Julius Caesar

Many people think that dramas written by William Shakespeare are dull and boring. This is not the case with Julius Caesar. I loved the historical action that Julius Caesar provided.

Julius Caesar tells the story of the demise of Julius Caesar and the consequences of his death. In an act for the common good, Marcus Brutus plots with a group of patricians to kill Caesar. They believe that with his death, a tyranny will be ended. Their plan begins to backfire when Mark Antony, a friend of Caesar's, turns the people of Rome against them.

The main characters in this drama, such as Caesar, Brutus, and Mark Antony, are real people. They all lived way before my time, so there is no way I could know how they felt or thought. Julius Caesar provides an insight to historical events through these characters. Although Shakespeare could not have know how they felt either, it is interesting to see how he interpreted their feelings.

The setting of the drama is ancient Rome. As with the characters, ancient Rome was a real place, but it thrived before my time. I have seen pictures of ruins and drawings of what it may have looked like, but never have I been able to envision how people interacted in the city. This drama provides that look into the lives of those of ancient Rome. However, by simply reading the play, I cannot vividly see what the town looked like. The only descriptions I get are from the characters.

The style of Shakespeare is widely recognized. He usually writes in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is characterized by ten syllables in each line. Since he lived in old England, he also uses old English language in Julius Caesar. Sometimes, this language can be hard to understand, but the version of the drama I read provided explanations on the side to aid in comprehension. All in all, the language Shakespeare uses adds to the overall effect of Julius Caesar.

I enjoyed reading Julius Caesar. Everyone should be required to read at least one of Shakespeare's dramas, and Julius Caesar makes a very good choice.

209 Pages

An Ode to Leaders

Almost every major group has a leader. Without one, anarchy often occurs. Groups can only hope that the leaders that come to power are good and successful. With that said, what is it that makes a good and successful leader?

A leader should always be concerned for the common good of his or her people. Good leaders have many positive attributes such as honesty, loyalty, and integrity. Leaders are not working for themselves. Instead, they want to help their people and their group or country achieve all that they possibly can. They can help others through tough times. Leaders should be inspirational. I want to listen to a leader and feel the need to work for his or her cause. For this, good speech skills can help a leader. It is not always possible for someone to make the right decisions all of the time, but good leaders can accept their mistakes, apologize, and fix them. Good leaders are very important because a good leader makes a good group.

Below I have compiled a list of excellent leaders.

1. John F. Kennedy- He was very good for our country and its people.
2. Queen Elizabeth I
3. Pope John Paul II- This pope was excellent at reforming some of the teachings of the Church to improve it.
4. Fred Jones (From Scooby Doo)
5. Pope Benedict XVI- As the current pope, Benedict has worked hard to make good speeches and appear public ally to restore respect for the Catholic Church.
6. Martin Luther King Jr.
7. Optimus Prime- Optimus is in charge of protecting the people of Earth from Decepticons. He is very inspiring to both humans and Autobots.
8. Jesus
9. Aragorn (From The Lord of the Rings)- Aragorn is the king of Gondor. He was successful in leading an army and defeating the army of Mordor. He lead men, elves, dwarfs, and even some dead people. That is not an easy task especially since elves and dwarfs usually cannot stand each other.
10. Abraham Lincoln

My Christmas Playlist (Plus Commentary)

I love Christmas music. I start listening to my CDs and records the day after Thanksgiving. Below is a list of my favorite songs with added commentary. (Note: I am not actually including ALL of my favorites. My Christmas playlist actually contains many, many songs, so I figured that would be way too boring. Enjoy!)

1. "Blue Christmas" Elvis Presley- This is a classic song. It's original and has that Elvis flair. I really enjoy Christmas music even more when Elvis sings it anyway. His version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" is a must hear.

2. "Little Saint Nick" The Beach Boys- The Beach Boys really know how to harmonize. This song is just really cute.

3. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Brenda Lee- I cannot help but laugh when I hear this song thanks to a certain Weygandt and her misinterpretation of the words.

4. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" Bruce Springsteen- "Everybody been good out there? Ah, that's not many, not many. Ya'll are in trouble."

5. "Opera of the Bells" Destiny's Child- This version of the classic song is just beautiful.

6. "Jingle Bells" Frank Sinatra- Frank Sinatra's voice makes me feel like I am living in the 1940s sitting back laughing at some sort of cocktail party. Jingle all the way, you guys.

7. "Up on the Housetop" The Jackson Five- I love how the lyrics to this song have been changed so that they talk about the Jackson kids.

8. "A Wonderful Christmas Time" Paul McCartney- This song just makes me happy. It makes me want to sway from side to side and make a cute face or something.

9. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Thurl Ravenscroft- How the Grinch Stole Christmas is definitely my favorite Christmas book and half-hour special. The song for the special fits so perfectly. It has crazy lyrics and Tony the Tiger makes this song amazing. (Did you know the guy who sings this song is Tony the Tiger? You do now.)

10. "Christmas Wrapping" The Waitresses- This song is so cute. It makes me want to bob my head. I cannot get it out of my head despite the fact that I only know the first two lines. This is one of the best modern Christmas songs in my opinion.

Give Thanks

Everyone has people or things that they are thankful for. At this time of year, we should think about that which we are thankful for and why we appreciate them.

1. Family- My family means the world to me. When all else fails, family is always there. My parents especially will help me when I need help and try to get me whatever it is that I need.
2. Friends- Along with my family, I know that my friends are there for me too. They can always cheer me up. All of us are like a family. We are close to each other and I really care about all of them.
3. My health- Not every person fully realizes how much of a blessing good health is for them. I am a very healthy person, and have generally always been that way. I realize that many families must face horrible diseases, so I am glad that I have been graced with my good health.
4. Church- Church is a very big part of my life. I am thankful for church because it has shaped me into a good person. The people at my church are always eager to help those in need.
5. Ballet- As my major hobby, ballet takes up a huge part of my life. Ballet serves as a safe haven for me. I can forget whatever is going on in my life and just dance.
6. Economic status- Money is not the most important aspect of my life, but no one can deny the fact that money is important. Luckily, my parents work hard so that my family is pretty well-off.
7. School- Here in Batesville, we have a good education system. I feel that my education here will help me in college later in life. Not only that, but school also keeps me out of trouble. What else would I be getting into if I was not generally occupied with schoolwork?
8. Our soldiers- I often think about the soldiers that are in foreign lands protecting our country. We live in the best country in the world and I know that the United States would not be so successful without the help of those who are willing to serve it.
9. My house- I honestly love my house. Of course, I am thankful that I have a house, but the one I have been granted is simply the bomb. I have been allowed to re-do my room, and it fits me perfectly. I will be very upset when I have to leave for college.
10. Morals- I have been instilled with good morals since I was very young. These morals will help me throughout my life. I am thankful for them since they will benefit me from now on.

The Lost Symbol Review

What happens after the action of The DaVinci Code? Apparently more action and mystery. Dan Brown continues the adventures of Robert Langdon in his suspense filled The Lost Symbol. This book had me hooked with its thrilling mystery.

The Lost Symbol follows Harvard professor Robert Langdon on another adventure. He gets a call from what seems to be one of his friend's assistants detailing a lecture at which Robert's presence is requested. After flying to Washington D.C., Robert soon discovers that there is no lecture, but there is instead a search for the Ancient Mysteries of Masonry. Langdon's friend Peter Solomon has been taken captive, and his captor only wants Langdon to decode all of the Masonic symbols and riddles involved in the search. The other Masons, including Peter, do not want Robert to unveil the Ancient Mysteries. Along with that, Peter's sister Katherine is in danger. Peter's captor does not want Katherine's research on Noetic sciences to become public. Who is this strange captor? Will Robert be able to set Peter free?

Dan Brown has written The Lost Symbol from the viewpoints of many different characters. Each chapter is from someone else's view. Sometimes, the changing viewpoints can get confusing, but it shows how what is occurring in the story affects each character. Brown also ends almost every chapter with a cliffhanger. Obviously, this keeps the reader engaged if the exciting story is not enough.

The main character in this book is Robert Langdon. As a teacher, Langdon sometimes seems out of place in the action-packed scenes, but he only become more interesting to read about. Every character is described in detail, not only physically, but also in how they think and feel.

The Lost Symbol is set in Washington D.C., so some of the monuments mentioned are familiar to readers and thus easier to picture. Those that are not familiar however are adequately described by Dan Brown. The book also puts a new twist on these places with "hidden secrets" in the story.

The places, organizations, and ideas mentioned in the novel are real, so connections can be made to our real world. However, Brown adds fictional story lines to them.

As far as books go, The Lost Symbol is one of the best. I would recommend this book, along with other Dan Brown novels, to anyone. They are exciting and engaging. This book was very long, but The Lost Symbol was not very hard to read.
509 pages

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey is a guide for teenagers who want to live a good, meaningful life.

The most helpful chapter for me was "Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood". This chapter gave lots of good insight into the mind of other people. It also helped me to learn how to listen and negotiate better. "Habit 5" showed how much relationships depend on good listening from both parties.

I have mastered Habit 3, "Put First Things First". I have good priorities in my life, and I make sure to try to keep them balanced. School, family, friends, ballet and church are all important to me, but I try not to let one take over my life. A balanced life is much less stressful than an unbalanced one, and I definately do not need any more stress.

"Habit 4: Think Win-Win" is the habit that I need to work on the most. I tend to go to one extreme or the other. I am either a cut-throat person who needs to win, or a push over. Most of the time, I just let the other person win if we are in a conflict. I like to avoid such conflict. I need to learn to compromise more.

Sean Covey wrote a very helpful book. I would recomend this book to every teen. We all can pick up some tips from it.

Ballet Class (For the Teacher)

After about two months of teaching five classes a week at the ballet studio, I have come to notice that every ballet class has a certain progression. That progression even applies to the teacher. Taking a ballet class, however, is different than teaching one. This is how a ballet class goes for the teacher:

1. Attendance- This is my favorite part of the class. I don't have to think about what to do. All I have to do is call names, write them down, and help kids put star stickers on the "Star Chart." It is the easiest task I have to do.

2. Warm-up- During warm-up, I usually make the girls run around the room. After that, we do jumps "a la first". Sometimes, I feel like the warm-up is in vain since I'm the only one who keeps going and does not stop, but as long as the girls get warmed up, it's all good.

3. Stretch- I changed my mind, this is my favorite part of class. We sit on the floor and, as the name suggests, stretch. There is not a set order of stretches to do. We just do whatever stretches that either I or the other teachers fancy. Not only is it easy to decide what to do, but stretching also benefits me.

4. Center- This is the most stressful part of class. Most of the learning takes place here, so the kids can get pretty frustrated. They often start to lose focus because I do more talking and teaching during this time. If any part of class was like a performance, this would be the part.

5. Across the Floor- After sometimes tedious center work, across the floor work is the time to let loose and use the whole floor. Since I mostly teach little kids, we usually do leaps during this part. I'm always exhausted by this point, but everyone loves to leap.

After the class is done, everyone gets a sticker if they've been good. Finally, class is over and everyone can go home. That is unless another dance class awaits. Then, the cycle starts all over again.

Princess in the Spotlight Review

Meg Cabot returns with another story about the struggles of Princess Mia and how she deals with them in Princess in the Spotlight. This book captured me by pulling me in with an unusual style and good characters.



Princess in the Spotlight tells the story of Princess Mia Thermopolis. She has begun to accept her new responsibilities of being a princess. Such responsibilities include a high-profile interview and continuing her princess lessons with her grandmother. Aside from her royal concerns, Mia’s mom has unleashed an unexpected announcement: she is pregnant with Mia’s algebra teacher’s baby. With the new baby on the way, Mia’s mother Helen decides to marry her beau Frank. The two of them want a simple, city court wedding. Count on Mia’s grandmother Grandmère to cause problems. She thinks that the mother of a princess needs a fancy, expensive wedding. Torn between two sides of her family, Mia must choose who to help. Mia also has been receiving very interesting mail from a secret admirer. Who could it be?


The theme of Princess in the Spotlight is that of responsibility. Mia must decide which responsibilities to fulfill and which to avoid. Her life has become stressful with princess, family, and relationship problems, so Mia has to determine how to take care of it all. This book shows that sometimes it is important to put one’s self before others.


I love the style of all of the Princess Diaries books. They are all written from the viewpoint of Mia in the form of her diary. They are very easy to read because Meg Cabot has written them in the same tone that teenagers of today use. The style makes the reader feel like they are having a conversation with Mia about her life.


This book is set in New York. I think that Meg Cabot does a very good job of describing all of the different scenes. Each one is clearly visible in my mind’s eye. This helps the reader to relate to the story since they can see the settings.


Meg Cabot has set a high standard for her books in this series, and Princess in the Spotlight lives up to that standard. I would recommend this book for any girl. It is easy and fun to read.

Boys R Us Review

What is an alpha to do without her clique? Better yet, what is a clique to do without their alpha? Lisi Harrison’s Boys R Us pushes these problems on the Pretty Committee and shows how they deal. This book was fun to read and very easy to relate to.

Boys R Us tales place after Massie Block disbands her clique the Pretty Committee. Much to her surprise, the other members Kristen, Alicia, and Dylan are quick to leave. Clare, however, hates to see her friends torn apart, so she decides to stay neutral. Alicia, the old “beta” of the Pretty Committee, sees endless possibilities. Since Massie was the only girl without a beau, she insisted that the other girls ditch boys. Without Massie as their alpha, the girls can do whatever they want. Alicia starts a new clique called the Soul M-8s, the first boy-girl clique in the history of the school. Massie decides to take charge and start her own dominant clique that she calls MAC, or Massie And Crew. Too bad everyone has heard of Massie’s over-controlling tendencies because no one is jumping at the chance to join. Instead, Massie hires gorgeous but brainless models to play her new friends. Can the girls get over their problems to come back together as the Pretty Committee once more?

After reading the book, I determined that the theme for this book is the same as that of the other books in the Clique Series. That is that being popular or having the best clothes, best looking friends, or best boyfriend is not important. Instead, the most important is to have good friends that really care about you.

Lisi Harrison writes this book from the point of view of all five members of the Pretty Committee. She writes in a very easy to read way that sounds like what a teenager would think or say. Some passages include text conversations, IM conversations, notes, or written lists. These different styles add variety to the book.

The main characters in the book are very easy to imagine. They are well described. I can even see characteristics of myself, my friends, or other people I know in them. It is interesting to see how the characters act in different situations. For example, at school, Massie is a confident alpha with impeccable style. When she’s at home or with her friends, she is insecure. Each character has different characteristics that sum up what they are all about.

The setting of Boys R Us is New York. Each scene is described to that the reader can clearly see what the characters see. Lisi Harrison describes everything, including what each girl is wearing, in great detail.

Because of the characters, Boys R Us is very easy to connect to. Any teen aged girl can relate to the problems that the Pretty Committee goes through. The characters think and feel like we do when put in situations, and even though we may not live lives like theirs, we can imagine how we would respond.

As always, I loved this book. I say as always because I really like all of the books in the Clique Series. They are easy to read, but they are still entertaining. I would recommend this book for every teenage girl.

320 Pages

The Time Traveler's Wife Review

Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife explores the extent of patience and love for others. It was touching and very enjoyable.

The theme of this book is love. The love between the two main character’s Henry and Clare is very complicated, but they still keep it alive. Niffenegger shows how far one will go for their love. The book shows the up, downs, ins, and outs of Henry and Clare’s relationship and life together.
Niffenegger uses a very unique style with this book. The Time Traveler’s Wife is written from both Henry and Clare’s perspective. Plus, all of the chapters include the dates in which the events happen since Henry time travels. I found this very helpful when I was trying to understand the book.

The two main characters in the book, Henry and Clare, were easy to feel for. That is, while reading, I could very clearly feel their emotions. I loved to see how they changed throughout the book.

The setting of The Time Traveler’s Wife was very confusing to me. Since Henry time travels, the setting could change in a flash without warning. However, the reoccurring settings were very well described.

To put it simply, Henry is a time traveler. He goes without warning, without noise, and without clothes. On one of his trips, Henry meets a young girl named Clare. Clare decides that she is going to marry Henry, a man who she knows all of her life and a man whose age changes each time she sees him. Finally, Clare meets the “real” Henry, the Henry that lives in the present. They fall madly in love, but how does one love a man who disappears?

I really liked The Time Traveler’s Wife. I would recommend this book for anyone. The book was not too sappy, but it was touching. However, I do not think that this book it suitable for younger people, as it is very sexual at times. Also, The Time Traveler’s Wife is clearly very long, but I did not even think of that since I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

560 Pages

The Time Machine Review

If time travel were possible, would it be a beneficial technological advance? H. G. Wells explores that question in his novel The Time Machine, a book that was full of suspense and adventure.

The theme of this book explores what time travel could result in. The book also hints to the old cliché “be careful what you wish for.” The main character in the book, the Time Traveler, ventures into the future hoping to find a race of humans superior to our own only to discover that the human race is no more. The glorious future he hoped for does not exist. He then finds himself in a jam since he is in a foreign time. The Time Traveler got what he wished for, but not in the right form and it brought only trouble to him.

The Time Machine was written in 1895, so the style of writing is different from that of today’s writers. H. G. Wells used words that I had never heard of, and that made the book harder to read. For some, the hard-to-read language could be a negative point for the book.

H. G. Wells did not include very many physical descriptions of the characters. For example, he did not even give the main character a name. Instead, he is only known as “The Time Traveler”. However, I could clearly feel the Time Traveler’s emotions throughout the book.

The setting of The Time Machine was very confusing for me. This could be because I was not connecting with the book enough, but I could not see what the “future” looked like. Since the main setting, the future, was unknown to me, I didn’t have anything to aid me in visualizing the environment except the author’s words, which didn’t paint a clear picture.

In The Time Machine, a man only known as the Time Traveler discovers a way to transport himself into the future. When he gets there, he discovers that the future is not what he expected. Later, when the Time Traveler decides to return home, he finds his time machine missing. Trouble ensues. What is one to do in a foreign place and time where no one can help?

All in all, The Time Machine was a pretty good book. The novel had a good story, but was hard for me to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and is willing to look up unknown words in a dictionary.

83 Pages

The Princess Diaries Review

Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries entertained me with its sweet story and relatable narration. The novel was fun and easy to read.

The Princess Diaries details the life of Mia Thermopolis who lives with her mom and cat. Mia’s father lives in France, and he is a politician. Little does Mia know that his title is that of a prince! After he finds out that his testicular cancer will prevent him from having kids, Mia must take the role as heir. Now, Mia must deal with being a princess, making her friend Lilly happy, and passing algebra. Can she do it all?

The theme of The Princess Diaries embodies the question “Who am I?” Mia Thermopolis discovers that she is the heir to the throne of a small European country called Genovia. Throughout the book, she tries to come to terms with her new-found responsibilities. Mia is caught up in trying to balance school, friends, and princess lessons. Her stressful schedule causes her to toughen up a step up to the plate.

Meg Cabot used a very unique writing style in this book. The Princess Diaries is written in the form of a diary as told by Mia. This makes the book feel like Mia is talking directly to the reader. The book becomes more personal because of this.

The characters in this book are very fun to read about. Mia has insecurities just like the rest of us, so she becomes relatable. Even though readers probably will not go through Mia’s problems, how she deals with those problems sparks the reader’s mind to make connections to their own life.

The setting of this book is primarily New York City, but Mai often speaks of Genovia. The descriptions provided of scenes in the book are detailed enough for the reader to picture them clearly. Each scene provided not only location, but also people, props, and conditions of those factors.

As I stated previously, most readers will not have to govern small countries. However, they can connect to Mia’s friend problems, insecurities about her body, and fear of taking on new responsibilities. The Princess Diaries is a good, funny story that is told in a fun way. This book is a wonderful read.

283 pages

Tosh and Lauren Talk About

In a moment of boredom earlier this morning, I decided to check every account I currently have on the web. So, of course, I played around on YouTube for a while. I checked the status of Tosh's and my account. To my surprise, we have 1,317 views on our Tosh and Lauren Talk About videos! This is for you Mrs. Gillmore: can you say cha-ching?! I feel almost famous. Now, most of our viewers know us, so we're not that famous, but still...

Tosh and Lauren Talk About started as just something to pass the time in choir class. (You can read all about this here http://marypoppins10.blogspot.com/2009/09/tosh-and-lauren.html) Tosh and I soon found that making a talk show was really fun, so we decided to do it regularly and upload it to YouTube. Now, in the above link, Tosh talks all about the beginning and development of Tosh and Lauren Talk About. I'm not going to do that, but I'm going to reminisce. And advertise. :)

I love watching our old episodes. I literally laugh out loud during each of them. Sometimes, it's because of what's going on in the episode. Other times, it's because of what happened before filming or what was going on behind the camera. Tosh and I don't write out scripts. We just come up with ideas, get our props into the GBBOE (That's the Great Big Bag of Everything for all of you non-viewers), and go. There's no telling what will end up in the final cut. For example, in our most watched episode "Tosh and Lauren Talk About Sleepovers", we ended up having to film about three times. Each time was completely different. In one take, we ended up singing songs. In another, Tosh chased me around. I think the only part the remained the same was the begining: Tosh came out and sang our theme song (Yes, we have a theme song) and I hid in the GBBOE. That was fun.

Each episode brings back memories for me. In one episode, viewers called in with questions and comments. That took forever to work out, and it was probably the most frustrating to make. When we came up with the Cristmas episode, Nelson was originally supposed to be the Grinch. :) But, he chickened out, so we ended up bribing my brother to do it. Once, we got really bored at my house, and just decided to do a video response to Tosh's cousin's video. We just did the exact opposite of everything he did. I remember we wore headphones that weren't connected to anything because he wore headphones in his video. Then, I got up to do something during the video, and my headphones drug on the ground. Since it was the dead of winter, there was static electricity everywhere and the headphones shocked me over and over in my ears. It hurt, but if you watch the video, you'd never know. Every single episode involves Tosh saying something about me being funny looking. I have no idea how that started, but it's just hilarious to me. After we film, Tosh always says "Now Lauren, remember that I think you're not funny looking." I guess she feels bad each time. But it does make for funny videos. We have tons more ideas for episodes. Plus, we decided to start a new line of videos that have nothing to do with us talking about stuff. They're going to be called "Tosh and Lauren Talk About Presents:..." I don't see an end to this anywhere. We have way too much fun.

By the way, if you want to check out Tosh and Lauren Talk About, click here http://www.youtube.com/user/ToshaKenzie.

Fame Has Its Price

This weekend, my cousin came from Little Rock to take me out to eat, and she brought me a gift. No, it wasn't my birthday or some crazy holiday, but she found a book and Barnes and Noble that she thought was perfect for me. It is a giant (more that one foot by one foot at least) book that is about, guess who, Elvis Presley! It is about his life and is full of very nice pictures. I devoured it in about one night. I was really excited to read this book, but as I reached the end, something made me a little melancholy.

Elvis was a country boy, and being thrust into the spotlight was a huge shock to him. Throughout his career, he experienced changes; changes in his friends, changes in his family, and most of all, changes in himself. These changes can be seen in his personal appearance throughout the years. From eccentric young "rebel" to flashy, overweight icon, Elvis' problems definitely showed. He was tired of being surrounded by people who pretended to be his friend just to get in the spotlight. At one point he even said, "I'm tired of being Elvis Presley." All of that fame and Elvis' abundant lifestyle took its toll. He turned to prescription drugs and food as a comfort. Still, he was always devoted to his fans, and always tried to please them with his performances. He eventually overdosed on August 16th, 1977. He died young, he was only 42, so the question is always asked: "What could have been?"

Even though he died over thirty years ago, Elvis is still remembered. Still, it makes me sad to think of how such a talented person died in such a terrible way.