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This winter has probalby been the quickest I've experienced.  Usually the weeks crawl by, but this time it's flying.  It feels like last week was the week of New Years Eve. As  unbelievable as that sounds it feels the same for Christmas in  my opinion.  This is probably because all the things that have transpired since last year.

 Anyways, with a new semester comes new and harder work.  So most of time on the weekends will be given to my work instead of just some.  I hope thats the only change I'll have to make because those are the days I usually take to unwind.  Only time will tell, after all its only the first month of the new year appearantly.

Reading Response

In the following the most recent chapter of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.  I find Rowdy's reaction towards Arnolds decision very melo-dramatic.  I believe he wasn't really angry but in fact wanted to portray to Arnold how sad he was without losing face.  In my opinion He could have better composed himself despite his age playing a a part in his tantrum.  The fact that Arnold had tried convincing Rowdy to join him on his adventure even though he knew the most likely outcome shows his naivety

Arnolds choice for a new school still has me befuddled.  I wonder why Arnold would  put himself out there when he knew the finacial difference between him and the rest of them. The fact that his parents agreed so willingly also vexes me.  They themselves had said getting to the school would be hard and that the tribe would turn against Arnold.  So why would they let Arnold put himself in such a position.?

Comments week 14

I commmented on Danny K's post
 https://english1danny.blogspot.com/2017/01/post-1.html?showComment=1485478595956#c7421408175156777585

I commented on DJ's blog
https://djsbloge1.blogspot.com/2017/01/last-semester.html?showComment=1485483480597#c8751802397526137394

I Learned

Last semester I learned that its ok to have a change of pace once in awhile.  By this, I mean trying something new like an extracurricular activity or working ahead wasn't a bad thing.  Trying a sport was a nice change of pace that helped me better use my free time after school.  When I worked ahead, although it was a bit more time-consuming at the moment I still had more free time afterward.  Along  side the previously mentioned ideas I also tried many other things to help improve my work efficiency.

The newest thing I've learned that I believe to be the most helpful was learning to speak up when I needed help.  This is something I'd like to make a habit of because it really helped me out.  Unfourtunetly its something I'm still not completly used to asking for help.  From what I can tell help is a very recommended thing.  So I'm going to start getting used to asking when needed.

My research topic

  My research topic is about Shinto's importance in Japan.  Shinto is a religion that was seen as the country's identity at one point.  The reason I said it was the face instead of is, is because Buddhism was imported into Japan around the 6th century.  Previously some of the people of Japan had thought the two religions were the same.  This led to both followers of the two religions to try and dispel the idea that the religions were the same.

  This conflict leads to various occurrences and events, these events included name calling, bloodshed, blasphemy, and the defacing of the twos' holy temples.  The main accounted movement that made such indifferences occur was during Kokugaku, where a slogan was started.  The slogan was Haibutsu Kishaku which some extremists used as an excuse to deface the other religion.  During this time the Meiji government made various moves to try and expell buddhism from Japan.  As it happens this only helped to make buddhism stronger by the end of the movement.

Comments week 15

I commented on Jack C's blog
https://jackcenglish1blog.blogspot.com/2017/01/study.html?showComment=1484882174912#c6928716176856116506
I commented on Ricky V's blog
https://rickyenglish1.blogspot.com/2017/01/research-update.html?showComment=1484883656575#c6430707771166761926

Christmas Break

Over the Christmas break, I didn't do much more than necessary to me.  I took naps when possible and binge watched various shows to an extent.  Prior to Christmas day my uncle had convinced my mom to force me out of the house to go to the party.  Unfortunately, I can't say I agreed with or appreciated their decision.  One of the few positives about going to the party was eating some bread pudding.

Following Christmas day was even more relaxing and chores.  I liked this cycle of my own because it meant I could do mostly whatever I pleased without getting yelled at. Somewhere in the middle of the week, my younger sibling had come to stay with us until New Year.   Before I knew it the New Year had arrived thankfully my uncle hadn't spoken to my mother so I got to stay home.  After my mother returned we said our prayers and she took my sibling home.

Research Update

My research on Shintoism has been going well so far.  The best part of my research as of the moment was finding the different sources.  Finding the sources for my research paper was made easier with the use of the library website.  The sources I found included audio files, photographs, biographies, and other documents pertaining to my subject.  Sub categories were also included that helped me to gather more information about my subject.

For me, the hardest part of the research paper was the annotated bibliography.  What made the annotated bibliography so hard for me was having to break down each source.  I broke down the sources by putting a summary as the first paragraph, the second paragraph was of the trustworthiness of the source, the third paragraph was about how the source would help me to write my paper.  The previously mentioned process was long, tiring, and time consuming.  Fortunately, after completing that, everything else for my research was easy.