Giving up something is really hard. I have never really had to give up something, so this project is definitely a diffcult one. The day that I made the plan about staring to go to bed earlier I thought it would be a lot easier than it is. The first night I went home I began looking at television and got on my laptop which was a mistake. Going to bed early proved to be WAY harder than I thought. Before I knew it the clock turned from 8 to 9 from 9 to 10 from 10 to 11. I lost track of time by looking at television and staying on my laptop. Thoreau was correct because if we lived our lives more “simple” we would have time to do more things with our lives. Even though I messed up with giving up my rut I still feel good about the promise I made to myself. Other people are really supporting me with giving up my rut, they know it is a good thing for me to give up. I just hope that when I learn to give up this rut that I will actually stick to it even when this project is over.

Tiarra Andrews-Owens

My rut is playing on my iPad. the problem is that when i start playing i can’t stop and don’t do my homework. This makes my life less simple  by making me stress at the end of the quarter when i have to complete the work i haven’t done during the beginning.

This will be difficult because whenever i get home i get really bored and just grab the iPad and start playing with it even though i haven’t done my homework.  This experiment will help me achieve my dreams and become the person i want to be by helping me study without getting distracted and get better concentration while doing my work, with my time saved i could do more of my work and get ahead with my work also get more time for me to go to sleep. I hope to learn more time managing skills and being able to complete assigments on time.

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

So far i feel as though my Walden plan is bulletproof! I have watched tv for not one second since last class. With no Tv afterschool i feel like i have shifted in to study mode. My chemistry grade has gone from a C to an A with all the extra work i have put in. I am so much more focused with my grades and i have had star express open all week!

I ” must be a nonconformist” [Emerson] to complete this challenge or experiment. If i were to give up my rut, the outcome would not be good. I would watch my grades fall and parents get mad. The experiment of me challenging a rut is great. It has oppend my eyes to a whole new perspective. The perspective of a harvard bound student. I fell as though i can accomplish anything without tv.

Other people do not believe i will have success with giving up my rut. So far i have stayed true to my word. It has been super hard but it has worked. My friends do not think i really have accomplished giving up my rut but i know i have. I plan to keep it that way for a while.

My plan was going well at first but something weird happened, I got into an argument with my Spanish teacher. I did not get violent for one its because I never get violent towards teachers. After that however I had a low tolerance level for my brothers and found it inexplicably difficult to keep my self under control. I feel more stressed out giving up the habit but after a while it goes away. Music is another tool I use to calm me down. When I gave up this rut I found it more difficult to control my brothers but I just have to find other ways to make them listen that don’t involve me yelling or hitting. My brothers believe that just because I am not going to be violent they can do what ever the hell they want but I have it under control. I either take away something they love or blackmail them with one of their own secrets. I feel that I want to do one thing but what I need to do is some thing differnet so I try to do what Emerson says, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Even though my mind tells me about the relief I will feel after I punch something I don’t, I am trying to find a differnt way in which I can express my emotions.

This plan is going on well. It feels different but I am coping up with it. . My sleeping habits is gradually changing and now i do not sleep in my classes anymore and my grades are up because i can now pay full attention in class. Now i can sleep full and feel healthy. The secret is i need to put all the gadgets away and force myself to not be tempted to use them.

I am inspired greatly by these words from Walden by Thoreau who says “I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” I should fully respect my health and my life which God has given me and do what is best for me. My games and social networking are just there for fun and amusement. In order to fulfill my dreams i need to grow strong and healthy.

People who sleep the most are always healthy. The rut was pretty bad and was not good for me. Giving up this rut makes me feel happy and i am always fresh and ready to try on new challenges. I feel really strong because i know that if i can overcome this rut then i can take on anything in this world if i am determined. My teachers who noticed the change i made from sleeping in class to being most active in class are quite glad and my parents noticed it too as i now sleep earlier than ever!

I am doing pretty well with my plan even though sometimes I am tempted to go on. Giving up on my rut is something I thought was going to be really heard but its not all that bad. Its only at night when i feel tempted but i try to keep my mind away from going on by reading magazines and working out. I feel pretty good about this because I am able to focus on other things. A lot of people have come up to me and asked if i have gotten their messages. I tell them what i am doing and they tell me that I am not going to last. I have been doing pretty well so far and when ever i do feel tempted to go on i just think what Thoreau would have said, “let company come and let company go, let the bells ring and the children cry,- determined to make a day of it…” Without Facebook I am making more the days more productive.

Lia Niebauer

My annoying rut is that i tend to go outside  as soon as i get home . This rut needs to stop and get eliminated. Even thought it would be a challenge to me,i will achieve this goal. This rut makes me not do my homework and gets me distracted from my important work. Work should come first then i can go outside and do whatever i want. The difficult part of breaking this habit is that is tempting to go outside before doing work.  If i achieve and become a better person by doing my work before going outside.  I can reach my dream by doing my work and finishing school . Even though it will be challenging ,i will be successful. I will gain the knowledge to do my work first ,nor to leave it at the last minute.  The quote that inspired me was “Trust Thyself”which makes me think that if i can trust my self to achieve this goal. I could achieve this goal and have a bright future.

The problem with me is that i curse to0 much. I would like to stop the cursing for a week. I think that cursing is habit that i should stop because it does not look good when i curse and i would like to stop. When i grow up i want to be a nurse and it would not look professional if i curse while i was taking care of a patient. In girls is more of a big deal because we are suppose to act like ladies. When guys curse is not a big deal because they are ‘boys’ and they do not think it’s a big deal when it is. I Think that no matter if your a girl or boy you should not curse it would make the world a better place and a better environment.

What would be difficult about trying to break this habit ? The most difficult part of having to stop this habit is when I’m hanging out with my friends and they say funny things and they curse and then it influences me on to say bad words too. I think that if i tried to tell them to stop the cursing they would laugh at me that’s why i would not even try on doing that. another thing i could do would be not hang out with them and talk to other people. I would like to have and make other friends too! I really like talking and meeting new people maybe that’s one of the things i should actually start doing.

How will this experiment help me become a better person and achieve my dreams? This project will help become a better person because if i stop saying bad words i will look more professional and become a better person because when you say bad words you look bad infront of other people “Considering how long society has been at it, you’d expect a better job. But the campaigns have been badly planned and the victory has never been secured.” When i grow up i want be a professional nurse and nurses do not curse or say bad words at all because they are suppose to be nice people and people that want to meet new people. I’m really excited about this experiment because if i actually do a good job I’m going to keep doing it all my life because thats something i want to acomplish and i know i will!:)   NORA JIMENEZ

Since the death of judge Atlee his sons ray and foster took the will. Ray went on to investigate if his dad had a love life that he didn’t now about. He found out Claudia who used to work with the judge also had an affair with him on the side. Claudia was nine years younger then judge Atlee. Ray believed that Claudia didn’t really love his father she was just in it for the money. Ray’s point was proven by Claudia herself “it was sex and money not love”(106) she admitted. This reminds me of some shows and movies where younger women marry older man just for there money. or

Dag Dawit

Connection

Dag Dawit

My rut is the fact that i play to much video games. Playing video games makes my life less simple because it can distract me from doing work that i need to do. I play video games mostly everyday after school. Sometimes when i play my games i am so in to it that i would forget i had work today. Trying to break this habit is going to be really difficult. I am going to be coming home from a long day of school, and will be tempted to play a video game so i can relax my mind. Also if i feel stressed i am going to want to relive my stress by playing a game. The controller to my 360 is usually in the living room so its rally hard to act like it doesn’t exist. For me to stop playing video games is going to led me to do better in my academics. I will focus on my school work more. This can help me to achieve good grades, and also see what other things i can do to entertain myself. The words of Emerson ” Trust thyself every heart vibrates to that iron string” inspires me to go through this plan.