Decision Making Processes

Explanations

As a way of explaning, I created hypothetical situations/reasonings as to why each character chose the websites they did.   

Nick

For Nick, I chose the Miami Herald website, the University of Florida website, the Big Brothers Big Sisters website, the Miami Dolphins website, and an Anger Management website. I chose each website based off of some characteristic of Nick. 

1. The Miami Herald website was chosen because when Nick found out about Leo's death in the story, he was not only blindsided but the fact, but disturbed. Nick looked at Leo's death, and Neysa's murder as an unignorable wake-up call. He also swore to never be blindsided with that sort of news again. From that moment on, Nick has tried his best to stay up to date with what's going on in the world around him. 

2. The University of Florida website was chosen because in the book, Nick mentioned Tom's UF bed sheets that he's had since he could remember. Although not explicitly said in the book, I drew the conclusion that Nick (and Tom) were UF fans, and that's the college that Nick would like to attend once he graduates high school. 

3. The Big Brothers, Big Sisters website was chosen because of Nick's changes. Nick's character grew a tremendous amount from page 1 to page 263. After Nick had decided to continue taking Anger classes, he also decided that he wanted to change his life in other aspects as well, such as becoming a role model to young kids, specifically boys, and teach them all that he has learned. 

4. The Miami Dolphins website is posted because of the fact that Nick never forgot the one time his father took him to a game. It was the only time, but since then, Nick has an undying appreciation and admiration for the team that brought him and his dad together, even if only for a day. 

5. The final website that's posted for Nick was an Anger Management website. Although Nick is currently attending classes and taking steps towards healthier relationships, he still visits the Anger Management website as a tool for resources, and as a small reminder to himself of how far he's come.

Caitlin

1. I chose YouTube as a website for Caitlin because of her passion for singing. Caitlin loved to watch music videos on YouTube and she often contemplated posting her own covers of songs onto YouTube. She never did while dating Nick, but after they broke up, she began to record herself singing. She has yet to post any of the videos, she's a little shy, but each day she gets closer to posting one. 

2. An Advocacy website is listed for Caitlin because of what she went through while dating Nick. Although she attended meetings with a psychologist, she was desperate to reach out to other girls who had gone through the same thing she had. She wanted to connect with someone who could actually understand. 

3. Julliard is Caitlin's ultimate dream. Caitlin's love for singing is indescribable; it's the one thing that has never let her down. Being accepted into a performing arts high school was only the first step she plans on taking to get into Julliard where she can study singing and music theory. 

4. Macys website is also listed under Caitlin's list because in the book it talked about how she loved to wear dresses. Although there are numerous amount of stores that sell dresses, Macys is well known for carrying trendy brand name clothes at reasonable prices, which would have appealed to Caitlin. 

5. The final website I chose was Vera Bradley. Once again, this has to do with the sense of fashion that Caitlin seemed to have throughout the book. She liked to wear pink, dresses, and in general, she liked looking girly. All of these adjectives are encompassed by Vera Bradley products, and aside the fact that they're popular items, they would have appealed to Caitlin's sense of fashion perfectly. 

Mario

1. Due to Mario's job, it was necessary for him to remain up to date with the courts of Miami/Dade County, and for that reason one of his links was for the Miami/Dade Court system and Court House. 

2. The Psychologist Resources link was chosen because of Mario's job as well. Mario lead an anger management group, but he faced issues much deeper than he was equipped to handle. For that reason, he bookmarked a psychologist resource page to provide those of his students who needed it, resources for outside help. 

3. QuoteOasis, or "quote of the day" as listed in the links, is one of Mario's favorite websites. In his meetings, and in his everyday life, he likes to quote the wisdom of his Uncle Gustavo. However, since his Uncle Gustavo doesn't have a quote for everything, Mario visits this website at least once a day for a daily quote to share with others. 

4. The Sun Sentinel is an interest website of Mario because he likes to remain current with what is happening around him. When the newspaper called him to discuss Leo's murder and suicide, Mario wasn't too surprised that they had called because he considers himself to be one who knows the nooks and crannies of the newspaper. He has News Breaking Stories sent straight to his cell phone, and checks the Sun Sentinel every morning and every evening. 

5. The final website listed for Mario was the 1800 Flowers web page, that he so cleverly listed as Wife's Favorite Gift. As mentioned in his blog, and in the book, Mario and his wife have had a roller coaster of a past, and Mario spends every waking moment since "cleansing himself," letting his wife know just how much he loves her. Every month he sends his wife a bouquet of flowers on a random day just as a sign of his love and affection. He also recommends this gesture to all men.