Blog Topic

Unfortunately, my desired blog topic is not at all creative or original. However, it does feed into my area of knowledge and interest well and constitutes a large portion of my time spent outside of school. Music is something of which I, like, I am sure, many of my classmates, claim to be a connoisseur. Highly subjective, this source of universal debate has the potential to reveal more about a person than any other medium. Its influence cannot be exaggerated. But a blog topic cannot consist of a broad concept. Instead, a more specific question must be posed that includes details pertinent to the personality of the correspondent. Thus, I suggest that the question asks not only about the students' favored genres of music, but also about which artists the students listen to and why they prefer these genres and artists.

Call of Duty

Sometimes i wish i could just talk to someone about call of duty like all the time(well before i got grounded from it). It sounds stupid to all of those out there who dont play video games, but its true. In case you didnt know, video games can become extremely addicting. Lets say that you get on and play a couple games where you do okay and your team wins but then on your 4th match, you have one of those games where you go like 55-9. (55 kills, 9 deaths, which is amazing!)The only problem is that you are in your room, by yourself playing with no friends around. You want to be able to tell someone about this terrific match u just had, but theres no one to tell. You can call your gf or text her and tell her about it but what you actually want to do is just call one of your friends who plays call of duty and tell them! Not because you want to brag about it, but because it is just an awesome feeling when you do so great!

So in case anyone couldnt figure it out, what i want to be able to write about is Call of Duty, specifically to an audience who understands.

I doubt my blog makes sense to most of you, but hopefully it will to Mr. Logsdon who im sure is a huge video game fan.

So I am going to keep this short and sweet. Personally, I think this would be funny to read people's responses to.

If you could live in a video game which one would it be and why?

I would definitely live in Animal Crossing because you can be whatever animal you want, you don't have to hold a job, and you can shake money out of trees! What more can you ask for in a life?

While I was writing this I thought of another one so...

If you could fix one world issue at this point in time which one would you fix and why? (The ever popular world hunger perhaps-I was watching Miss America.)

Suggestions

To be dead honest, I have no creative opener for this, so I'm just going to jump right into this. Here we go. I think it would be interesting to write about something that no one else knows about us. Allow me to explain: I'm often rather surprised to find out that most of the people I've met in high school don't know that I'm a Harry Potter fanatic. Almost anyone I knew before 9th grade probably associates me with the series, but it strikes me as odd that none of my high school-made friends know about it. The same with writing. Until I started telling people about this National Novel Writing Month business, no one even could've guessed that I was into writing.

So I think a cool blog idea would be to write about one (or more than one) thing that is a crucial part of our lives that no one really knows. I guess it would suck if you were an open book and everyone knew everything about, but whatever. They'd be interesting blogs to read, I believe.

Blog Prompt

Think about a stanger you saw today- maybe it's the cashier at Starbucks or a pedestrian who crossed the street. Then write about a day in their life. Their schedule, their emotions, their thoughts, etc. Maybe they happened to see you too.



If I really have to drag this out to 150 words, here's my explanation:
I think human beings, by nature, are selfish creatures. We all tend to live in our own little worlds, with little regard to those around us. When we do think of others, it is often in terms of ourselves (How do I appear to the other person?). Not to say that we never think of anyone but ourselves; it's just rare. And even so, those whom we genuinely consider tend to fall into two groups- those who effect our world on a daily basis (family, friends, etc.) and, as harsh as it sounds, whoever is in the latest, greatest news story. This makes us overlook a much larger group of people. The middlemen- whom we see everyday yet never give a second thought to. Those living a parallel existence completely outside of our own.

Very Own Logblog

People remember music. They remember odd jingles, the first song in their elementary school musical and the first song that played at their prom. I can recite all the words to We Love You, Martha Stewart, and when I kiss a girl (ew...) for the first time, whatever Hootie and the Blowfish song happens to playing on my iHome will be permanently lodged in my brain. Because life has a soundtrack; memories and songs mingle and interweave in our minds to the point that merely admiring a girl's butt can summon up the second verse of Sir Duke for the rest of the day - though probably not for most people. But what if life had a more literal soundtrack? What if your humdrum day was accompanied by the vocal talents of Lady Gaga, or Radiohead, or Mastah Blacky-Black, or whoever else you kids listen to? What would this soundtrack be? Which part of your day would each song cover? Would they require that the diurnal segment in question take place in slo-mo? Would there need to be a fan? Or would a simple spotlight suffice?

Create a soundtrack for your average day. Keep in mind how each song relates to your daily activities, and what manner of impression your accompaniment would make on anyone watching your life. Please refrain from mentioning Nickelback or Korn.

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"Bump ba-bum, bump ba-bum, bububu-bububu-bububu bum, bump ba-bum, bump ba-bum..."

- sample soundtrack, for fat people when walking

I shouldn't have watched Mean Girls before writing this...

As I’m sure everyone who’s doing this blog assignment knows; high school is insane. It amazes me sometimes how much is going on. My mind is exhausted by second hour just from walking down these drama-soaked halls. That is why I propose a rant blog assignment. Goodness knows we all do it anyway. We rant to friends, neighbors, family, maybe even complete strangers. Ranting has even gone so far as to become a conversation starter; I’m as guilty as anybody else of using the all purpose rant as a cheap “conversation”. So why not do a blog on it?

We could all unload our thoughts onto the computer for once instead of each other. Without giving away any confidential information, we could talk about the things that bother us, the things that pique our curiosity, the things that make us angry beyond words. Maybe even the things that make us cry.

Reading each other’s blogs could prove useful as well. Who knows what would happen if we all got this little glimpse into our classmates’ minds? Is it possible that it would render past judgments incorrect? Is it possible that it would bring about the realization that we don’t know some people as well as we thought we did? Is it possible that we would understand that we are all more alike than we thought? Is it possible that we could all become friends and maybe, possibly, even get along?

Or not. I’m going to stop now before I start sounding like the crazy chick from Mean Girls. It was a nice thought though, wasn’t it?

Imagine This.

Imagine a magical wizard has just put a spell on you. You are now transformed into an animal of the feline variety, AKA a CAT! Luckily, you can speak english and communicate effectively. You must travel through the 12 stages of the strange new land you are now in. But wait, you have a partner- Greg Myers. He is your faithful sidekick through all the challenges. Here is my question to you: Where would you travel? You can go virtually ANYWHERE, so this really works your imagination. And more importantly, how will you use Greg Myers effectively. (Remember: You are a cat, so your physical advantages are limited. You need someone to use the sword/bow and arrow/ saber/ etc. Oh, but you do have lasar eyes which might be useful. )

You think I am kidding, but let's be honest, this an interesting prompt! There is no denying that. So think about it....

Battle Star CATlactica

Hypothetically speaking, let's pretend you're Greg Myers for a day. On your day long adventure in his abstract body,and find yourself in a room full of cats. The cats are not vicious, they are extremely friendly... but being Greg, you are not a fan of the feline creature. You look around the room and notice that there are not any doors or windows. What would be your first instinct? How would you try to get out? What would you use to sustain your life? (Given you do not have a cell phone or any other communication device.)

*What Liz said

?

Okay, so reading over other people's blogs has been confusing. The way I read the prompt I thought we were supposed to, kinda, make a list of topics we wanted to right about. And then reading over it again I still think it's the same thing, so I'm gonna write it that way, and if I misunderstood sorry.

Favorite TV shows, or all time greatest movies would be nice. We did favorite authors, why not favorite directors, or even actors. How about favorite artists/bands? We could write about your most importanat possesion. Ummmm, I know got off the topic of movies/TV but I thought of another one; favorite channel, or radio station. What do you do with your spare time, what website do you visit when you get on the computer. These are just a couple, I could probably think of more but the TV is distracting me. And again I'm sorry if I was completely wrong about the topic of the blog.

Sigh...

Here's a question I would like to ask so many people right now: WHY do you you do what you do? What drives you to get out of bad in the morning and put your shoes on? or do you even know anymore? or is it nothing more than the fact that you 'have to'?
I feel like so many people don't know why, or don't care, or just do it for the wrong reasons. I'm not trying to act all high and mighty and say I'm not one of those people either, in case anyone even reads this. I just dont' understand why we all play along so nicely all the time. It just seems that I a lot of the time people are driven by spite. Spite for an ex they're bitter about, or maybe even an entire gender because they're 'so done' with relationships. Or maybe it's power. People get up because they look forward to the fact that they have power over another human being and can control how they feel, what they say and maybe even some of the decisions they make. Normally it's a girlfriend or boyfriend from what I have observed, and its sick. It literally makes me want to vomit. Its like going backwards, what happened to being equal and balanced and wanting nothing but a relationship to be safe in? (this applying to friendships as well now) Moral of the story: I need a vacation.

Our Topic of Choice

Honestly, when given the choice to talk or write about anything, it's usually my horse. But not that much has been going on with her lately. I haven't had a show since November, and the weather is screwing with my ability to get out and ride. I did start this new thing though. I took the stirrups off of my saddle(those are the things you put your feet in) and I'm only putting them back on for lessons. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but its pretty hard. Like really hard. It'll make me a better rider though, so hopefully I can get from the 2'6" to the 3'6" by the end of the summer. A foot is a lot in jump height.
So the most time consuming thing in my life right now is probably my mario game that I got for my gameboy color. I'm on level 8-2 and I cannot beat it. It's driving me INSANE. Is this sad? Very. Am I a giant dork? Yes. But i'm ok with that. I'm actually sort of proud of myself, because I've gotten a few people back into old school video games. The girl that sits next to me in Anatomy told me she looked for her old gameboy after she saw me play mine in class; She was going to join me the next day. So all in all, I guess being a dork isn't really a bad thing.

Shot

What do I want to write about? I don't much care for writing, but if I wanted to write about anything it would probably be music, or political issues, or something. Everyone's different and we all have unique preferences when it comes to writing, so what I want to write about doesn't really matter. Writing is a way to express our feelings and opinions; which is fun sometimes. So I don't care what we have to write about as long as it is something that people can form their own opinions or tell their own stories about. Writing brings out our feelings and desires, and it should reflect the person with the pen(or on the keyboard).

What do I want to write about? Well, no offense Mr. Logsdon but I hate to write. I always have. As a result I am not very good at it and I dont spend enough time on it to get better. But if I got to pick what to write about maybe it would be different. Actually I think I would still hate it because as my mom says I dont use enough words to articulate my feelings as anyone who has ever talked to me on the phone would know but maybe what I picked would be interesting enough that I could stay focused and use all the words neccasary to explain what I am trying to say.

So in order to understand how I was supposed to write this blog I read the people who had posted before me. And now I just have tons and tons of ideas but no one substantial winner or a best pick.

In middle school we were writing fiction pieces and many kids wanted to write pieces about space travel or being an olympic athelete but my teacher wouldnt let them. She said we had to write about something we knew. While I found this irritating at the time I think it was some of the best writing advice I have ever gotten. Because of this I pick to write about something I know even though it wouldnt be fiction. Even though it would be way cool to write about African refugees or hospitals, I personally and dont think that anyone really knows very much about that.

So that was one way to narrow my topic ideas down. Something that takes up a lot of my time personally and Im guessing everyone elses is school. We spend at least 8 hours a day there for the majority of the year. School is what can stress us out, it can make us sad or extremely happy depending on the day and the class. But something that is even more important to me then school and the educational aspect are the relationships that are built in and around school.

I used to tell my friends how crazy I thought it was that somebody thought it was a good idea to put 2,000 stressed out, hormonal teenagers together in one building for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I dont think my friends ever really understood what I was talking about so maybe I was just being rediculous but think about it for a second. As a result of being together we form so many relationships. Im not just talking about the classic bf/gf relationships but the relationships with the people we must interact with every day

I would like to write about relationships in high schools. Student to teacher relationships, friend relationships, stranger relationships, strangers becoming friends relationships, friends that are girls with boys, friends that are boys with girls, enemies and fellow teammates. Our days are filled with constant interactions. It would be fascinating and extremly revealing if we could disect and examine the mundaneness of the day to day interactions we have with people we dont even think about. In the process you would learn not only about everyone around you but also yourself, how you personally function as a human high-schooler.

Shot

What would I like to write about? Give me a sec...

Well, I'd have fun writing about World of Warcraft, but it's very unlikely the whole class plays it, so that isn't really conceivable.

I could also write about how my parents keep harping on me about anything and everything. I'm sure all of us can relate to that. Too often am I scolded for not working hard, for needing to get my license, and half a dozen other things...

What about connections? Relationships, I mean. We could write about the difficulties and triumphs within our lives and discuss how we feel about it.

I don't really care for writing, so this is a difficult blog for me...heh...but still, it's nice to pick our topic (kinda).

True Colors

High school juniors, and peers to one another for an average of about three (four, five) years now, I think it's safe enough to assume that we've come to know and understand ourselves and each other pretty well. We can all probably identify who a person is friends with, whether they're involved in any extra curriculars, what their strengths and weaknesses might be, their style of dress, maybe even where we see them in ten, fifteen years.
This familiarity with a person definitely extends to personality. But our perception of someone's personality can be harder to articulate than "I bet they're a doctor one day" or "She looks really cute with her hair down like that." Someone can be fun-loving, or intimidating, or goofy. But I've always thought personality to be a characteristic of so much more depth than a collection of word like that can express. And Rach has been trying to teach me how to interpret people as colors. In class we've even studied visual literacy and what colors can represent or evoke.
In short,-- how's this for the Backdoor Approach?-- I think it'd be really cute for everyone to write about the person they sit next to in English class, or something. Our school, even our little program, is as different and as similar as the colors of the rainbow. And these colors can be used to objectify something as layered/multi-dimensional as personality.
And really, I'd just be interested to hear what people come up with for each other.

My Best Shot.

So I'm really into this new show on MTV called "The Buried Life." It's about these four guys who decided they didn't want to do any 'real' work, so they got MTV to sponsor and document them as they drive across the United States in an old bus, accomplishing a list of one hundred things they want to do before they die. It's actually a fascinating show, because whether it be sneaking into the Playboy Mansion dressed as Oompa Loompas, playing basketball with Obama, or making a toast at a stranger's wedding, the guys always find someone random and help them with an item on their own bucket list.

And I started thinking: what does Faina Matveeva want to do before she dies? So I have decided to share a few things on MY bucket list, in hopes that I can 1) present a suitable idea for this Do-It-Yourself blog, and 2) solidify my desire to accomplish said things.

#17: Write up a business plan with Sean P. Diddy Combs--that man is today's Benjamin Franklin; I could learn a lot. He's also really cool.

#59: Sing and play keyboard on stage with My Chemical Romance in Switzerland. I hear the shows are craziest there.

#32: Brew my own beer. A little inappropriate right NOW, but my dad says it's one of the most interesting processes ever.

#80: Spend the night in a haunted house--by myself.

#6: A classic: Travelling. I want to start in Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls and make it all the way to Australia to scuba-dive in the Great Barrier Reef.

#99: Ski a double black diamond slope in Colorado.

2010!!!

So 2010, I have high expectations for this year. Like my friend, Liz Crutcher, noted earlier, we decided long ago that junior would be the most enjoyable year of high school. Seeing that 2010 is the new year, it only makes since that I would throw all of my goals on it. Next year will be stressful; with college applications, keeping up with grades, staying dedicated to clubs, and having some sort of a social life on top of all of that. Junior year (even though it's suppose to be the hardest year, school wise) is MY year to actually... live. Doing the 'average' teenager thing is what I want it to be about. So far I think I've accomplished my vision of that. I know this is a really vague thing to say, I mean who doesn't want to have fun as a teenager? And what is the definition of an average teenager anyway? But honestly, it's the only thing I want. I don't want to do anything too crazy, or even try to set goals for myself. I just want to make the best of my days and enjoy them while I still have them. No guidelines to abide to or achievements to reach, just simply do that best I can and make it through high school. For the time being, I just want to see where the road will lead me.

Resolutions?

Okay this really pissin' me off, I've literally written this blog like 4 times. It's funny because my resolution is that I need to care more, about life in general. I guess this is a good start. I NEVER care about almost anything. Austin did you study fpor that APUSH test, naw it's whatever. Austin you're gonna break your legs if you jump off this roof, no way it'll be fun. I just don't care, I can't condition myself to care. I NEVER worry which is prolly what causes my lack of care. I mean just last semester I lost my phone, I was grounded for about forever, and my mom doesn't trust me that much anymore. But it's whatever. I really ALMOST hate myself for that, but my life is awesome when I'm not in trouble. I have a carefree lifestyle that people dream of, but with what's expected of me it's prolly not a good thing.

2010.

I will make 2010 the best year yet. I say this every year, and it never truly happens. Somewhere between the mundane day-to-day to-dos and the bigger things that stress me out and the few moments where I actually stop to live, I forget I am supposed to be having the Best Year Yet of my life. But not this year.

I am going to try and stress less in 2010. I need this stress to get things accomplished, but it can get out of hand. Especially since just about everything in the upcoming year will induce stress- college applications and decisions, mentoring project, school, and a million other things I do not even know about yet. So I will try to stop myself, take a deep breath and work to get things accomplished rather than panic.

Secondly, I am going to try to simply enjoy life. This time next year, my days in public school will be coming to an end and a whole new life will be right around the corner. So I want to appreciate everything that is going on right now. To often in life I look forward to the future, and suddenly I realize that this time waiting for the future IS my life. So I will try to live in the moment.

This year really will be the best. As a good friend of mine, Kam Farley, and I decided during our summer nights in Marco Island that junior year would be great, we also decided recently that 2010 would own. So simply because of that, it will.

2010 Resolutions

Somehow, I feel like 2010 is going to be a good year. Maybe even my best yet. Why? In the words of one Bill Pope, I don't know! It just seems like I have a good year ahead of me, which (in the face of my ever-closer-approaching senior year) may in fact be sheer, unwarranted optimism. But anyway.

My first resolution, I suppose, is to de-stress a little bit. No matter what I think, things do usually work themselves out, and freaking out over them doesn't really help. If I procrastinated and didn't start my Spanish vocab until 10:30 last night, trying to finish it in a stress-induced frenzy is not going to make the words define themselves any faster. And if I my alarm didn't go off and I got caught in Richmond Road traffic, worrying about it obsessively isn't going to make me any less late to seminar. And honestly, who cares if Peggy yells at me? I will listen to that woman as soon as she gets me into an amazing college. I'm not saying I should slack by any means, but I could use a little less stress in my day-to-day life.

And then there's U.S. History. Where do I even begin? The necessity for a resolution concerning this subject is unquestionable, but I'm at a loss as to whether it should focus on my need to naturally be more intelligent or on improving my work ethic. I'm initially inclined to blame my mediocrity on the former, but I realize I can't resolve to do much in order to work that problem out. So I suppose my second resolution is to work harder in APUSH, despite the fact that days of studying still earned me a 67% on the final. Why, karma? Why?

Lastly, and in my opinion most importantly, I need to learn how to cook. And do laundry. I know it's not the 1950's, and women have more potential in the world than doing housework all day, but don't these seem like basic necessities? I'm going to be a college student one day (ugh, I need to stop reminding myself how close that is) and I'm thinking -- what am I going to do? I can't cook anything that doesn't come with microwave instructions, and I've never been in the same room as a washing machine for more than a minute in my whole life.

I feel like I will be a better person because of these resolutions. Here's to 2010!

Assignment: Create your own adventure

For this next blog, I want you to tell me what you'd like to write about. So in the immortal words of Pat Benatar, "hit me with your best shot."

New Years Resolutions

As 2010 begins and the college application process looms ever nearer, my primary focuses in the new year are academic. Moreover, in the limited time that I have left at Henry Clay, I must make the best of the opportunities provided to me. This includes receiving high grades in all of my classes, performing well on the AP exams, and involving myself in numerous extracurricular activities. Additionally, in order to bolster my application, I hope to score well on standardized tests outside of school such as the SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests. Currently, some aspects of my ability to study and focus on school material and test preparation are preventing me from realizing my full potential. At times, I tend to waste time watching TV and am too easily distracted from work. As a result, my schoolwork has suffered at times and I have received grades on assignments that concern me. Distraction coupled with procrastination are qualities that I hope to overcome in the new year in order to finish my time at Henry Clay out well. By forcing myself to work on long-term assignments before they are due and beginning homework at an earlier time when it is easier for me to focus, I am fully capable of attaining these goals. Consequently, I may raise my GPA as well as my class rank and establish myself as an attractive candidate.

Resolutions

You know, I spent more time trying to come up with an interesting introduction for this blog than I did thinking about my resolutions this year. Quite unusual really; that 1. I actually care about my writing style (writing's just not my thing) and 2. I didn't come up with a resolution this year.
My family is really big on New Year's Resolutions. We all gather around our kitchen table every January 1st with a pen and a pad of paper, waiting to discuss and then document the goals that we set for each year. It gets more complicated than that- you have to come up with a goal for each of the set categories (Family, School, Health, Fitness, etc.). Then we all participate in the truly heart-warming moment of mulling over what we don't like about ourselves and how we should work to change that. And these "resolutions" tend to last all of five minutes anyways.
So this year, I resolve not to make any resolutions. To distance myself from self-analysis. To go on with my everyday life not fretting over what goals I've met and which I haven't.
Oh my, quite a paradox I've presented. Well, instead, what I mean to say is that I'm going to try to not worry anymore. To not worry about goal-making and furthermore to not worry about not worrying, because if I'm fretting over the goal of not setting any goals then what good am I really doing?

Maybe I'll just resolve to write normal blogs.

New Years Resolutions

As dinner ensued at my house on some day near the end of December my mother, the cheesy cliche woman that she is, went around the table and asked everyone what their New Years Resolution was going to be. My younger sister's was to not be so argumentative and my brother's was to not retaliate against every little thing that my sisters and I say to him (he tends to beat us up unnecessarily). When the inevitable moment came for me to say something I came up with this: I will not be so BLAH. Now this means many things. Apparently I put people down a little more than is necessary, so I am going to try and be more positive. This also means that I am going to spend less nights at home watching TV and more nights out with friends or my family. This may seem easy, but my motivation level is not exactly off the charts.

On a different note, my volleyball coach basically told me that I am too much of a pansy on the court and that I need to be more of a "badass". A lot of this includes not saying sorry to my teammates or not goofing around so much at practice. Those who know me know that I am not exactly this type of person and it is probably funny to imagine me this way. I agree, I cant even see myself this way. But if it is going to help me get a scholarship (another one of my goals) then I will give it a shot.

What I want out of life

Dinner time at the Karakashian household is a scientific wonder. Time slows down, food never ends, family members talk for millennia without once stopping for breath. And every year around the holidays it somehow manages the most amazing feat of all: it gets worse. My sister comes home from DC and regardless of how boring I find the world of micro-finance, my parents can never get enough.

I pivoted the salt shaker around one point of its octagonal base, trying to balance it and spin it around without letting it fall. It didn’t work. I grabbed the spilt salt and tossed it over my left shoulder, abandoning the salt shaker for obvious reasons and turning instead to the window. I found myself so fascinated by the way the tree branches crisscrossed across the evening sky that the dull conversation floating around the dinner table disappeared into undistinguishable noise.

"Claudia? Are you paying attention? Your sister could certainly teach you a few things about goals." My mother said, practically salivating at the thought of sister bonding time. I looked over at my sister and found that she, too, was looking hungrily at me. The prospect of lecturing me about goals and futures and decisions was making her eyes gleam in a dangerous way. I muttered an unintelligible response and turned my head back towards the window.

The conversation around me slowly shifted away from me, but to my dismay I found myself repeating my mother’s words in my head.

Your sister could certainly teach you a few things about goals.

A frown turned the corners of my lips downward, and wondered how in the world my sister was supposed to teach me about my goals. What were my goals anyway? I suppose many of my goals were fairly orthodox- become a doctor, start a family, retire happily. As great as they sounded, they all rang hollow somehow. So many others share these goals, can I really call them my own? I began to think harder, to dig deeper. I absentmindedly grabbed the salt shaker and began spinning it again.

I started with the things I don’t want. I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want to be a workaholic. I don’t want to feel trapped in one place. I don’t want every day to be the same.

My goal is simple; I want to live my life surrounded by the people I care about, the people who hopefully reciprocate this caring. I want to have plenty of time to spend with them, and plenty of time to spend away from them. I want to see the world with the knowledge that I have a lovely home waiting for me when I finish.

As for 2010, I see as just another stepping stone on the way. This year, I have three resolutions that I think are key to ensuring my happiness and that of those around me. If I make decent grades, treat my friends as well as i possibly can, and stay on good terms with my family, then this could very well be the best year yet.

I honestly don't know where to start with all the things that I want to do. I know, like most of my classmates, I'm thinking about my future any trying to make plans. I know first priority is supposed to be school, but that doesn't seem to be a big part of what I'm thinking about. Basically in that area, nothing new, work hard and get the best grades possible.
I've been focusing more on my horse this year, she's been learning a lot and doing really so I'm planning lots of shows for the coming year. I'm really excited about that. Only problem is that she is expensive and my parents laugh at me when I wonder if they want to pay for some of these, so I will also be getting a job soon. Most likely on a farm, that's where I'm used to working and I know some people who will pay me really well.
Then there is music. I really like singing, piano, and ,a little, guitar. Just started that last one. But I really hope that I can get better in all of those areas and I think I'll be having some performances. That should be fun.
I also hate been getting into painting a lot this year so I think I want to try and sell some of my work. If you've heard of third street stuff, I might have some things hung up there for sale soon. I talked to the manager and she said they're always interested, which would be really cool.
Traveling is the biggest thing. I really want to road trip with a bunch of people. I also just want to go places all the time, and party a lot :] These are the years I get to go crazy so that is one of my big things is have as much fun as possible.

I can't trace time.

I WILL POST BLOG ENTRIES ON TIME.
I really will try to. But I kind of hate resolutions, or at least never put any thought into them. Resolution or goals of any sort. Because I hate overestimating my abilities/drive. So for this year I will from time to tim scan the CourseNotes of our assigned history chapters. I will try to go to the gym the day before a presentation or audition,or before wearing a form-fitting outfit. I will probably not eat more vegetables and meats. Or spend less time on Facebook. I will get up on time for school at least until I get an alarm clock with a working Snooze button. I will not become consumed with dating, unless someone totally new and ideal and beautiful comes along. I will get my butt out there and try for new things, but only if I have a friend's apprehensive butt out there with mine.
And I will come to accept myself as this person and babystep my way to bigger things, not claim them on December 31st.

2010? more like 20fun!

To kickoff this new year I would like to focus on that one thing all juniors (or at least the quarter studious ones) are thinking about. College. Earlier today I took part in the long and timid SAT. Next up is the ACT and I'm shootin for the moon on these tests. My goals for 2010 is to work up the grades, test scores, and activities to a maximum in order to fill out my resume for college, especially Virginia Tech. My ultimate goal for 2010 is to get accepted into VT. So much pressure and stress will be released when this moment comes. My parents will stop nagging me. I won't have to try so hard in school. And the most important, rocking out when its all blown over. I would also like to focus on my swimming more. I'm no state champ, but swimming is one of my favorite activities to do, and I'm always bored when its over. So I would like to enjoy it as much as I can before its gone.

Barracuda.

I've already decided this year is gonna be the bomb dot com. I'm talking about everybody getting drunk, drunk. All the boys trying to touch my junk, junk. But seriously, i'm stepping up my game this year. My two main goal areas are academics and athletics. Last semester, I wasn't too happy with my grades, so this year i'm bringing my A-game. Literally! I'm shooting for all A's this semester, and you know what they say, "Shoot for the moon-even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." I'd also like to do some work on the AP tests-which would essentially kill two birds with one stone by bumping up a couple of my first semester scores as well as get me some AP credit.

As for athletics, I'd like to kick some buttocks in track this year. My goal is 4:50 for the mile and 10:30 for the two mile, but most of all I want to be one of the top distance runners on the team.

Goals aren't an easy thing to reach, but I've gotten off to a good start this year, and I'd like to continue my progress throughout the new year.

I Had to Hold the Gatorade

Laziness is a trait carried by many people in the Academy. I am one of many people. Not only have I been too lazy to ever follow through with a New Year's Resolution; I have been too lazy to even come up with one. All the thinking and planning and organizing disparate thoughts and ideas into a clear goal using only brain power... it sounds so unappealing. I would rather sleep or jump out of interesting things. These acts require almost no thought, depending on the interesting thing. But I can forsee a future where this would be a problem, and where there are sex robots and laser cats. So, I have devised my first ever New Year's Resolution: to begin focusing my mind towards my 2011 brainstorming for coming a 2012 Resolution.

This may strike some as procrastination, similar to forgetting about an unnamed internet-based literary assignment until thirty minutes before its midnight due date, and then writing something with all the enthusiasm of Sarah Palin's speech coach ("no, Sarah, it's not pronounced Ji-boot-ee-giggle"). That is simply not the case. Look around at the other essays on this blog! Do those resolutions seem like they've had two years of careful over planning? No! They are no doubt reasonable and achievable; I will not fall into this same trap. By spending the next two years formulating the general beginnings of a "plan," I'll be more then ready to begin the two months I will spend on a truly epic resolution. It's not like anyone every actually reaches their New Year's goals, no matter how low the bar is set; I might as well fail attempting something awe-inspiringly impossible.

Resolutions

I'm not really into the resolution thing. I see 2010 as just another year with nothing particularly special about it, but I guess if I had to think about it, I could come up with some goals.

I shall achieve better grades then last semester. Suffice to say, they weren't very good. I'm going to get all A's this time (with maybe a B or 2). Then at least I wouldn't have to listen to complaints over how I'm perfectly capable of doing better and it's just laziness holding me back (which is true enough).

I shall (prepare for gameage) get my character Growth to level 80 on World of Warcraft and raid heal with him. I'm not going to go into what that exactly means. If you don't know by now, you probably don't care and don't want to listen to me going on about it.

I shall finish (aka catch up to the latest episode in) the anime (Japanese cartoon show) One Piece. Currently I'm at episode 345 (or 354...) and the series has reached somewhere in the 430's, so I still have a lot of watching to do to catch up. It's a good show. ^_^

I shall figure out what my mentoring project will be about. Hopefully by March, as I have to find a mentor by halfway through it. I am currently considering getting a group of students and doing some kinda band thing. It would be really fun, and it wouldn't seem so much a class as something more enjoyable, therefore I would do better. Boring things don't work for me very well.

These are the "goals" that stand out to me the most when I think about things to accomplish this year. Oh. I should also learn how to write a conclusion too; I suck at that. I imagine the Closings section of Writing With Style will help with that though.

Wow!! I can't believe it is already 2010! I feel that 2010 is like this unattainable year in the future but now its here. In this year I will become a senior in high school so of course I hope all the stereotypical things like getting a good score on the ACT. And I recently accomplished something that I wanted to do for a long time which was kissing someone in the rain. But this year I want to get closer to the people that I dont know very well but have always wanted to. I dont want to graduate and think why did I never talk to such and such. I also want to get closer to my current friends. I guess my new year's resolutions are kinda vague. I think that I just want to try and make sure this year is amazing while still succeeding in school.

Changes

I don't see myself accomplishing anything extraordinary in 2010. It's not that I shouldn't, but rather that I just don't see it. People say that they will get better grades, or lose weight, but I'll just be basically the same. Sure I'll have applied for college, be anxious for graduation, but these are not life changing events. I don't really buy into the whole New Year's Resolution thing, I take life as it comes and adapt to the situation to the best of my ability. I feel goals are a sign of unhappiness. If you are not happy with something you try to improve it. Well I am currently content with my situation and don't feel the need to change. I certainly would like to get into a good school, or get better grades, but these are closer to hopes than goals.

2010

"The art of progress is to limit your goals only to living." -Thoreau

This year, I had three resolutions. The first was to learn a ten-page Brahms rhapsody in G Minor by the end of January. I started strong, practicing every day, but was soon overwhelmed by the accumulation of homework and clubs. It is the 23rd of January, and I am now on page three. My second resolution was to give up chocolate for the year, the reason being my lack of self control around the stuff. I limited myself to chocolate chip cookies (which I began eating twice a week) and hot chocolate (which I was drinking everyday.) Soon, I realized that, in prohibiting myself from the candy, I had replaced the sugar many many times over with chocolate substitutes. On January 15th, I caved and ate fifteen Hershey's kisses for breakfast. I haven't eaten much chocolate since then, but it's safe to say that resolution no longer stands. Finally, I promised myself that I'd maintain a 4.0 through the end of junior year. And now that I think about it, this resolution wasn't really a goal; it was an expectation. So THAT went out the window. Basically, I've broken my resolutions about three weeks into the year.

But, really, when we make resolutions, do we make a defined plan in order to follow through on it? Or do we set goals because we're expected to, because we need something to say for the New Year's toast? I'm sure I subconsciously made these promises because I KNEW they wouldn't be done in time. I knew I'd cave--how can anyone expect me to stay away from chocolate, or learn the hardest piece I've ever played in under four weeks? In fact, I'm sure that because we make these promises, we're more inclined to break them; it's just how teenagers' minds operate.

I don't know why we set such high standards for ourselves: whether it be to humble us when we fail, or to set the goals so high that when we don't follow through, we're not heartbroken. But I DO know that I love chocolate, and that even though I know barely one hundred measures of the Rhapsody, I love playing it over and over on my piano. I know that rather than outlining my year with three little promises that will definitely be forgotten by October, I want to have fun and succeed this year. So I've decided to set a new resolution for myself--yes, a resolution made already 23 days into the new year. The only resolution I'll have for myself is to be great. And if that means being great at the first three pages of a Brahms piece, or learning a word a day to expand my vocabulary, or reading for pleasure for once; if it means dipping my toes in pools like research or skiing or playing a guitar, I want to be able to be great. It's not very unique or definite, but it's a resolution. And I think, with this resolution in mind, I'll be able to chill with my friends on December 31st of 2010 and say "You guys, this year was great."

Resolutions!

I have about 3 personal goals or resolutions for this 2010 year. None of them are really special or anything, just three things i want to accomplish or get better at.

The most important accomplishment i want to achieve is receiving straight A's this semester. This may not seem like a very big deal to many, but i think its very important and i need to work very hard in order to achieve that goal.

My second goal is also related to school which is to recieve a 34 on the ACT. I will have to try my best and put forth countless hours and hopefully if i dont reach my goal, then i will at least get somewhere close to it.

Finally my last goal is one that i would like to achieve but isnt of that much importance to me. Ever since ive been a little kid, i have always wanted to dunk. People make it look so easy but it isnt as easy at it looks. So i want to be able to dunk by the end of the 2010 year.

These goals are goals that i have set for myself because i feel like they are manageable and that if i work hard enough, i can easily accomplish them

Assignment: Cha Cha Changes

What do you hope to accomplish with 2010? Call it a resolution, call it a goal, call it what you will; but what's gonna be special about 2010, how are you going to be better, how are you going to go about doing it in only 365 days? On your marks. Get set. Go!!