Just Trying to Pass

[caitlin-blomberg]

Shout out to this library! Over the past 3-4 weeks I've spent about 26 hours here. Not all of it was completely spent on this project. (some of which was spent writing my brothers paper) but I've come to really appreciate having a place where I can be completely productive. As this project comes to an end.(one final g.u.m.s check tomorrow) I'm starting to reflect on this process as a whole. And while I believe the work deadlines should be a little clearer in the beginning I really appreciate if nothing else , the fact that this paper has shown me that the library is a wonderful place.

[caitlin-blomberg]

So I found this and I thought it was pretty interesting. One because the child on the cover and I look oddly similar. But also because alot of what my paper ended up being about was the effects of child hood trauma. I don't know if finding this article was just a crazy random happenstance , or if it's a case of seeing red cars. Because I've been reading alot about the effects of trauma, I'm seeing it everywhere now. Anywhosie personally for me the abstracts ended up being the hardest part. I found myself trying to analyze more than summarize and it was hard to get myself to actually get motivated to regurgitate information rather than pull in sites and meaning. Not to mention that for one of my criticisms I spent about an hour translating English to English.

[caitlin-blomberg]

so i’m progressing pretty steadily I have my annotations annotated and ready to be typed. I have 2 abstracts typed , but I've hit a block on the third. This guy, whoever  he is, who wrote my last criticism uses so much pretentious diction that I find i’m spending more time looking up words that attempting to summarize. It’s actually beginning to piss me off. I don’t understand why he feels the need to use language that only a very specific tribe would understand! I guess im not his intended audience or maybe hes just trying to get some unneeded respect. get your logos out of here!

[caitlin-blomberg]

Spent 10 hours at the library, helped my brother write an essay, and found my criticisms!!! The librarian said no to a selfie sadly, but I asked!

[caitlin-blomberg]

I finished it..

So i finished my book There were so many tears. I appoligize if you follow me on good reads because this is there too.  Wow this book was an emotional rollercoaster. If you are looking for something that is challenging, funny, heartbreaking, and filled cover to cover with wisdom Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is for you. Foer does an excellent job portraying the emotions of the characters by forcing you to look inside their minds, not only through narration but by actually playing with formatting and giving you visuals to keep you constantly questioning. be warned this book is not for everyone, if you are not a fan of complex plot you may not enjoy this read. However if you like thinking and being challenge by a read I would highly recommend it.

[caitlin-blomberg]

So I haven’t been reading in new york much because we’ve been running around a lot. However i wanted to share this. My book takes place right around 9/11 and the attack on the world trace center is a main plot point in the book. I thought is was really cool to be able to actually go to the memorial. I feel like i now have a sort of new connection to the book being able to be in the same place where it’s taking place.

[caitlin-blomberg]

:”(

WHYS EVERYTHING GETTING SO SAD!!!!! I wont go into to much detail because if anyone wants to read the book i dont want to spoil it. There are things that are starting to make sense from the beginging that used to just seem random. Images that seemed out of place before are becoming relevent and getting explained. Foer is making me laugh then ripping my heart out and throwing it on the ground then calling in an air strike to obliterate me. The worst part is i’m reading this on a plane and I cant like cry or show any emotion, and the people around me are completely content with what they are doing while im dying on the inside and nobody knows. I STRAIGHT UP FEEL LIKE OSKAR, this mush be what he is going through given his circumstance. I’m going to New york too! this book couldnt be any more relevent than it is to me right now!!! I’m still excited to finish this book but i’m also afraid because i dont see it getting happier..... :””(

[caitlin-blomberg]

Everythings starting to make sense.

so im writing this on a plane to newyork, i’m past half way through the book (again) and things are starting to make sense. I’m realizing that every other chapter is in the point of view of a different character. One is an old man from dresden, one is oskars grandmother (I think) and one is oskar. The author is doing some super cool stuff with the formatting. I keep thinking about ceremony because the formatting of my book is changing along with which character is in the “spot light”. I find this really interesting because it makes me see how the way the characters think differs. Anyway its super good im excited to finish it!

[caitlin-blomberg]

reading still...

while reading extremely loud and incredibly  I keep getting super confused. the author does some really interesting stuff with the formatting and development of characters, and while i’m really enjoying it i keep feel like i’m missing something. This book is sending me searching in every corner for meaning, Much like the main character, and i’m finding it every where but I keep restarting because i feel like i’m missing something crucial and important.  I’m behind my personal scheduled because of this but i’m not worried yet.  I think fully understanding this book is worth the constant re reading. 

[caitlin-blomberg]

my tribe

I come from the tribe of BLACK SHEEP

from the sons and daughters

that dont fit their parents 

                                              mold

and for those of us who choose to

step               the lines

        outside 

I come from the tribe that 

sticks out

 like a sore thumb at the family reunion

I come from the kids whos parents always say

“I swear theyre not gay”

because we dont like sports 

or maybe we just really like ballet

instead we “are just a little artist”

My tribe doesnt like to follow the rules

most of us do but we really dont like it

we dont look for trouble 

most of our rebellions are subtle 

we are not delinquents

we are just a bit different

My tribe strives not just to make ends meet

not the reach the average life 

not to be a copy of a copy of a copy

                                          above

my tribe strives to rise

I come from the tribe of black sheep

we are not shameful 

we are not “a disgrace”

we are exceptional

[caitlin-blomberg]

The theatre is my querencia, there are many like it but this one is mine. Most of my best highschool moments have taken place in this theatre. I come here almost every day like I have for nearly 4 years. The theatre is my home, I come here when I need to think, I come here with friends, to work , to learn, I'm even writing this post in the theatre. During my time here I learned alot about this place , how to run it, I learned design, and application, but I also learned alot about myself. This space is sacred to me and because of it I never want to stop working in theatre. As the year nears it's ending I will soon have to search for a new place to call home. It makes me sad to think I will be leaving the place that has provided so much comfort for so long. But I'm excited because I know I will be moving on to a new space , a new theatre. Who know it may even be a new querencia

[caitlin-blomberg]

Crazy stuff

so I was originally reading my book on a nook. That was fine and dandy but i decided to buy the actual physical copy yesterday and i’m glad I did.  Jonathan Safran Foer does some weird things with formatting. On the nook this formatting didn't really show up. So I have decided to start over and see if there’s anything i’ve missed thus far

[caitlin-blomberg]

While reading the book extremely loud and incredibly close (which i’m still not done with :/)  I’ve notices that the words extremely and incredibly are used a lot. Every time they are used they are italicized, I’m currently very confused as to what this is supposed to represent as i’m not even half way through with it yet. But this if defiantly something i’m Going to be on the lookout for.

[caitlin-blomberg]

The cattle

So of all this things in this book the one thing i’m struggling on meaning for is the cattle. Have I just over looked something? i’m not sure. The reoccurrence is just odd to me. I can understand like they are one with the earth and everything. But why are they dreaming about cattle during sex?!?!  If any one has any thing that might be able to clear this up please let me know. I;m just super uncomfortable right now... :/

[benlocklang15]

Is anyone else very confused about the cutting of the scalp in the ceremony. At first I thought he was getting straight up scalped but I quickly realized he wasn’t. Because I would’ve stop reading the book if that were the case. Then I thought he was being partially scalped which confused me. I asked someone about it and they said he was being cut in the scalp. I’d really like to know the significance of this.

[caitlin-blomberg]

okay so I was also curious about this. I think its supposed to be releasing the evils that are trapped in tayo’s head. It could also be like the blood as a sacrifice to those who tayo killed because on page 169 is says “the scalp ceremony lay to rest the Japanese souls in the green humid jungles, and it satisfied the female giant who fed on the dreams of warriors.” but honestly i’m also not to sure, this is just what I found.

[caitlin-blomberg]

okay so time for an odd stretch. As I was reading the book all I kept stuck in my head was two worlds one family from Tarzan.This was kind of my joke  because to me it seemed like Tayo’s family was split into two different worlds but they were still one family (hahaha) Then when I got to the end of the book I was just slapped in the face with more Tarzan. The second to last page of the book has the repeating line of “It is dead for now.”   and I was like well that was a sad ending but then I flipped the page! and oh my god “ Sunrise, accept this offering, sunrise.”  that made me think back to the part of the book that was like prayers start with sunrise.. blah blah.  WITH EVERY ENDING COMES A NEW BEGINNING TWO WORLDS ONE FAMILY!!!!!! Now i’m curious if that is what Silko is trying to get at  or if i’m just trying desperately to make this connection happen.

[caitlin-blomberg]

I'm sorta confused

So in ceremony Tayo is the main character and he keeps talking about Rockey and Josiah. Tayo just came out of the war and now he's on a ranch or maybe in a hospital? Josiah's dead got it, I think rockey might also be dead? But why does Tayo keep talking about them? What is the point of the main character narrating the others? Im not sure I think I need to re read it...