{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34096510","dateCreated":"1297466618","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"danielx_184","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/danielx_184","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34096510"},"dateDigested":1531973853,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The song remains the same","description":"Dear Mr. Webster:
\nI ran out of batery before I was able to post the wiki. I just got home to post it. Sorry, sincerely
\nDaniel Andrade
\n
\n
\n
\nMy fingers fondle the cases of the old CD\u2019s that sit on the shelves. Each one contains a memory of its own. Each one contains one set of unique sounds that when compressed together come to form the wonder of music. My fingers go through the old stacks of CD\u2019s and see Nat King Cole Greatest Hits, his young face in contrast with the green sign next to him that bears his name. Another series of compacts are looked at and one catches my attention. On a black background you see a soft ray of light coming into a white triangle and coming out as a rainbow on the other end. Magic. And although it has no name one can tell its Pink Floyd\u2019s Dark Side of the Moon. I pick it out of the pile and take it with me to the living room.
\nThe music starts to play on the speakers and it engulfs me with the masterful composition that it is. The guitar chords and the synthesizers carry my head into a psychedelic state. Getting lost in the words I come to terms with the love that I have for this record. When I was younger, seven perhaps, the record would be played time and again in the car, or when I got home. Its music was always in my mind. Time was a recurring theme in my head and so were the cashiers and coins in Money. Simply fantastic, it is almost like traveling through time.
\nSlowly however I got out of this music style and moved towards more mainstream singers and songs. I left behind all the classics and rebellious groups of the British Invasion, so long to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles. I developed a taste for more punk and commercial bands such as Green Day and Rage Against the Machine. Started filling my head with rap and hip hop, letting Waters, Jagger and Star become memories. Eminem, 50 Cent and Billy Joe Armstrong are now my idols. I grew out of the oldies and became one more teenager with an i-pod filled up with a bunch of \u201cmusic\u201d that is not worth a penny compared to what I heard before, but there was nothing I could do. From time to time now I do go back and listen to those old men sing with passion and truth in their lips and remember why it was that they, some long dead, had become important in my life; and for a moment I am a child again.
\nAnd although music will always be music, somehow it has become some kind of a higher institution of superior understanding in which I no longer listen to what I want but rather listen to what is, to the taste, a good quality of piece.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"34089886","dateCreated":"1297457943","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"tammy_sev","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/tammy_sev","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1285868666\/tammy_sev-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34089886"},"dateDigested":1531973853,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"my mom","description":"Her delicate caressing my hair, which was always up in a perfectly tight pony tale. Everything she did she was done in a delicate manner, as if reaching perfection. She brushed my hair nearly a hundred times until no hair was left alone, and at the end it would stay perfectly intact, until I got to school off course. I always thought of her as something superior to me something so high from my level that was so\u2026untouchable. She was like lava, something so beautiful that you can see from far away and appreciate, but not touch, you just know you must keep your distance. We were so different, sometimes I wondered \u201cwas she really my mother?\u201d, it\u2019s a harsh question to ask at that age but I didn\u2019t really believe it of course, they were just random thoughts running through my head. We were nearly opposites I was a skittish young girl, that was so hyperactive it was nearly scary, and she, just by her look she looked so serious so elegant, so independent, I just wanted to be like her in every aspect that was known. Our contrasting personalities were not the only problem in this equation, we differed in so many other ways, my dark tanned skin and my long brown hair stood up when ever I was near her olive white skin and short black hair. She was so refined so educated, her educated self never got in any type of conflict, never got in any other people\u2019s business, every where we went she knew someone, who was always so glad to see her , her gentle friendly eyes were always ready to meet someone new whenever they were out of the house, which didn\u2019t happen much unless I was around. Her work was what helped us two move to the future, she would come at late hours in the night, but that was never a problem because every second she got she gave it to me. On the other hand, I, well, I was the bully of the school definitely a social outcast, always looking for new ways to bother someone, getting in the lightless principal office for most of the time, and couldn\u2019t stand in the same place for a long period of time, but even with me next to her at every turning point she still kept her composure. It wasn\u2019t fear what I had towards her, I am sure, she wasn\u2019t cold or mean, that was not the reason that we were so close all those years and at the same time so distant, the reason was we differed in so many ways almost like water en vinegar. Later on, I matured from that uncontrollable behavior, although now I can sometimes be worse than before it is much different than how it used to be. She is not perfect, not untouchable as I believed, neither is she so different from me, I just have to say that back then I didn\u2019t know my mother as well as I do now. I haven\u2019t lost interest in her though, her independence and self confidence still amazes me, and that is something that I hope I can someday gain, and I still idealize her, she is, I could say, my hero. But something has changed, the way we communicate, the flow of the words between us is much different than before. I pay attention, the long tales of the past and all her goals for the future enter in me, everything she says, I understand, everything she does I contemplate, just not as before, I don\u2019t stand from a distance and contemplate her as I used to, now I stand beside her, catching her every word and seeing her every move. That\u2019s how I have discovered that we are not that different all that hyperactive attitude that is still somewhere inside me, she has it too, at times, all the things I want all the goal I have, she wants them too, for me. All this time that I spent thinking how could I ever be similar to her, I didn\u2019t realize that all I had to do was listen; now I found a true friend who had been waiting for me for a long time.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"34051362","dateCreated":"1297403355","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"maaayyyaaa","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/maaayyyaaa","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222817730\/maaayyyaaa-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34051362"},"dateDigested":1531973854,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Music. Classical Music. ","description":"Classical music is boring. Vapid. Dull and dreary, simply insipid. To my 11-year-old ears, classical music was the pinnacle of all abominable crimes a person could commit.
\n
\nMy dad, however, believed otherwise. At every moment possible, at every second of every minute, Bach or Brahms or Wolfgang-this or Wolfgang-that gushed from the old CD player on the kitchen counter. I would stumble to breakfast, half-asleep, and would be presently met by the good sir Mr. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chopin yelling at me to wake up. My dad would pick me up from school, and there it was, Radio Universidad Cl\u00e1sica with all its bundle of French horns and trumpets and timpani fleeing from the half-broken radio on the dashboard. His passion for this ridiculous branch of music eluded me. Oftentimes he would just sit there, in the driver seat with the keys still in the ignition, long after we had arrived back home. He couldn\u2019t bear to turn the car off before the piece had finished. Other times he would shush me frantically and whisper with the thrilling eagerness of a small child. \u201cHere it comes\u2026 he\u2019s building it up\u2026 hear the cellos? \u2026hear the flutes? \u2026here it comes\u2026\u201d Then he would pause in anticipation. And although I could sense nothing spectacular about the same old cellos playing the same old notes, his enthusiasm was nearly contagious and caught me waiting, too. \u201cAnd boom! There it is! Brilliant! Did you hear that?\u201d The instruments had exploded. A thousand rolls of thunder undulated across a thousand skies. My dad waved his hands wildly in imitation of some brilliant conductor before some glorious orchestra. The casual onlooker might have believed he was trying to put out a fire.
\n
\nAnd then, all at once, everything I had once believed to be true crumbled to dust. It started with a birthday. A twelfth birthday.
\n
\nThe tiny square gift from my dad didn\u2019t look like anything special. Rather, it laid forgotten among other giants. When I finally unwrapped it, my spirits fell in dismay. It was a CD. Vivaldi\u2019s \u201cThe Four Seasons.\u201d Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Just what I wanted more of\u2014whiny strings and cantankerous brass. \u201cYou\u2019ll love it,\u201d my dad promised, and stuck it in the old CD player on the kitchen counter. The music started. How was this music any different from the countless other pieces my dad insisted on playing all the time? To this day, I have no idea. But it was, oh, it was. It poured out of those black speakers, enveloping every person in the room with a buoyancy akin to flying. Clarinets chirped and flitted while the more somber cellos swooped in now and again. Sometimes it rushed and scuttled, and sometimes it sauntered around, and sometimes it sprinted in a mad dash only to lengthen out into languid, loopy notes. Gone was the cacophonous din of previous music; gone was the monotonous drone of the instruments of the past. Why? What was it about those brand-new sounds that tugged at my heart? I certainly wasn\u2019t filled with vivid scenes of contrasting seasons, unless my dad had switched the CD to Vivaldi\u2019s \u201cThe Two Seasons: Dry and Rainy.\u201d It certainly wasn\u2019t the individual instruments in themselves; the violins were still violins, the violas still violas, the harp still a harp. And it certainly wasn\u2019t some unearthed hidden passion for classical music that had been there all along. But one way or another, after that day, classical music wasn\u2019t so bad anymore.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34078584","body":"Fun to read, Maya,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297447648","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"34039622","dateCreated":"1297389063","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"paulasev_th","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paulasev_th","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1265121950\/paulasev_th-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34039622"},"dateDigested":1531973854,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"My favorite Book","description":" What book should I read next? My eyes wander through the shelf, observing and classifying the titles of the books into \u201calready read\u201d and \u201coptions.\u201d I watch my hand for a moment, as it caresses those golden letters, who whisper \u201cRead me!\u201d or even quiver at the touch of my hand, as if an electric current is being transmitted from my fingers to those words to bring the books to life. I listen to the quiet breaths of their anxious pages, waiting to be opened, and for a moment get lost in their spell.
\n Then, I see it. Hidden between other old books at the top of the shelf, it seems to shine timidly through the silver dots of its cover. \u201cMemorias de Idh\u00fan.\u201d I don\u2019t hesitate to reach out and grab it. Staring at the cover for a few seconds, I feel like I am studying the face of an old friend. My lips curve into a absent smile as I turn the first page and read \u201cChapter 1: Jack.\u201d
\n The first time I read those lines, almost like a life ago, my hands moved anxiously along the page, as if they didn\u2019t know how to hold that new treasure. It was my first \u201cgrown up book,\u201d as I used to call it, since it was about 500 pages long and had no drawings. With that book in my hands, I felt older, as if I finally had become an adult. I had watched constantly how my father used to read during the quiet sunsets as the sea blushed and slowly fell to sleep, with a glass of rum dancing in one hand, and the book on the other, under his wise, concentrated eyes. I wanted to be like that, I wanted to sit beside him and see how people looked at us both with respect as they passed by. I tried to imitate his posture, and I grinned with the pride of someone who has received a promotion. I read the first pages eagerly, and the smell of newness of them penetrated my blood as it ran through my body with excitement. It took one chapter for me to fall in love with the blond, emerald-eyed boy called Jack, and two chapters to discover that I was no longer in my room, huddled in my bed, but next to him, holding his hand and living his emotions as if they were my own.
\n I realize the font looks bigger now than it looked before. I now hold the book carefully in my hands, as if it was the body of an elder, which might break at any moment, and breathe into those words that had made me sigh, cry, and laugh. They didn\u2019t smell new anymore, but sweet, fragile, as an autumn breeze embracing the brown leaves outside the window. I turn to the next chapter, and read how Jack meets Kirtash, the mysterious assassin. Questions don\u2019t flood into my mind as I read his description, like the first time, but answers. I know what is going to happen, and instead of picturing a cruel murderer, I see the attractive, secure young man he becomes later on. I sigh one last time before forgetting about my mother\u2019s cries announcing dinner, and let those pages, yellow from the years, tell me the story of my childhood as a grandfather reads his grandchild to sleep.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34078260","body":"Thanks Maya,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297447335","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"34078284","body":"Sorry- Paula","dateCreated":"1297447352","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"34037462","dateCreated":"1297387367","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"caro3arias","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/caro3arias","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34037462"},"dateDigested":1531973854,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"growing up ","description":"As a chubby second grader with a bad haircut and several missing teeth, walking into the high school required a huge amount of courage. The people in the building were skyscraper high and as I gazed up into their nostrils, they completely ignored me. The chattering of hundreds of teenagers enveloped me and the sudden shouts made me cringe. I gawked at the guys growing their first beards and at the comfortable way the girls conversed with the boys. Their painted nails seemed to be the epitome of cool and their colorful eye shadow was glamorous and sophisticated. As I made my way through the crowds, I was shoved and tossed around, most of the people too tall to take notice of my awkward walk up the stairs to the library. The energy flowing from these people pounded into me and my skin tightened with fear.
\nI waited in the cool, quiet library until the high school had cleared. Then I crept down the closest flight of stairs, holding my bulky books close to my chest as if they would protect me from any condescending stares an unfriendly high schooler might hurl at me. As I rounded the corner, I found a shocking scene before me. A couple of high school students were sitting on the steps making out. My face grew hot and my mouth dropped open as I watched this intimate moment. He stroked her blond hair and I could see her hands under his shirt, rubbing his back. From the noise they were making it was pretty clear that they were oblivious to the young girl gawking at them.
\nThis was one of my first encounters with passion. The idea of a girl and a boy joining by the lips was so new to me and to see it close up was thrilling yet horrifying. Suddenly the boy turned his head sharply in my direction and blushed, rubbing his hand over his florid lips. The moment was broken and now I was on display. I turned around and hurled myself down the stairs, clinging onto the gritty banister. It took a good 2 years to live off the humiliation.
\nI am now half way through my second year of high school. I can look into the eyes of other high schoolers and their loud chatter no longer makes me cringe. I can walk confidently though the halls, and I realize that we are not as cool as a 7 year old hopes. As grown up as we may look, we\u2019ve still got a long ways to go. What my second grade self didn\u2019t realize is how the sex, drugs, and alcohol shapes our lives.
\nMany of my friends have boyfriends and girlfriends. Kissing is normal now and I no longer blush at it. As I look back, it blows my mind what a big deal I made out of it. But time is the unbeatable remedy and as I grow, I know that my current reality will evolve and adjust to the future.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34078114","body":"Nicely done, Carolina,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297447207","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"34036528","dateCreated":"1297386585","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"teagvest","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/teagvest","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34036528"},"dateDigested":1531973854,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Taylor Swift","description":" When I was in middle school, Taylor Swift came out with her first album. I heard her on the radio, her song \u201cShould\u2019ve Said No\u201d and I fell head over heels for her. Other than the fact that her songs made me feel loved for a change, she was incredibly beautiful, with her long, curly blonde hair. So when I had saved up enough money, I bought the album and listened to it over and over and over again. She was a goddess to me. Then I learned her story and I related to it immediately- she started out with acting but then turned her attention towards singing, which became her passion. Unfortunately, I had no idea that it wasn\u2019t socially acceptable for guys to like Taylor Swift, so when I agreed enthusiastically with my female friends that Taylor Swift was amazing, every male around turned up his nose and thus commenced my status as a social outcast. While I still loved her, I began to resent Taylor Swift because of the fact that she wasn\u2019t liked by guys. I loved her at home and changed my mind at school. No, she\u2019s not really that great. I mean, her voice is kind of shrill and sharp, anyways. The only thing that guys at my school liked was that she was hot, and with my being fatally Christian, I refrained from agreeing because I thought that those things were reserved for marriage. So, I liked songs about guys and didn\u2019t think she was hot. It\u2019s pretty obvious what people thought. But I listened because I felt the emotion behind the words- they weren\u2019t just words, but raw, naive feelings of youth and pain that I could relate to. She was the incarnation of my emotions. It never was what anyone thought against me. I became very uncomfortable with myself- I would go between periods of questioning myself and then wondering why.
\n
\n But as I grew up, I learned the extent of people\u2019s assumptions upon hearing the words \u201cI love Taylor Swift\u201d from a guy\u2019s mouth. Even adults would then treat me like a lesser human being. So I stopped saying it. I was tired of being walked over because of one single artist I liked. But I continued listening, focusing more on the moral and emotions instead of singing the actual words. \u201cShould\u2019ve Said No\u201d is the exact portrayal of what happened between me and my ex. \u201cInnocent\u201d is one of my favorites because of the line \u201cwho you are is not where you\u2019ve been\u201d, which is more comforting than it sounds because I move so much. I don\u2019t really care if people know that I like Taylor Swift, as long as they\u2019re willing to hear why. And everyone has a guilty pleasure, right? I\u2019m not the only freak out there. And I\u2019ve learned what things are tell-able and which ones need to be kept secret, and liking Taylor Swift is a pretty trivial thing. I\u2019ve still got a ways to go, self-confidence-wise, but I\u2019m an introvert. So I\u2019m taking it a bit at a time, and much more careful than the reckless, tell-all 7th grader I used to be.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34077926","body":"Nicely-done, Teag,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297447029","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"34116910","body":"Taeg, you're amazing.
\nNever EVER change, regardless of what people say or think.","dateCreated":"1297531599","smartDate":"Feb 12, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"paulasev_th","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paulasev_th","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1265121950\/paulasev_th-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"34035474","dateCreated":"1297385762","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"MaFe1595","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/MaFe1595","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34035474"},"dateDigested":1531973854,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Two Ways ","description":"He is my idol! I can\u2019t believe how smart he is! He is so tall! His smile makes me secure. He is like a bear! A huge bear with a green sweater! The smell of bread freshly baked lingered in the frozen air of Salamanca, as my father walks out of the bakery holding my small hand. Everyone looks like oversized people and I picture them tripping and rolling around on the streets. I smile and the cold air freezes my teeth, so I close my mouth and put my tongue between the large gap, right in the middle of my two front teeth. People walk up and down the street, and there aren\u2019t that many cars. My dad\u2019s big hand warms mine under a fuzzy woolen glove. It\u2019s so cold! I start to gasp for air, but it\u2019s not any good. My lungs are officially frozen! I look up at my dad and stop in mid street.
\n
\n\u201cMy feet hurt! It\u2019s too cold to walk!\u201d
\n\u201cFer, stop being so lazy! Come on!\u201d- He answers looking down at me. I stare at him, and he pulls gently on my pigtail and smiles. He grabs my hand again and starts walking but I pull it away and stare at him, making a grumpy face. Dad looks at me; sighs and I could see white mist coming out of his mouth. I try to look mad, so when he tries to reach for my hand one more time I pull it away and cross my arms. My dad looks down at me and I have to put my head all the way back to be able to see his face.
\n
\n\u201cFine, then stay there. Maybe someone will pick you up and kidnap you.\u201d- He starts walking away from me. In two steps he covered a large distance. I\u2019m scared! What if someone kidnaps me? I start running behind my dad but my legs are short and my four layers of clothing don\u2019t really help me run any faster. My dad is walking slower and I know he\u2019s looking at me from the corner of his eye. I hold on to his leg and start crying. My dad keeps walking with me clenching tight to his leg and finally lifts me up and we walk the rest of the way home.
\n
\n I\u2019m right, and he\u2019s wrong! He doesn\u2019t know a thing! I know what I\u2019m doing and my point of view is right! How dare he debate with me! The car is super hot and sticky. Costa Rica\u2019s weather is a pain! My little brother is jumping up and down on the backseat. My dad is completely ignoring me and trying to settle my brother down. He\u2019s so annoying. I\u2019m almost as tall as him, and still he thinks he\u2019s so mighty and powerful! Bah! He\u2019s not!
\n
\n\u201cDad! I want pizza, I\u2019m starving!\u201d- My stomach had been upset and roaring for the last period, History. I was starving!
\n\u201cNo! Enough junk food!\u2019\u2019
\n\u201cBut dad, I got my braces off! And I\u2019m hungry!\u201d
\n\u201cStop whining! You\u2019re not four years old anymore!\u201d
\n\u201cI wish I was so I could boss you around!\u201d
\n\u201cI also want pizza daddy!\u201d- My brother says looking at him with his gigantic doggy-like eyes.
\n\u201cOk. Fine, we\u2019ll have pizza.\u201d","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34077652","body":"Super funny and original,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297446829","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"34033762","dateCreated":"1297384536","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"ad.ri","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ad.ri","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1283992059\/ad.ri-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/34033762"},"dateDigested":1531973855,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Two ways","description":" That very first time everything was new, everything felt strange and uncomfortable, like the first time you go to a friend\u00b4s house and you don\u2019t want to touch anything for fear it might be inapt. The ride was long and tedious, and I didn\u2019t know what to expect, and I didn\u2019t try to even guess. All I knew was that we were going to a beach to camp and it would be a great adventure, being with my cousins in a lonely beach. I guess it exhilarated me and my imagination flew as the wind flowed through the window and into my hair. As we neared our destination I looked intently out the open window to see the bright light shine through the green foliage soaring far above my head as the salty air wafted into my nose. When we finally reached the shore, my eyes swept delighted over the sparkling white sand and the cool splash of the clear waves crashing of the sharp cluster of rock crawling with titanic black crabs. Two great trees stood proud with their great colorful boughs in contrast with the pale sand, providing amiable shadow in which to contemplate the beauty more comfortably. Scuttling crustaceans lined the roots of the tree and the border of the vast forest with the charming beach. The beach suddenly burst into flames as the sun met water and sank into the horizon. Even the piercing black rocks glared with blazing ferocity. As the fire died down the shy stars glanced coquettishly on the smooth surface of the sea and their reflections crashed indolently at our wet feet. The laziness of the waves lulled me to sleep every night with its soft senseless whisperings. Then I left my little paradise behind, and in my absence it changed drastically.
\n The drive robbed several dreary hours from my life, but I knew it would be worth it once I got to that blissful place, so far from anything I know, but feeling just like home. As we neared the beloved beach I threw my head out the window and almost choked as the gritty dust entered my lungs through my nose and mouth. I drew my head in in disappointment for the luscious forest I knew had shriveled up and died. As I set my feet off the car I heard the crackle of a plastic bottle buried in the formerly clean sand. The waves now carried dark water to contaminate the last remaining white grains of sand. The rocks stood dull under the heavy heat, still and lifeless, just as the two trees with the last dwindling leaves desperately clinging to the withering limbs. The sun shone intensely on my shoulders blistered my skin and drooped heavily the heads of my family. As it slowly traversed the sky to the west it began to drown in the ocean and fell undignified. The stars shone just as brightly but searched vainly for their reflections on the sea surface and not even the waves\u00b4 murmurs could lessen my restlessness as I tried to find a comfortable position on the hard sand to sleep. It changed and I changed as well, for all the wonders that beach had, I had discovered years ago.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34077432","body":"Great Adrianna,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297446608","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33972860","dateCreated":"1297310929","smartDate":"Feb 9, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"Ingrid89","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Ingrid89","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1228179242\/Ingrid89-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33972860"},"dateDigested":1531973855,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"two ways","description":"The sweet smell came long before they were ready; the cookies were baking downstairs. My stepmother had been baking them all morning, just for us. She was almost as sweet as the redolence of those majestic cookies. There was no motive for her to bake these delights, just her usual fondness. When I returned from school, just her welcoming air was sufficient. Her voice was like that of an angel, filled with love and devotion. And just by the mentioning of her name did I know that whatever was to happen would be great. Her presence lightened the day of all, as did her smile. She was just delightful to be around of; like one of those people who lighten your day even with their thought. Her embraces were warm with love, as her emotions smelt through her core and spread to those around her. Cinthya was just the best friend anyone could wish for; she was the stepmother to be.
\nNo mistakes were needed for this dream to crumble under my feet, just the wake from reality. Not long after baking those beautiful, delicious cookies, did she decide she no longer wanted me in her home. And as simple as that, she turned against me, and by all measures possible, she manage to make me leave.
\nFondness, boldness, same thing. Talking about a person being fond? Oh, definitely not her. Just now, to the allusion of her name did chills run through my body. By what used to be her sweet voice, now came a shriek, even hurtful to the ears of the deaf. Her sweet heart was no longer pleasant, but a hollow rock, frozen from its core. Her embraces were not only dull, but missing. I no longer returned to her jail after a long school day, but retreated to a safe home where my mother would await for me.
\nAnd then came that smell, the smell of freshly baked cookies filling the house. Cynthia was nowhere to be found; she wasn\u2019t welcome here. As the cookies gladdened and came to life, I was now the one who would take them out of the oven, not her. The smell though, wasn\u2019t sweet; it wasn\u2019t warm or loving. It was bold and gray. But no one knew that, apart from me. I took the cookies out of the oven and placed them on the kitchen table, an open invitation for anyone to grab, anyone but me. As the smell brought light to my mother\u2019s eyes, it dimmed mine. I could see that lady who used to be my friend begin to yell at me as if she anything of mine. I could hear her screechy voice fill my brain. The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies filled my mother with joy. It filled me with frost.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34024574","body":"Ingrid,
\n
\nWhat do you mean by 'allusion' here?
\n
\nI love the last line and I think that the inter-weaving of the cookie imagery is very strong.
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297376907","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"34033668","body":"I mean like the mentioning of her name.
\n
\n;)
\nIngrid","dateCreated":"1297384450","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"Ingrid89","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Ingrid89","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1228179242\/Ingrid89-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"34077408","body":"Alright then,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297446580","smartDate":"Feb 11, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33957396","dateCreated":"1297296281","smartDate":"Feb 9, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kelseygymnastics","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kelseygymnastics","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222807559\/kelseygymnastics-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33957396"},"dateDigested":1531973855,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Two Ways of Seeing A Beam","description":"My hands were slick and slippery with sweat, my breath heavy with fear and anticipation. I could hear the beam grievously creak and moan beneath me. I spun too fast, flailed wildly, fell. This was not an unusual event. When I was younger, the beam was my least favorite aspect of the glorious sport that is gymnastics. I felt out of place on it, like a five hundred pound tightrope walker. I fell often, but for no good reason; I was, quite simply, terrified. My cartwheels perpetually came out sideways and plopped me down on the floor confused, and I could never quite get the spins or jumps right for my fear. And don\u2019t even think about asking me to do a handstand. I never could. The feeling of balancing completely upside down three feet above the floor with only four square inches of beam to hold me was horrific. I\u2019d start a handstand, but an invisible ceiling would force my legs down. They could never get higher than my waist. The taupe synthetic suede of the beam was constantly smirking at me, daring me to try a trick, only to buck me off when I did. The least nerve-wracking moment was the dismount, which surely scared most to death. But jumping off, watching the gym floor rush up to meet me, feeling my feet hit the mat held pure relief for me: I was done.
\nNow, after many years of being faced with my fear and overcoming it, beam is one of my favorite things about gymnastics. The leaping with perfectly straightened legs and pointed toes, the slight stretching feeling at the climax of the leap, the dull thud and the slight shock of my foot hitting the age-worn beam. They are all things I crave. I hunger after the feeling of being above everyone else, of flying 6 feet above the ground. The fear that used to hinder my every move has been transferred to larger issues: colleges, grades, tests, and the beam is my sweet escape. I feel the slight give of the thin material when I climb on, see the marks of chalked hands and feet from those who came before me. The beam is my rock: unchanging, sturdy, fixed in place. I feel sure that it will be there as I reach my hands back, back, until they are resting on the comforting surface. There is a slight pull in my back as I pull my legs up and over my hands, and I land proudly. The one-time terror inducing beam is no longer a brutal, harsh desert, impenetrable and vast. It is now a sandy, sunny beach, the blue mat at the end: an ocean with small fish jittering about. The invisible force that was once stopping me from completing the formerly terror- inducing handstand is now guiding my legs up, supporting me as I stand proudly, three feet above the ground, on my hands.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34024416","body":"I like this quite a lot, Kelsey, but I would like you to try to integrate some more vivid and illustrative images. Try not to tell me, so much as to show me your feelings and experiences.
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1297376720","smartDate":"Feb 10, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}