pgs 200-230

Kristina's Dad doesn't may much attention and tries to give Leigh a hug and talk to her since he hasn't seen her in so long. Leigh gives him the cold shoulder but her partner, Heather, is very friendly to him. He's not so sure how he feels about them being lesbians but he manages to make the family reunion very awkward. He smelled like meth and so did his girlfriend, Linda Sue, which makes things even more awkward.He was excited to meet Hunter, his grandson, for the first time. Mr. Snow and Linda Sue over stay there welcome and everyone is ready for them to leave so they can take Kristina out for her birthday. They give a few hints for them to go and they go out on there way but not before asking Kristina if she can hook them up with some stash the next day to "celebrate" her birthday. She agrees to share and make plans with them.

Reading these 30 pages kind of made me lose interest. Kristina makes so many bad choices that I don't even want to keep reading and see how badly she can mess up her life. It sounds like a real life situation though with all of the family drama. I'm going to keep reading for a little bit to see if she really ends up doing meth with her own father and his girlfriend for her birthday but then after I might consider a new book that has catched my eye.

pages 150-200

Kristina's stoked that she got the job at seven eleven because now she doesn't only have unlimited ways to get ahold of stash, she can now also get ahold of tobacco whenever she wants to. Kevin, the boy Kristina knows, welcomes her to the crew. She also met Midge who works there and did not seem to impressed when they were introduced. She gets really excited that she's now going to be getting a steady income and will soon be eighteen. She feels as if she's finally getting the wings to fly that should have had a long time ago. She drives around to smoke her meth and starts to realize that it's no longer a social thing, she's often doing it alone. When she gets home her Mom gives her a birthday card and gives her all of her birthday money and of course that excites Kristina. Kristina's Mom wasn't so impressed with the job situation she thinks that she should be focusing more on getting her GED. Kristina's Mom and Jake go to the airport to pick up Leigh and her new cheerleader girlfriend. When they return Kristina and Leigh's girlfriend start off on the wrong foot and she notices that she's very thin. She also notices that Leigh has put on a few pounds. That night at dinner Kristina notices that Leighs girlfriend, Heather, didn't barely touch her food, just like Kristina. Heather constantly brings up Kristina's baby and makes a remark about how he's cute so it must be from the fathers side which is a touchy subject for Kristina because she was raped by Brendan, the father. Bre takes control and can't help but be mean right back to Heather. Finally Kristina's Dad and his new girlfriend show up at the house. They stall and wait out in the car for a few minutes and the whole family instantly got uncomfortable, especially Leigh.


I think that Heather is into the same stuff that Kristina is. I can't imagine how this family reunion is going to go over seeings how Leigh feels about her father. Especially since Kristina's Dad is into meth worse than she is it's going to be interesting how it turns out. I don't really like Heather with all of her rude remarks, and if I was Kristina I would be rude to her also. I wish that Kristina's parents would pay closer attention to what's going on with there daughter and stop handing her hundreds of dollars.

pages 125-150

Kristina's Dad calls and leaves a message that he's coming to visit. He hasn't been to visit in many years and her Mom and sister throw a fit about it. Especially Kristina's sister,Leigh, has a huge problem with him coming to visit. Especially since she's bringing her new girlfriend, yes girlfriend. Kristina asked Leigh to be Hunter's, Kristina's son, god mother and she accepts. Kristina struggles with taking care of Hunter since the drugs is making her want to crash for days at a time. Kristina is constantly thinking about finding a new guy, whether she loves him or not she just wants someone to care about her and look at her the way people did before she had Hunter. She constantly refers the meth as the "monster" and when the monster enters her body Bre shows up. She acts completely different when she's on meth so she refers to herself as Bre. Bre constantly nags her to do the wrong thing and act with devaint behavior. She constantly is finding any excuse to leave the room to get a few hits so she can get her buzz. She stops by the seven eleven to drop off her application and luckily the boss is there. He takes her in his back office and is very obviously attraccted to Kristina. Bre takes over and flirts right back with him and he offers her the job, so she starts Monday.

I find this book interesting but watching someone be so self destructive is hard to read about. I don't agree with anything she does but it's sad how the drugs have taken over her life and she can't stop. I really feel bad for Hunter and hope that he can have a normal life because Kristina isn't making responsible decisions and if she keeps up with what she's doing then life will go down hill for all of them. I also find it pathetic and kind of repulsive that she has to be so flirty and vulgar with the boss and seven eleven to get her way. She's manipulative and i've learned that's what drugs make people do.

Gabriela Muntor - Jawlensky and Werefkin 1908-09

Etymology 3
Close Reading #1
14 February 20110

Gabriele Muntor’s portrait at first glance can be misleading with the beautiful sight and settings, but when being closely observed you obtain much more. In the portrait, there is a beautiful sky cut in half by darkness and light. A male and female lie in the graceful pasture abundant with flowers both wearing hats to avoid the sunlight. The man and woman are facing away from each other. This portrait portrays a negative environment with the resentment between the two. The sky looks as if the sun is going down and the darkness is giving off a mournful feeling.

Betsy's birthday celebration!

My sister, Betsy, turned 21 on February 10. Even though we have our ups and downs we usually get along well for the most part. She's taught me a lot and is one of my best friends. We worked at Mocha Lounge together for awhile and I must admit she is what got me into the coffee business. The picture above is Betsy and I at Woodhouse Day Spa getting massages. We also went out to eat and had a surprise birthday party for her at Mocha Lounge after. So, I hope she enjoyed her birthday because I sure did. :)

pgs 100-125

Kristina goes to seven eleven once she gets home from her long drive because she obviously can't sleep high on 'the monster'. She goes in a little before four o'clock in the morning and happens to recognize the guy behind the corner. His name was Grady and as soon as she asked for an application he trys to warn her about how horrible of a job it is to work there. But high on meth she can't help herself from spilling her guts to him telling hims all about Hunter, trying to move out, trying to graduate and her desperate need for money. She bums a cigarette off of the 'slot machine guy' thinking that just one more won't get her addicted again. She sneaks back into her house quietly and wired up on drugs she wasn't going to be sleeping for days. She laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling all night thinking about what she's gotten herself back into but thinking (hoping) that it's not going to make her go back to her old ways. The next morning while Kristina was talking to her Mom she messed up and told her that seeing Robyn was great and forgot that she told her Mom before she left that she was in Sacremento at a college fair. But being on meth helped her lie like it wasn't a big deal and quickly got herself out of that mess. Her Mom then broke the news about Leigh coming in for Kristina's birthday with her new girlfriend, and that she thought it'd be a good idea to get Hunter baptized since the family was going to be in town. Kristina agree's and has been missing her sister, Leigh, anyway. Scott, Kristina's step dad, then gives Kristina a long lecture about how irresponsible she was and how she's a mother now and needs to act like it. The phone rings and Kristina didn't get there fast enough and her father leaves her a message on the answering machine talking about coming to visit for her 18th birthday.

Through out these 25 pages I read Kristina was constantly argueing with herself about whether or not she can keep her drug use to a minimum and how she think's she can have it under control. With her new born baby I can't believe that she would consider going back to the 'the monster'. I think that shows how much drugs can rule someones life and really make them not be able to think straight. And from what I know about how Leigh, Kristina's sister, feels about her father I think that it's going to be a uncomfortable family reunion. I hope that her family catches on to her and can help her overcome her addiction.

Poem

By LI-YOUNG LEE

In the steamer is the trout
seasoned with slivers of ginger,
two sprigs of green onion, and sesame oil.
We shall eat it with rice for lunch,
brothers, sister, my mother who will
taste the sweetest meat of the head,
holding it between her fingers
deftly, the way my father did
weeks ago. Then he lay down
to sleep like a snow-covered road
winding through pines older than him,
without any travelers, and lonely for no one.

New York Times - Teenage driving

So I just read the article in the New York Times about teenage driving and I don't think I actually realized how serious it is. Rodney Thompson should have been enough of a wake up call for all of us students at Homestead but I hope that no one has to learn the hard way. I'm going to make sure that I don't text and drive and do my best to have my friends do the same, it's not worth risking your life. The article showed how many kids really do text and drive even with both hands no on the wheel going 60 mph. Now with the new law that fines people who text and drive I think it will greatly reduce accidents. Cell phones are just now getting popular the last few years and they never really had to worry about this until now, but at least something is being done.

Mocha Lounge

I work at Mocha Lounge and I absolutely love my job. I love my coworkers and I love my boss. The same people come in every day and I've gained a friendship with all of them. I've been working there since May 2009 and have all the regular's drinks memorized. It's a great place to work and the picture above is Megan and I at the shop. I get along great with all the girls I work with and love it.

Glass 75-100

Kristina, Robyn, and Trey couldn't wait to get there high as soon as they walked into the door. Robyn is more into smoking the drug and Kristina perfers to snort it. Trey explained to Kristina that the only way you can do the kind he had was through needles or smoking it. Kristina decided to smoke it because the sound of needles didn't sound too well. They sat for hours and lost track of time while smoking there brains out. Trey continously was flirting with Kristina until finally Robyn got fed up and told Kristina that she should be on her way home. Kristina completely lost track of time it was already almost 2 a.m. and forgot to call her Mom to let her know she got there safely. Since Kristina couldn't afford all of the meth she was trying to buy from Trey they made an agreement that he could come pick up the rest of the money next time he makes it to Reno, which is quite often. Kristina was ecstatic when she found out that Trey comes her more often so she doesn't have to keep making these long trips. He flirted very obviously with Kristina and she left in a daze with butterflies in her stomach. On her way home she saw she a voicemail from her Mom that told her to call her ASAP, so she did and listened to a long lecture considering that it was 2 a.m. before they heard from her. As she hung up the phone she realized that didn't even ask how Hunter was. She decided to pull over and get another high to keep her up so she could drive the rest of the way home.

It's kind of disappointing that she forgot to ask about her son. All she really cares about is the next time she's going to get high. I think that later on in the story she will deffinently hook up with Trey. It's frustrating to watch her do this to herself but then again intereseting. I'm excited to keep reading and see if her Mom catches on to what she was up to on her 'trip to visit a college'. I can only see it getting worse because she keeps getting deeper and deeper. You would think that after having a baby you would try to keep your life together and I hope she eventually can.

My Bestfriend

A.K.A. My sister Betsy



Then.... (2 years)


Now... (17 years)

Glass 50-75

Kristina starts off to meet Robyn and all she can think about on her three hour drive is getting there and getting the adrenaline rush she hasn't been able to get in over 9 months. When she finally finds the right building and dorm room she knocks and no one answers. Not very surprised that Robyn was late she sat on the stairs and waited. Finally, an hour later a real good looking guy goes straight for Robyn's door and knocks. Kristina who hasn't been dating or even considering guys for the past few months was completely blown away by this boy. She tells him that Robyns not home yet and she's waiting for her too. He instantly knew what she was there for and now long after Robyn shows up. Kristina noted that Robyn looked like loose skin and bones, like she wasn't all the way there. She's slower, looks unhealthy, and thin. Unfortunantly, Robyn gave the cute boy a huge kiss in front of Kristina trying to claim what's hers. When she walked into Robyn's place it was filthy dirty and a horrible smell.

When Kristina's not acting like little miss perfect (when's she getting into drugs and being wilder than usual) she calls herself Bre. From the first book I read I learned when she becomes "Bre" she becomes a totally different person. The way she talked about the boy it sounded like she wasn't going to give until she got him. I hope that seeing the way Robyn turned out from all of the meth it gives Kristina a wake up call that that's not the path that she wants to go down. It's tough to read about people making dumb decisions but for some odd reason it really catches my attention.

Glass 25-50

During these pages of the book Kristina can't stop thinking about getting her next fix. She starts thinking real hard about her son and her family but can't help but want more. She hadn't had any meth since before her son, Hunter, was born. Her old friend, Robyn, used to be her main hook up until she went off to college. Robyn's little brother happens to be Kristina's old bestfriend, before she started getting into drugs. She called Trent, Robyn's brother, to see if she could get ahold of Robyn. He told Kristina to stay as far away as possible but she finally convinced him to give her enough information to find her. Her next big challenge was coming up with a lie to tell her Mom so she could borrow the car and drive three hours to Robyn's dorm in Stockton. She told her Mother that she wanted to go to a college convention and asked her to watch Hunter while she was gone. Kristina's Mom fell for her lie so easily that Kristina mostly wants to blame her for her problems because she makes it so easy. The only problem left was she needed money for meth, which is not cheap. Her Mom gave her a crisp hundred dollar bill for gas but it wasn't enough to get the score. She actually got ahold of her own son's life savings and promised to replace it as soon as she could.

I really enjoy reading this book but at the same time it frustrates me. It's like I'm sitting back watching her make these mistakes and there's nothing you can do but keep reading. Kristina and myself knows what path that's going to put her back down again and it's sad that her baby Hunter has to have a Mother who cares more about getting high than taking care of him. His father's out of the picture, and unless Kristina can stop her addiction and get her life together there's no way Hunter's going to be able to live a normal life. It's interesting to me to see how people act when they're really addicted to something. I've realized that it takes over your mind. You're not the same person when you're on drugs and you just can't think clearly. I don't at all blame Kristina's Mom for her problems. Drug addicts are manipulative and she fell for her lie, but I know she would have done anything to keep Kristina away from that stuff again.