Running with Scissors

Augusten Burroughs, the author and main character of the memoir, “Running with Scissors” lived an odd childhood. Burroughs’s mother, a lady of peculiar views, gave his son away to her psychiatrist. What Burroughs’s thought to be an ephemeral amount of time he had to live with this family, turned out to be his whole childhood life. However, this psychiatrist is not one you would normally believe is licensed to help people in emotional distraught. She is obsessed with Santa; her Christmas tree stays up until the end of the summer even though it was of tawdry quality. The doctor’s children are a few patients and a pedophile, who lives in the shed in her backyard. Substances such as Valium were used to ease their lifestyle. Burroughs, at age twelve, had to figure out real life verses fantasy before his life was allayed. He was forced to coalesce with these people who he knew were abnormal and to also come out of the nadir of his life. Also, the way Burroughs explained how he left, it was almost as if his mother exonerated him.

"Nicky"

Punching into work on a Sunday morning is not something I felt like doing yesterday. It was just one of those days where I just felt the need to sleep. As I walked into the main ward I could not take my eyes of of this one Doberman mixed puppy. He had been put up for adoption because his owner's could not afford the surgery he needed. His fur was disheveled and the spirit in his eyes were drained. Figuring in my head that I had four hours to work; I'd spend an hour of my time playing with this puppy (that had like four different names depending on which doctor was working with him). Hmm, which name should I call you I thought as I took a leash and opened his cage. There was Bob, Nicky, Murray, or Rocky. Calling him by each of the names I chose Nicky because his ears went up when I called him that. When Nicky walked out of his cage he was saturnine and walked with his head down. We picked a spot on the floor, I sat down and he laid down putting his head in my lap. Moving the brush through his coat seemed to calm him. His eyes closed in enjoyment, I did not stop. His alluring history made me want to find out more about him. I paged the doctor that was looking after him today. She explained to me that he was hit by a train and that his back left leg had to be skin graphed. This poor puppy. Waking up to the story the doctor told me, I became garrulous as I began talking to the dog about my weekend. He seemed to appreciate the attention. After taking him for walk I put Nicky back in his cage with a bone. The life in his eyes began to flourish. I smiled and told him I would be back later to say bye for the night. In the animal hierarchy at the hospital, he soon moved up to be number one. A few weeks later the doctor that saved Nicky adopted him. He is at the hospital every day so I get to see his transformation from a "hit by car" dog to a healthy one.

Homework

My ipod music, my television, and my laptop impeded my progress towards productive studying. My parents used to importune for me to complete my homework before dinner time, but I would always procrastinate. Throughout middle school I continued on this path, not realizing what it would do to me in the future. Implicit assumptions were made that my homework would be completed, but I would never know when it would be completed. Once entering high school I quickly realized completing my studies in an unstructured way would not suffice. Sophomores would tell their stories of staying up till two A.M. with such brio; I'd start my homework during lunch time. Noting the homework that needed to be completed in my agenda pad allowed me to stay on task and organized. Now every time I heard my friends talk about how late they went to bed, I exhort them to stay focused and get the work done. Going to sleep at 10:30 on a school night gets me ready for a new day and the whole week.

Autumn

One of my favorite seasons, besides summer of course, is Autumn. The nuance of leaves that eventually fall to the ground is an unbelievable sight. As I look out of my classroom window the trees are the first objects I look at. Yellow, orange, and red bouquets stick out from the large trunks of the trees. The unbelievable sight of these leaves sometimes precludes me from finishing my work. Because of the slight impede, I have to spend more time on my homework until it is completed. There are just some objects that capture the eye, such as these leaves. I hold the beautiful nature culpable for being distracted; the leaves don't stay like this all year-round!

Oradell Animal Hospital

My boss is a popular and gregarious woman. She is easy to work with and allows my job to be both entertaining and educational. I am an animal attendant. Most people would be disinterested in this occupation, but for someone that wants to pursue veterinarian school, it's very exciting. There are many tasks I complete in my four hour shift. These include:
1. Releasing healthy animals back to their owners
2. Assimilating each animal's condition and diet
3. Making sure the animal's conditions don't exacerbate
I take a lot of pride in my job, treating each animal as an individual. My co-workers are also very supportive of me and help me when needed. Although there are a few that have an enigmatic personality, it does not stop me from learning new information.

Dream Barn

As I think about my life ahead, I picture myself living in the country with a large barn that have capacious stalls and plenty of fields. The person who imbued me to follow my dreams is my riding instructor, Mary. She taught me responsibility and how to care for horses. Being meticulous while around these animals is very important. Each horse is different regarding its diet, likes, and dislikes. Knowing each horse's needs is another essential.
Once I received Union, my Thoroughbred, jumper, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. Although I am chary about keeping my own barn when I'm older, I know Mary has prepared me. The lively demeanor of my horses that I will own will keep me busy- riding and grooming them everyday. There will not only be a riding ring full of jumps, but trails that wind around my property.

Done With by Ann Stanford

My house is torn down--
Plaster sifting, the pillars broken,
Beams jagged, the wall crushed by the bulldozer.
The whole roof has fallen
On the hall and the kitchen
The bedrooms, the parlor.

They are trampling the garden--
My mother's lilac, my father's grapevine,
The freesias, the jonquils, the grasses.
Hot asphalt goes down
Over the torn stems, and hardens.

What will they do in springtime
Those bulbs and stems groping upward
That drown in earth under the paving,
Thick with sap, pale in the dark
As they try the unrolling of green.

May they double themselves
Pushing together up to the sunlight,
May they break through the seal stretched above them
Open and flower and cry we are living.

I liked this poem because the author is saying that no matter how bad your day, week, or year has been, there are always going to be things that cheer you up. Flowers in this poem are symbolized as a positive happening. Their beautiful colors and fragrances are what brings smiles on peoples faces. Towards the end of the poem it states that with every negative occurrence taking place flowers still bloom. There will always be that one positive thing that comes along with every bad happening. 

What is Success?

I love my job and my animals. I love waking up everyday to the sound of neighing horses, purring cats, and barking dogs. I enjoy my everyday routine as I feed the horses and the rest of my animals. Looking back on it all now I have truly become successful in life. My goals that have been reached have made me successful. Loving what you do everyday for the rest of your life is something to be proud and ecstatic about. Those who do not enjoy their job or life have not reached their goals or dreams, but I have achieved them all. I sit here now, on my porch, enjoying the sun rise. I am grateful for all that I have and do not wish my life had turned out any other way. Smiling and laughing is another sign of reaching success. I smile everyday and thank myself for the choices I had made in the past. Hard work and determination is something that will help you strive towards your goal. Therefore, having a goal to work towards and live for is worth the extra time; you can only live your life once.