The big eighteen

In 2 days one of my best friends, who is a junior, is turing 18 years old. Shes already going to be an adult, which is kind-of scary because that means i'm going to 18 soon too. I never knew time would go this fast. Turning 18 is a huge thing, but I dont know how me and my other friends are going to celebrate it for her. I was thinking about renting a limo for a couple of hours with my friends and each pitching in money and just driving around town but thats a lot of money and then we wouldnt be able to afford her an actual gift. So i think were just gonna go out for dinner and open gifts and have fun. I wish we could go somewhere for the weekend to celebrate it, like a road trip to chicago or wisonsin, but I'm probably dreaming too big for something like that to happen. I don't know yet what I'm going to get her. I'm thinking about making her a collage of her and her friends, because I'm good at making stuff like that and she loves pictures. She could hang it up in her room on her well. Also, I'll probably just go to the mall and pick out a shirt for her since she loves clothes.. so it'll be a good gift. I've known her for over 4 years now so I want to do something great for her big day coming up on Wednesday.

memorial day.. what is it?

Today is memorial day, and we have the day off school :). I know memorial day is a day to celebrate the veterans who have died in wars they have fought for for our country, but thats pretty much all I know. So I researched the holiday and this is what I found..

It's on the last Monday of May.
It's formerly known as Decoration Day,
First made to honor soldiers of the American Civil war, it was expanded after World War 1 to include casualties of any war or military action.
A lot of people observe this holiday by visiting cemetaries.
In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picinics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sport events.
Americans also view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer.
Many Americans use Memorial Day to also honor any family members who have died, not just servicemen.
There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.

I guess in my opinion, Memorial day is a day to recognize those who have been in our lives and passed away. It's usually a beautiful sunny day to spend time with the people you love and go to cemetaries and put flowers on their grave. I think it's a great holiday.

getting a head start on running

This fall is my last year doing cross country and I want to make it my best by training hard and making it on varsity. It's easier to say that though, then actually go through with it. Summer is the time to sleep in and be lazy and enjoy the sun. But when you want to be in shape by the time XC rolls around, you have to get up early (when its the coolest.. around 5 or 6am) and run and run and run. After getting up that early and running for an hour or two, I usually shower and head back to bed. It's hard to get up that early though and have enough energy to run that long if you were out late the night before. You have to discipline yourself and all the hardwork eventually will pay off. After XC is over I'm usually in the best shape, I should be in the best shape BEFORE the season starts, but I dont start training until like 2 weeks before the season starts, which isnt good. I should start training before school gets out, aka now. My goal, this summer, is to run 500 miles, which is on average about 5 or 6 miles a day. It's not going to be easy, but that would be amazing if I actually met my goal. I would cut atleast 2 minutes off my time. I am excited for the new season because I love the people on my team and I obviously love to run, but I am scared that I wont be on varsity for my last year at Kennedy.

deadly memorial day weekend

Last night when I was hanging out with my friends I got a phone call from my mom around 10:15 telling me to get my butt home because their was a big storm coming through. I didnt believe her, I figured she just didnt want me out late doing who knows what. So I drove home, and my friends stayed behind. It was only sprinkling when I left, but the winds picked up and it turned into a huge storm with the sirens going off. My friends were stuck at my friend Trevors house and they were freaking out. All I can say is I'm glad I left and listened to my mom. My family and I hung out in the basement watching the news until 11 or so and then I went to bed happy that the tornado didnt hit us. This morning I was reading the newspaper and it said that 8 people died yesterday from the storm. I guess it didn't only hit Iowa because my aunt called from Minnesota and said her and her friend were out shopping when it hit and they had to cover in a dressing room. And my aunts friend has hail damage all over her car, which would really suck. As I was reading the paper, I saw pictures of peoples houses blown off, with only the floor remaining. I've been in storms before but none of my family or relatives has ever been hurt and i'm very lucky to say that.

summer fever and distractions

With school ending in less than 2 weeks, and the weather getting warmer.. kids are slacking off with their homework and wanting to get out of the house and do someting.. I'm also constantly working, so when I get home from work I'm too exhausted to "hit the books." I procrastinate instead, do my assignments at the last possible minute. It doesnt help that teens have all these distractions either. By distractions I mean instant messaging, texting, talking to people on their cell phone, hanging out with friends, and facebook. I'll admit that technology is keeping me from my school work and I know its affected a lot of other people as well. I try to hide my cell phone and turn off the computer when I study, but I'm so used to doing these things that I just can't keep them off and focus on studying. Nowadays, when we talk about distractions, we think of cell phone usage while driving. I used to not be able to make phone calls and text while I drove.. but now that I'm getting better of a driver and I'm a little more experienced, I can pull it off. I also can mess with my iPod and pick the song I want, while at the same time attempting to keep my eyes on the road. Its not easy to multitask but sometimes it just feels like you have to text that specific person back or they'll get mad, but I know messing with your phone or iPod is dangerous and I should stop. This summer my goal is to not become so attatched to all this new technology and focus on having a good summer and getting outside and enjoying life; away from a cell phone and computer.

im a senior now?!

Wow I havent blogged in FOREVER.. I need to get on that. Well yesterday the seniors left us, and now the class of '09 is the oldest.. I thought I would like being the "top dogs" of the school, but to tell you the truth, it's kinda weird.. Everyone at school is younger than me or the same age. I miss seeing the seniors, I've been used to them for 3 years.. and it's just weird without them at Kennedy anymore. I can't believe I'm a senior now.. well almost. It seriously seems like yesterday that I was freaking out about the 1st day of school at Kennedy. And in less than a year I will be leaving and on to college.. and out in the real world.. scary! The thing I am most excited about for senior year is senior pictures and having my own grad party and prom is always fun:). Also my friends and I have always planned that we would take a senior trip after we graduate, so I'm looking forward to doing something along that line. I am excited for next year.. but nervous at the same time!

mothers everywhere

Yesterday was Mothers day, the day to honor all the wonderful mothers in the world. They do so much; they cook, they clean, they do the laundry, they even hold jobs outside the home. They drive and drive around town, dropping off kids right and left at sports practices and music lessons. They help their children study and prepare their school lunches. They are superwomen, they do EVERYTHING. For mothers day, I usually wake up early to make my mom a nice breakfast in bed and make her a card and buy her flowers to plant. But yesterday's mothers day was a little lazy for me since I got home at 5am from prom. I was much too tired to do anything, and I feel bad about it now. :( My mom does so much for me, and I should have taken the time to atleast make her a card telling her how important she is to me. Her birthday is in 4 days though, I'll make it up to her then by getting her a good gift. I remember in 4th grade I bought this journal and on each page I had a letter of the alphabet with a picture (that i drew with crayons) of something about her. (For example, (A) My mom makes the best apple pies. and (S) She has a gorgeous white smile that lights the room.) Cheesy little stuff like that was what I said in the journal. It was probably the best gift I've ever gave her and It was called the "book of mom." She loved it and still has it to this day. I'm glad I spent so much time on it, along with any other gift I've ever gaven her, because she is very important to me and she deserves all the time and effort I put into any gift.

junioritis

This year has gone by incredibly fast. I can't believe we have less than 20 days left and seniors are leaving in like a week. Saturday was prom, which I went to, and I didn't think all the much about the fact that for seniors, this is like the last time to "live it up." Since I'm a junior, I wasn't all the worried about having the night be totally perfect, because there is always next year. I feel bad for seniors, even though they are the "topdogs" at Kennedy High School, they are going under A LOT of stress within the past few months. Graduation, graduation parties, trying not to slack off too much for their grades, living up the last month of their high school career, prom, etc. Everything is thrown at you at once. I know that when I'm a senior, I'm going to look back and think, "Wow it feels like yesterday when I was a freshmen." It truly does. Time goes by fast and you shouldn't waste it by doing things you're going to regret. Junioritis has hit me though, I am slacking off in a lot of my classes because the weather is getting warmer and I am doing the minimum requirement in all my classes since I know the year is almost over. I understand all the stress seniors are going through and I feel bad for them, although they do get out of school in a couple of days. I am insanely jealous :P

technology: toooo much

This morning, as I was eating breakfast, I read an article on a family who uses their laptops to communicate with eachother. Except the kids are not included in this discussion-- just mom and dad. They said they do this so their two little boys, who looked about 10-years-old, couldn't hear what they had to say. I thought this was just plain cruel. How are you supposed to have a decent relationship with your kids if your constantly secretly messaging your spouse? How are you supposed to have a decent relationship with your spouse even? Technology has taken over our lives. Us americans are using computers, cell phones, etc. to communicate RATHER than talk face to face every day. This article in The Gazette made me so mad. I feel terrible for those kids. Now, I don't know how often the parents are on their little laptops, but if I were the kids I would intirely left out from my parents lives. The kids are probably going to less sociable when they grow up because they are used to their parents using computers to communicate rather than speaking out loud. I hope society doesn't take after this family because techonology is getting over the top these days.

summer is here!

Today I was sitting outside enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. My ideal weather is sunny with temperatures in the 60s to 70s. Nothing colder, nothing warmer. I think I could live like that year-round. Well, maybe I'd miss a white Christmas. With the sun shining on my face and listening to the birds chirping, it was so peaceful. Spring has sprung in my soul. :) I even did my homework outside! (Wearing sunglasses of course, so I wouldnt have to squint from the sun.) This kind of weather makes me much happier, I think it brings out the happiness in everyone. Just seeing light and getting some sun and fresh air is good for you. Summer, to me, means: laying outside attempting to get a tan, swimming in my friends pools, biking, running cross country, working, sleeping in, vacations, being lazy, and doing whatever I want! It's hard to believe this year is almost all over, less than a month is left. And in less than a year i'll be graduating.. wow. Time is going by fast. I'm glad the winter is finally over though, it's nice to see flowers and green grass for a change.

running leads to traveling

My dad is a marathon (26.2 miles) runner, which means my family and I go on a lot of trips to different states because he likes to run in different races. It's really fun, I like visiting new places, but constant vacations kind-of gets old :/ especially because I get annoyed with my brothers and parents FAST. This weekend my family and I are traveling to North Dakota. I've never been there before, but my dad wants to run a marathon there. It should be fun but it's an 8 hour drive :(. Last year around this time, my family and I drove to Nashville, Tennessee so my dad could run in Nashville's "country music marathon." I love country music, so it was a fun time despite the 10 hour drive. A couple years from now, after a lot of training and hard work, I hope to join my dad in finishing a marathon. I don't think I'll be looking for a good race time though, my hopes are to just cross the finish line. Running a marathon is very hard. It's a mental mind game. You have to keep telling yourself that you can finish. If you don't have any hope, then you won't make it. You also have to have to physical endurance. You can't train for a marathon in a couple months, it takes much longer. To be a marathon runner you have to be very determined and persistant with your work effort and I respect my dad very much for that.

mexican-american students walkout

In my Spanish III class we just got done watching the movie "walkout." It was really good, so I'm gonna do a blog entry on it :) "Walkout" is about a bunch of students who attend Belmont High School in Los Angelos, California. The teachers, who are white, discriminate against the chicanos (mexican-americans) even though chicanos are not the minority at their high school. There's a paddle in the their classrooms that says, "If it's not worth saying in English, than it's not worth saying at all." This is predjudice against the chicanos because they speak Spanish as well, and they get beat (or spanked) if they even say one word or phrase in Spanish. This movie takes place in the 60's but it was made only a couple of years ago. The chicanos also can't use the restrooms during lunch, the faculty is mean to them, and they can't share any part of their mexican culture in the classrooms. Mexican Americans are still very unheard of today, such as in history textbooks. We hardly ever hear about them, even though I know they played a huge part in history and they are ignored. The students at Belmont High are sick of being discriminated against and they want their rights. The main character Paula (who is played by actress Alexa Vega) starts a group that hands out surverys about being discriminated against because of your race. They eventually start picketting signs outside of school that say, "Brown is Beautiful," "Chicano Power," and "We want our Rights." Then, the group of students, stage "walkouts" which is when the students show up for class until the bell rings at 9am and then the students walkout of their school and start protesting. They do this because the teachers need the students there for their salaries, because they get paid based on attendance of the students. The teachers eventually give in and decide to consider what the chicanos want. They get some of the things they want but not everything, chicanos are still fighting for equal treatment to this day. But that doesn't really surprise me, since I see discrimination everyday at Kennedy still.

looking at photo essays & comics

Today on Mr. Ayers blog we were instructed to look at the links he had for slate.com (a magazine.) He wants us to look at photo essays and comics combining words and pictures to tell a story. The photo essays were very interesting. I think it's interesting that pictures can tell a story just as well as words can. My favorite photo essay he had linked was the one about the middle east war. The pictures were really good and they show what war is all about. Some of the pictures were a bit much though, I didnt like seeing all the blood in some, but I guess thats what you get for looking at pictures from a war. It looks like a professional photographer took them. I also liked the photo essay on the childrens drawings and what the children say about what they drew. It was kind-of like a story, but the pictures were the main component of the story, because without them then we wouldnt know what the kids were trying to say. I am excited to make our very own graphic essays. The hard part will be coming up with a topic that easy enough for me to draw!

school lunch

At Kennedy High School, you can only go out for lunch if you're a junior or a senior. A lot of kids don't follow this rule though, I see a lot of sophomores sneaking out the doors to have a quick lunch at Wendys or McDonalds instead of boring ol' school lunch. I can't really tell on the younger kids though, since I used to sneak out for lunch as a sophomore and I luckily never got caught. I don't blame kids for leaving though. I have D lunch, and there hardly is ever any food left to eat. The lines are so long, and people budge, so it takes over half the lunch period to even get your food. The food is every expensive and it doesn't fill you up. One little slice of pizza is not a lunch. One slice of pizza is 2 dollars, I could buy a burger and fries with the same amount of money at McDonalds, and it's about the same health equivalence. There is not many healthy choices at school to choose from. The only thing i've seen change is the fact that there is more apples, oranges and salads, but the main menus are still fatty (i.e. pizza, burgers, or fries.) Another thing is that our school now uses styrofoam plates and plastic forks and spoons. Are lunch ladies too lazy to wash dishes? Freshmen and sophmore year they had a machine to do that for them! I thought the world was trying to cut back on waste? Our school sure isnt. The styrofoam plates are terrible, they're not sturdy and they're a total waste to our environment. I understand now why so many kids want to go out to eat instead of eat school food. Besides the high gas prices rising to get to any restaurant, I think it's okay if students if leave school for lunch, as long as they drive safe.

desperate housewives obsession

I LIVE for Sundays. You know what Sunday is, right? Desperate Housewives is on :) 8pm sharp, I'm sat glued to my couch, with the volume on full blast so I dont miss a word. My mom got me hooked on this show about 2 years ago after it first started airing on ABC. I fell in love with it because of all the drama and I got to know the characters so well. I like to compare myself with the characters and I think I am most like Lynette. My friend Abby is most like Gabrielle and Laura is most like Susan and Rachel (the perfect one) is most like Bree and Theresa is most like Eadie. It's a perfect match for all of us :) I took a quiz on desperate housewives about which character I am most like, and i got Lynette. During the writers strike, which lasted about 2 months, I was in total withdrawl from my favorite show. It was very hard to not have a new epsiode to watch, I had nothing to do on sunday nights. I'm very glad that the writers strike is over and my favorite show in the world is back on!

hannah montana star apologizes for racy photos

(Disney's) Hannah Montana star, Miley Cyrus was photographed in a spread for the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine, which has become an international news story. With coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Newsweek, and newspapers throughout the entire world.

Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz took the photos which include 15-year-old Hannah Montana star clutching a sheet with her bare shoulders and upper back exposed. Cyrus says, "I mean I had a big blanket on. And I thought, This looks pretty, and really natural. I think it’s really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way.… And you can’t say no to her [photographer Annie Leibovitz]. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like, O.K.”

Leibovitz says, "I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted," the celebrity photographer said in a statement Monday. "Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."

But by Sunday, Cyrus apparently had changed her mind. "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," she said in a statement issued by her publicist, Jill Fritzo. "I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

I'm not a huge fan of Hannah Montana, but I know who she is and I feel bad about all the bad rep she is getting from this, but Miley did know what she was getting herself into. Her parents did too, with them being there through the entire photoshoot. I think she is just regretting her decision because her young fans are offended by what she did. She should of thought more about her reputation from her fans' points of view, but I don't think all this drama from a few pictures is necessary.

show & tell grapic essay (response)

I thought the article we read with the cartoon and words called "show and tell" was very interesting. I really enjoy art and drawing so it was right up my alley. For my project after the AP Lang test, I think I am going to do a graphic essay, since I love to draw. I learned a lot from this essay. I learned you can use pictures to tell a story, without words. And you can, of course, use words, without any pictures. Although I think the best comics are ones who use both at the same time and they're balanced. Too many words is unnessesary if theres pictures to go along with the story. It would be very hard to do a graphic essay, because you have to know what you're going to say and be able to draw it well enough to make sure your reader understands what is happening. It would be hard to consider the drawings and words seperately. I like how McCloud, in the beginning, starts off with a boy doing a show and tell of his robot. The teacher asks him why he likes his robot and he says, "Because it can do this." (And then he shows the class how his robot can change into an airplane.) At that age, kids say "this" and "that" because they dont know how to explain. Which is kind-of like a comic, which needs both pictures and words to convey it's message. I think graphic essays are a kind of literature that often gets ignored but shouldn't be.

reality television

I used to be a big fan of the television, until I started getting more and more homework, and working. Also, the internet takes up most of my time because I'm always talking to my friends online. Or I'm on my cell phone, or trying to get my homework done. I basically never have time for t.v. anymore, which sucks because when my friends talk about their favorite reality shows I have no idea what they're talking about. I used to watch The Bachelor, What not to Wear, Survivor, Real World, The Hills, Greek, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives. It seemed like almost everyday of the week I would strive to get my homework done so I could watch "my show" at that specific time. My parents would yell at me to turn the t.v. off and go to bed, but I'd whine and whine, "Please mom and dad, it's my favorite show and it's only an hour long!" And so they'd let me stay up, if I was lucky, and finish the show. If I ever missed an episode I'd feel so lost, like I have to watch it or I'd miss something so incredible. Nowadays, I miss a lot of reality television but I've learned theres more important things than staying glued to the t.v. everynight, such as getting my homework done. I'll never forget my "reality tv obsession" but I'm glad I've slowly drifted away from it.

one person CAN change the world

In history we are learning about famous black leaders in the 1950's/1960's who have impacted society. Malcom X, an African-American, was sick of racism in the United States during this time, and wished to have two different societies; blacks and whites. He did not believe what Martin Luther King Jr. wanted. Malcom X and MLK had two totally different perspectives. MLK wanted racism and segregation to end and he told black people to "turn the other cheek" when white people would yell mean things at them. MLK also told his followers to boycott stores and shops without violence and to be strong, and not fight back, and to have a lot of discipline to ignore the hateful words and actions toward them. Malcom X, said the opposite, he was always very loud and clear about his opinions and he would not accept black people to be treated this way. He viewed all white people as terrible, cruel human beings and he wished to have a segregated society. (I.e. If you wanted to get a hair-cut and you we black, you had go to a black barber. If you were white and wanted to get a hair-cut then you would go to white barber. Malcom X believed that whites and blacks could NOT live together. Whites would come up to Malcom X and ask if they could do anything to support his cause because they believed what he had to say, but Malcom X wouldn't even give them the time of day, he hated white people. I never knew Malcom X and MLK Jr. were so different.

"...Early in life I had learned something... that if you want something, you had better make some noise." --Malcom X

"A man can't ride your back unless it's bent." --Martin Luther King Jr.

doing some good for the world

Yesterday was April 22nd, otherwise known as Earth day. Behind our house is, what used to be, a creek with trees and wildlife. It's very pretty, except for the fact that there is a lot of garbage and littering in the water. My brothers and I used to hang out at the creek all the time, it's very peaceful and sometimes I would go back there just to "escape" and get some peace and quiet. I would go back there to read, or maybe even do homework, or just explore with my brothers. On earth day, a couple of years ago, my brothers and I decided to go back to the creek in our icky clothes so we wouldn't get all muddy, and pick up trash and move rocks so the stream would go faster and stop getting blocked by all the litter. It was really fun, and we improved the creek a lot. We even made areas where we could sit and hang out. We also made a waterfall with rocks. Every earth day from then on, my brothers and I continued to go down to the creek and clean it up. It was a fun tradition that we had, until houses started being put up around the creek and we stopped going. It was sad, seeing our "secret hang out place" dissapear. It's still there, it's just kind-of impossible to go to now that the weeds around the creek have grown so tall and most people don't enjoy you walking around in the backyard to get to the creek. I miss the creek, a lot, and I know my brothers do too. But I am very proud of myself and my brothers for trying to do some good for the world and having fun at the same time. I think that's what Earth day is all about.