"Back in the days"

If I could go back in time, I would go visit the 50’s. The reason I would go to the 50’s is because there was a big change. The 1950’s was an era of great optimism and prosperity. It also had a lot of conflicts, but there are many things I love about this time. One thing I enjoy is watching movies and in the 1950’s there movies were actually interesting. Even though they were considered “old” in our eyes, it was interesting seeing how they did things in film. Also, the films back then were extremely popular and were usually considered as the best. Taking American Film, it gave me a lot of knowledge. It enabled me to look at a movie by looking deeper into it such as the details, etc. Another thing about the 1950’s that I liked was the different inventions that came out. Today we would look at those and think “wow” because to us now, that stuff isn’t anything big compared to what it was back then. They had no computers and so much more. The life back then was completely different. In my opinion, the way teenagers and adults are today, they wouldn’t be able to survive in the 1950’s. Today a lot of people rely mostly on communication which goes hand-in-hand with technology. Back then, they had some technology but not a lot. The technology they had wasn’t nearly close as advanced as it is now. Some important things that went on in the 1950’s was the Immigration and Nationalization Act of 1952 where racial barriers were removed to become a U.S. citizen, racial segregation was ruled unconstitutional in public schools, Rosa Park refused to give up her seat during this time, a vaccine for polio was developed, and the first U.S. satellite successfully orbited the earth. The music that was extremely popular back then consisted of Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. The music people listened to back then, still to this day is popularly played or popularly known. People don’t realize what type of effect the time has had on us and how much change it has caused. The 1950’s was more than just some period in the past.  Historians use the word “boom” for many things to describe this period. The booming prosperity helped create a widespread sense of stability and contentment. If I could, I easily would go back and visit the 1950’s because I just love the type of atmosphere people got to live in. The genre of film and music, along with the different inventions and important life changes, would all just be breathtaking to experience. Nothing can ever compare to the way life was in the past and it’s crazy to think about how much has changed from now and then. To many it was all considered “back in the days” or “back then” but really, it’s the same life, just a different type of life due to all that’s happened between now and then. The change will forever amaze me.

Changing the world for the better.

If I could go about changing the world for the better that would definitely be a tough thing to do. Whether we all realize it or not, there are many different issues going on in the world that could use a good change or two. I guess if I could do my part in some type of way, I would help by recycling and stopping litter. Although many think it’s silly, recycling can make a big difference and littering can save the lives of animals around us. Our environment is affected strongly by just the simplest forms of carelessness. I couldn’t tell you why we do the things we do but it’s wrong and although we know that, we still do it. Changing the entire world is pretty impossible but making just the smallest positive effect would make me feel really good inside. Hearing and watching things about the lives of animals being taken by our mistakes kills me. It’s such a sad thing to know. The worst part is the fact we know it can harm them but we haven’t done anything to stop it. I guess something I would want to do to make the world a better place would be to make things well aware to people. Instead of just voicing it out there, I’d like to instead physically do something to show people and get them to really understand. Many people would think that because of the fact it’s just an animal, means it really isn’t important. That isn’t true. Yes, an animal is just an animal but what you’re really doing, isn’t just killing them. You’re putting a lot of harm out there for the environment and habitat itself. In the long run, it will affect us as much as it is affecting them. Something so harmless doesn’t deserve to suffer from something so stupidly done in harm or carelessness. I hate seeing people not caring about what they’re doing. If you’re going to have respect, have respect for yourself as well as your environment because you live here just as much as they do.

Most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas time is almost here! Five more days to go and everybody is jumping for excitement. Being able to be on Christmas break is what everyone is looking forward to the most. School can begin to stress you out. This break is much needed by many and I personally can’t wait much longer! Not only do I love being on break but I also love the fact it’s Christmas! This means being able to give and receive gifts! That’s the number one thing I love most about this holiday. Everybody loves gifts, which is something nobody can truly hate. I love not knowing what the gift is and being able to open it full of curiosity and excitement. Watching the smiles on people’s faces as they open up a gift from you or somebody else is priceless. It’s the cutest thing to sit back and watch how easily a simple gift can brighten somebodies day. Not only do I love Christmas because of the fact you get gifts, but it also has to do with the cookies and the meals. Nothing beats a good home cooked meal on a holiday. There is just something so different about regular meals and holiday meals. My family is into a lot of family time, which means that for every holiday or special occasion family is around. Having my family around for Christmas means a lot to me, nothing can compare to it. Being able to relax, have a good meal, dessert and open up gifts with them is something breathtaking.  I enjoy just the simplest, shortest amount of time with them that I can receive. The time spent together I just love. Relaxing with family is probably honestly the best feeling in the world. I haven’t ever felt so satisfied and content all at once other than Christmas. It seems that there really isn’t any worry in the world at that time. Everybody just is so cheerful and gets along. The atmosphere is just the best. Hopefully this Christmas we will at least get some snow! You can’t have Christmas Eve or Christmas day without snow! That just isn’t right. My favorite part of my Christmas day would definitely be the relaxation. Although I have my entire family over, the thing I love the most is the after dinner relaxation. The usual thing we do to relax and spend time together would be watching a movie. Not just any movie, a movie we traditionally always watch. Yes, that movie would be Elf. Nothing makes Christmas day that much better than Elf. It always brings on the laughter each and every time. Overall, Christmas is definitely the best time of the year and these three days better hurry up!

World, meet Kathleen Herter!

I haven’t ever really spoken to Kathleen Herter much before. Not for any particular reason, just never crossed paths. However, I got the great opportunity to get to interview her this week. Talking to Kathleen, I learned that not only does she have the nickname of Katie, but also Kator-tots. This unique nickname was created by her brother Mono. Kathleen’s hobbies consist of writing and cleaning. The reason she cleans is because she finds it very relaxing which I found unique. Her favorite subject just so happens to be English, which goes hand-in-hand with her love to write. Her freshman year, she also participated in track where she was a thrower. From talking to Kathleen, I realized how different she is compared to many people. Her favorite show is Sponge Bob because of the fact that it is weird. Also another thing different from her would be her favorite animal, a dinosaur. She likes dinosaurs because they are cool and different. They aren’t just like the normal cat and dog. Kathleen also informed me that her favorite type of music to listen to is called metal core which is a type of scream-o. Something many people don’t know about Kathleen would be the fact she is really nice. Many people look at her as if she is mean due to the fact that she wears black. In reality, her clothing color appearance is nowhere near her true bubbly personality. Knowing that Kathleen and I are in our senior year, I decided to ask her about graduation. One thing she doesn’t like is the fact that graduation is extremely close. She just so happens to be a daddy girl and her dad is all she has left. Moving away from him is heartbreaking and something she isn’t looking forward to. After graduation Kathleen plans on working for a while to save up money, then go to college for stuff in the field of English to help her pursue her career choice of becoming an author.

Talking to Kathleen I learned a lot. You never really can judge a book by its cover. It also doesn’t hurt to get to know somebody. It just may change your perspective of things, you never know!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Only twenty more days until Christmas! I honestly cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Before we know it, it’s going to be the year of 2012 already! One thing I can’t wait for is Christmas break. Mostly because over the break we have Christmas and New Year’s! I love them both because it gives me the opportunity to spend time with my family and friends. It also gives me a break from school which can be quite stressful and tiresome at times. Buying family and friends Christmas gifts is a major part of December for me. However, having to worry about money and what to get can cause a lot of stress. Overall though, I love Christmas. Crazy but true, so far there is no snow and it’s already December 5^th. Rumor has it; due to the snow being delayed we are going to have a rough winter. My feelings toward this are mixed. Part of me hopes it is true and part of me doesn’t. Having a rough winter could call for snow days, which I can’t complain about. However, I don’t want to have so many snow days to where we have to extend some days of school. So far the temperature has been decent compared to the usual temperature we get in December. Just the other day, it was about 50 or 60 degrees outside. That’s unusual. As of right now, I’m okay with the snow being delayed. I don’t mind it because I’m not a fan of cold weather and I don’t like the slush. Although, not having snow in December is kind of an upset. You can’t have December or Christmas without snow. That just isn’t right. I do hope that the snow is on its way soon so we can have another white Christmas!

Win or lose, were a team.

Basketball season has started up and our first game is coming to its approach. Last Friday we had our very first scrimmage against Attica. Not only was I nervous, but the rest of the team was too. We had no idea what to expect from each other or the other team. We played a total of seven periods instead of the normal four. Starting of the first period, right off the bat we were at eleven with the other team at two. At the very end of the scrimmage as we were all packing up, we all agreed that we did very well! We didn’t expect to do that good but we were all proud of the amount of work and effort that we put in.  Although it wasn’t a game and it was just a scrimmage, we did an excellent job!

Today, Monday, is our tournament versus Hutch tech. The outcome of the tournament today will determine who we are playing for the tournament on Wednesday. I’m extremely nervous for the tournaments because they are much higher up than just a scrimmage or a game. However, I do have a lot of faith in my team. I think that no matter what happens, were a good strong team. Win or lose we have a lot of game and a lot of skills this year.

This upcoming Friday is considered our first actual game. We are away against Cleveland Hill. I’m pretty excited for our first game because that means it’s the start of the actual games. No matter what I find the games a lot of fun because it gives me the opportunity to show what I have. It also gives my team the opportunity to come together and show we are truly a team.  Win or lose, our team will be known!

It's all about the journey.

 You never really realize how much is changing in your life until you finally decide to take a step back. Last week Monday I finally saw that my life truly was changing. It saddens me that I didn’t realize it until I finally was shown a major change. That change was, getting my first truck, ever. This meant that I would be not only driving myself to school, but also friends and siblings. Hearing my parents tell me that they bought me a vehicle didn’t faze me. It didn’t mean much then just an action and words. It didn’t make me realize a major change.  However, when we went to go pick the vehicle up, I realized it instantly. I couldn’t believe that I started shaking just paying for the vehicle and getting all the information needed. I honestly don’t know why I was shaking so badly but I don’t care. I’m glad that I was shaking because it was a major newsflash to me.  It made me open my eyes and realize that I finally am here, at the end of this huge journey of school. I could remember being one of the younger kids always seeing the older kids driving to school and getting so much freedom. Now, I am that older kid that younger kids are looking at. It amazes me how fast time flies by and how little people realize it. Everybody is so caught up in things and is moving right along with the change to where they don’t see the change personally. Stepping back from everything showed me so much! I never thought I’d ever say this, but I am proud of myself for how far I have come. I’m proud of what I’m doing and how I’m doing things. I guess that old saying is true, what really matters is the journey. It’s all about the journey, your journey.