Let there be love

I’m a huge fan of the NBC singing competition The Voice. On a recent episode, Coach Christina Aguilera, along with her team, sang a new song from her album Lotus. Her team at this time consisted of Dez Duron, one of my
favorites, and Sylvia Yacoub, another very talented competitor. The first time I watched these 3 perform the song; I was very excited because Dez Duron is a very attractive young man and I love Christina Aguilera. I wasn’t paying attention to the words of the song at all. All I knew was the song was very catchy, it made me want to dance and I really liked it. The performance on the show was very extravagant; there were pyrotechnics, a ton of back up dancers, and the crowd was very excited, as was I. After seeing a tweet about how inappropriate the song was, I decided to go back and listen to the words.

"Awoooo, like that. Yeah it feels so good that I can’t hold back. Like that, Hit the right spot, making my eyes roll back. Let there be let there be love, here in the, here in the dark. Turning me, turning me on. Not gonna fight anymore cause I want your touch.”

Agreed, the song is inappropriate, but it’s still very catchy. Christina is her usual self, adlibbing, reaching notes the normal person probably couldn’t, and being very passionate about what she’s singing. The song is very upbeat, like one you would hear in a club, and will be stuck in your head for a good length of time after you listen to it. I like that Christina performed this song with her team on The Voice because the song, which was fun to see performed on TV, is one that would be very fun to see live. Christina is using the song to promote her new album and I think it was a great choice.

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Getting Closer

A big part of being in show choir is bonding. By the end of the year, I can almost always say I feel like I’m part of a big, dysfunctional family with great memories. One memory that has already been made was a party held at a member’s house. We all bought matching shirts which we tie-dyed at her house, we played Just Dance in sort of a “tournament,” and we sat around listening to music getting more acquainted with the people we’ll spend more time with during the winter than our families. At about midnight, the boys left the party and the girls were allowed to stay the night if they wanted to.  I chose to stay the night because I felt like even more memories would be made and I could get even closer to some of the girls in the group. I was completely right. About half of the girls in the group stayed the night. There were girls I knew really well and some I knew just their name. We lay in a circle on the floor in the basement and went around telling everyone something other people didn’t know about us.  Some girls were very personal and told their life stories and tears were definitely shed. I gained a lot of respect for the girls in my group because I didn’t know what some of them had gone through.

Another thing our group has done that brought us closer was singing at Drew Wall’s funeral service. Drew Wall was a student at Kennedy High School for 2 years. He was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2008 after he had a constant pain in the lower part of his right leg. Drew made the life changing decision to amputate that part of his leg in hopes of stopping the cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer spread. Drew passed away on November 26, 2012 after being hospitalized in Iowa City and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The doctors performed a CT scan on Drew and found a cancerous tumor on his lung. Drew had also contracted pneumonia and a virus that couldn’t be stopped. After 12 days in the hospital, Drew informed his family he wanted to go home. Drew passed away that evening. The next day, Kennedy students came together and wore purple, the color for supporting cancer, in honor of Drew Wall. Happiness was asked by the family to perform a song at Drew’s service. Without question, we all agreed. We practiced a song 3 times before we had to sing it on Monday. I saw peers at that service bawling that I had never seen display any sort of emotion before. People I never talked to hugged me and we supported each other in such a tough time. I was proud to say I was a part of such a great group of people that cared so much about everyone else, even people they had never said a word to before.  This experience brought our group together more than a party or winning a grand championship at any competition.

The next opportunity we have to get closer is coming up on the 15^th of December. Luckily, we’re having our holiday party before the world is supposed to end. A different student has opened their home to us and we have all chosen someone for Secret Santa. Even Mr. Ziegler, our director, filled out the information and chose a student to buy for. I’m going to be honest, I don’t even know the person I chose but from what I can tell, something from Panchero’s is going to be my best bet. Maybe I’ll just get them a burrito.

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Snapchat

I love Snapchat. If you don’t know, Snapchat is a relatively new, free smartphone application. Using this app involves taking generally embarrassing or horrendous photos of you or your surroundings, selecting how long the receiver can see the photo, perhaps adding a caption or drawing on the photo, then sending it to another Snapchat user.  The viewer of the photo can see it for as short as one second and as long as ten seconds. After the selected amount of time, the picture is gone forever unless the person who received the photo takes a screenshot. If a screenshot is taken, the one who took the screenshot can do whatever they choose to with the picture. Luckily, if someone takes a screen shot of a picture you send, you get notified immediately.

Naturally the first thing many people thought of was the possibility of convenient sexting, or sending nude or provocative photos. Sexting is illegal and if you’re under 18, it is considered possessing and distributing child pornography. If charged with child pornography, you become a registered sex offender. I’m not 100% sure of what occurs after that, but it no doubt is any better than the rest of the situation.  I’m not sure why someone would “sext” using Snapchat. It’s illegal no matter how you do it.

I, personally, prefer to use the application to send the ugliest and funniest pictures of myself to my friends. If I know someone is having a better day, I cheer them up by sending a picture of me doing a funny face and suddenly they’re happier. Whether they’re happy for the entire day or just a short time, I don’t care. It’s nice to know I’m the reason they smile. On the flip side, I love getting pictures of people making the worst faces they can possibly make. It takes contortion and special control of face muscles to make the best faces for Snapchat.

Snapchat is the source of a lot of my entertainment, especially during school. I’m afraid that improper use of the application is going to result in Snapchat being removed from the application store permanently. 

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GAY FRIENDS BEFORE BOY FRIENDS

My ex-boyfriend was my boyfriend for 17 months. Boyfriend as in, spent every waking minute together, went on dinner dates, watched a ton of movies together and talked all the time. I thought he was "the one." Don't tell me I'm stupid, I already know. He was funny, sweet, cute, and always there for me. Unfortunately, not too long ago, I pushed away all of my friends for this boyfriend.

My best friend since the fourth grade is gay. Gay as in homosexual, not gay as in "stupid." I love Chet more than anyone I've ever been friends with and I'm proud to tell people he's my best friend.  He's feisty, sassy, gay, attractive, funny, sweet, and always there for me. Unfortunately, not too long ago, I lost Chet from my life completely and it was entirely my fault. 

When my ex-boyfriend broke up with me, I was hit with the harsh reality that I had lost all of my friends during my relationship. No one asked me to hang out. No one talked to me. No one ate lunch with me. Even Chet was ignoring me. He was the most hurt. No matter how much I apologized or tried talking to him, I got nothing in return. It was obvious I had crossed some sort of line and I felt horrible because of it.

I met a new boy. Boy as in someone I really like. He’s tall, funny, cute, and super-duper sweet to a level I’ve never been exposed to before. I told Chet about this boy and at first he was really happy for me because now I’m happy… then Chet got upset. I’m sure you can see why he would get upset given my past actions. I know I’m lucky to have Chet in my life after pushing him away and I learned my lesson. Boyfriends aren’t always going to be in my life but Chet has always been there for me so I’m sure he always will be and I will always be there for him. The moral of the story is gay friends before boyfriends.

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Breaks

The best feeling of my teenage life so far has always been the day before a break from school. Whether it is Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, or even Summer I never fail to feel fantastic when the bell rings, dismissing me from my last class before a much needed vacation from school. I was particularly excited this year when I finished my practice essay in AP Lang and I was anticipating the bell that signaled my freedom for the 9 days we called Thanksgiving break. I was so excited because I knew my family was leaving for Fort Collins, Colorado the next morning.

Each year, my family and I travel to Colorado, usually for a week, to visit two of my dad’s brothers. We stay with my uncle Mike, his wife, Rosanne, and their 2 kids Kate and Jack. Their other daughter, Maggie, goes to college at the University of Wyoming which is about an hour away from their house. Jack plays hockey and Kate is a cheerleader at her high school. I enjoy staying with them because my uncle and dad are so much alike and they are both really funny. Another bonus to staying with their family is Kate and I are really close. She’s a senior in high school so we deal with a lot of the same stuff in life. Mostly boys. It’s nice to have someone to talk with.

While we were in Colorado this time, we went to Estes Park which is where the wildfires occurred. There are still trees that are charred. The DNR makes “fire stoppers” which are really just big piles of wood, almost like a bonfire, that are there for the fire to burn instead of spreading more. Estes Park is also home to the Stanley Hotel, famous for the movie “The Shining”. It’s also a tradition for my family to go to Casa Bonita in Denver. Casa Bonita is a tourist attraction, restaurant, and place of entertainment all bundled into one huge, pink building.

At the end of the week, it’s sad to pack up my clothes and say goodbye to family I love so much. We loaded the car to leave Colorado at 7 in the morning, Colorado time, on Saturday. I slept most of the way home because we left early and the drive from Colorado to Iowa is boring. We pulled into my driveway at 8 PM, Iowa time. If you do the math, that makes the drive 12 hours including stopping for food and gas.

The worst feeling of my teenage life so far has always been the day before school starts again after a break. It’s Sunday night and you turn your alarm back on, pack your school bag, and pick what you’re going to wear the next day. I hate waking up to the obnoxious buzz of my alarm clock. The same obnoxious buzz signaling me to wake up and get ready to go back to prison until the next vacation or break.

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An extra hour goes a long way

Daylight Savings is one of my favorite and least favorite times of the year. It's my favorite because what teenager doesn't like getting an extra hour of sleep. For the first few days after turning my clock back, I always feel so much more refreshed the next morning. Especially when I wake up at 5:30 am because of my zero hour class. On the other hand, I hate that by 6:00 pm, it's pitch black outside. I enjoy daylight so the longer I can see because of the sun, the better.

My mom wants to move to Alaska after she retires. Don't get me wrong, Alaska is a beautiful place but there are some days that it is dark for 19 out of 24 hours. There is absolutely no way at all that I could live in Alaska with my mom. I can barely handle Iowa winters, let alone Alaska winters.

On the other hand, I love Daylight Savings because of the extra hour of sleep I get. Especially now that I wake up at 5:30 am to be at my 7:00 am class, the first few mornings after I set my clock back an hour are the best because I feel refreshed and so alive. During the day, however, I get tired much faster. The fact that at any given time, I feel like it's an hour later, really messes with my head at first. It's harder for me to stay awake during work and show choir because I'm used to sleeping at that time and the worst part is how hungry I get.

Daylight Savings has pros and cons. Unfortunately for me, I find more cons than pros but I deal with it. There comes a certain time when my body gets used to the "new time" and I no longer feel much more refreshed in the morning. I hate when this happens because I get used to the great feeling in the morning and then *POOF!* That feeling is suddenly gone. How disappointing is that?

How disappointing is it to be in such a great mood and so refreshed each morning and have that feeling disappear? But how great is it that you no longer have to suffer an extra hour of your stomach growling, your head starting to hurt, and starting to shake from hunger? Your opinion on Daylight Savings might be different to mine because of how you're affected but personally, I like the first few days until Daylight Savings is suddenly nothing different.

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Show Choir Shoes

I was in Protégé, the "JV" show choir at my school last year. Our show consisted of a foreign opener, a Glee number for our second piece, and a medley consisting of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and "I Love You" for the ballad. After the ballad, the girls exit the stage to change out of the second number costume which consisted of black yoga pants, a light blue tank top, and a turquoise zip up vest over the light blue tank top. With this outfit, we wore black ballet slippers. The song after our ballad was an upbeat medley with a “sixties” feels. The boys started the medley off before the girls came back on stage in pink, green, and white, long sleeve, floral dresses complete with white, knee high, go-go boots. The go-go boots were intended more for the closing number, a sixties medley.

These boots took a long time to break in and get used to. By “a long time” I mean all year and I still wasn’t used to dancing in them and the pain that followed. Despite all of the black scuffs, every judge complimented the boots and my grandma went so far as to ask if she could borrow mine after the season was over. Lucky for Grandma, she totally could because we got to keep the boots. Now my junior year, I’m in Happiness Inc., the varsity show choir. I’m not the only girl who is lucky enough to own these beauts. Any girl who was in Protégé last year has the boots in their possession. This year, Happiness’s show is as follows: an elegant, ballroom opener, an ominous second number, a beautiful mash-up of two songs for the ballad, a comedic fourth song, and a medley of sixties songs closer.

If you haven’t predicted where this is going, I’ll clear it up for you.

Sophomore year closer=sixties medley. Junior year closer=sixties medley.

THE BOOTS ARE BACK. That’s right folks, white, knee high, go-go boots for a second year. The show choir moms had warned us this was a possibility so when they announced they couldn’t find any other boots, none of us were surprised. On a positive note, the mom’s only have to order about half the amount of shoes since so many girls have their boots from last year. I’m excited to wear these bad boys again because of the compliments I’m sure we’ll get and because they really complete the sixties outfit. I am not, however, excited to not feel my feet after a performance because of them. It could be different this year, though, because the boots are only being worn for one song instead of two. Needless to say, I’m expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

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Halloween Hallo-don'ts

"I really enjoy seeing pictures of girls in scandalous Halloween costumes. Oh wait... no I don't. I totally understand the idea of slutty Halloween costumes and I'll be honest, if I would have gone to Halloween parties instead of the Wiz Khalifa concert, I would have chosen a less "childish" costume. Some girls, however, really took this idea too far.

As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed on Friday night, I came across a very disturbing Halloween costume. By far the sluttiest and trashiest costume I can remember seeing in my 15 years of existence. Without posting the picture, I'll try to let you see the costume. Imagine a white, 16 year old female. Blonde curly hair. She's wearing fishnets, black underwear, maybe a swim suit bottom, and two strips of tape acting like suspenders just thick enough to cover her nipples. You have GOT to be kidding me! I'm not going to try to hide the fact that this young lady is beautiful. She has a pretty face and a nice body but her lack of self respect is astounding.

On the less slutty side of the spectrum, but still inappropriate, were the oh so unoriginal firefighters, referees, native american princesses, cops, etc. I can't even count on both hands and feet the number of costumes I saw this year that were repeats from last year. The same costumes, however, seemed to look even sluttier. This may have been due to growing in height, making them shorter, or boobs getting bigger making costumes smaller. Whatever it is, it's annoying. Get the right size.

I do give props to the girls who maintained their self respect. The beanie baby dresses, skittles made out of duct tape, peacocks, things of those sorts that actually covered up "the goods" of the one wearing the costume. Halloween parties are an entirely different scene than trick-or-treating so I can only hope that when Wednesday trick-or-treating comes along, the ladies that weren't so classy over the weekend make better costume decisions if they choose to trick-or-treat.

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All Pumpkin Errythang

I'll be the first to admit I love pumpkin. I get overly excited when the Pumpkin Spice Latte comes back to Starbucks. I scarf down my grandma's pumpkin pie as soon as it's ready. Pumpkin pancakes are my favorite thing at Perkin's during the fall. Carving pumpkins is so much fun and I love that I can make my whole house smell like pumpkin just by lighting a candle. There is nothing pumpkin that I don't like.  This is probably why when I scroll down Pinterest, I drool. 

I never knew how many different ways one could bake with pumpkin. Some examples of this would be pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin rice krispie treats, pumpkin custard, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin parfaits, pumpkin soup, pumpkin dip, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin fudge. Just to name a few. I have yet to attempt any of these recipes but I sure do like what I see as a finished project. 

Pumpkin is not only an ingredient to use while baking but also a wonderful fragrance to use during the fall season. Yankee Candle sells "Apple Pumpkin," "Pumpkin Pie," "Super Sweet Pumpkin," "Pumpkin Buttercream," and "Spiced Pumpkin" scented candles. If you ask me, all of these fragrances are wonderful because they all smell like pumpkin. I couldn't name a favorite if someone asked. 

Another pumpkin related thing I love is carving them. It's so fun to sit on the kitchen floor with my family, decide what design to carve, and then have at it. My favorite part of carving pumpkins is taking the "pumpkin guts" out. After the pumpkin guts are sitting on the newspaper we lay down, I separate the slimy part from the seeds. I do this because we salt the seeds and bake them so I can have them for a snack. Then the carving begins. Dad usually does something sports related. Mom does the original Jack-O-Lantern face. My brother, Jake, and I do something different every year. 

Overall, pumpkin is my favorite part of fall. It tastes good, smells good, and makes memories with family. I know many people that don't like pumpkin and I don't understand why. Maybe one day, I'll get tired of pumpkin but I don't see that day coming anytime soon. 

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The Cat Story

When my parents agreed to fostering a mother cat and her six new born kittens, they had no idea we would end up adopting 3 of the kittens as soon as they were available. Emerald, the mother, had 6 kittens. Three were yellow, one black, and one tortie, just like her mommy. It was fun for my family to watch the kittens grow up. We witnessed them open their eyes for the first time, watched them stumble across the floor trying to walk, saw them grow into cute little cats right before our eyes.

When we returned the kittens to the animal shelter, they were taken back to be prepared for neutering and spaying. The next day, they were available for adoption. We adopted two of them; Squirt, a yellow one, and Reeses, the tortie. We had just the two kittens for a few months before my mom realized one of their brothers hadn't been adopted yet. He had gotten sick and was put in the "Sick Bay" with other ill animals so they didn't infect the healthy animals. When we found this out, we went out to the animal shelter and adopted him. He was another yellow one that we named Simon.

At first, Squirt and Reeses didn't like having Simon around. They avoided him, hissed at him, and swiped their claws at him when he passed them. We were really worried that we wouldn't be able to keep Simon so we called the animal shelter and asked them about the situation. They told us that it was normal for our original pets to be uncomfortable with the new one. The first two had grown so used to just each other, they weren't sure if they should be okay with the one they saw as an "intruder" of their territory. The animal shelter was right because eventually all three cats got along and were acting as family.

Now, a little over a year later, my cats are getting big. With the exception of Squirt, they're fat and look like grown cats. They like to sleep on the kitchen table because the sun shines directly on it but they'll sleep anywhere. We call Squirt our homeless cat because his fur ends up in knots and he enjoys sleeping in boxes. Simon doesn't like people very much. If someone new comes to my house, he runs away instantly and hides. He truly only likes my mom. I'm not sure why he's like this but it makes me sad that he won't let the rest of us pet him.

I'm very happy my parents let us adopt our kittens. They are so cute, they always cheer me up when I'm upset, I'm never lonely, and they're fun to play with. I understand I sound like a cat lady and honestly, I am. I love my dog also, but my cats are my favorite part of my house. I feel sorry for people that are allergic to cats because they can't experience the wonderful companionship between cats and their owners.

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Baby Lovins'

I love kids of all ages. Newborns, toddlers, even elementary schoolers. My love for kids would contribute to why I'm babysitting right now for free for a teen mom I know.  She had her son on July 1, 2012 after getting pregnant in the middle of her junior year. Jeremy is now 3 months old and he's so freaking cute. He is such a good baby. He only cries when he needs food, needs to sleep, or needs his diaper changed. The rest of the time, he lays on his blanket, squirming, smiling, and laughing. 

My love for kids also contributes to wanting to be a neonatologist. A neonatologist works with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Reasons a child would be in the NICU could be heart problems, under developed organs, respiratory issues, or severe illnesses. I always knew I wanted to be a pediatrician. It wasn't until I was 9 years old that I decided on neonatology. I entered an essay writing contest about what I wanted to be when I grew up. My essay scored in the top 9 so I got to job shadow with someone in my profession choice. I shadowed Dr. Scott Nau, a well known local pediatrician. He is the one that works the NICU. He showed me an incubator and how they work as well as how small the diapers and pacifiers of newborns and premature babies are. Although this part of the day kind of scared me, it made me want to be a pediatrician even more because I liked the thought of helping innocent babies and their families. I haven't changed anything about what I want to be when I get older since I shadowed a doctor in the NICU. 

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Favorite Meal

Last year, I was introduced to a meal that has become my favorite thing to eat. It doesn't take much time, work, ingredients, or money. All you need is a box or 2 of macaroni depending on how many people you choose to make this for, 2 or 3 green peppers, a red, orange, and yellow pepper (to make it colorful), and some sort of meat. I found it's best to use kielbasa or polish sausage. When I say this is easy, I'm not lying.

First, slice your meat of choice and peppers. Put the meat in a pan and cook it until its not quite done. Add the peppers at that time. By the time the meat is done, the peppers should be tender and done as well. Keep the mixture on low heat. Make the macaroni as the box instructs you too. When the macaroni is done, you're done making the meal. Serve the macaroni and the pepper/meat mixture side by side. If those eating want to mix them, so be it, but it's better to serve it separately.

This meal has become really popular in my house because all of my family members are very busy most nights. Anyone can make this, including my brother, so if someone knows dinner is going to be rushed that night, they just make this right away. I recommend this for anyone who is involved in a lot of things or is just not in the mood to make a gourmet meal. There's no going wrong here.

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Pinterest Hair

Yesterday, while I sat on my computer scrolling through Pinterest, I came across a "pin" on how to curl your hair without using heat. If you're unaware, Pinterest is a website where people "pin" pictures onto "boards" and these pictures link to websites. Pinterest is full of recipes, crafts, DIY's, clothes, jewelry, hair, nail, and so much more. Although it may take a while to get the hang of, Pinterest is addicting. It has transformed me into someone who loves to cook, try new crafts, do crazy things with my nails, and risk my hair looking bad just to try something I saw on a friends board.

This time, I took a shot at the curling without any heat. I had heard of this before but not using this particular method. Many of my friends use the method of twisting strands of hair and pinning them to their head when they get out of the shower. I've tried that and it doesn't work on my hair so I was iffy about trying this style. However, since I don't know how to curl my hair with a curling iron, I had no choice.  Here's how to do it.

Take a shower before you go to bed and brush your hair after you get out. Make sure you part your hair where you want it parted the next day. Add some sort of shaping gel or product. Let your hair dry until it is wetter than damp but not dripping water. Place a soft headband around your head as a hippy would do. Make sure it's soft and goes around you're entire head. I used a Goody brand headband that came in a pack from Walmart. I chose not to curl my bangs so I pulled them out of the headband. Take a section of your hair, starting from the front on one side, and twist it over the headband. (Pull the band out from your head and put the hair over the headband and pull it through.)  Repeat this along the side of your head until you get close to the middle of the back of your head. Do the same to the hair on the other side of your head until you get close to the middle of the back of your head. When you get to the last section of hair, you won't be able to twist it around the head band. Take this part of your hair, twist it, and pin it to the back of your head. Now go to bed!

When you wake up in the morning, unpin the section of hair from the back of your head and remove the headband. Voila! You have curls. Hairspray these curls and finish getting ready for the day. You can also style your hair however you like whether that be pinning your bangs back, pinning half of your hair back, or even pulling all of the curls back. Unfortunately for me, I ignored the "make sure your hair is wetter than damp" instruction and tried doing this by misting my hair with a spray bottle then proceeding to doing the head band and hair twisting. Some parts of my hair were much wetter than other parts when I did this so the curls didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. I ended up showering again, pinning my bangs and half of my hair back, and just leaving the rest natural. I would like to try this hair method again, paying more attention to the directions.

From the result I got when it didn't work, I would recommend it for girls who don't know how to curl their hair or maybe just don't want to take the time in the morning to curl it. Either way, it didn't end horrible for me and I did it wrong so if I do it right, I'm sure it'll be great. I'll attempt again tonight. If you do want to try this, here is the link to the video I watched. (Click the word "here") I'd be interested to hear from those brave enough to try something they found on the internet so please, if you attempt this, let me know how it turns out, if you like it, and if you would recommend it to others.

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Friday Friday Friday

I try to spend as much time with my friends as possible. On Thursday, there was a choir concert. Friday at school, we had choir as a class. Our teachers were kind enough to let us turn in our music and leave. Choir is fourth hour which is also the class period that lunch interrupts. Luckily, I got to go on a lunch date with one of my best friends Melissa. After a long debate over where to go for our lunch date, we settled on Casa Las Glorias, a local Mexican restaurant. Although Melissa and I haven’t hung out outside of school recently, we had a great time talking about boys, life, and anything new we could think of.

Another example of spending time with friends is every Friday night at football games. I go over to Sabrina’s house and get read with her, Megan, and usually Morgan and we go to the game around 4:45 so we can get good seats in the student section. This past Friday, Marcie came with us instead of Morgan. The Cougars were winning 41 to 0 at half time so we left and met our friends Chase and Robert at Perkins for a late night dinner. We were entirely too loud, rowdy, and spent more time laughing than eating or talking. I couldn’t have asked for a better Friday night. 

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Pitch Perfect

When I see a trailer for an upcoming movie, I expect the movie to reflect the trailer. Today I went to the movie “Pitch Perfect” with my parents. I had seen numerous trailers for this movie recently since it just came out and each trailer made the movie out to be a comedy so a comedy is what I expected. A comedy is also what I got.

The movie is about a college student, Beca, who wants to be in Los Angeles producing music instead of getting a college education because her dad works at Barden University and she is taking classes for free. When Chloe, a member of Barden’s all girl acapella group, The Bellas, hears Beca sing, she insists Beca try out for the group.  Beca becomes a Bella with ease. After practicing for a while with the group and realizing how the group hasn’t changed for numerous years, she wants to change the way they do things.  Aubrey, the leader of the group, has a huge problem with that because she believes in tradition. Aubrey also doesn’t see how the audience is bored with hear the same set of 3 songs each year. At one competition, Beca is spontaneous and ad-libs a modern song while Aubrey sings the worn out set. Although the audience loves it, the group doesn’t make it to finals and Beca leaves the group because the rest of the members are mad she messed them up. SPOILER ALERT: The group that beat Beca’s group is disqualified because the members must be in college and one member is in high school. Beca’s group gets a call saying they are next in line so they get to go to the championships. The ending is predictable. The group wants Beca back because of what she brings to the group. Aubrey lets Beca choose the set list and they win against their rivals from their school. It shouldn’t be a surprise to you that throughout the entire movie, Beca has a romance with Jesse, a member of the rival group. They of course suffer heartbreak and of course end up kissing and making up at the end of the movie.

The movie stars Brittany Snow as redheaded Chloe, Anna Camp as Aubrey, the controlling leader of The Bellas, Skylar Astin as Beca’s romance, Jesse, and Anna Kendrick as Beca. My favorite character in the movie is “Fat Amy.” The plus size actor is absolutely hilarious. Rebel Wilson, known for her part as Brynn in “Bridesmaids,” Wilson brings a certain “spunk” and unique sense of humor to the movie. She calls herself “Fat Amy” so “twig girls” won’t do it behind her back, she doesn’t seem to think before she speaks, and she has no problem embracing her weight and poking fun at herself.  Overall, the movie is absolutely hilarious and I would recommend it to each and every person that might ask if they should see it. Beside the point of humor and a decent plot line, it features great covers of modern music as well as some older stuff. Definitely one of my new favorite movies and I would pay to go see it again if someone asked me to go with them. 

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There are more than 5 songs in the world.

I can’t stand when a horrible song comes on my radio and I go to change the station and either the same song or an even shittier song is on the new station. There are more than 5 songs in the world so why the hell do DJs choose the worst ones to play over and over again? Another thing I hate about the radio is how they over play songs. Songs being over played attributes to the overall shittiness of the radio. An example of an over played song would be “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” by P!nk. When the song first came out, it was nice to hear every once in a while. It’s a typical song about heart break. Anyone, especially teenage girls, can relate to the lyrics “ think I've finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much. I think this might be it for us. Blow me one last kiss” and the catchy and upbeat rock tempo.

P!nk’s song isn’t the only one to be corrupted by the radio. Other examples of overplayed songs are “Some Nights” and “We Are Young” both by Fun., an indie band that is growing rapidly in popularity, “Somebody I Used To Know” by Gotye, “Home” by Phillip Phillips… the list goes on. It would be interesting to see how the sales of a single are affected by how much the song is played on local radio stations. Do single’s sell better because they’re played once every two hours or do listeners get enough of a song on the radio that they don’t need to buy it? I would venture to guess sales aren’t negatively affected by a lot because many people, especially the younger generation, including myself, don’t listen to the radio often. Instead, we use our iPod’s, MP3 players, or phones and an auxiliary cord to play our own choice of music.

I love being able to plug my phone in to my stereo because my selection of music varies a lot. I like country music as well as rap, pop, some rock, and what people might call alternative or indie music. The music on my phone is obviously there because I like it so it doesn’t make sense that I would ever get annoyed with a song which is nice. I also like listening to music on my phone because I have a lot of music that the majority of people I know haven’t even discovered yet so they haven’t been ruined by the radio.

I wish DJs could realize how horrible it is for the listener to hear the same song over and over again. If they understood this, then songs wouldn’t be ruined and it would be nice to hear them only every once in a while instead of the same song being on each local station at least 4 times a day. 

(455)

Insulin Drip

I'm finally in my hospital room. I'm hooked up to two bags of fluids. One is saline, one is an insulin drip. I also have heart monitor patches on my chest and an oxygen monitor hooked up to my finger. My nurse, Jodee, comes in every hour to take my vitals. This includes my pulse, my blood pressure, my temperature, and my blood sugar.

My doctor is Dr. Machnowski. He has a really cool accent but I can't figure out where it's from. He's the one that won't let me eat or drink anything. He's the one I want to punch because of my throbbing headache since I haven't had food in over 2 days. I'm begging him to let me eat breakfast in the morning.

I'm waiting for Jake to get off work and come spend the night with me. I'm super tired and I feel really weak. I hope these things go away tomorrow when I eat. If they let me eat... I'm just watching Teen Mom in my room because there's nothing to do at this time in the hospital. Eventually, my nurse will come in and take my vitals. I just want to not be sick anymore. My thing is beeping at me so I'm going to call my nurse and then go to bed.

(218)

SO. HUNGRY.

When you have been sick since Tuesday and you haven't had anything good to eat in the past 2 or even 3 days, a list builds of things that sound good. My list has come to this:

• Buffalo Wild Wings
• A pepperoni flat bread, 8 boneless wings with sweet barbecue sauce. I want them wet. Like drowning in sauce, and a ton of ranch.
• Pizza
• Happy Joe's Taco Supreme with no black olive. Pan crust. 2 taco sauce packets for each slice of pizza.
• McDonald's
• The daily double meal. Small fry. Large Diet Coke with half the ice. 
• Mom's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
• She made soup this morning for dinner tonight. I tried to eat some and threw up but it still sounds so good.
• Arby's
• Number 19, Chicken Bacon Swiss with curly fries. Cheese to dip my curly fries in.
• Hospital Tater Tots
• Ranch and Ketchup, please!
• Mexican Food
• I love enchiladas. Cheese or beef with sour cream on them. Refried beans and queso with chips.
• Starbucks
• Pumpkin Spice steamer with an extra shot of pumpkin...
• Fajitas
• Chicken, green, red, and yellow peppers, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes
• Perkins or IHOP
• Pumpkin spice pancakes, butter pecan syrup, eggs sunny side up, wheat toast with grape jelly, crispy hash browns
• Perkins Apple Cinnamon Muffin heated up, with butter on it
• Macaroni and Cheese
• With Kielbasa and peppers sauteed, ketchup on my mac and cheese
• Stuffed green peppers
• I just saw this on Pinterest and it looks sooo good
• Zoey's
• Cheesy garlic bread with marinara sauce and a zookie

The list seriously goes on and on. This is what I get for being in the hospital and these jerks won't let me eat. Someone help :(

(278)

Hi from St. Lukes Hosptial!

Sunday Funday could not be a more inappropriate term for today. I had a fantastic time with my good friend Chet last night. That fantastic time was ruined this morning when I woke up to vomit. I've been sick since Tuesday of last week and as soon as I thought I was finally getting better today came along.

Being diabetic makes any sort of illness about ten times worse. My blood sugar is all out of wack, my ketones are large, and I can't stop shaking. Ketones are produced when my body doesn't have enough insulin so it burns fat for energy. In a normal person, ketones are the body's natural response to starvation. Unfortunately, for a diabetic, ketones can be life threatening. When I tested my ketones and they were high, that was my indication to come to the emergency room.

When I got into a hospital room, nurses bombarded me right away. One to take my blood sugar, one to start an IV, one to take my vitals, the list goes on. When a doctor actually came to see me, Melinda, she told me I'm more than likely going to have to stay the night. I actually don't mind staying in the hospital because the food is good, if I can keep it down, someone waits on me the entire time I'm here, and who doesn't like a hot over night nurse!? Hollla at Vance!

The worst part about coming to the hospital tonight was that my brother, Jake, whom is also my best friend, is at work until 12:30 am. I don't actually know how long I'm going to stay at the St. Lukes Inn but if it makes me feel better and gets everything under control, I'll stay as long as I need too.

My doctor just came in and told me about all the tests they did on my blood. Everything is out of wack which is why they're admitting me into the hospital. They put a pump on my IV bag so it can be done faster and I can get into a real room as soon as possible.

(354)

So Sick...

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with Ne-Yo and his music. Sorry if that disappoints you. 

Today is Thursday. That means I have been gone from school for two and a half days. I wish I could say these are the only two and a half days of school I've missed, but unfortunately the beetus has been a big problem this year. As of right now, at 8:28 pm on Thursday, October 4,2012, I have 37 absences and have been late to my early bird class 3 times. Don't get me wrong, I don't like missing school. It causes more stress to me than necessary but right now, I am more sick than I have been in a while. I don't remember the last time I got so sick I couldn't eat more than one bite of anything without vomiting. Sorry if that was too much information.

I wish I knew why I got so sick all of a sudden. These things are unexplained to me. The only thing I do know is I'm stressed which is making my sickness worse. AP Chem, AP Lang, Advanced Pre Calculus, Spanish 3 and US History is a whole lot to have on my plate. Now add missing two and a half days in a row to that and you've got a hot mess. Me. I have been frantically trying to keep my dinner down while working on school work my friend's informed me of and watching an abundance of NCIS, Law and Order: SVU, and sleeping. No matter how crappy I feel tonight, I will find myself awake at 5:20 am straightening my hair and doing my makeup because high school is a judgmental place, and I'm stressed enough. I don't need the bitchy comments on how my hair looks bad in a ponytail, I should really put some makeup on, and sweat pants aren't flattering for someone like me.

I'll see you all tomorrow and although I guarantee I WILL feel like shit, I WILL look fantastic because that's my job as a teenage girl. To look good when I feel like death, too many drinks last night, and food poisoning have all hit me at once. I expect each and every one of you to be ecstatic to see me tomorrow. I'm excited to see all of you. <3

(383)

The Beetus (Diabetes)

There is nothing worse than when I, a poor teenage diabetic, am sitting in class, not paying attention, and my daydream is interrupted by the monotone beep of my insulin pump. I wish I could switch roles with my pancreas. It does nothing at all, hense "diabetes." If you are unaware, type one diabetes is a severe form of diabetes mellitus. Type One diabetes means the production of insulin by the beta cells is impaired and results in the dependence on externally administered insulin. Because I'm sure you're interested, here's my diabetes story.

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with Type One diabetes. I spent three days in the hospital learning about insulin shots, carbohydrate to insulin ratios, taking my blood sugar, and controlling my blood sugar so I don't pass out, or worse, die. I gave myself insulin shots each time I had something to eat and one at bed time for 6 months. After 6 months, I started the process of getting an insulin pump. It started with selecting which pump I wanted. Each pump is different but I chose the most different one, the one without tubing. It is a wireless pod that sticks on my stomach by adhesive. I use a cell phone sized monitor to check my blood sugar and deliver insulin when I eat. Instead of taking "long-acting" insulin at bed time, my pump gives me insulin throughout the day. I still give myself "fast-acting" insulin when I eat but instead of having to take a shot, my pump delivers a "bolus" to me. Bolus is just a fancy term for fast-acting insulin. Fast-acting insulin helps break down the carbs I eat for that meal which keeps my blood sugar down. My target blood sugar is between 80 and 180 mg/dL.

I really love eating things I know aren't the best for my blood sugar. These things include fruit, pizza, and pasta. When I eat these things, my blood sugar spikes faster than when I eat any other food. When I was in the hospital, I acted really strong and mature but deep down, I was very scared and overwhelmed by all of the new information and changes I had to make because of diabetes. Two years later, I feel like a normal teenager. Just a normal teenager who has to be a little more careful of what she eats and how her blood sugar is during show choir.

(402)

Homecoming Happened

Homecoming 2012 was a disappointment to me and I'm sure others as well. The pretty and not so pretty dresses, the handsome and less handsome boys, and the hovering staff members were all cause for talk of homecoming. The problems started early in the night when everyone was having a good time which staff had no problem ruining. The lights suddenly turned on and the music stopped. It was then that Mr. Johnson (associate principal, not math teacher) got on the microphone giving us a firm warning that our dancing was inappropriate and people would be kicked out if it didn't change. Unfortunately, they weren't kidding. Over 30 people were kicked out within 10 minutes. A group of upperclassmen went to the head honcho her self, Dr. Wilcynski complaining about how lame the dance was and she gave us permission to dance how we wanted. This of course upset the staff members who were trying to enforce the new rules.

Soon the cafeteria smelled of B.O, alcohol, and teen spirit! Ha. Who am I kidding? It was just B.O. and alcohol. It was raining glitter and flower petals, the DJ played horrible music, and despite the new rules, I still saw under dresses. If the ladies would have just taken my advice and come in a nun costume, I wouldn't have talked so much smack about half of the dresses there and I wouldn't have seen that one girl's lime green spandex numerous times.

Although homecoming really sucked, it was made a ton better because of the people I went with and saw there. Friends that have moved away came back for the dance and made it a memorable dance. Soon word spread of the "Senior Party" after the dance which was sure to be a great time. Unfortunately, my friend and I were invited to said party but instead spent our time after homecoming with a few other friends having a great time on our own.

It seems like homecoming gets worse each year. New rules, stricter staff members, and shorter dresses. This year might have been the worst though because of the confusion of dancing, people getting kicked out, and the first 30 minutes of awkwardness when boys and girls were separated and no one was dancing. I hope WPA this spring is much better than homecoming and I also hope the staff at Kennedy realizes that we're going to dance however we want no matter what they say because this isn't the 1950's. There's a little bit of slut in each and every one of us and where did we get it? From none other than our elders. The very same elders that are trying to stop us from dancing "inappropriately." Talk about double standard....

(456)

15 year old CAT LADY

Reeses, Squirt, and Simon are my three cats and also my best friends. Although they aren't human, I think it's better that way. Reeses always knows when I'm upset and is always coming up to me nuzzling me trying to make me feel better. I think Simon hates me because whenever I try to pet him or cuddle with him he runs away. He loves my mom more than the rest of us which makes me so mad. Squirt is so damn cute that I just love him for being so cute.

I also have a dog named Pookie and I love her, I really do but personally, I like my cats better. If someone asked me which to get, a dog or cat, I would recommend a cat because you can play with them just like dogs but they calm down a lot easier and it seems like my cats can tell that I'm upset easier than my dog. I love cats more than any other animal because of how cozy and cute they are but also because they don't require that much work.

We've had our cats since they were born because we fostered them until they were old enough to be adopted and we adopted them as soon as we could. The biggest challenge is making sure they don't run outside at night when we let Pookie out. During the day, we let them outside because they really like it and it's super cute when they go explore in the backyard.

Having a dog and three cats is kind of challenging sometimes because since Pookie is so much bigger than the kittens she thinks she can walk all over them. I mean that literally and figuratively. When Pook is in a playful mood, she often chases the kittens around the house or nips at them hoping to get a reaction from them. She always does. Simon swipes his paw at Pookie and scratches her when she tries to bite him.

I'm only 15 but I consider myself a cat lady. I love my cats more than most other things and it's honestly kind of unnatural but that's okay because when my friends or boyfriend leave me, I'll still have my cats by my side... or cuddling with me in my bed which is even better.

(387)

Irritating E.R. Workers

It's Sunday night and instead of being at home in the warmth of my twin bed I have found myself waiting in the emergency room. As I walked in, cringing from pain, I still had a smile on my face. My smile grew when I spotted Ananya (http://lifespoon.blogspot.com) at the check-in desk. As I frantically finished my Dairy Queen, Ananya led me into the triage room where I encountered the most HORRIFIC lady ever. As we all know, I'm hilarious. Don't try to fight it because I am. I know for a fact that I can make people smile easily which is why I'm so irritated by this lady in triage. I understand it's 9:30 pm on a Sunday and I can assure you I don't want to be here any more than you do but you have no reason to be rude to me and you should certainly laugh at my entirely natural charm.

I am often hurt both physically and emotionally but I still try to smile and make people happy. So when Mrs. Triage lady asked me if I was allergic to anything other than the "medications listed here" I obviously had to respond with "I sure hope not." and a smile. C'mon folks, thats funny. You know it's funny, I know it's funny, my mom knew it was funny but Mrs. Triage was not havin' it.* Don't worry lady, I hate this shit too.

My doctor is no better at all. He is telling me a ton of stuff I already know. "Take everything you're wearing off of your top half. Gown goes on with the pocket in front. Leave the back open." Okay dude. I get it. It's not like I've never been here before, I know the God damn drill. I'm seriously so happy despite the stabbing pain in my back and lungs, and this douchebag won't crack a smile when I say something cute. Seriously, I'm such a bubbly person and these assholes are really harshing my mood.

*Not havin' it: it's not okay with the person or the person is not taking any bullshit

(352)

Señora gets Sassy

Every year I get a teacher I can NOT stand. This year, this teacher happens to be my spanish teacher. She may be the biggest piece of shit teacher I've ever had. I'll start with the fact that she's lazy. Her teaching style is to not teach. Honestly, she gets paid to help us understand the Spanish vocabulary and grammar yet she sits on her ass on the computer while we waste 55 minutes with no guidance at all. I understand we're now in level 3 so we should be more responsible than last year but she's still responsible for teaching us things. The best part is, she doesn't even pretend to teach us anything.
Another reason I hate Señora is because she is so sassy! She always has a bitchy come back for a question that's asked. Example: A student missed a quiz on a Monday and asked to make it up Friday after school because that was the first chance she had. Señora informed the student that points would be taken off because it is over 24 hours after the original quiz date. The entire class had a large problem with this which ignited a huge argument between Señora and her class. Señora's side of the argument was that we as students spread ourselves too thin with a full schedule at school on top of a job and extracurricular activities. The reason the student couldn't make up the quiz earlier is because her job schedules her at 3pm each day so she goes directly to work. When she told our teacher about this, Señora got very frustrated and explained there are consequences for missing school just as missing work can result in termination. Contradicting, much?
If you plan to be/are a teacher, think about your students too. We understand you have lives outside of the 6 hours you spend with us teenagers but we have lives too. Try to help us out. Most of us don't even want to be at school. You chose your profession, don't bitch at us when you're unhappy with it. There's always retirement.
(350)

Homecoming Happenings

Homecoming is either an exciting and fun high school dance or just another night for some people.  Either way, every high school student knows that homecoming always ends up being a sweaty mosh pit of “grinding,” skirts “accidentally” riding entirely too high, men without shirts on, and teachers trying to control the animals… I mean students who are quite possibly under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. This year, just like last, Kennedy has established a set of rules for the homecoming dance coming up in a few weeks.

1. It is expected that all students will wear clothing appropriate for a school event.This rule is actually kind of disturbing to me but it’s entirely necessary. Every teenager can tell you the one “classy lady” in each of their classes who doesn’t cover up their goods well enough. Just as easy to identify is homeboy who wears a belt that obviously isn’t serving its purpose well.  Pull your damn pants up! I don’t want to see your entire underwear drawer. Ever. Homecoming doesn’t seem to cause a problem for boys dressing appropriately seeing as they wear dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie. Not much can go wrong. Unfortunately, for the ladies, life isn’t that easy. When a couple walks into the dance, the dress on the lady is evaluated and scrutinized much worse than the black pants on the boy. It’s not hard to obey this rule, ladies. Just go get a nun costume from your local Halloween store and call it good for the night.

2.  It is expected that clothing will be worn as intended at all times. Boys are expected to keep their shirts on. Girls are expected to keep their dresses and skirts at the intended length. Pulling skirts/dresses up is unacceptable.
There is nothing worse than going home after homecoming and have your mom ask if you had fun when the only thing you can think about is that trashy girl who had her dress up so high, you could give a detailed description of her thong. Not one person, REPEAT, not ONE person wants to see your cooka* ladies. Pull your dress down. Personally, boys taking off their shirts are the least of this school’s worries. In fact, I don’t think it’s a worry at all. Bow chicka wow wow.

3.  It is expected that all students will dance appropriately. Simulating sex acts, dancing with hands on the ground, etc. are inappropriate.
Leave your hands on your knees while you’re grinding… I mean dancing… and there. Problem avoided. No seriously though, just don’t have sex on the dance floor, y’all. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for from you.

All in all, these rules are stupid and shouldn’t have been put in place cause their all common sense. Don’t be dirty, little, teenage sluts and we won’t have any sort of problem.

*cooka is a slang term for the female reproductive organ (No-no parts)

(511)

Relationships ruining Friendships

High school consists of teenage girls "falling in love" with hunky boys and getting hurt. The same goes for best friends getting in fights because one got a new boyfriend. I hate that I know about this first hand, but I'm not the only high schooler affected by the "first love effect."

High school has a funny way of working things out. Girls get self concious because of peers and models in magazines while boys get cocky and obnoxiously confident. Insecure girls dont trust other girls around their boyfriends and boys think they can get any girl.

A recent experience with a "best friend" brought to my attention how relationships can ruin friendships. I have been friends with the boy in this story for over 4 years. The girl in the story has known him for 3 years and I've known her for a little less than a year. When the boy and I hang out, the girl gets upset, calls the boy continually and bothers him the entire night. The girl, even though we were supposedly "best friends" doesn't trust me around her boyfriend. It's because of this that I can no longer talk to my guy friend of over 4 years and I'm no longer friends with this girl either.

Unfortunately, I've witnessed long friendships be destroyed because one of the parties gets a significant other. I cannot express how bad it hurts me to watch friends fight because of a boyfriend or girlfriend. Chances are you and your high school significant other are not gonna last as long as you hope. Your best friend is always gonna be there for you unless you give them a reason not to. Don't let that reason be a boyfriend or girlfriend. You will regret it when you're no longer with that boyfriend or girlfriend and you're left with only few friends.

(311)

Mary Mathis's cover of Skinny Love by Bon Iver

Skinny Love - Bon Iver by MaryMathis

I cannot express how talented this young lady is. She's a junior at Kennedy and Good Lord she's great. Just click the link and listen.

(25)

I'm a Rude Hallwalker

After reading a blog post by Amy, a classmate, I have decided to analyze myself as a hallway walker. Her post can be found here: http://amybrowzee.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-hallway-epidemic.html 

I recommend you read that first, otherwise, this post will not make entire sense.

In Amy's post, she classifies four different types of hallway walkers.  “the stoppers”, “the shovers”, “the texters” and "the I’m too cool to walk any faster”people. I am in no way at all criticizing her blog or opinion, but the concept made me laugh. "Breaking News: New type of hallway walker emerges at Kennedy High School."  I’m going to be honest with you and myself. I’m a “shover” and a “texter.” I think I’m a “shover” because I’m a “texter.” Many of my teachers don’t allow phones to be out during their class. It is because of this that the hallways of Kennedy are filled with “texters.” I find myself texting because I a) need money for lunch, b) want to know what’s for lunch, or c) I’m tweeting about something that happened in my last class or “#thingsIhearinthehallway” More likely the latter of the three options. On the rare occasion that I’m not tweeting and I actually am texting, I surely don’t run into people. This is a skill I have mastered, believe me or not. When looking down to text, you must also be aware of what’s ahead of you. For example, I have my head down sending a text message to my mother: “Hi Mom, I don’t feel good. Can you call—“ BAM! Someone walks right in front of me and I run into them. Well, I don’t run into them, but I’m sure you would. Here’s how to avoid that situation. While your head is down, keep your vision focused a bit higher, looking just past the top of your phone. This allows you to see a variety of fashionable, or not so fashionable, foot wear. This footwear is going to be various lengths away from your own footwear. Use your judgement to either stop and let fancy foot Fred pass or swerve around fancy foot Fred. Voila! You avoid a collision with Fred.

I know I said I’m a “shover” but I’m not near as bad as the upperclassmen at Kennedy. If you stop in my path, I’m going to politely say “Excuse me” and smile. If you don’t get the hint, I’ll raise my voice and as a last resort, move you by myself. I’m not big by any means, but I have places to be so move. If you want to get an attitude when I push you, I don’t give a shit. You irritated me when you stopped to say “Hi Babe” to your significant other. As if you two weren’t just texting. C’mon kids, move along. 

Adding onto Amy's hall walkers, there are also "the ninjas." These are the hall walkers that lay low, are probably shorter than the rest of us, and can maneuver through the halls and congested foyer without bothering anyone. They are almost never seen by the average high school hall walker. These are the ones I like. They are my favorite.

(555)

Public displays of affection. *DUH DUH DUUUHH!!*

PDA is not necessarily a bad thing. I’ll admit I like to see people happy with someone but DEAR LORD PEOPLE this is school, not your honeymoon. With that being said, acceptable PDA consists of the following.

• Hand holding: Let the rest of us miserable high schoolers know how darn happy you are with one another by holding hands. Hand holding is not disruptive, doesn’t want to make anyone vomit, and is a nice gesture to your significant other saying you’re proud they are yours.
• Hugging: Please notice I said “hugging.” Nowhere will I ever say “nuzzling.” One particular couple at Kennedy thinks it appropriate to nuzzle when they say good bye to each other between classes. I don’t use the term “nuzzle” lightly, folks. The boy in this relationship is shorter than the girl and he rubs his head on her chest as a pet would do. This is not only disturbing, but just kind of weird to do at school. Nuzzle on your own time, please.
• Kissing: I enjoy when my significant other gives me a kiss before we leave each other. One. Kiss. Barely a kiss, actually. In public, it’s a peck on my lips or forehead. No one wants to see me make out with my significant other so I doubt anyone wants to see you make out with your significant other. Give it a rest.

PDA at school is a controversial topic because teachers and students feel differently about it, but also because students are conflicted themselves. If you aren’t sure what’s appropriate for school, think of it like this: If your grandma walked up on you and your significant other, would you be embarrassed by what she would see? If so, don’t do it in public. Chances are, it’s making other people uncomfortable, not just Grandma.

(311)

Stand Up 2 Cancer

In a recent charity event for cancer, Stand Up 2 Cancer, Taylor Swift released her new single titled 'Ronan' by singing it live. I swear, this song could make a grown man cry for an hour. Her song tells the story of a mother who lost her four year old son, Ronan, to cancer. Taylor has always been known for songs a teenage girl can relate too, however,  'Ronan' is a much different, softer side of Taylor.

I have always been a fan of Taylor Swift. She is a great artist, makes fantastic music, and always tries to be the best role model for young girls. I repsect Taylor for choosing to sing about a story that really touches the heart. She gave up her regular "teeny bopper, heartbroken, independent young lady" attitude to make the story of Ronan known.

Taylor Swift was a great choice of artist to sing this song because she is so influencial. She is constantly scrutinized because people are waiting for her to do something wrong, controversial, illegal, or frowned upon. Since she is a major name in country music as well as pop music, her song was heard all over the world. One hundred percent of the proceeds from her song were donated to research about a cure for cancer.

The story was even more touching because it is about such a young person but also because cancer affects so many people all over the world. In my family, my grandpa and grandma both died from cancer and my mom is currently dealing with cancer treatments. If you haven't heard Taylor's new song, I suggest you watch the video with lyrics, then the live performance. I'll put the links below. When you watch both videos, think of someone you know who has cancer or someone who has passed away because of cancer. Props to you if you don't cry.

Lyrics video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2OF1S3iSI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Live performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS7JrI-JPOc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Happiness

Show choir is a big part of my life. In fact, its the most important thing to me other than my schoolwork. During the time period of November through early March, I spend more time at school practicing for show choir, at performances, or competing for show choir than I spend with my real family. I like it this way though. I have never been so close with a group of people than my show choir family. There are show choir moms, tech dads, the director, arranger, choreographer, tech crew, band and the ensemble. Each part of the show choir family is equally as important. 

Show choir moms are the right hand ladies to our director. Out of the 4 main moms, each has a designated job. The boss lady, Momma T, oversee's every part of show choir. She critiques at practices, helps with costumes, and plans community service things.. We also have a food mom, Mrs. Meyer. She is the one to provide the food. She calls local restaurants to ask them to donate food or she makes all of the food herself. Last, but certainly not least, Momma Craig. She is much like Momma T in that she does almost everything. She helps with the food, costumes, hair and makeup, and ordering of things like clothes. The moms make us look good.

The tech dads are important to us because without them, we wouldn't have props. Happiness does a novelty number as part of our show every year. This novelty number would be nothing without props. Each year the novelty is different but props never fail to enhance the number.  Our tech dads also help with "baby raisers" which are an extra set of raisers that the group puts on the stage before we perform. We use two levels of baby raisers. Other things the tech dads do would include driving the trailer to competitions, making sure everything goes right backstage, and being there to support us. The tech crew is a student group that helps during the performances. They place props where they need to be, set boxes up if we need them, and help with costume changes. 

The director is there to guide us in the right direction. He teaches the notes, tells us the dynamics and musicality, and then lets us do our own thing to make it right. He makes us sound good. He gets on our case about choreography that isn't clean, makes us clean it, then we run it until every time looks how it is supposed to or even better. The choreographer is responsible for teaching us the moves. He makes the songs look good. 

Last is the choir/ensemble. It's our responsibility to learn the notes correctly, do the dances well, and bring all of the concepts together. If we don't commit to everything more than 100 percent, we don't do our job. When we do our job, we do it well, and we win. Winning isn't the ultimate goal, but it sure does feel nice. 

Zookie

If you aren't from the Cedar Rapids area, or even if you are, you might not be aware of the deliciousness we call the "Zookie." A local pizzeria, Zoey's, is credited with this heavenly, calorie-filled, sinful dessert. Seriously, look at this.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Nothing. The answer... is NOTHING. Let me rewind. 

*rewinding sound*

On Sunday, I received horrible, heartbreaking news. By heartbreaking, I do mean my heart really did break. That's as far as I"m going because I refuse to make this a diary post. Last night, my mom decided to take me out for a girls night, my best friend, Nicole, included. Our evening started at Applebee's where our waiter had no sense of humor, wouldn't let us do two checks to use two coupons, and was obviously not happy to be at work. Unfortunately, he took it out on us so we returned the favor. My mother only left a 15% tip. (Sorry, Bud!) Beyond our sucky waiter, we had a great time. Mom enjoyed some great beef nachos. I enjoyed one or two of them as well. Nicole had a 9 ounce sirloin and I ate entirely too much pasta.  Dinner conversation consisted of jokes, talk of boys, and laughing probably louder than acceptable in a restaurant. I apologize if you were in Applebee's at the same time as us. Applebee's has a similar dessert to the Zookie. Please observe:

Not even close to the Zookie. I'm sure you now understand why we left Applebee's and drove a little over five minutes to Zoey's. 

A breakdown of The Zookie:

• One Chocolate chip cookie 
• Size of a small pizza 
• Deep dish pan
• Said cookie (see above) is barely cooked through giving you the "melt in my mouth" sensation. Straight out of the oven, the heat radiates off the cookie and the chocolate chips are still melting.
• Three scoops of vanilla ice cream
• BIG SCOOPS
• Drizzled with a ton of chocolate syrup
• Three dollops of whip cream
• Just kidding. They're more like heaps.

Mom, Nicole and I walk into Zoey's ready to demolish the Zookie. After what seemed like an hour (about five or ten minutes), our waitress brings our Zookie to the table. We stared for a moment and all at once, dove in. It took the three of us fifteen minutes to finish the Zookie. Proof:

If you live in Cedar Rapids and are having a bad day, week, month, or need an excuse to splurge Zoey's is the place to go. Order a Zookie. You won't regret it.

Fall Football

My high school football team had their first football game last Friday, the 24th of August. We lost, 17 points to 6, to a team that we were supposed to beat by a huge margin.  The Cougar football team also took the field two nights ago, August 31. Again we lost, this time 33 to 41. Yes, I'm a girl but I'm going to state a few common mistakes from both of these games. 

1. We can barely complete a pass.
   This seems like a common sense thing. In fact, all of the points I'm going to make are. If you think your quarterback is going to throw the ball 25 yards, go 30 and let the player behind you make up for the difference. There were numerous plays in the first game where this was a problem. Our receiver stopped running just short of the length of the throw. If this problem hadn't occurred, we could have won the first game and done it with ease.
2. It takes 4 or 5 of our players to tackle one opposing player.
   This one isn't so much common sense as it is strength and agility. Our defensive line is small. I'm just going to be honest. No one looks at the D-Line and gets intimidated. I sure wouldn't and I'm a 5 foot, 4 inch female. The boys on the field have great difficulty keeping up with most of the opposing offensive line therefore making it even more difficult to tackle the ball carrier. A more specific statement to the second game: if there is one particular player who seems to be the best on the line, defend him more than the others. This is referring to the visiting team's running back. This young man had the Cougar defense running in circles and into our own players. I later found out, this young man is a well known sprinter at his school.
3. Our "spirit section" lacks spirit.
   The best part about Friday night football games is coming together as a student body and cheering for your team. This can only happen if you actually cheer. I have never played football so I am taking the word of those who have when I say it is easier to play a game when the crowd is excited. If the crowd stands there and does not cheer, you don't feel as excited or energized to play. At the August 24th game, our "spirit section" stood in our designated spot and that was that. Cheers were started but died out within 20 to 30 seconds. The "spirit section" at the second game on August 31 was much better. I would like to believe this is because our school had the Fall pep assembly that day. The competition between grades to get the spirit stick is greater than that of our football team against the opponent. Unfortunately, that is not anywhere close to an exaggeration.

Fall football also exists in college football on Saturdays. Kick-off for the University of Iowa, Northern Illinois University game was at 2:30 on September 1. I regret to inform you that I couldn't watch this game because I had to work. Although I didn't see the game, I do know Iowa dodged a bullet by scoring a touchdown within the last 5 minutes of the game. I'm proud to say I'm a Hawkeye fan. I bleed black and gold.

High Schoolers

Why are high schoolers so immature? Maybe it's the hormones raging through our bodies or MAYBE we're just ANNOYING and STUPID. Here I am sitting in Advanced Pre Calculus listening to proof of the stupidity of my high school class. No one ever shuts up. Voices are just polluting the fresh air of the classroom. They have nothing to do with anything we are learning or even having side conversations about. Teenage girls find joy in hurting other girls our age. I like to refer to my gender as VULTURES. Male's in High School are very focused on things not so appropriate. You know what I mean so let's not elaborate on that. 

If I could change one thing about high school, I would. I want teenagers to realize how cruel it is to harass and bully one another. Bullying is an important subject for me because a very close friend committed suicide one year ago, just after the beginning of the school year. He was a very well liked, very nice and polite young man who, unfortunately, was made fun of because of rumors another boy at my school started. The news of his death spread quickly but wasn't accepted at first. Students thought it was another cruel rumor someone started. About one-fourth of the student body was at this young man's funeral service, about one-half attended the visitation and gave their condolences to the family. I strongly wish kids at my school would remember more times like this when we all came together to support one another in a time of need. High school would be much better if there were more good times rather than cliques, rumors, and bullying.

So let me ask you this... do you remember high school? How annoying were you? Did you treat everyone with respect or were you the bully that everyone is sad to see at the 10 year reunion?

When someone asks who I am, I answer with my name. "Hi, I'm Jenny." For some reason, though, I don't think thats enough information.

I'm only 15 but a Junior in high school. This is because I skipped the 3rd grade. No, I didn't play hooky every day... I acceled from 2nd to 4th grade by completing the work from 2nd and 3rd grade in one year. Yes, I consider myself smart.

I'm very close with my family. My brother is by far my best friend. He supports me in all my activities and is always there for me when I need him. I've never trusted many people, but I'll always trust my brother. My mom and dad are raising me to be a strong, independent young lady and I love them so much for that. They instill manners, intelligence, and common sense in me. Heavy on the common sense since that doesn't come so naturally to me... maybe because I'm blonde. 

I love to sing and dance which explains why I am in show choir and take it so seriously. I have been in show choir since the fourth grade but fourth grade show choir is a different world compared to varsity HS show choir. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication just like an athletic sport. I've met most of my best friends because of show choir and at show choir competitions.

My favorite sport is hockey. My brother is 22 years old and played hockey from the time he was 5 until 19 years old. When I was younger, many of my weekends were spent traveling out of state to hockey tournaments. Another reason I adore hockey so much is because my dad was staff for the local USHL team for the 13 years they have been in existence. In those 11 years, I only missed a handful of games because of school activities. Hockey has been a part of my life for so long, I used it to learn how to count. My parents told me the story of how I learned to count because they found it funny. I used to count the players in order of jersey number. He's 1, he's 2, that's 3, etc.. 

I have a part time job. It's my first job and I love it. My manager is beyond awesome both as a person and a manager. He respects my schedule and school activities I want to go to. When I'm not at work or show choir, I love to watch TLC shows, Netflix, NCIS and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I also love The Food Network. Giada is my favorite chef but Cupcake Wars is my favorite show. I want to be a Neonatalogist when I get older. A neonatalogist is a pediatrician that works with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For now, I'm just trying to get through high school.