My Best Birthday Compared to my Worst

    My birthday has always been my favorite time of celebration; I mean I can’t really think of anyone that doesn’t enjoy a full day of doing nothing and getting absolutely pampered. I guess the older you get the more you dread it but I’m not at that point in my life yet thank god. I have been very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life to always try and give me the best birthday ever, but sad to say there has been one birthday that just wasn’t the greatest it was just a birthday gone wrong!

    I’m going to start by talking about my best birthday, it was my sweet sixteen.  It was absolutely awesome my grandma took me on a shopping spree and got me the perfect dress and perfect high heels to match. Then my mom did my hair and died the tips of my hair pink cause that’s my favorite color. All my friends came to my house around 5 o’clock and then we waited because my mom said that she had a surprise, her surprises are always the best so I was so excited! Then a limo pulled up in front of my grandma’s house, I was in shock I was so happy. So my friend’s and I  got in the limo not knowing where it was going to take us but the suspense was what was making it all the more fun. We blasted music and hung out of the sun roof and took a lot of pictures. Then we were at our destination, Universal Studios! My all time favorite amusement park, it was so cool. When we got in there this one guy and his kids asked to take my picture and get my autograph, I guess they thought I was famous. We had so much fun we went on all the rides and ate at a really nice restaurant. We stayed till the park closed and then summoned for the limo, we felt like royalty.

    The limo brought us back to my grandma’s house where we then sang happy birthday and had cake. And then of course I opened up my presents. And that was my best birthday ever, thank you mom!!

      The worst was actually my last birthday, my nineteenth. It started out nice my grandma and my brother came from out of town to spend it with me. I got all dolled up like I usually do, and we went out to breakfast at ihop. Then my grandma took me on her usual shopping spree and I got a lot of beautiful clothes. Then we ate at the cheesecake factory for my birthday dinner it was very nice, it was my grandma, my brother and my in-laws and we were all getting along it was so nice and pleasant. But my mom wasn’t there so it wasn’t complete, she wasn’t able to get the time off of work.

   After dinner we went and did more shopping my grandma is a shopaholic, which is fine with me. Then we went home, and my grandma got a phone call that her dog had died. It was actually my dog my mom had bought her for me when I was a little girl, but when we moved in with my grandma she kind of just made the dog her’s which was fine with me because she was all alone after my grandpa’s death. So when I had heard that she had died I was miserable I loved that dog so much and I barely had gotten to see her since I moved up here. And on my birthday are you serious?

    My friends were throwing me a surprise birthday party at her house so I had to go, but I was an absolute wreck. When I got there and realized all they had done for me it made me feel a little better. I started to drink and relax and dance with my girlfriends. There were lots of yummy cookies that I just couldn’t get enough of. But then in the middle of eating my third one my friend told me that those were weed cookies because she has her medical marijuana license. I was in shock I didn’t know what to do; I tried to just stay calm because I didn’t feel any different. So we started playing games and laughing and everything was fine. But then I started sweating and started to feel panicky. I felt like everyone was staring at me, the room was spinning I had to lie down. So I laid down and started to feel better but then my dog ran and jumped on my stomach making it so I puked all over myself. It was disgusting; I got all cleaned up and went back to bed. And that was my worst birthday ever!  

Chapter 16: Definition

Understanding Dementia
Reading for Better Writing

1. The writer introduces the topic by explaining how shw tells the lady who she is and then 5 minutes later she forgets, this is because of her dementia. This to me is effective because it caught my attention.
2. In paragraph 5 it states that dementia is a broad term that refers to a number of health problems along with Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, arteriosclerosis, & hardening of arteries. All of these have to do with memory loss.
3. She goes into detail that people with dementia express strange beliefs or fears, and that they have diminished language skills. She goes more into detail about their behavorial changes, I find them effective because she gave alot of information which kept me intrigued.
4. I think that the closing is fitting because since there is no cure we must give hem patience, kindness, and love.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Reading for better writing

1. The writer uses an analogy in the introduction to compare hair to a field of grass. Then in the second paragraph he tells you more in detail how the skull is the grass and the scalp is the soil. The top layer of the scalp is the epidermis and the bottom layer is the dermis.I think this is effective cause it gives you a good visual.
2. The picture helps because it looks just like aplant sprouting fromt he ground.
3. His voice seems calm and imaginitive, I think it does achieve his purpose cause it grabs the readers attention.

Chapter 15: Process Writing

Process writing is what they call practical writing, it answers questions we face everyday. There are 3 basic forms of process writing describing a process, explaining a process, and giving instructions.The writers goal is to analyze a process, break it into specific steps, and write about it using: a description of a process, an explanation of the process, or instructions on how to carry out a process.

Three Family Cancers

Reading for better writing

1. Her personal anecdote strengthens the essay because it catches your attention. In the beginning he is a young child trying to cure cancer, and then at the end he is na adult still trying it really makes you sympathize.
2. I think that it helps clarify the subject because each grandparent had a different kind of cancer and because of them getting them thats why she decided to spend her time coming up with a cure.
3. In paragraph 9, yes because he is comparing the 2 cancers his grandparents had.

Chapter 14:Classification

When using classification a writer looks at a topic and then breaks it down into components that can be sorted into subgroups. A writers goal for writing a classification , is to divide a group of people, places, things, or concepts then write an essay that helps readers understand each components and the topic as a whole.

Shrouded in Contradiction

Reading for Better Writing

1. Her position on hijab is really a contradiction sometimes she hates it other times she values it. She wears it for a hint of rebellion, to her it's not that big a deal.
2. Except when it is. I think the reason behind the sentence paragraph is to lead to the suspence of the next paragraph of how the hijab has caused her difficulties.
3. Woman in make-up and clunky heels wear knee-length jackets with pants, their hair daringly exposed beneath sheer scarves.
4. Cause she doesn't believe what she is told.
5. She is again talking about the veil that she has to wear, this is what bothers her the most.

Chapter 13: Comparison and Contrast

In this chapter, four writers use compare and contrast organization: one analyzed the attack of the World Trade Center, two of them  explain the views of the river, third to assess 2 patterns of dress for an Iranian women, and then the fourth to describe ethnic groups.