For the Birds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBXna2RNJkI&feature=related 

This Pixar short movie is about a group of small, bitchy birds that don’t like this big, stupid bird. They talk about him, make fun of him, laugh about him, and they try to make him go away. The message of this video is to treat others the way you want to be treated. In this case, Karma really is a bitch.  In the end, the big, dumb bird gets the last laugh.

My Reaction: The sound the little birds make is so cute! They sound like those squeaky toys you give dogs. There are so many parts that make me laugh; like when the big bird sits in between all the little birds and they all start squeaking at him. When the big bird falls off, the small birds go flying and land with no feathers; so funny! I like the idea of telling a story with no words, just sounds and actions. After watching it a few more times, I noticed that all the birds have their own little personality, but all think alike. 

A Dog's Life

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/audiovideo/sites/yourvideo/pages/allan_jeffreys_01.shtml

This digital story is about a boy growing up with his stuffed dog that he slept with at night. It is written as a poem in the dog’s point of view.

My reaction: I love poem and the ironic imagery he created in it. “Silent sobs and un-wet tears.” I liked this video because I too have a favorite toy that I have in my bed, and like it or not, I will have to get rid of it sooner or later just like Al did. But I have to admit, the stuffed dog did scare me a bit with his big red eyes and dirty fur. 

Memories Written on my Face

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/yourvideo/media/pages/giorgia_carpagnano_01.shtml

This digital story is about a girl waking up to find new wrinkles on her face. Behind each wrinkle is a story; a moment of her life captured on her face.

I selected this story because we watched it in class and because I was taken back by how well she told her story. I also loved the idea that every wrinkle was a new chapter in her life. A very creative idea, and I kind of wish I started doing that when I began getting wrinkles.

My reaction: Her second wrinkle is called “Aliciana” the name of her sister who caused the wrinkle. I have a brother so I thought that it was funny when she said that her sister caused a wrinkle on her face; my brother has probably caused many of the wrinkles on my face. And I can’t believe her sister tried to convince her that she was adopted! The two wrinkles she is most proud of are her laugh lines. They represent Martin. This part of the video makes me smile because I know how wonderful it feels to be in love, and I have those lines too. =) 

In Memory...

...Of my Grandfather; Earl Speller.

I didn’t really know him that well, but I did know that he was very smart, very quiet, was married to my grandma Kitty-Lou Speller... and that his drink of choice was rye whiskey.

One day my parents dropped my brother Avery and I off at my grandparents place. The whole time we were there, they were yelling at each other. Nothing was being said other than, shut up! No, no! Shut up! SHUT UP! I didn’t want my brother to see them drunk and fighting so I took him outside, away from the house. That is one of my strongest memories of my grandpa Speller.

I will never forget the way he pinched my cheek to greet me. It kind of hurt, but it made grandpa smile. He never smiled, which is why I knew he loved me because he would always smile when I said “hi”. After a few years of taking photos at family functions, I noticed that grandpa wasn’t smiling in any of them! So one father’s day I made it my goal to get at least one picture of him smiling. And not even halfway through dinner, I got one! It was a really good one too. (see picture below) Once grandpa passed away, that very picture was the one they chose to represent him.


I wrote about my grandfather because, even though I didn't know him all that well, I still loved him and he will always be missed. I love you grandpa.

Bayfield

~Ah Bayfield. What a wonderful place to relax, be creative, eat, and visit Mary.

Now for those of you who do not know who Mary is, she is my mother’s closest friend. She has known me ever since I was in my mother’s womb.

For as long as I can remember I have called her Nanny. Maybe because I consider her family, or maybe because that’s what her granddaughter would call her; whatever the reason, I’m proud to call her my Nanny. We use to call her Panty Nanny because she bought my brother and I really cool underwear.

Bayfield is quite a ways, so we would always stop at this little boutique and look at all the neat things they had. The majority of items were recycled, natural, and quite expensive. Once we reached Nanny’s trailer park in Bayfield the fun times were on! We would go to the beach to find driftwood, than wrap it with different colours of thread, make wood people, paint rocks, chairs, or lap shades; anything that was free and creative would keep us busy for hours! I remember when my brother Avery and I went to the creak beside Nanny’s house to catch frogs. That was one of the rare times when my brother and I would get along.

Back then I didn’t have to be 18 to play bingo, so every Tuesday night while we were in Bayfield we would go play bingo at the Hall. The one time I actually won $10, and at that age, it was a lot of money to me.

Nowadays, we don’t visit Bayfield any more because Nanny actually moved to Chatham! Now I can visit her whenever I want. =]

I decided to tell this story because one video we watched in class talked about their 'Nany'. This reminded me of my Nanny and all the fun times I had with her in Bayfield. So with that warming thought, I wrote this story. 

Down We Go!

~When I was little, my family and I lived in a small blue house with two bedrooms, a little basement, and a back yard with a tree fort to play in. When my brother was born (or when I was 4) we had to get a bigger house to suit a family of four. So one day, we moved just down the street to a big white house, with three bedrooms, a turn around driveway, a huge back yard, and three floors (including the basement). This was totally different compared to my old house in the aspect of stairs. The only set of stairs in my old house led to the basement, and those only had 3 steps. The new house has two sets of 14 steps. As you can imagine, I was not all that familiar with stairs. I went up just fine, but trying to get down them was not as…graceful.

It all happened so fast. I fell, than my dad tried to grab a hold of me from the top of the stairs, than he fell too! Than my mom ran around the corner but by that time, my dad and I were both at the bottom of the stairs’. Shocked, and in pain. I remember my mom telling me that somehow dad spun around so that he didn’t land on me at the bottom of the stairs!

I decided to tell this story because it is funny, action packed and it is always a fun one to tell. It was such a fun memory to write about that I was actually smiling while writing it!