The One Reason I Hate Spring...

...ALLERGIES. Spring is a beautiful time of year, trees and flowers start to bloom and its beautiful, the days are longer, being outside is great, but, what people tend to forget is that when flowers begin to bloom, they let loose all of the pollen and the affect that it  can have on people can make them miserable! 

     Each March, I just always expect the worst. Around this time of year, my eyes water non stop, my nose and ears are always itching, and my chest feels tight. I have tried taking medication for these seasonal allergies, but they usually just put me to sleep and unfortunately I can not sleep all day like I would want too. So usually,  I just try and stick it out to get everything I need to get done during the day, but it is so frustrating to not feel healthy for about five months. 

Vocabulary

Allergies-a sensitivity to a harmless substance that causes a strong reaction to the body

Pollen- a powdery substance produced by flowers that contains cells.

Miserable- experience a serious lack of contentment or happiness. 

Itching- to have an irritating sensation on the body that provokes scratching

. 

Medication- a drug to treat an illness. 

Frustrating- to discourage someone. 

Vocabulary Exercise: Fill in the Blank

____________ is a substance that is produced by plants that can have a _____________ effect on a person. Seasonal __________ can be the one of the worst parts of spring/summer. Allergies can cause intense ___________  and can make a person feel absolutely ____________. Usually, there is ____________ out there that can help a person feel better but sometimes they do not work. 

Grammar Point

Find all of the nouns in the paragraph and explain what kind of noun they are.

Writing Exercise

Write a paragraph on something that really frustrates you and why. 

Take me out to the ball game!

Finally! It is that time of year! Major League Baseball (MLB) is finally back and I can't help but love the New York Yankees! I have been an intense Yankee fan since I was a kid; I was introduced to them by my dad. One of my favorite memories as a kid, that I still love to do today, is to go to the games and root for my team. There are obviously better games to go to, such as when they play the Rays, the Mets, and especially the Red Sox of Boston. Team rivalries are awesome especially when the Yankees are playing on their home field. 

One of my favorite players on the Yankees is Derek Jeter. I know that sounds very cliche and that is everyone answer but he is a great player, and he loves his team. He does what is best for his team and you can tell that in every game he gives his all. He is an all around great team player. I cannot wait for the season to really get going and see how each team looks and eventually get to the playoffs. 

Vocabulary

Major League Baseball- the league that professional baseball players play in.

Intense- great, strong, or extreme in a way that can be felt.

Rivalries- when two things are competing with each other. 

Home Field- the field that the team practices on. 

Cliche- phrase or idea that is NOT original

Playoffs- additional games or round that decides the winners of the league. 

Vocabulary Exercise 

Matching. Match the vocabulary words on the left with the antonyms on the right. 

INTENSE                                                                                  AWAY FIELD

HOME FIELD                                                                          TEAMMATES

PLAYOFFS                                                                               N.H.L

RIVALRIES                                                                              MODERATE

M.L.B.                                                                                         ORIGINAL

CLICHE                                                                                     REGULAR SCHEDULE

Grammar Point:

The paragraph above is in present tense. Change the paragraph into past tense.

Writing Exercise:

Is there any sports team that you love to watch? Write a paragraph on why you love this team? 

GLEE and Teenage Issues.

                Do you watch Glee on Tuesday nights on FOX? I have been watching Glee since it first started a couple of years ago and the show is constantly changing. Glee is a show based on kids in school who sing in the glee club at their school and usually each episode is themed. But more recently, the themes have been getting darker and darker. In the most recent episode, Glee incorporates serious teenage issues that occur in high school and puts them in the spotlight. For example, a student at the high school tries to commit suicide because he was being picked on for being gay, and another student gets into a major car accident because she was texting and driving. When I saw this episode, it really hit me hard. They use songs to boost self esteem such as Kelly Clarkson's Stronger, and Halestorm's Here's to Us. It was a very inspiring episode because it showed what bullying other students and texting and driving could potentially lead to. Glee has always been an inspiring show for teenagers in high school, but this episode shows a more serious outlook to its viewers. 

Vocabulary

Constantly- always present or available

Glee Club- a club at a high school where students sing and compete against other schools.

Theme- subject of discussion, what is being portrayed throughout entire episode

Self Esteem- how a person feels about themselves.

Inspiring-making someone more enthusiastic about something

Outlook- a point of view

Vocabulary Exercise: Match the vocabulary words with its synonym. 

THEME                                                                                           VIEW

OUTLOOK                                                                                      SINGING GROUP

CONSTANTLY                                                                                FEELING GOOD

SELF ESTEEM                                                                                MOVING

INSPIRING                                                                                      TOPIC

GLEE CLUB                                                                                     CONTINUOUS 

Grammar Point

Find all of the nouns in the entry and tell me what kind of nouns they are and why.

What TV Show do you love watching? Tell me in a paragraph why you love this show so much. 

St. Patrick's Day Insanity

         Well as you all know, St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Saturday. For as long as I can remember, St. Patrick's Day, has been a day where teenagers think it is okay to go on an all day drinking binge. I won't lie, I had participated in these events when I was in high school, but these days it has gotten so out of hand that it is on another level. I have heard horror stories about "Irish Day" and St. Patricks Day, about teenagers drinking so much that they end up in the hospital, or even worse dying because they were drunk and ran across the street at the wrong time.

         I went to SUNY Albany and for St. Patricks Day, they have an event called Kegs and Eggs. All of the college students wake up at 3:00am to start drinking because the bars open at 5am. 5am! It is absolutley absurd that the bars open that early but they do. Well last year, while I was a senior, students started a riot in downtown Albany because they were drunk and bored. A riot broke out, cars were flipped and people were hurt. Most of the students involved were kicked out of school right away, and most of them were seniors. There are videos all over YouTube on it, and when I saw these people flipping cars and beating each other up it actually made me sick. I just hope that people get a hold of their drinking and try and control themselves on this holiday.

Vocabulary

St. Patrick's Day-a holiday that celebrates Irish American Culture.

Binge- when someone eats or drinks to much in a short period of time

Horror Stories- a story that can be described as frightening or scary

Drunk-having loss of control because of drinking to much alcohol.

Event-an organized occurance that can be exciting

Riot-a public disturbance during which an angry mob that can lead to damaging property.


Vocabulary Exercise: Matching

WORDS                                                                                  SYNONYM 

Binge                                                                                     Intoxicated

Riot                                                                                        Irish Celebration

Drunk                                                                                   Occasion

Event                                                                                     Induldge, Gorge

Horror Stories                                                                   Frightening

St. Patrick's Day                                                                Uprising


Grammar Point
Point out all of the adverbs and the words that they are modifying.

Write a paragraph on your favorite holiday and why.

Once Upon A Time....

       There are many reasons why I dislike Sunday nights; just the fact that the is following day Monday by itself is depressing to think about. However, Sunday nights provides me with the best television shows of the week. Theres a show on Showtime called Shamless, Dexter, etc. But by far my new favorite show is on ABC and it is called Once Upon A Time.         
       Once Upon A Time is a show based on fairy tale characters stuck in our world. The town, Storybrooke, MA, is populated by characters from fairy tales, who have been exiled to the real world due to a curse cast by the evil Queen. She cast this curse to get back at Snow White and Prince Charming. The curse causes the fairytale characters to not remember who they really are and they have been stuck there for years. The only one that knows about the curse is a little boy Henry and the Evil Queen.

      The story line of how the fairy tale characters lives intertwine and how they all connect in each others is so interesting. In each episode, they go back and forth between flashbacks of the fairy tale world and the real world and they explain why everything is working out the way it is. I love the show because of how all the fairy tale characters I grew up with are in a show that I can enjoy while I am older.

Vocabulary

Depressing - causing sadness. making someone feel disheartened

Fairytale- something that is make believe, not real

Favorite- something that you prefer because you like it the most

Exiled- when you are forced out of your home by an authority

Intertwine- to twist two or more things closley together and they are somehow connected

Flashbacks- a scene or event from the past that a person remembers out of chronological order.

Vocabulary Game

Match the vocabulary word on the left with the antonym on the left. (opposite of meaning)

WORD                                                                                ANTONYM

Fairytale                                                                             Uplifting and Upbeat 

Depressing                                                                          Untangled

Flashbacks                                                                          Welcomed

Exiled                                                                                   Real Life

Favorite                                                                                Future  

Intertwine                                                                             Unpopular

Grammar Point

Find all of the prepositions in the blog entry and explain what they are doing in the sentence.

Write a paragraph on this question: What is something you love to watch on TV and why?





The Warmest Winter!

     I absolutely love that this has been a very warm winter. Winter is not something that I look forward too after a beautiful summer and fall. There is nothing more frustrating than snow; having to shovel and dig out your cars when you have to go to work and get errands done. The only way that I would ever accept snow is if it gave me a snow day and I had an excuse not to do anything! Other than that, snow is probably my least favorite thing about living in New York. 

     I was not always like this. I used to love the snow and I could not wait for it to come each winter...until I went to college at SUNY Albany. We arrive in August when classes start, so the whether is still nice. However, as soon as October hits, the snow begins and does not stop until May. It snowed every single day for three months, and if it is not snowing, it is raining. It became so dark and gloomy that I could not wait to graduate by the time my senior year hit. Now that I am home on Long Island, I was expecting snow but I am so happy that it decided not to come this winter. I needed this break from the freezing cold winters and enjoy the winter for the first time. Hopefully though, because of these odd changes in temperature this winter, the summer will be hot as always the snow doesn't decide to come then! 

                         

 

Vocabulary

Winter- the coldest season of the year. The temperatures are cold and snow usually falls.

Frustrating- something that prevents something to progress or succeeding

Gloomy- dark, appearing to be depressing

Expecting- something or regarding something to likely happen

Freezing- extremely cold temperate where water turns to ice. 

Odd- strange and unusual

Vocabulary Exercise: match the vocabulary word in the first row with a synonym in the second row. 

Vocab Word                                                                                   Synonym 

Odd                                                                                            Frost

Gloomy                                                                                      Waiting

Winter                                                                                       Abnormal

Expecting                                                                                  Chilly

Freezing                                                                                    Annoying

Frustrating                                                                                Dull

Grammar Point

Please find all the adjectives in this passage and put them into sentences of your own.

Write a paragraph about your favorite season and why. 

Will Gas Prices Ever Stop Rising?



     Yesterday,  I went to the gas station to fill up my Toyota Corolla, and it cost me over forty dollars. Forty dollars! Three years ago the average gas price was $1.80 per gallon, today the prices are about $3.60 per gallon. That is absolutley absurd! My question is, why are these prices constantly rising?
  
    From what is said on the news, President Obama blames the gas prices on the instability in the Middle East and the current affair with Iran. Also, according to Obama, drilling more gas will not lower the prices either. So are prices just going to keep rising to the point where it it going to cost over $5.00 a gallon? This is going to be a major problem for the American economy. Rising gas prices drag down consumer spending and can cause financial hardships at home.
              I think the American government needs to get a hold of why these prices keep rising. It is costing me at least $150 a month to fill up my tank to go to work and go to school. It is mind boggling and frustrating that no one really knows why they are going up because not to long ago it was fifty cents cheaper.
Click here to read an opinion on gas prices

Vocabulary

Absurd-extremely unreasonable

Instability-a state of being very unstable

Economy-management of resources such as money, materials and labor.

Drag Down-to depress or demoralize

Hardships-extreme suffering

Mind Boggling-mentally or emotionally overwhelming

Vocabulary Exercise

________ in an _________ can be extremely frustrating for the country that is going through a hard time. There are many things that can ___________ the economy that can lead to many different _____________ for the consumers. People can lose their jobs when they are over qualified, which is absolutely ___________. It is __________________ to me that people can get laid off every single day and there are little changes made each day.

Grammer Point

Find all of the proper nouns in the blog entry and use them in a different sentence and explain why they are proper nouns.

Write a paragraph on something that frustrates you!