A Trip to New Orleans

If I could go anywhere in the United States, I would go to the birth place of jazz music, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz music is the most complex and up beat music ever.  I would want to visit during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which is one of the largest music festivals in the United States. The music of New Orleans originated from a combination of European instruments and African rhythms. People still play in brass bands on the streets today. Louis Armstrong was probably the best trumpeter and jazz singer from New Orleans. Most people know his famous “What a Wonderful World”. Another great fact about Louis Armstrong is that he loved food. He even wrote song called “Cheesecake”. Is there a better place to eat food than New Orleans?

The food of New Orleans is so great because it is blend of French, Spanish, Italian, African, and even some Native American cuisine. The most important factor is that all the food has its own Louisiana flavor. I would want to try everything from the beignets to gumbo. All the food just sounds so delicious. I would like to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras as well. Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which prepares Christians for Lent. The actual celebration last for about two weeks, but I would like to visit towards the end of the celebration when the parades, costumes, and events are more elaborate and extravagant.

New Orleans seems to be a great place to visit. A flight to the Louis Armstrong International Airport would get me to New Orleans. The weather seems to be decent and the shopping is great. There is a zoo and many museums. There are also churches and cathedrals. From the French Quarter to a steamboat ride, New Orleans is definitely a place I would like to visit someday. 

   New Orleans at Night  The French Quarter St. Louis Cathedral

Jon Krakauer Biography

Biography of Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer was born in Massachusetts on April 12, 1954. When he was little he dreamed of climbing Mt. Everest like Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein. He went to Hampshire College in the early 1970s. He met David Roberts while in college and Roberts inspired Krakauer even more. Krakauer wanted to climb the unexplored peaks of Alaskan Arrigetch Peaks in 1974. The American Alpine Club heard he was going on this adventure, so they asked him to keep a journal. This was the first writing he had done. Three years later, he had his first article published in the British magazine Mountain. He made a decent amount of money for this article, so in 1983 he quit is carpentry job and started writing. He met Linda Moore in the late 1970s and they were then married in 1980. His first book was Eiger Dreams: Ventures among Men and Mountains. It was a collection of his magazine articles about his experience climbing Mount McKinley, the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. In 1922, Krakauer was asked to write about Christopher McCandless, which he did. This book became Into the Wild. He then wrote Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. He also wrote High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, and Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman. Krakauer has been an editor for many writers as well.

Information from: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|H1000121792&mode=view

 This is a picture of Jon Krakauer on the cover of Outside. A magazine he continually wrote for.  

From: http://outsideonline.com/outside/features/literary-all-stars_12.htm 

Lindsay's Into the Wild Introduction

Into the Wild Introduction and Summary based off of Wikipedia     

     In the first chapter of the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the main character, Christopher McCandless, is found dead in a run-down bus. The book retraces the steps of the main character after his college graduation. Christopher changes his name and starts work in South Dakota. He then decides to hitchhike to Alaska. The character gives up everything he has and starts new. He has to deal with nature, mental stress, and physical stability. The reader also learns about Christopher’s family and friends along the way. While hitchhiking through Alaska, he forages for some natural food, such as plants and berries. He only has a gun with him to hunt animals. He keeps a journal throughout his journey. One day, Christopher was hiking in a boggy area in Alaska, so he decides to camp out in an abandoned bus because it was too difficult to walk. Later, he cannot escape the bus, because the water level rose. He eats some of the wrong plants and becomes very weak. His symptoms restrict him from leaving the bus and he later dies. This novel is an exciting and enticing journey that I cannot wait to begin. I invite any other teen readers to follow me through this book.  

http://www.indypendent.org/2007/10/05/epic-escapism-a-review-of-into-the-wild/

Dream Sequence

One dream that I remember so vividly was when I was at a rollercoaster park. I love rollercoasters now, but when I was younger I was scared to death of falling out. I was leading a group of people; some were my friends some were not. There was a huge, white, wooden rollercoaster, like the Comet at Hershey Park. I was leading the expedition under the rollercoaster. We were crawling under all the beams and posts of the wooden rollercoaster. There was an open grass area under the rollercoaster. I warned the group not to walk on the grass area, but a boy I knew named Mathew decided to walk on it. He fell through because it was a trap. He was at the bottom of dirt hole. People were trying to help him, but he was too deep. We kept moving. Eventually we crawled out from under the rollercoaster. Later we went on, what a seemed like, a smaller children's ride. We entered the ride. The people who worked on the ride asked everyone to take off their shoes. I was not sure why, but I followed. We got on, and started the ride. There were three other cars going at the same time, on different tracks. My rollercoaster car went around once. On the way back to the loading platform, were people get on an off, the car went around so fast, I almost came out. The car did not stop; it kept going around and around. Each time I was closer and closer to flying out. Eventually, the car was going so fast, I flew out. Right before I hit the ground, I woke up. I had this dream about two years ago. I do not know why I remember it so clearly.

Comet at Hershey Park

Welcome to 3rd Quarter

Hello! I am a new transfer student. I just transfered after exams. It is now the 3rd quarter! The English class finished A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, but we will soon be reading Into the Wild. I am really excited to be at John Carroll. I have learned many things about John Carroll in the past two weeks, minus all the snow days. I pretty much know where all my class are and where I am supposed to be. I have learned more about myself as well. I learned my stress limit and how to be better prepared for tests and quizzes. I have learned how to manage my time more wisely too. I have changed from September, but I have definitely changed for the better! I am excited for a new start at John Carroll! 


New School! New Start!