Silence

               

Silence can be one of the loudest things. Silence is an indicator; it only really occurs when something is awkward, when everyone is deep in thought or working, or when you are completely alone.

Some people love silence; it can give you room to think without being interrupted by external sounds. There are many people out there who truly value their ‘me time’ and silence and thinking is their way to have it. Silence can be good for many reasons; it can help you concentrate, it can help when you have a headache and when you’re trying to sleep, and it can cause a sense of relaxation. Silence is sometimes needed, like during serious moments of careful contemplation or to show respect for someone or something.

Other people hate silence, and will go out of their way to keep it from lingering for too long. They do this by being loud themselves, putting on some music, or turning on the T.V. for some background dialogue. This is okay too, because it can take your mind off things during a time of stress or can get you in a certain mood.

Whether you like silence or not, it is needed. If you listen closely, silence can contain a lot of unspoken words that sometimes just cannot or will not be said. When something tragic happens, people give a moment of silence for that memory, which shows it respect and reverence. People use silence when someone is in need of a listener, or just for someone to be there beside them. Silence usually occurs during important moments in our lives. (268)

Productive Procrastination

                Procrastination is a horrible habit that almost everyone has had at least once. One thing that I’m sure most people can relate to is homework related procrastination. When you’ve just got finished with about six hours of school, in most cases, the last thing you want to do is more school work. I know when I get done with school I would much rather spend my time with my friends or maybe even just relaxing and eating fruit.

            This feeling of wanting to procrastinate is usually what gives us motivation for other things you wouldn’t normally want to do. Things like cleaning, people watching, taking your dog on a walk, counting all the coins in your purse, brushing your teeth, practicing your cartwheeling skills, and even observing the abstract bumps on a nearby wall or carpet can become much more interesting than what you should be doing at that moment. Giving into these random and inconsequential urges will just lead you to more random and inconsequential urges. Even if you end up finishing cleaning your room, or finally perfect your cartwheels, it might not be worth it when you realize you don’t have time to do what you were supposed to be doing.

            If I were to give advice on this, I would say that if you must procrastinate on one thing find something that can later benefit you that you are in the mood to do. For example, I have a project in my history class due on Friday. We received the requirements for this assignment on the first day of school, and were given five weeks to do it. Although this is true, all I’ve gotten done is written down ideas for about sixteen of about twenty requirements. I regret not getting it done, and I know I will regret not doing it now later, but at least I am being productive. I am writing this blog post, even though I have a week to do it. But right now I am in the mood to write, and now I won’t have to worry about doing it later.

            The best way to procrastinate on something is to find something else productive to do instead. It is never good to ignore all of the things you should be doing, because then there is the potential of becoming very behind and wishing you had started it at an earlier time. (400)

Blindness vs. Glasses vs. Contacts

                When it comes to vision, everyone is different; some people are near sighted, some people far sighted, and others have astigmatism. Then of course, the people that have perfect vision. If you don’t have perfect vision though, which is more common than not, there are three choices you have to pick from as to what you will do about your vision impairments.

                The first choice would be to do nothing. Deal with the fact you can’t see as well as you possibly could and just have the need to squint all the time. The bad thing about this is that it’s dangerous, and I really wouldn’t recommend it. It is important to be able to see clearly with everything you do, including driving, learning in school, and even just walking around. Without clear vision, depending on how bad your vision is,  everything will be blurry and your depth perception could be off causing you to run into things easier and not be able to know exactly who or what is in your surrounding area.

                Another choice you have is to wear glasses. Glasses can be very annoying, and some people look completely different in their glasses than without them. It can also get annoying if you are outside when it rains and your glasses get covered in water droplets.  During these times I wish there was such a thing as windshield wipers for your glasses. It also sucks when you are microwaving something, because once you open that microwave and release the hot air, your glasses will most likely fog up, leaving you disoriented. Even though this is true, they can be worth it. One of the best feelings is when you put on your glasses and it all of the sudden seems like everything is in HD. Some people love glasses, and will even wear fake ones as a fashion statement.

                The last choice is contacts. Contacts aren’t for everyone; some people can’t stand the thought of having to shove something in your eye and then later having to pinch it out. There are other cons to contacts too, such as if you rub your eye in the wrong way the contact could wrinkle or fold over whilst in your eye. This can be painful and will make your eye start to water until you take it out, fix it, and put it back in. Contacts can also be very useful though. You don’t have to worry about breaking them when running around and they aren’t always falling off like glasses. They are way better than going naturally because, as stated before, it is much safer and easier to be able to see better than to stay with the blurry alternative.

                Having imperfect vision can be a hassle, but once you get used to it it’s just another part of your routine. I would definitely recommend contacts, and if those don’t work out then glasses are just as good. (491)

Politics and Respect

                So this year is the year of the election for the new president of the United States. Don’t get me wrong, of course I am thankful for my country and for who has, for lack of a better word, ‘ruled’ it. I am glad I am lucky enough to have been born into it and everything, but I feel people can sometimes get way caught up into politics.

Maybe I am biased because growing up my dad always tried to get me to watch debates with him and I got sick of it pretty fast, but I just don’t understand why it is such a big deal. Well, no, I mean of course it’s a big deal but there would be so much less controversy if people just agreed to disagree about a few things. Some things are definitely worth fighting for, and I have respect for the people that do fight for it because it is important. Some things though are just unnecessary. I mean the whole point of the Constitution and winning our independence was for our freedom. We are America, we have freedom. So why then, are people fighting people’s rights?

We in America make a point not to discriminate against religion; we let you believe what you want to believe, as long as it is not harmful to other human beings or animals. If this is true, then why do some argue that gay marriage should be against the law because God said man should marry woman? You can’t fight with a religious argument and not expect people to disagree. It isn’t fair.

Now some people argue for reasons beyond religious aspects of their beliefs and values, and that makes sense. But if you are arguing against something just because “it doesn’t feel right” or “what would my friends think?” it isn’t your place to argue. If things like that are not directly harming or bothering you, you have no right to impose your opinion.

Some of you readers may disagree with me on this subject. I understand that some people fight with their friends over politics just because it is fun or because they want their opinion voiced and that’s fine, go ahead. I just cannot stand when people try and change other people’s values; it’s their own opinion, leave them to their right to think what they want to. If you don’t agree with someone, there really isn’t much you can do about it as most people are pretty stubborn. I apologize if this is sort of ranting, or if it angers any of you, but this is what I believe. (437)

Seasons

               

Every place you go to, you will find a change in the weather depending on what time of the year it is. I am lucky enough to live in a place where this change can be very drastic; from 90 degree days in the summers to -4 degrees in the winter. Most people have a favorite season, whether it is winter for the snow, or the summer solely because there is no school. As for me, I don’t have a favorite season. I love the fact that the weather is always changing. Not everyone would say its lucky that we live in a place of such diverse weather (we are literally called the city of 5 seasons) but I find it perfect.

First, there is spring. Now I have allergies that always get bad this time of the year, yet it’s still an enjoyable season. The weather is turning warmer and the grass is getting greener and the flowers start to bloom. During this time of the year, everything seems so lively. Its also soccer season, which is a big plus. Some days are rainy, but those days can be the most fun. Going outside and getting soaking wet to find a rainbow is always an interesting experience.

After spring comes summer, and this season holds many memories for everyone. When people think summer they usually think of all the things they are able to do because the school year has come to an end and they are able to stay out later more often. Summer can be loads of fun; walks in the park, four square in the driveway and late night movies or bonfires. Summer weather all depends on the year; sometimes it is a hot summer and others it is a cool one. Some summers it rains a ton and others, like this year, there is barely any rain at all. This time of the year is largely associated with freedom and warm weather, shorts, t-shirts and water fights.

Then there is fall, although some may say the word autumn better depicts the imagery of the brown and orange beauty of the season. Either way, this season can be just as fun as the other ones. Fall includes more bonfires, pumpkin carving, jumping in leaves and watching as the surrounding plants change.  This season also includes Halloween, and although many think teenagers shouldn’t, Trick-or-Treating is usually fun, and even when it’s not, you get candy which makes it worth it in my book.

Lastly, there is winter. Winter can have a magical effect if you look at it in the right way; waking up early and looking outside at the newly fallen, sparkling snow before anyone has stepped in it can be beautiful. Sledding is also a very fun passing time and the bigger the hill the better. Even if some people just see it as work, walking up the hill can be just as fun as sliding down it. I’ve never been skiing so I can’t say for sure, but I’ve heard that is very fun too. There is something about going inside to cuddle under blankets and drink hot chocolate with friends that makes the fact your face and hands are pink from the cold worth it.

The seasons are a wonderful thing. Not everybody likes every season; some hate spring and fall months because of allergies, some hate summers that are too hot, and some hate winter for the cold and will even cringe at the word ‘snow’. Although this is true, things just wouldn’t be the same if the weather stayed constant. (590)

Dinner Debates

                Growing up, I learned pretty early that if you want food, you must claim it and fast. Especially now that I am living with two guys half the time, I know that when the bell dings indicating that it’s ready, you get up and you go. This is due to the fact that if I didn’t, it would be gone in a matter of minutes. Also, if you want something, you fight for it.

                One way I’ve learned this is through pizza. I like thick crust; deep dish pepperoni pizza is disgustingly fatty but ridiculously satisfying. My dad on the other hand likes thin crust with a lot of toppings, and so the debate would start; which one to choose? I’ve tried everything; sucking up, getting into an argument, and even saying ‘daddy please?’ in my sweet “I’m your baby girl” voice. It never works. If he’s the one paying for it, he’s the one picking it.

                Another way I learned this is with my brother. There would be days when we were younger my mom would make something and there would be just one left and too much pride in both of us to split it. On the good days we would just rock paper scissors for it, but then there were days that things got heated and we would have pinching fights that ended with bruises and my sister winning the food whether she wanted it or not.

                Although we would get into fights over food sometimes, there were many nights where there would be no fight at all, just calling over to the dog hoping he would come steal your food. Not everything that my parents made growing up was good tasting, mostly because my mother would get these kicks where she would cook something completely new that she heard about at work and never seemed to work the way she wanted it to. On those nights we enjoyed cheese and crackers and grapes for dinner. Dinner at my house is entertaining and likely to include fighting, but usually ends up in laughter and eating food that was always prepared last minute, but it is one of my favorite memories. (363)

Homecoming

                It’s that time of the year again, and almost everyone is excited; the homecoming dance.  With the dance comes a lot of preparation, or in many cases, procrastination for said preparation. For girls, we must find a dress, find shoes to match, find jewelry to match, figure out how to do our hair and makeup, figure out who will do said hair and makeup if you’re like me and would end up looking somewhat clownish in an attempt to put on eye shadow. Although it may take a lot of work, it usually ends up being worth it.

                Before the dance, you go to dinner either with your date or with a group of friends. This can sometimes be the best part of the night, because with my friends this means shoving a big group of people into a small space and being inappropriately loud for how fancy the restaurant is. My advice for you for this part would be to order something that wouldn’t stain your nice clothes if you spill, or at least to wear a napkin. I would also recommend not ordering something that you would feel uncomfortable eating in front of a lot of people, and I will say this; there is very few ways to eat noodles in an attractive way.

                After dinner, you go to the dance.  Some people actually do dance, and the best part is when everyone circles around one kid who is busting out moves like it’s his job. Then there are the people who feel that dancing in a big crowd can be awkward and end up jumping. But when those people let loose they start to do dance moves that are just envying such as the light bulb, the shopping cart, and of course the classic sprinkler. I can’t lie; I have ended up being one of those people on more than one occasion.

                After the dance ends, or maybe even during the dance depending on how long you desire to stay, you go to a friend’s house or you may have people come over to your house. Everyone changes into comfier clothes, the girls complain about how their hair has deflated and may end up tying it up, and usually, people become more hyper than they were when they were at the dance.

                Although the dance can be a lot of work to prepare for and organize, it can be a lot of fun. There is sometimes drama and anger during the night, but overall the night makes great memories for later. It is part of the high school experience and is something that you will remember forever. (440)

The Sky's the Limit

When you wake up in the morning and walk outside, what is the first thing you look at? Do you notice the trees or the grass? Do you look at the flowers or your neighbors houses? All these things are what you look at, but they can all look completely different depending on the lighting and the weather. All of it is dependent on one thing; the sky.

The sky during the day can vary greatly. Some days there is not a cloud in sight, and when you look up all you see is a dome of bright baby blue all around you. Other days, are the complete opposite, when it turns all dark and cloudy sometimes to the point where you’re not even really sure where the sun is. Then there are the days in the middle, which are my favorite, when there are puffs of white mixed in with all that blue. During these days you can stare at the clouds and, if you have a big imagination, find different shapes of random things that you may see.

The sky at night is a completely different scene that also depends on where you are. If you live in a city with a lot of light pollution, the sky might be a little boring; just black, with a few stars here and there. If you are in more rural areas though, you can see an infinite amount of stars upon stars. If you look for them, you can find different constellations such as the big dipper, and if you watch carefully, you could even make a wish on a shooting star. The moon is also something interesting to look at; you can see when it is full or when it is just a tiny crescent. Some nights the moon may even change its color.

The sky is an amazing thing, and it often times can even influence how your day goes. Naturally, people are usually not as outgoing when it is gloomy out than when it is bright outside. Some people even may become slightly depressed during the winter months when everything turns all grey and brown outside. On the other side, during the summer while there is so much color, people are most likely happier and more willing to go outside and do more things. Everything that you see can change images completely depending on what is going on in the sky. (404)

Music

Music is one of the most important things in the world. Everyone listens to music, and everyone has their own opinion of what ‘good music’ is. There are so many different varieties, too; Pop, Rap, Country, R&B, and more. Some people stick to their genre, while some enjoy listening to many different types of music, music that suits them.

Not very many people like country music. In fact, a lot of people hate it. The radio in my car is usually set to country music, and on the days I take two classmates home from school, the one that sits in the passenger seat changes it from country to pop. I don’t mind as I like both, but there is something about country music that I cannot get enough of. My dad is one of those people that don’t like country music at all. All he hears when he listens to it is a “hick singing about his dog and his truck and a girl.” Although with some songs that statement is very true, I always seem to find a little more. Country music calms me.

Whenever I am trying to sleep or reduce my over thinking or simply relax, music is what I go to. I can spend hours just laying down listening to the lyrics of song after song, dissecting them, relating to them, and painting a picture in my head of what my own interpretation of the song is. Music can influence you; if you allow it, it can change your mood completely. Sad songs will make you sad and lazy. Happy songs can make you want to dance. Romantic songs can make you want to be with your loved one.              

Then there are the songs that influence your mood because of the memory with which you attach the song. There may be a song that reminds you of a great time you had with your friends or family, and will cause you to smile and want to go back to that time, even for just the duration of that song. There may be songs that you relate to something sad happening, which can leave you breathless and teary-eyed. Either way, it affects you. Music is so powerful when you let it be, and I hope that people see the beauty of it. (378)

A True Sense of Belonging

Personally, I tend to pride myself on being independent. Having a job and earning my own money, having a car and driving myself and others to wherever is needed for me and those others to go, and  being fine with finding ways to stay busy even while alone. Having this mindset can become difficult though, and although I do my best to maintain it, I’m only human, and so it can only go so far. My friends are the ones who keep me grounded, and are always there for me when I lose track of where I am and what is really needed.

This past weekend, I have fully realized just how lucky I am. I also realized never to leave my house barefoot and with no keys assuming my brother would stay home for the night. I was locked out and stressed. My friends helped me through it though; one gave me a ride home, another insisted I wear his shoes, even if they were bigger, to the point where my toes touched wear the balls of his feet would be. One even waited outside with me until my mom finally came home to let me in.

The next day proved even worse. As I was driving around with some of my friends, my car started smoking and leaking some sort of yellow substance. We had no idea what was wrong or if it was still save enough to drive, and there were some other girls waiting at another friend’s house for us to come back. Just as last time, I was stressed, and it was cold outside. I texted someone what was wrong and without me even having to ask three friends showed up at my car to help. The girls at the other house came and joined us as we all huddled around my car. One made sure I was warm enough by sharing her sweatshirt, and I mean sharing; we both were inside one big sweatshirt and weird as it may sound, it was very comfortable. The three friends that had come to rescue us offered to even take my car back to my place, telling me I should go have fun with the girls. That one of them would be sure to take me to work in the morning as my car definitely was not safe enough to drive. That another would come by the house to make sure he was awake to take me.

The friends I have now I can honestly say are amazing people. It may seem we are too close sometimes, or that we may get into fights at times, but we are all always here for each other if one needs it. They are the people I feel most comfortable and content around, the people that sometimes I think may know me better than I even know myself. Even though I like to pride myself on being so independent, I don’t know what I would do without my friends. Forever thanks. (501)

My Pets

Growing up, I have personally had a lot of different adventures with pets. I love animals, and so I would always beg my parents for a pet during the small time increments between my pets. First, when I was really young, we had a pet bunny named Sniffles. Sniffles was a different kind of bunny; when you let him out, he would run around the house crazily, leaving his black and white hair all over. That isn’t even the bad part though… I swear almost every time he jumped, he would have some sort of accident on our carpet that my mom would have to clean up. Sniffles didn’t last long in our house, as I was too young to clean up after him, my parents weren’t going to do it, and my sister didn’t have the guts to, so we had to get rid of Sniffles the bunny.

                After Sniffles, we got a yellow lab named Raja, like from Aladdin. She was such an adorable and friendly dog. She didn’t know how big she was though; always knocking over my little brother and the small kids my mom babysat. Then my brother started to get horrible allergic reactions to her fur, so we had to get rid of Raja too.

            One year for our birthdays, my uncle gave me and my sister both hermit crabs. I never actually came up with a name for my crab; the name changed almost daily, but I loved playing with it. Both our hermit crabs had horrible luck though. My sister’s got squished whilst trying to switch shells. Mine got dropped by one of my friends at the time. It was quite tragic.

            After that I had a hamster, and the hamster never really had a set name either. I think I called her Daisy most of the duration of her short life. Daisy was a dwarf hamster who lived in a cage with bars far enough apart that she could escape and go on adventures. There were many times when I would go to school so worried because she wasn’t in her cage that morning, and then we would eventually find her somewhere wandering in the house and have to put her back in her cage. I enjoyed having her around, until one day I had a friend over and she asked to play with my hamster, I said sure, just poke her to wake her up. This time though, Daisy didn’t wake up.

            Once in the summer my sister, brother and I got really bored and decided to go to Petco, and while there, we fell in love with mice. After a long time of convincing, our parents let us buy them as long as we kept them in a cage in my room. I named mine Hercules, and I was so excited to have him. The mice only lasted about a week though, as my brothers had been apparently sick. My brother’s mouse died and the other two caught his sickness through cannibalism. Gross, I know, but they’re mice. Soon after that Hercules and Oreo died.

            I’ve also had a variety of fish; one because when I was out one night with friends, one of them decided it would be fun to surprise-buy me a fish. I put the fish in a bowl and we named him Olly. Then we got the bright idea to put a toy Patrick in the bowl along with a rock. A big rock. A rock that we didn’t clean well enough. That fish lasted for only a few days.

            As you now know, I never have a lot of luck with pets, except for my current dog, Brodie. He is seven years old and although sometimes sick and usually a little aggressive, he is still quite lovable. He is a very interesting dog; he is very lazy, but never too lazy to run throughout the entire house whenever the mailman comes by. He loves bread and to be pet, but only on his time. He loves to lie out in the sun, and his random barking while I stand by him never fails to scare me. Animals are one of my favorite things in life, and so I plan to have a lot of pets when I am older, pets that I would make sure to actually properly take care of. (727)

Labor Day

                There is a tradition in my family, and that is Labor Day. Every year, we gather some of the people on my dad’s side of the family and eat breakfast at the same park in the same pavilion. Everyone brings food… everyone brings the same food. There is always chocolate milk, orange juice, eggs, little smokeys, my aunt’s egg and cheese and bread creation, and whatever my mom decides to make last minute that morning as she says, “I swear I woke up early enough to get this done before breakfast this year!” Of course, every year we get there just in time and her dish is always a hit.

Everyone begins by sitting in their own immediate family circle at different picnic tables, but then we all end up getting up and moving around until everything is mixed and everyone is in conversation. I can always count on my great aunt Kay to say something sarcastic and laugh at her own joke as I walk up to them with my hands full of food. I always know that sometime during the picnic, my grandma will give one of the family members a newspaper clipping about something that she deems completely interesting and relevant to the person she gives it to. I am always ready to be excited about what new family drama is going on (my family is huge) and to hear about stories of my little cousins that I don’t see very often. I even know exactly where to look in the pond to find a branch sticking out, a branch I once convinced my brother to be an alligator.

Although I always know exactly who will be there, what we will eat, and that following breakfast we are all expected to go down and feed the ducks no matter how old, I always look forward to it. We all may complain that it is too early in the morning for this, or that there are too many mosquitoes or that the park may be boring for the younger kids, but we are all always happy to be there. (351)

My Job

When I turned 16, I started my job search. I decided to go the same path as my older sister, and I now work at a grocery store. My job can be fickle; there are days when I have nothing but fun, not only with my coworkers but with the customers that come through my line. But then there are days when I dread going to work all day and while I am there I want nothing more than to go home. This just depends on my mood and the mood of the people who are around me.

            On the days that are bad, they are bad for many reasons. For one, my coworkers can be grumpy. Another reason is that I am so clumsy sometimes, and I just have days where I seem to drop everything; from quarters to even groceries. Also, customers can be incredibly rude. Some come through talking on their phones, and just completely ignore you. Some come through already mad at some sort of indecent event that occurred in the store, and so they automatically will make faces and have a snotty tone of voice towards you. Then there are the customers that will blame you for anything that goes wrong, including a coupon that just won’t work the way that they want it to. Although these are bad, they aren’t even the worst. Some customers will get angry enough to even yell at you for simply trying to help.

            Although some days can be just awful, there can be days that I honestly enjoy working. My coworkers can sometimes be the highlight of my day; joking around with each other, playing rock paper scissors for who has to clean the break room, or even playing eye spy when it gets really slow and the managers aren’t around. Customers aren’t always so bad either; I love having a good conversation with them about anything and everything that may pop up. I also enjoy the optimism some people have when I ask them if they are having a good day, and they respond with “I’m having a good every day!”

            Some people may find it crazy because working can be stressful and takes away a lot of time from other things I could be doing, but overall, I enjoy having a job. Not only do I receive money, but also a lot of good stories I wouldn’t otherwise have. (403)