The Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls grew up with three siblings, an imaginative intelligent father when sober and a absent father when drunk, a mentally-spazzy mother when pressured and an artist when she dreamed of a better life. Childhood took them all over the west: living in one spots no longer then a couple weeks, and poverty constantly following them everywhere.

Once the money ran out for good, the family settled in Welch, West Virginia, where Jeannette’s fathers haunted family lived. Welch became the first place the Walls family did not leave after a couple of weeks of residing there. However, Welch was not good to the children for a long time. For years the parents gradually started to neglect their children, and the children started surviving on their own. Finally, when they started coming of age, and only then, did the children escape Welch and it’s horrors to New York. With the parents behind them, for now, they we’re able to grow and make something of their dreams!

The Glass Castle will remain an affecting and effectible read for years to come. Throughout the book Jeannette Walls, the author, remains honest and blunt about her childhood and rough experiences that protruded from it. Her heart expresses itself boldly in ink and words. The emotion Walls pulls out of the closet in your soul is masterfully done. The time you put in and the thoughts you pull out from this book will be to your avail. The things you will be reminded of or have never thought of will surface. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be furious, you’ll be relieved. The Glass Castle is one of a kind that deserves your focus.

Body Art

I have mixed thoughts on tattoos, implants, and piercings. I believe they are a great use to brand one self, to make one self unique from others. I personally have several piercings and will be getting a tattoo soon. Why? I enjoy the look of tiny simple piercings and I’m getting a tattoo of a verse that will serve as a personal reminder. On the other hand, I think all three can be abused. Where the lines cross for me is when people get tattoos, implants, and piercings that actually change their original appearance on their face.

For an example, these men:

        I actually think changes like this should be illegal for one main reason: as silly as it sounds, getting this is type of transformation done after committing a crime or such makes it easy to hide in plain view. And then personally, I think it’s a little scary and unnecessary.

I’m not saying all tattoo, implants, and piecing’s are horrible.

Like these guys and gal:

 

They aren’t as mutated as the other guys and it’s still unique. I have to wonder what the purpose was of these individuals paying the price and pain to change or decorate their body. Maybe it’s just as simple as standing out and being unique. But maybe it’s disconnecting from one’s past, family, or hurts. It could be rebellion. It could be using your body as a canvas for you artist flow. It could be an act of fitting in with the rest of the world. Or maybe they actually enjoy the look; this is possible. 

With all this said, we have the right to do whatever we like with our body. But we should always ask the question, “why?” before we make permanent, or physical changes.

The Windy City

For my lovely ten days of Spring Break, I will be embarking on my first adventure as an adult. A round trip consisting of 858 miles, car travel time totaling about sixteen hours, and three different locations are on the menu. Thankfully my mother is along for this exciting “outing.” The final destination is begging me to get there already!

The first leg of our trip is to a small town close to Madison, Wisconsin called Middleton. Though we will not staying longer then a day and night, it will be good to mingle with my grandparents and great-grandmother, 96, for some quality time. However, many miles will await us, and we’ll be back on the road in no time. Are final target waits!

Leg two: Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. My dear older brother, Nathan, schools there and it’s my chance to experience some hands on classes with him for we are similar in education tastes. Also, funny enough, my best friend, Allie, also attends Trinity. Unusually when I visit we take rotten fruit and slingshot them as far as possible and/or walk around the lake and/or visit the Oasis, a bridge filled with restaurants. From hanging with Allie to learning with the brother, my time will last a couple of days with them. But finally, my real objective is to come.

Leg three brings us to the one and only, drum roll, please, Chicago. I will have arrived at my goal. From the wind to the skyscrapers, to school shopping to clothes shopping, from deep fried pizza to chill dogs, from science museums to art galleries, my heart will be resting in bliss. Happiness will belong to me. Peace will seek only myself. My mind will rest. I will walk and talk, photograph the poor and young, the wealth and old, I will sketch and paint, dreaming all along. Chicago is my city: the city of beauty and life. For three wonderful days I will reside in The Windy City. Joy will be mine.

Such gloom will drag me from my contentment. For however long happiness last it will end. The journey home will come, and my heart will sink. The only thing that will keep me from sinking into the pits of despair will be the joy of planning another trip: my trip to California. But that’s for another time. Here I come Chicago!