Homero and Codi

In the book Animal Dreams we are constantly shown the differences between Codi and Homero. However there are some similarities that are important. They are both very secretive, Codi with her miscarriage and Homero about his past. These secrets are very important to the shaping of their characters and bring a lot of change to their lives. Homero and Codi are very educated. Homero has been Grace’s doctor his whole life, as well as reading many encyclopedias and constantly making sure his children will have a better life than the other kids of Grace. Codi almost finished Medical school as well as many odd jobs and her childhood encyclopedia readings. Although she rarely admits it, she is a very resourceful and highly competent woman. Homero and Codi isolate themselves from the community. Homero is constantly withdrawing from Grace, elevating himself and his children from the rest of Grace. Codi, called the ‘empress of the universe’ in high school, she has spent her whole life searching for the place she can belong. But she has always been looking for the greener grass on the other side, not even realizing the best place was right under her feet. Codi finally starts to see her weaknesses in one of Hallie’s letters, “I was getting a dim comprehension of the difference between Hallie and me. It wasn’t a matter of courage or dreams, but something a whole lot simpler. A pilot would call it ground orientation. I’d spent a long time circling above the clouds, looking for life, while Hallie was living it.”(page 225). Father and daughter have many differences; their similarities are harder to see but just as important.

Article Summery

A Professor and a Wall Street Deal Maker Bury Old Dogma on Free Markets
reported by Peter Baker, Stephen Labaton and Eric Lipton, written by Mr. Baker. From the New York Times, sunday september 21 issue

The greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression has welded together two of the most unlikely and brilliant Wall street and Washington men to make the ultimate economy saving team. The authors of this piece describe Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Fed and Henry Paulson, the treasury secretary, as a powerfull team. Both have different personalities and backgrounds that make them the perfect pair. Bernanke is professor who spent his whole career studing the great depression. While Paulson was the head of Goldman Sachs for 10 years. Using Paulson as their public speaker and front man and Bernanke as their background economist mastermind, they won't go down without a fight. I really enjoed this article. It gave interesting personalities to the sometime machine like Wall street economists working day and night to prevent a deep global financial crisis.

The Fork, The Spoon and My Brain

When I was around 8 years old, I remember I could never set a table with out making up a silver ware story. The spoon was the princess. She was always forced to stay next to the knife, the snotty prince. You see, the princess was in love with a poor town’s boy, the fork. But they could never be together because they were on opposite sides of the plate. In my mind that wasn’t right. So I simply always put the spoon and the fork together and the snotty prince all by himself. I am imaginative. I make up all kinds of stories and parallel universes in my head. Now today, I set the silver ware the proper way without the princesses and princes. Now, I lose myself in fantasy novels with a little bit of reality mixed in, and use my imagination to tell stories to my younger sister. But my imagination will always be there, somewhere in the back of my head, to help me solve everyday problems and make everyday life more interesting.