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.