MiddleSex-+Journal+Entry+3

-Pg 47: Diverticulitis- When pouches form in the wall of the colon and become inflamed or infected -Pg 125: Theodora (Name of Lina's daughter)- Wife of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, helped rule and advance empire- During Nika Revolt, two political groups started riot at the Hippodrome, Many buildings burning down and Justinian and his soldiers were ready to flee, Theodora stepped up and gave an inspiring speech,encouraging them to fight- Men stay and fight and kill over 30,000 rebels- were victorious -Pg 97: Chasis- has an internal frame that can support a man made object- ex: frame (underpart) of a car
 * Definitions**

Last year I kept a secret from my family. My mom was remarried, and along with the marriage came a step brother and step sister. At first, everything was fine. We all got along and there were no problems. It was a little awkward because my step brother is only a year older than me and went to St. Pauls so it was weird to be friends with him, then to have our parents start dating, and then to live in the same house (where his friends frequently came over- even more awkward). Things started to get a little shaky because my step sister became unhappy with some situations. She started causing a lot of trouble for Josh and my mom, being extremely rude and hurtful, especially to my mom. My step brother also caused some problems, not because he actually cared but because he always wanted to get his way. He would tell everyone what they wanted to hear, but not actually follow through with those things. He took major advantage of my mom and Josh and caused even more problems. Last year I became extremely unhappy with the situation. I would cry almost every night because I was struggling so much. I was very unhappy with the new living situation. I hated living with my step brother, not only because it was awkward but also because he constantly was hurting Josh and he was not respectful to my stuff. For example, almost every night while doing my homework, I could hear my mom and Josh fighting in the kitchen about small things or even just talking about what to do concerning Mac and Poppy. This scared me, hearing them fight so much, because I thought my mom's happiness may be taken away from her just because of all of the little problems. Another example of his disrespect, anytime i would go away for a weekend, I would always come home to my room, all messed up (with my bed unmade because his friends slept in it) with empty cans dispersed around, showing evidence of his weekend parties that took place when no one was home. I was unhappy with the way he treated me, with the way he treated my mom and Josh and with his manipulative ways. I was also very unhappy moving into the new house. I missed my old house and just living with my brother, Spencer, and my mom. My family was very close and all of the sudden we got an addition of three more. My brother left for college and I really missed not having him home, especially when it was such a new environment. I became really unhappy with my mom's new marriage. Her husband is extremely nice and supportive but I missed my dad and I did not like all of the new changes. I felt like I had no one supporting me because my mom and Josh were always so focused on trying to fix the problems with Mac and Poppy, thinking everything with me was fine. I became extremely down and with the addition of stresses from school, I did not know what to do with myself. I kept all of this a complete secret from my family, never showing my sadness and always acting completely normal and happy. It made me feel even more alone because I had no one to talk to. I did not want to tell my mom because I knew I would only be causing one more problem for her and Josh. I did not want to show my unhappiness because I knew she was happy, and that was all that mattered. Keeping this secret would bite at me every day. Every day I would become more and more upset but I had no one to talk to. I wanted to be able to talk to my dad more than anything, but I could not. I didn't feel comfortable talking to my friends about it because I did not want my family to seem "bad" or "unhappy". I kept all of my feelings a secret because I did not want my mom to know I was hurt. I wanted her to be happy, and I knew she already had a lot of problems on her plate.I struggled not telling her this secret of my unhappiness, but I thought it was for the best. I think I have kept it a secret from my mom because I did not want her to know how unhappy I was. Keeping all of this a secret and not talking to anyone about it only made things worse. Eventually, I finally was able to talk to a friend about all of this and even though I did not tell my mom, I felt a lot better to be able to talk to someone about it.
 * Secrets**


 * 5. Reaction to character-** I really do not like Zizmo. I think he is a complete jerk and literally does not care about anyone but himself. He is involved with illegal business and he drags Lefty into it (which I was really disappointed in Lefty for taking part). He does not care about Lina at all and only married her for a dowry. He says, "Marriage is for housekeeping and children" (91). He also says how women should not be allowed to do anything. He treats Lina "more like a daughter than a wife" (91). He is a very shallow character. Another night when he is talking to Lefty he says, "Remember the play we saw? All women are like that. Give the chance, they'd all fornicate with bulls "..."Women aren't like us. They have carnal natures. The best thing to do is to just shut them up in a maze"..."Pregnancy" (113). He does not actually care about his family and has a strong hatred of women. Even after his daughter is born, a week after he sees her, he commits suicide. He does not think the cost of raising a family is worth it. Zizmo is a self-centered, degrading character.