MY OWN VOCAB #2

Behooves - it is a duty or responsibility for someone to do something

Extremities - the furthest point or limit of something

Immobilization - fixation of a body part in order to promote proper healing

Outpace - go, rise, or improve faster than

Anatomy - the branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms

Physiology - the branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts

Paramedic - a person who is trained to do medical work, esp. emergency first aid, but is not usually a fully qualified physician

Interpersonal - of or relating to relationships or communication between people

Technician - a person employed to look after technical equipment or do practical work in a laboratory

Adaptive - characterized by or given to adaptation

Intravenous Therapy - is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein

Trauma - a deeply distressing or disturbing experience

Echocardiograms -  test of the action of the heart using ultrasound waves to produce a visual display, used for the diagnosis or monitoring of heart disease

Practical - of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas

Esoteric - intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest

Cornerstone - a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls

Synthesis - combination or composition, in particular

Analogue - a person or thing seen as comparable to another

Emblazoned - conspicuously inscribe or display (a design) on something

Chlorination - the addition or substitution of chlorine in organic compounds

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

I'm not talking about the romantic comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey. However I might have gotten the title of this post due to this movie. As you may have already seen/read not much work has been done on my blog. Nothing important has been posted. I feel like I'm missing the rocket fluid I need to finally take off. I do have some fellow rocket scientists trying to assist me with the system failure, but I'm not really taking their advise into consideration. I continue to ignore the fact that work has to be done, and distract myself with other things I value to do than the work I'm expected to do. I question myself periodically wondering if I have made the right decisions. Where have these decisions led me? Do I want to continue doing what I'm doing? I like it here on Earth and I'm not ready to venture into space...yet.

MY OWN VOCAB LIST #1

Insanity - the state of being seriously mentally ill; madnessFit- in good healthRepetition - the action of repeating something that has already been said or writtenResistance - the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument
Endurance - the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way
Oblique - a muscle neither parallel nor perpendicular to the long axis of a body or limb
Respiration - the action of breathing
Cardio - of or relating to the heart
Sprain - wrench or twist the ligaments violently so as to cause pain and swelling but not dislocation
Warm Up - prepare for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand
Muscle Fatigue - is the decline in ability of a muscle to generate force
Pace - the speed or rate at which something happens, changes, or develops
Competent - having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully
ASVAB - The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces
Aptitude - a natural ability to do something

VOCABULARY 8

Definitions:

cursory - hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
impetus - the force or energy with which a body movea
pinnacle - a high, pointed piece of rock
contumely - insolent or insulting language or treatment
bereavement - mourning: state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
cache - a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place
consummation - the point at which something is complete or finalized
calamity - an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster
avarice - extreme greed for wealth or material gain
fortify - strengthen (a place) with defensive works so as to protect it against attack
erratic - not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable
ubiquitous - present, appearing, or found everywhere
fortitude - courage in pain or adversity
nonchalant - feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
affect - have an effect on; make a difference to
effect - a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause
misappropriate - dishonestly or unfairly take
pragmatic - dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
metacognition - awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes
devoutly - having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment

THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY SHORTCUT!

I just recently put up my literature analysis about The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. If you however don't feel like reading a long literature analysis (like me), then lucky for I found a TED talk with A.J. Jacobs where he talks about his biblical journey

LITERATURE ANALYSIS: THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY

Nonfiction Analysis: The Year of Living Biblically

TOPIC(S) and/or EVENT(S):

• The Year of Living Biblically was written by A.J. Jacobs and he speaks of how he lived an entire year following the words of the Bible in a literal meaning instead of the metaphorical meaning.
• Jacobs gives several reasons on why he chose to embark on his journey. From changing his agnostic views on religion, to taking inspiration from his ex-uncle Gil that would also take what he learned from the Bible in a literal meaning.
• Such as my last nonfiction analysis, this novel was also recommended to me by sophomore English teacher Mrs. Byrne. Since the last novel she gave me truly entertained me I wondered if she could help me choose another novel. Long story short, she did.
• To be honest, it is truly hard for me to find this novel realistic. Reason being is that I have never heard of anyone deciding to live their life to the literal meaning of the Bible.

People:

• Throughout the novel, Jacobs gives his own interpretations based on his own personal observations.
• Main Characters:
• A.J. Jacobs - the main protagonist and author of The Year of Living Biblically. His physical appearance changes dramatically from the beginning to the end of the story. First we have this average clean cut looking guy with a nice suit. In the end however, we don't see this guy anymore. We see a shaggy bearded men who looked like he lived off the street and never had a chance to shave. Going to a nice formal suit to a one piece clothing attire and sandals. He likes to challenge himself and questions his own abilities. If I were to rewrite him as a fictional character, I would use direct characterization because he tends to speak out his mind throughout the novel.
• Julie Jacobs - is the wife A.J. Jacobs. Julie is shorter then her husband by a couple of inches, and based on the way she dressed you wouldn't think that she was married to a man devoted to living to very little thing the Bible says. She is willing to put with all the shenanigans that her husband does. If I were to rewrite Julie as a fictional character, I would use direct characterization. Reason being because we don't really get to know what her exact feelings were towards her husband during the entire year.
• I think what is interesting to write about these people is their struggle. One living his life based on the words of God (A.J. Jacobs), and the one who has to put up with it (Julie).
• Jacobs uses both direct and indirect characterization in order to represent his view towards other character and his views toward the audience.
• Direct Characterization:
• "A lot of my friends expect me to speak like a walking King James Bible. They want me... to spout words like thou and woe unto and whosoever shall"" (Page 99)
• "I was reading in one of my Bible commentaries about how the flood is such a tragic story...and how strange it is that it's always made into cute kids' toys." (Page 116)
• Indirect Characterization:
• "Yea, I shall rejoice in a feast of pizza." (Page 99)
• "I had tried to show off my biblical knowledge, and I ended up insulting my only friendly neighbor. The Bible tells us not to be know-it-alls." (Page 116)
• Jacobs changes his syntax and diction as often as he can when they focus on a character. One moment Jacobs will talk philosophically about a topic and then talk about his child to a fellow character.
• Jacobs is a very dynamic and round character. Dynamic in the sense that he goes through his own biblical journey, and round because we get to learn with Jacobs and his journey.
• After reading this novel, I would think that Jacobs was a fictional character that I just read about. While I was reading this novel, I was completely baffled that someone who grew up in a not very religious household would decide to dedicate a year of their life living almost word by word of what the Bible said.

Style:

• Jacobs uses fictional writing techniques in his novel. One of these techniques is allusions. Throughout his novel he makes allusions to the Bible (kind of obvious). He just doesn't do it to show the rules of the Bible, he uses these excerpts when they are necessary. Whether to show a point or to show that it relates to the previous topic that he was talking about.
• This novel has his fair amounts of dialogue, but when it comes to how the majority of the novel is written, Jacobs is very meticulous when it came to writing this because of lengthy descriptions. To someone like me, I am not fond of reading about descriptions. I find it rather boring, and prefer more action and dialogue.
• From just the front cover of the novel we can tell that Jacobs tone is going to be sarcastic. Holding the ten commandments in one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other.
• I think that Jacobs like to torture himself. I don't mean that he hurts himself physically, but he likes to make things harder on himself. I came up with this due to reading this novel, and hearing about his previous book where he tried to learn everything by reading an encyclopedia.
• At the end of the novel, Jacobs gives a list of the works he has cited. Jacobs uses different versions of the Bible, and using works of others and their views on religion. Actually this hasn't affected me. Most writers tend to use different resources in order to support their ideas.

Enduring Memory:

An idea that I learned from this novel is that when reading a book like the Bible, make sure to distinguish the literal and metaphorical meanings. Not everyone tends to pick up the Bible daily and live life as if it is portrayed. Well that's how God may want it, It sounds impossible! We as humans will always make mistakes, and cannot be perfect.

"And he shall read it in all the days of his life..." - Deuteronomy 17:19

VOCABULARY 7

Definitions:

cursory - hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
impetus - the force or energy with which a body movea
pinnacle - a high, pointed piece of rock
contumely - insolent or insulting language or treatment
bereavement - mourning: state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
cache - a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place
consummation - the point at which something is complete or finalized
calamity - an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster
avarice - extreme greed for wealth or material gain
fortify - strengthen (a place) with defensive works so as to protect it against attack
erratic - not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable
ubiquitous - present, appearing, or found everywhere
fortitude - courage in pain or adversity
nonchalant - feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
affect - have an effect on; make a difference to
effect - a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause
misappropriate - dishonestly or unfairly take
pragmatic - dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
metacognition - awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes
devoutly - having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment