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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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