Well another semester's gone. Another begins tomorrow. June seems years away, but we'll get there eventually, and then I'm three-quarters of the way done. Oh, geez.
Anyway, this blog's been great. Somewhat academic, makes me seem a little smart. But I think I'm going to delete it. I have another blogspot that I actually wrote on until the start of the semester, and I'm going to try my best to continue writing there. So I'd love for Mrs. Cardona to link my blog, but if she really wants to creep, it'll have to be here. Just as a caution, everything on that blog is my completely random, unedited thoughts. Also, I think I've grown a fair amount as a blogger since I started writing there, so no judgement on those posts. Please.
Thanks to anyone who ever bothered to read this blog. If you actually found my assignments interesting, maybe you should check out my other blog too so you can see more of me writing freely.
Well it's a gorgeous day and I think I'm going to do some cleaning, listen to some music, and drink some tea. Typical, I know. Goodbye probably for good :)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
AP Comp: An Index
Attitude
Cardona
Max
BLA (pronounced "blah" for multiple reasons)
boring books
"Oh my GOD, Postman, shut up already, our televisions aren't going to like come alive and take over."
Blog
tool for: class
procrastinating
making you feel internet-cool
Bullshit
a lot of my writing
probably what Bitzer actually wrote
Cry
finding out scores
at 3 a.m. with a paper due and without ideas.
Diction
and tone: probably make up 90% of the questions I got wrong
Energy
subject of that one assignment I wrote, I think...
, lack of.
Fail
everything
Glossary
"WHAT? There was a glossary on her website the whole time? You've got to be kidding me."
How
am I going to survive this class?
is Mrs. Cardona so sassy?
can Max and Abram be so annoying?
Interesting
euphemism for nice
what people were kind enough to write on my paper instead of the alternative
Joke
My social life while in this class
"Free time"
How's that for a start?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Sorry for the boring title, but I just figured the title should match the content of the post.
My BLA group read "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman and hated every second of it. But I'll get back to that.
Postman's excruciatingly clear argument is that society has become too centered around the television and all public discourse now has a purpose that is, as least to some effect, to entertain. I suppose this book matters because it points out some of the flaws that come with all of the advances in technology. It warns us of the negative effects this "entertainment takeover" has. The actual writing was boring. Just dull and generally uninteresting. I fell asleep three times in the span of two pages while doing one week's reading. It was somewhat academic because the writer talked about the "research" he'd done (by watching countless hours of specific types of television programs), and he's pretty snarky, but definitely casual. He has an I'm-better-than-you kind of tone.
My recommendation would definitely be not to read it. If you really think you'd like to hear his message, you could probably go find a summary online that would tell you everything about this book in a page better than Postman could do in his whole book. Unless you're an old-timer who has an unfulfilled hatred towards today's society, misses "the good old days", and likes to shout "YOU ROTTEN KIDS" to anyone under 30, chances are you won't like this book. Sorry.
My BLA group read "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman and hated every second of it. But I'll get back to that.
Postman's excruciatingly clear argument is that society has become too centered around the television and all public discourse now has a purpose that is, as least to some effect, to entertain. I suppose this book matters because it points out some of the flaws that come with all of the advances in technology. It warns us of the negative effects this "entertainment takeover" has. The actual writing was boring. Just dull and generally uninteresting. I fell asleep three times in the span of two pages while doing one week's reading. It was somewhat academic because the writer talked about the "research" he'd done (by watching countless hours of specific types of television programs), and he's pretty snarky, but definitely casual. He has an I'm-better-than-you kind of tone.
My recommendation would definitely be not to read it. If you really think you'd like to hear his message, you could probably go find a summary online that would tell you everything about this book in a page better than Postman could do in his whole book. Unless you're an old-timer who has an unfulfilled hatred towards today's society, misses "the good old days", and likes to shout "YOU ROTTEN KIDS" to anyone under 30, chances are you won't like this book. Sorry.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Advice from a 16 year-old
Dear my future self,
I'm not going to specify the age you're going to read this at, because does it really matter? I don't know what's coming when anyways so I might as well write this generally.
I sure hope that at whatever point you're reading this, you've figured out what you want to do with you life. If you're still babysitting to make money, quite frankly you need to leave the computer right now, get off your butt and do something about that. If you've advanced past that, congratulations. I really didn't know if that would ever happen so...bravo. Maybe you've chosen to do something with environmental engineering like you told everyone you were thinking about, when you really had no idea. Maybe you became a journalist like you thought Freshman year. LOLJK, we both know that didn't happen. Eh, as long as you're not still living with your parents, which you definitely are not.
I guess there's really not a whole lot of suggestions I can make to you right now, being 16 and generally apathetic, confused, and quite exausted, but if you haven't already, you need to do everything on the following list absolutely as quickly as you possibly can.
-Get your ears pierced
- Leave the country (that one time you were in Canada for about 5 minutes really doesn't count)
- Go to more concerts (This isn't a suggestion, this is concrete command. You remember how much fun you had at the Ellie Goulding concert.)
- Meet Darren Criss somehow
- Get your left, right, and center splits completely flat
- Give bangs a try
- Click here and do one of those things
Don't try to be hipster. It looks like a lot of work. And please, please, PLEASE, learn to cook more that something from a box. It's disgusting how little you can make. I mean yay for defying gender stereotypes and feminism and all that, but really. Eat some decent food. How about discovering a new source of renewable energy. It'd be nice if you did that.
I don't know what else to say. You're going to be able to give me more advice than I can give you so, come and visit some time. Time travel has been invented by now, right? If not, add "Kidnap Dr. Who" to that list up there.
Sincerely, 16 year-old you
I'm not going to specify the age you're going to read this at, because does it really matter? I don't know what's coming when anyways so I might as well write this generally.
I sure hope that at whatever point you're reading this, you've figured out what you want to do with you life. If you're still babysitting to make money, quite frankly you need to leave the computer right now, get off your butt and do something about that. If you've advanced past that, congratulations. I really didn't know if that would ever happen so...bravo. Maybe you've chosen to do something with environmental engineering like you told everyone you were thinking about, when you really had no idea. Maybe you became a journalist like you thought Freshman year. LOLJK, we both know that didn't happen. Eh, as long as you're not still living with your parents, which you definitely are not.
I guess there's really not a whole lot of suggestions I can make to you right now, being 16 and generally apathetic, confused, and quite exausted, but if you haven't already, you need to do everything on the following list absolutely as quickly as you possibly can.
-Get your ears pierced
- Leave the country (that one time you were in Canada for about 5 minutes really doesn't count)
- Go to more concerts (This isn't a suggestion, this is concrete command. You remember how much fun you had at the Ellie Goulding concert.)
- Meet Darren Criss somehow
- Get your left, right, and center splits completely flat
- Give bangs a try
- Click here and do one of those things
Don't try to be hipster. It looks like a lot of work. And please, please, PLEASE, learn to cook more that something from a box. It's disgusting how little you can make. I mean yay for defying gender stereotypes and feminism and all that, but really. Eat some decent food. How about discovering a new source of renewable energy. It'd be nice if you did that.
I don't know what else to say. You're going to be able to give me more advice than I can give you so, come and visit some time. Time travel has been invented by now, right? If not, add "Kidnap Dr. Who" to that list up there.
Sincerely, 16 year-old you
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Holy Process Analysis
And here's the analysis for my Energy Visual Essay. Whoooo.
1. Why did I choose these pictures?
First off, the argument I'm trying to make (my claim) is that the world needs to stop using dirty, polluting energy sources, and start researching and using renewable energy sources such as solar power, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind power, and biomass energy. Some warrants related to my claim are that people would like to live in a world that they can breathe freely without a filter or more generally that people recognize that pollution is essentially "bad" and that people understand why. Based on my picture of the oil pollution with the dead fish, I'm assuming that people don't want animals such as the fish to die. These sound like obvious things, and really they should be. I'm trying to make it very clear that using these renewable energy sources is an obvious choice. The audience I'm directing this towards is mostly people who can do something about this issue, such as politicians and even voters more generally. I'm kind of directing it at scientists and people who can research renewable energy sources, but only as a way to encourage efforts, not to inform, as they would already know much more on the topic than the video allows. It is also directed at our class, not only because they will really be the audience, but also because the video could spark interest on the topic. If some of the pictures or the overall message is interesting to them, they can tell other people about it and make the issue more known. They could also become interested enough in the topic that they choose a related profession which could help immensely in the long run. My purpose for my work of art is mostly, like I said, to raise some awareness or instill a little motivation. Since the video has no facts or places to go for more information or specific actions one can take, it is meant only to spark some interest on the topic from the viewer.
2. I chose the first image mostly for it's color scheme. The way all of the colors were so mucky, and that the top had just a bunch of the rising smoke collected into one black, dirty bunch made it stick out to me when I first saw it and it really lacks any sort of happy or optimistic colors. The smog that is being emitted is an example of the pollution that is caused by burning coal, one of the four main types of non-renewable energy. It illustrated how dirty the process is, and the dark colors really create a contrast to the later pictures that illustrate renewable energy sources. The second image also has very grungy, gross colors, but the thing that first draws your attention is the difference between the size of the cooling towers and the houses. It represents how non-renewable energy sources are dominating all of the other energy sources. The smoke billowing out of the top also illustrates the pollution factor really obviously. In the third picture, there is about a third of a fish exposed at the surface of some water, however it is obvious by the rainbow pattern floating in this liquid that whatever is was has been contaminated by a lot of oil. The fact that the fish is floating on the top allows us to infer that it is dead, and the oil found around it implies that the pollution was a factor. The grayish/blackish shade of the liquid (which we can assume is water, because that's what fish usually live in) gives off the same gross, grungy feeling that the first too images did, which keeps the message flowing. The focus of the fourth picture is now so much the dark colors (though there are some in the background that contrast to the foreground), but rather the bright colors of the flame. This picture shows a downside of the fourth non-renewable resource: natural gas. It illustrates the dangers that this resource present and obviously why continuing constant use of this would not be a good idea, because fire is, obviously, bad. The fifth image isn't a photograph unlike the first four, but rather an illustration of the dangers of nuclear energy. The cooling towers closer to the background have smoke billowing from them, like in the second picture, but they now display the radiation symbol, which signals potential danger. This symbol is also found on the barrels in the foreground, one of which is laying on it's side, spilling it's contents. The leakage from the barrels has formed into the shape of a skull. If the viewer was unaware of the dangers that the radiation symbol warned of, the skull makes it obvious what could happen with this dangerous resource. The sixth image is a cartoon that depicts the earth surrounded by the same smog displayed in the first two images. The earth is coughing or choking of the grey smoke, as well, which is meant to show that the world is becoming "sick" or being destroyed by the non-renewable energy sources. The contrast between the pure, white background and the evilness of the grey illustrates again how undesirable these resources are. The seventh slide contains text saying "The change we nee is Green" which could potentially have been used for a candidates campaign, but says exactly what the video is trying to say. Being "green" has come to mean being environmentally-conscious, and by utilising renewable energy instead of polluting non-renewable energy, we become greener and demonstrate our care for the planet we live on. The eighth image is of one of the five renewable energy sources: wind power. The brilliant green of the grass creates a feeling of stability and life. The light blue of the sky behind the spotless windmills creates a feeling of peace and nature. Both of these colors (green and blue) are found on your stereotypical globe, so they illustrate how this energy source with help the word. The ninth image shows very clean-looking wood chips. These are actually the second renewable source of energy: biomass. The focus is on the wood chips being held in the persons had (which happens to have a green sleeve on it- very earthy). The wood chips have bits of green and brown with them, which are also very earthy and contribute to the "help-the-earth" message that this picture sends. The tenth image shows us a dam, which represents the third renewable energy source: hydropower. The varying shades of blue in this picture gives the viewer a sense of calm and tranquility, which are both very good feelings. They make the viewer agree with this part of the video, which is the obvious intention. The eleventh image is possibly my favorite in the whole video. It is a picture of a solar panel (which obviously represents solar energy) and even has a brilliant reflection of the sun coming from one of the panels. The white burst of sun allows the image to have a good, clean feeling in the viewer's mind. The rest of the image contains bright blues, which emits more feelings of peace and goodness. More positive connotations which convinces the viewer even more to want to agree with this part of the video. The final image shows all five of the main renewable energy sources, with their names written below them. They are all depicted in a fairly neat way, which continues the feeling of clean that these energy sources have compared to the non-renewable energy sources.
The images were put in this order for a very specific reason. The first six images showed the non-renewable energy sources and the downsides and risks of them. The seventh image (green change) presented a way to change our ways from these polluting resources. The eighth-eleventh images showed four of the five renewable energy sources that we can use to be cleaner and more efficient that the non-renewable resources (The only renewable resource that was not shown was geothermal energy, which is hard to find a good picture of, especially because the heat it gives off can look a lot like smoke, even though it definitely is not.). The final image is a way to wrap up the positives that this video had. It had an image of all of the renewable resources, which (since it's the last image) will hopefully stay in people's heads the longest, so they remember the key points.
3. The music I chose doesn't necessarily connect with a certain audience, which is why I chose it. It can really speak to everyone. The mood of the song is kind of mellow, so it remains a part of the background, so that the focus can remain on the images. It has a sad, yet hopeful feel, which fits because my aim is that the viewer will feel more or less sad about the damage that the non-renewable resources have caused, but hopeful because of all the opportunities we have to change our ways with the five renewable resources. There are no lyrics to the song, which again allows the focus to be on the images and the message they send. The song starts out with a simple progression that repeats four times, then has a brief almost pause where one note is held before changing to a much more forte dynamic, which is right before the "green change" slide to right at one of the most poignant moments in the song, the message really starts to take shape. There is very light drum set, and quiet guitar I think, but the focus is clearly on the strings, which gives the piece a more sophisticated feel. The only thing I would change if I had chosen a different selection would have been to choose one that had two very distinctly different moods; one more depressing to play at the beginning with the more sad and dark images and one to play with the more hopeful and bright images. This would have created more of a contrast, but I couldn't figure out how to manipulate Animoto to change the timing of the song, so this song worked really well.
SOURCES:
1. Why did I choose these pictures?
First off, the argument I'm trying to make (my claim) is that the world needs to stop using dirty, polluting energy sources, and start researching and using renewable energy sources such as solar power, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind power, and biomass energy. Some warrants related to my claim are that people would like to live in a world that they can breathe freely without a filter or more generally that people recognize that pollution is essentially "bad" and that people understand why. Based on my picture of the oil pollution with the dead fish, I'm assuming that people don't want animals such as the fish to die. These sound like obvious things, and really they should be. I'm trying to make it very clear that using these renewable energy sources is an obvious choice. The audience I'm directing this towards is mostly people who can do something about this issue, such as politicians and even voters more generally. I'm kind of directing it at scientists and people who can research renewable energy sources, but only as a way to encourage efforts, not to inform, as they would already know much more on the topic than the video allows. It is also directed at our class, not only because they will really be the audience, but also because the video could spark interest on the topic. If some of the pictures or the overall message is interesting to them, they can tell other people about it and make the issue more known. They could also become interested enough in the topic that they choose a related profession which could help immensely in the long run. My purpose for my work of art is mostly, like I said, to raise some awareness or instill a little motivation. Since the video has no facts or places to go for more information or specific actions one can take, it is meant only to spark some interest on the topic from the viewer.
2. I chose the first image mostly for it's color scheme. The way all of the colors were so mucky, and that the top had just a bunch of the rising smoke collected into one black, dirty bunch made it stick out to me when I first saw it and it really lacks any sort of happy or optimistic colors. The smog that is being emitted is an example of the pollution that is caused by burning coal, one of the four main types of non-renewable energy. It illustrated how dirty the process is, and the dark colors really create a contrast to the later pictures that illustrate renewable energy sources. The second image also has very grungy, gross colors, but the thing that first draws your attention is the difference between the size of the cooling towers and the houses. It represents how non-renewable energy sources are dominating all of the other energy sources. The smoke billowing out of the top also illustrates the pollution factor really obviously. In the third picture, there is about a third of a fish exposed at the surface of some water, however it is obvious by the rainbow pattern floating in this liquid that whatever is was has been contaminated by a lot of oil. The fact that the fish is floating on the top allows us to infer that it is dead, and the oil found around it implies that the pollution was a factor. The grayish/blackish shade of the liquid (which we can assume is water, because that's what fish usually live in) gives off the same gross, grungy feeling that the first too images did, which keeps the message flowing. The focus of the fourth picture is now so much the dark colors (though there are some in the background that contrast to the foreground), but rather the bright colors of the flame. This picture shows a downside of the fourth non-renewable resource: natural gas. It illustrates the dangers that this resource present and obviously why continuing constant use of this would not be a good idea, because fire is, obviously, bad. The fifth image isn't a photograph unlike the first four, but rather an illustration of the dangers of nuclear energy. The cooling towers closer to the background have smoke billowing from them, like in the second picture, but they now display the radiation symbol, which signals potential danger. This symbol is also found on the barrels in the foreground, one of which is laying on it's side, spilling it's contents. The leakage from the barrels has formed into the shape of a skull. If the viewer was unaware of the dangers that the radiation symbol warned of, the skull makes it obvious what could happen with this dangerous resource. The sixth image is a cartoon that depicts the earth surrounded by the same smog displayed in the first two images. The earth is coughing or choking of the grey smoke, as well, which is meant to show that the world is becoming "sick" or being destroyed by the non-renewable energy sources. The contrast between the pure, white background and the evilness of the grey illustrates again how undesirable these resources are. The seventh slide contains text saying "The change we nee is Green" which could potentially have been used for a candidates campaign, but says exactly what the video is trying to say. Being "green" has come to mean being environmentally-conscious, and by utilising renewable energy instead of polluting non-renewable energy, we become greener and demonstrate our care for the planet we live on. The eighth image is of one of the five renewable energy sources: wind power. The brilliant green of the grass creates a feeling of stability and life. The light blue of the sky behind the spotless windmills creates a feeling of peace and nature. Both of these colors (green and blue) are found on your stereotypical globe, so they illustrate how this energy source with help the word. The ninth image shows very clean-looking wood chips. These are actually the second renewable source of energy: biomass. The focus is on the wood chips being held in the persons had (which happens to have a green sleeve on it- very earthy). The wood chips have bits of green and brown with them, which are also very earthy and contribute to the "help-the-earth" message that this picture sends. The tenth image shows us a dam, which represents the third renewable energy source: hydropower. The varying shades of blue in this picture gives the viewer a sense of calm and tranquility, which are both very good feelings. They make the viewer agree with this part of the video, which is the obvious intention. The eleventh image is possibly my favorite in the whole video. It is a picture of a solar panel (which obviously represents solar energy) and even has a brilliant reflection of the sun coming from one of the panels. The white burst of sun allows the image to have a good, clean feeling in the viewer's mind. The rest of the image contains bright blues, which emits more feelings of peace and goodness. More positive connotations which convinces the viewer even more to want to agree with this part of the video. The final image shows all five of the main renewable energy sources, with their names written below them. They are all depicted in a fairly neat way, which continues the feeling of clean that these energy sources have compared to the non-renewable energy sources.
The images were put in this order for a very specific reason. The first six images showed the non-renewable energy sources and the downsides and risks of them. The seventh image (green change) presented a way to change our ways from these polluting resources. The eighth-eleventh images showed four of the five renewable energy sources that we can use to be cleaner and more efficient that the non-renewable resources (The only renewable resource that was not shown was geothermal energy, which is hard to find a good picture of, especially because the heat it gives off can look a lot like smoke, even though it definitely is not.). The final image is a way to wrap up the positives that this video had. It had an image of all of the renewable resources, which (since it's the last image) will hopefully stay in people's heads the longest, so they remember the key points.
3. The music I chose doesn't necessarily connect with a certain audience, which is why I chose it. It can really speak to everyone. The mood of the song is kind of mellow, so it remains a part of the background, so that the focus can remain on the images. It has a sad, yet hopeful feel, which fits because my aim is that the viewer will feel more or less sad about the damage that the non-renewable resources have caused, but hopeful because of all the opportunities we have to change our ways with the five renewable resources. There are no lyrics to the song, which again allows the focus to be on the images and the message they send. The song starts out with a simple progression that repeats four times, then has a brief almost pause where one note is held before changing to a much more forte dynamic, which is right before the "green change" slide to right at one of the most poignant moments in the song, the message really starts to take shape. There is very light drum set, and quiet guitar I think, but the focus is clearly on the strings, which gives the piece a more sophisticated feel. The only thing I would change if I had chosen a different selection would have been to choose one that had two very distinctly different moods; one more depressing to play at the beginning with the more sad and dark images and one to play with the more hopeful and bright images. This would have created more of a contrast, but I couldn't figure out how to manipulate Animoto to change the timing of the song, so this song worked really well.
SOURCES:
http://www.environment-green.com/Global_Pollution.html
Monday, January 2, 2012
Man, You Guys Are Good.
Dear Glee producers,
Let me just start by saying I love your show. Really I do. It's just that sometimes I question your view of reality.
I find it TOTALLY normal that the New Directions students really only have two classes: Spanish and whatever Ms. Corcoran teaches (which really isn't that important, of course). It must have been mere fate that the entire show choir ended up in the same classes during the same hours, too. I also find it astonishing that the students have show choir rehearsal more than actual classes, and not only that but multiple times every day. It's so weird that my school AND EVERY OTHER SCHOOL IN THE WORLD doesn't have quite the same priorities.
I'm also really impressed with your student orchestra that happens to be in the choir room every single time the New Directions are there. They must be phenomenal musicians to be able to just play every song the students tell them to play the instant they are instructed to do so without any music. I wish I magically knew how to play every song in the universe on my instrument. It also makes so much sense that the glee club is all about togetherness and equality, yet they never so much as acknowledge the musicians. I must just be misunderstanding the vague lessons you're teaching.
The miracles that go unmentioned with the glee club have to be my favorite part of the show. The fact that the New Directions had to have a bake sale to raise money simply for transportation to a singing competition, but can somehow use really advanced technology just for rehearsals (such as rain on the stage and real fire effects) is so great. I guess I just don't understand why the kids aren't more grateful for the technology. Must be my silly, uncomprehending brain again.
So if you were going for even a semi-realistic high school, SPOT-ON. Really, I mean this stuff probably happens to high school kids all of...never.
Sincerely, Critical Viewer.
Just saying, the entire time I was writing this, my face was twisted into this sarcastic, overly-bitchy look. It might be stuck like this for a while.
Let me just start by saying I love your show. Really I do. It's just that sometimes I question your view of reality.
I find it TOTALLY normal that the New Directions students really only have two classes: Spanish and whatever Ms. Corcoran teaches (which really isn't that important, of course). It must have been mere fate that the entire show choir ended up in the same classes during the same hours, too. I also find it astonishing that the students have show choir rehearsal more than actual classes, and not only that but multiple times every day. It's so weird that my school AND EVERY OTHER SCHOOL IN THE WORLD doesn't have quite the same priorities.
I'm also really impressed with your student orchestra that happens to be in the choir room every single time the New Directions are there. They must be phenomenal musicians to be able to just play every song the students tell them to play the instant they are instructed to do so without any music. I wish I magically knew how to play every song in the universe on my instrument. It also makes so much sense that the glee club is all about togetherness and equality, yet they never so much as acknowledge the musicians. I must just be misunderstanding the vague lessons you're teaching.
The miracles that go unmentioned with the glee club have to be my favorite part of the show. The fact that the New Directions had to have a bake sale to raise money simply for transportation to a singing competition, but can somehow use really advanced technology just for rehearsals (such as rain on the stage and real fire effects) is so great. I guess I just don't understand why the kids aren't more grateful for the technology. Must be my silly, uncomprehending brain again.
So if you were going for even a semi-realistic high school, SPOT-ON. Really, I mean this stuff probably happens to high school kids all of...never.
Sincerely, Critical Viewer.
Just saying, the entire time I was writing this, my face was twisted into this sarcastic, overly-bitchy look. It might be stuck like this for a while.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Hipsters and Brits
I love tea. I almost always drink at least a cup a day. There are just so many flavors, there's a flavor for everyone. Currently I'm obsessed with Tazo Zen tea, which is a mint green tea. It's phenomenal.
I've gotten into the habit of judging teas based on their appearance. I'm the kind of person that usually likes things neat, simple, and clean, so Tazo tea is just more appealing to my eyes. It just looks so neat and hipster.
Maybe it's just the color green. I like that too. This has been my nail color this week (not my nails):
I've gotten into the habit of judging teas based on their appearance. I'm the kind of person that usually likes things neat, simple, and clean, so Tazo tea is just more appealing to my eyes. It just looks so neat and hipster.
Maybe it's just the color green. I like that too. This has been my nail color this week (not my nails):
For some reason, people who drink tea regularly are usually put into one of two stereotypical groups: Hipsters or British people. I understand how tea is stereotypically a British thing (I mean, that's basically the base of the British stereotype), but why drinking tea is a hipster thing, I really just don't understand. Tumblr is just full of tea drinkers. Who knew.
The reason I decided to write about tea today is because I got this beauty for Christmas.
Yeah, that's right. Six different kinds of Tazo tea. I freaked a little bit. I'll probably have a mug full of one of these in my hand when I come to school on Tuesday. Oh, it's just gorgeous.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Risky Business
I was slightly afraid that my post about risk would be quite embarrassing, because I figured I'd be about the only one who isn't quite as risky as they could be. Then I looked through the posts that were already up, and basically I don't feel quite as embarrassed now.
That being said, as far as risks go, I don't take a lot. The biggest risk I've taken in the past few months is probably going on stage for Brigadoon performances. If someone would've told me 5 years ago that I would've been performing in fall musical at the high school, my face probably would've turned a shade of pink and I would've told you about how I could never do that. I would be too scared. My idea of risk in 6th grade was wearing my hair down (which I did maybe twice that year). So at least I've gained some amount of confidence in 5 or so years. I actually performed with the cast of Hello Dolly onstage at the Orpheum last year, in from of who knows how many people I didn't know. Basically that's what I consider a risk. I've never bungee-jumped or sky-dived (dove?) or anything cray like that. So that's my lack of experience with risk.
But Mrs. Cardona didn't ask about our risks in her blog she asked about more than that. So now I shall answer that.
I think it's good to risk something when the consequences if you don't "succeed" are something you can live with. If you are risking your life or multiple years in jail, I certainly would not take that risk. When you risk something, you can have a lot of different things at risk. It all depends on the situation. When I'm onstage, I risk forgetting my choreography, which could obviously lead to me looking like an idiot, but if someone saw me doing different choreography, it could also lead to them starting a cue at the wrong time, or if a spotlight judge was in the audience (depending on how badly I messed up, and how many people messed up because of me) it could be detrimental to our performance score (it probably wouldn't lead to the loss of an award or anything, but it wouldn't be helpful, that's for sure). Sometimes, though, risk feels great. Every performance, when I saw the fog start rolling onto the stage, and everyone began the first chorus of "Brigadoon", sure I got scared, but every single night, I couldn't help but let a smile creep across my face.
So yea, risk is scary, but if it's the right about of risk, it can be fun and enthralling, and absolutely worth it.
That being said, as far as risks go, I don't take a lot. The biggest risk I've taken in the past few months is probably going on stage for Brigadoon performances. If someone would've told me 5 years ago that I would've been performing in fall musical at the high school, my face probably would've turned a shade of pink and I would've told you about how I could never do that. I would be too scared. My idea of risk in 6th grade was wearing my hair down (which I did maybe twice that year). So at least I've gained some amount of confidence in 5 or so years. I actually performed with the cast of Hello Dolly onstage at the Orpheum last year, in from of who knows how many people I didn't know. Basically that's what I consider a risk. I've never bungee-jumped or sky-dived (dove?) or anything cray like that. So that's my lack of experience with risk.
But Mrs. Cardona didn't ask about our risks in her blog she asked about more than that. So now I shall answer that.
I think it's good to risk something when the consequences if you don't "succeed" are something you can live with. If you are risking your life or multiple years in jail, I certainly would not take that risk. When you risk something, you can have a lot of different things at risk. It all depends on the situation. When I'm onstage, I risk forgetting my choreography, which could obviously lead to me looking like an idiot, but if someone saw me doing different choreography, it could also lead to them starting a cue at the wrong time, or if a spotlight judge was in the audience (depending on how badly I messed up, and how many people messed up because of me) it could be detrimental to our performance score (it probably wouldn't lead to the loss of an award or anything, but it wouldn't be helpful, that's for sure). Sometimes, though, risk feels great. Every performance, when I saw the fog start rolling onto the stage, and everyone began the first chorus of "Brigadoon", sure I got scared, but every single night, I couldn't help but let a smile creep across my face.
So yea, risk is scary, but if it's the right about of risk, it can be fun and enthralling, and absolutely worth it.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Pigfarts
Ok, well when Mrs. Cardona started describing "parody"today, two things popped into my head: SNL and AVPM.
Everyone's heard of SNL, but for those of you deprived children who haven't experienced A Very Potter Musical, it's basically a musical about the Harry Potter series, with many hilarious quirks thrown in. For example, Draco Malfoy, who is played by a girl, tends to roll on the ground when he talks and aspires to go to an intergalactic school for witchcraft and wizardry, Pigfarts. ( -1:45)
This musical doesn't seek to criticize society, as it's about a book series, but it does make some arguments about the books and movies. In one of their musical numbers, "Harry Freaking Potter", they mock the fame that Harry received once he found out he was a wizard and returned to the wizarding world.
Everyone's heard of SNL, but for those of you deprived children who haven't experienced A Very Potter Musical, it's basically a musical about the Harry Potter series, with many hilarious quirks thrown in. For example, Draco Malfoy, who is played by a girl, tends to roll on the ground when he talks and aspires to go to an intergalactic school for witchcraft and wizardry, Pigfarts. ( -1:45)
This musical doesn't seek to criticize society, as it's about a book series, but it does make some arguments about the books and movies. In one of their musical numbers, "Harry Freaking Potter", they mock the fame that Harry received once he found out he was a wizard and returned to the wizarding world.
(4:58)
p.s. Yes, I did have to find some way to work my Darren Criss obsession into at least one assignment in this class.
But in case this isn't a "suitable argument", there's also this comic that I found on theoatmeal.com comparing Thanksgiving as a child and adult. The argument is that there are very defined roles that ages play in holidays and that there are social expectations that go along with holidays. Boy, that's a great website. Here's part of it:
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Online.
I honestly could not figure out what to write about for the longest time. I've been sitting at my computer for quite some time finding plenty of ways to amuse myself while trying to write this post. So I figured, why not just write about the internet? Thus, I will be writing about the internet.
I'm not implying that I spend a lot of time on the internet and am completely antisocial... that's only partly true. I kid.
Anyway, I spend the majority of my time online in 3 places: Facebook, blogs, and YouTube.
Facebook is really not that interesting, so I really don't know why I check it as much as I do, let alone at all. I guess it's sometimes difficult to see your friends a lot during the school year, so if I want to know what they've been doing lately, I can just quickly look at their Facebook page. Of course I could (and do) text them, but then it takes a while for them to reply (I'm guilty of this) and you can't see their face when your texting them, and this is starting to sound creepy, but you know what I'm talking about, right? No? Then clearly you have a life and don't spend enough time on your computer.
Blogs. I love blogs. I don't read many blogspot blogs, unless I know the blogger personally, because I find that unless they are a big-shot-internet-famous phenomenon, then they write about things that are happening to them or that I just can't always relate to. But I do really enjoy reading my friend's blogs (and Mrs. Cardona's, of course)! Some people take on an entirely different voice on their blogs and write about things they're sometimes too afraid to say in person. That's one thing I find so interesting about the internet. It gives a lot of people a feeling of confidence. I've seen plenty of blog posts (and Facebook and Twitter posts, for that matter) that just really exposed people's feelings in a way I really doubt they would have done in person. I really respect people who do that, because I don't think I ever could. Even though no one really reads this blog, or my other blogspot, or my Tumblr, or probably my Facebook, I would just be so insanely afraid to put myself out there. Even if you just explore some of our class' blogs, you can find people doing this. Caroline C. had a really awesome post like that about a week ago that was really, REALLY well written, as well as open and brave.
So blogs hold a lot of my attention. Tumblr holds most of mine, because I'm more of a visual person. If you have never been on Tumblr, A) you don't know what you're missing, and B) go look at it right now. If want a tumblog to start exploring through, oh look! Here's a convenient link to mine! Tumblr's so kewl.
Lastly, YouTube. I spend far too much time on YouTube. I don't actually have an account, so I'm not subscribed to any channels, but these are the channels I watch/check regularly: JennaMarbles, NigaHiga, Charlieissocoollike, EpicMealTime (I'm such a bro), Smosh (and their second channel, Ianh), Kingsley and plenty of others. I also listen to plenty of music on YouTube. I discovered my love for Florence and the Machine on YouTube, where I found two of my favorite songs. I also discovered my very favorite artist, Ellie Goulding, on YouTube, then went to see her in concert about a month after I heard her music for the first time. I watch my friend Alex's brilliant musical talent on YouTube as well (I think Max was in one of her videos).
But most importantly, I watched Starkid's video's on YouTube. That is where I basically fell in love with Darren Criss. The theatre company he is a part of has four full-length, original musicals uploaded to YouTube in segments: A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel, MAMD, and Starship. When you find time, you should MUST watch them. If you don't you will never truly experience life to the fullest.
So sometimes, just sometimes, there's more than just cat videos on the internet.
P.S. Who watched this week's episode of Glee? Can I just say Darren is a hobbit compared to Cory Monteith, as show in that scene where Blaine was all "menacing" and "tough". Also, the song they sang at the end? "We Are Young" by Fun.? I'm obsessed.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Through the Eyes of a Nervous Mother.
I saw him the second he stepped into the road, his unkempt slacks sweeping the ground as he crossed slowly. It was easy to tell he didn’t fit in with the rest of the impatient individuals that huddled at the street corners of Manhattan, waiting to cross the road; even if it weren’t for his disheveled appearance—his shirt sleeve torn off, and hair hanging in ratted dreadlocks around is face—it was obvious by his leisurely jaunt that he was not rushed. He advanced comfortably until he stopped, right by me. Right in front of my daughter’s stroller. I don’t like to assume the worst, but having grown up in Manhattan, and having run into plenty of people who shared his look, I got nervous. I glanced at the light, hoping maybe it would change, and whatever would happen could be avoided. But color remained the same so I looked back, my hands nervously wringing the soft handle. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others standing with me looking anywhere but at the neglected man. One checked her phone, another played with his toe within his shining shoe.
The man remained stoic, and my nerves rose. I lifted my purse from my shoulder and jumbled through the mess until I found a neatly folded dollar. I extended it to the man, but there he rested, frozen, not even glancing at the pressed, green note. My daughter stirred in her stroller; she could feel the man’s gaze. It was unusual for someone like that to refuse money, so I moved forward, thrusting the bill closer to him, until finally, he reached very deliberately and lifted it from my hand.
P.S. This doesn't relate exactly to the story, but It relates to general compassion, so I figured maybe someone could find it interesting. I was bell-ringing for Y.E.S. with two friends at Byerly's yesterday, and about 45 minutes into it, we decided to go inside and buy something from Caribou to warm us up, so two of us went inside while the other stayed to ring the bell (there needs to be one person there at all times). So we were waiting at the counter, looking at the menu trying to decide what to drink, when a woman came up next to us. I told her she could go ahead because we were still deciding, but she said she was just waiting for her drink to be made. Then she asked us if we were the ones outside ringing the bell, and we told her yes, we just wanted a quick drink. She the said "Well, them I'm buying your drinks." We said it was okay, she didn't have to do that, but she insisted. She bought all three of us drinks, two hot chocolates and a latte. That is compassion.
P.S. This doesn't relate exactly to the story, but It relates to general compassion, so I figured maybe someone could find it interesting. I was bell-ringing for Y.E.S. with two friends at Byerly's yesterday, and about 45 minutes into it, we decided to go inside and buy something from Caribou to warm us up, so two of us went inside while the other stayed to ring the bell (there needs to be one person there at all times). So we were waiting at the counter, looking at the menu trying to decide what to drink, when a woman came up next to us. I told her she could go ahead because we were still deciding, but she said she was just waiting for her drink to be made. Then she asked us if we were the ones outside ringing the bell, and we told her yes, we just wanted a quick drink. She the said "Well, them I'm buying your drinks." We said it was okay, she didn't have to do that, but she insisted. She bought all three of us drinks, two hot chocolates and a latte. That is compassion.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Positive Energy
- Process analysis
- Classification/division
- Narration
- Description
- Definition
- Comparison/Contrast
You guys are so smart...
(I can definitely see how #1 could be description. I was a little broad with that one...)
(I can definitely see how #1 could be description. I was a little broad with that one...)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Energy (or lack thereof)
Hopefully most of this makes sense, I'm running on a lack of energy right now from having so much fun at the football game last night. I'm using more of the superficial definition of energy for these, like having a lot of energy and being energized, as opposed to cosmic energy or more of the supernatural type of energy.
1. When someone needs energy, and they don't have time to sleep, they usually resort to consuming a lot of sugar and energy drinks. This usually starts when someone begins to get tired and lack energy, but must stay awake because they need to get something done (i.e. they need to finish a project or do a performance of a show) so they get an energy drink or candy bar, eat it, and then, depending on the amount, go a certain amount of crazy until they crash when the artificial energy wears off.2. I find that while there are many ways to get energy, people usually go about it in two main ways. I like to call these ways "naturally" and "artificially". Naturally gaining energy involves recharging your body by getting a good amount of sleep every night, and giving your body the nutrients it needs by eating healthy food. Artificial energy is gained when one can't or simply doesn't sleep. One must then rely on manufactured foods such as sugar and energy supplements.
3. At 4 in the morning, most normal people just want to sleep. However, when you have a dozen 13-year-old girls at a sleepover in the middle of August, in a house without air conditioning, sleep doesn't happen. I think we went through a stage of exhaustion that night, but when we just COULD NOT sleep, we just stopped trying and woke ourselves up more. We were all but bouncing off the walls, playing truth or dare, shoving ice cubes down each other's pajamas to cool each other off. That was the only night I've pulled an "all-nighter".
4. When you feel energized, you know it. Your eyes are open wide, you're alert, and you don't feel that need to put your head down on the nearest soft surface and sleep for all eternity. You can actually comprehend what your teacher is saying, unlike those days where you get two hours of sleep and you're physically in class, but your brain is back home tucked in under your favorite blanket.
5. Most people know of Einsteins famous equation "e=mc^2" (sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush, and I can't figure out how to get the squared symbol) which means "energy equals mass times the speed of light, squared". That is how science calculates energy. They say energy is "the ability to do work", which is very true outside of the science community as well. No energy usually means no work done.
6. Energy can sometimes be similar to spirit. If you want to think a little more "out-there" and paranormal, a spirit and energy can be very similar ideas. But pertaining more to the everyday definition of energy, spirit is much different. If a person seems to have spirit they usually seem very peppy, and excited, often towards a specific event or idea. Such as spirit days or week at Wayzata, when everyone is so excited for Homecoming that they dress up in different, ridiculous ways everyday (guilty...). Energy is more of an overall feeling, like you can feel energized in general, but not really towards a certain event, person, idea, etc.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Snow.
I know if you've looked anywhere on social media sites in the last 36 hours, you've probably seen that word about a thousand times, but I'm going to go ahead and use it some more.
Snow and I have a complicated relationship. Of course, it's gorgeous and beautiful and radiant and a whole bunch of other overused adjectives. I really enjoy photography and looking at pictures (even though I suck at actually taking them) and about this time, the internet just explodes with hipster pictures of snow. Tumblr feeds essentially turn into this multiplied by 1000:
Snow and I have a complicated relationship. Of course, it's gorgeous and beautiful and radiant and a whole bunch of other overused adjectives. I really enjoy photography and looking at pictures (even though I suck at actually taking them) and about this time, the internet just explodes with hipster pictures of snow. Tumblr feeds essentially turn into this multiplied by 1000:
(all pictures found here)
Of course, these are all gorgeous pictures, which is why I like snow. It just makes everything seem more pristine.
Until it starts to get muddy.
So in terms of look, snow's great. Other than that, it sucks. It takes me a solid 5 minutes to take off or put on everything I have to wear to school everyday in the winter to protect my nose from falling off it's so cold. You might be thinking "Hey! Don't blame the snow for that. The cold is at fault for that!" Yes, it's true. I don't start looking like Rudolph from just the snow, but wherever there's snow, there's cold weather. That's just how nature works unfortunately.
Snow also gets in your way. After a few snow falls, my family has to shovel our driveway if we don't want to make an accidental snow angel while walking to the car. (You know, because we would fall because the snow was too deep and when you fall in the snow you make an imprint. I'm ashamed that I had to explain that, but I just read through it again and realized that not a very smooth train of thought.) I'm a lazy person. I would far rather be sitting on my couch drinking tea and watching "The Santa Claus(e?)" than shoveling, but unfortunately snow prohibits me from doing that. Also, snow just causes way too many car crashes.
Basically, you can't win or lose with snow.
Ok, you mostly lose.
First person to count how many times I used the word "snow" in this post gets to shovel my driveway. Just kidding, don't do that.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Totes McGoats
X2, pg. 133
Slang, to me, it simply intriguing. If you listen to any conversation I have with some of my really close friends, you'd be disgusted by the amount of abbrevs (an abbreviation for the words abbreviation, it's like Inception for words) we use. Most of these spawn from inside jokes, and we rarely use them seriously. One of my friends and I actually keep a list of stupid slang words we hear that we want to try to use more often, just because they sound funny. This is some of the "words" we had:
Slang, to me, it simply intriguing. If you listen to any conversation I have with some of my really close friends, you'd be disgusted by the amount of abbrevs (an abbreviation for the words abbreviation, it's like Inception for words) we use. Most of these spawn from inside jokes, and we rarely use them seriously. One of my friends and I actually keep a list of stupid slang words we hear that we want to try to use more often, just because they sound funny. This is some of the "words" we had:
Totes
Maybs
Probs
Fo shiz
Bomb diggs
Cool beans
Awk sauce
Btdubs
True dat
Errbody
Laters
Super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot
Supes
Presh
Bombdotcom
Rofl waffle
Yuppers
Maybs
Probs
Fo shiz
Bomb diggs
Cool beans
Awk sauce
Btdubs
True dat
Errbody
Laters
Super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot
Supes
Presh
Bombdotcom
Rofl waffle
Yuppers
Swoon sauce
Dece
Supes awk
Awktopus
Yayzies
Dece
Supes awk
Awktopus
Yayzies
I'm sure if you heard me say any of these words, any respect had for me would go out out the window. And that's kind of the point. When I'm talking with my friends, we say stupid stuff like that for the purpose of making each other laugh, because that's what we do when we're together. I understand that there's a time and place for these expressions, though, and that's why you'll never hear me say something like bombdotcom in class. I would try to look into the origins of these words, but I'm not going to for two reasons. One, most of them are fairly obscure and ridiculous, even for slang words, and two, I'm 99% sure they all came from some video or meme somewhere on the internet.
I asked a few of my friends (not just the ones I use these ridiculous sayings with) what colloquial words they used and what they thought of slang in general. All of them said that slang doesn't really bother them, and they use it a fair amount. Some specific words they use are totes, gonna, wanna, deuces (hahahahahaha) and wtf. I am guilty of using all of these, so......
Moving right along to the second bullet point of this X2, there have been plenty of instances when I have said something and immediately recognized its stupidity and told the person I was talking to to never let me use that again. I mean, if you said anything from the list above, wouldn't you have the same reaction?
One if the expressions I use the heck out of is "totes". I really don't have an explanation as to why I use it so much, I just do.
Words that are overused just become space-fillers to me. Like my overuse of totes has led it to become meaningless to me. For example, if someone says something in a conversation and I don't really know how to respond, sometimes (if I know them well enough that I find it ok to sound absolutely uneducated in front of them) I'll just say, "Totes McGoats." And I have absolutely no clue as to why I keep using it. I really don't.
On to the final bullet point. I already kind of said this earlier, but all of the teenagers I asked really didn't mind slang as long as it wasn't offensive to anyone. I didn't ask my parents in an attempt to avoid the half-hour lecture I would've promptly been given.
I guess I don't really know what I'd tell people to allay their fears about their slang use. I mean other that telling them that if you actually have a fear of your "naughty habit of using slang", you need help.
I know this whole post probably makes it seem like all I do is talk like a twitter-obsessed, uneducated teen girl. I promise you this is not the case. Psh, I don't even have a twitter. But seriously, when I use stupid expressions like that with my friends, it's in a mocking manner. We do have semi-intelligent conversations from time to time as well. SEMI-intelligent.
p.s. When I attempted to spell-check this (ohemgee, spellcheck?! yea, I know it's not going to solve all my problems, but it will catch things like the fact that I spelled "expressions" wrong...embarassing...) the amount of yellow highlighter nearly gave me a heartattack until I remembered half the words in this were not actual words.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Show Week, Ladies and Gentleman.
I feel like at least one of these open-topic blog posts that I write should be about something completely spontaneous and random. I shouldn't just write about things that are happening in my life, even though I'm obviously thinking about them because they're actually happening.
Yea, maybe I'll try that next time, because this week, I feel kind of obligated to talk about what's happening this week for me. Mostly because it's basically the only think that I will be spending time on other than school.
BRIGADOON (that's the fall musical for all of you who pay no attention to school events or the giant posters hung all around the school)
Basically everyone who I tell about the musical has never heard of it, which is understandable. I mean I'd never heard of it until Mr. Doering announced that it would be the show this fall. Mrs. Cardona knew though. Props to her.
Anyway, the story is about a small town called Brigadoon, in Scotland, that disappears every night, and then reappears 100 years later. But that 100 years is only a night for it's inhabitants. I know that's confusing, but stay with me. One day, two Americans who went on a hunting trip to Scotland, stumble upon the town on the one day that it is there for 100 years. They get acquainted with some of the townspeople (some more than others...) and...well... I don't know how much I want to give away, so I'm just going to leave it at that. But there's plenty of amazing singing, fun dancing, and phenomenal acting, so everyone should come see it :) (OH MY GOSH AN EMOTICON!?!@!%*(@%&#!!!)
If you guys want to more about the movie version, click here. There was also an article about it in the school newspaper on Friday. You can get tickets and more info on the school website here.
This week the cast has rehearsal until sometime after 6:00 tomorrow (I feel like it's like 7, but that's probably way off. I should probably check after I post this), rehearsal until 9 Tuesday, the senior citizens performance Wednesday, and then shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's going to be a long week, to say the least, but totally worth it. I wish I could tell you about all of the fun traditions we have and what goes on backstage, but I think it's best if what happens behind the scenes, stays there.
I really some of you decide to go, and that I see you in the audience!
P.S. I've been keeping up with the blog I chose to follow at the beginning of the term, and WOW! The photos on the blog have such a spread and are just really amazing. You should look at them here!
Yea, maybe I'll try that next time, because this week, I feel kind of obligated to talk about what's happening this week for me. Mostly because it's basically the only think that I will be spending time on other than school.
BRIGADOON (that's the fall musical for all of you who pay no attention to school events or the giant posters hung all around the school)
Basically everyone who I tell about the musical has never heard of it, which is understandable. I mean I'd never heard of it until Mr. Doering announced that it would be the show this fall. Mrs. Cardona knew though. Props to her.
Anyway, the story is about a small town called Brigadoon, in Scotland, that disappears every night, and then reappears 100 years later. But that 100 years is only a night for it's inhabitants. I know that's confusing, but stay with me. One day, two Americans who went on a hunting trip to Scotland, stumble upon the town on the one day that it is there for 100 years. They get acquainted with some of the townspeople (some more than others...) and...well... I don't know how much I want to give away, so I'm just going to leave it at that. But there's plenty of amazing singing, fun dancing, and phenomenal acting, so everyone should come see it :) (OH MY GOSH AN EMOTICON!?!@!%*(@%&#!!!)
If you guys want to more about the movie version, click here. There was also an article about it in the school newspaper on Friday. You can get tickets and more info on the school website here.
This week the cast has rehearsal until sometime after 6:00 tomorrow (I feel like it's like 7, but that's probably way off. I should probably check after I post this), rehearsal until 9 Tuesday, the senior citizens performance Wednesday, and then shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's going to be a long week, to say the least, but totally worth it. I wish I could tell you about all of the fun traditions we have and what goes on backstage, but I think it's best if what happens behind the scenes, stays there.
I really some of you decide to go, and that I see you in the audience!
P.S. I've been keeping up with the blog I chose to follow at the beginning of the term, and WOW! The photos on the blog have such a spread and are just really amazing. You should look at them here!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I'm Just Like Every Other Teenager.
Focus is essentially nonexistent for me. Always.
It's not just homework, I just can't concentrate on anything. Even if I'm procrastinating on homework on, say, Facebook, after a little while, I get bored of it, and go on Tumblr. Then that gets boring and I check my e-mail. And there's rarely anything exciting there, because lets be honest here, what teenager uses e-mail to connect with their friends anymore? None. So, naturally I get bored of that and go back to Facebook. And the cycle continues.
I'm basically just like every other teenager when it comes to focus.
So on a normal school night when I'm writing a paper, this is how it typically goes. I get home from musical rehearsal at 6. I eat couple (ok, a lot of) snacks, then go on the computer for around half an hour to check all of the social media sites. Then my family eats dinner. After dinner, it's around 7:30. So I go up to my room to do my homework.
Now, going up to my room is really a terrible idea if I'm trying to accomplish homework, because my room is so messy, that the only clear spot to do homework is on the bed, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to fall asleep on my homework. But staying downstairs really wouldn't be the best idea either, because, as anyone who knows my family understands, my family is quite loud. And, sound carries quite a lot in our house. So really, I'm screwed no matter where I go in my house.
After I've got out my homework, found a sharp pencil, and sat down on my bed to start working, my phone usually goes off or I have a sudden urge to go online via my i-pod. So if I'm trying really hard to focus, I'll turn my phone on silent and throw it across my room so I don't get distracted. Also, I'll turn off my i-pod. So I work for a while, trying my hardest not to let my mind wander. If it's 2 in the morning and I'm still buried up to my eyeballs in unfinished homework, I'll take a shower, and if that's already been done, I'll turn on my radio or use my i-pod, and (prepare to judge) dance around my room like a crazy person. This is a daily occurrence for me, and while it wakes me up, it leaves me quite unfocused, because it exposes me to my biggest focusing weakness: music.
I could write an entire blog post (or book, for that matter) about how music distracts me, but I'll leave it at this: IT IS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FOCUS WHEN THERE IS MUSIC PLAYING. Any kind of music, whether I've heard it or not. It just doesn't work.
So that's my usual process. However when I was writing this paper in particular, it was quite a different situation because, as anyone who read my last blog post knows, I was in Orlando with the marching band. So most of my paper-writing process happened in an airplane or at 1 in the morning after a full day at Epcot.
On the way to Orlando, I tried (I'm using the word tried loosely here) to start writing my paper, but realized fairly quickly that it was simply not going to happen. So instead, I went insane with highlighters on the original article, and tried my best to make it so writing my paper later would be easier. And it certainly helped, but writing a paper is writing a paper, and when it came time to actually do it, I just had to write. Nothing else, just focus and write like mad.
And that was how my rhetorical analysis paper was made.
It's not just homework, I just can't concentrate on anything. Even if I'm procrastinating on homework on, say, Facebook, after a little while, I get bored of it, and go on Tumblr. Then that gets boring and I check my e-mail. And there's rarely anything exciting there, because lets be honest here, what teenager uses e-mail to connect with their friends anymore? None. So, naturally I get bored of that and go back to Facebook. And the cycle continues.
I'm basically just like every other teenager when it comes to focus.
So on a normal school night when I'm writing a paper, this is how it typically goes. I get home from musical rehearsal at 6. I eat couple (ok, a lot of) snacks, then go on the computer for around half an hour to check all of the social media sites. Then my family eats dinner. After dinner, it's around 7:30. So I go up to my room to do my homework.
Now, going up to my room is really a terrible idea if I'm trying to accomplish homework, because my room is so messy, that the only clear spot to do homework is on the bed, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to fall asleep on my homework. But staying downstairs really wouldn't be the best idea either, because, as anyone who knows my family understands, my family is quite loud. And, sound carries quite a lot in our house. So really, I'm screwed no matter where I go in my house.
After I've got out my homework, found a sharp pencil, and sat down on my bed to start working, my phone usually goes off or I have a sudden urge to go online via my i-pod. So if I'm trying really hard to focus, I'll turn my phone on silent and throw it across my room so I don't get distracted. Also, I'll turn off my i-pod. So I work for a while, trying my hardest not to let my mind wander. If it's 2 in the morning and I'm still buried up to my eyeballs in unfinished homework, I'll take a shower, and if that's already been done, I'll turn on my radio or use my i-pod, and (prepare to judge) dance around my room like a crazy person. This is a daily occurrence for me, and while it wakes me up, it leaves me quite unfocused, because it exposes me to my biggest focusing weakness: music.
I could write an entire blog post (or book, for that matter) about how music distracts me, but I'll leave it at this: IT IS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FOCUS WHEN THERE IS MUSIC PLAYING. Any kind of music, whether I've heard it or not. It just doesn't work.
So that's my usual process. However when I was writing this paper in particular, it was quite a different situation because, as anyone who read my last blog post knows, I was in Orlando with the marching band. So most of my paper-writing process happened in an airplane or at 1 in the morning after a full day at Epcot.
On the way to Orlando, I tried (I'm using the word tried loosely here) to start writing my paper, but realized fairly quickly that it was simply not going to happen. So instead, I went insane with highlighters on the original article, and tried my best to make it so writing my paper later would be easier. And it certainly helped, but writing a paper is writing a paper, and when it came time to actually do it, I just had to write. Nothing else, just focus and write like mad.
And that was how my rhetorical analysis paper was made.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Band Zombies
Since the weekend topic is open, I may as well write about literally the only thing that happened for me this weekend. That's right, marching band trip to Orlando, Florida.
And it was sufficiently bomb.
Let me back up and start off by saying I love marching band. I was about two seconds from dropping it after freshman year, and my life would absolutely suck if that had happened. The term "band geek" is totally applicable, but really, it's a compliment. I'm actually a terrible musician, and I don't care too terribly much about concert band, but marching band is indescribably fun.
To understand what band is like for me, you have to know that I'm a percussionist. This means I am in drum line. Anyone who is actually in marching band and reading this probably just screamed "CULT!" because that's what the rest of the band essentially thinks of us as. We even have matching sunglasses. We certainly lived up to the "cult" title on the trip, because every moment of my trip was spent with almost all of the drum line members who went. I really don't care what the rest of the band thinks, because I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. They are all hilarious.
Moral of the story: it you're not on drum line, you're missing out.
Besides drum line being a cult, normal, tourist-y things happened too. We went to Harry Potter world (yes, I had a butterbeer). I went on the Dueling Dragons ride. Twice. But apparently it's been renamed to something more lame. I took lots of pictures, which, if you're friends with me on Facebook, you'll probably be able to see this weekend. And it was loads and loads of fun. Only bad thing (that is kind of good too): Everyone who went on the trip is basically a zombie, they're so tired. This could be a good thing, because (and I can say this based of personal experiences) band kids get weird when they're tired. Meredith was loopy, the center snare was an awkward kind of grumpy, and rehearsal was basically an inside-joke fest.
Well, I'm going to go attempt to get some sleep, so I don't look like I just crawled out of a grave tomorrow morning. Brainsss....
Well, I'm going to go attempt to get some sleep, so I don't look like I just crawled out of a grave tomorrow morning. Brainsss....
Welcome to my weekend.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
I can see both sides.
As I'm watching Two Million Minutes, and reading the articles-- mostly "For Once Blame the Students"-- the instinctive part of me want to be like "WELL, SCREW YOU TOO!"
But, of course, that would be a little irrational.
While I want to get mad, and think "That's just a generalization. It doesn't apply to me," I realize it actually does. I mean, I'm terrible at focusing. I always promise myself I'll work really hard on homework during the weekend and spend a lot of time understanding it, but every time I make that promise to myself, it ends up being a complete and utter failure. For example:
Things I've already done this weekend:
- Catch up on the most recent episodes of Castle and Glee. Ok, and Modern Family.
- Spend too much time on Facebook and Tumblr.
- Go to a hip-hop class.
- Volunteer at/ watch part of the girls varsity soccer game.
Things I have planned to still do this weekend:
- Hang out with my friend/go to a haunted house
- Possibly go to a bonfire
- Reherse for 7 hours for the Marching Band Orlando trip (This was not a choice, may I just say)
- Pack for Orlando
And of course, I'll try to fit as much homework into there as possible. That's how it usually goes for me. Plan all of the fun stuff I'm going to do, and assume my homework will magically get done inbetween it all.
It's not a very good system.
And I wish I could say that I'm the only one who's doing this, but I know I'm not. Most of my friends have the exact same strategy. Some of them do the same thing, but still manage to get all their homework done, study, and get A's on everything. I call these people freaks of nature, because it doesn't seem humanly possible to do everything they do. (I suppose I should really call them "Super People" in accordance with my rhetorical analysis article.) Aside from these people, most of us are just procrastinating like pros, and finding average ways to scramble along, but not really giving it our all.
So, in regards to studying and focus, yea, India and China beat us any day. But, based on the documentary, they didn't seem to do a whole lot aside from that. I know the video couldn't show us what they did every day, so maybe we didn't get to see some of the other fun activities they did (or maybe that was purposeful), but they were so focused on studying and maybe singing, ballet, soccer and violin, that they didn't have any time to just LIVE. I'm sure if you ask any kid in our school what they did over the weekend, probably 90% of them went out and did something, whether it was going to a sporting event with friends (I heard Wayzata won the football game!), taking a dance class (Brigadoon hip-hop, maybe?) or just relaxing with their friends or family.
So as important as studying is, sometimes I just want to live and enjoy life. I know their is a time to focus, and screwing around can only happen in moderation, but just look outside right now. Would a stroll be worth the 15 minutes of time you take away from homework?
But, of course, that would be a little irrational.
While I want to get mad, and think "That's just a generalization. It doesn't apply to me," I realize it actually does. I mean, I'm terrible at focusing. I always promise myself I'll work really hard on homework during the weekend and spend a lot of time understanding it, but every time I make that promise to myself, it ends up being a complete and utter failure. For example:
Things I've already done this weekend:
- Catch up on the most recent episodes of Castle and Glee. Ok, and Modern Family.
- Spend too much time on Facebook and Tumblr.
- Go to a hip-hop class.
- Volunteer at/ watch part of the girls varsity soccer game.
Things I have planned to still do this weekend:
- Hang out with my friend/go to a haunted house
- Possibly go to a bonfire
- Reherse for 7 hours for the Marching Band Orlando trip (This was not a choice, may I just say)
- Pack for Orlando
And of course, I'll try to fit as much homework into there as possible. That's how it usually goes for me. Plan all of the fun stuff I'm going to do, and assume my homework will magically get done inbetween it all.
It's not a very good system.
And I wish I could say that I'm the only one who's doing this, but I know I'm not. Most of my friends have the exact same strategy. Some of them do the same thing, but still manage to get all their homework done, study, and get A's on everything. I call these people freaks of nature, because it doesn't seem humanly possible to do everything they do. (I suppose I should really call them "Super People" in accordance with my rhetorical analysis article.) Aside from these people, most of us are just procrastinating like pros, and finding average ways to scramble along, but not really giving it our all.
So, in regards to studying and focus, yea, India and China beat us any day. But, based on the documentary, they didn't seem to do a whole lot aside from that. I know the video couldn't show us what they did every day, so maybe we didn't get to see some of the other fun activities they did (or maybe that was purposeful), but they were so focused on studying and maybe singing, ballet, soccer and violin, that they didn't have any time to just LIVE. I'm sure if you ask any kid in our school what they did over the weekend, probably 90% of them went out and did something, whether it was going to a sporting event with friends (I heard Wayzata won the football game!), taking a dance class (Brigadoon hip-hop, maybe?) or just relaxing with their friends or family.
So as important as studying is, sometimes I just want to live and enjoy life. I know their is a time to focus, and screwing around can only happen in moderation, but just look outside right now. Would a stroll be worth the 15 minutes of time you take away from homework?
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