Are the Holidays Over Yet?

Happy Holidays! I love Chirstmas time, don’t get me wrong, but there are a few things that really bother me when it gets closer to the big day.

 

1.       People are RUDE. I understand that everyone is rushing out to get all those fabulous gifts on their Christmas list for their family and friends, (or for themselves, because we all know no one else could get us everything we really want) but that doesn’t make it okay for them to trample fellow shoppers or be nasty to the salespeople trying to help them out. Spending a ton of money on presents is stressful, sure. Spending money in general is stressful, but we don’t see people throwing a hissy fit in a store every single fricken time they buy something.

2.       The constant “Holiday Sale!” advertisements. At work, we had door-buster sales for Black Friday, ads sent out with almost a third of our merchandise on sale, clearanced almost the entire store, our “Something Unexpected!” commercials. Not only our store was filling the space between TV shows with repetitive slogans and jingles to advertise the “great deals” on merchandise that everyone must have for Christmas. Have you ever noticed those “must-have” Christmas toys that pop up every year? This year, they brought back the ungodly annoying Furby. Those things gave me nightmares when I was a kid because mine would. not. shut. up. We also had a pretty high demand for Easy-Bake ovens this year. Why are we bringing back all these old toys again?

3.       The instant pile-up of assignments at school. Every teacher schedules an end-of-the-unit test plus a 50-page paper and a presentation project due ON THE EXACT SAME DAY. Come on! It’s Christmas Break, not the end of the term! Their excuse is always, “You’ll forget everything if we wait to take the test after break.” Probably, yes, but cramming the night before to study for six different tests doesn’t really make for a good grade either. At least if we waited until after break, we’d have some extra time to maybe study for them. Maybe.

4.       Last-minute shoppers. This one drives me absolutely nuts because EVERYONE knows when Christmas is; couldn’t they do their shopping ahead of time? Why must they all wait until the last minute to bomb the store? It makes their gifts seem not only half-ass because their being bought on Christmas Eve right when the store is closing, but also it pisses off the store employees. (See post about New Year’s Eve…it gets better.)

 

Once Christmas Day gets here, a new round of annoyances make way.

 

5.       When your younger siblings don’t appreciate the presents they get because they’re selfish little shits. My mother spent MONTHS trying to find left-handed golf clubs for my little brother. She finally found a set and was very excited to give them to him; my parents have this thing where they like us to open the “big present” last. My brother had one gift left, his clubs, and up until then he had gotten other nice presents, too, but he apparently didn’t think they were that good. So, he started to cry. And he wouldn’t tell any of us why he was crying. My little sister also was upset because my other sister got a colorful pillow that she was jealous about. What the hell, kids?

6.       When you go over to your grandparents’ house and it’s full of screaming children. I have a very big family. At Christmas, we all cram into my grandma’s small house, thinking we’ll all fit comfortably. Nope. Not when a new bundle of joy (or multiple) are born every year and are added to the already-loud-and-chaotic family mix. The older kids, like 11 and younger but not quite a baby, like to run around with their new toy guns and yell and wrestle on the floor. The big kids, including me, just seclude ourselves in a back bedroom and watch TV to get away from the insanity. Christmas time makes me rethink having children.

I’m sure everyone else has little pet peeves around Christmas, too, so I’m not the only Scrooge around here. I hope.

 

Word count: 703

What Do You Want For Christmas?

            Have you ever noticed that, since you're getting older, you run out of things you want for Christmas, birthdays, etc? I hate whenever my mom or grandma asks me what I want because, honestly, I really don't know. Money always does the trick because I can get whatever spoils I want, but the little kid in me somewhere still misses the joy of opening tons of presents like I used to, which is why I try to conjure up some ideas for little things I can ask for. Now that I already have a phone, an iPod, a car, among a few other expensive things that kids ask for, I've run out of wishes before things get ridiculous and I ask for loans on something silly, like college, or whatever. (Hah.)

            I also feel bad for asking for things for holidays. I know that my family will always find some things to get me whether I ask for them or not, but when it comes to friends asking me what I want, I freeze up and just telling them nothing. A hug would suffice. I don't like having money spent on me by my friends.

            Now that I'm older, I have a lot more fun buying presents for people than I used to. Since I make money of my own, I feel like I can spoil people without having to rob my mother's bank account like I would have if I didn't have a job. I like the feeling of giving my friends gifts, whether it's for a birthday, holiday, or just because I feel like giving them something. It feels especially awesome when I know they don't have/make very much money themselves, so I get them things just to brighten their day up a little bit, hopefully.

Word count: 302

:Forever Alone: Part Two

            This sounds really selfish and childish of me, but happy couples make me angry. It's not that they don't deserve to be happy; unless they're little freshman babies who "fall in love" with their "soul mate" after simply knowing of each other's existence for an earth-shattering five minutes.        Those who truly know what love is, even though the word is tossed around like a beach ball, deserve to be happy. Even though it upsets me. I'm only affected by it because it's something I desperately want. I'm not saying I want it because everyone else does or because so many other people are in relationships and I feel like I have to "fit in". Having someone to talk to on the phone until you both pass out, getting a "Good morning, beautiful" text when you wake up, texting them every free second you get just to let them know you miss them, hanging out just to cuddle on the couch and watch movies, just for the sake of spending time with them, those are the things I want the most.

            I feel like most teenagers take their high school relationships for granted. They get into relationships just for the sake of saying their in one, without any real attachment being present; saying "I love you" just digs them into a deeper hole and makes them look even more stupid. Not only does it make those of us, who would actually put forth an effort into a relationship, hate you, but it ruins the definition of what a real relationship is.

            I'm going out on a limb here to say that technology has really screwed us over when it comes to having a relationship with another person, whether it's intimate or among family members or between friends. Sure, texting and phone calls are fast and convenient, but it really has cut back on the time we could be spending with these people we constantly talk to, physically; texting is fine if seeing each other isn't an option.

I don't know about you guys, but if I had a boyfriend, I'd much rather talk to him face-to-face than face-to-phone screen.

            I think that technology has also changed how open we are with communicating; since we're hidden behind our phones and computers, we feel like we can say, literally, anything without the consequences of saying it to someone's face. That's pretty much the easy way out in a relationship because, sure, you're telling the other person how you really feel, but you don't trust them enough to say it to them personally? Texting can also lead to more secretive relationships which sucks. It makes it easier to cheat and hide it, lie, etc, which, obviously aren't good for stable relationships.

            I don't want to sound like a guru for teenage relationships like some sort of Dr. Phil wannabe, but I'd like to think I'm thinking more logically and realistic than some of the innocent little children, almost literally, who think they're found "the One" already. It just doesn't happen as often as they're thinking it does. If you're the type that dates someone new every week because "YOLO", then, honey, I'm sorry, but you need a reality check. And a slap in the face for making me use the word "Yolo".

Word count: 550

Is It Here Yet?

            ONLY FIVE MORE SCHOOL DAYS AND WE'RE FREE. We've been waiting for this last week for months now, although the four-week stretch between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break feels like years. Not only does this span of time go on forever, but teachers seriously think they can keep our full attention those entire four weeks, and they get frustrated with us when we don't have the discipline to do our best. We can't help that the anticipation for nine days away from school, presents, tons of delicious food and time for SLEEP is taking over almost every neural function in our brains.

            A big issue I have with the span between Thanksgiving and Christmas is that teachers try cramming in an entirely new lesson concept and all the huge projects, quizzes and major tests that come with them. They should know better because there is no way a bunch of high school kids, no matter how "mature" we may seem, sometimes, Christmas is definitely more important to us than school at this point in time. As my AP Comparative Government teacher is discussing the differences between the governments of two completely different countries, I'm sitting there drooling over all the chocolaty, gooey Christmas cookies I'm going to be devouring in just a few short days.

            The worst part about all this is teachers plan their end-of-the-unit tests ON THE SAME FREAKING DAY. I would much rather have one test in a different class each day of the week than having six in one sad, horrible day. It would give us more time to spend studying on each individual subject, rather than having to cut up time among six different subjects in one night, and, therefore, it increases our chances of getting a good grade. I'm assuming that most of us poor souls have a job outside of school. Dividing the short, measly hours left after a five-six-hour shift at work between studying and getting enough sleep is just so hard. I don't think teachers get it. They have work and school rolled into one, and if they have "homework" grading papers at night, that's their own damn fault. We students have it tough nowadays.

            I hate that all the big projects are due and the tests are scheduled on the last day of school before a break. It leaves us dreading the entire week because we know that last day is coming, and we have to endure that day before we're finally set free for a week. With my procrastination being as atrocious as it is, I always wait until Thursday night to study for my big tests and/or finish my project(s). I know it's stupid and childish, but I think somewhere deep in the folds of my brain I think that, maybe, if I put it off as long as possible then it'll just go away and I can skip right to my break. But no. It doesn't happen that way. Once reality sets in that I have absolutely no more time to just sit on my ass and not do my homework, I'm a busy little bee, running through my assignments until the wee hours of the morning. Of course I don't mind it too much because I know I have nine full days ahead of me to catch up on my much-needed sleep.

Word count: 556

Benefits of Retail

            Ever since I started working in retail, (yes, I write about it a lot) I've learned a few tips that will definitely help me when I'm launched out into the real world in a few short months:

            1. I've gained some fashion sense. I've come to notice what clothing items do and do NOT go together. For example, long sweater dresses look cute with black leggings and boots. But only for the right age group. Ladies, if you have a teenage daughter, you're not supposed to be able to wear her clothes. It's crazy to see women in their 40s trying on Miss Me jeans with a hot pink, tight, lacey t-shirt. I've had women in their late 40s or older with platinum blonde hair, fake lips, boobs, nails, the whole nine yards, decked out in bedazzled jeans and thin, strappy heels just to go shopping.

            2. The clearance rack is your friend. One person might say those are just the clothes that no one else wanted, which I guess I could agree to, to an extent. But some of the deals are damn near impossible to pass up. At work right now, we're having a clearance event where everything on clearance is 33% off the ticketed price. Being an associate, I get an extra 30% off that 33%, so I get almost two thirds off something that has already been marked down. If you search hard enough, you can find some real gems in the clearance that a lot of people don't pick up; I'd take advantage of it because you could save a bundle on something you might have spent a fortune on before.

            3. I've learned how to save money. Well, sort of. Working in one of my favorite stores is dangerous because I see everything that comes through it and I want to blow my entire paycheck. But I've learned to control my spending and budget what I can spend and what I should save for something more important. Like college in a few months. Although I haven't really saved all that much because Christmas shopping is expensive but that's beside the point.

            4. I've gained people skills. Although it's really hard to keep my cool when bitchy people come to me for help and then complain when I don't give them the answer they're looking for, or they come in with some hidden motive to trash the entire store and make everyone's day miserable, I've managed to refrain from punching many of them in the face. I've gotten over my little issues with answering the phone; now it's like second nature to me. I can easily start a conversation with complete strangers, something I would never have been able to do a year ago.

            Although working in retail sucks 99.5% of the time, I've managed to grow as an employee and ultimately as a person while working there. Hopefully this concluded my series of work-related posts for a while.

Word count: 501

Parents...

            I hate that my parents don't trust me. I'm not exactly perfect and I've done some stupid things before in my life, but that doesn't make me a troubled child who needs to be put on house arrest. The thing that bothers me the most is they think that, because the majority of kids my age are out drinking till they're made of booze and not water, getting high off of anything they can find, and sleeping with everyone in the school. I'm still a teenager, but I'm not one of those teenagers.

            My parents, especially my dad, believe that he knows me so well. When he finds out something true about me that he doesn't know, he gets angry and thinks I've been keeping secrets from him. Bottom line, Dad, that just proves that you don't know me as well as you think you do.

            I remember one day in particular. I was on the floor laughing my ass off, not quite literally but close, because my sister and I were just messing around and being stupid like always. My dad comes home from work while I'm laughing, and he gets right in my face and yells at me, "What did you smoke?!" Get off my ass, Dad! I don't do that shit. I should be allowed to laugh without being accused of smoking weed just because everyone else does it.

            My mom, however, is a different story. She's the type of mother that's like a best friend, unless you're in trouble. She definitely knows more about me than my dad does because he'd freak out about everything. My mom would just roll her eyes and ask me a billion questions. She still cares just as much as any mother does, but she doesn't overreact and get angry. I really wish my dad was more like that.

Word count: 315 

Holy ACT

            I took my ACTs for the first time yesterday morning and let me tell you, it SUCKED. Granted, it wasn't as hard as I was expecting, but I wasn't the least bit prepared for it.

            First off, the process of getting started with the tests took way too long. I had to be there at 8 am, and we didn't begin testing until around 9. Normally, dragging the time before a test would make me happy, but I really wanted to get this one done and over with. The rules for the test are a little ridiculous, too. I mean I know they want it all to be super standardized and uniform, like phones off and under our chairs, but come on; not even a water bottle allowed in the room?

            And another thing: don't teachers usually encourage students to have a free-reading book to read after a test if they finish early? Apparently these people think reading after the ACT is "distracting" to the other test-takers, so they require you to sit there like a zombie and stare at the walls. The crazy part? They said that getting out of your seat to get a new pencil, or blow your nose, or even LEAVE THE ROOM DURING THE TEST to go to the bathroom was okay to do. Like those aren't distracting at all.

            After I tried getting over my annoyances, it was time for the tests to start. I could say the same for all of them that they started off pretty easy. I felt like I was managing my time well and I could possibly finish early. But no. Once I got halfway in about four of the five tests, I hit a wall. The problems either got significantly harder, or the writers of the tests got drunk in the middle of writing them and made their questions and answers make absolutely no sense. The math test was horrible. I was doing fine with the basic skills, but once it got to the geometry shit, I knew I was done-for. That test was the longest, and it had 60 questions for its 60 minutes; I thought it'd be a piece of cake, one minute per question, but I didn't get it finished, unfortunately. To add to my other annoying problems, the test administrator lady was walking around the room, looking at our tests. Totally not a distraction.

            I decided to take the writing test in hopes of it helping my score a little bit. The prompt was an easy question and I could quickly choose a side to the issue, and I wrote out my response. The girl next to me was a total over-achiever; she wrote on all four pages, completely. Mine was a page and a half. I'm not saying I was jealous or anything, because I knew I got my point across, but I was a little miffed that mine looked inadequate because I didn't write nearly as much. Hopefully they don't score it partially on how much you write; they said nothing about a length requirement anyway.

            Unfortunately, since I'm pretty much sure I bombed the hell out of this test, I'm going to have to take the damn thing over again. I won't get my results for 5-8 weeks, and by then it will be another test date. I might as well just sign up at take it again because I don't think any colleges will want me when they see how atrocious my tests are.

Word count: 586

Tattoo Maybe?

            I just recently got an industrial (a metal bar that is pierced through two points in the cartilage of my ear) and my nose pierced. Over the past ten years, I've gotten my ears pierced four other times, counting the time when I got them pierced the first time when I was seven; I let them close, sadly. I don't know why, but I really like getting piercings. That might sound a little creepy and over-the-top, but I like the way they look. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to go out and pierce my cheek or my eyebrow or something crazy and, honestly, not very attractive like that would be. I can pierce my ears as much as I want and I think it would still look cute. And the good thing about piercings is, they aren't necessarily permanent. If I got huge gauges that stretched my ears to three inches in diameter then, yeah, I'd say they're going to stay stretched out. But a nose or ear piercing will eventually close up, which is good for when I'm a saggy old lady who doesn't want her ears full of holes.

            My dilemma, however, is whether or not I want to get a tattoo. I'm debating for multiple reasons: 1. I'm deathly afraid of needles, to the point where I actually kicked the nurse when I was six or seven. 2. They're permanent, unless I want to undergo laser removal which will most likely hurt more than the application of the tattoo anyway. 3. I'm most likely going to be saggy drooping when I'm older, which means my tattoo will also be saggy and drooping. The image will distort and it won't be cute anymore. The thing is, I see a lot of my friends getting them, and some are truly adorable. I wouldn't get anything huge, but something small and meaningful will do just fine. I wanted to get it on a place that wouldn't sag so much, like my foot or my ankle, or maybe my wrist. I was also thinking my tattoo will help with my fear of needles; I can get piercings all I want, a tattoo should be easy, right? I guess I need to ponder this idea a little more.

Word count: 380

Holiday Humbugs

            There are an awful lot of rude people in this country. I know that sounds very broad but it's true. I'm saying so because, since I work in retail, I have the very unfortunate experiences to surround myself with this people multiple days a week, for many hours at a time. I don't know if it's because the holidays stress people out because they're spending so much money, or if it's because it's getting so dark so much earlier and everyone is in a pissy mood, but it SUCKS.

            I don't understand why people have to be such assholes to those who work in the stores they shop in. I can guarantee that if they were the ones working and we were the ones shopping, throwing shit on the floor, leaving piles of crap everywhere, mixing things up and putting where they don't belong, they would be beyond pissed. And the thing is, I realize that on Black Friday it was a little chaotic with so many people wanting to buy all of their Christmas presents, but that doesn't give them a reason to be an asshole to us that are trying to help them in finding what they want. That not only makes us angry at them, too, but it makes us look bad as associates and, ultimately, as a store. We're people, too; we don't like having people bitch at us just as much as anyone else does. That also means that we don't like having to pick up huge messes because people are too lazy to clean up after themselves. It isn't really our job to wait on them hand and foot. We're there to help, yes, but we aren't a cleaning service.

            Bottom line, when you go to a store or a restaurant, clean up after yourselves. I'm sure most of you reading this have a job and know what it's like cleaning up after people. Make everyone else's job easier and do the same when you go out somewhere.

Word count: 345

Are We Gonna Have a White Christmas?

                Although Thanksgiving just ended, I can no longer hold in my excitement for Christmas in less than a month. The atmosphere of December alone gets me into the Christmas spirit: red and green and gold and silver start popping up in stores and restaurants; signs go up for Christmas sales; those poor ringers are stand out in the cold in front of stores with that red Salvation Army bucket; stores stock their shelves with ornaments, brightly- and colorfully-decorated wrapping paper, ribbons and bows galore, and any other decoration you could think of; and, if we get lucky this year, snow will start falling before Christmas so the ground will be sheeted with white on Christmas morning.

                I don’t know about you guys, but last year’s lack of snow was very upsetting to me. In my opinion, snow and Christmas go hand-in-hand; in EVERY Christmas movie or T.V. show, there is cold, fluffy white stuff everywhere, and every Christmas I’ve had, 18 to be exact, has had a tremendous amount of snow (last year being the only exception). We live in Iowa, for crying out loud! Why did we not have three feet of snow before it even hit December? I don’t know, but I’m really hoping that we will have a white Christmas this year, instead of a muddy, poop-brown, dirty-looking Christmas.

                When I think of Christmas, my first mental picture is set on Christmas Eve night, looking down my dark street; snowflakes are falling lightly, quietly onto the already-buried ground. The sidewalk is coated in a thin sheet of ice and snow that glistens in the light of the lamp across the street. Houses on my block are decorated with sparkling lights and lawn ornaments, and their elaborately-dressed Christmas trees are twinkling in their living room windows. The smell of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa fill the brisk air. That's when I know it's Christmas time

            So far this year, the only thing keeping me out of the Christmas spirit would be work. Working retail and the Holiday Season do NOT mix well; I find myself working 7-9-hour shifts every night I'm scheduled to work. Not only that, but we extended our hours 8am to 11pm until December 14th when we close at MIDNIGHT. I don't think that's going to go over well with school and whatnot...The only positive is I'll be making bank at work. However, my grades are most likely going to suffer for a little bit until the holidays are over. I just don't want to have to quit my job over nine days of late-night working.

            Tonight, my family put up our Christmas tree. Another one of my favorite memories of Christmas is spending time with my family, watching Christmas movies and decorating the tree together. My siblings and I have always gotten a new ornament of our own every Christmas since we were little, and those are considered "our" ornaments to put on the tree when we decorate it. My little brother and sister fight over who gets to climb onto someone's shoulders and place the star on the top. After we're done making the tree sparkle, my three siblings and I lie on our backs with our heads underneath the tree and we look up through the branches at all the lights, glass balls, plastic ornaments and tinsel we just added to our beautiful tree.

            Even though December just got here, I can already sense Christmas getting closer. Only a few more weeks. Only a few more school days. I feel like a little kid again, but I truly cannot wait until Christmas.

Word count: 615

I'm Goin' Truck Shopping

            I've had two cars in my life already. My first one was a white, '88 Olds Mobile that my parents gave me for my 16th birthday. The thing was a complete junker: the muffler was noisy; the driver's side seatbelt didn't work; it stalled a few times when gas got too low; the passenger window was broken; my mom forgot it was parked behind her Tahoe once and backed into it, crushing the bumper pretty badly. Although the car was a piece of shit, I loved it because it got me from A to B. Most of the time. And it was my car, I could go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted to. Eventually, I got tired of the thing and passed it to my sister because I got another car.

            My second car is a '96 silvery blue Olds Aurora. This car was the first big payment I ever made; I had been working all summer and I wanted a newer, nicer car. Unfortunately, I wasn't making Bill Gates' salary, so I had to settle for a Craigslist find. Little did I know at the time that you could go to a dealership and have your car completely checked out for like $40; if I had known, I would've gotten that car looked at because it had a lot of problems. The car itself was $1000, and I've had to spend at least double that in repairs over the last 16 months.

            I realize I might sound crazy for saying this, but I really want to get another new car now. I don't want to go for a Craigslist piece of junk. I can't really afford a brand new vehicle either, but I want to get something that will last me more than a year and a half without croaking on me. Since I have more than just a summer job now and I'm continuously making money, it'll be less deadly for me to buy one than it would have been when I bought my Aurora.

            For a long time now I've wanted to get a truck. I hated having a small car, especially when I would be waiting to turn onto a busy street and some huge SUV or something would pull up next to me, blocking my view of the street so I'd have to wait twice as long for a time to go. Plus, a girl driving a huge-ass truck looks pretty BA if you ask me. Or, ask my best friend Kalin; she has one. She was pretty much my inspiration for getting a truck in the first place. The only thing that sucks about a truck is they're pretty big gas hogs. Oh well, they're sexy cars regardless.

            My parents are trying to convince me not to get my dream truck. My dad says it's too expensive and I'll be in way over my head. The thing is though, I don't like having to worry about a new problem with my car every two seconds anymore. I want to be able to go on a road trip without it overheating or beeping at me for the oil pressure being too low, or the orange "service engine soon" light to flash on every time I start the ignition. I want a nice car that can last me a long time.

            I also want to use this truck as a way to be more independent and grown up. It sounds kind of silly, but I haven't really done any "adult" thing yet since my birthday, and I've wanted a truck for a while now. I think my parents can give me feedback and everything all they want, guidance isn't bad either, but I don't think they should completely try to shun the idea from my head. Eventually my current cart is going to croak on me, too, and I don't really want to fork over thousands of dollars a month on a piece of shit when I can spend that much over a few years for something a lot nicer.

Word count: 677

I Have a Problem

            No matter how many times I try telling myself that I NEED to do something, I never come around to it until the last possible minute. I know I've done a post about procrastination already, but it's a topic I have a lot to say about. I have a serious problem with it. I'll write things down in my planner, every day, and I still won't start some assignments until Sunday night, most of the time. And then, I'll be sitting in my room on Sunday, like I am now, freaking out because I only have 'X' number of hours before sleeping must be done, enough so I won't end up dying in class the next morning. I screw myself over pretty much every weekend, yet every Monday I tell myself I won't be doing it the following week and I do anyway.

            I should probably follow my own advice from my pervious post. I don't leave my phone in the other room like I should, probably because I'm waiting for texts that I know won't be coming (:forever alone:). I don't have much self-discipline when it comes to doing homework. I may be doing nothing on Friday night or all day Saturday, but everything else like lying on my bed, scrolling through Twitter or staring off into space sounds so much better than cracking open my 9-and-a-half-pound AP Art History textbook. The biggest reason why I even do my homework on Sunday is because I know I have to and I don't like getting in trouble. I have no self-discipline at all, so starting homework is mentally painful after a weekend of complete laziness.

            I don't just put off homework. With work and school, I don't really have much time to clean my room anymore; it was very clean at one point, but since I work from about the time I get out of school to about nine, then I have to do homework, throwing my dirty clothes on the floor sounds like the fastest, easiest way to start. And by the time the weekend rolls around again, I'm too lazy to pick up my clothes or straighten the contents on my desk to get it back to normal. I'll spend hours cleaning it when I make time but it just gets bad again after a few work days. I should invent a pill to get rid of laziness, but I'm too lazy.

Word count: 410

:Forever Alone:

            Some days, nothing is more depressing than walking the halls at school and observing all those cute little couples holding hands and strolling through the crowd. It's almost as if they're in slow motion like in those chick flicks, with a figurative glow about them. Bleh. Although the scene is utterly sickening, especially when there's smooching going on, it's still something a lot of people, especially girls, I'm sure, wish they could have. Myself included.

            Do you ever have one of those lonely Friday nights, when everyone else out having fun with huge groups of people and you're at home, alone, lying on the couch with a vat of cookies 'n' cream ice cream in your lap, and "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" on your T.V.? Yeah, me either. Sounds sad and depressing, right? Those are the nights when you stay up late watching as many romantic comedies as you can because any free time makes you think, and thinking makes you feel even more miserable. Okay, I lied, I was talking about myself here. But still, I'm probably not the only one. I think.

            *One of the things that hurts the most, in my opinion, at least, is when you make plans with someone and they just completely bail out on you. It's one thing if they give you some sort of lame excuse and you can tell they're lying just so they can go to some "cool" party instead or something, but it's a totally different story if they give you no response. At all. It's even worse when THEY are the ones who initiated the "hanging out" in the first place! I'm like, really? Is that the kind of friend you are? If that's the case then I'm glad to know now. I would expect something like this more from guys or something, not someone who was supposed to be my "best friend".

            I swear, the older I get the more I realize that female best friends are not the answer. Male best friends are definitely the way to go. I think. I wouldn't really know because I've never had one, but I've had a lot of best friends that were girls and they always fucked me over, for one reason or another. There's a lot less drama with guys, unless he ends up falling for you or vise versa and the other doesn't feel the same way, blah, blah, blah. If you can find a guy friend that will go shopping with you, watch sappy movies with you, and listen when you call him at night, crying because you're feeling forever alone, then he's a keeper. And who knows, maybe things will turn out and he will take care of your forever-alone-ness. I'll get right on that.

            *I apologize for my ranting session. Girls are bitches.

Word count: 481

Palisades Park

            I’ve just recently ventured out to the Palisades and let me tell you, it’s a very beautiful place. As I was there I kept thinking, Damn, why don’t I have a camera or my sketchbook here with me? I couldn’t think of a better time to go than in the fall either, with the leaves both still on the trees and creating a crunchy blanket covering the trails and rocks. The paths twist and curve around and over the hills and between the tall trees, through deep valleys and along a sandy riverbank. The stream-like trails had the occasional curl of tree root sticking out of the earth, creating a dangerous entanglement for my ankles, but I managed. The moss-covered rocks hidden by the slick leaves didn’t help my footing either.

            The bank along the river was a mixture of coarse and fine sand and pebbles, miniature shells and rounded stones, scratched, broken glass shards and rusted metal pieces scattered amongst the weeds and sticks. Despite the dullness of color on the beach, it was beautiful. The sound of the current washing up onto the sandbars was peaceful and calming; the wind whisked my hair in tendrils around my face. I couldn’t help but watch the dogs run around, splashing in the water, trotting in the sand chasing sticks and Frisbees.

            My favorite spot on the section of trail I explored was in the center of a valley at a small stone bridge with a thin stream flowing underneath it. The water tinkled over the smooth stones. The trees surrounding the shallow chasm looked abnormally tall and slender from the bottom as I glanced up; I watched as the leaves broke from their stick arms and floated in the light breeze to join the others resting on the valley floor. The wind seemed to sing rather than whistle, mixing up the leaf blanket into spirals. The stone ridges up the valley walls were coated with moss and foliage, filling the space with a mixture of color and texture.

            At the top of the hill sat a rock gazebo structure, looking out to the rippling river. It jutted out past the edge of the cliff face with trees filling in the space blow, creating a web of branches. The cliffs on the other side of the river wove in and out of the rock like an unevenly cut basket, some pieces extending further out than others. The tops were roofed by forest and small wooden cabins and houses sprinkled among the trees.

            If you’re looking for a calm, pretty place to get away for a while and go for a walk, the Palisades is the place to go. Make sure you bring your good walking shoes and a camera.

Word count: 471

Cough, Cough

            
            It's coming onto flu season, which means lots of runny noses, coughing attacks, and people blessing the lord when you spray snot all over the place. I think the most awkward thing about flu season is when you're hacking your lungs out in the middle of class. It always happens to hit when the class is during silent reading or a test or something. As you're sitting there, heaving and wheezing and panting, everyone else in the room sits there silently until someone speaks up as asks if you're okay. Does it sound like I'm okay? It’s bad enough that I'm over here dying. I'd much rather die coughing than have you ask me that question. I don’t know for sure why having a coughing attack in class bothers me so much. Maybe it’s because I’d rather hack up my lungs in private. Or, at least not as loudly or disruptive.

           

            I also try really hard not to sneeze in class. Of course, I always have to sneeze when the class is quiet, naturally. I’ve observed some nasty experiences with other people sneezing in class before, not to mention extremely messy. I’ve also noticed that the “cool” kids have everyone praising the lord whenever they sneeze in class. It’s like their hearts stopped longer than a fraction of a second and they were about to die because they sneezed. Now, the average souls like me, if I were to actually let it go in class, don’t get any sort of “bless you!” very much. It’s also very difficult to hold back a sneeze without making some kind of honking noise or just looking stupid as your whole body twitches with the force of it. Or, you could accidentally let go at the other end…not me, personally. But I’ve heard it happen and I felt bad for the kid.

Word count: 317

Being Ignored Kind of Sucks

            Do you ever want to talk to someone really bad, but you're at war with yourself because you don't want to annoy them? Yeah, me, too. Eventually you give in, you text them and get nothing back after a long time, if at all; it hurts, right? Especially when you know that they're the kind of person who always has their phone attached to their hip. Being ignored sucks. Sometimes you just want to go full stalker mode and talk to their friends, find out what they're doing, why they aren't texting you. It's a girl thing. Or maybe it's just me and I'm some kind of stalker freak, I don't know. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt the sting of being ignored by someone whom you really want to talk to.

            One of the worst feelings is when they initiate hanging out with you sometime earlier that week or even earlier in the day, and then when it comes time to when they wanted to hang out, they suddenly fall off the face of the earth. No amount of texts or phone calls will work. You're sitting there pouting because you got your hopes up and your makeup all done. You go back into that vicious circle of internally beating yourself up because you want to keep texting them, hoping they'll take the necessary 30 seconds to type out a response. That's what I don't understand: unless you're asleep or at work where you can't have a phone out or something along those lines, I doubt anyone is so busy all day long that they can't take a simple 30 seconds to a minute, at most, to at least say hey. Men, I swear. They just don't get it.

            Another issue is when you're hanging out with a friend, and they're constantly texting their significant other. The catch is, when they're hanging out with said other, obviously they're "way too busy" to text you, right? Wrong. That's total bullshit in my opinion. And, quite frankly, it's really inconsiderate. Why even hang out if you're just going to be talking to a billion other people, but then ignore everyone else when you're with that one "special" person? I realize the person they're with might not appreciate them texting either, but why should they think it's okay to do one thing to one person or not the other? It's just not fair. I hope some of you can relate to my little ranting session.

Word count: 423

Gotta Love My Job

            I love my job. I work at Gordmans, which mostly harbors clothing, but we sell a lot more than just that. It’s pretty damn cheap, too, which makes everything a win-win. I really enjoy working there because my fellow associates are really friendly and fun to be around. I always check the schedule on days I work to see which of my “work buddies”, as I call them, I’m going to be basically hanging out with that day. I work in the fitting rooms which is basically the store’s little hang-out nook. All my buddies filter in throughout the shift and we engage in hilarious discussions, which sometimes get us into trouble if a manager on duty happens to venture in at the wrong moment. I’m kind of crazy, so I provide the witty outbursts most of the time. I think it’s pretty cool how welcoming everyone is there, and I’ve made an awful lot of new friends of many ages in my short eight months there.

            Gordmans is a very dangerous place to work because, since it’s my favorite store, I tend to blow my entire paycheck there. And, since I’m stuck in the fitting room, I see pretty much every article of clothing that flows through that store. I don’t even have to leave my workspace to do my shopping because I see so many cute things as I’m organizing and putting things back. I think I’ve purchased about nine or ten pairs of jeans and possibly a dozen shirts, four wallets, three purses, about ten bags of gummy bears, and five pairs of shoes in the last three months. This may sound like a huge hole in my pocket waiting to happen, but the cheap prices combined with my 20%-off discount have actually saved me a lot.

            I think the greatest thing I’ve gotten out of working at Gordmans is my increased social skills. I used to be a really shy, quiet person, and getting a job where I had to talk to people freaked me out. Then one day they sprang the concept of having to answer the phone on me and I about shit in my pants. Now that I think about it, I’m glad they did that. I’m much more open to conversing with people now, whether I know them personally or not. I can have a full conversation with a complete stranger while they’re waiting for someone to try on clothes and have it not feel awkward or forced. It has also helped me be social more outside of the workplace as well; I’ll strike up conversations with people pretty much anywhere, with anybody willing to talk. I thank Gordmans for my new confidence in being a social butterfly instead of a hermit like I used to be.

Word count: 473

Blogging is Kinda Tough

            I’m pretty sure the first time I ever heard of a blog was from the movie Julie and Julia; it was about a woman who blogged every day about how she would try and recreate Julia Child’s recipes from her cookbooks. (For those of you who don’t know, Julia Child was a chef back in the day. She’s dead now, I believe.) Anyways, she was a great cook and Julie decided to blog about it. In AP Lang, when Mizzay told us we had to blog, I figured I could write the way Julie did in that movie: maybe recreate dishes and post about it. I later found out while writing, that that kind of blog was kind of boring, to be honest. I figured that topic was a little more suitable for older women. Not old, older. Like my mother or something so she could learn new meals to make for dinner.

            I fiddled around in my brain for things to write about for my blog and I got seriously stumped. Blogging is hard! Ranting on and on about something you’re interested in is a figurative piece of cake, but coming up with funny, interesting, or serious topics is tough. I thought it would be easy to blog about things a high-school kid or just any teenager would find helpful or interesting to read about. Seeing is how I am a teenager, I assumed it would be easier to plug into Word and have it come out more tangible than learning new recipes for exotic dishes. Turns out, I was right, in a way.

            Writing about real things we go through as teenagers helps me, even as the writer, because I feel like I mature a little as I’m explaining things. In my previous posts about procrastination, bullying, dealing with the different personalities and styles of those hallway-walkers, homecoming issues, I feel like I’m taking my own advice as I give it. Even though we’re not supposed to blog like it’s a diary entry, I think writing from our own experiences and views on things makes the topics more relatable to our audiences.

Word count: 378

The Big 18!!!

            Tomorrow is my 18^th birthday. Not only is this birthday a huge milestone, but it opens up a whole new door of opportunities and experiences for me. One, obviously, is the chance to vote in this upcoming election. Now, I’m not really much of a politics junkie, (frankly, they piss me off a lot) but I’m still going to participate because, well, I can. I want to go through the whole voting experience. Unfortunately, not all kids in my grade can vote this year, but it’s pretty cool that I get to.

            Everyone’s seen those info-mercials for products they sell on T.V., right? Like all those fancy cooking appliances, exercise programs and videos, wrinkle/acne regiments. At the end of the commercial they say, “You must 18 or older to call!” Now that I’ll be 18, I can call to order anything I want from those commercials, probably from the very first one I see. It doesn’t matter what they’re selling, how much it is, whatever; I’m going to buy it simply because I can. You might be thinking, ‘Emily, you’re crazy; don’t waste your money on stupid stuff!’ Yeah, I know it’s stupid. That’s partially why I’m going to do it. I’ll find someone to give it to eventually, unless it’s something super awesome.

            I think the most exciting, yet also the most frightening aspect of turning 18 is the fact that I’m an adult now. That means I can do anything I want, (without crossing the line and ending up in the back of a cop car, of course) and I no longer have to ask for permission. I’m more independent. I can go get a tattoo if I want to, or pierce every square inch of my body. Not like I’d ever do that, but, still, I could. I can be out at any hour without having to worry about the cops dragging my underage ass back to my door; that’s never actually happened but since I’ll be 18 it won’t anyway.

            My newly-found independence has its drawbacks though: I can’t rely on my parents to do everything for me. Well, I probably could, but I doubt they’d continue to provide for me 100%, seeing is how I have a job and am a legal adult. Anyways, I’m a little afraid that my mom and dad are suddenly going to kick my ass out the front door tomorrow morning because I’m no longer a child. I don’t think I’m ready to be out on my own yet; I’m pretty thankful that my birthday falls at the beginning of the school year so I still have an excuse to live at home. Even though I’ll be an adult in T-minus-24-hours, I don’t think I’m quite ready to do adult things yet. I’m still a teenager.

Word count: 466

Sometimes I Wish I Was an Only Child...Maybe

It kind of sucks being the oldest child. The oldest of four, to be exact. You'd think that it'd be awesome to boss the kids around, tell 'em what to do, take charge. But, no. I actually get in trouble for a lot of things, especially when I try to discipline my younger siblings when they're beating each other with plastic toys and various other items. "You're not their parent so you shouldn't be the one disciplining them," so my mother says. It's kind of hard not to intervene when they're screaming at each other when I'm trying to do homework or something. My brother thinks it's funny to simply hit my little sister in the face because he finds it funny when she cries. I, however, do not like it when she wails at the top of her lungs, face purple and fists clenched at her sides, stomping down the hallway. I mean, yeah, she's six, but she should know better. My brother should also know that I could beat his ass at any time for making her scream like that. He skates on thin ice a little too much.

            My other sister is a year younger than me. That might sound great because we're so close in age and we must have so much in common, right? Wrong. My sister is probably the complete opposite of me. Even though we have some similarities, we tend to disagree on things more often than not. We're also highly competitive about everything. If one of us gets something really awesome, like a new phone, for example, the other must get the same thing or it turns into World War III. The playing field must always be even or else it's on. Since we're so close in age, our parents tend to compare us a lot, too. That hits a nerve occasionally, especially when one of us has done something better or worse than the other. Apparently, we can't have any of the same friends either because we end up fighting for attention, and then the friend would have to choose sides and it just becomes a big mess. I always wondered what it would be like to have a twin, but since my sister and I are so close already, I don't think I want to know.

            Having younger siblings isn't always bad. Sometimes it's nice sticking up for the little ones when one of their friends is being a pest, or being there for my sister when she's having boy troubles. I've seen movies where the little brother/sister sneaks into their big sibling's room during a thunderstorm or after a bad dream, and I always wanted them to do that because it would show that they trust me to take care of them. I feel like a role model for them because I'm the oldest, and I think it's cool that they look up to me sometimes; not so much my other sister because, well, she's actually a little taller than me...Regardless, even though having so many siblings is tough, I still love them, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

           

Word count: 521

              

Confessions of a Big Girl

            I was always the chubby kid in school, always the biggest girl in my group of friends. It's hard. It's harder than a lot of people understand. As a kid I was judged a lot, made fun of because I couldn't do push-ups in gym class or had a long mile-run time, or I had to get the large t-shirts for fields trips. I had major self-esteem issues for years, and once I got into high school I realized something; it doesn't matter what those people say. I'll never see most of them ever again after high school, many of them have absolutely nothing to do with me or my life, why should I listen to them? The answer is, I shouldn't. And I still don't.

            Obesity has become a problem, I understand. But just because someone is overweight, doesn't make them disgusting or unattractive. I know we've all heard 'everyone is beautiful in their own way' to some extent, and yeah, it's cliché, but, coming from a girl who never really felt beautiful until high school, I believe that now. As long as you, personally, think you yourself is beautiful, then who-the-hell cares what some bitch at school thinks?

            I've grown to be more confident, now that I've accepted myself the way that I am. Since I've become more confident, I've also gotten more friends because I can be more open around other people. I act completely crazy around strangers now because I don't care about what they think about me; it doesn't matter. I think that if a lot more people, especially teenagers, accept themselves for who they are and don't hide their true personality in front of others, they would be amazed at how much better they feel. I look back now and I think of how stupid I was for not coming out of my shell sooner. Granted, I've met many new people now that I hadn't known back then, but if I wasn't more outgoing now, I don't think I would be as close to a lot of those people.

            It's hard letting your walls down; it took me 16 years and sometimes I still feel like building them again. But I think before doing so, where would I be right now if I hadn't taken that risk, opened myself up? I'd probably be in my bedroom with a tub of chocolate ice cream watching The Notebook with my Yorkie. I know I'm not the smallest girl in the world, but that doesn't mean that I can't be confident enough to be myself outside of the privacy of my household.

Word count: 456 

Senior Year!

That's right! We all know that means cramming those last required classes, missing sleep because of too many AP courses, senior pranks, senior pictures, prom, and major senioritis, pretty much all year long. It's unfortunate that the past three years have already gone by so fast; I remember what I wore on my very first day of high school. As a naive freshman walking through the halls for the first time, I was scared to death of what high school would bring me. Now, as a senior, I'm always thinking about what things I want to carry on with me once I leave. It makes me sad that this year is already going by quickly. Before we all know it, we'll be dumped off at some college's doorstep.

            I know a lot of kids are taking advantage of senior year and having as much fun as they can because everyone knows "yolo" -- honestly, that word drives me nuts, but the words are important. The phrase "you only live once" doesn't mean partying hard every night, getting stoned off your ass, sleeping with as many people as you can, or getting "wastey-pants!" all the time. It means do things that are actually worth your time and beneficial to you. There are so many better things to do: spending time with friends, going to football games, see movies, anything that doesn't danger you or other people. Senior year only happens once, or should, anyway, and it should be remembered instead of having to be told by sober people who watched you be an idiot. You do only live once; don't waste your time.

            I want to remember all the struggles I went through my senior year: staying up late finishing homework every night, waking up early for zero hour, having to stay after school to finish assignments, not being able to see my friends because of having to work and focus on school, trying to squeeze in a nap every now and then. I want to remember these because at the end of the year I'll be able to see how I've grown as a student and ultimately as a person throughout my high school years.

Word count: 382 

The Leaves Say it All

            I can hardly contain how excited I am that it's pretty much fall already. Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. Not only is it breathtakingly gorgeous outside, but it has finally cooled down so I'm no longer sweating the second I walk out my front door like I was all summer long. I was a little afraid that this fall would be abnormally hot since this past summer was sweltering and last winter we barely had any snow at all, so our poor Mother Nature has been a little confused lately. I'd honestly rather have the weather be cooler than normal because you can always add on a few layers; if it's too hot, you can only get so naked before it becomes a problem.

           

            A lot of exciting things come along with fall; the leaves changing colors and the temperature drop, obviously, but for me it also means that my birthday is coming soon. My grandma always said that once the leaves turn then my birthday is just around the corner; two weeks and a day to be exact. This birthday is a big one -- 18, woo! I also decided to wait until this fall to take my senior pictures because I wanted the colorful backdrop.

            I think my favorite and most exciting event that comes with fall is Halloween. Shocker, I know. Even though I'm technically "too old" to go trick-or-treating anymore, who says I can't take my little brother and sister around and "help out"? Seriously though, Halloween is one of the best holidays ever. I don't dress up anymore, but just the feeling that comes with Halloween, the atmosphere is so...intoxicating, in a way. It's such a fun and interesting holiday; it also has a series of frightening movies. Lots of scary movies associate with Halloween, actually, which makes sense. Much like Christmas, when it's Halloween season, it's EVERYWHERE. You're surrounded by costumes and candy and pumpkins and witches and monsters and spiders and orange and black anywhere you look. I love going to haunted houses; Nightmare Manor is my favorite and no matter how many times I've gone through it I always come out without my voice. I know I'm not a little kid anymore, but Halloween makes me feel like I can be for a night.

Word count: 386

The Immortals...Awesome Book!

           I just finished reading a book that was not only surprising, confusing, appalling, even a little gross, and it was really good. J.T. Ellison's The Immortals was just a random mystery novel I picked up at Half-Price Books one day, and I never thought I'd actually get the chance to read it until Mizzay said we had to read challenging, adult novels for our at-home reading. The best comparison I can think of would be a combination of Law and Order with your typical murder mystery novel with a few curveballs thrown at you. This books mixes murder with religion, witchcraft, sex, drugs, as well as pop-culture that makes the story even more tangible.

            I've read many mysteries, probably because they're my favorite books to read; I like figuring the plot out. This book was different though; you find out who the killer is before you're even a third of the way through the book. The exciting part in this case is just how the main character and cop, Taylor Jackson, pieces together the clues and how everything fits together. It's amazing how many small details are randomly thrown at you as you're reading and then as she figures it out, everything makes sense to you as the reader and it feels so obvious. I think Ellison did an amazing job with this book; she even went "undercover", so-to-speak and found out "cop lingo" to make the book feel more genuine which I think is really cool; it shows she was truly dedicated to this story and it shows.

            The Immortals is actually part of a series and it's the fifth book, so I think I'm going to read the first four and possibly this one again so it'll all tie together. The book is well-written enough that it isn't too confusing and you don't have to read the other books for it to make sense. I highly recommend this book, whether you're interested in mystery novels or not. It has a lot of other aspects to it that will intrigue you anyway.

Word count: 343

Some Nights!

            By now, I'm sure the majority of people have heard Fun's song Some Nights. I must say, I absolutely love this song; it's very catchy and the lyrics are easily understood. And, it's a pretty fun song to sing along to. Once I got the lyrics down to a point, I wondered what the story was behind the words, and why the music video was set back in the Civil War. After studying the video and the lyrics, I thought I'd try and figure out what the song meant.

"Some Nights"

Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights, I call it a draw
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know anymore...
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh

This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?
Why don't we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style

And that's alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am
Oh, who am I? mmm... mmm...

Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end
Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again
Some nights, I always win, I always win...

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know... (come on)

So this is it? I sold my soul for this?
Washed my hands of that for this?
I miss my mom and dad for this?

(Come on)

No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are
When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on
Oh, come on. Oh, come on, OH COME ON!

Well, that is it guys, that is all - five minutes in and I'm bored again
Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands
This one is not for the folks at home; Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go
Who the f*ck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?

My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she call "love"
When I look into my nephew's eyes...
Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from...
Some terrible lies...ahhh...

Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh

The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me
I called you up, but we'd both agree
It's for the best you didn't listen
It's for the best we get our distance... oh...
It's for the best you didn't listen
It's for the best we get our distance... oh...

            From the video, you can see that the main soldier has a relationship with some girl. One can take this song literally and think it's from the perspective of this soldier, and he's singing to his girlfriend back home as he's away at war. He's asking himself, who am I? What do I stand for? As if he's unsure as to why he's fighting, why he's risking his life when he could be safe at home with his girl. In the seventh stanza (not including the repeated chorus) he mentions selling his soul for fighting, leaving his family, wondering if it's all worth the trouble.

            This song could also be taken figuratively, and quite metaphorically. The soldier at war could be a metaphor for someone who's just looking for their place in life. They're "at war" with themselves and they're not sure what they were put on this earth to do. I think it's a metaphor for the band's lead singer, Nate Ruess, and his experiences with his music. In the first stanza, he sings "Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck / Some nights, I call it a draw / Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle / Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off". I think he's referring to writing music, and how he's pushing boundaries and "cashing in his bad luck" when he's writing new songs. Sometimes he's confident with it -- Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle -- and sometimes he's not -- Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off --, but "he still wakes up", or he continues to write music no matter what.

            Later on, in the third stanza, it says "This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for? / Why don't we break the rules already?" and I think Nate is talking to his fellow band members, kind of as a "pep talk" to get the band going. At the end of the third stanza, he says "I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style", and I think that means even though the band's trying to make it big, they aren't as popular as they'd like to be. In my opinion, I'm surprised they weren't as widely heard of a while ago; at least their hits should have hit mainstream sooner than they did. The last little section about "jacking my style" might refer to other artists using some of their musical stylistic elements because, since Fun got so much hype for their music, others thought it would help their music, too, if they used the same thing. This ties in with the lines "No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are / When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on." saying the "stars" or other artists are just other artists like them, and that their songs all sound the same because they took the same elements from Fun's music: autotone would be an example.

            Some of the lyrics I'm not too sure about, like their reference to seeing a ghost or the "martyr in their bed", and I'm not saying my interpretation of the song is correct or even close; it can be taken different directions, this is just my opinion. The coolest thing for me is just the song itself, not necessarily the story behind it. 

Word count: 677

Kickin' Off My Bucket list

A couple years ago, a show called The Buried Life first aired. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see as much of it as I would have liked to, because it’s a really inspiring show. It got me thinking, what do I want to do before I die? It sounds like a simple question, but really, it takes some thought. Who knows, I could die sometime tomorrow and never get the chance to do some amazing things. 

I'm not much of a risk taker, so adding a few risky and dangerous activities to my bucket list would make my life a little less boring: things like skydiving, mountain climbing, scaling cliffs of high peaks, scuba diving, bungee jumping. Of course, these activities are stereotypical when it comes to fun things people want to do before they die. I used to be afraid of roller coasters when I was younger and that would have been on this list, but I've already crossed that one out. 

I think facing my fears would be a broad but relevant section of things I'd like to add to my list: my fear of needles could be overcome by getting my first tattoo; I could get over my fear of public speaking by becoming a teacher like I've wanted to do; I could get over my fear of heights and finally going in a plane; I'd conquer my fear of pain and have a baby someday. Overcoming these fears can not only cross the fears off my list, but it can take care of other ambitions like being a teacher or getting a tattoo all in one. 

There are those goals that are important for my future, like graduating high school, going to college and graduating, moving out and living on my own, getting a decent job, finding my soul mate and getting married, starting a family, making sure me and my family have a good, stable life, etc. 

Aside from the crazy, scary, and serious goals, I have some fun and silly things I want to accomplish before I die as well (ignore the fact that some may be illegal and/or impossible): swim in a fountain, gamble at Vegas, meet a celebrity, learn to fly, swim with dolphins, ride in a hot-air balloon, discover something big and important, visit somewhere outside of the country, pet a tiger, get my picture taken sitting on an elephant, write a book, learn to play the guitar and be AMAZING at it, write a song, sell my art, be a billionaire, spend the night at a mall, save a life, deliver kittens or puppies, own a brand, spanking-new car, become famous for something (not acting...I can't act), be in a magazine, live to be over 100 years old. 

Some of the things on my bucket list are a little out-there, whereas some of them are very easy to eliminate. I can say I've crossed off a few of them already, and, if I don't suddenly die tomorrow, hopefully I can start crossing off more. 

Word count: 505

Down With the Sickness

Even though it's not quite cold and flu season yet, a lot of people have been getting sick lately, including myself. I've heard that sore throat and fever are pretty common, which I have, unfortunately, plus pink eye and a sinus and ear infection. So, it's pretty much obvious that school isn't much of an option for me for a day or two. Now, staying in bed all day and watching T.V. as much as I want is awesome...until I come back to realize that I'm taking five AP classes, all with loads of make-up work waiting for me when I get back to school. It's always really awkward for me to get into the swing of things at school after missing a few days because I feel so behind.

The biggest obstacle for me when it comes to missing school is catching up with all the make-up work, not just the assigned homework, but it seems that teachers always have some big thing planned in class the days I miss; I end up making up some kind of group activity or a lab in science class or something big like that. It's just my luck that I would be the only student gone, too, so of course I'd have to do the whole thing by myself and I wouldn't have anyone to ask for help. Other than the teacher, but then I'd just feel stupid.

Another thing I hate about missing school is I basically have to teach myself the lesson. The teacher will tell me what pages to read and what section of the study guide to fill out, but the rest is on me because I missed the lesson and the explanation given in class. That's a big problem for me because I don't know if I'm learning the right things or if I'm missing the big picture and paying too much attention to the smaller, irrelevant details.

I try to avoid missing school at all costs, because dealing with make-up work, in-class assignments that are sometimes way too complicated to handle on my own, and having to basically teach myself are too stressful for someone who already is taking college-level classes. If this sickness doesn't kill me, school will.


Word count: 373

It's Here...Homecoming!

It’s that time of year again! When I was in middle school and I pictured homecoming, I imagined all the expensive dresses, the tall, strappy heels, corsages, ties and dress pants, the fancy restaurants; all of which are still a part of the homecoming tradition, but are then tainted by some students’ neglect to stay fully clothed throughout the whole dance. Or worse. I don’t think it’s that difficult for them to at least wait until they get home or, if they’re that desperate, not even come to the dance and go home to take care of business after they eat and take pictures. Finding evidence of these activities at the end of the night is gross, but I’m afraid there is no real way to avoid it even after the new rules put in place by Administration. The mosh pit is still going to have those few kids in the center “gettin’ down” (literally, NOT figuratively) with the rest of us standing around watching, unfortunately. The girls are still going to “hike up their skirts with their hands on the floor”. I know it’s disgusting, but we’re talking about teenagers in a dark room here. If only they could be a little more courteous, that would be fantastic.

Word count: 209

Art, It's What I Do

                Art is a big part of my life. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun and it’s therapeutic, in a way. If I’m sad, it’ll show up in my work; equally goes if I’m really happy or excited. I like showing people my pieces, not necessarily for comments and compliments, but I just enjoy showing people what I can do.  I’d like to say I’m best at drawing, but it’s very time consuming because I’m a perfectionist and it takes me a while. With drawing I feel like I can draw anything and anywhere I want. I enjoy drawing things from nature.  Sometimes I morph them so they don’t look so realistic, like in this tree drawing:

               

It may look difficult, but once you get in the zone with drawing it sort of flows out. I hadn’t planned on the Halloween Night theme at first, but I ended up with it. A lot of people say they “can’t draw”, but I think it’s because they don’t necessarily try. They tried maybe once and they came out with a stick figure, so they came up with the conclusion that they couldn’t draw anything. In my first drawing class, there were a few kids that said the same, and they came out drawing things like horses and self-portraits, literally. The classes will teach you the skills to be a good artist, whether it’s pencil or paint or anything else.

I also like to draw things more realistically, like these drawings of my sister, my puppy, and two babies.

I enjoyed art classes so much that I took drawing one other time, and ceramics three times. I don’t think I’m as good with clay as I am with drawing, but I have more fun with it. It’s a little more challenging for me because I can’t make nearly a s many things as I’m able to draw , so it pushes me as an artist.

The first is a vase that is shaped like a rose, and the other is a tissue-box cover that looks like a house which the smoke of the chimney being the tissues. Both were fun to make yet challenging to construct at the same time. I think that art is meant to push you to do new things, rather things that are easy. Granted, easy things are often the ones we choose to do, but the outcome is so much better if you try harder. That’s why I tell people who think they can’t draw anything to just sit down with a pencil and draw.

Word count: 453

Pet Peeves

Everyone has those little pet peeves that set their teeth on edge. My biggest annoyance is a two-faced person: someone who acts one way around some people, and the complete opposite around other people. It irritates me to no end when someone says they dislike somebody, and then two seconds later they’re hanging out with that person, acting as if they were the best of friends. That, to me, is the definition of a fake person. For example, say you’re spending time with a friend and they’re talking total smack about another girl at school, filling you in on the current rumors about her, things she’s heard, etc. Then, the next day, she’s hanging out with the other girl, making plans for a sleepover that coming weekend. You’d be a little ticked off, right?! Well, more than a little. She’s basically lying to everyone about who she really is and how loyal of a friend she can be.

Another pet peeve I have, which ties in with the idea of a two-faced person, is a liar. Even more annoying than that is someone who continues to lie to your face even when you know that they’re lying to you. I know, I know, everyone lies and it’s hard to avoid, but there are some things that are way better being honest about. Even the “little white lies” everyone tells could be hurtful if misunderstood. The big lies that could affect a friendship or a relationship aren’t worth keeping a secret if it means losing someone you care about. Think about who the lie will hurt before you tell it.

I’m also annoyed with homework, pretty much like every other teenager on the planet. Homework truly does suck the fun out of everything, cutting into our social lives and sleep time. It also makes it difficult to have a job because you have to balance homework and work in the afternoon and evening after being at school for seven hours already. That’s what baffles me the most: why do we have to go to school for seven hours a day, five days a week, 180 days a year, and do more school work at home? Is that not enough time to get work done during the day? I honestly wouldn’t even mind going to school longer each day, classes a few minutes longer, just so we’d have enough time to get work finished in class as opposed to having extra to do at home. That way we’re also right there with the teacher able to help us. And we’re still in school mode, so we won’t feel the need to procrastinate as much; we’ll be “in the zone”, so to speak. Teachers, cut us a little slack and eliminate homework. Please? J

Word count: 460