Spring vocab 3

apostate: Someone who's beliefs have changed and no longer belongs to a religious or political group.
effusive: to express a large amount of emotion
impasse: A predicament in which there is no obvious escape
euphoria: a feeling of great happiness
lugubrious: Full of sadness
bravado: Confident actions made to impress others
consensus: A general agreement to something
dichotomy: A devision between two opposing things
constrict: To make smaller
gothic: A style of dark fiction that often depicts gruesome events
punctilio: The careful observance of forms.
metamorphosis: to change shape
raconteur: A person who is very talented at telling stories.
sine qua non: something that is absolutely needed.
quixotic: hopefully optimistic in a manner that is not practical
vendetta: a very long fight between two groups; a blood feud
non sequitur: a statement that has no logical connection to anything said before it
mystique: a special quality that makes it especially interesting
quagmire: a situation that is full of problems.
parlous:To be full of danger or risk.

Life After...

After High school I want to write my stories and raise a family. 

Spring Vocab 2

accoutrements: Pieces of clothing or equipment used in specific instances.
apogee: The highest point of something
apropos: To occur at an opportune time.
bicker: To squabble over something petty
coalesce: To come together to form one group
contretemps: An embarrassing or unfortunate event.
convolution: Something that is very complex and difficult to understand.
cull: To select or choose from a group
disparate: to be marked distinctly in quality or character.
dogmatic: To be characterized by very strong opinions as if they were facts.
licentious: To disregard strict rules of conduct
mete: to give out by measure
noxious: Physically harmful or destructive to living beings
polemic: A strong written attack against someone's beliefs
populous: Having a large population
probity: adherence to the highest principles and ideals
repartee: a conversation in which clever statements and replies are made quickly.
supervene: to result as an additional unexpected development.
truncate: to shorten by cutting off.
unimpeachable:not able to be doubted or questioned

Profile in Courage

Today I watched a documentary called Murderball which tells the story of quadriplegics who play a form of rugby in their wheel chairs despite their disability. I had hear of this before but had long since forgotten about it. These guys work their hardest to be just like any other athlete and I respect them. These guys chose not to sit on their buts as they watched life pass them by  while they were unable to reach it, they got into their chairs and did something about it. That is courageous, to face your fear of never being able to walk again and enjoy life in the same manner.

The Choice

Angry, depressed, morose, lonely I walked through part of his life in a constant cycle that seemed to beg the question of my own sanity. I was down on his luck and none of my friends could be seen or heard. Yet through all of this misery a switch flipped in my head and I decided to do something about it. The one thing most people my age tend to despise that most, the dreaded high school, was my chance to act. I seized the opportunity of meeting new friends and standing against old disputes. I forged new bonds and reforged those with old friends. Every night a phrase rang in my skull, "Every day you choose how the world sees you, and every day you choose the world you live in." I forced myself to change my life for the better when i could have just layed down and given up. Instead I chose to fight.

Spring Vocab 1

adumbrate - To vaguely foreshadow

apotheosis - elevation to divine status

ascetic- to practice self-denial as a measure of personal or even spiritual discipline.

bauble- an inexpensive piece of jewelery.

beguile- to trick or deceive someone.

burgeon- to grow or develop quickly.

complement- One thing that completes something else.

contumacious- Stubbornly disobedient

curmudgeon- someone who is easily annoyed or angered and often complains.

didactic- designed to teach people something.

Hacking My Education

This semester I will "hack" the course by manipulating the lessons to improve my understanding of the mechanics and further improve my vocabulary so that I can write my stories more effectively.