Blog # 7

There's a part in the book where Craig is talking to Noelle and says something that startles me. He compares his problems to the rest of the world and to his friends, and people everywhere. This surprised me because he usually is so focused on himself I never would have thought he would compare the world to him. Then he starts talking about his problems in the past tense talking about what he USED to do and how it was the wrong decision for him. This is a big step because usually he talks like he is still depressed and has such a long way to recovery but now he talks so much different and positively that he's going to be fine and like a regular kid. Another important event was when Craig went into see Monica on his last day. He started sweating and getting nervous because he has to go back to school and makeup everything that he's missed. Then she asks if he found an Anchor. And he did. He realized that drawing maps helps him relieve a lot of that stress and enables to keep living his everyday life. He realized this when he was in art class and remembered drawing maps as a kid, and started right up again. This will probably help him once he's out of the hospital because then when he gets stressed he can resort to drawing maps to get out his anger and frustration. Even though i haven't finished the book yet i have a feeling that Craig will end up being just find and will find a balance in his everyday life.

Blog #6

In the pages that I have read this past week a lot of events have occurred. Craig is starting to realize that he needs time to cope and figure out his problems before befriending others. For once in his life Craig has to put himself first. A part I thought was ironic was when his principal called the psychiatric hospital. One of the patients answered, and told Craig who it was. Craig immediately freaked out and didn't want to answer the call. Craig later that day when to his psychologist and told her about what happened earlier. He admitted that he was afraid he would be expelled. The psychologist called the school and forced Craig to talk to his principle. I think she did this because she wanted him to face his problems instead of run away from them. What I thought was ironic was that when the principle got on the line instead of him telling Craig that he was expelled, he told Craig that the school completely understands his situation and will be there whenever Craig decides to go back. Craig was so surprised because the impression of his principle was not the nice man that was telling him that, it was a man who had high standards for students. The principle informed him that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. The school has high expectations to live up to and the staff understands what's going on. Craig immediately felt relieved. I think that most of the time the pressure of school and everything is in Craig's mind. Not that he's imagining it, just that he's thinking too much about it and exaggerating it a bit in his brain. The last chapter that I read up to was a scheduled card game in the hospital. It seemed like innocent fun at the time that Craig decided to attend. It turned out to be a bit more chaotic. First off instead of betting money, the patients bet buttons. It all started going downhill when some random comments that were said offended one of the players and then after the comment was said, the person that said it (Humble) wouldn't apologize. Even though it seems like a juvenile thing, it was a big deal to everyone present. Humble ended up getting towed off by the security guards and the game ended. I thought that that part in the book was significant because while Craig just sat back and watched he felt normal. He felt normal compared to the other patients. When usually in his everyday life he feels like the odd one out in practically everything he does. My prediction for the next part in the book is that he continues his relationship with the other girl patient and realizes he should have listened to his doctor beforehand.

Blog # 5

Craig has chanced a lot in the last few chapters I’ve read. Craig seems so normal compared to everyone else in the hospital. There’s even a guy who is afraid of gravity. Such a wide variety of cases where I feel that he shouldn’t be categorized in. Craig met a girl, Noelle and told the doctor he thinks he’s going to be involved with her in the near future. Doctor Minerva told him he shouldn’t have any one person as an Anchor, (things that are consistent) in his life. Especially because Noelle is a girl and is going through problems too. Craigh thought he could handle it. Maybe that’s where he goes wrong, thinking he can handle something and overworks it until he needs a break. By then he can’t function anymore and ends up in a hospital. One quote I thought was important to the chapters I’ve been reading is when one of the nurses says this, “Yes. Now, you might not want to become so friendly with your fellow patients on the floor.” “Why not?” “That can distract people from the healing process. This is a hospital. It’s not a place to have friends. Friends are wonderful, but this place is about you and making you feel better” (272, Vizzini). I feel that this is an important quote because Craig really isn’t focusing on himself and getting better. He’s so interested in all these people that he forgot why he’s there. Everyone in the hospital sort of relies on him to keep their lives in check. Another weird thing I thought was how Noelle and Craig got along so well. They both seem so normal I don’t understand why they are there. I’m still questioning if Craig really does have a chemical imbalance, or is just confused with himself and his life. My prediction for the next part of the book is that he realizes where it all went wrong and where all this depression stemmed from. Also that he learns to balance and manage his life better.

Blog #4

Recently I read more about Craig and his life.I'm really proud of something that he did. Instead of choosing to kill himself by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge; he called suicide hotline and they told him to go to the hospital. What really surprised me was that he was so close to killing himself but decided to stick through it and go to the hospital. I obviously didn't think that he would actually kill himself because I was in the middle of the book, but I thought that he would try and someone would catch him before he got the chance. When his mom asked what happened she was proud of him too because he made the right choice by trying to get help. Although he could have prevented this whole thing by not partying and doing drugs in the first place at Aaron's that night he got accepted into school. He did try. I get confused when people ask him if he hears voices, and he says no but really does. His reasonings is he doesn't want to be labeled crazy, but it just might be one of his symptoms. I still do feel that if Craig tried to get better he could. He's surrounded by a family that loves him and a healthy school environment, he could so easily be happy again. My prediction for the next part of the book is that he makes more progress in the hospital and discovers things about himself he never knew before.