Finally!

Hey guys,
I finally got my account to work, I'm not sure why it wasn't working before but now it is!
Just a heads up I'll be commenting on old posts!
Thanks,
Mary

Noelle vs. Nia

Hey ya'll. Don't want to post too much, just a few questions for this next section to spark a conversation;

1.) What do you think happened to Noelle? On page 365; "People wanted to use you?" "Someone did. Someone who shouldn't." "I'm sorry." ... It confused me...also with the cutting...Just fill me in on what you think of Noelle!

2.) Does anyone else really hate Nia right now? She storms in, "heart broken" because of Aaron and her breaking up, and then basically puts herself on top of him. Later on she says, "This was totally on my checklist. Me and Aaron never did anything like this" and "You won't be seeing me again" (351-353). She's so rude to Craig, and I really hope he never goes back to her.

Definitely team Noelle here :)

Ch. 28-33

In this part of the book, we start to see Craig getting better. And even though he may not see it, it's quite obvious. He's been sleeping, eating, making friends, getting rid of the old bad friends, and even finds himself a crush. In the beginning of the reading, there's a part; "And people know they're not in Kansas anymore" (253). At this point, I was wondering whether or not Craig was going to get better or if this hospital was going to help him at all. However, later on he has a conversation with his inner solder; "She likes you, boy, and if you can't tell that, you aren't going to be able to tell a rifle from a cap gun in this war. " "What war is that, again?" "The one you're fighting with your own head." "Right, how are we doing?" "You're making gains, solider, can't you see that?" (287). He is progressing, and with his new friend Noelle, things look brighter for Craig.

Questions: What did you guys think of this section in the reading? Especially with the whole issue with his friends (page 257-"Now you've decided to turn being mad into being depressed...trying to play the pity card...")? Aaron was so rude to him and made the whole thing seem like a joke, calling it the "loony bin" and making Craig look like the bad guy. Another thing-Do you like Noelle? Or do you think that she is just distracting Craig even more from "focusing on himself" and getting better?

Enjoying Life?

One part that really stuck out to me, was when Craig was talking with Humble. Humble was explaining to Craig why the other people are in the hospital like them. Craig enjoyed the conversation and laughs so much he said;
"I shouldn't be laughing at any of these people, neither should Humble, but maybe it's okay, somewhere, somehow, because we're enjoying life?" (247).
Never has Craig described life as something enjoyed until now. Discussing others problems similar to his, and laughing about them seemed to put him at ease and he enjoyed it. Maybe as his time progresses in the Hospital he'll learn that sometimes the hardships in life can be cured by laughs.

Craig's Lies-Picture!

Just thought I would post this because it reminds me of Craig a lot. He lies constantly to family, friends, and doctors, saying he doesn't hear voices in his head and that he's "okay" when obviously there is something seriously wrong. Just thought I would show you guys this, :)

Zoloft

At the end of chapter 13, Dr. Barney prescribes Craig with Zoloft and instructs him to get it right away. As soon as he started taking the medicine, improvements in his everyday life were showing. He was so astounded by the immediate results. He says, "I don't know how, but suddenly I feel good about my life- what the hell? I was a kid; I had plenty more to do; I'd been through some crap but I was learning from it" (Vizzini 98). The pills were effectively bringing Craig back to his old self. He began to feel functional and efficient again. In fact, he was so motivated by the results, that he began to thinking about talking to girls in school about his problem because he thought that would make him seem brave and sexy; he took pride in his struggle through his health issues. However, as the story progressed, Craig experienced some 'fake shifts.' When he ran out of his final bottle of Zoloft, he did not take anymore; he did not even request a new prescription from Dr. Barney. His motto was, "Okay, if I ever feel bad again, I'll remember how good it felt that night on the Brooklyn Bridge" (Vizzini 106). The pill's value had changed. Every since Nia told him pills were for wimps, it was over for him. He was done, and back to his normal self. I do not understand why he would let Nia's remark change his opinion about the drug that made him healthier. Why would he want to go back to being sick? Why does he let Nia's opinion dominate and control his own feelings? I think the decision to cease taking Zoloft was one of the worst things he could have done at that point of his life. I understand he is still in high school, and making decisions are hard because he is still immature, but why would he take something that helpful out of his life?

Reading II Reaction

This section we learned more in depth about Craig's problem. The new school he was accepted into stressed him out with the mountains of homework he was given. He was also tied up with his interest in Nia, who is in a relationship with Aaron. We also read about Craig's first "party" encounter, and the power sex, and drugs can have on a person, especially a teenager. "The papers piled up in my room, and every day whenI came home I looked at them and knew that I could handle them, that if i just opend that first one i'd be able to get through them all and get the assignment done. Instead i lay in bed and waited for Aaron to call" ( 94-95). He realized how easy it was to "party" and how hard it is "work". It may come easy for Aaron who can smoke and mess around all he wants and is still incredibly smart "Aaron, who ended up in eight out of my nine classes, fot an 100 on the start-of-school reading quiz" but it seems hard for Craig to realize that he can't always be as 'up-to-par' as his best friend ( Craig recieved a 70 on his quiz). He admires Aaron, he's older, does well in school; "he was smart fearless, with a flop of brown curly hair and the sort of glasse that made girls like him" (53). Craig's also jealous Aaron has Nia. Craig's expressed and attraction to Nia, and is jealous of Aaron ability of charisma towards girls.

Reading this section reminded me of the Beatles song, "Nowhere Man", so to spice up our blog a little;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1BVzNfqP0U