SOUNDTRACK TO MY LIFE By: Cody Russell
Prologue The title of my book is Soundtrack to My Life. It’s actually a song that I really like. I think the title fits well because this book is all about me and my life. This writing piece really helps the author and readers learn more about themselves.
Introduction Dear Mrs.Fiozzo, My life pretty much revolves around music. It can change my mood in a second, whether it is happy or sad. My family means a lot to me. I have a huge family, mostly a lot of cousins. I’m a huge procrastinator, I wait until the last minute with most things I do. You can tell a lot about a person through their actions, words are just words unless backed up by actions. I believe in god, but I don’t go to church unless I’m at my dads house. My mom is definitely my hero, and my best friend. I live with my mom, and my parents are divorced. I don’t remember my parents ever being together but me and my mom are closer than my dad and I. My relationships never work, I guess I’m very selfish and only care about myself but that works for me. I hope you learned a little more about me
A Day in the Life… Chapter 5: Cody was very tired from the long day he had, going to school, babysitting, homework and more homework! He went to bed that night feeling accomplished, and ready for the weekend. He woke up the next morning like usual, his annoying wacky voices alarm clock ringing in his ear! Waking up wasn’t his favorite part of the day, but it was going to be a good day so he woke up excited and ready to start the day off. After taking a shower and picking out what to wear, Cody washed his face, styled his hair, put his contacts in and was out the door. He was going to the beach with his friends, and it was the hottest day in the summer! Everyone at the beach was bathing themselves in sun block and trying to stay out of each others way. Although Cody never got the point of sunscreen he always said “why go out in the sun if you’re just going to protect yourself from it.” Cody’s friends Katrina and Anna went to go get ice cream while Cody was swimming, although the little kid in the ocean next to him threw a huge sand pile at him. Cody got out of the water and was very angry; he wiped his face off then went to lie on his towel. Cody might have wanted to re-think the sun block idea, seeing as he fell asleep
in the sun, and his friends didn’t wake him up, he got the worst sun burn that day! They left the beach that day red as lobsters, but it was fun and would do it again soon!
As Time Goes Bye-Bye As you get older time goes by way to fast, well that’s what my parents always said. When you’re young you just want to grow up and months feel like years. I don’t want my life to go by too fast. I want to accomplish a lot before I’m too old to decide what I want to do. I’ve said good-bye to people, people who have died or just not worth my time. Before I’m thirty five I would like to be in medical school or out of school although I’m not sure how long I will be there. I don’t think I want a family, I don’t really like kids and I don’t plan on getting married. I’ve given up on some dreams, like being a singer or writer and said bye to people who I don’t need in my life. Saying good-Bye and giving up on dreams and people isn’t an easy thing to do.
Color Your World Real World Sky- blue Trees- green Grass-green People-white & black Dirt- brown Roses-red Violets-blue Sun- yellow Clouds- white Ocean-blue Sunflower- yellow
My world: Sky- black Trees-bright blue Grass-yellow People- tan Dirt-green Roses- dark blue Violets- orange Sun-neon green Clouds-orange Ocean-purple Sunflower- dark brown
Deck of 52: 52 things to do before you die 1. fall in love 2. sky dive 3. go on a road trip 4. eat foreign food 5. dance like no ones watching 6. loose your virginity 7. read a book 8. write a love note 9. cheat 10. let your hair grow to your ankles 11. shave your head 12. write a book 13. Visit somewhere far, far away 14. break a bone 15. Sleep under the stars 16. hug a stranger 17. throw a massive party 18. accept yourself for who you are 19. watch the sun set/rise 20. get a job 21. fail 22. succeed 23. grow a beard 24. get in a fight 25. Be recognized by someone you don't recognize 26. sleep in your car 27. fly a plane 28. Realize Your Childhood Dream 29. get arrested 30. meet your idol
31. milk a cow 32. own a pig 33. purchase something you cant afford 34. save someone’s life 35. get revenge 36. live to be 100 37. play in a band 38. play in the mud 39. kiss in the rain 40. egg a persons house 41. take a self defense class 42. learn to speak a different language 43. teach someone younger 44. explore 45. have a star named after you 46. find happiness 47. don’t worry about the future 48. forgive 49. apologize to someone you’ve hurt 50. ride a camel 51. say what you really think 52. live the live you love
In Other Words… Never make someone a priority while allowing yourself to be an option - Nina PottsJefferies One good thing about music, when it hits you fell no pain- Bob Marley Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally – David Frost "When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams." – Dr. Seuss I laugh, I love, I hope, I try I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry . And I know you do the same things too, so we're really not that different, me and you - Colin Raye Dream as if you have forever. Live as if you only have today. – James Dean Behind every beautiful thing there is some kind of pain – Bob Dylan “The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.” – Eminem “During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams” – Tupac Shakur Everything in life is luck – Donald Trump
- These are quotes I really like and I try to live by them, they are very inspirational.
My own list of lists People who influenced me - My mom - Mrs.Squires - My sister Tonya - My grandmother - Eminem - Karianne Places that make me happy - Florida - Maine - My room - The ocean - Sun Capsule - Olive Garden - New York City Places I would like to go - France - Egypt - California - Texas - China - Japan - Jersey shore Things in people which I like - Blue eyes - White teeth - Open-minded - Humorous
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Skinny Tanned skin Mature Eager Daring
Things in people which I dislike - bad hygiene - close minded - ignorant - naive - boring - mean - stuck up Things that worry me - being alone - grades - shady people - unclear swimming water - losing people - getting old Things I would like to know how to do - sing better - drive a car - play an instrument - cut hair - be successful - be more outgoing Things that have moved me - people who stand up for themselves - music - friends - smell of fresh cut grass - peace Ideas that intrigue me - the future - greed - war - equality - science - outer-space
My personal favorites - home cooked food - the sun - summer - family - meeting new people - falling in love - sleeping
Extended Metaphors
If I were an animal I would be a monkey. Monkeys are the most intelligent animals in the world, I’m not the most intelligent person in the world but I wish I was. Monkeys jump around and are very crazy. I love to be crazy and just not care what anyone thinks. I love warm weather; monkeys live mostly in jungles and other warm areas. Another reason I would be a monkey is because they have long tails and it would be awesome to have a tail! If I were a color, I would be blue. When I think of blue I think of the ocean, I love the ocean and the waves. Blue reminds me of rain, listening to the rain at night helps me go to sleep. There are many types of blue, like me there also is different sides or shades of myself. If I were a season of the year I would be summer. When you think of summer you think of warm weather, relaxing, parties and having fun with friends. That’s the perfect life according to me.
If I were a television character I would be Snookie from Jersey Shore. Snookie is tan, and I like to be tan. She does what she wants no matter what people think, and I try to do that also. Snookie also loves pickles, and so do I! If I was an appliance I would be a refrigerator. A refrigerator is kind of boring and simple on the outside, but inside hold lots of good stuff! Well on the outside I’m sort of quiet and boring but on the inside I have a lot to offer. Also the fact that I love food and I love to eat!
Personal Metaphors 1. Animal- monkey 2. Car- Ferrari 3. Article of Clothing- sweatshirt 4. Day of the week- Saturday 5. Food- egg roll 6. Color- Blue 7. Movie- Pay it Forward 8. Fragrance- Hollister cologne 9. Type of Building- Glass 10. Plant- Rose 11. Musical Instrument- Piano 12. Geometric Shape- Rhombus 13. Piece of Furniture- couch 14. Song- Soundtrack to my life
15. Season of Year- Summer 16. Television Character- Snookie 17. Cartoon or Comic Character- Bart Simpson 18. Appliance- refrigerator 19. Natural Phenomenon- Aurora Borealis 20. Word- whatever
Metaphorical Definitions Confidence is a big smile Happiness if tan skin Music is food for my brain Fear is the growl from a lion Forgiveness is allowing your friend to make the same mistake again. Love is the lint you happen to find between your toes Laziness is a rainy Sunday afternoon. Loneliness is a death in the family Luck is finding 20 bucks when you’re cleaning Sadness is not finding a prize in your cereal box
Personal Abc’s A- average B- breathtaking C- casual D- dramatic E- eager F- follower G- greedy H- hopeful I- impatient J- jealous K- knowledgable L- lazy M- musical
N- nervous O- open minded P- predictable Q- quiet R- real S- selfish T- talkative U- ugly V- veracious W- weird X- xenodochial Y- zealous
What’s In a Name? Cody Allen Russell is my full name, I don’t really like it. My parents picked it randomly out of a babies name book, and obviously they like the name Cody. The only thing interesting about my name is that my initials spell Car. It’s a boring, average name that I plan on changing when I’m old enough. My family usually calls me code and my friends just call me Cody, I don’t really have any cool or unusual nicknames. In a way names are very important, but not to me. I think someone’s name should describe in some way how the person acts, dresses, and basically their way of life. So my name isn’t very important to me, people know me by what I do and say, not by my name.
Likes/ Dislikes Likes: listen to music Eat, a lot When it rains My family is very close Facebook Tan people Smell of Italian food Meeting new people Long car rides Hot weather Any kind of music Wearing big sweatshirts Gum Reality shows
Dislikes: Fake people Immaturity Not being able to drive Winter Bad hygiene Losing people I’m close to Itchy clothing People who walk slow Sports The dentist Britney spears Bad breath Braces
Boring old music Plays/ musicals
Sensory Experiences Usually around Christmas time my family goes to New York City, we go shopping and look at all the really beautiful things in the city. The city is full of smells, lights, and people. The lights in Time Square are out of this World! Especially at night the lights really bring the city to life. When I go there its awesome to see all the different kinds of people there are. The smells aren’t always good, but passing by some of the hot sizzling pizza coming out of the oven, or creamy pastries being made are amazing. Last time we went, we visited Rockefeller Building and went up on the roof; the view of the city is breathtaking. The trees down below looked like tiny ants and you couldn’t even hear the loud ear rattling sounds of the city! Standing on the edge of the building, looking down made my stomach twist. The bright rays of the sun hit my forehead and sweat dripped off it like a leaky faucet. The ice cold water bottle I had cooled me very quickly. The city is a really beautiful place, and everyone should go there once in their lifetime!
Room Sweet Room My room is my one place I can go and feel like myself. My walls in my room are blue, because that’s my favorite color. I have pictures of my friends, posters of celebrities, Chinese calendars, and a lot more on my walls. I fill my walls with thing that mean a lot to me, I like being surrounded by them. I’m in my room a lot; I sleep there, listen to music, study, do homework, and even dance in front of the mirror to embarrassing songs. I don’t have anything spectacular in my room like a hot tub or huge flat screen television, but its definitely personalized to how I like it. My pictures and posters on my wall are my favorite, I love pictures and the memories they preserve. My room has a bed, dresser, closet, desk, night stand, and a lot of clothes all over the place! When I’m upset I always go in my room and turn up my music, I need my space and a place to call my own. Everybody needs a place to call their own, and I have mine.
Symbolic Recipe ½ teaspoon of patience 10 quarts of happiness 2 cups of jealousy 3 cups of love 100 cups of humor 45 liters of hairspray
Directions: First mix all the ingredients together and store in a warm area. Sun is needed, as well at ultraviolet lights. Food supply needed also. Warnings/tips: Give it love
Personal Symbol My personal symbol would have to be my mom and dad’s wedding album. My parents are divorced and I like having it to remind me that they were together and did love each other Its not in the best shape, some pictures are ripped and the binding is coming undone but I think that’s a symbol. The book is old, pictures of the past, coming undone and falling apart. That’s how I see my parent’s relationship, they were married in the past and it fell apart. I like to look at the pictures when I’m bored or missing times when I was little. I love pictures and I look at old photos all the time, I like seeing what people were like years ago. That’s why I like my parents wedding pictures, I like seeing them happy together which something I’ve never seen in real life. I keep the photo album on my dresser right next to my bed and I’ll hold on to it for the rest of my life.
The Ultimate All- Purpose Excuse Dear Mrs. Fiozzo, Please excuse me from being late today; I had a very eventful morning. Well my dog ate my alarm clock so it couldn’t wake me up, then my mom and I had to bring my dog to the vet to get the alarm clock out. Except we ran out of gas on the way to the vets so we had to carry him there and once we got there the vet was on lunch. My mom and I were pretty hungry from walking to the vets so we went to lunch too. When we got back from lunch, the vet told us he would have to bring my dog Scruffles to another vets office one thousand miles away. My mom had to go home and pack, and buy airline tickets while I stayed with my little Scruffles. One she got the tickets we went to the airport and flew to Florida to see the other vet. Once we got there the vet said that my dog was too ugly and infested with fleas to go in his office, so unfortunately we had to go home. After we got off the plane from Florida we decided we were going to have to set my dog on my night stand for my alarm clock to wake me up. This is why I was tardy this morning; please understand the severity of the situation Thank You, Cody
Unfinished Sentences 1. I usually worry about how I look, I’m always stressing over what I look like and if I look bad it changes my whole mood for the day. 2. I feel angry when people around me are immature and think they can tell me how to live my life 3. I’m moody when I don’t get what I want 4. I’m happiest when I’m with my family and friends or when I get new clothes. 5. I feel confident when I get my haircut and look good 6. I feel frustrated when my grades are bad or I get in trouble for stupid reasons 7. I feel depressed when I listen to sad songs 8. I am confident when I’m wearing a big sweatshirt, sweatpants and watching a good movie on a Saturday 9. I feel nervous when someone says that have to talk to me about something serious 10. I feel sentimental most of the time
Extraordinary Pet The best dog that I ever had was names Max, she was a black lab. She was so protective of me and my sister; she never let any stranger by us. One time in the woods my sister and I were walking with Max, and a man was also walking towards us. Max stood in front of us and started barking at him. She also used to try to get on the bus with us, probably because my bus driver would give her treats. She also chased us if we were in a car. Max got away one time and stood outside our neighbors house, she wouldn’t let the lady into her own house! Max always would try to fit on my pillow although it didn’t always work. Max was the best dog I’ve ever had and I’ve never seen any dog like that!
The examined life Best: Open- minded Care what I look like Friendly Funny Gay Good singer Family oriented
Worst: No patience Self conscious Jealous Spoiled Lazy
Cheer yourself up Break a guitar Dye your hair blue Stay silent all day Scream your favorite song Dance like your in a music video Sing the sponge bob theme song Wear your clothes inside out Sleep through a boring class Dress like lady gaga Come to school in pajamas Start a total bogus fight with someone for no reason Make funny faces in the mirror Eat as much as you can in one day Get something pierced Stay up all night Dance with your dog
Pretend you like the person you hate
Left Out and Lonely The day I felt very left out and lonely was when my Grandma died. It was the last May that she past away. I remember going to see her in the hospital; I hated the smell of the hospital. All she wanted to do was hold someone’s hand, and my hand was always there! The sound of her voice was heart breaking, I just wanted to cry because she knew what was going on and she didn’t want to leave everyone. She told me that day that she didn’t want me to see her like that because she was very sick and couldn’t eat. Later that night my mom woke me up and told me was passed away. I didn’t even know what to say. The funeral was when I felt totally alone. It’s funny how you can be surrounded by people and still feel alone.
How to Break a Heart
When I was little my sister’s friends used to say I’d grow up to be a heart breaker. I definitely fulfilled this seeing as most people I date I “break” their hearts. Ever wonder how to break a heart? Well I will tell you how. Everyone has had that one person that likes them but their just not your type, ugly or just plain weird. Usually those are the type of people that fall for me, and they think I’m flirting with them when I’m just being nice. One the girl starts talking to you, say she’s beautiful and tell her she’s too wonderful to be single. She will definitely start to like you, and probably ask you out. Date her, just for the fun of i9t, go on a few dates but don’t get to serious or she might start to “love” you. After a couple days, tell you like someone else. This is a sure way to break a girl’s heart
Advice to the young
If I were to give advice to the young it would probably be to Middle School kids. Never take life too seriously, it will get very boring and not fun at all. Make as many friends as you can, having one group of friends is not always best. Getting to know different kinds of people and having an array of friends is the way to go! Middle School is a time to find out who you are, explore different sports and activities see what you like, are what you’re good at. You should really just follow the rules, even if you don’t like them because it will get you farther in life. There’re so many Middle School students smoking and even having sex. Don’t do drugs, it’s not even cool and no one thinks you are. Also, having sex is something to wait for, wait for the right person to come along. Unprotected sex, or any sex is dangerous and having a baby at fourteen is not something you want! Just be yourself and don’t let anyone tell you how you’re supposed to act. That’s the best advice in my opinion.
Family Influence The person I chose for my family influence is my sister, Tonya. She is in Plattsburgh right now but we still had really great times together. Last time she was home we actually went on a road trip, we didn’t even have a set destination but we just drove. Her and I are very close, she tells me everything and I do the same. We are totally opposite in personalities, and with most things. Although we fight a lot we still can relate on something’s. My relationship with her had changed since I’ve gotten older; we are definitely closer than we used to be. I hope our relationship keeps growing as we grow up. I’d like to still be close to her when we have our own families.
Memorable Event My most memorable event was actually last June. I went to Summer Jam at Saratoga Performing Arts Center with my cousin Colby and my teacher from last year, Mrs. Squires. She had extra tickets and I bought them from her, and sat next to her during the concert. We had awesome seats; they were right behind the pit! Some artists that were there were Jesse McCartney, Flo Rida, Young MC, Thriving Ivory, and more! I got a Fly 92.3 t-shirt that they were throwing off stage, and even Flo Rida’s phone number that he gave out, although I don’t think it’s his real number. It was a really nice day out, although it was really hot! SPAC was packed full and you could barley move. Most of the bands were good, except some totally sucked. The girls behind us were very annoying; they screamed as loud as they could and their screams went right through my ear drums. One time I turned around to ask them to stop and one of them said “my friend thinks your cute” I didn’t really care because they were ugly and annoying. I got really good pictures of all the singers because we were so close. Jesse McCartney was the main performer, and when he came out all the girls went wild! My cousin and I left because we didn’t really like him, and gave our tickets to two girls sitting on the lawn. I would definitely do this again, and I plan on going to the Summer Jam this summer!
One Medium Suitcase If I was leaving home forever, I don’t think I could bring everything I wanted in a medium suitcase. Although if I had to there definitely would be certain things I would bring. I would bring two sets of clothes, because I will not be wearing the same thing everyday! My ipod doesn’t take up much space so I would bring that, I can’t go anywhere without music. I would bring my hair gel and hairspray; I always need my hair styled because without gel I literally have an afro. I know I wouldn’t bring socks because I hate wearing them. Pictures would be in my suitcase, they are so good to remember the past! My pillow would have to also come with me because I can’t sleep without it, I am very picky about the type of pillows I use. My suitcase is probably pretty full by now but I would also need my laptop because I am addicted to Facebook! I could never leave home forever, and definitely not be able to fit everything in a medium suitcase!
Remembering the child When I was a toddler, I was a blonde haired, green eyed ball of sunshine! Or maybe I was the only one that thought that. I really miss being young, it was so much easier than now. My Grandmother told me a couple stories about when I was younger. I used to go to my grandparents house after school, and they ran a business out of their home. One time a mailman came looking for my Grandma; I answered the door and told him she was in her room drinking a beer. The funny part is that she never drank! My mom told me I used to throw wipes and even the remote down the toilet. I was always very close to my Mom and Dad, when I went to Pre-School I would cry for about 15 minutes after they dropped me off. Being a kid was fun and life was so simple, I wish I could go back to that time.
Table of Contents Letter of Introduction What’s in a name? Personal Alphabet Likes/dislikes Sensory experiences Metaphorical definitions Color your world Room sweet room Personal metaphors Extended metaphors Symbolic recipe The ultimate all purpose excuse Unfinished sentences Personal symbol Map of life In other words As time goes Bye- Bye
My own list of lists A day in the life One medium suitcase Family influence Memorable event Always say never Left out and lonely Deck of 52 The examined life Extraordinary pet How to.. Advice to the young