My Reading Habits

           Reading, for many students can be grueling and not enjoyable. For me reading is an enjoyable activity that i like to do at any time of the day, or night. There are many methods a person can use to make reading more enjoyable, and less time consuming. These methods include taking notes, visualizing scenes from the book. Visualization, to me is a very important aspect of reading.
           When i can visualize a scene from the book i feel like i can connect with the characters on a deeper basis. For example, When Sonny is walking to and from school with the twins i can visualize the three of them walking along the train tracks, through the dirty city joking around and tossing rocks. This helps me connect to the characters because it is something that i can see my friends and myself doing.
           Using visualization techniques i sometimes get so into books that i don't want to put them down because i subconsciously feel like i am going to miss something, like the book is a movie and i have to leave the theater to buy some popcorn. This to me is a great feeling.
           Another technique i use while reading is taking notes. I sometimes summarize a few pages after i finish reading so when i go to pick up the book to start reading again i can read my previous summary and know exactly where i left off. This also helps me remember what went on previously in the book.
            The last technique that i use to help enjoy reading is think of reading as a privilege, in other words i view the time that i spend reading as something that i enjoy doing or get to do. When sitting at home i get excited when i have enough time to read. When i think of it as something i want to do as opposed to something i have to do makes the reading alot more enjoyable.
            All these reading techniques are helpful to me and hopefully they can help whoever is willing to give reading another chance and look at it in a different light, as a privilege.

          Many scenes from the novel seem to be meaningless encounters or experiences. However some of these scenes have a much deeper message behind them. I can connect with many scenes from the novel but one scene in particular causes me to think about on my own life. The scene in which Sonny is talking to his mother after coming back from Cindy's apartment seems like a simple conversation about what shows Sonny likes and if he would like a new television set in his room. However when i read between the lines it becomes clear to me that his mother is not talking about the TV when she says she's bored, she's talking about her new life. She is also testing Sonny to see if he is content with their new life (72-73). I connect with this scene because i also had a dramatic change in my life when my mother married my stepfather and we moved from New Mexico to California.
        When Sonny comes in the apartment and sees his mom lying on the couch watching TV he is shocked because his mom never used to watch TV. When they start talking his mom ends up telling Sonny that she's bored. This scene to me is a very important one because it has a hidden message. When Sylvia says that shes bored she is talking about her new life. Before she was a sexy single woman who would go out often, and after she married Cloyd she became a stay at home housewife.
         Dagoberto wrote this scene because it is a turning point in the novel when Sylvia realizes that she is bored with her new life and relapses back into her old habits.

My Mother Never...

      My mother never stopped loving me no matter what i put her through. Tthrough the course my life i have always been a very thankful and loving son, however it isn't always the easiest thing for me to show my love for my mother. I have also gotten into my fair share of trouble.
     When i was young i was always the kid getting sent to the principals office or kicked out of class. Every time i got sent home my mom would always be there to pick me up. Sometimes i resented her because she would pick me up yelling but now i know she just wanted me to stay out of trouble.
       When i was about three the tragic death of my father took a huge toll on my mom, more than i could even imagine. If things weren't hard enough for her i kept getting into trouble into my early and late teens. This showed me that my mother is one of the strongest people i know.
       The turning point in my life was when i got arrested, when i called my mom and told her there was a silence and she simply said "how can we get you out of this" that moment was a turning point in my life when i realized that my mom would never give up on my and love and support me all my life.

Leon

I am Leon Louis,
             I currently live in sunny Gilroy California where i have resided for the last ten years. i Live with my mother and father who are the best parents i could ask for. My older sister recently moved out and gave birth to her first child. Now i am excited to say i am a proud uncle.
            I was born in El Paso Texas where i lived for 3 years untill my Parents moved the family to Albuquerque New Mexico where i lived for another 8 years. While living in Albuquerque i descoverd a passon for many physical activities including biking and football. The last time my family moved we ended up in Gilroy California where i continued playing football for the Gilroy Browns and Gilroy High School.
           I am very thankfull that my mother and father moved the family to California because it is by far the best state in the country. Although i was born in Texas and raised in New Mexico i feel that my heart and my home are in Gilroy.
           To this day i still enjoy football and biking but i have also taken up snowboarding and dirtbiking which have recently played a big role in my life. This is my life and i hope that i get to know as much about my classmates and teacher as they know about me now.