship between the monster's development and typical child development paying particular attention to the theory of multiple intelligences, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

   Compared to that of a human child of the same age, the Monster develops at a much faster pace. Throughout this chapter it is obvious to the reader that the Monster has developed much faster than anyone else of his age showing multiple intelligences through his ability to meet many of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. 

   At only a year old he is already completely self sufficient, and has become that way with no direct help from any human being. He began through gaining kinesthetic intelligence as he discovered how his body works demonstrating how in some ways he is similar to an average one year old. However, he takes it a step farther when he is able to recognize the feeling of hunger within his body and solve the problem for himself. This shows how his intelligence exceeds that of an average child growing up. Another sign of the Monster's intelligence is his ability to fend for himself so that most of his needs are met. Not only does he show having naturalistic intelligence through his ability to find wood, start fires, and navigate the wilderness but he is also able to, without help, meet many of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
   From the start he is able to meet all his physiological needs of food, water, sleep, etc. without the direct help of any other being demonstrating how his development exceeds that of an average child. Also, while he is incapable of human interaction due to his unfortunate look he has lived vicariously through the people he observes and in doing so somewhat meets the needs of safety and belonging. He found friendship in the family he observed daily and through watching them was able to understand how a family works. This shows his intelligence as he makes due with what he has been given and finds different ways to meet human needs. He is also able to meet the need of self-actualization through his obvious problem solving and acceptance of facts showing that he has met the highest of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs at the young age of two.
   The Monster's overall ability to fend for himself and meet many human needs is proof alone that his intelligence is above all others. Through his short life experience he has been able to understand and make sense of many things without being taught. This shows that his development is far more accelerated to that of an average child of his age.

College Essay Advice, Tips for writing something decent

Although I am not the most experienced in college essay writing nor have I been accepted into a college yet, I do have an experience I'd like to share with the rest of the teenage world. In my quest for writing a decent essay I have taken some wrong turns indeed, and here are some tips I've decided that if I'd known earlier would have helped me a lot.

#1 Don't Settle for a Prompt
With my first essays I chose a prompt just because I was too lazy to find a better one and because my portfolio teacher chose it for me. She had given the assignment to write an essay by the end of the week and forced me to write about the most boring prompt ever. "How do you want to improve as a dancer, choreographer, performer." I guess if you have a good story to back this up it isn't too bad but I had nothing. This gross prompt with the limited time I was given caused me to create my first ever failure of a college essay.
#2 Take Your Time
Being forced to write a decent college essay in a week and failing horribly led me to my next realization. College essays take a while... In my mind it's a work in progress. You take one or two prompts you are really interested in and spend the rest of your time working on them. It doesn't have to take a lot out of your day either. Just five minutes to look at your essay you can find something you may have missed the day before. Your essay is one of the most importing things that will help you get into college. So spending a lot of time on it will be worth it I promise.
#3 Get Help
I'm not necessarily telling whoever is reading this to go out and spend a couple thousand dollars on some college counselors, sure I would of loved one if I could afford it, but thats not the only way to fix up your essay. Ask school counselors, old english teachers, even siblings. If you have an older sibling that's gotten into college, they obviously had to have written a decent essay to get in, so use them! Also if you ask nicely you can get english teachers to read over essays and check for not only grammar but just whether or not its decent and believable. There are so many free resources at your disposal that you don't need lots of money to get help writing your college essay. Just some polite emails and maybe a cookie bribe or two and your set.
Last but not least, #4 Make Sure it's You!
This is a college's main way of learning who you are, if there's no part of you in it, then what's the point? Your essay needs some sort of anecdote or at least part of your personality that will set it aside from all the rest. Remember my failure of an essay I talked about earlier? Its main fault was the lack of personality in it. It was like a page of boring facts with nothing tying them together. The essay I plan to use for college contains a story that is really important to me. I'm really proud of this essay and know it will be a big part in getting me into college.

There you have it, my experience when it comes to writing college essays. I hope it helps you or someone you know get into college because especially for seniors getting into college is kind of a big deal...

"The Fault In Our Stars"

As with many books geared towards teenagers, one may easily push "The Fault in Our Stars" aside, thinking it no better then some vampire novel or other cheesy love story. This book is unlike most, written by youtuber/vlogbrother John Green,  as it deserves to be looked into. Any reader of this book will be pleasantly surprised that it isn't full of mindless teenage girl babble and drooling over a boy. Now in the hopes that you will decide to read this amazing book for yourself I will try to elaborate on the intricacies of its greatness without giving away a single spoiler.
"The Fault in Our Stars" in short, is a love story about a girl, Hazel, with cancer and a boy, Augustus who once had it. Like all teenage novels they eventually fall in love but with Hazel's confidence and Augustus's philosophical outlook on life they make for an interesting couple. In this book author John Green ultimately paints a picture of the life of a cancer kid without sugar coating it in the least bit. To put it simple Hazel knows that cancer sucks, and there's no inspirational quote that will make her think otherwise no matter how much her Cancer Kid Support Group councilor tells her so. "The Fault in Our Stars" will keep you on your toes the whole time, this is one teen novel I can say has not a single cliche and is truly great.
Maybe I'm bias because I'm a huge John Green fan and have read every one of his books but if you don't believe me maybe you can believe the world as it is a #1 NY Times Best Seller. This book will change your outlook on life or at least make you stop and think. I highly recommend you read it as soon as possible. Do it before the movie comes out since everyone knows the book is always better anyways.

So as a teaser I'll leave you with this quote.
“What a slut time is. She screws everybody.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars