portrait

Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to see the bigger picture. As a high school student I can vouch for this. Recently, actually about six hours ago my brother and sister came home from iowa city for christmas break. I couldn't have been more excited for them to be home because seeing both of them is rare, and I love my family when we are all together. It is truly pure comedy when we are together. All families are different but everyone knows that there are those people that you act different around because you are being yourself and you would trade a million and one things to be with those people. For me those people are my dad, my brother, and my sister. They came home and I immediately dropped everything to be with them. Forgetting the AP US History test that I had tomorrow and the three packets I needed to read. They came home and I thought I was on break too, but I was wrong and I figured that out around eight oh clock at night so that was a fun reality check. So now I am dreading waking up at six am to go to school for the next four days. Seriously is this a joke what are we suppose to get done in four days when a third of the kids already are leaving for break.
Then I took my step backwards, and gained a little bit of clarity. School still sucks no matter how many steps you take back, that needs to be acknowledged. My siblings may be home but I need to push through these days and just have some fun in school we do have holiday parties in most of my classes anyways. It is only four days, just four days. I am capable of handling this. Second I get to have family christmas on Tuesday night so I'll have tons of new clothes to wear to school. We have secret santa in my spanish class wednesday and thursday yet another reason to be at school! Also in the bigger picture it is about to be break and I get to spend time with the people I love and enjoy the joy of the holidays. It is truly a great time of year, whether you are giving thanks, or just encountering how much you truly have to be thankful for. The holidays are about giving selflessly because no matter what there is always someone out there that would kill to be you, no matter how awful you feel.

puppy love

It was a warm Kentucky afternoon, the kind of day you like to be awake and watch the sun rise. There was a warm orange glow coming off the horizon and the breeze brought in the smell of freshly cut hay. As we drove along the countryside I thought about my upcoming decision. With every second that passed I got more and more excited. All I could think about was how she would look and what she would act like, all I knew was that she was a golden retriever-poodle mix.

          As soon as we pulled into the rocky driveway, I jumped out of the car and ran to the huddle of fuzzy puppies, playfully nipping at each others ears. They smelt like grass, and each time the yelped my heart jumped. My mom, brother, and I played with the puppies. Deciding on just one of them was so hard. In the end my mom got the final say, she ended up picking the perfect one. We named her Zoey. She was playful and cuddly, she was all white and her ears were golden.
          Taking home that high energy, golden ball of fur, is one of the happiest times in my life. The feeling I get when I hold Zoey in my lap is total happiness. She just puts off a joyful vibe. Flying to Kentucky to get her was total worth it. There were no other golden-doodle breeders anywhere else. Thinking about that day brings a feeling that’s hard to find: the distinct smell of home, and the feeling of love and protection.
          Whenever I think back to that day it brings a bright smile to my face. A flashback to that day comes into my head. I can see the bright blue sky and the Kentucky roads. Something about the culture there feels a lot like home. Every time I think back to that day I know it was meant to be. Ever since that day I have learned that every moment of sadness is a moment you can never get back. In other words there are so many reasons to be happy, don’t let small stuff get you down.

friends close

I have recenlty discovered a group of friends that I feel really drawn to. One of the realizations that I have made is that I'm incredibly lucky to have these people in my life. Most people have a few paople maybe even just one but I have found a solid group of seven that I know will always have my back when I need them too. They are usually there even when I don't need them. We spend almost every weekend together, including most week nights as well. We have that level of comfortability around eachother that is unreal, and uncommon to many people. I would feel comfortable doing absolutely anything around these people and they treat me with respect and compasssion. The other night I could not stop crying so nick picked me up and took me to Laurens house where her and josh were and we all just hung out and had a relaxed night because everyone knew that I needed it. They all provided an awesome distraction for me that day, they even drove me to Dairy Queen without me having to ask. We just know those little things about eachother.
This Sunday my friends and I are having what we call snugglesmas, our friends christmas. My friends cat is named snuggles. We all went out and bought fairly nice gifts for eachother, and are all hyped up on anticipation for the big event. It will be fun to have an all day event to just relax during and enjoy the company of the good friends that we all have. A lot of people take that for granted, not many people have that close of friends that they can rely on and count on absolutely whenever they need them. True friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. For that reason I will hold on to these friends and do just about anything to make sure I do not lose them. They mean the world to me, and I would probably fight until the death for them.
In life all things that come and leave make an impact on you. It is up to you to decide how much or how little they affect you. It is also up to those peoplke and how much they givev and how hard they try, how much they care. It is truly a life changing experience, because once you experience that level of love and care you will be in turn more compassionate and loving towards others in hopes of finding that level agian.

give thanks

I'm going to do a whole list of things I'm thankful for today in the spirit of christmas! 

my puppy, fuzzy blankets, new water bottles, wrapping paper, bows, headbands, christmas cookies, reliable friends, popcorn, christmas trees, frost on the window, rosy cheeks, happy people, shopping, the hustle and bustle of life, salvation army bell ringers, pinterest, giving gifts, love, waiting in anticipation, getting something unexpected, something that shocks you so much you don't know how to feel, curly ribbons, candles, fireplaces adorned with stockings, little kids christmas outfits, bundled babies, sledding, a kiss under the missile toe, mugs of hot cocoa, a full tank of gas, secret santas, a new outfit, being genuinely happy, having a family that loves you, christmas album, micheal buble, new years eve, long warm hugs, new mittens, a cozy scarf, hot breakfast, waking up before your alarm, snuggling under the covers, fresh baked cookie smell, going out to eat, snugglesmas, the ravens great season, forgiveness, the reason for the season, baby jesus, only a week and a half of school until break, forgetting your homework and going to bed early, caffeine, best friends, second families, a confident smile, doing something for the greater good, falling in love, being hopeful, mini marshmallows, craving ice cream in the winter, finishing the ACT, writing an amazing essay, a sense of accomplishment, the rare times when a song comes on and is exactly how you are feeling, forgetting about something you ordered in the mail, communication, teachers that understand students, giving blood, people who have the ability to change your mood, being the only person that can reach the top shelf, new socks, chapstick which is in your pocket on accident, the cops, waking up to the most confusing situation, having a cuddle buddy, losing yourself in a good book, the university of colorado at boulder, college scholarships, a bandaid, hottubbing when its snowing, paper snowflakes, finding motivation, extra credit opportunities, volunteering, baby animals, stopping to smell the roses, bringing back an old tradition, changing the stereotype, big reading lamps, popsicles in the winter, orange juice to fight the colds, kids cough medicine smell, christmas sprinkles, college semester break, being a family, taking a vacation, the return of a military member to his family and countless others. What I am meaning to get across is that you should always count your blessings. We as humans manage to take even the littlest things for granted, holidays aren't the only time to be thankful the bible tells us to give thanks in all situations, what if you woke up with only what you thanked god for yesterday? Be grateful and live every second to the fullest potential. You never know what could happen, will you be happy with the image that flashes before your eyes?

you

     I think it takes a while to realize who you are; especially in high school. You do what your friends do, not because you have to, because you want to; we do absurdly crazy things that people would never even believe had happened because they sound that ridiculous to anyone who didn't witness it. It's a great time, really you have to get into nonsense trouble sometime in your life and high school seems to be the time for a lot of people. The thing about this is that with so much going on and influencing your decision making (whether it be conscious or not), is that it clouds you from, well, YOU. Which may get in the way of figuring out who you are as a person, and where your own opinion stands among the others. It is important to find yourself at some point, if not you will always lack a personality and people will walk all over you.
     Developing a personality comes from a lot of aspects in a persons life. Family for instance plays a role in your life, depending on how close you are and the morals of your family, most people tend to follow their families. In some cases it falls opposite because of resentment or hostile relationships everything is dependent upon your situation. Another factor is your talents and interests, ranging from sports to music to school and it also varies with your talent in those field. For instance if you are an all star football player you might be cockier than the first chair in orchestra and you might be shy if your talents aren't quite as shiny. How you react to that is yet another facto extrovertedly, your self confidence and ability to deal with what life hands you. Some people handle things more while some people suffer and will never say a word to anyone. Those people can range from the strongest to the most vulnerable people. All these different influences create your personality, which then affects what people think of you, where you go and what decisions you make.
     What I know is that you have to become somebody, embrace yourself. No one is more you than you, and absolutely no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong because your not. It is the one thing in life you have total control over, you can go anywhere and do anything that you imagine. Dream big, and follow your heart because you only get one life and it is only as fabulous as you make it. Don't let anyone get in your way or make you feel little, because you are BIG! You are capable of anything you set your mind to. So lover yourself, and respect yourself because that is the only you will get others to do the same.

     "be yourself, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

-Dr. Seuss

a weight

     I am going to attempt to reflect on a cliche, forgive and forget. Sometimes bad things happen, someone lies, you make a mistake, you tell a secret, you crash a car, & sometimes you THINK someone made a mistake even when they didn't. That's what I'm frustrated about, I believe you should always forgive and forget. You only live one life, and if you keep knotting yourself up in one stupid thing it will hold you back from everything else. You will be constantly absorbed with whatever your mind thinks has happened, especially if you don't have proof. Even in this situation there should be a forgiveness, let me tell you it's usually the bigger person. Often, the person being accused is usually the one that apologizes because they are so annoyed with the accusation. This usually doesn't make anything better. It is an awful situation, there isn't really a way to win. Although it could probably be fixed if the accuser apologized and acknowledged that they were wrong. It may be hard, but it is indeed the right thing to do. If you do have proof, forgiveness should be the same, in some ways, there should be an apology, a confession and forgiving statement. Forgiveness and forgetting is a slippery slope, some people say it is best to forgive but not forget. If you don't forget, my personal view is that, it is the same exact thing as never forgiving the person in the first place. The thought is still completely in you head and clouding your judgement. It is an important skill to learn how to move on, and get over it.
     I don't want to seem like I'm on a rant and I am aware it may appear that way. It is just a thought that has bottled in my head for a while. It is truly important to not let anything hold you back. In a nerdy way it's kind of like a math equation the more variables and obstacles you have to pass to reach the solution, the longer it takes to get to the clear. Life is the same way the more you bog yourself down with confusing/clouding up your head the harder it will be to live life. Who doesn't want to be care-free? I'm saying that you have to strip the weights off of yourself in order to run the race that has been set in front of you. No one is strong enough to carry that burden, maybe at first but it will catch up to you.

you know only the good die young

     Young Sir. Billy Joel, he was a man of entertainment. Born in the Bronx in 1949, brought up with music as his father was a pianist. He loved the music life, he dropped out of high school early in order to pour himself into his first album: cold spring harbor. Even more impressive he was playing piano at age four, and later at age seventeen inspired the beatles iconic Ed Sullivan Show performance. Overtaken with the eagerness of trying to make it as a rock star, Joel moved to LA to fly under the radar for a while. In 1972, he got an oppertunity working as a lounge pianist under the pseudonym Bill Martin. This time playing at The Executive Room on Wilshire Boulevard would later become of his song "Piano Man," which describes a sketchy lounge with un-important patrons. Joel gained momentum upon the popularity of his piano man single. Most of the songs to follow portrayed his frustration with hollywood, and foreshadowed his escape from LA. He had many successful songs, including two greatest hits albums, and many poeples choice awards and In 1989, on the heels of successful single "We Didn't Start the Fire," Joel was presented with the Grammy Legend Award. He was later inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame by his lifetime idol Ray Charles.
     Which brings me to my favorite Billy Joel song Only the Good Die Young. It was origionally about a girl he couldn't get to have sex with him because she was catholic and was saving herself for marriage. It was banned by the catholic school, which of course only drove the kids to want it more. In the end he still ends up without sex, so it is not really that bad of song in retrospect. It did though give Joel smashing success, he even wrote a letter to ask them to ban his next song as how much more popular this one became. "I wanna be the one because darling you know only the good die young." The song is just so upbeat and crazy fun, I could listen to it on repeat. So hear is to you Billy, sooner or later it comes down to fait, YOU might as well be the one!

brick wall

     I can confidently say that I have been through some pretty hard times. For example my life is about as much of a cliche rain storm as they come. Fortunately the extremely cliche rainbow has started to take shape. When I was eight my mom was diagnosed with cancer, at the time I really didn't understand what had happened but I had a hunch that it wasn't anything good. My brother has always been protective and the cancer pushed it even further. She fought it hard the first year and went into remission. From that my mom and I started a non-profit organization called Gems of Hope. It has been a huge success, I have learned how to write grants and give speeches to major hospital CEO's across the country to get tens of thousands of dollars. It has provided a lot into my life, it's weird looking back. If someone were to have asked me if I thought I would start a successful business in my childhood I would have laughed violently in their face. Turns out I would be come the fool in that situation. Anyways as my story continues about the time I turned ten my mom was re-diagnosed with a more aggressive breast cancer, it hit my family like a wall. All I could do was hope, because by now I had realized there was truly no turning back, and this is what began the slow tilting of my earth. It turned upsi-down. My mom was my best friend, both my parents, and the one that held me when my world fell. Now that she was falling with my world the world was looking pretty hard to hold onto. I went through a time of things I could never explain, I wasn't myself I did things the real me would never consider. That's kind of the funny thing I received massive criticism, when the most important lesson I have learned is that you should never ever make a judgement about someone whose shoes you haven't walked a mile in. I grew up a little. My mom passed away months before I turned thirteen. It was devastating and if you think your life is rough try losing your mom; especially as a girl. It's a lot harder than you can ever imagine. Although, what you don't know is that it still hurts, sometimes just as much as the day it happened. The support you get from your friends drops off a couple months after, but the real pan doesn't even set in until four months and then with all the milestones. So the grieving process is truly rather difficult, and unimaginable or describable to anyone who hasn't faced a wall. Let me tell you it hurts, and most people can't get up by themselves.

oh what fun

forgetting why you went downstairs

counting down to Christmas

I think it's safe to say that we all love a good holiday, especially the break that comes along with it. My favorite christmas memories come from my younger days. I would board the yellow rusty school bus and chatter with my friends, conviniently snuggled in a hideous furry winter coat, god knows what I was thinking when I picked it out. I would chatter with my so-called friends about all sorts of non-sense, usually who broke up with their boyfriend, and which teacher was a total jerk that day. My stop was one of the last on our bus route, so by the time my stop rolled around I was more than ready to scoot myself out of the plastery blue vandalized seats. I would hope of the bus and make the treacherous climb up my driveway, which is rather steep, especially with a fresh coat of ice. Anyhow, I always managed to reach the top. I would hop to my tippie toes and take my stubby fingers out of my pink polka dotted mittens to punch in the garage code. Then to be hit by a blast of warm, cinnamon air, followed by the serenade of frank sinatras new holiday album. I would climb up the metal kitchen stool to plop my bottum on the soft cushioned chair. I could have sat for hours, mostly because I would sit completely intrigued in my moms art of christmas cookie baking. She would start with the delectable sugar cookie dough, then she would magically roll it out the way a piece of paper unfurls. Then came the "kick the can" sound of cookie-cutters sledding down the counter. Then came the art of squishing as many cookies onto the sheet of flattened dough. Only to bring the scooping of cookies from the counter to the baking tray, with the usual beheading of a couple ginger children. Only to be canabalized by me as soon as my mom looked away for a millisecond. I'm not sure why I ever thought I got away with that, because I was obviously rocking some guilty chipmunk cheeks full of christmassy goodness. The aroma that smushed its way through the oven grates, was thick. It was absolutely delicious. I loved everything about christmas cookies, especially the decorating. I always got super into it, intricate designs with red hots, sprinkles, anything edible. I often found myself using toothpicks to ensure the finest detail within my cookies. Whick frequently led me to defend my cookies honors by delaying the consumption of my creations until the last minute. What can I say I can't resist a good holiday tradition, and if I may say so; it's beginning to look a lot like christmas :)

buried in school

     Today I finished my homework around three. Let me rephrase that, I thought I finished my homework around three. I was wrong. I woke up from my delightful nap to realize that I had indeed forgotten about my two blogposts and the extra credit for my advanced placement United States History class. Talk about a buzz kill. So I stepped off of the couch and headed to the kitchen counter to work on my homework that I had unfortunately forgotten. I think this is a problem for high school students everywhere. Sometimes it’s that day you sit on the couch and watch football all day, then get an epiphany at nine pm and realize you have a whole essay to write. Other times you just tell yourself you will do it the next day even though we all know you wont. There are so many easy ways to push of homework, and to forget about the work. What we often fail to realize as immature high schoolers is that in the real world you have to keep up, and even work ahead to stay in the thick of things. You want to enjoy life and no one enjoys those days when you have to play catch up.

     That is exactly what I had to do today. This weekend was the first weekend I had free because soccer just ended. So friday I went to a West High football game, then the Iowa game the following morning. Then that night I hung out with my favorite people. Until this morning when I unfortunately woke up at nine to realize I had tons of makeup work to do. This is extremely unlikely, and I am only in this position because I had the Langford Leadership both Wednesday and Thursday so I was feeling quite depressed, and mostly at fault for the amount of work I had to do today. I had a study guide due for AP US History, the AP Lang paper, blogging three times, a spanish oral, some psychology worksheets, test corrections, and a take home test. It was absolutely awful and this is my advice to other students. I hope for the sake of all the students that they don’t deal with this nonsense all the time. I happen to know that most students do put things off and pull all nighters to maintain semi-decent grades. Sometimes I worry about the world. 

the dark knight

It is currently and it is five thirty-nine pm. How awful. I want to go to sleep. This is kind of  bull shiz that the world decides is necessary. What is this, and who came up with this horrible idea of turning clocks back. I was more than excited to get an extra hour of sleep, believe me I needed it. I bring you back to the current problem that it is dark out at five pm. Why would anyone decide this is a good idea. It just encourages people to go to sleep really early due to the unnecessarily dark surroundings that insinuate that it is way later than it truly is. I love going to bed early, but this is really going to mess with me. I for some reason do not remember it get dark this early ever. I am kind of wondering if I have been in a cave or something. Obviously not because it is dark in a cave but I mean you get the point. I want to know who invented this. Why do we spring forward and fall back. Could we not just go all year without changing the clocks. I love the winter though. It is a cuddly time of year, and you get to wear cute scarves and mittens, boots and warm yummy soup. It is always great to enjoy a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate with delicious spongy marshmallows. I have great memories of walking into my garage and then into the laundry room to peel of my layers of snow clothes and throw them into the dryer. Only to walk into the kitchen to walk into a wall of christmas cookie fog, and bowls of crayon colored icing on the counter, alarms beeping reminding my mom of the cookies she forgot. You can hear christmas music dancing in the air, and you can see the fire place crackling with excitement. It is an experience like no other, and I miss those feelings. 

a bloody thirst for hepatitis

     Oh the vampire diaries, my one true love. Happy, sad, angry, tears, tired it is always there for me. Constantly bringing drama, suspense, chaos, blood, love and an excitement that no one truly has in their own life. For me it is an escape to another world, something I can lose myself in. It is a daily thing for me now, I come home from school, take a nap, wake up and watch an episode. I get forty two minutes a day to watch someone else's life unfold, and decay. Giving me temporary time to forget about my own life challenges. It is commonly depicted as another vampire show, nothing special, but that is for the non-believers. Yeah believe me, I too think that the twilight teens are just as crazy as the next person. Although with vampire diaries I think everything is much more realistic. The way they create real characters and make you feel a real connection with them.
     The most recent episode I watched included a lot of real life occurrences just so I can prove it to you all. It included a guy protecting the girl he loves, another boy going behind his girlfriends back to see an ex, a father reprimanding his daughter, and a girl falling back into love. Of course in vampire terms that is some chaos of dead vampires contacting the humans, witches channelling powers, a couple that is struggling due to the change in power, as the highbreds now hold power. I'm sure none of that made any sense to anyone except the AWESOME few that take part in my love for the show.
     A lot of crazy things have happened in our worlds because of the vampire craze among teenagers. For example the increasing number of kids running around in black wearing tails, or fangs, dressing in all black. I will even go as far as to mention the teens biting each other, passing on the dreaded hepatitis. Seriously though, that is awful and disgusting. What has the modern world come about to. Who do we turn to for the blame of this. Is it the media for releasing such a daunting idea to the public or is it to the children for taking things to far. Maybe even the market and world industry that creates massive quantities of the nonsense advertising nick-nacs. Useless necklaces, folders, buttons, and stickers. The world becomes what we make of it.
     I truly hope this is the worst that we will see. I only fear the new movies to come out, and new teen heart-throbs. Who is going to be the next cardboard cut-out? A sexy lumberjack? I will keep a positive mindset because God knows that this world can not bear to handle another teen bite outbreak. So I wish our world industries the best of luck.

slutty boxers, and fairies, and firefighters OH MY

• extra kit kats on halloween
• girls that don't dress slutty in halloween
• the way a dog stretches in their sleep

     Oh the halloweekend, and all that it encompasses. The general public even receives encouragement from pop-culture, mean girls for example: "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." Oh america, the things that our acceptable in todays standards truly scare the shit out of me. Are you joking? What perverted sex offender decided to encourage girls to spend 80 dollars on a piece of polyester that barely covers one at all? That is honestly sick and disgusting. I'm all for girls having self confidence, but I don't really know what you consider wearing the equivalent of a loin cloth in 40 degree weather. I'm pretty sure that causes one thing, embarrassment, and a lifetime of sluttitude. Imaging you are a hormone induced horny age 17 male. You walk into a basement full of girls fake tanned, barely clothed veiled with the stench of alcohol. What do you think you are going to do? I'm sure your answer wasn't head home to watch movies with mom. Exactly. 

     So this blog is my ode to girls who break the standard, the girls who dress as something creative. Girls who don't need tight clothes, and tube tops to feel noticed. People who are crazy enough to think outside the box, because those are the ones who do. They are the confident girls that boys don't notice now because they are currently thinking about one thing. When those guys are looking for wives some day; oh watch out girls, because no boy wants to marry a eska-hoe. They want someone who respects themselves, the girls who weren't dressed like slutty bat man (I can't even believe that costume exists). So stay strong, and love yourselves girls, because I can promise you if you don't now. No one ever will.

let's make a deal

     I want to tell you a story. I have grown up as a family loving kid. I literally wouldn't be here without them. Seriously though. Thick and thin, happy or sad, they are always by my side with my best interest in mind. I don't think many people can truly say that and have total confidence in it. Those kind of people are rare, and when found, they should be apprechiated.
     Quite recently I have faced a decision. A life changing, future choosing, stuck in the middle decision. I'm a soccer player, and as any athlete face the recruiting process early in my high school career. It beginds as a sophomore and is usually finished mid way through junior year, as in you know where you are going to be spending four years of your life. I am sixteen and most of my friends haven't spent more than two seconds really considering their options. Luckily I have narrowed it down to two schools, University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Iowa. At this point I have spent so many nights sleepless, crying until it hurts, and I can't breathe. I still get headaches, dager in my frontal lobe kind of things. I can't even use words to explain how it feels. It's a burden on my shoulders.
     I have reached a crossroads, I have to choose between theses to colleges (soccer programs), within the next few weeks. Iowa has so much to offer: A stunning campus, good soccer program, the girls on the  team are super nice, the coaches are understanding, it's a great academic school, my siblings are there, and I'm decently close to home. The cons include: Iowa city isn't new to me, my sister would leave a year after I got there, it is doing what everyone at kennedy does, go to Iowa and have the ability to hang out with no one new. Colorado on the other hand: is located in the most beautiful mountains, is super relaxed, I have a really cool uncle and aunt near by, the soccer facilities are way nice, the coach is funny, they have a good med school, and it's a new beginning. I get to start completely over . The cons are obviously the distance, the cost, and the lack of knowledge I currently have of Colorado.
     The good news is November 12 I am going back on an unofficial visit. They are going to take me to a football game, have me meet with an academic advisor, and meet some of the teammates. I'm nervous, and the emotions are constantly turning in my stomach as a decision reaches closer. I know that both schools are great, and either one would be awesome. Neither one would be a bad place. I just want to know that I will make the decision that it best for me.

nailed it

     David Nail is quite the artist, by saying that I mean it with a dual meaning, he is a songwriter and performer, but his songs and lyrics are pure art. The most loved and well received songs come from these people, people like him. They know to take the time and put in the little extra. Even if it means only one more person relates to his thoughts he wants that to happen. Like Ghandi said "be the change you wish to see in the world." “Imagery is so much a part of what draws me to the songs I record. I pick songs with cities in their lyrics or the names of girls because I want you to know exactly where I’m coming from and what I’m talking about,” says David. “I love painting those pictures.”
     On top of this exciting contribution he makes to emotional music. He brings a new level of sophistication to country music. His voice is as smooth as a lake on a sunday morning. He brings a billy joelesque characteristic to his music. He looks to be relateable and bring a new quality to music. He often shares his hopes for his albums, often including singing songs that are effortless to him emotionally. Songs that compliment his voice and that he can sing well. He brings a level of imagery in his music that I have seen no where else. You can see what he saw, and not only that but you can feel what he feels. He does a superb job of using his voice to inflect his feelings. He knows how to portray a mood and give a chill.
     Though he is still somewhat of an emerging artist, if you will. He has released three singles including: I'm about to come alive, Red Light, and Let it Rain. His most recent album is called very fittingly the sound of a million dreams. Depicting exactly what David hoped to do with this album. He wasn't trying to be the loved one, but then again who doesn't want to feel that way? He admits that he began to write as a pop aartist as pop had started out meaning popular. He has done so much more in his own realm of classy country. He has paved new roads, and led a new way for all other country artists. I don't know of many that have tried to reach his sophistication. I assume many or all that have have and or will fail. His status is something unattainable to me because oh his love and dedication. He is a pioneer he started his own way and never even looked back. It's really a good lesson for the rest of out here in this big old world. You don't need anything else but yourself. It doesn't matter what people say, you are who you are. The happiest people are the people that need nothing.

let it rain, let it pour

• big raindrops plopping
• cat-sitting
• learning football vocabulary

     Have you ever felt a sudden change in mood parallel to a weather change? Most people report a downturn in positivity in thunderstorms or gloomy weather, and the opposite is true with nice sunny weather. There is a serious disease related to this very thing. It's called SAD, seasonal affective disorder. SAD is characterized by feelings of sadness and depression that occur in the winter months when the temperatures drop and the days grow short. This specific type of depression is frequently associated with excessive eating, sleeping and gaining weight. Women are two to three times more likely to be affected by the winter blues than guys. Probably due to women's more emotional way of life than men, men are typically stronger, and less open with their emotions and concerns. 

     I tend to be the opposite, well not exactly. I do love a beautiful sunny day on the beach. Waves crashing, hot sand, giggling babies, the atmosphere is impeccable. On the other side of things rain and thunder brings an even stronger high for me. It comes from a childhood memory of mine. 

.     .     .     .

      It was the true dead of night, everyone in my house was in the deepest of sleep. My mom couldn't sleep due to the enormous thunderstorm that had emerged. She first woke my brother, and I was second to be interrupted from my sleep. She dragged us outside, she wanted only to play in the rain. Keep in mind she isn't the youngest, although she makes up by being young at heart. She took as both outside and had my brother push us both on the giant rope swing we have had ever since I was little. It was the most fun I had experienced in a long time.

.     .     .     .

     I didn't think much of it at the time, but that experience would replay in my head every single time I would see a rain drop the rest of my life. With every rain drop the memory secures itself into my brain, over and over and over again. Let me explain why, my mom died when I was twelve. This is one of my favorite memories of her, happy and laughing, doing something ridiculous as usual. As hard as it is to face losing my mom, I'm happy to know that she has turned a potential debilitating disease into the opposite for me. For me, it's joy. I'm happy to know that whenever I seem to stray a little too far off the path, a simple rain drop can pull me back on the trail.

don't flush your life away kid.. step away from the bowl

How many times has Obama flunked diplomatic protocol in the United Kingdom?
Let us count the ways…
1. Immediately after taking office, Obama shipped the White House bust of Winston Churchill back to England.
2. Then Obama gave British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a bunch of cheap DVDs as a gift.
3. A few weeks later, Michelle Obama broke centuries of international protocol by hugging the  queen.
4. Then Obama gave Queen Elizabeth the gift of an iPod, filled with his own speeches.
 And 5 makes a Royal Flush…
5. Obama fails an attempt to make a toast to the queen.

As you have probably learned I'm not the biggest O-man fan. For number two on this list of fan favorites let me say wow, you are the president of the united states and you are really going to procede to give a Prime Minister cheap DVD's you couldn't stop by at the least Harry and David, hell, you're the president order someone else to find a better gift for you, is it really that hard? Come on man. Now Michelle Obama has a higher place held within my heart. Seriously though, did they not create a rule book for the first lady, not to mention the centuries that came before that knew what to do, but in this day and age we have no awareness and morals, so at that a code of conduct was broken. Out of all the great things I have seen Mrs. Obama do I have to give her a break on this one. veryone makes mistakes, just hit up that rule book. Mr. Obama, let me address what I find the most appalling, did he honestly give the queen an ipod with HIS OWN speeches on it. That is absolutely sadistic, and pathetic, not to mention conceited and quite upity. You may be the president but not everyone wants to hear you talk. I mean Hitler was a freaking dictator but he was a great speaker so people loved to listen to him, is that what you want o-man? Dear God, I certainly hope not. As for the toast fail to the queen, I'm not really sure as to what went wrong, but you are indeed the president right? I think we did talk about this earlier. HAVE SOMEONE WRITE IT FOR YOU. Problem solved, wow that was easy. Come on o-man you can't hide forever, but if you want to hide at least use all of the tools the presidency has given to you. Go big or go home o-man the world is a cruel place. With that I leave you with a lovely video of the toast:

more than a crush

     David Archuleta, who can forget his first major hit crush. With songs this "epic" you usually remember the first place you were when you heard it or a significant moment that occured while it was playing. For me it was at my best friend Sammi's house in the basement. I was sitting on one of those yoga balls, it was a cold november day and I was in a pink american eagle sweater, with my favorite pair of jeans, sporting the usual tall brown uggs. It was an ordinary day when Samme said: "You have to listen to this new song I found, I'm obsessed." So, sure enough I did just that. Let me tell you it was great, sometimes it takes a few days or tries for a song to grow on you but this one was immediate for me. That type of music is a rare find for me. Ever since then, I have been a big Archuleta fan.
     David is Honduran, and started his singing career around age seven. He has always had confidence issues in that he use to be afraid of singing, he never really believed he was truly good enough to make it. Since then he placed second in american idol (behind Cook), toured with 10 other idols, and made hundreds of thousands. He won star search in his childhood which really gave him the strength to become something else, something bigger, something great. He has so many huger accomplishments. Just like many of hollywoods homegrown, self-made popstars, actors, and talents. Archuleta earned his way to the top. He worked on his dreams and persisted through all of the troubles. He knew what it was going to take to make it, and he was not about to stop for anyone or anything. It takes that kind of person, you have to love what you do, and do it because you love it if you want to succeed.
     I can not wait to see what he can do in the future, I certainly hope that he will tour alone, and get an opening act. The fan base for such artists is often small, and takes a while to grow. His music is not only pop, it has another unseen element. it really adds something that you can not quite put your finger on. Something must hipsters, and indie children love. The element keeps you coming back, loyal.
I have total faith in archuletas abilities and I know he will do great things, so keep an eye out for him!

"So I put one foot front of the other,
No no no nothing's gonna break my stride,
I keep climbing, gonna keep fighting until I make it to the other side of down"



losing faith in america

     Never have I been more ashamed of being a part of the american population, until the lady gaga, beyonce video for telephone was released. "In March 2010, major news outlets, including CNN, reported that MTV had banned Lady Gaga's video "Telephone" due to its sexual and violent content." What a shame america. It is sad enought that we let these people define our country and let them be symbols upon shiny pedastools. Although the video was never officially banned, many people would argue that it should be. It starts off similar to a typical movie about jail women. The girls are dressed scandalously and are participants in vulgar activity and extravagant very unrealistic dance numbers. It procedes with Gaga leaving jail to be picked up by the one and only Beyonce. Both are dressed outrageously and slutty, these ladies, are the ones we choose to be role models. Try again america, please. Contraversy is very present in america, especially amoung music and videos produced in hollywood. It is constantly pushing the borders, stepping past the limits, because that's just what they do. They know that they can, they either fail, and try again, or have tremendous success. Due to the odd preferences and interests of america you have to gain your fan base by using a broad range of music, lyrics, videos, ideas, concerts, and other aspects of performing. It all adds up to creating your reputation as an artist in Hollywood. The pressures for them are endless, they all just want to be different.       Gaga is in a lesbian relationship with beyonce in the video. She calls and tells her she is busy, which follows with a scandalous dance number in spiked bra and underwear. Followed by random shots of gaga rapped in minimal caution tape. Portraying to our girls not only that that is acceptable but to behave similar to her. She is their role model, she wants people to be different. She does fight a stereotype by making sandwhiches angrily and trying to empower women which is indeed a positive. Beyonce is also known for her great examples for young girls. So you would hope for this video to be more empowering, than degrading. They controversially also kill everyone with poison at the end of the video. Not really sure what the point of that one was, but it just adds to how unreal this music video is.

never lose yourself

     Maroon five recently released an album called hands all over. Unlike the typical review this album showed some I don't want to say controversial, rather a different style. The album contains many single worthy tracks bringing new rhythms and inspiring words to the table. they bring a new element to music. critics find flaw in the number of guests they brought into a single album. Including Lady Antebellum and Alicia Keyes as their cover. Some may say that could be over kill. Although I did not think the ladies over powered the 5. They have the ability to include tons of star power and remain grounded, without losing a sense of who they are, and what they have set out to do. That is one of the hardest qualities to maintain as a "superstar". The pressures are endless, everywhere you go you have people breathing down your neck criticizing your every move. These men do well with it though, they do what they know, and do it with confidence, knowing that they made the best choice they could. (Not that I have ever seen Maroon 5 get bad press). I love them and have learned to respect their musical choices, as they happen to be some of the most amazing and shocking out there. Adam Levine is always doing something new.
     Most recently he served as a judge on "the voice". Which is a show set out to prove they can find a singer based purely on their voice, eliminating the reoccurring judgement based upon your looks. The judges sit in backwards chairs and listen until they decide they like the voice, they can then push a giant button, meaning they have committed to the singer. They then are turned around in their chair and the face of the singer is revealed. The concept behind the show is truly refreshing and new. The fact that Adam Levine involves himself in this kind of show, and new idea is good to see. It encourages me, personally, to respect the band even more, and to keep an interest. Why wouldn't respect increase with people who do noteworthy things? I love love love, when a celebrity is down to earth, and realizes their place in society; by doing so, they set an example and show that they are wiling to give back. So should everyone else. It doesn't matter who you are or how much you own. More so what you do with it.

please EXCUSE my charisma

• going to the country
• when you get better by the weekend
• an excusable absence

     A thing I am definitely thankful for would be missing school. I mean unless of course you are ACTUALLY sick as in throwing your guts up every five seconds. Sometimes I find myself stricken with a good old case of junioritis. Now, you're probably asking, does that even exist. Yes, yes it does. I am personally very affected by the disease. On a daily basis, I drag myself out of bed  into the shower, and through my daily routine. While I am deadly asleep, trying to open my eyes wide enough to make sure I actually grab the milk for my cereal. I do it for school, for my education, generally because I want to better myself. 

     Last year I had an incident third term. I didn't come to school quite as often as I should have, or for all of the required classes. My body just couldn't handle school, and the stress of everything all of the time. I had around 94 absences third term. The attendance officer actually called and spoke with my dad. She tried to say my absences showed poor results in classes. Yet the classes I had B's in were the ones I was going to, not to mention the a+'s I maintained in the classes I was absent for. Why make a case of a student missing class, if they are passing all their classes, have stellar grades, and aren't affecting other students around them. My dad wasn't so happy and thus forced me to miss minimal class the rest of the year. My point being should it really have mattered? 

     This year I have been pretty good about coming to class. I'm trying hard, with a clean slate, to keep it that way. This year I have 4 ap classes instead of 2 often demanding my attendance in order to succeed. I think it may be good for me, to grow, and take on more responsibilities. I am just hoping it doesn't become too much for me to handle as time progresses. I think I have maintained my grades pretty well, along with keeping very organized and working my butt off to stay caught up, even working ahead when I can. The only downfall is winter is always dreary. They always seem o put students in a rut. So who knows maybe a day off is good. Maybe, just maybe, there is a good excuse. 

woah.. real life

     Dave Mathews is another one of my favorite musical artists. His music just has such a relaxing tone, and rhythm. It usually puts you in a mood of great content, or just blankness. Who ever said that nothing was a bad thing? If everything is nothing, what is nothing; Everything? He was born in Africa, he moved to the United States at a young age, and his dad died around the time he was ten. He is quite the humble man. He works hard, and he loves what he does. He always talks to the media about how awestruck he remains with the talent of the band members that he recruited. He says he just hired the people that he liked, and the chemistry boosts their performing ability. If I were to guess I would say that his range of music comes from the fact that he has traveled most everywhere, and has seen a little bit of everything. He almost always writes about real things, and by real I mean real life things, that are extremely relatable. For example in his song Ain't it funny how time slips away:

I'm just sitting on the dock in the bay,
Watching the tide roll away,
Ain't it funny how time slips away...

He knows how to set a scene, not only with his words, but with the melodies, and the timing. It's not an easy skill to obtain, as many artists have far from accomplished anywhere near as much talent as Dave. He has always had the ability to catch my attention. Whether I put on his playlist, or his song comes on in my car on the radio during one of my conversations. It always captures me no matter if it is subconsciously or directly grabs my attention. He has a way with working his music into your thoughts. Or leaving behind a memory. Maybe you want to go buy his album, or you post his lyrics as your twitter status.  Personally I find these lyrics:


Ten fingers we have each
Nine planets around the sun repeat
Eight ball is the last if you triumphant be
Seven oceans pummel the shores of the sea

way more impressive and creative than some jumbled rap nonsense about pimps, drugs, and their problems. Not to mention you usually can't even understand what this rap man is trying to say. So maybe next time you're looking for a new band, hit up DMB, what do you have to lose.

I've seen better days

     I am going to break blogging topic for good reason. I want to talk about breast cancer awareness month. My mom had cancer when I was 9 so the topic is quite near and dear to my heart, and my family. I have dealt with the "stuff" for a while now, and let me tell you, it is a nasty thing to deal with. The fight is long, it's tiring, and it sucks the life out of you. I can not stress how important it is to have dedicated family and friends, that are willing to fight the battle with you. Forewarning: you don't always make it out of a tousle without a couple losses, some scratches, and wounds, that will ALWAYS remind you of the things you went through. In order to end the fight, we need to find a cure. Many foundations have been started to do so: Relay for Life, Especially for You and Susan G. Komen to name a few. I have personally stood in on hundreds of walks, fundraisers, and other things that are working to end the disease. I am always taken to tears by the stories they tell, and the family members who have lost everything from the disease. Little kids who grow up without a mom. Life is definitely not fair, but maybe, just maybe we could change the odds of that one just a little. If even one more kid could grow up with both parents, or a husband keep his wife. I would be happy. There is no stopping here though. There will be no rest until this disease is gone. When that happens, we will rally to support a new cause,, and find a new problem to invest ourselves into solving.
     Large amounts of the general public have been affected, everyone knows someone who has been affected. This year happens to be the twenty-seventh year to raise awareness. Celebrities take interest in helping out, the contribute their share by designing t-shirts, and selling them or autographing miscellaneous pink articles and auctioning them off. The NFL recently joined in the awareness, with pink cleats, socks, gloves, towels, hats, t-shirts, and even jerseys. I think it is awesome that everyone is willing to help out with something like this. It is truly comforting to see people come together for such a worthy cause. Think about this 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. On the contrary in 2010 there were 2.5 million breast cancer survivors. There is so much pain in the world, so much suffering, and so much loss. We as a country need to stay together and work as a whole to end all of those things, and to turn over a new leaf. Curing breast cancer is just a stepping stone. A giant leap, leading to new discoveries, and better days.

change /CHānj/ Verb: Make or become different: "a proposal to change the law"; "beginning to change from green to gold".

Obama addressed the United States, here is a brief description of the first half of it. Europe can even more so affect out economy, this act can protect us from another downfall. Independent economists agree. If we don't act there will be fewer jobs and weaker growth. The senators voting against need to think and explain why they would intentionally try and hurt our economy. Teachers and police officers have been fired,  this will bring them back to work. For the most part he addresses similar issues about construction and jobs that can be applied to those that are out of work. "Let's rebuild America, why would you vote agianst that?" Well Obama were still going to be in a crap ton of debt in fifteen years thanks to all the debts. Wait he says "Millionares and Billionares will pay for this, is that fair. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH.  What angered me was when he said, "This bill would cut taxes for VIRTUALLY every worker!" Wow Obama that is quite the lie, because as I previously debated, the hardest workers are not getting virtually any tax cut. Quit using skeptical language to hide what people don't want to hear. The people with miney and america make a lot of decisions that guide this nation, so why should we steal from them. Is it maybe because Obama is scared of what choices they will make for our country, and he is scared for a turn in the political party that is in charge of this nation. Or is it simply because he is afraid to break the democratic standard?
     What I find so controversial about his adress is that he expects everyone to be okay with the rich americans bailing out our nations. My thought on this is, do the poor, and middle class americans have no pride, or morals. Shouldn't they want to give in order to help their nation.What happened to nationalism? A sense of satisfaction, or just knowing you contributed. How can we not do something, wasn't his campain slogan Obama "change we can believe in"? Well i'm seeing some new jobs and a few more oppertunities. What does that change, not much. It appears to be very temporary, so we can just sit around and wait until the economy goes back down the drain, and wait for the wealthy americans to pull us out again. General FYI they are going to run out of money eventually. So maybe, just maybe we need to find a new way to get ourselves out of trouble.

congratulations little rascal

      Music is weird. It can portray a mood, set a scene, psych you up, calm you down, and comfort you. It is weird the connections that can be made to life through music and lyrics. Some may even say music is a way of life. I'm not an extremist but I am a big fan. Tonight I'm going to tell you all about one of my favorites. Rascal Flatts, who just found out tonight that they are being inducted into the grand ole opry. Which is the greatest honor in country music. I can't say I was suprised because they are truly a great group and they relate to all ages and people. it was indeed a surprise to them, they wee in shock and of course honored at the recognition. Some people have questioned it asking why it took so long,obviously a simple answer would be good things take time, or things get better with age. Rascal Flatts have someone the vest songs in country music history. Including: bless the broken road, these days, fast cars and freedom, and my wish. Not only limited to those few, there are so many more very notable songs written by the band. A wick history lesson on them, they met at church when they were young and started a band, they have been doing it ever since.
      I love the way they relate to you when they are singing. Not only that the love there fans, not just the fake way most celebrities do. They wrote a song ("heres to you") about how they would be nothing without their fans. They stay late for autographs. The concert that I saw them at they let a little girl dance on stage because it was her birthday, and pulled a guy up on stage to propose to his wife. They have real feelings. I respect that they carry themselves as real people. Which is why I couldn't be more happy or in agreement with the Opry's decision to induct this generations greatest country artists.

love the life you live, live the life you love

• wearing something new 
• the seed inside of peaches 
• being your own person

     Being your own person may seem like the very obvious thing to do. Let me assure you, if you think this you are probably wrong. Individuality tends to be the road less traveled. I give you a notable example from the one and only Ralph Emerson: "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." Proof that writers aka the least ignorant people in the world, have taken notice of the world followers. Not saying it's a crime, because it is not physically written anywhere not to do so. It does make a difference in the way you live your life. Would you rather make your own decisions and reap the rewards and face the consequences, or follow your mama duck and feel emotionless? Just saying.
     There are a few times in life that stick out to me in particular as times that individualit is at its lowest. First off the dreaded middle school years. When you fear any inmperfection or difference in yourself, scared or anything that someone could pounce on and make you the laughing stalk or the weird kid. In middle school you try to blend in and follow the leader, but at the time you are completely content with your decision. You call your friends and ask them what they are wearing, you get ready together to avoid wearing sommething weird, if someone made a miniscule comment about your shoes being dirty you would convince your parents to go buy you new ones. It is critical to become your own person at some point. The sooner the better, but some people take longer to learn themselves and find out what they like and don't.
      At the point that you find yourself, and are an individual, you will be that much closer to happiness, and content. Unfortunately there is no lightbulb or confetti cannon to go off when you do. It is most definitely a process. A life changing one. It may be scary, but from the things I have seen in the world, as an individual you get a lot more respect than as a follower. It may not be right away, or even acknowledged. People are envious of confidence, people are also naturally drawn to the trait. So whether it be tomorrow, or a few years from now. Enjoy the ride, learn about yourself, and please never be afraid to be yourself, because until you reach that point you wont be able to change a thing.

 

     "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." -Steve Jobs

built up, then pushed down by the very bricks we built it with

"I won’t be satisfied until every American who wants a job can find one, and until workers are getting paychecks that actually pay the bills, until families don’t have to choose between buying groceries and buying medicine, between sending their kids to college and being able to retire in some dignity and some respect." -President Obama

     As eloquent as this quote is, one might say it is unrealistic, and contains a few flaws. Let me pick obamas "satisfaction necessities" apart. First of all, every true american that did something with their life, hopefully finished high school. Even if they didn't McDonald's is always hiring. Paychecks are going to vary based on your education, and your ability to find a high end job. So take some responsibility america, don't blame anyone but yourself. As far as the decision between groceries or medicine, two words extreme couponing, if not that minor couponing. It doesn't take much. You have OPTIONS food stamps, coupons, store brand, Aldi's, shopping clearance. Make good decisions and choosing between the two wont have a need for controversy. As for this last line about college and retiring, it's called a lone. Read up on it. Take them out for school, get an education, then a better job, then pay them off. Easier said then done. In no way is this not-doable. 

     July 22, 2011, Obama says: "that also means making sure the wealthiest americans pay their fair share", my comment towards that would be what about the people who sit and do nothing all day, what are they doing to contribute to the clean up of our economy. He later says "Everyone is going to have to chip in, that's only fair. That is the principal I will be fighting for in the next phase of this process." This line really stuck out to me. For a specific reason, everyone has to help. Well for one the billionaires already give massive amounts of cash to the government on a regular basis. What about the people who don't have jobs though, whether they are disabled, lazy, or can't find one. There is no way in hell that EVERYONE is chipping in to fix our economy. Really Obama, watch your words. 

     In no way am I intentionally creating a rally against our nations leader. I am merely stating my minuscule opinion. He makes several great points throughout his speeches and articles. I think it is important for a leader, especially a huge nationwide leader, to have hopes. High hopes at that. To a certain extent, but not so far that it ends up leaving americans crushed by their unexpectedly heavy hopes crashing down on them. 

I thought that maybe I could find myself

     I personally think country music is the most relatable of all genres. I was listening to the radio on my way home Saturday morning and the song the house that built me by Miranda Lambert came on. It hit extremely close to home. Sometimes you just reach that point when nothing goes yours way, you can't seem to do anything right, and all you want is to let everything out. Even then, you can't find anyone that you feel comfortable unloading it on. At such point, you just want everything to go back to the way they use to be. This is exactly where I was when the song came on. I'm not going to get to into it this blog is in no way my personal diary. The song just reminded me of how badly I wanted to go back, when my mom was alive and my dad was happy. My sister and brother were just a few rooms away, and when the stress of school and soccer didn't weigh me down. I'm pretty sure most people have reached a similar point in their lives.
     It is truly crazy how music has the ability to portray an exact mood, a your current situation, or give you the feeling that someone else has been in the exact same place as you. Whether it be good or bad, happy or sad, loud or quiet. It gives you the opportunity to feel, in a way, less alone. Country music even more so. It is about the real things in life. It shows love, sickness, loss, remembrance, happiness, sadness, death, and everything in between. It exemplifies truth and reality. Country music is weird, such that as far as the public goes, you usually love it or hate it. People criticize it and say it's trashy and for hicks. As much of a fan as I am, I can agree to a certain extent. Some songs are a little red-neck but there are a lot of great songs out there too.
     I recommend this genre to all. No matter what you listen to: rap, electro, indie, pop, dance, alternative, soundtrack, religious. Give it a try, what do you have to lose. Trying something new could be just what you need to change your day, and pull you out of a slump.

"Now we keep saying that we’re ok, but I don’t want to settle for good not great, I miss the way that it felt back then I wanna feel that way again."

what's mine is DEFINITELY not yours

     The America Invents Act. Where to begin? The real purpose of this act is to switch from the "first-to-invent to a first-to-file system" which ultimately puts the world on the same page as far as inventing goes. I'm all for that! The problem I have with this system, is that it's the first person to file, therefore you could steal someones idea and file it before them. Also known as stealing, not to mention money and recognition. Which is extremely unfair. What would happen if say I was the inventor of play dough, but I invited my friend over to play with it and give me some opinions. While they were over they stole some and filed before I could. In no way am I saying that my friends are super villians, nor am I an accomplished inventor. None the less, it is still a valid point.
     This act encourages innovation, job creation, and economic growth. The old system, is much out of date. Often it causes lawsuits and uncertainty between inventors. Unfortunately the old system had many people wasting their time arguing over who made what and when they did it. Mean while other countries inventors were speeding ahead and creating new things. Leaving us in the dust, while their economies grew and transformed with their new technologies. Our completely ancient patent system has become a road block to innovation. We can't expect America’s inventors and job providers to keep up with the world marketplace having a patent system of the past. We really need a system that can ensure patent certainty, approves good patents quickly and eliminates out bad patents effectively. This bill has received a giant number of supporters, due to the current economy and the hopes that this bill could be a turning point.
     You're probably thinking why is she writing about this, it is not really that interesting. My answer to that question would be it is completely relevant. I for one enjoy shopping, and normal teenage activities. Due to the economy not as many stores are open, prices have increased. There just isn't enough money to go around. Whose fault is that really though. It's all the people sitting around moping that they can't find a job. It is not truly that they can't find a job, they just do not want the ones they have available to them. So maybe those people should get up off their butts and do something about it. Take a crappy job, so what, it's a job. Right? Maybe stop spending money that you don't have and royally increasing your debt. So the economy is down, are you gonna sit around and listen to how bad it is, or are you gonna be actively informed, and try to make a difference.
    

curiosity saved the cat.. what?

• first impressions
• pumpkin patches
• learning something the hard way

     As I have grown and matured, I have come to the conclusion that being told a rule and following it, is a LOT harder than breaking the rules and receiving the consequences. Throughout my life I have done my share of stupid things, most people have. Along with the mistakes I have made I can honestly say that I learned more from the things I screwed up, than the lessons my family tried to jam into my mind. As much as I value my brother and sisters knowledge and experiences, nothing is as valuable as personal experience.

     Albert Einstein said, "Learning is experiencing, everything else is just information" suggesting that we need to experience learning by using our own senses and real life experiences. Believe it or not i'm not the only one who thinks that way! There is actual research about the brains connection to experience. "When the brain encodes new concepts through various learning modalities, (1) those concepts are processed and stored in several interconnected neural networks, enhancing the power of a specific memory, (2) the cerebral cortex establishes an abundance of physiological access routes back to that specific concept and other ideas to which it is related." Meaning that we learn, and create STRONG connections with things that happen to us. The memories of those events are then stored in complex networks inside the brain. Then the next time the same situation occurs your brain will pull up the old memory. Giving you insight on past decisions and consequences. 

     For example say your average high schooler goes to their first party. They decide they want to try alcohol for the first time, but they (of course) don't know their limit. Clearly you see where this is going, the kid gets how we say smashed. They pass out on a bathroom floor and wake up to a skull cracking headache in a puddle of their own puke. As they sit their, relishing in the moment, they try to piece together their night. A lot is missing. Thinking.. maybe this is why mom always told me not to? Who cared what mom said, they made their own decision. Mom isn't always going to be their to tell you what's okay and what's not. At some point you have to figure it out for yourself. So say the next weekend, the kids friend offers him a beer, but his mind quickly pulls up the memory of a repulsive smell and a still hazy night, (no matter how many times they asked everyone about it) but this time the kid says "naaah dude i'm cool". Decision making at it's finest, but it would have never happened without the initial experimentation. Trust me when I say, it will happen eventually, everyone gets curious. Just don't be the cat that gets killed by its curiosity. 

things are 'a changin

By far my favorite indie music comes from the one and only explosions in the sky. They almost always receive great reviews, but very rarely they do receive criticism. It tends to be the same, the issue it usually that people find the music too similar, no pun intended hah. I am going to throw my opinion out there, their music is so crazy and different than anything else. It may be similar in that it is the same idea but I mean there are no lyrics, so how similar can it really be? Secondly every song has a large amount of minuscule details. As I was walking up my driveway after a long walk, with my ipod on shuffle, a song came on. It was explosions, of course. Although, on this particular day it felt like my day, it was totally dead on with my mood. Normally I am completely against cliches but this one had me awestruck. I slowed my pace and enjoyed my walk on that chilly day, as the music transitioned to fall just like the weather. I have always wanted to see them in concert, because most concerts are mash-pits and total chaos, I just know it would be the best possible atmosphere. Whenever I am listening to anything by them I continuously find myself completely lost in thought and totally content. Just like I sorted out everything in my head, and without notice found a way to be content with it all. Is that not what everyone wants, to be content with life. 

those who mind don't matter, & those who matter don't mind

• mountain leaf candles
• the possibilities of an empty cardboard box
• when someone sets a good example

     This being my first post about little things that make me happy, it may be a little rough along the edges. I believe today is as good of day as any to talk about the ability any single person has to make an impact on someone. Most people aren't aware of the little things that occur on a daily basis that say more about you than the words that come out of your mouth.

      As it goes "You may talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" If I may be so bold as to say it is much easier to fake something by talking about it or saying so (lying). On the other hand taking the initiative and being the first is no small feat. Especially at the high school age; some kids are still clinging to their friends, some kids are dying for approval, some kids want to be different with every morsel of their being, then there are those who MAKE the difference. Those are the kids that do the little things, maybe they say hi or give a friendly smile. Maybe it's the girl who gets up from sitting with her friends so that someone else doesn't have to eat alone. Has our society really come to this being the bold thing to do? Personally in my high school career this appears to be the path less traveled, isn't that a shame. As I have come to realize being part of a group isn't anything, no one cares who your friends are, what clothes you wear, or what you did last night. If they do care, they don't matter. Which is one thing that took me quite some time to figure out. Not to say that you can be arrogant and look down upon everyone, but to be more positive and worry free. As my mom use to say "don't sweat the small stuff". 

     Apparently i'm not the only one that has noticed. Mayo Clinic also posted about similar observations. "Your own thoughts have perhaps the biggest impact on self-esteem — and these thoughts are within your control. If you tend to focus on your weaknesses or flaws, you can learn to reframe negative thoughts and focus instead on your positive qualities". Although it says your own thoughts, earlier in the article, there are mentions that how your peers treat you, perceive you, and how they act in your present indeed shapes your thoughts. Thus implying through the transitive property that if how people treat you and act towards you affects your thoughts, and your thought affect your self esteem, other people can definitely have an impact on your life.

     Now that I have explained myself i'm going to give a positive and negative example of how people have impacted me during high school. Around fall of freshman year I had a homework assignment to read and was dragging myself to the upper IMC, when the stairs finally leveled off, the first thing I saw was a table of who I thought were my friends. Turns out I was wrong. I dropped my bag by an empty table a few feet away from the dreaded girl table, full of giggling and whispering. I sat alone holding my head high, denying my hope of an invite to their table. You know that feeling when you can literally feel people looking at you, where you can hear the cackling but you just KNOW that it's about you. Yeah, that's the one, which was the exact state of my emotion. As I have learned you can't base how you act on how other people treat you (golden rule smolden fule). Sometimes you are forced to be the bigger person, also known as growing up. So I left he library with my head held as high as a freshman girl can hold it. My junior year (this year) I have come to be friends with some of the coolest people. Looking back they are people that I never would have expected to even speak to. How I met them, you may as, was by reaching out and introducing myself. Sometimes starting completely random conversations, or telling a complete stranger how much I love their tights. Now when I walk through the halls I can hold my head high as ever knowing that i'm doing what I do best. More often than not I pass a familiar face and share a smile. Trust me no matter how bad your day is it always helps to know someone cares.