How to Survive my Family

First off I am a Schiller. Now you might think with that German name my family would be just awesome, but the reality is my family is not quite normal. As well as being named after a Schiller it comes with something oh so special, my uncle Bob calls it “the Schiller curse…” its sad but true. The Schiller curse basically is just been born into the Schiller family, and being cursed with having them as your family.

            I am going to start off this great survival guide with the mutant in the family, my sister Danielle or as I like to call her “Skippy” (I don’t know why). My sister… well she’s interesting, she’s probably about 5’0” (little, little girl) and 19 years old, has blonde hair and a quirky personality. Now I like to think of my sister as a puppy specifically a wiener dog (because she walks so slow, short legs) and she’s happy and hyper like a puppy with her tongue hanging out the window, and now everyone else is a Great Dane. SO when you decide to go on a walk with her or she tags along because she’s bored and lonely just keep in mind that you will be walking about 5 feet every 5 minutes. Now she’s also very controlling and has to make sure things are done “her way” well, that just isn’t going to work, so when she tells you something or to do something her way, the best way to get what YOU want is to simply use reverse psychology, she gets confused quite easily so that’s all you got to do and she wont even know what has just happened. NOW finally and probably the most important piece of information, my sister is a nosy little thing (hint being a dog) DO NOT tell her about your new friends and ESPECIALLY if they are guys (I am a girl) she will Facebook creep them like there’s no tomorrow and when she meets them… that’s a whole new battle. Just prepare to be embarrassed.

            Next is my dad… oh dear here we go. My dad.. well like my sister he is interesting but also very serious at times.  Lets start off with his humour, I hate to admit t but at times can be quite funny, we usually team up and pick on old Skippy the wiener dog but she doesn’t mind. My dad however LOVES a good pun, hes very punny… and for most people, they don’t like puns, so when you bring someone over and you set up a good pun for him, run out of the room ASAP or face eternal embarrassment. Now for the serious side, as much as he likes to joke around and have fun you need to know the limit. When hes on his computer or being very quiet, DO NOT POKE HIM! He will flip out and get angry it best to hide away from him when hes like that or else.

            Next is my mother, I call her the glue of the family. She has to listen to everyone’s complaints and whining and ugh I don’t know how she does it. But I hate to say it, but my mom is pretty “hip” and “cool” she’s a great mom but on the embarrassment scale.. She surpasses my dad and my sister by a lot. Its best to just be short and sweet with her when having people over DO NOT let them linger around her, she will try to start a conversation and when that happens, you are doomed. I love my mom but sometimes the things she says…. Is just not okay, at all.

            As much as I might “trash” my family deep down I do love them so so much and I would not trade them for a perfectly normal family whatsoever, they are who they are and I wouldn’t want them any other way.

Travel Writing Activity

a)    the author hooks their reader in at the start of the article by telling what was happening as soon as he pulled into port in Greece and describing where it is and what it sort of looks like.

b)     I don’t find this photo all that engaing and it was the only one available in the article, but this is a photo of Irakleia, Greece. It just doesn’t really show the ocean and the colours he was using to describe it. As for the cow… I don’t know, is Greece known for their cows? I think it’s a cow atleast. The only thing that is kind og intriguing is the sign, which seems to be the main focus… other than the cow. At the bottom of the sign it says “TO. THE. CAVE” which this story is actually about. So atleast it has something to do with the story.

c)    Dialogue is used in a bit of the story and I think the purpose it serves is to put the reader in that moment and understand what was happening and what was said to fully understand the issue at hand.

d)    To be honest not much was really said about the culture, people or anything of Greece, mostly just in that first paragraph where he described how the water looked.

e)    I would love to visit Greece, not sure if I would want to visit this precise location, from the picture it didn’t look like much and he didn’t detail it very well. But the cave thing would be cool, minus the fact that someone would get hurt.

f)      The way he recreates it by using present tense and explaining everything he is doing and seeing, also the use of dialogue I felt effective in the sense that I knew what was happening and being said

g)    Title: Greek Paradise, Lost

Author: Dan Saltzstein

Link: http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-stories/greek-paradise-lost-20110915/

I did not find this worth the read, I love Greece (never been) but I want to go and experience it. With this story I didn’t find anything interesting about Greece culture or anything, don’t get me wrong it’s a decent story but I found it a bit bland.

Valentines day stinks

            I have to admit in grade school I looked forward to valentines day, not because I had anybody special I am only like 9 at the time? But handing out and receiving all those fun cards with Disney characters on them really did make me smile and bring me joy… but now I find valentines day a complete waste of time.

            I just find it dumb that this is one day you show how much you love your “significant other” through gifts and chocoloates its just all so sickening, also if you love somebody aren’t you supposed to love them everyday? Or am I just grasping here?

            Another thing that grinds my gears about this “holiday” (even though technically its not) is all the gushy couples around me, I cant even get to my locker without breaking two people apart as it is, so when you see that everywhere you go its just disturbing PDA everyone… and what if that special someone didn’t even get you anything (a.k.a my sisters boyfriend -_-) then that can just turn messy.

            I am sure I am just being sour because I am alone on this day but still, many of these things would bother me wither or not I had somebody and I have my sister who always wishes me a happy valentines day and sometimes even buys me stuff for it (she’s a sweetheart) I don’t know I personally think the whole valentines day thing gets blown way out of proportion.