Food Connections

One "tradition" I have always enjoyed is going to Hinode with my family after church on Sunday. Any time we go to church, we always all seem to want to go to Hinode and stuff ourselves. I love Japanese and Asian food, and Hinode if probably my favorite in town and has always been special because of the memories there. I think a lot of people have similar feelings about restaurants that they eat at with their families for traditions.
I have also had experiences with much different cultural foods. When I was in the Dominican Republic, almost everything about the food style was different. There was some really good food and a lot of it was healthy, but it was a little tough going without all of the things we eat here in America.

Panda Rough Draft

Overview

Panda the Sushi man works at an Asian restaurant that serves up great noodle, chicken, beef, shrimp, and fried rice dishes. Not only that, but they serve the freshly rolled sushi rolled by Panda the Sushi man.

1) He is going to be late for work
2) Makes it with only a minute late, boss gets a little mad
3) A host and server start to talk to him, but he is annoyed because
4) Doesn't let it bother him too much and starts working
5) Deer runs in restaurant
6) Eats his meal and takes break
7) He builds courage to do what he wants to do in his dreams
8)
9) Panda showers and gets ready to go be with friends
10) He gets in his car and heads out
11) He tells his friends about his big dreams once they meet up
12) They party and celebrate together
13) He quits his job to pursue his dreams
14) They start to practice ping pong for the tournaments
15) Panda plays against one of the best players in the world

16) Panda wins the game and lives in the Minshan Mountains again with his friends.

Final Reflection

1) One writing piece I really enjoyed and always look back on was our very first one, our "I am" poems. It was nice to think about, reflect, and remember some of the great things in the past. Too often we get caught up in daily life and forget about the great, simple things in life. Writing about this made me think about memories I often don't. Looking back on this writing will be nice because it will remind me of those times and make me think in the way I did when I wrote it. Another piece I loved was my writing about my old baby blanket. While I don't remember most of my childhood when I was that young, I do remember little bits. I used the blanket until I was at least 8, so I do remember those times a bit more. It was a big thing in my life because I had to have it next to my face to sleep at night, and even after it becoming basically a ball of tattered knots, I still used it. It is fun to think about these times and this piece really brought back those memories.
2) One piece I read was the "Dan in Real Life" post by Samantha. I have liked reading some of her work throughout the semester and share a lot of the same thoughts and opinions as her. I like her description of a perfect day and I think my girlfriend would say about the same thing to that question!   Another one I read by her was the "Caged Bird" piece originally by Maya Angelou. It is relatable and I think her description is very interesting. I love the ending how she references flying away like a bird leaving its cage and now it will be all up to her.
3) I think having a blog was nice because it was separate and different from our journal. I liked our journal because we could put whatever we wanted to without other classmates really seeing it. While that was nice, it was also fun to write pieces that could be viewed and commented on by classmates. Having these things that you can put your thoughts on is good because sometimes writing can put together thoughts that would just be jumbling around in your head stressing you out.
4) Journaling was fun because there was a variety of things throughout it. I have pieces about topics like food, my life, and even pieces about just different shades of colors. I would let close friends maybe read this, and definitely my girlfriend if she wanted to. There are a lot of random thoughts throughout and it's sometimes nice to keep those to yourself in a journal. I may continue to journal in small notebooks I have, I would write about random thoughts I have and how life is going because it is nice to look back on those things in the future.
5) I sing of freedom. Making your own choices is a great feeling. Truly getting to do what you want, when you want. I think moving out is the biggest step of freedom because you start experiencing all of the things in life that make it hard to be fully responsible for yourself. I love the freedom of having a car and being able to go where I want, and do what I want during the day. It is exciting, and of course a little sad, to think I will be moving out within the next couple years or so.
I liked Maya Angelou's piece about freedom because it is relatable to anyone. Anyone can think of these types of things that make you feel either free or caged up like a bird.
6) I am..
A son, a brother, and the oldest of three
Springfield Missouri with all of its beautiful features, and its few boring ones
A little boy running through my great-grandparents house, more than excited to go out in the backyard and help granddaddy with yard work
Jumping over my back fence to Garrett’s house since kindergarten until I was 12 or so, but times change and we grow out of certain friendships
A guitar player and someone who loves music, it can make a bright day even better and help cure a day where you just aren’t feeling it
My first dogs, playing with them and my family all the time, and my two new dogs
Chic-Fil-A, Sushi, and Japanese food, which I of course had last night
A good student, who doesn’t like school just as much as most people
A sushi chef and dishwasher at Tasia since the summer I turned 16
Into the Wild, my favorite and most inspiring book I have read
My new black G35 that I am lucky enough to have as a teenager
Not a little kid anymore, I am 18, and am enjoying almost every part of it
Sad sometimes, thinking about the old times spent with all of my family that I enjoyed so much, and the fact that now, I mostly look forward to time with my girlfriend and friends.. But this is part of growing up I guess, we only have 24 hours every day..
In love with my sweet, beautiful girl that is an amazing support system and has already helped me get through so much and makes me happy every day
I am, in the future..
A happy man with a job that I enjoy
In good contact with my family and still get to see my sister dance, probably professionally, and my brother play soccer
In a nice, cozy, nostalgic house with my gorgeous princess
In a city where we both love living
In love
7) I would do creative writing and drawing in some type of notebook in the future. I think writing creatively lets your brain flow and relieves stress. I like being able to talk about whatever you want because you reflect on your life and for me, I usually realize how great it is and to remember to enjoy each day. I have began to like writing more over the last 2 years. While I don't necessarily love it or want to do it everyday, I do enjoy it more when I do write.
8+9) I have liked being in this class and think it has been a relaxing class to have 1st block, I think many people feel the same way and appreciate that. I wish everyone good luck through life and while we may not remember these moments in detail like we do now, it will still be great to look back on and remember bits and pieces that made up this time. I hope everyone can enjoy and learn from high school like I have. I am excited, but a little sad, to move on from high school now. It really did fly by and each year seems to go by quicker and quicker.

Author's Bio

Keaton Sharpe is from Springfield, Missouri. He lives with his parents, brother, sister, two dogs, and a cat. He has always loved being active outdoors and thinking of innovative ideas for whatever he loved doing at the time. His pets, family, and friends all give inspiration for his stories.

Children's Books

I picked The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss because I remember it from my childhood.  On the cover is a drawn cat wearing a red and white hat with a white bow tie on. This book has 63 pages. Sally, The Cat in the Hat, the fish, and the boy are the main characters. The scene is the children's living room, it is very simply drawn with very few colors.
It is a cold rainy day when sally and her brother are at home. The Cat in the Hat shows up and says they can have lots of fun on this day though. He picks up the fish and starts doing all sorts of crazy things while doing it.
The book has an animal as a character, uses rhyme, kids as characters, humor, illustrations, color, a sentimental tone, and teaches a lesson.
My favorite sentence is, "But we can have lots of good fun that is funny!" I think this book is appropriate for around ages 3-6. It is good to explore your imagination and learn lessons in the time frame. I liked this book as a kid because of the way Dr. Seuss books rhymed and had funny plots.

Dan in Real Life response

1) It is important to write about what you know, Dan doesn't necessarily "not know" about parenting though, he just made a mistake. All parents make mistakes, and as a single dad who was caught up with a woman it is understandable why he would do that.

7) I think you can have feelings of love in three days with someone, but it takes longer to really know that you are in love.

11) My best hiding spot was always being the middle curtains in the main living room. I remember how much we used to always play hide and seek and other similar games at night and how much we loved hiding in the dark.

14) I think there really is one true soul mate that we have. I think in these kinds of scenarios where someone is widowed, his wife is still his soul mate. I think he can still have a good relationship with another woman because his wife is gone now.

16) My special talent is graphic design. I have been doing it since before 8th grade and have become very good at it. I also love cooking, especially pancakes and waffles, like Marie. We all have our special talents, for some people it can be awkward to talk or think about.

17) My perfect day would be waking up at 8 or 9 o clock and make waffles, pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast with Regan. Sitting out on the patio with the woodless fire going and hot coffees on the lip around the fire. Looking out into the mountains covered in snow and the beautiful sky. The nice cozy, nostalgic feeling that comes with being in your warm house on a cold, snowy day. Take a nice shower get ready for the day. Drive into town and enjoy all of the Christmas lights through town. We would go into different stores and shop for new clothes and things for the house. Then head toward the mountain to snowboard our favorite runs for a while. After that we cruise around and enjoy the views. We finish the day sitting on the porch with the fire and then watching tv under a soft, fluffy blanket on the couch until we fall asleep.
20) I think asking questions is an important part of having conversations but just being able to ask a lot of questions doesn't make you a good conversationalist. It also takes good listening, and being able to talk about anything.
21) My family sometimes does decently large gatherings to where the sleeping arrangements aren't ideal, but generally there aren't too many people with my family's visits.

Childhood

2) During my childhood, my mom, dad, brother, and sister were the most important people to me. I was always with them doing fun things growing up and that was very important to my childhood. My grandparents were also a very big piece of my childhood. I have a lot of memories with my grandparents going to different museums, zoos, and aquariums. I also would go to my great grandparents very often because they live here in Springfield which has been very nice as they get older and closer to their final years so we can spend it with them. Spending all of my time growing up with all of my family has helped shape who I am through my childhood by setting good examples.

3) If I could be granted adulthood as a child for 24 hours I would do all of the fun and great things that come with being responsible for yourself and avoid the things that are annoying. I would hang out with friends at the house and watch games and hang out. I would go out to any wildlife and nature areas I want to bike and hike around. Get married and go on an amazing honeymoon. Do all of the amazing and fun things that you get to do as an adult and not do any of the annoying things you will have to do taking care of yourself. When I am older if I could be granted 24 hours as a kid again, I could only imagine I would want to do all of the things I have always wanted to except a hundred times more because I haven't gotten to do any of them in so long. Going back to being a kid where you don't have to worry about a job, money, food, shelter, or any of those things.