3search essay

Its 1:50 pm and those last ten minutes of the school day could not go by any slower. I’m sitting in class staring at this beautiful autumn afternoon wishing I could just be outside actually enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I didn’t like Mrs. Viens’ Asian studies class, I did. I just wanted to be outside. Finally everyone got up and stood by the door. It felt like I had waited forever when the bell rang, relieved to be done with school for the day I headed to the hallway were my friends and I met up every single day. Kelsey and Molly finally walked up to where I was standing and we began to walk to the car. I called shotgun and we jumped into Kelsey’s black Mazda Tribute. We rolled down the windows and turned up the radio, patiently waiting for all of the cars in the crowded student parking lot to file out. The radio was tuned into 95.7 and the host announced that Lady Gaga’s song “Poker face” was coming on next. I rolled my eyes and resisted my urge to change the station because I knew Kelsey wouldn’t allow it. I had heard this song way too many times in the past month and I just didn’t understand why people could even stand listening to it. It was so annoying and Lady Gaga was so weird, why was she even famous? At last the line of cars was moving and in about five minutes Kelsey dropped me off at home and I went inside to find things to distract me from doing my school work.

As the days went by Lady Gaga became more and more popular and you couldn’t step foot near a car without hearing “Poker face.” The only thing worse than that song was the fact that Kelsey had started to become obsessed with Lady Gaga. I couldn’t believe it. We were so alike and usually had the same taste in music. I was puzzled about how she was so infatuated with the very same artist I despised. The next week I walked over to Kelsey’s house and Molly was singing this song and it sounded familiar to me. I didn’t really know what the words said or who it was by, it was just kind of catchy. When I got home that night I logged onto the computer and typed some of the words into Google to try to find who the song was by. Google said that it had 57,500 results for the lyrics I typed in. They all seemed to say the same thing. The song I found so catchy was called “Paparazzi” and it was sang by no other than Lady Gaga. This didn’t make sense. How could I like a Lady Gaga song? Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. I decided to listen to the song to see if it was as good as I thought it was. I don’t know what it was about “Paparazzi” that I enjoyed so much but I must’ve played it about ten times that night. My opinion on Lady Gaga did a complete 180.

Kelsey played me a song she liked by Lady Gaga called “Paper Gangsta” and I wasn’t really feeling it. Maybe my view on Gaga really hadn’t changed that much. The year went on and Lady Gaga hadn’t released anymore singles. Everyone was still talking about her and even though I didn’t exactly hate her anymore I still found it to be a bit annoying.

My junior year came and went and the summer passed in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it Christmas was right around the corner. I couldn’t wait for the long break from school we got; I knew my friends and I were going to do a bunch of fun stuff. I was awakened by someone calling my cell phone. I moved my hand around on the top of my comforter, trying to grab my phone. After about two minutes of searching I finally got my hands on the phone. I held it up and it said Kelsey was calling me. She said a few of our friends and her were going to Denny’s to get some food and she would pick me up in ten minutes if I wanted to go along. I rolled out of bed, found some clean clothes, and waited in my living room for Kelsey to pull up. When I got into her car she showed me her favorite gift she got for Christmas, both of Lady Gaga’s albums. It was all we ever listened to. It didn’t matter if we were driving to Providence College in Rhode Island to see Kathleen or if we were driving to Brockway Lane to pick up Missy to go to Friendly’s. I knew all of the songs but I never really knew any of the words. It had been a while since Lady Gaga’s last single came out but I knew that sooner or later she would release a new one. Later on in December that day had finally come. “Telephone” like Lady Gaga’s other songs became big very fast. It featured Beyonce which gave it a new sound. “Telephone” was very upbeat and catchy. I guess Gaga was starting to grow on me because I went home and downloaded her whole discography.

It wasn’t until recently this year that I learned about Lady Gaga and who she really is. When I was assigned to do a timeline project in my Graphics class I decided to use Gaga and it seemed as though the more I read about her the more I liked her. She has reasoning behind all that she does and a strong message that she is living for.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born in New York on March 28, 1986. At age four she learned to play the piano by ear, at age 13 she wrote her first ballad. She was booed of stage at open mic nights and local clubs. Stefani got early acceptance into New York University but soon found out it wasn’t for her. She dropped out and began waitress to make money while she designed her own costumes for her performances at dive bars and burlesque clubs. (Mock and Wang) She was signed to Def Jam Records but was soon let go. In 2008 she was signed to Interscope Records on her 20^th birthday. (Metro Lyrics) One day her manager compared her style to Freddy Mercury and she got her name from Queen’s song “Radio Gaga.” After writing songs for Britney Spears, and The Pussycat Dolls her album “The Fame” was finally released in 2008. (Monsters and Critics)

Lady Gaga has as many haters as she does fans. She dresses in crazy outfits and many people believe she does that for attention. The truth is that is just who she is. She does not think that is appropriate to be dressed casually around her fans. “When I meet celebrities and they’re in casual clothes, I’m always like: ‘Whaaat?’ I don’t mean to be judgmental, but it would do them better to be who they really are, all the time. This is really who I am all the time. When I get out of a car and there are 30 fans waiting for me, I know I’m dressed the way I should be. There’s a reason they have that emotional reaction.” (Lady Gaga) Her fans are very devoted to her and there are hundreds of websites and blogs dedicated to her and millions of pieces of art inspired by her.

When you hear Gaga is going to perform on an awards show or release a new music video you know that you are going to see an amazing performance. Lady Gaga has been compared to David Bowie and Madonna.(Monsters and Critics) “It might sound strange but aside from being like Madonna and David Bowie I think that Lady Gaga is also comparable to KISS in the way she creates a character and puts so much into her stage performance, she’s bringing a shift in modern pop music because she is taking musical and visual aesthetic back to the way it was in the 70’s and 80’s that you really don’t see anymore.”(Caplan)

Lady Gaga got famous the way it should be done. She tried and failed and tried and failed over and over again until she finally got big. “I worked hard my whole life - no one handed me a record deal,” (Lady Gaga) I believe that she earned every ounce of her fame. She isn’t a rap stars daughter; she isn’t an actor who thought they would just try singing to switch things up. One of my favorite things about her is that she can actually sing. Lady Gaga was on the Ellen show and Ellen DeGeneres mentioned how great it was that she really sang. Gaga replied with how weird she thought it was when people said that because that was her job, she was supposed to sing.

Lady Gaga is different and she knows that. “I was a bit insecure in high school. I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak.”(Lady Gaga) She has talked about how she felt like a freak for all of her life until she became Lady Gaga. Now she is a positive role model for teenagers who feel like they don’t fit in. That is why she does everything that she does, for her fans. Gaga is constantly promoting the idea of safe sex and not having sex just to fit in.

I believe that Lady Gaga is a wonderful genuine person. I believe that her fame will continue to grow but she won’t let it go to her head. I think she has a great message and if more people knew about the real her they wouldn’t judge her on the way she dresses.

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Works Cited

"Lady Gaga Biography.", Starpulse, Web, 9 April 2010. http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Lady_Gaga/Biography/


Caplan, Daniel. Personal Interview. 7 April 2010.

"Lady Gaga Biography", Contact Music, Web, April 8 2010. http://www.contactmusic.com/info/lady_gaga#bio

"Lady Gaga Quotes", Greatpersonalities, Web, April 9 2010. http://greatpersonalities.com/lady-gaga/7.html

"Lady Gaga Biography", Metrolyrics, Web, 10 April 2010. http://www.metrolyrics.com/lady-gaga-biography.html

"Lady Gaga Biography", Monsters and Critics, Web, April 9 2010. http://monstersandcritics.com/people/Lady-GaGa/biography/

"Lady Gaga.", Ladygaga.com, Web, 8 April 2010. http://www.ladygaga.com/bio/


"Lady Gaga.", People.com, Web, 8 April 2010. http://www.people.com/people/lady_gaga/biography

Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Blonde Ambition by Zoey Dean, 17th Street Productions, 2004, genre: fiction.

This book is the third in a series called The A-List. The protagonists name is Anna and she lives in California. She is a teenage girl who lives in Beverly Hills and has to deal with all the drama of famous peoples children in her school. Anna is a very likable girl but the group of popular girls don't like her stealing any of their attention. The boy everyone wants to date likes Anna and that doesn't go over very well with the group of popular girls. In this particular book Anna interns on a new TV show and every one wants to be her friend so maybe they can get on to the show. Cammie Shepard is one of the 'popular girls' and her father is the producer of the show and Anna's boss. Cammie does a lot of mean stuff to Anna so she looks like an idiot in front of everyone.

"The A-List is delightful for the teen set-it;s got plenty of intrigue dysfunctional families, 'beautiful people'..."-www.bookloons.com

I really enjoy this series because even though it is set in Hollywood and the lifestyle isn't like mine the things that happen to the characters and the problems they have are very realistic. The only other books I have read by Zoey Dean have been in this series. If I don't find a book interesting within the first few minutes of reading it I probably won't read it. This is the third book of the series and I have already began reading the fourth. The books are filled with scandal and drama and are just entertaining to read.

"Juliet shook her hair off her shoulders. 'You may have made it to the top of the Beverly Hills High social ladder in record time, but never doubt my ability to get things done my way," she said as she smiled confidently and walked away." (77)

I am a fan of Zoey Dean's series and I have bought or asked all people to borrow all of the books. I usually read them pretty quick and try to find the next one in the series. It's interesting to read about things that you can relate to your own life.

Treasure Island Essay

The definition of friendship is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or regards. I believe friendship can mean a lot of different things. They are many of different types of friendship. You may have some friends you hardly know, and some you have known forever. A good friend will stick with you through bad times and be there to celebrate good times. Someone you can trust and rely on could be considered a good friend.

To have good trustworthy friends you must be a trustworthy friend. People who don’t treat their friends well don’t usually keep them for long. It isn’t hard to be a good friend; all you need to do is be sincere. You can’t talk behind your friends back and you can’t be fake with them. If they look dumb or they’re acting stupid you have to be truthful with them and hope they take it the right way.

One of my best friends is Kelsey O’Connell. Whenever we hang out we always have a good time. We have a ton of memories and I trust her a lot. We never talk about each other behind the others back. Even though she is eighteen years old and I am seventeen sometimes we act like little kids. When the weather is nice, not to hot not to cold, sometimes we venture into the woods by our house and play a game we like to call war. Kelsey her sister and I are one team. Her little brother and two of his friends are the other team. We go into the woods and set traps and tie each other up to trees and stuff.

Siddhartha Comes to America

I woke up on Saturday and looked at my clock; it was 10:30 am. My cell phone alarm must have not woken me up. It was okay I still had about an hour before I needed to leave for the airport. I took a quick shower and I was out the door. Thankfully traffic wasn’t too bad. I got to Bradley around 11:40, right on time. I got a box out of my trunk and ripped off one of the flaps. I grabbed the sharpie on my dash and wrote “Siddhartha” on the flap of cardboard. I locked up my car and headed to the gate where Siddhartha’s flight was landing, cardboard sign in hand.

The plane finally landed and the people started getting off the plane and walking by. I didn’t even need this sign, when I saw a grown man wearing what looked to me like a diaper; I knew this was the guy. I walked up to him. Sure we had been pen pals for a couple of months but there was no way this first encounter would not be awkward. I took a deep breath and said “Hey, you’re Siddhartha right?” he nodded and I introduced myself. We shook hands and headed over to baggage claim. Then he mentioned he didn’t have any baggage. I thought it was strange but I just kept on walking. We got in my car and I showed him how to use the seatbelt. I didn’t know if it was appropriate to play music so I didn’t. Needless to say it was an awkward ride home. There was no way I could take Siddhartha around wearing a diaper. It was time to head to the mall.

We were getting strange looks left and right. I brushed it off because I think I’ve seen even weirder things at the Holyoke mall. I rushed around to get to the escalator and hopped on. About halfway down I noticed Siddhartha was not standing on the stair behind me. He was still at the top trying to get on but getting scared each time. I rode all the way down and got on the escalator that goes up. Then I taught him how to get on the down escalator. I told him we were going to get him some new clothes for our trip. He smiled and I took him into H&M. I asked an employee for help and we quickly had some new outfits for Siddhartha. I paid and we left. We still had one last stop. He needed some fresh new shoes to go with his new attire. We walked to the other escalator and Siddhartha got on himself this time. I led him into Journey’s and we picked out a nice pair of Nikes. Now we could finally start our trip.

It was about a two hour drive to our next destination but I knew it would be worth it. There was no way I was not listening to music on this long journey, so I put one of my mix CD’s into my CD player. The whole drive there Siddhartha was looking out the window watching everything pass by. We actually talked a little bit. I asked him a bout his flight and what he liked to do for fun. Talking with him became a little less awkward. I could smell the ocean and I knew we were close to where we were headed. Finally we were crossing the bridge into Hampton Beach, it was a beautiful day and the sun was shinning. I knew where the hotel we were staying at was already so I quickly drove to it. We unpacked and relaxed a little bit. Then I showed Siddhartha around the boardwalk and beach. We grabbed some food on the boardwalk. I could tell Siddhartha liked it here but I knew he’d really love it a little bit later.

The sun was setting and I took Siddhartha to the beach. It had been packed with people before but now it was nearly abandoned. There was no talking, music playing, or babies screaming. Siddhartha and I sat down; he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. With no distractions on the beach it was very easy just to concentrate on the waves crashing against the shore. Siddhartha began to meditate and I just stared out at the purple and pink sky.

I guess I should try to meditate too.

I looked at Siddhartha and crossed my legs like his, and then I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. It seemed like every thought I’ve ever had was flying through my mind all at once. The sound of the ocean was so quiet compared to everything that was going through my head. I couldn’t calm my brain down and it seemed like t his meditation thing wasn’t working out. Turning my head, I slowly opened one of my eyes to check if Siddhartha was still meditating, he was so I decided I should try again. I took a deep breath and tried again. My mind wasn’t so busy this time. I listened to the ocean and tried to relax.

I wonder if this reminds Siddhartha of that time he was meditating by a river. I wonder how many times he has meditated or if it was always so easy for him.

I guess I just wasn’t ever going to get the hang of this meditation thing so I just opened my eyes and stretched out my legs. I buried my feet under the sand and looked out at the sky. I just sat there while Siddhartha connected with his soul but that was okay with me.

Finally after two hours Siddhartha opened his eyes. I told him I tried to meditate too but I couldn’t stop thinking about stuff. He told me that it takes time and practice to learn how to calm your mind down so you can meditate. I told him maybe I’d try again later but now we had to get ready to catch a plane to the next place I wanted to take him.

It was 5:00 am when we pulled into the air port parking lot. Siddhartha and I grabbed our bags and headed in to get ready for our flight at 7:15. I didn’t want to tell him where we were heading but I knew he’d find out sooner or later. Sid and I found our seats on the plane and he asked where we were going. I wanted to keep my secret alive but of course the flight attendant ruined it. "Next stop Montego Bay" She announced over the loud speaker. I told Siddhartha we should try to sleep since we didn't get any last night. I woke up from a tap on my shoulder. The plane had already landed in Jamaica and it was time to get off. I was very excited to be back in Jamaica but also to show Siddhartha how amazing it is.

We were greeted at the resort with little cups of fruit punch. Once we drank them we checked in and got little plastic bracelets that would let the employees of the resort that we stayed there and also how old we were. After they placed the red bracelets on our wrists I told Siddhartha that all the food and beverages here were free and we could get them at any time. I showed him to our room and we put our luggage down on our beds. I threw him a rasta colored swim suit and told him to go change into it.

I dove into the warm clear blue water and looked around under water at all the colorful fish swimming around. Siddhartha made his way to the bar to try out some exotic dranks. After swimming for a little while I decided I should probably look around for Sid. After walking around the hotel four times I stopped and sat down on a bench thinking he might walk by. I heard a lot of noise from a little room nearby. I was curious as to what was going on in there so I walked up and took a peek inside. There was Siddhartha trying his luck on the slot machines. I stood behind him for a little while and asked him how he was doing. Siddhartha kept his attention on the slot machines and pointed to his cup. "Wow you're doing pretty good huh?" I asked him. He just nodded and kept playing. "Have you ever played one of these things before?" He nodded again. "Yes once before, that was a long time ago." The look on his face turned nostalgic and for a minute I thought he was going to cry. I told him I'd be down by the beach if he needed me and left him to gamble.

A short five days later our stay in beautiful Jamaica was over. I think we were both sad to leave. On the plane ride home I asked Siddhartha if he had a good time. He told me "yes thank you for taking me to these wonderful places and allowing me to experience these things on my own. I have learned a lot about myself and the world around me on this journey but now I must return home." I understood, this trip was different but I had enjoyed the time we'd spent together. I was sad to see him walk down to another terminal to catch his plane home but I knew he had to leave. Siddhartha belongs in a quiet place where he can be alone with his mind. Thats were he feels comfortable. I was disappointed we had to part ways but I hoped maybe someday we could go on another adventure again.

Summer Reading Essay

It was a beautiful fall day and Virginia Shreves decided she wanted to take a walk around Manhattan. So she grabbed her coat and left her apartment building. She loved the cool air and the crunching of leaves beneath her feet. She put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a crisp ten dollar bill, she was hungry but what was she in the mood for? She looked around the crowded streets, Subway? McDonalds? KFC? Ah yes, Wendy’s she definitely wanted some Wendy’s. So she made her way to the Wendy’s just a block away. It looked pretty busy, she checked her cell phone. It was 3 o’clock, no wonder. She saw a few kids from her school and waved as she made her way to the back of the line.

Just as she was figuring out what she wanted someone passed by who looked really familiar. She did a double take and was sure that was someone she’d met before. She knew the face but she just couldn’t remember his name. It was bothering her but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. “Can I help you?” “CAN I HELP YOU?” Quickly Virginia snapped out of her little day dream and stepped up to the counter. She ordered her food and it came out pretty fast. Then she made her way to a nearby table to sit and try to figure out who the mystery man was.

Finally she remembered his name! It was George and she had met him at a party at her older brother’s college. She wanted to go say hi but she didn’t really think George would remember her and she would just look like an idiot. She had an idea, she could walk past him on her way to the trash can and maybe if he did recognize her maybe he’d say something. If not she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. She nodded in self approval of her plan and made her way to the trash. She listened carefully for George to call her name. But she heard nothing other than the chatter of the other people enjoying food inside Wendy’s. “Oh well “ she said to herself and made her way to the door.

As she walked past George again they made eye contact and then the two smiled at each other. Virginia made her way over to where George was sitting. “Hey, its Virginia right? I met you at that party a few weeks back.” George said with the big smile still on his face. “Yeah,” Virginia started “I saw you before but I didn’t know if you would remember who I was.” “How could I forget?” George replied “You were one of the coolest girls there” This compliment made Virginia feel really good about herself and she couldn’t hold back the huge smile on her face. George invited Virginia to sit down and she graciously accepted.

The two began chatting about the party and what had been going on in there lives lately. Virginia found George really easy to talk and relate too. “I feel like I’ve known you for a really long time.” Virginia said shyly. She was worried about what he might say but she was happy with his response. “I know I was going to say the exact same thing ha-ha.” George hesitated telling Virginia the hardest thing he ever had to do but he had a feeling she would somehow understand. “I hope this doesn’t creep you out but I once killed my best friend cause I knew it was the best thing that I could do for him.” When George saw the troubled look on Virginia’s face he elaborated and she understood why he did it. She actually found it really brave. She then felt comfortable enough to tell him her big secrets, how she had struggled with self confidence and used to her herself. George and Virginia kept on talking and he realized the reason they were so compatible was that they both had over come really hard things in there lives. George felt so lucky for seeing Virginia again. Virginia was just glad she choose Wendy’s. Then she looked at her cell phone again. It was 6 o’clock! Her mother would kill her if she wasn’t home for dinner.

“Oh my gosh its been like three hours! I didn’t even notice, I’m sorry but I really have to go home.” Virginia said quickly. George was a little disappointed but knew he should be getting home too. “No, no, that’s alright I need to be getting home too. But first take my number and promise we can hang out again sometime soon.” Virginia looked across the table as George slid a napkin with his cell phone number on it. “Sure I’ll text you in a little while.” Virginia exclaimed. The two hugged goodbye and Virginia started walking home. She couldn’t wait to see George again.