February 2, 2013
10:30-11
Water for Elephants
Pages: 14-30

Jacob is in class sitting next to catherine one of only four women in the class of '31. He admits to being a virgin but this chick is teasing him. He's been in school for 6 long years and in 10 days is going to go to Norwich to join his father's veterinary practice. In the middle of the lesson he is called out by the dean and is informed his parents have died in a car accident. They need Jacob to positively identify the bodies. They drive to the coroner and after seeing his prarents' bloodied and dead bodies, he vomits and takes the two mile walk home. He sees a new sign above the entrance that says "E. Jankowski and Son Doctors of Veterinary Medicine" and sees his parents things and is sad. All his relatives are in Poland so neighbours and people of the church come to take care of him. Two days after burying his parents he goes to the esquire to talk about the estate. He is told that his father has been taking payments in the form of vegetables and other goods for nearly two years because the community has been hit very hard. He is also told that he lost everything because his parents took out a mortgage on their home and practice to pay for his tuition and everything goes to the bank. The esquire is being a jerk so Jacob leaves before he hits him and decides to go back to school since his room and board is paid for until the end of the year which is in 6 days. He's missed the entire week of review lectures and everyone is willing to help him but he is unable to focus and keeps thinking of his parents death and how an old guy from their town forgot what side of the road he was suppose to drive on and hit the gas instead of the break and his parents went over the guardrail to avoid hitting the truck. It's possible the truck driver was drunk because Jacob recalls one Easter when he showed up to church without trousers. He's sitting in the exam room but is unable focus and does not start the exam. He gets up gasping for breath and flings the exam at the proctor's desk and begins to walk until he ends up somewhere in the middle of the forest beside train tracks. It's night and he hears coyotes and then a train and decides to jump on. He does so but is met with some other men one of whom tries to throw his off the train but Jacob is saved by one of the men. This man informs Jacob that he is on a circus train and that he should sleep but not near the door because sometimes they take the turns sharply.

I wished Jacob had gone back to school and did well and succeeded and stuff but then the story would be boring. I also like when Jacob tries to know how to determine where you are from. If it is determined by the place from where you are leaving or the place where you have your roots.  I have also wondered this.

I read well today despite the fact that I was thinking about tempus.