Senior Skip Day

Many people recognize the Monday after a school’s prom to be “Senior Skip Day.” The seniors claim they are so tired from prom on Saturday that they need Monday off. This. Is. Ridiculous. I understand that prom day is long. Wake up in the morning to do your hair, then do your makeup, change into your dress hoping it fits after lunch, meet your group for pictures. After pictures, grand march at the school. Dinner follows grand march and finally you’re at the dance. Dance the night away until around midnight when you go to post prom. Post prom is a time to do recreational activities with your friends and your date. Some things my school had at post prom were a Velcro wall, jousting, and a hypnotist. Post prom was from midnight until 4 am Sunday.

I think senior skip day is ridiculous because students that attend prom can use Sunday to catch up on sleep, shower, get cleaned up, and be ready for school on Monday.  Senior skip day is just another day for upperclassmen to hang out and get drunk and high. I’m not saying every student uses Monday for drinking and getting high. I am, however, saying the students that went to prom and still come to school the Monday after are generally more responsible and care more about school than the ones that skip.

I’m not saying senior skip day shouldn’t happen, I’m simply saying senior skip day should be used to recover from the long day and night that occurs because of prom and not be another day for teenagers to party and drink.

(270)

Prom Season

Tis the season for prom dresses, tuxedos, and hair updos!

If you’re like me, you love prom because of all the photos you have at your disposal to “creep on.” Your Facebook friends make new photo albums. The preppy girl you follow on Instagram posts a billion gagillion photos at once. Twitter becomes an easy access photo timeline. I, as an underclassmen waiting for her turn to post prom photos, enjoy this part of the school year very much.

It started about a month ago when girls starting showing photos of their dresses on their hangers around to other, likely envious, girls at school. I, an envious girl, judged them from the get go. Not enough sparkle. Really? Pick ups? Could you reveal any more of yourself to me? You’re gonna wear that color when your skin tone is that of a ghost? As I got more and more bitter, the judgments got more and more harsh. That dress is too plain. That dress has too much going on. You really think that’s going to flatter your body? Think again. I can’t say I’m glad I judged so many dresses, I can say I’m glad I was wrong about many of them that I did judge before seeing them on a person.

Prom was held on different nights according to the school you attend. Wash had their prom on April 20^th. Kennedy, Jefferson, and Prairie had their prom on April 27^th. On the day of Kennedy’s prom, I was en route to St. Louis, Missouri for the last regular season NHL game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues. Thanks to social networking, however, I didn’t miss anything from prom. Girls started preparing early. I saw as hair went from birds nest in the morning, to elegant updos by early afternoon. Yoga pants and sweatshirts were shed as beautiful girls donned their formal gowns with pride.

It wasn’t long after pictures began emerging on my timelines that I began regretting the negative things I said about many dresses. With a few exceptions, each dress flattered body shapes, accentuated the ladies assets, and made each female prom goer look stunning. No dress was like another. No high school girl looked the same.

As for the males that attended prom, they waited until they absolutely HAD to get ready to put on a tux and go meet their date. The tux game was just as diverse and unique as the dress game this year. Some wore white, some gray, some the traditional black. No matter what anyone wore, everyone looked fantastic. Seeing the great memories that were made in just one night really gets me excited for the year to come. Hopefully, some underclassman will “creep” on my many prom pictures saying how stunning I look and how beautiful my dress is. Someone will be envious of me and my date as we walk in the Grand March.  Someone will see me and want to look as gorgeous as I do for their prom. It seems like yesterday I was walking into Kennedy for the first time and now I’m getting excited for prom next year. It’s crazy how time flies.

(531)

Gettin old

The end of April always drags on forever, it seems. The end of the school year is approaching, weather gets more and more summery each day, and my birthday is a matter of a few days away. Some people feel birthdays are pointless and unimportant but I disagree completely. Because I’m the youngest person in my class, my birthday is exciting. Especially this coming up birthday because I, the baby among my friends and peers, will be turning the big ONE SIX in just eleven days.

Turning sixteen is a big deal for me. The best part of being 16 is getting my intermediate driver’s license. No longer will I have to find rides to work and gatherings with my friends. No longer will I be the “wittle bebe” who can drive to and from school and school events in my district. Finally, I will be free to drive wherever I need to go between 5 am and 12:30 am. To some people, driving is an everyday thing that isn’t important to them. To me, this freedom is going to be a huge privilege to have.

(186)

STL, MO

Yesterday morning, my family and I left Cedar Rapids for St. Louis, Missouri. It was finally time to use the tickets I bought my brother for his birthday. We were going to my very first NHL hockey game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues. I was incredibly anxious to get on the road because I knew if we wasted time, we would be late to the game and I wanted to see my favorite player during warm ups. We left our house and stopped to eat. Ugh. After we wasted 15 minutes eating, we left and stopped at a gas station to fill up. Ugh. Finally, we were on our way.

The drive to St. Louis takes about four and a half, maybe five hours depending on traffic, who is driving, and the number of stops that need to be made. Fortunately for my family and me, we were in fast paced traffic and didn’t stop more than twice. We made it to the hotel just in time to check in, get ready to leave, and go. We stayed at the Marriott at the St. Louis Airport. The name alone implied a hint of prestige in the hotel. Many business people stayed here on a regular basis when they fly in to St. Louis or before flying out. Despite the pool and hot tub being closed while we were there, the hotel was amazing. It was also apparently the hotel to stay at if you were a Blackhawks fan. Lucky for us, we are Blackhawks fans so we fit right in.

We had dinner in the bus station across from the Scottrade Center where the game was held. The bus station had KFC, Pizza Hut, and a deli to choose from. Not much selection, but we didn’t have much time. After we finished eating, it was about 6:10pm. We headed across the street to go in to the arena. Because the game started at 7, we didn’t want to miss warm ups nor did we want to be late to our seats.

We waited down by the glass for warm ups in hopes to see some of our favorite players: Toews, Hossa, Kane, and Sharp just to name a few. It wasn’t long before I realized none of these players were on the ice and instead, many names I didn't recognize were dressed and warming up for the game. I frantically went to the official Twitter of the Blackhawks and found out 15 players were resting for playoffs. I kid you not, I cried. I should have known then the night was going to be bad.

Our seats were fantastic. We were in a position to see the entire ice and see when the puck crossed the goal line on one side. My family and I quickly realized many players were called up from the Rockford Ice Hogs, the Blackhawks second team. The Blues won the game 3-1 which, although upsetting, didn’t really matter. The Blackhawks still won the President’s Trophy and home ice advantage for playoffs. I had a lot of fun with my family in St. Louis and I think we will be going to more NHL games now because of the great time we had at this game.

(544) 

Closer than most

My brother is so much more than a brother to me. He is a mentor, role model, and more than anything, he is my very best friend. He was seven and a half when my mom gave birth to me and now, 15 and one half years later, my brother just turned 23.  It’s amazing how much happens in 15 years of someone’s life. A few examples would be getting a baby brother… or sister, playing a sport… or multiple, moving out of the house… or state, making a mistake…or two, graduating high school and getting a job… or a few, and so much more. I’ve been lucky enough to see my brother go through most of these milestones.

Obviously, I didn’t see my brother get a little sister since I’m the littler sister he got. I’ve just seen pictures and some videos. It was very obvious that my brother loved me from the day I was born and I have yet to see that love diminish. He had no problem watching me while my mom made lunch or dinner. He didn’t whine when I needed a diaper change, and he knew that singing “You are my Sunshine” to me put me to sleep. The same caring and loving brother still exists in my life today, just without the babysitting, diaper changing, and singing me to bed. Now it’s hanging out with me, helping me pick out what to wear for a date, and being there for me when I need someone to talk to.

Jake chose to take hockey more seriously than the rest of his sports; baseball, soccer, and track. He was also in show choir but it was obvious his love was in hockey. Before his sophomore year of high school, he was scouted to play for Triple A team in Omaha, Nebraska. At age 15, he made the courageous decision to move to Omaha and live with a housing family in order to play for this team, the Omaha Energy. This was by far one of the hardest times of my life with my brother. My parents, Jake, and I took the four hour trip to Omaha to drop Jake off for his sophomore year. Saying goodbye to my brother was beyond depressing and writing about it right now is making me tear up. I knew losing my best friend wasn’t going to be easy but I had no way at all to prepare for the tears, pain, and heartbreak that overwhelmed me as I looked out the back windshield and waved goodbye for however long it was before I saw him again.

I know I’m the person I am today because of my brother and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love him and he’s still the closest person to me, 15 years later. There have been times when I thought I was going to lose my brother, whether to a girlfriend or sport, or worse, when my brother could have died. I’m beyond lucky and blessed to have a brother who is my best friend and I can’t imagine my life without him nor would I want to. I love my Bubba.

(530) 

I'm a girl with lovely dreams

The first car I ever drove was a 1997 Ford Explorer. Preceding that, I drove tractors for my grandpa an uncountable number of times. I'm not sure if this is the reason I love SUVs now or not. Whatever the reason is doesn't matter. All I know is, mark my words, I will own a Range Rover. At this point in time, my dream model is a 2013 Sport Supercharged V8 S/C 5.0L. This is one sexy piece of automobile and I can't wait to get my hands on that precious, black, leather steering wheel. I can't wait to get control of my dream SUV. I can't wait to be the car on the road that people gasp at when it passes them and I especially can't wait to say I've done enough in my life to afford and own an 85 thousand dollar car. The 85k for this sexy thang doesn't even include taxes, registration, or insurance but honestly, I don't care. My baby will be white. Shining... glistening... white. The interior will be white. White seats, white center counsel, white white white. The only things that won't be white will be the wheels, the front bumper, and the interior trimmings including the steering wheel and gear shift.

Beyond a gorgeous, luxurious SUV is my dream sports car. A black 2013 Audi A7. This beautiful baby has a base cost of $66,150. After I customized this pretty piece of metal to meet all of my expectations, I ended with a grand total of $76,745. Again, that doesn't include taxes, registration, or insurance. Again, I don't really care. In order to contrast my SUV, the exterior is shiny black and the interior consists of velvet beige leather. Don't forget the "Innovation Package" which is a collection of driver assistance. The head-up display shows a digital read out of the road ahead on the windshield so your eyes stay on the road. Night vision assistance alerts you of pedestrians within 300 feet of the car. The corner camera assists the driver in parking and also monitors the drivers blind spot to ensure no trouble when executing a lane change. Audi side assist prevents accidents caused by blind spot trouble and adaptive cruise control can maintain a preset distance from the car in front of the Audi. Last, Audi pre sense plus kicks in if an accident seems unavoidable. Pre sense plus protects passengers of the Audi by pretensioning the seat belts, boosting brake pressure, and shutting the windows and sunroof. How perfect is that

Now the question arises: why does one dream of something so materialistic, expensive, and luxurious when a much cheaper item can execute the same things? My answer? I like pretty things that impress other people. Another answer is if you have the money to spend, why not spend it? No matter what the reason, it is nice to own things that other people want. It's nice to get compliments on your possessions. For me, it will be extremely satisfying to say “I worked hard, was successful, and I finally own my dream cars.”

(517)

Poem Analysis

1. The land that sleeps makes the people weep.
2. The land that's strong grows on and on.
3. The land that sings to things passing by 
4. like birds flying in the sky.
5. As evil souls try to break us down,
6. we all join together and stand our ground.
7. All around us, blood stained streets.
8. The horror will not defeat.
9. The soldiers are like a brick wall,
10. standing solid they will not fall
11. Try to break us as hard as you can!
12. United together our nation will stand.
13. The land we love will forever last.
14. The land we love will never pass.
15. The colors red, white, and blue
16. stand for the land that's forever true.

Line 1: "The land that sleeps" is personification. Land cannot sleep, I can barely even sleep!

Line 5: The choice of words when saying "evil souls" suggests an indignant tone because it is expressing anger at anyone trying to break the country down.

Line 7: Describing the streets as "blood stained" paints a vivid and hopefully shocking picture in the mind of a reader

Line 9: Simile "The soldiers are like a brick wall"

Lines 13-4: "The land we love will forever last. The land we love will never pass." is an example of anaphora because of the repetition of "the land we love"

Line 15: "The colors red, white, and blue" is an example of two literary/rhetoric strategies. The first is allusion. Red, white, and blue is alluding you to the American flag. The second is symbollism, the symbol being the American flag itself. The flag connotes freedom and democracy as well as pride in our country. 

(286)

Pitch Perfect is PERFECT

Ever since I saw Pitch Perfect, I can’t stop watching it. I watch it when I get home from school, when I’m with friends, when I’m bored, before I go to bed, while I’m doing homework, anytime I can watch Pitch Perfect, I do. It is easily my favorite movie for many reasons. The actors are attractive, there’s a good story, and it’s freaking hilarious.

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. Pitch Perfect is the perfect movie for anybody. If you think it’s a chick flick or is going to be stupid, watch it. If you love comedies, watch it. If you love movies with music in it, watch it. If you want to sing along to a movie, watch it a few times. If you’re bored, watch it. Seriously, just watch the movie. You won’t regret it.

(578)

I hate people

Why are high schoolers so immature? Maybe it's the hormones raging through our bodies or MAYBE we're just ANNOYING and STUPID.  I don’t understand much about people in general, but I really don’t understand high schoolers. That’s odd, however, since I am one. Teenage girls find joy in hurting other girls our age. I like to refer to my gender as VULTURES. Males 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.

Drama is found anywhere you go in high school. Whether you’re in the halls, in class, at a dance, or at a sporting event, someone in the same area as you is dealing with petty drama. I prefer to avoid drama and enjoy my high school career rather than sit in a bathroom crying because a friend stabbed me in the back or a boy ditched me.

(321)

Kids

I love kids of all ages: newborns, toddlers, and even elementary school aged kids. I love to spend my Friday nights babysitting and I would rather babysit than go out with friends.  Babysitting is enjoyable for me because I don’t look at is at a job but rather a time to play with younger children and make sure they stay safe while their parents are gone. My favorite thing to do while I’m babysitting is to build a fort for the kid or kids. No matter the age, they can always find something to do in a fort. Babysitting, for me, is also fun because it’s practice for when I get married and start a family.

My love for kids also contributes to wanting to be a neonatologist. A neonatologist works with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A few reasons for a child to be admitted to 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 specializing in 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 was placed with Dr. Scott Nau, a well-known local pediatrician. He is one doctor that works in 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 Dr. Nau.  

(318)

I really hate 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)

Cats Cats Cats MEOW

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.

(505)

Ain't nobody got time for PDA

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)

Basketball is boring but OW

I don’t watch basketball because it bores me. I don’t really understand it and there’s nothing in a game of basketball that grabs my attention except sexy guys. Today, during some game between Louisville and whoever they played, Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome leg injury. Mind you, I didn’t watch the game because I repeat BASKETBALL BORES ME but OW that had to hurt. I was at work when I saw a tweet about his injury and I was intrigued because honestly, how can someone get seriously hurt in basketball? This is the exception. Ware jumps up to try and block a shot and his leg snaps under him when he lands. You can see the reaction from his team as they all collapse to the ground, most in tears, when they see his leg. One can only wonder how a team can finish a game after such a horrible event but Louisville did it. They ended up winning their game and they hold the trophy up with Ware’s jersey. You can watch the video here but I don’t recommend doing so unless you’re sure you want to see it because as I said before, the injury is very gruesome. Please keep Kevin Ware in your thoughts and prayers.

(209)

Interaction is corrupted

New technology is developed and released almost every day. Think about music devices; from the Walkman, to mp3 player, to the classic iPod, to the most recent iPod Nano which has a touchscreen and measures about 4 inches in length.  Phones used to be the size of a brick. After the brick came a smaller brick. After the mini brick, flip phones came, then phones with full QWERTY keyboards, and now smartphones which aren’t very smart at all. With all of this technology, it’s hard to have a conversation with someone in person without them looking at a mobile device. Families no longer talk about their day at dinner but about someone’s tweet instead. That is, if they can even stay off their phones long enough to converse about anything. Technology and social media have corrupted human interaction skills in people of all ages.

I often find myself out to eat with my friends or more often, my family. We usually go to a sit down restaurant to spend time together but is it really spending time together if at any given time, at least one of us is on our phone? As I glance around to other tables, I realize my group is not the only offender here. I admit I’m guilty of being distracted by my phone as well and that’s why it bothers me so much. Technology is so convenient for anyone to use that everyone is using it now. “They are supremely efficient at delivering information, allowing us constantly to measure the levels of connection radiating throughout our social network.” (Rosen, 93) Our society is desperate for a technology fix after a period of time so we take out our phone, open Twitter, and see the latest gossip in 140 characters or less. We get our fix, put our phone away, and find ourselves back on our phone in 10 or 15 minutes when we need another fix. Two people can’t have a face-to-face conversation without one of them, or even both, checking their phone at least once during the talk.

People are also dependent on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter for information. Whether this information is about a friend, a family member, even a stranger, you’re likely to find it on Facebook. Just yesterday I was scrolling through my “news feed” on Facebook and came across a status asking for prayers because this woman’s son was in the hospital. I understand the want for support, but by posting this status, she was bombarded with “What happened?” ‘s  and “Is he okay?” ’s.  She responded with “I’m not comfortable sharing the situation.” I think it’s a little late for that.

People no longer pick up the phone and dial a friend to tell them news. Now, people say “Did you see my tweet?” and “Look at this on Facebook!” If you think you haven’t fallen guilty to social media you’re either very lucky, or lying to yourself.  Human interaction skills lack in today’s society in people of all ages.  My grandma texts me when she needs me. My mom texts me when she needs something done in the house. My brother texts me to ask for something he needs. I rarely get phone calls and even rarer do I get asked or told things in person. All of this because technology has made it convenient and efficient to send a text to someone no matter where they are, when it is, or who you’re trying to reach. Amazing? Yes. Also very discouraging though, to think of the future generations who, because of developments in technology, won’t have any sort of human interaction skills instead of bad skills.

(613)

Diabetes is SHIT

Disclaimer: This post is going to be a diabetic teenage girl bitching about how diabetes ruined her last night of “spring break” as well as how shitty diabetes is. Thank you.

If you don’t have type one diabetes, there’s a one hundred percent chance you don’t know how shitty it is. Even if your best friend, child, spouse, sibling, parent, or anyone you know has diabetes, you will never understand the shitty disease it is unless you get it. I, as a type one diabetic, would never wish diabetes on my worst enemy. The low blood sugars make your vision fuzzy, give you cold sweats, and make you shake uncontrollably. When your blood sugar is high, you get dry mouth so you chug water, and chug juice, and chug milk, and chug any liquid that will make your mouth wet, even if it’s just for a few minutes. When the few minutes is up, you chug some more. All this drinking makes you have to go to the bathroom A LOT, and I mean once every ten or fifteen minutes. If your blood sugar is high, there’s a great chance of you sleeping all day and night until it comes down into the normal range.

The worst part about diabetes is the long term complications if you don’t take care of yourself and your blood sugar. People go blind and lose limbs because of diabetes, because they didn’t keep their blood sugar down and therefore they lost circulation to their limbs and eyes. Woman with diabetes (me) should be extra concerned with their blood sugars if they want to have children. Diabetes can cause infertility in women due to the imbalance of hormones. Maybe that doesn’t bother some people, but I want my own family. Diabetes is not going to stop that.

One thing diabetes did stop was me from having fun on my last night of spring break. Friday night I had a great time with friends. We ate junk food, listened to music, and played cards. I promise you with all of my heart that I took insulin for everything I consumed on Friday night. It wasn’t until Saturday, however, that I realized my insulin pump cannula had come out. My blood sugar read high on my monitor, my heart rate was at least 150 at any given time, and I couldn’t eat without feeling nauseous. When this happens to me, it can take over 24 hours to correct. I, being the baby I am, wanted to go to the hospital where they can fix me over night and know exactly what to do. My mom, being the mom she is, wanted to fix me by herself. We didn’t really know the exact procedure but she did it. It took her staying up all night to check my blood sugars every hour and giving me insulin when I needed it, but she did it.

Diabetes can really put a damper on life. It’s a fragile thing to deal with and it’s so, so shitty to have. Sometimes when I feel like giving up and not taking care of myself, I remember my grandpa who had diabetes as well. I remember how strong he was and how strong I can be and that’s my motivation. 

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This didn't even work.

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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PLAY A NEW SONG

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.

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Biebs Bites Back

Justin Bieber is 19 years old. He has 5 number one albums and has seen the world while on tour. The guy has been on fire for the past 5 years. It was only a matter of time before he lashed out and damn! It was sexy. I’ll be the first one to admit to any stranger or passer-byer I HAVE RAGING BIEBER FEVER. Everything about him makes me swoon like a little girl. Some say I’m obsessed or crazy and I might even agree to some extent but how could I resist the perfect “hair flip?” The perfect smile. The perfect brown eyes. The perfect everything. Exactly, friend. I couldn’t resist any of it. Neither can you and you know it. If you say you don’t like Justin Bieber then you’re probably lying. Just a reminder, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

Recently, JB stopped in London, UK for his “Believe Tour” which I am unfortunately not attending. (A moment of silence please.) As Justin left his hotel in London, he pushed and shoved his way through a crowd of paparazzi to get in his vehicle. A certain paparazzi didn’t refrain from yelling obscenities at Justin as well as saying "Go back to America." Justin bit back by letting the "f-word" fly numerous times saying "Ill beat the f***ing f*** out of you!"

First off, this act of badassery was hot. Second off, YOU GO JB.

I, as someone who follows Justin Bieber in the news, on Twitter and Instagram, like he’s my God, am not surprised even a little bit by this outburst.  Someone can only take so much pressure and attention and I’m 95% sure that Justin Bieber has reached the limit that he can handle… but that’s okay because everyone can reach that limit. Unfortunately for the biebs, because of his fame and reputation, he was scrutinized and attacked for being human.

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Another post about a boy

It’s hard to deal with douchebags for your entire life because when someone great finally comes along, you don’t know if you should embrace it or push it away. Lucky for me, I knew right away that I had to embrace this. It’s not every day that you meet someone who makes you forget anything bad ever happened in your life. It’s not every day that someone becomes your best friend and soon enough, your boyfriend.

Meeting someone so perfect makes you wonder how you put up with anyone else. How did you handle your ex calling you a bitch and reminding you of all the things that could be better about yourself? How were you okay with your ex getting high and forgetting who you were for a few hours then acting like nothing happened? How did being treated like shit make you happy at all? How was the last 2 years of your life acceptable in any way? How do you get used to the bullshit he handed you? And the names he called you? How did you accept that kind of "love?"

Then you meet the guy that changes all of that. The one that seems like he should be from a movie because he’s almost too perfect to be real. His laugh, his smile, his arms around you and his way of making you feel ten thousand times better when all you want to do is cry. And when you do cry, he sits there and holds you. He wipes away your tears until you realize you’re stupid for crying in the first place. When he realizes how bad the last guy treated you, he confronts him. He claims you as his girl instead of being embarrassed to say he’s dating you.  He’s the one who changed how you feel about guys for the better.

 

How does a girl get so lucky? How does a girl meet someone so great without wanting to? How does a girl fall so fast for someone so perfect and be so okay with it? How does a girl get over all of her trust issues and fear of getting hurt because of one single guy in her life? How?

 

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No More Happiness

It doesn't really hit you that the biggest part of your life is ending until it’s already over. It doesn't really hit you that the biggest part of your life is ending until your director asks the seniors how they feel about the last practice before the last competition. It doesn't really hit you that the biggest part of your life is ending until you hug your best friend knowing that he’s graduating in two months. It doesn't really hit you that the biggest part of your life is ending until you take the stage and get ready to give the best performance of the season no matter how high your blood sugar is. No matter how fast your heart is racing. No matter how bad your eyes start to water when you get introduced as a competitor for the last time of the 2012-2013 season.

So many emotions flooded the warm-up room yesterday as Happiness got ready to perform in finals at Washington High School’s MoShow. As our director went around the circle of students looking each one in the eyes, tears started to fall. As a junior, I didn't show a lot of emotion because if I’m lucky, I still have another year to be a part of such a wonderful program with such wonderful people that eventually become my family. I am lucky enough to be able to spend more time with this group of people than my biological family. More of my time will be spent at school for practices and at various competitions than will be spent at my house.

All of this is okay with me because Happiness is such a big part of my life. I don’t know what I’m going to do now on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 pm until 9 pm. What am I going to do on Saturdays now that I don’t need to wake up at ungodly hours of the morning to get on a charter bus to go to out of town competitions?  So many good things have ended now that show choir season is over but I know for sure that the memories will always be there. The best memories made with the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It doesn't really hit you that the biggest part of your life is ending until you're writing a blog about the end. If you were a part of Happiness Inc. in any way this season; combo, crew, parents, or ensemble, please know that you have changed my high school experience for the better and I am so grateful for each and every one of you. Please excuse me while I go wipe away my tears.

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Blogging is sort of stupid

It’s Sunday night and you think all of your homework is done. Then you remember you’re an AP Lang student and you now have at least 3 blogs to write and the word count must total up to 1200 words. DAMN IT. What does one blog about when one has nothing to write about?  The answer is simple. One blogs about how much he or she hates blogging. Where do I begin?

Blogging is stupid because I don’t know if people even read what I write. Hello? Is there anyone out there? SPEAK TO ME IF YOU ARE READING MY POINTLESS BLOG. Maybe if I knew my rants were being read, I wouldn’t mind blogging. On the other hand, though, maybe not.

Blogging is stupid because I could be sleeping right now. I would much rather be rested for a full day of bullshit, I mean school, tomorrow. I think it would be safe to assume that my teachers would appreciate a rested Jenny in class rather than a Jenny that can’t focus because she’s seconds away from falling asleep on her desk. That’s just a guess, though.

Blogging is stupid because I try to be funny but am I actually making people laugh? I guess this also reintroduces the first question I had. Does anyone read my blog to laugh? If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? If I write a funny blog and no one reads it to laugh, is it still funny?

Blogging is stupid because I feel like I need to write quality things and use my “skills” I've learned thus far in AP Lang. Diction is important for my audience… if there is an audience. Do you understand my words? Are they colloquial enough for you? Are my sentences structured well? Is anyone even reading this?

Blogging is stupid because I never know what to write about. What do people want to read? If I wrote about what people wanted to read, then would I have an audience to laugh at my funny blogs and judge my diction and syntax? THEN WOULD I BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS CRUEL WORLD!?

Blogging is stupid because I’m missing the Blackhawks game that is on right now. If I didn’t have to blog, I could watch the game with my daddy, complain when things go wrong, and celebrate excessively when things go so very right.

I’m not saying I don’t enjoy ranting to a possibly nonexistent audience. I’m just saying blogging is sort of stupid. Period. Point blank.  End of discussion.

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I dreamed a dream of sexy cars

The first car I ever drove was a 1997 Ford Explorer. Preceding that, I drove tractors for my grandpa an uncountable number of times. I'm not sure if this is the reason I love SUVs now or not. Whatever the reason is doesn't matter. All I know is, mark my words, I will own a Range Rover. At this point in time, my dream model is a 2013 Sport Supercharged V8 S/C 5.0L. This is one sexy piece of automobile and I can't wait to get my hands on that precious, black, leather steering wheel. I can't wait to get control of my dream SUV. I can't wait to be the car on the road that people gasp at when it passes them and I especially can't wait to say I've done enough in my life to afford and own an 85 thousand dollar car. The 85k for this sexy thang doesn't even include taxes, registration, or insurance but honestly, I don't care. My baby will be white. Shining... glistening... white. The interior will be white. White seats, white center counsel, white white white. The only things that won't be white will be the wheels, the front bumper, and the interior trimmings including the steering wheel and gear shift. (See model below on left.)

Beyond a gorgeous, luxurious SUV is my dream sports car. A black 2013 Audi A7. This beautiful baby has a base cost of $66,150. After I customized this pretty piece of metal to meet all of my expectations, I ended with a grand total of $76,745. Again, that doesn't include taxes, registration, or insurance. Again, I don't really care. In order to contrast my SUV, the exterior is shiny black and the interior consists of velvet beige leather. Don't forget the "Innovation Package" which is a collection of driver assistance. The head-up display shows a digital read out of the road ahead on the windshield so your eyes stay on the road. Night vision assistance alerts you of pedestrians within 300 feet of the car. The corner camera assists the driver in parking and also monitors the drivers blind spot to ensure no trouble when executing a lane change. Audi side assist prevents accidents caused by blind spot trouble and adaptive cruise control can maintain a preset distance from the car in front of the Audi. Last, Audi pre sense plus kicks in if an accident seems unavoidable. Pre sense plus protects passengers of the Audi by pretensioning the seat belts, boosting brake pressure, and shutting the windows and sunroof. How perfect is this? (Again, see model below, this time on the right.)

Now the question arises: why does one dream of something so materialistic, expensive, and luxurious when a much cheaper item can execute the same things? My answer? I like pretty things that impress other people. Another answer is if you have the money to spend, why not spend it? No matter what the reason, it is nice to own things that other people want. It's nice to get compliments on your possessions. For me, it will be extremely satisfying to say “I worked hard, was successful, and I finally own my dream cars.” (530)

Fab Five

For a person involved in nothing but show choir, it’s a great feeling when after a break from concerts and competitions, you get to perform your show for a new crowd.  This exact feeling overwhelmed my entire body on Saturday night at the Fab Five concert. The Fab Five is the name for the 5 public school show choirs in the Cedar Rapids area. This includes Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s “Happiness Inc.”, Jefferson’s ”Westside Delegation”, Washington’s “Momentum”, Prairie’s “Ambassadors”, and Linn Mar’s “10^th Street Edition.”

Each show choir performs their show in front of a crowd of parents from each school, citizens of Cedar Rapids who had interest in show choir, directors, and anyone willing to pay for a ticket to the event.  Also performing at the event is a soloist or ensemble from each school to fill time between one entire show choir ending their performance and the next setting up and getting ready for their show.

This year was my first time performing in the Fab Five concert but I really enjoyed it. Often, I see show choirs from my areas in an intense competition setting rather than a relaxed concert. Many old friendships were rekindled and many more friendships began.

At the end of the show, all five groups came together to sing a final song. This year, the song was in honor of an Iowa choral legend that passed away this fall. It was directed by his daughter who is an elementary school music teacher and a very nice woman. After this year, however, there will no longer be a finale at the end of the concert. Instead, folks will be welcome to leave once the final show choir is done performing.

I enjoyed the Fab Five concert much more than I thought I would have and I’m even more excited for next year's Fab Five performance. (310)

Best Birthday Present EVER

I always worry that when I buy a present for anyone in my life, it’s not going to be good enough or they aren’t going to like it. Fortunately, I didn’t feel this way when I handed my brother his birthday present on Thursday.

My entire family loves ice hockey. My brother has played for close to 20 years and my dad coached for many of those years. My dad also worked for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders, the local USHL team, for 13 years before retiring this year. My mom was quickly introduced to the hockey lifestyle by her husband and very talented son. I was introduced for the same reasons. I learned to count by the numbers on hockey jerseys and I am proud to say I have about 20 non-biological brothers because of hockey. It’s because of my family’s love for hockey that I knew I couldn’t go wrong with this birthday present for Jake.

I have always wanted to attend an NHL hockey game and I knew if I was going to go, I wanted to see my favorite team play. Luckily, my favorite team just so happens to be the favorite of my dad, brother, and mom (kind of by association.) Not so luckily, the NHL was in a lockout for over half of the season. It was just a few weeks ago that the lockout ended and game play resumed. As soon as I found this out, I started looking at tickets to see the Chicago Blackhawks play. I checked games against rivals first; Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks. Then games against teams I thought my brother would also want to see; Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild. At the same time, I had to pay attention to the date of the game. Weekday games were out of the running unless they fell on a week of a break. If I found a game that fit the criteria, entertaining (good opponent), close to home, weekend game, I checked in to tickets. Unfortunately, most games had tickets for standing room only…….

BUT!

I came across a game that pleased my parents and me in terms of seats, price, date, and team. Of course I couldn’t ask my brother since the ticket were his gift so I hoped with every fiber of my being that he would like them. Thankfully, he did! He opened his card from me at dinner and slowly unfolded the proof of purchase. He immediately raised his hands in excitement and yelled “YEEEEESSSSSSS!” in the restaurant. He was beyond happy to know he was going to see the Chicago Blackhawks play against the St. Louis Blues in St. Louis and I was beyond happy to know I made him happy and chose the right gift. (460) 

Brother doubles as Best Friend

My brother is so much more than a brother to me. He is a mentor, role model, and more than anything, he is my very best friend. He was seven and a half when my mom gave birth to me and now, 15 and one half years later, my brother just turned 23.  It’s amazing how much happens in 15 years of someone’s life. A few examples would be getting a baby brother… or sister, playing a sport… or multiple, moving out of the house… or state, making a mistake…or two, graduating high school and getting a job… or a few, and so much more. I’ve been lucky enough to see my brother go through most of these milestones.

Obviously, I didn’t see my brother get a little sister since I’m the littler sister he got. I’ve just seen pictures and some videos. It was very obvious that my brother loved me from the day I was born and I have yet to see that love diminish. He had no problem watching me while my mom made lunch or dinner. He didn’t whine when I needed a diaper change, and he knew that singing “You are my Sunshine” to me put me to sleep. The same caring and loving brother still exists in my life today, just without the babysitting, diaper changing, and singing me to bed. Now it’s hanging out with me, helping me pick out what to wear for a date, and being there for me when I need someone to talk to.

Jake chose to take hockey more seriously than the rest of his sports; baseball, soccer, and track. He was also in show choir but it was obvious his love was in hockey. Before his sophomore year of high school, he was scouted to play for Triple A team in Omaha, Nebraska. At age 15, he made the courageous decision to move to Omaha and live with a housing family in order to play for this team, the Omaha Energy. This was by far one of the hardest times of my life with my brother. My parents, Jake, and I took the four hour trip to Omaha to drop Jake off for his sophomore year. Saying goodbye to my brother was beyond depressing and writing about it right now is making me tear up. I knew losing my best friend wasn’t going to be easy but I had no way at all to prepare for the tears, pain, and heartbreak that overwhelmed me as I looked out the back windshield and waved goodbye for however long it was before I saw him again.

I know I’m the person I am today because of my brother and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love him and he’s still the closest person to me, 15 years later. There have been times when I thought I was going to lose my brother, whether to a girlfriend or sport, or worse, when my brother could have died. I’m beyond lucky and blessed to have a brother who is my best friend and I can’t imagine my life without him nor would I want to. I love my Bubba. (530)

Crappy Christmases

I absolutely love Christmas time. To me, there is nothing better than spending time with family, baking with Grandma, buying presents for special people in my life, and eating holiday treats like cookies and fudge. When I was little I always went to bed early because I knew Santa wouldn’t visit me until I was fast asleep. I would put the cookies and milk out, plus carrots for the reindeer, and scurry up to my bed where Daddy tucked me in. Even now as a teenager, 15 years old, I still get the same excitement and joy for Christmas morning as I did back then.

Until Christmas Eve last year, I never thought anything could ruin my Christmas. When we got out to Grandma’s, everything went as it always does. Socialize with family, eat main meal, eat dessert, clean up, and open presents. That’s when it all went downhill. Last year, my grandma asked me for some ideas to get my parents for Christmas. I told her our manual can opener was really old so maybe an electric one for the counter. Unfortunately, Grandma tried to be funny. Correction, that’s why it all went downhill, Grandma shouldn’t try to be funny. I opened up my first present and there it was. Staring me in the eyes was a brand new, white, electric can opener. As I started opening the box, I asked if this was a joke and if there was something different inside. There was something inside, alright... certainly not different, though. It was a brand new… white… electric can opener… Grandma found this hilarious. I wanted to cry. I understand that may be greedy but a can opener!? Come on!

Luckily, Grandma redeemed herself this year. I love to bake and cook so one of my gifts was a Babycakes cupcake maker. PERFECT! I use this handy machinery close to every day. It makes the obvious cupcakes, but also mini pies, appetizers, brownies, muffins, and so much more. The cupcakes are about two inches in diameter at the widest point so they are perfect for popping right into your mouth. Not only are they convenient, I have yet to hear of a cupcake that wasn’t delicious.

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Christmas Traditions

Christmas in my family is done almost exactly the same way each year. On my mom’s side of the family, we do Christmas at Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. Call time is usually about three thirty in the afternoon so we can socialize and catch up with family. My aunt endures the journey from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids, my uncle joins us, and a longtime family friend celebrates at Grandma’s house also. Grandma never has everything ready when people get to her house so we sit at the table and talk about how I’m doing in school, what Jake’s doing now, how’s Mom’s cancer, etc. Grandma yells across her kitchen to try and stay in the conversation while finishing the mashed potatoes and gravy or vegetables.

When all is said and done for the meal, we sit down together, say a prayer, and dig in. Grandma makes it blatantly clear that we are to eat enough food so our stomachs are filled within millimeters of exploding and then and ONLY then are we to stop eating the main course. I say the main course because we stop eating to let our stomach digest enough of the goods to make room for the betters. (Of course I mean cookies and dessert.) Grandma brews a pot of coffee in hopes that someone has acquired the taste but again, like last year, she’s the only one drinking it. I, the youngest at the gathering, encourage everyone to hurry up so we can mosey into the living room and open our presents.  

This is where some variation occurs. My brother and I sort out the presents to each family member and depending on the year, either I start or Grandma does. This year, Grandma started because I started last year.  It’s frowned upon to tear your wrapping paper and if you even think about throwing the bow away, you’ll hear about it from Grandma. Same goes for boxes. Anything that can be reused is reused often the next year. After Grandma goes, it’s Uncle Bennie’s turn; then my dad, then my mom, then Aunt Tammie, then my brother, and last, myself.  After presents we might enjoy more of Grandma’s homemade sweets or we might leave. It all depends on the year.

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I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

I sincerely apologize for my lack of blogging. If I had an excuse, I would use it… but I don’t. In the time since I last blogged, I got the stomach flu twice, ended up in the hospital both times, celebrated Christmas with my family, rang in the New Year with my brother and his friends, entered into hell week for show choir which actually lasted about two weeks, and made way too many cupcakes. I started some new medicine as a preventative action against the stomach flu as well as influenza A which has made its way to my dad, brother, and brother’s girlfriend who all live in the same house as myself and luckily have not infected me… yet. (Knock on wood.)

Having diabetes is an added challenge when it comes to illness outbreaks, especially during the winter.  I become a slight “germaphobe” from November until mid to late March. Carrying hand sanitizer is a must, changing clothes when someone coughs or sneezes on me is almost instantaneous, and wiping down desks, railings, and doorknobs is a habit. Getting sick is extremely dangerous for diabetics and being a high school student makes it worse. Each missed day of school adds more pressure to get back on track. Unfortunately for me, I’m still trying to get caught up from earlier in second trimester.

Again, I’m sorry I haven’t been blogging regularly and I promise I’m as disappointed in me as you are. My grade has been affected and my parents have hopped on me about it. You have my word that starting on Monday, January 13, 2013; I will keep up with my blog.

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