AP Test Stress

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Imagine that you're sitting on the couch watching, I don't know let's say The Big Bang Theory, and they start talking about their scientific nerdy stuff which reminds you of what you're learning about in chemistry. This then leads you to think about how you really like chemistry and wished you would have taken AP Chem instead of AP Environmental Science but you just don't know if you could handle that type of AP class. Then you start thinking of how many you're taking next year and how you are going to have to take five AP exams and how that's absolutely crazy then

BAM!

You remember that your first AP exam for THIS YEAR is five days away and you are totally not prepared. Where did the time go? Just yesterday it was winter and snowing and....oh wait. Dang it, May! You made me think it was still winter and I still had months before my test!
Okay so this week's snowfall didn't really trick me into thinking I still had a while before my tests but it did sneak up on me. Not completely, though. I have been studying but I still don't feel prepared for my Friday one. AP Lang is a class where you can't just memorize flashcards like in biology or even history. Also, there aren't 'right' answers. Everything in LA is all based on point of view and opinion and if the person writing the test has a different opinion than I do, I'll get the question wrong. It's just stressful.
This year I am taking three tests: AP Lang (Friday), AP US Gov./Pol (Tuesday), and AP US History (Wednesday). The one I feel the most confident about is my Government test because this whole third term we have been working on reviewing for the exam and my teacher really helps you figure out a way to study that best fits YOU and how YOU work. I'm probably not going to get a five on the test but I'm hoping for at least a three! Right now I am just going through a ton of flashcards and notes that my friend let me borrow from when he took it last year. The flashcards are actually really helping. What a surprise, right?
So if you're taking an AP test in the next couple of weeks just remember to not stress out about it and continue to study in a way that works best for you.
Oh and here's a quick tip that I used when I took my AP Psych Exam last year: Don't study the night before the test. I just went to bed early and got a good night sleep. If you study right before you go to bed the night before the test, you'll stress yourself out and make it hard for you to sleep.
So yeah that's it! Good Luck!

~Skooogster(:

Crime is Pride...or is it?...

525 words

Think: all men make mistakes

But a good man yields when he

Knows his course is wrong,

And repairs the evil: The only

Crime is pride.

According to this excerpt from Antigone, by the classical Greek playwright, mistakes are bad; that they make you an evil person if you don’t go back and fix them. True, if you steal from a store and don’t feel a smidge of remorse this doesn’t apply to you because you are on track to becoming a serial killer. Mistakes that can hurt or harm others should be gone back to and fixed but what about a simple, innocent mistake? If someone was hanging out at the mall and thought they saw someone and called out to them but it turned out not to be who they were expecting, they don’t have to go up to the person and ‘repair the evil’ mistake. It was an honest mistake.

But there are also some mistakes that have created things we would never have invented if someone hadn’t let their mind wander a little too long. For example, the microwave oven. Percy Spencer was an engineer who was experimenting with radar and vacuum tubes when he noticed that the bar of candy that he had in his pocket started to melt. He decided to test this on other things like popcorn and ta-da! You have yourself an invention that is used in most homes in America every day. What if Percy Spencer hadn’t had a candy bar in his pocket that day? We wouldn’t have a microwave oven. It’s as easy as that.

A different example would be when two brothers tried to boil a pot of grain, they accidentally left it on for too long. When they went back for it, the grain had molded but there was something else, too: a dry and thick product. When the brothers the mold off, they were left with a golden brown flake known to every American household: Corn Flakes.

Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t know what I would do without my microwave oven or my bowl of corn flakes in the morning before school. I am glad that these people made the mistakes they had made. What if Percy Spencer had realized, ‘oh I have a candy bar in my pocket! Better take this out!’ or if the two brothers hadn’t left the grain on the stove for too long and checked on it regularly? According to the excerpt from Antigone, they are evil people and should have gone back and ‘repair the evil’. But they aren’t. Percy created a faster way to cook food which shaves off hours of cooking and the two brothers invented an easy and healthy breakfast that will keep you full all day. I wouldn’t say those were products of evil.

Yes, some mistakes are evil ones and the people that make them should go back and fix them. But not every mistake is bad. So many things that we use in our day-to-day lives were created because of a simple mistake that someone made. If you make a mistake, don’t fret over trying to fix it if it was something simple. Even if it was something big, you never know what can be born from just a simple mistake.

 

~Skooogster(:

One Month to Go!

317 words

The end is in sight! There are only 23 days left of school and the seniors only have 15. The weather is starting to get nice, the grass is green and all anyone really wants to do is be outside, and out of school.

Everyone’s heard of ‘senioritis’ but honestly, I think it applies to everyone, not just seniors. As a junior, I know that this is my third year of having this ‘senioritis’ feel. Every year by this time, around the end of April, beginning of May, teachers start counting down the days left. Focusing is pretty much nonexistent. I am seriously struggling with finding decent enough topics to blog about, even. All I want is for it to be summer so I can be outside and not have to worry about school for three more months.

But then I’ll look back on the other days of school that I’ve had. It’s gone by so quickly. I posted my first post on August 28^th. I remember the first day of school and it is so hard to believe that eight months have passed. We have sat in classrooms, having information spewed at us for eight months. Isn’t that crazy? It feels like it went so fast, yet at the same time, so slow.

That’s when I realize that in 23 days, I’m going to be a senior and how my high school career is almost over and if this year went fast then next year will be ten times faster and before I know it I’m out on my own going to college up at UNI and…

Okay. I have to take a deep breath. I’m still a junior and have a whole summer ahead of me. Oh yeah, and finals and three AP exams to take before that but in 23 days, it will be summer. And I plan on making it an amazing summer!  

 

~Skoogster(:

Bullying

549 words

You know, I’m actually surprised that I haven’t blogged about this yet. Bullying is a huge problem and finally, people are starting to realize that bullying is more than one kid beating up another. According to Marriam-Webster Dictionary, a bully is one habitually cruel to others who are weaker. Nowhere in there does it mention physical abuse. For the longest time people thought bullying was physical but they failed to see the emotional and verbal aspect of it.

From about second grade to sixth grade I was bullied. I was never beat up or hit once but I was bullied all the same. But when I would tell the teachers they shrugged it off because they didn’t see it as bullying. They blamed me for it. They said that I was being oversensitive and insecure and that’s why I would go home crying. They didn’t think that the constant teasing would be considered bullying.

To an onlooker, it wouldn’t have seemed like much. A comment here and a comment there but nothing too harsh. But to me, it was horrible. It wasn’t just one comment once. No, it was one comment thrown at me by five different people, ten times a day, and every day. Asking them to stop became pointless because I knew that they wouldn’t stop. Telling a teacher soon wasn’t a possibility because I was ‘too sensitive’.

I have to be honest and say, yes I was a little weird when I was little but as I got older I became more ‘normal’. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was just as normal as you but my other classmates couldn’t get passed who I used to be and would still make fun of me using the same worn-out joke that I have heard for years. So. I moved.

If my classmates couldn’t accept my change then I had to move to somewhere that they don’t know my history.


I moved schools and haven’t been bullied since. But also, since then, teachers and parents and the whole world has become more aware of what bullying means. We have started to learn that bullying is more than just physical. Someone can get hurt by a few words. You might not see the harm in it but having someone be rude to you or make fun of you constantly tears you apart inside. You’re never the same. You constantly flashback to your time in elementary school when things were so bad and it makes you sick that people would think it was okay to act like that to another classmate.

It’s really hard to forget what people have said. If I hadn’t repressed most of the memories I could tell you everything that was said to me. But fortunately, I don’t remember too much. I have been able to push them from my mind and I can’t even force them to the front. They’re gone and I don’t want them back.

So please, I cannot stress thing enough. Think before you speak. I know you hear that from teachers and parents and everyone but this time it’s coming from a victim; someone who has been verbally bullied before. I don’t want other kids to have to go through what I did. Please. Think before you speak.

~Skooogster(:

College Visits

310 words

So today I went on my first college visit. Well, my first 'official' visit. I've toured some before but never an in depth organized visit. And let me tell you, it was amazing.

Since I'm only a junior in high school I thought that I would be the only one there but actually the other two in my tour group were juniors as well!

It is never too early to start visiting colleges. I am the kind of person who likes to get things out of the way so I want to know where I'm going when it comes to senior night at the last home football game. It is such a good experience to go to these schools. I went during the day so I ate lunch when a lot of the students were at lunch and there were always students walking around the campus. It really gave it that real feel that you will get when you go the the school. It was amazing.

People always say that they know they've found the right place once they take their first step on campus. I haven't visited any other schools but I can tell you that I felt very at home while I was walking around the UNI campus. It just felt right.

I am planning on visiting other schools as well but I'm not sure that I will find one as perfect for me as UNI. I want to go into Special Education and play in the marching band. UNI had great programs for both.

If you are a junior thinking about going on some college visits I strongly suggest that you go. The earlier you go, the more time you have to make your decision. Plus, you can just get it out of your way and just enjoy your senior year and not worry about college visits!

 

 

~Skooogster(:

When One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

478 words

I get home today and get the mail and there are three things addressed to me. All three of them are from three different colleges telling me about one thing or another. One was about Cornell College but that one isn’t important to what I’m talking about here. The other two were telling me about summer camps that they had. One of them, from Concordia Nebraska was giving me dates and times of their volleyball camps. The other, from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, was telling me about various summer marching band camps that they are having. This was kind of a wake-up call to me. Not really, but it just showed me how my interests have changed from even a year ago.

A year ago I was head-over-heals crazy about volleyball. I wanted to play on varsity and play in college, possibly getting a scholarship to a small school. My parents and I spent so much money and time on volleyball camps and teams and clinics and private training. But this fall, all of that was taken away when I got my concussion and was out the whole season. I was devastated.

Little did I know that my concussion would open up a whole different door that would make my college choosing process so much simpler.

I was Drum Major for my school’s marching band, as many of you know, and I guess I was lucky because if I had been a regular marcher, my doctor wouldn’t have let me participate because, as silly as it sounds, I could get hit with a color guard flag or a trombone slide or something. (Don’t laugh, it’s happened before!) Being Drum Major made me realize how much I love band and how much I actually missed marching so I thought, “hey, why don’t I just march in college?” so that’s what I’m going to do.

A year ago I was determined to play volleyball in college but now it has taken a break in the back of my mind. So when I got two post cards in the mail, one about volleyball and the other about marching band and I got really excited about the band one that just showed me where my interest lies.

The sad thing is, my family is thinking about going on a vacation the same week as the band camp so my chances of going are slim. The UNL marching band is one of THE bands to be in. They are amazing and honestly, it is my dream to be in that band but the school isn’t exactly strong in the areas I want to go into like UNI does (where I’m 98% sure I’m going). They also have auditions and, frankly, I don’t know if I’m good enough to get in. But hey, if you aim high, you’ll land among the stars, right?

~Skooogster(:

A Walk in Dublin - my poem

A Walk in Dublin

 

1 I gaze out my window

2 On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day

3 There are cars buzzing¹ by

4 Streets brimming with bustling people

 

5 I walk outside though the front entrance

6 Lit up by green lights, I am greeted by your smile²

7 The streets narrow as the distance between us

8 The pavement curving crookedly

 

9 I take in a breath

10 Savoring the March breeze

11 Feeling the brisk air upon our pinkish cheeks

12 I advance with caution

 

13 The glow of the street lamps

14 Glitters like silver upon the River Liffey³

15 The water drifts lazily beneath the dim arches

16 And I grab for your hand as the chill settles in

 

17 The once illuminated sidewalk

18 Had now grown dim

19 Vacant in mind and alone in spirit

20 Together, we are alone⁴

 

21 A light mist begins

22 Water sprinkles and dances⁵ its way off the leaves of trees

23 Wetting the grand green grass^6&7

24 Gently numbing our delicate faces

 

25 We stray from the main roads

26 Down the elaborate pathways of stone and brick

27 That wind through such magnificent parks and meadows

28 Our feet pressing upon the soft ground with each step

 

29 Our eyes then smiled at each other⁸

30 We are flooded with desire

31 And just the slow pitter-patter of our hearts can be heard⁹

32 As we dissolve into the horizon

 

33 Only a walk through

34 The drizzly Dublin night

35 A walk with you

 

 

 

 

1 - Onomatopoeia: “buzzing”

2 - Synecdoche: "greeted by your smile”   It’s a synecdoche because obviously the person greeted me, but the smile stands for the whole person.

3 - Simile: “glitters like silver. . .” This simile helps show how beautiful and amazing the River Liffey is. (This is the river that goes through the center of Dublin)

4 - Paradox: “together we were alone”  This paradox is deep because it first shows the reader that we’re together, but then secondly reveals that no one else is around; it’s ironic because they’re alone—together.

5 - Personification: “water sprinkles and dances”   water can’t dance!

6 – ALITERATION: “grand green grass”

7 - Imagery: “grand green grass”   This is only one example of imagery in the poem, but there are a couple of others too!

8 - Personification: “Our eyes then smiled at each other”  eyes can’t smile! Thus, this creates a picture of eyes twinkling as they would if someone was actually smiling.

9 - Diction:  again, not the only example, but in this particular instance, words like ”pitter-patter” and “flooded”  help relate back to the theme of rain that occurs throughout the poem.

 

~Skoogster(:

P.S. yes I know it is over 28 lines but I really like it sooo...yeah!

 

You Are More Beautiful Than You Think

274 words

Maybe you have heard of the new Dove soap commercial but if you haven’t, I thought I would fill you in.

Dove recently came out with a new commercial called Dove Real Beauty Sketches. They had someone come in, Gil Zamora, who is a forensic artist. A forensic artist works in criminal stuff. Someone can describe a possible suspect and he draws what they describe. Dove had him come in and put him behind a curtain and had different women come in and describe themselves to him. Later, they had someone else who had just met the other person describe them. The differences were shocking! Here is the commercial…

 

 

 

What did you think? Pretty awesome, no?

When I first saw this, the first thing I thought of was our Miss Representation unit in my AP Lang class. The whole unit we talked about how the media affects the way women see themselves and this is a perfect example of how it plays into our everyday lives. These women in the commercial are your average woman, not jaw-dropping gorgeous yet not hideously ugly. They are just that plain and simple beauty. Yet when they describe themselves, they describe themselves in a degrading way, making them appear less than they actually are.

I think this was an eye opener for women all over. How you see yourself is NOT how others see yourself. You may hate the color of your eyes, thinking they have no distinct color to them but to someone else, your eyes might be your best feature. It’s pretty amazing to see how you see yourself compared to how someone else sees you.

 

~Skooogster(:

Dr. W: The Best of the Best

582 words

This is the last year that Kennedy will be the Kennedy High School that I have grown to love.

We have one of the most, no, scratch that, THE most amazing principal ever. I honestly don’t know what we would do without her. But unfortunately, I am going to have to learn. A few months ago, Dr. W. told the staff that she would be resigning after this year. It came as a shock to all of us, students and administration alike. For a lot of the teachers, Dr. W. hired them and they have work under her for a long time. For me, she has been my principal for the last three years.

Okay so you’re probably wondering why this is such a big deal. She’s only a principal, right?

Wrong.

Dr. W. is more than just a principal. She is the most amazing woman I have ever met. Kennedy is like her family. She treats us with respect and tries as hard as she can to fix our problems. She comes to as many activities as she cannot because she feels it is her obligation as principal, but because I honestly believe she WANTS to. She drove all the way to Valley High School in Des Moines, a two hour drive on a Saturday to watch our marching band perform. If that doesn’t show dedication to my school, I don’t know what does.

Also, she tries to get to know you on a personal level, but not in a creepy way. She makes it her job to know each and every student’s name that goes to Kennedy…and we have over 1800 students. I don’t even know all the names of the kids in my grade, let alone the whole school!

One of the best qualities of Dr. W. is that it doesn’t matter who you are: if you’re a good student or a bad one, get into a lot of trouble, or don’t, she will take the time and talk to you and talk you through anything you could be going through. I mean, I haven’t talked to all 1800+ kids, but I haven’t heard someone criticize Dr. W. once. I’m pretty sure we all love her and will all agree that next year, without her, is going to be extremely different.

The hardest part for me, though, is the fact that my senior year, my LAST year at Kennedy will be without Dr. W. It’s just kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around. Next year when I walk across the stage at graduation, I won’t be shaking her hand; I will be shaking the hand of someone I have known only a year. And I’m not saying he or she won’t be good. They could be the next best thing after The Dubs. All I am saying is that one year won’t be enough for the person graduating me to get to know me like Dr. W. knows me. I’m finding it hard to see myself as a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School without shaking her hand.

So here is my plan:

She comes to every graduation party she is invited to. Her husband works at a local high school. Next year I will just drive over there, give him my invite to give to her. When she comes, I will have my mom take a picture of me shaking Dr. W’s hand. Only then will I be able to completely graduate high school.

~Skooogster(:

Honor Bands

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Today I went to my first ever honor band at Coe College. I had never been to one before so I had absolutely no idea what to expect!

After we signed in and got registered, we were sent to an area with other people who play the same instrument as you to have chair auditions. Luckily for me, it was my lesson teacher doing auditions for flute so it wasn't anywhere as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be! That took about an hour (there were about eighteen flutes! Yikes!) then we were all squished into a small band room. It was hot and stuffy. Not the most ideal setting for musical instruments, that's for sure!

We rehearsed for about two and a half to three hours before dinner. I was so hungry I could barely play a good note on my flute. The food was pretty decent considering we ate in the Coe dining hall. After eating in college dinning halls it isn't hard to see how easy gaining the 'freshman fifteen' is. They had an icee machine!

After dinner we had two more hours of rehearsal. My lips are so sore. I've never played that much for that long.

The music that we are playing is actually really fun! We are playing four pieces: two fast and two slow. The fast ones are going to need a lot of work done on them before next weekend when we all meet up again for our last rehearsal and our concert but they will get there. They aren't totally impossible!

If you have ever wondered what an honor band is like, well, there you go! I mean, this is the only one i have been to but I'm sure they are pretty similar in what they do! But just know going into it that you are going to have chapped lips and sore hands when you're done.


~Skooogster(:

Websites Need to be More Organized.

273 words

So I’m currently pulling my hair out trying to fix my works cited page on my argument and persuasion essay I wrote last term. I admit, yes I did use easybib.com but I went back and changes some formatting things that I knew easybib didn't do. However, now I need to go back and put in a publisher and publication date. My teacher told us that if you go to the bottom of a web page, you can usually find a link that says 'about us' or something like that and you can find some of those missing parts. I've just gone to two sites that I needed to find this information for and there isn't an 'about us' link or anything of the like. So how am I supposed to find these things? Information on a University's website is going to be used and they should know that. People write books and provide the publisher, publication date, and author, everything needed for a works cited page. Magazines do the same thing. Pretty much everything else does except the website of the three university websites I looked at.

I am getting really frustrated right now because I have honestly looked at every single possible link that could take me to find the publisher for my works cited page. It would not be that hard to add just a quick link on the bottom of the page with this information.  

If a person who creates web pages for universities and colleges is reading this, please consider supplying this information. It would make language arts classes everywhere much easier and a whole lot less stressful!

~Skooogster(:

It's Prom Season Again!

626 words

So, it’s that time of year again where everyone is getting ready for PROM! Yay! And for us girls, that means finding a dress. Now let the fun begin….

For most senior girls, you will get a dress no matter what because, hopefully, you will go even without a date. Unfortunately, I’m not a senior; I’m a junior, who got asked 22 days before prom. That didn’t leave a TON of time to find a dress but it’s still enough. Well, for me it was. I did find some good websites along the way even though I got mine in a store (today!). Sorry, but I won’t put a picture of my dress on here because I don’t want my date to see it until prom. Maybe I will add it later!

One of them is www.jjshouse.com. They have beautiful dresses at reasonable prices especially now when most people’s dress shopping is done but there are still those last minute shoppers. Kind of like me. Also, what I like about this website is, I believe you can get every dress in every color. So if you like the style you can most likely get it in the color that you want. It also allows you to send in your measurements for people who need custom sizes, like me. I have such wide shoulders that it is honestly hard to find a dress that will zip up past the middle of my back. It is very frustrating. This is one of the dresses I considered from this site.

Approximate shipping time: 14-17 days

Another site I looked at was www.merledresses.com. They have nice dresses but unfortunately, most were out of my price range. I actually found the dress that I REALLY wanted on there but it was almost twice as expensive as it was on the other website. This website also has the custom size option.

Approximate shipping time: 17-28 days

The last site I was looking at was www.livedresses.com. Their prices range from high to low but they are more in the middle of the previous two. This is where I found the dress that I absolutely loved. I got really excited because it 1. Had custom sizing and 2. Had a place to put when your prom is. This made me really happy because I thought, maybe if I tell them my prom is in 18 days they can tailor it and get it to me within the time period. But here’s the catch: April 27 wasn’t even an option for me to select. The earliest date I could chose was in May. And also when I put in my measurements it would say ‘false’ under some of them while when I put them into another website, it didn’t question it. So apparently, people like me who have weird body shapes can’t shop there. So I got a little disappointed. I would probably try it again if I had more time. It’s probably a great site if I had more than 18 days to find a dress. So it isn’t all bad! I’m just not recommending it for people who are short on time. This is the dress that I was seriously considering:

Approximate shipping time: 12-27 days

Fortunately I found my dress today at a store called Elegant Repeats. It has new and used dresses (mine was used) with prices ranging from $64 all the way up to $300+. I was lucky enough that this dress fit me PERFECTLY. Whoever wore it before me must have been my height exactly.

If you are short on time like me, I would definitely recommend looking at local stores. You can always get it tailored and there are some people who can do it within a week!

 

~Skooogster(:

Scrapbooking Ireland

438 words

So I’ve started to make my Ireland scrapbook. Somehow I managed to take 1000+ pictures and decide on about 250 to put in it. It was not an easy task! There were so many pictures that I loved but obviously I couldn’t put them all in! I’ve never really made a trip scrapbook. I’ve made one for my friend for her birthday (which I have to say, I’m pretty proud of!) but this is a little different. I don’t have a thousand pictures of me and my friend (at least not then) to choose a select few for the book. Then not to mention I had to find all of the pictures that other people took that I wanted from Shutterfly or Facebook and download those.

Then I had to find a scrapbook. I didn’t want something too boring but I didn’t want something so crazy that it would take away from my cover picture. I decided on a teal book that had an engraved floral print. Simple, yet pretty.  

Honestly, the longest, most tedious part of the whole scrapbooking process would be the actual making of each page and deciding on the layout you want and then having to glue everything on. My biggest problem is I always want every page completely filled up but when you are making a scrapbook there needs to be some white space! I’ve also gotten frustrated with patterns. A lot of patterns take away from what is in the picture or are difficult to write on. If you are using a patterned paper, try writing on a solid color and gluing that onto the page so it is easier to read. You may be able to read it now but in thirty years your eyes won’t be as sharp as they are now so do your future self a favor and make it easier to read.  

My mom is helping with mine and she said that every time I look at a picture I tell a different story about something that happened when it was taken. I think that is the beauty of pictures. There are so many stories contained in just one picture and every time you see it you will remember something else that you didn’t remember the first time.

I really can’t wait to see the finished product. I’ll probably think that looking through it will make me happy remembering all the fun that I had but in reality, just like when I thought that watching Leap Year (a movie set in Ireland) would make me happy, it will just make me long to go back even more.

~Skooogster(:

Age is but a Number.

377 words

You’ve all heard the cliché: ‘age is but a number’ right? Do you believe that? If a couple is happy together should age matter? Well, if it is a fifteen year old girl with a thirty year old guy that’s a little wrong. As you get older things start to get a little less awkward when it comes to age difference. But what about an older girl dating a younger boy?

Recently my friends and I have been talking about the unwritten guidelines of dating. Apparently, the guy is taller than the girl and the guy is older than the girl. But really, where did these come from? When did that become the norm and everything else is just...different? If a senior girl is dating a sophomore boy it's weirder than if a senior boy is dating a sophomore girl. Why is that? If they are happy together then why should age matter? I am actually friends with more underclassmen than upperclassmen so the odds of me dating a younger guy are greater than not. Also, I am very young for my grade. Currently, I am only 16 and I don't turn 17 until September. So technically, I am the age of most sophomores. True, I’d be a few months older but junior girl and sophomore boy just seems to have an awkward ring to it in today's society.

 

This probably comes from way back when, when girls about my age would be arranged to marry some thirty year old weirdo and the 'tradition' of guys being older than girls just continued as such.

 

But in my family, an older woman marrying a younger man is kind of normal. Especially on my Dad’s side. He’s the only one who married a younger woman in his family. So if I end up with someone younger than me, I would just keep going with the pattern of my dad’s side.

So girls, if you like someone who is younger than you, don’t think that it’s weird. Same thing goes with you guys, if you like someone older than you, don’t be afraid to go for her. It might not be the norm but there are plenty of guys who marry older women. IT’s not the norm but it’s acceptable!

 

~Skooogster(:

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ITDS: Idiodic Testing that Determines Scholarships

416 words

Okay okay, IOWA ASSESSMENT, whatever they're called, I still hate them. Three days of 110 minutes of testing that turns you from a person with a personality into a test score.

Everybody learns at a different rate but that doesn't make them dumber than you or you any dumber than everyone else. You know what it does make you though? A normal person. These timed tests don't show that much about a person other than their ability to take a test under stressful conditions. I mean, 40 minutes is NOT enough time for me to take a math test where half of the content I haven't even covered yet. But what disturbs me about this whole thing more is the fact that your test scores will determine your future. A person is more than a test score. A person has talents outside of academics, a personality that can influence more people than maybe the kid who got a perfect score on their ITDS.

Every year since third grade, I have been told that the better you do on these te3sts, the better chance you have to getting into the college that you want. What? Why should that matter? Okay, yes I understand that colleges want smart people but can’t that be determined by the classes they take, the grades they get and even their AP scores? Shouldn’t college acceptance be more about who you are as a person instead of who you are as a standardized test score?

The same goes for the ACT and the SAT.

I’m not saying that these tests are all bad. In fact, they challenge you to push yourself as a student to excel in your schooling but as a person who can know information inside and out yet still blank on tests, especially timed ones, I have been feeling more and more stressed out about my college searching process. As a junior, I really have to start looking and over the summer I’m going to start my personal essay. I’ve already taken the ACT once and got an okay score. If I really didn’t want to, I could easily make it into UNI with the score I got but I have been conditioned to believe that the higher ACT the better chance I have… which is true, but not right.

When I apply for my colleges I want them to look at me as more than an ACT or ITDS score. I want them to look at me as ME.

~Skooogster(:

The Long Lost Art of Letter Writing

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Dear Readers,
Remember way back when people would write letters to each other? Yeah, I don't either. We live in a world where everything is sped up to lightning-fast speeds and don't want to bother with waiting to get a response in the mail or want to take the time to actually write a letter to someone.
A simple letter can tell you so much about the person and what they are telling you about.
First of all, if you receive a letter in the mail today, that means that person who sent it doesn't want everything in life to be at your fingertips...literally.
Second, the handwriting alone can tell you if the person is excited to tell you about his or her day. I know for me, if I am really getting into what I'm writing my handwriting gets really sloppy because I just want to get it all down. It also makes them a person. When all you do is communicate through email or text, you turn yourself and the other person into, well, a robot; into a machine.
I really wish people would write letter more. I know that there are people who do still write them but unfortunately, the numbers are getting smaller and smaller as technology is making communication easier for us. If getting a text from that someone special makes you smile, imagine how happy you would be if they wrote you a letter.

Sincerely,
Skooogster(:

Has Facebook Killed Love?

489 words

Thanks to texting and social network sites it has become a lot easier to get to know someone…or has it?

 

Before Facebook or texting was a thing, people would write letters to each other or talk for hours on the phone. Or, even better, they would meet in person and talk about their day. Okay, so I know people still do these but let’s be honest: it isn’t as common as it once was.

Let’s say you meet someone you grow to like. And I mean like like. You used to exchange addresses or phone numbers and you would call each other and talk or write letters to each other. But today you find their profile on Facebook and send them a friend request and exchange cell numbers and text. I’m sorry to say but not a lot of relationships will work out if that’s how you’re going about doing it. They won’t last; eventually the two of you will drift apart sending one text once every week instead of every day until it trickles down to nothing. I’ve seen this happen enough times to know that trying to peruse a relationship based off of texting and Facebook is not easy. I’m not saying it’s impossible, though. But if you really are interested in this person, call them or maybe write them a letter. Show them that you are genuinely interested in them and want to get to know them better. Through Facebook, all you know about the person is what they want you to see.

Through Facebook and texting, relationships are rushed. Everything goes so much faster. There isn’t the long wait for their response to your letter or the anticipation of a phone all. Everything is sped up so we don’t have to wait anymore. You can send someone a text and they get it almost instantly. Conversation goes faster and before long, you’ve run out of things to say. Then what happens when you actually get together? What is there to talk about?

My friends and I were actually talking about this one time and we said that today, people will text or post whatever is on their mind. Let’s say you just saw a cat doing a back flip. You whip out your phone and immediately tell everyone in your contact list. Why don’t you just wait until you see your friends at school to tell them? That way face-to-face conversations aren’t awkward…which, unfortunately, they are thanks to texting and Facebook and other instant-messaging systems.

 

Facebook is fine for beginning a relationship. You get to see what they've done through the pictures they post, what they're thinking through their status updates but you don't get to know the real them until you sit down with them and talk to them or call them. Don't let a machine define what love is for you; it's up to you to find out what it is for yourself.

 

~Skooogster(:

To Ireland and Back Again

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I just got back from my amazing trip to the beautiful country of Ireland on Sunday and let me tell you, I did NOT want to come home! No matter where you go you will see green grass and have fresh air like you wouldn't believe! It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life.
After a long and exhausting eight hour flight to Dublin from Chicago, we got on a coach (charter bus) and toured around Dublin, stopping at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room.

The Long Room

The Book of Kells

Sunday was Saint Patrick's Day and I can honestly say that I have never seen so many people stretching their necks to their limits to try and see around the hundreds of people there. There were people on top of statues, churches, roofs, phone booths and hanging out of windows to try and see the parade. Unfortunately, it was a really cold and rainy day so the two and a half to three hour wait before the parade actually started was a bit miserable.

Okay so as much as I just want to recap EVERYTHING for you, I think I will just continue with the major sight seeing opportunities.

Blarney Castle:
This was one of my favorite days of the trip. I just wished we had more time to explore more of the castle. The main attraction at the castle is the Blarney Stone. If you lay on your back and hang over the edge of the castle and kiss the bottom most stone, you're supposed to be blessed with the gift of being social (or something like that). In order to get up to the top of the castle you were able to walk through most of it, seeing all the rooms like the kitchen and girls' rooms. The stairs however were freakishly narrow with only a rope that went from the top to the bottom to hang on to. the higher up you got, the narrower the steps got. Once at the top you can look out over the entire gardens of Blarney. It was so green and beautiful! Probably as green as we will ever get here unfortunately. And if you were wondering, yes I did kiss the stone and I even got a shirt that reads, "do you remember your first kiss?" pretty epic, no?

Just look at how green it is!

Blarney Castle, everyone!

The view from somewhat the top

Me going down to kiss the stone

Cobh:
Cobh is a little sea side town which is where the Titanic actually left from before it sank (at least I'm pretty sure. Sorry for all the uncertainty. I just know there was a lot of Titanic stuff at the gift shop). There wasn't much to do with the time given to us but a little down the road is a beautiful cathedral but we didn't have time to go see it. So if you ever go to Cobh, check it out and let me know what you think!

This is a statue of the first people to step foot on Ellis Island from either Ireland or Cobh.

Panorama of Cobh

Belfast:
Belfast is actually part of Northern Ireland which is part of Great Britain. There were British flags on every single lamp post. It was crazy. On our second day there, we took a tour and drove past the church that C. S. Lewis (author of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) went to church with his grandpa. Then we went to a high school and performed there and actually ate their school lunch and got to meet some of them. It was absolutely amazing to hear what life as a teen is like over there. Plus, they were all super nice (and I'm actually friends with one on Facebook!). Also in Belfast, there is the Titanic Museum where the legendary ship was built. I have never actually seen the movie all the way though but I do know the story. I highly recommend that you go visit the museum if you are ever in the area. If you ever get a chance to go to Belfast, check out Victoria Square Mall as well. IT'S AMAZING! it has an observation dome at the top where you can go up and pretty much see all of Belfast. Plus, it's kind of a indoor-outdoor mall which is hard to explain but it's still pretty cool!

the Titanic Museum

The last photograph ever taken of the Titanic before it sank



The church C. S. Lewis went to

The only Titanic memorial in the world with all the names of the people who sank



Victoria Square Mall

me at the top of the mall

Giant's Causeway:
Best. Day. Of. The. Entire. Trip. At least in my opinion and I don't even know why. It was probably one of the worst days weather wise. It was hailing and windy and raining and cold yet we all had a blast. Scientifically, the Causeway was formed by lava causing it to harden in hexagonal shapes but the myth goes that they were all once really tall and a giant ran away from another giant disguised as a baby (and if the baby was THAT big, he didn't want to mess with the dad!) and as he ran he hit all the rocks down. Me and my friends went to the top of the cliff where there was nothing to break the wind and it was just biting cold but we still managed to survive!

Me on the rocks

just the rocks

how cool is this?!

The beautiful cliff that we got to the top of.

Our last day was spent in Dublin where we had three hours to ourselves to shop and hang out and explore Dublin. Gafton Street is the main shopping area where most of the stores are. There are street performers and lots of good food. OH! If you ever go to Dublin, stop into an Insomnia Coffee shop and get a Hot Angel. So. Good! It's kind of like a white chocolate hot chocolate with vanilla or something delicious in it. I highly recommend it!

So that was my trip! If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, you should visit these places. Ireland is the most beautiful place I have ever been to and would jump at another chance to visit. I've already decided that I'm going to move to Dublin, live in a house with a red or blue Dublin Door, marry a cute Irish boy and have cute Irish kids.
It'll happen.

~Skooogster(:

Do the Harlem Shake!

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You have all probably heard about the latest trend sweeping the world: The Harlem Shake. It’s just like planking where it was really popular for a while no one really knew the purpose of it then it eventually fades away. The Harlem Shake is when THIS song plays and starts with one person dancing in the middle of a bunch of people who look like they are ignoring them then when the song says “Do the Harlem Shake” the camera kind of switches and in the next frame everyone is dancing (sometimes switching clothes entirely). How they do this is they will record the first part, turn off the camera, have the people start dancing and turn it back on so all we see is the quick switch. I’m not exactly sure what the purpose is in it but I do have to say that some of these do make my day. Here is a top five video: CLICK HERE!

Just like every other strange fads, this one will fade away but why not enjoy them while they last? I am currently trying to convince my AP Government and Politics class to do one and I think it would be hilarious if my whole school did one with my principal whereas this is her last year here at Kennedy. Fortunately, the teachers are doing a two and a half minute Harlem shake for our next pep assembly on April 12^th. Here is a sneak peak. I am so looking forward to seeing this!

In my AP US History class we will get papers with ‘trends of the 60’s’ and I will look them up and think why the heck would anyone try and see how many people they could fit into a phone booth?! (Phone booth stuffing) But if you flash-forward  fifty years from now students just like me will get a paper that says ‘trends of the 2010’s’ and on it there will be ‘The Harlem Shake’ and they will think that we are just as weird as we think people were back in the 50's.

 

~Skooogster(:

Freaky Food

416 words

Have you ever thought about where you’re food is coming from? It isn’t a question I ask myself daily but ever since we watched Food Inc. in my AP Lang class it has made me stop and think a little. Is what I’m eating safely made? How is it made? Where did it come from? And am I eating what I think I’m eating?

Here’s the thing: I am a huge meat eater, my whole family is, really. I will never turn down a nice juicy burger or a steak with garlic mashed potatoes no matter what I hear about what is in front of me. That’s just the way it is with me. Even though what I have been watching in LA is disturbing and quite disgusting, it’s not going to stop me from enjoying a steak dinner.

The meat that we eat comes from corn-fed cows. Now, cows aren’t supposed to eat corn, they’re supposed to eat grass. But corn is cheap and you can grow more of it faster and with the high demand for beef, we need a lot of big cows. Once they are big and beefy, they are taken to huge slaughter houses where they are kept in overcrowded corrals where they can barely move and end up standing knee deep in their own manure. It’s disgusting and is a breeding ground for all kinds of diseases.

Now know this, I’m not, by any means trying to convince you to stop eating meat or boycott meat made in these kinds of factories. It is understandable. Factory farms are a necessity to American life. We were talking in class yesterday about where would big cities like New York, Chicago, or LA get their meat if all factory farms were shut down? Easy. They wouldn’t. Here in Iowa, farms aren’t that hard to find. I mean, there’s one in my back yard for heaven’s sake! We could easily survive if factory farms were shut down. But those highly populated cities need somewhere to get their food. In my opinion, they should just make factory farms a bit more sanitary, that’s all.

So next time that you are at the supermarket look at the meat. It is possible to buy grass fed beef (meaning that the cow was fed on grass, not corn) but it’s a bit pricier than the corn fed manure caked cow. If you have the money to spare, try buying beef that came from a happy and healthy cow.

~Skooogster(: