It Starts With Us

America. A free, independent country.  A country with a dream. And, a country with a failing public school system. We spend the most on education than any other country but one, and yet results aren't being shown. For example, in the most recent PISA test, our country was one of 65 tested in three categories (math, reading, and science), and for one of the categories, we ranked 31^st place in our scores (with Shanghai, China being first in every test category). While our education isn't the worst in the world, we aren't the best; we are just mediocre. If we are a country full of rights, privileges, and money, why are we behind when it comes to education? The flaws of the educational system in America stem from lazy teachers /tenure, and a lack of successful schools.

          Poor teacher performance is one of the flaws of the educational system. Lazy teachers, in my opinion, become lazy because of tenure. Tenure basically ensures a teacher’s position until they retire, making it hard to fire them. This extremely flaws the public school system in America because it gives teachers the opportunity to not care as much as to whether students learn what they teach or not, since they just have a permanent job. While this is not true with every teacher, some will take advantage of the fact that they cannot get fired unless they do something horrible or drastic. If we as a nation could find a way to motivate teachers to teach students (for example, salary increases for teachers with student improvement or regular examinations of teachers with tenure to ensure their job is still being done), then we would be one step closer to improving our educational status in the world.

          Built upon the foundation of the lazy teachers, there is a lack of successful schools in all of America, which is another one of our flaws. There are only so many good and hard-working teachers to teach, so not every school can be successful. This is especially true in less fortunate neighborhoods and cities, where students often enter in lottery-like drawings to be admitted to a well-performing school that has a student population limit. The students who don’t get in often end up in unsuccessful schools nicknamed “dropout factories”, which are schools where more than 40% of the students dropout (according to the documentary Waiting for Superman). It is a heart-wrenching process as one’s possible future is held in the hands of luck. All that these students want is to be able to create a future for themselves, and it is not fair to deny these students of a chance of knowledge. If even one part of our nation does not have full access to decent education, then the entire nation’s educational level is lacking when compared to other countries. When the amount of successful public schools is increased in our country, fewer students will be denied the chance to learn and education in America will be even closer to improved.

          The American public school system has many flaws, caused by teachers and educational institutions, and it needs to be fixed. All of the federal provisions thought up to fix our system (for example, No Child Left Behind) are not working. When it comes down to it, reform begins with us, the students. Sure, there are always going to be those teachers with no drive to teach or care to what a student learns, and there will probably always be kids who don’t get to have the top notch education that they want. But, we are the next generation. We need to be able to become competitive with the rest of the world for jobs, etc. This starts with us simply paying attention in class and actually trying. If the problem is with the teacher, we can inform the principal and superintendent, and if needed, to an even higher authority. When the teachers are motivated to teach better (with changes in tenure, for example), then our country will have more successful schools. And with more successful schools, our educational level as a nation will ultimately improve. You can say that it is like a positive domino effect. Once we as students are inspired to learn, we can better navigate our future and improve our country’s education. 

.Sources

“Waiting for ‘Superman’.” Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Vantage. Sep. 2010. Documentary.

Hood, John. “The Failure of the American Public Education.” The

            Freeman| Ideas on Liberty. N.p., Feb. 1993. Web.

Jason, Gary. “The Continuing Disgrace of U.S. Education.”  American Thinker.

            N.p., 2011. Article.

Keep Moving Forward

 Society is constantly moving forward, attempting to keep up with the technology and advances made within the population. Sometimes it'll hit a snag and the advancing isn't quite caught up with the technology that we have. At this point television plays a major role in our culture, and therefore affects what we think, while also being affected by the norms of our culture. As the years have gone by, more effort has been put into representing a larger group of people on the tv, rather than the typical blonde white female and her white jock boyfriend. Flipping on the tv, you can see a bit more variety than you could at other points in time. All of this is good and all, but sometimes this representation has not actually caught up with society, which happens to be the case of homosexuals in today. The abundance of gay stereotypes on tv is a detriment to this attempted advance of society.

Don't get me wrong, tv is filled with stereotypes, it's like their bread and butter. And as annoying as that can get at times, that won't change any time soon. The problem that arises is exactly what stereotype each character falls under. A character can fall into several stereotypes, at least, if they're heterosexual. If a character is gay, that is their stereotype. Being gay isn't just a part of who that character is; it's who they are, the only thing they are and likely the only thing they will be. In a world of such variety, this random snag is a bit anachronistic. It's a good thing that homosexuals are being portrayed on tv now, but at times one might question whether not having any representation might be better than a negative portrayal. And even if they don't seem terribly negative at first, they can still do some damage with negative stereotypes.

Glee is sometimes called the gayest show on air; or at least, my sister swears it is. And it's true that Glee has more gay characters than most shows. But we still have a problem: they're all horrible stereotypes. Starting with Kurt, the first one revealed (in the third episode, nonetheless), the show has depicted its gay character as simply that: gay. Kurt's personality traits involve a love of theater and fashion, and when he comes out to his dad in the fourth episode, he's hardly surprised. One hardly has to explain how this is stereotypical, as Kurt fills the token gay spot on the show throughout the first season. One rather egregious stereotype that Kurt fills is that gay men actually want to be women: in an episode where the glee club has to split into the separate genders, Mr. Shue has to make Kurt go with the guys. This is besides the fact that Kurt is most certainly assured of his gender, and most of the time he groups himself with the ladies over the guys, for no apparent reason since he certainly identifies as a male.

In season two Kurt gets a boyfriend, Blaine, who goes to an all boy's private school and would be seen as a much more obvious gay stereotype if not for the fact that he's being compared to Kurt. He's very obviously not as much of a stereotype because he likes to watch football (which seems to be the curve ball producers use to prove that the character is not a gay stereotype because “look, they like a sport, that's manly, right?”) Other than that, he also loves fashion and theater, but has a tendency to be only a bit more subtle than Kurt about it.

Just to prove that they could also include a female stereotype, they made sure to include Brittany and Santana. These two had originally just been the background cheerleaders to stand behind the queen bee, but thanks to the fans, they managed to morph into what they are today. Now, they manage to fulfill the “hot lesbians” quota, as they are the typical “lipstick lesbian” stereotype. Another stereotype that they manage to fill is that of Brittany's bisexuality, which manifests itself in her being that girl who has dated everyone in the school, another stereotype (that of bisexuality equaling promiscuity.)

Glee is not the only show on the air with gay people on it. One of the popular shows recently is Modern Family, and one of the couples featured on this show is that of Cam and Mitchell. Less egregious than the Glee examples, they play to one major stereotype: the idea that one of the members of a gay couple must be the female in the relationship. In this couple, that role falls to Cam, who enjoys theater and fashion, has flamboyant mannerisms and is also the stay at home dad. While neither of them are particularly manly, they do have a couple of supposedly non gay traits (Cam likes football), this only perpetuates the stereotype further.

And a great many people are probably thinking at this point, so what? Why does it matter, what harm does it do? Gay people like this exist, but they also aren't the only way that a gay person can act. And therein lies the problem. Yes, some gay people act like this. The keyword is some. Stereotypes effect both parties in this: both the ones being stereotyped and the ones viewing the stereotyping. These shows perpetuate the stereotypes, and that reinforces them in the minds of the viewers. Not everyone who watches these shows are going to know a gay person in real life; they won't be able to make the connection that not all homosexuals are what they see on tv. Not only that, but for those being stereotyped, it can cause problems for their well being. People who feel stereotyped are more likely to be irritable, aggressive, and over-eat, according to a study by Science Daily. Not only that, but members of minority groups are more likely to stereotype themselves according to the norm when they are faced with such discrimination, as seen in a study done by Simon and Hamilton, both psychologists.

How do we fix this, though? One can hardly complain about something without an idea of how to fix the problem. Being proud of one's sexuality is not the problem; having gay characters on tv who acknowledge their sexuality isn't either. The problem is that their gayness is their only trait. The way that tv should start going is to make it so that this one part of a character is not their only trait. Rather, our characters could just happen to be gay, with other traits aside from that, which are more focused on. An example of this on tv would be the character of Oscar from The Office. He is gay, but that is not his only trait. People know that he is gay and they do not skirt around the issue, but he also happens to be a know-it-all, a bit uptight, which would more be the stereotype of an accountant than that of a gay man. This way the characters traits are not nearly as trivialized, and being gay does not define the character.

This is a problem that doesn't just affect homosexuals; this same thing happens to all different minority groups. Whether it be based on sexuality, ethnicity, gender, what have you, this can hurt many people aside from just this one group. And we the viewers shouldn't put up with it, or let the producers go back to their tired old stereotypes. Society is moving forward, and so too should what we see on the television screen. That's why we need to make that fact known to those who produce our tv shows: make sure they know that we don't want to put up with their stereotyping of minorities. We shouldn't let them put their hand in a bag and pull out a stereotype for their characters. Make them put more thought and depth into their characters; try writing to the producers of these shows in order to make these characters more realistic and less harmful. If that doesn't work, and very well might not, maybe even boycott the shows! A person just needs to show that something matters to them before other people start to do anything about it. If we don't show them we care, they'll keep this up for who knows how much longer; we can help drag them forward, into the future.

Final Speech

“Homosexuality is a sin.”
“Being gay is an abomination in the eyes of God.”
“The Bible says that that homosexuals should be killed.”
When I first came out my parents the summer before my freshman year of high school, the first thing they did was look me in the eyes and they asked me if it was something they did wrong. And of course, I said no. They stopped for a second and then my dad said to me, “I wish you’d told us earlier that you were feeling this way. That way, we could’ve helped you earlier.” And I just sat there. The next morning, I had an appointment with a psychologist. And then later in the afternoon, with a religious counselor. The day after, with another. That’s how my summer went. All in an effort to cure me. And always it came back to, “God doesn’t approve of that lifestyle” and “you’re a girl, God meant for you to like boys.”
But I never really understood that. Why would God say something like that? I'd always been told God loved his children unconditionally. That’s what I’d always believed.
The Bible says this and the Bible says that. Throughout history, the Bible has been used to discriminate against African Americans, women, and now, homosexuals.
The most common passage used to argue against homosexuality is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities that sat along the Jordan River. These cities were extremely wealthy and were well off. At this time, if someone were to come to your house, you would, without questioning it, welcome them and make them feel at home. However, Sodom and Gomorrah essentially “cancelled” these laws in their land. They felt that this wasn’t necessary, they wanted to keep their wealth to themselves. The case was, though, that two angels had appeared to Abraham. Abraham had then led the angels to Lot’s house in Sodom. Once they were at the door, Lot insisted that they come in. Townsmen arrived at Lot’s house and insisted that they “bring [the guests] out unto [them], so that we may know them” or as put in other translations of the Bible “so that we can have sex with them.” (Genesis 19:5)
In the previous chapter, Genesis 18, God says that because the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are so “exceedingly wicked”, that they will be destroyed. So even before the two angels showed up to Lot’s house in the form of man alongside Abraham in Genesis 19:1, the cities were doomed. This comes to show that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is not homosexuality but rather inhospitality to strangers and visitors.
In the documentary, For The Bible Tells Me So, several people who study the Bible take a closer look at this story and explain the common misconception that most people have about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. Some say that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because there was homosexuality among them, after Genesis 19:5. However, when taken into context, this specific verse is not referring to homosexuality. In this verse, the townsmen are wanting to gang rape Lot and his guests as an act of humiliation for breaking the law of Sodom.
It is the same way with other Bible verses, that when taken out of context certain verses in the Bible can be easily misunderstood. Let’s take a look at yet another Bible verse that is commonly misinterpreted: Romans 1:26-27. “God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way men also abandoned natural relationship with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.” In Genesis, God tells Adam and Eve to go “be fruitful and multiply” and at this time, nations were still trying to grow, procreation was essential. In Genesis 38, God strikes Onan dead because he ejaculated outside of his partner as to not impregnate her. It was “unnatural” for two men or two women to be together, for their purpose was to procreate. So in this verse from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul exclaims that these same-sex relations are “unnatural” , or in other words not customary, and are worthy of death. Paul declares this as evidence that the Romans are worshipping the wrong god.
It is easy to go through and read the Bible or even snippets of it. The difficult part often comes along when we try to understand what the Bible is actually saying.

Adventures of a Shoe

I have been places you could never imagine. I have flown across the ocean, driven across the country, seen everything anyone has ever wanted to see. One of my greatest aventures would have to be going to New York City to run in the New York Marathon. As I rested in the closet the night before, I could hardly sleep as I awaited the excitement. I woke up in the morning to the feeling of my owner slipping me onto his foot. We began driving to the airport, and the feeling of driving the car was sure to wake me up all the way. The wonderful feeling of the engine pulsed through my rubber sole. Whne we got to the airport, I had to go through a series of security scans and being taken off and put back on. Have you ever been inside the x-ray machine in an airport? I felt so exposed... But anyway, we finally got to New York. By the time the marathon started I was so pumped up! I gripped the asphalt, ready to take off and fly like the wind. I carried My owner to first place and I, nor he, will ever forget it. I now sit on a shelf next to the trophy that we won, always remembered as the shoe that carried him to victory.

Democracy for the Non-Human

Democracy for the Non-Human

As a nation, we have become entirely too dependent on animals as profit. Yet, those who protest against cruelty to animals seem to focus on the emotional, “animal loving” aspect while excluding the entire issue of our treatment towards nonhumans from both serious political and moral standpoints. To protest against animal inequality is to support the prevention of suffering and misery of all animals, not just to make the lives of “cute pets” more comfortable. What we as a country are allowing to take place is the tyranny of human over nonhuman animals. Humans view all animals, and subsequently their flesh, as purely sustenance – not as the independent sentient beings they in fact are. Further, not only are animals being tortured in order to be skinned alive for their meat, they are being abused and maltreated as they are used for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research. What is unbelievable is how our human morality can be so easily pushed aside and replaced by ease and comfort. Laws of the Earth essentially intertwine Nature, Animals, and Mankind - thus it is our responsibility to make the mental switch in our attitudes and practices towards a large group of nonhumans that in essence, we share many similarities with. Do animals not feel? Do they not have basic biological functioning? Does their heart not beat and does blood not flow through their veins? It is our responsibility to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. “Animal Liberation is Human Liberation”.

Peter Singer’s novel Animal Liberation proved to be a magnanimous source of information in forming the basis of the equality argument. He calls upon the masses to disregard their prejudices and provides them with his new ethics for our treatment of animals. He states that our habits of thought lead to our clouded judgment and inability to see that the interests of animals should not be disregarded and can in fact be challenged successfully. His argument is deeply rooted in solid logic and factual information thus making his case as strong as possible. One of he aspects of the maltreatment of nonhumans he challenges is the field of scientific research. He states that, “There are extensive federally financed programs in which animals are poisoned, starved, and tortured, and ultimately after going through such extensive abuse, authorities are saying that such experiments are not worth doing and yield results not worth publishing.” So my question is this, “Why do they keep occurring?” If the pain undergone by the animals is not sufficient enough to dissuade us to terminate such experiments, shouldn’t the factual and unsatisfactory results do the job? Apparently, it seems the answer is an ignorant “no.” One particularly powerful image comes to mind when speaking on the subject of scientific research – the strapping down of chimps by force with rope and restraints – the fear evident in its eyes – after which to his head is attached a mechanical head encasing of some sort with metal probes protruding out of the sides. The countdown begins…three…two…one! An electrical surge loud enough to be heard through the video leaves the chimp lifeless as his head is snapped back and his body convulses and contorts up as if in a back bend. And what did the study prove for the results of electrical simulation of the brain? Insufficient results to be determined. The old chimp is discarded. A new test subject is brought in. The cruelty of laboratories, although decreased in previous years by animal rights activists such as PETA and IDA, still bears an overwhelming influence in our nation. So next time you apply makeup or swallow that pill, take a second to consider how many innocent animals were tortured to provide you with the luxury.

Besides scientific research, the use of animals in entertainment and for clothing has recently surged tremendously. Annually, millions of animals are killed for their wool, their leather, their exotic skins or their fur and even more subjected to abuse and maltreatment in the field of entertainment. A world-renowned example is the famous “Running of The Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain. There, bulls are pitted against one another in competition after men speed up the process of transporting them through tactics of fear and excitement. This tradition is protested against severely by animal rights groups seeing as how in their race to reach the pens, the bulls proceed to trample each other fearing the men herding them. What they are unaware of is that they are racing towards their death because as soon as they are “safely” locked inside their pens, they are transported to their slaughter. Another similar example is bullfighting, again more popular in Hispanic cultures, during which bulls are tortured for entertainment by angering and teasing them and finally slowly killing them by sword. Such depictions of humanity leave much to be said about our actions. The same can be said of those who sport animal skin as fashion. In most cases, animals that are sentenced to live their life in order to supply the fashion industry with material live miserable lives. Observing cows destined to be leather goods, the calves are usually separated from their mothers 7 days after birth and are transported to isolated facilities where they are so malnourished that their bones are so fragile that they lack the strength to hold up their emaciated and frail bodies. Farmers claim that this is the only way to raise leather because if they are fed on the diet they deserve but are so selfishly denied, “their coats will become tainted and thus unusable. No cow should be wasted”. No cow should be wasted… the phrase lingers as the cows that are “ready” and “sufficiently abused” are skinned alive for their hides, their cries echoing. Once again, farmers claim the practice to be the only way and thus justifiable. Humanity’s absolute dependence on animals, especially in cases such as these, deserves to be questioned and abhorred. If we as a people feel no sympathy for the animals we subjugate in order to be entertained for an hour or two, or look “fashionable” for an evening out, I hate to imagine what will become of us if our practices are not changed. 

Animal Rights has always been a topic I have demonstrated interest in and being able to present my claims in such a way finally has provided me with an outlet. A documentary that has had tremendous impact on me has been the feature length documentary, Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. His booming narratorial voice, deep and full emotion, not only transcends the argument but injects it with claims illustrating our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human providers." Earthlings, uses hidden cameras to depict footage and chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world. While the entire film was a phenomenal look into the human psyche and towards animal cruelty (I highly recommend the film), the animals-as-food argument was the strongest and most emotionally empowering. “Hundreds of millions of animals living in spaces so cramped that they barely experience their bodies, and these are the livestock that bring premium prices at the market. Thus, the practice continues.” A particularly influential scene in the documentary was one in a pig-raising factory where the animals were being fattened up for products such as steak and bacon. The slaughter of animals is the most gruesome aspect and the standard most needing regulation. The video displayed the herding of pigs, so closely packed together that they were unable to move, to their slaughter. An unseen man was in command of the herding with an electrical probe in his hand. He explained that it was just precautionary because if he were to kill the pigs with it, their meat would get tainted with blood, yet when they weren’t moving fast enough to his satisfaction, he seemed to have no problem killing them instantaneously whilst yelling, “Go mother fucker! Don’t fuckin’ stop! Let’s go, let’s go!!! Come on, bitch!” All the while, his cruel and sadistic laugh permeated the slaughterhouse, but not loud enough to drown out the helpless whining of the dying pigs. The scene ends as he proceeds to murder another pig, laughing hysterically, and immediately flashes from black to another area in the slaughterhouse where the rest of the pigs are now hanging upside down, their throats slit, a steady trickle of crimson blood flowing and ebbing from their cut. Many were still convulsing, not yet dead, but not completely alive – somewhere in limbo where even their guttural cries will not bring them aid. Michael Pollan’s quote, “Surely, if slaughterhouses had glass walls, would not all of us be vegetarians?” rings true and close to the heart in this particular instance. But slaughterhouses do not have glass walls. “The architecture of slaughter is opaque, designed in the interest of denial, to ensure that we will not see even if we wanted to look. And who wants to look?”

How easy would our lives be, and how drastically would they improve, if we were to rid ourselves of these subjugating habits and terminate the cruelty we force upon animals. I began watching the documentary not completely sure of what to expect. Within five minutes, I was in tears. The entire film lasted a total of an hour and a half and I cried for the entire time. As they say, “seeing is believing”, and seeing the abuse animals go through is no exception. In fact, it should be placed above all else. The logic represented is undeniable when witnessing what one living creature is doing to another, living, breathing creature. Arguments have been made that books such as Singer’s and films such as Phoenix’s display the extremes of the issue and that in reality, the situation is not as bad. While not entirely accurate, why refuse to change the situation if not all slaughterhouses, and not all forms of entertainment are as cruel as others. What will it take to persuade humanity that what we are doing is irrational and downright immoral? Do all the slaughterhouses have to mercilessly kill their pigs while simultaneously insulting them and degrading them by yelling? How many experimental chimps and animals have to die before we come to the realization that testing is inhuman? Not only do such films and novels and statistics make me want to reject all meat products, animal fashion, and forms of entertainment, the argument supporting said rejection provides logic alternatives. Pleather, Tofurkey, and Faux Fur are just several of the many available alternatives. I am not embarrassed to say that I eat meat. On several occasions I attempted to become a vegetarian with no luck. Due to health reasons, I was not allowed to continue by my parents. Yet, when I do eat meat, I make sure to check that the animals were allowed to graze, were fed grass and no animal by-products or genetically modified hormones. While that may pale in comparison to a life without meat whatsoever, it is the best I am able to do at the moment. Slowly, I am building up information providing reasons on how a vegetarian diet is sufficient sustenance for the human body and how in some cases, a vegetarian is able to consume more protein and vitamins from beans, cheese, or yogurt, than they would ever have been able to had they maintained eating meat.

To persuade such an overwhelming population to put an end to actions on which they were reared proves to be a challenge. This factor brings to light that “habit” is the final barrier of which we must free ourselves of in order to free nonhumans as well. Animal Liberation should be viewed in the same light as Black Liberation because the discrimination and prejudice witnessed is essentially the same. There are so few who can say with confidence that none of their actions or attitudes can legitimately be questioned. We need to become prepared to question our most fundamental attitudes and we need to consider our thoughts from the point of view of those who suffer by them. If we are able to do that, not only will our lives benefit, but we will also provide a substantial bettering on the lives of animals - the creatures that our essentially our brothers. The difference between chimpanzee and oyster in our eyes is minimal; the challenge that stands before us now is to minimize the gulf between chimpanzee and human.

We are the same. “Animal Liberation is Human Liberation.” “Make the Connection.”

Speech Final

Obesity: Our Nation’s Biggest Threat

                In 2004 Morgan Spurlock released a documentary called “Supersize Me” in which he only ate at the popular fast food chain, McDonalds, for a thirty day period. Spurlock tracked the progressive deterioration of his body through this time, and the results were appalling. This is exactly what is happening to Americans who spend to much time consuming the unhealthy food that they serve at places like McDonalds. And, because of that, an obesity epidemic is sweeping through our Nation. To stop this harmful trend, people need to stop eating a fast-food restaurants and help change the culinary culture of the United States back to what is was before McDonalds.

                After Spurlock’s thirty day diet of strictly Mcdonalds, he gained almost 25 pounds, not to mention the plethora of internal health problems that the fat covered up. Obviously, it is terribly unhealthy to eat at a fast-food restaurant, but people still do it anyways. About a fourth of American adults eat fast food every single day, even though over 800 people die each day from obesity related problems. See, what McDonalds has done to us is change our culture when it comes to food. It used to be a family would sit down at dinner each night for a meal at the dinner table. But now, people are spending much of their time eating fast food on the road because it is quicker and easier, and if you do not think past the convenience of it, you might think it was better. And, because of this change in culture, people are eating themselves to death every day, America has picked its poison, and if something doesn’t change, it will destroy us.

                At the moment, about two thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. This massive amount of people was much slimmer before Fast-food took over the culture of American dining. In fact, since 1950, obesity rates have risen 214 percent, coincidentally the first McDonalds opened its doors in 1948. It is clear that fast food is harmful to our Nation’s health, and the problem is only getting worse, so the question is how to stop it. And the answer is to find the American dining culture that we have lost beneath the grease and fat from fast food. What I mean by this is people need to cut way back on the amount of fast food that they consume.  They don’t need to cut it out completely, although that would be ideal, but for most people, fast food has become their culture, almost a habit to them. However, people should be eating at home with the family, and people will say they don’t have time, but families did it happily for years before fast food came along to change everything we know about eating, especially back in the 1950’s, when obesity rates were 214% lower than what they are now. These family meals will be much healthier than the greasy fatty nightmare that is crafted behind the scenes in the McDonalds kitchen. So, if people were to limit their fast food to maybe once a week instead of five times a week and then twice a month instead of once a week, and so on, that massive amount of people who are overweight will become slimmer again.

                As you’ve seen, America’s biggest threat is obesity, and obesities biggest helper is fast food. People have adopted fast food into the culinary culture of the country, and because if it obesity is killing us. People need to cut back on the fast food if they wish to halt the progress of obesity, because the only way to fight obesity is to cut fast food out of the diet, and the culture.  

               

                

My Neighbor

I came into 4th hour English on the first day of school this year without knowing Gates or Dominik at all. I had chemistry with Dominik last year, but we never really talked, and I had never had a class or even said a word to Gates before this year. I'll start out with Gates. Gates is hilarious and always has something funny to say about what's going on in class. The only instance of tension that has come between the two of us was when I showed up to school with an Obama pin on my backpack, and he was wearing a Romney pin. On the other side of me, Dominik is no shy student either, he has no problem voicing his views to the class even if they are unpopular. I know by sitting next to him that he has an affinity for Russian literature and recognizes the importance of being literate. In 5 years from now I could see both of my neighbors working on some sort of prestigious graduate program.

Pencil

Pencil: Today has been a good day! I woke up still in a dark area where I was left, and haven't been stuck in a grinder where I lose my body yet! Nor have I even been pushed onto a white sheet that slowly prepares me for the grinder! Oh no! my place of safety has been opened, and I'm moving towards the light! I go through what feels a lifetime of being prepared and shoved into the grinder, I hate "in class writings" or whatever they are. It seems I am in a new place of hiding, under a large black sky with these weird colored clouds. I sleep for several hours until I am kicked! I get kicked to the other side of the room, picked up and shoved into a grinder! After I endure this pain I am only used for several minutes until my body is split in two. The life of a pencil was a short and horrible one. RIP pencil.

Assignment 15: Speech

Post your speech!

Last blog of the year! Huzzah!

Full text of speech - due Sunday, December 16 at 11:59 pm.

Brave Little Toasters (Blog #14)

Oh, hello, Jacob. Ready to play through some more New Super Mario Bros. U? Nintendo Land? Oh, you want to go to the Internet Browser? That's fine with me; you're probably just going to make your daily checks of Cracked and Zelda Informer. Alright, now that that's done, it's time to- hey, wait, why are you switching the TV display (using my controller no less)? Why are you switching on your old Playstation 2?! Hello! I'm right here, next generation of gaming and all. That piece of junk is older than the Wii! What can it possibly have that I don't? Oh, Persona 4? Sure, whatever, not like I won't have better Japanese Role Playing Games a few months from now.

Oh come on! You mean to tell me that you're ignoring me in favor of grinding (leveling up by killing many enemies for a long period of time)? Oh, no, I see, you're using my controller's screen to watch Youtube videos on the side. Great, I've been relegated to a video player in favor of a console from two generations ago. Don't you have a laptop for this anyway? You could use that inste- Wait, really? You're reading articles online with your laptop, using me as a video player, and grinding in Persona 4?! If grinding in Persona 4 was really that mindless and boring to you, why didn't you just play Nintendo Land?!

Oh, man, it's been almost ten hours. Sure, there were a couple of cool story moments that popped up, but I swear to God if I have to play one more College Humor or Dorkly video that you just saw yesterday, I'm going to find my own way to "Red Ring." Please, just let me rest. You have a laptop that's already open, just rely on that for now; I'm begging you. How much time have you invested into this game anyway? Sixty hours?! Jeez, these kinds of games really suck you in, huh? Well, at this point, the game should almost be done, right? And you'll be back to playing me in one or two days... right?

(Note: the game actually took me a little over one hundred hours in total to beat)

My good friend John

My toilet, John, is a track star.  He loves to run.  We've never actually seen how fast he is, but we sure have heard him.  We know he sees life as a race, and he's determined to take first place.  He likes to see what speed he can reach, or how long he can go.  Sometimes he just wants to build up his endurance to run all day.  Bill, the guy who keeps up with how much water we use, loves to give us huge numbers on those days.  But John is dependable.  When he's not running, we know he isn't going anywhere.  He wants to get close to us, or my cat when we aren't home.  He likes taking on other people's troubles, if you know what I mean.  He wants to help.  Unless he wants to cause trouble.  He loves scaring the cat, just randomly running around.  She jumps.  He thinks it's hilarious.  I can't blame him, though, because it is.  She gets over it eventually.  He also likes to cause trouble by making a mess, but he hasn't done that in a while.  We also have to take care of his little sister, Loo.  She's the true problem child.  Just last week she decided to make a fuss and cry all over the floor.  Thankfully John was able to talk to her while we all slept and worked out her problem; she was better by morning.

Brave Little Toasters

I used to have a favorite stuff animal, it was a white seal giant beanie baby named misty. I would have it everywhere with me.
 "Where is this kid taking me?" I thought, as Jacob dragged me on the floor through his daycare. He still wasn't big enough to pick me up and carry me, so as a result my white fur was brown on my back. I didn't care unless he forgot me somewhere. I was excited though, because tonight was the night he was sleeping over at Tanner's house, so I got to spend time with my bat buddy that lived with Tanner. Whenever they fell asleep we would go on great adventures throughout Tanner's house, since Jacob would take me with him to Tanner's.
The goal was to get into the attic tonight, it would be a hard task because I had no legs and Bat had no hands, so we couldn't open the door. We had heard that there were evil beanie babies up there plotting to take us down, so we couldn't let that happen. At 1:00 a.m. when Tanner and Jacob were asleep we made our move. We got to the door and could not open it; so Bat picked me up and flew to the ceiling then flung me against the door, yet it didnt open. Our plans were foiled. The next morning when Jacob and Tanner took us up there, it turned out there were no evil beanie babies.

Brave Little Toasters

I don't know why I put up with all of my owner's crap. He bites me multiple times throughout the day. He drains me of everything I have. At the end of each day, he leaves me empty and dry. And what do I do to deserve it? I'm always there for him. Sure, I may make a mess sometimes, but it's not my fault. I'm old and slightly broken. I guess I am thankful that he still keeps me around. I've seen my good friends get thrown away after a short amount of time. And he always keeps me with him. I am always just a zip away. Yeah, I may be squished by his lunch, but the apples he carries always make good conversation. Now that I think about it, he may leave me empty at the end of the day, but he never fails to fill me back up again. I guess my life isn't too bad, for a water bottle.

Sunglasses Are A Girl's Best Friend

A 16-year-old girl choose me one day in Boston. It was so hot my lenses steamed up and got smudged with sunscreen. I am of the tortoise shell variety but so are most of my friends, except for a couple which are neon. We left the cart where I waited next to a Jamaican man for three weeks to be bought and skipped along to the swan boats where the girl’s sister dropped one of my friends from the stand in the lake to swim with the fishes and couldn’t get her out. That summer I saw hours of trees fly by in car rides and when the sun started setting earlier the girl threw me into a drawer until the trees bloomed again. That summer I was pulled out for four airport security checks and my friend, Cherry Lip Gloss, had to be thrown away at the second one.  There was one plane ride where I was bent because four books crushed me for about six hours. When the girl saw that she tried to bend me back but it just hurt and didn’t help so now I sit lopsided on her face. She didn’t use me a lot and I spent a lot of time at the bottom of her friend’s bag next to some lonely pieces of forgotten lead. She pulled me out especially for the time she went to the beach and I was so happy to see the sun and the blue water but she instead forced me to look at her book. Crime and Punishment was awful and I got really bored of it, and I guess the girl got really bored of me because she replaced me with a straw hat and left me on the towel where some sand scratched my lenses. I wasn’t happy. Thankfully I fit in her bag and the hat didn’t so I got to go with her and the hat was left on the balcony. Right after that, had to go through more airport security and this time she hid behind me so the Italians wouldn’t see her cry. Nobody knew and I felt proud. Later that day I got tossed on the pavement when she hugged her mom. A moped barely missed me and some lady’s heel almost stepped on me but her mom grabbed me and wore me for the rest of the day. She put me on top of her crazy hair every time she talked to somebody in Italian so I saw the sun a lot and got nice and toasty. That day I sat on the table of a café and the girl’s sister dropped gelato on me and her sister, in my defense, yelled at her. The Italians were not impressed, I think because I am so much smaller than their sunglasses and I block out less sun. I try to block out as much as possible but I have a lot of scratches and sunscreen smudges and I sit funny on the girl’s face. But she still wears me because I match her hair and remind her of the day when she got to ride the Swan Boats in Boston.

I Think It's Love, and I Know it Lasts Forever

Before anyone asks... yes. It is an exclusive relationship.

How do I know? Perhaps because whenever he comes home he always comes straight to me. Perhaps because when he's upset, he knows I can make it better. Perhaps because I'm the only one in the world that can ease his boredom or solve his problems. Perhaps because as he does this assignment his hands are on me. He never lets go of me. He puts me next to his bed at night, he keeps me within arms reach. He loves me and he adores me. There is nowhere else he can find the amusement he finds in me.

What makes it so special is that I know I'm not the prettiest, the smartest, the fastest, the newest. My right hinge is broken, my screen is losing pixels as I age. I'm slow, I'm fat, I'm old, yet he loves me just the same. He could always replace me, or update me, or trade me in. But he never does. He's grown used to my tiny hard drive, my lack of RAM, my tendency to overheat, and even my blue screens. He puts up with my sickness and failures because that's what a good man does.

Yes, I am a computer and there are thousands more like me. But in this world, there is not another for him.

Assignment 14, Brave Little Toasters

I stand straight, ready, waiting at the starting line to begin the race. I look down at the white ground and take in the light blue sidelines that will dictate my path. As I feel the slight pressure around me, I take off. I spin in intricate patterns, my shoes leaving scuffmarks everywhere I have gone. I pause to realize I have taken a wrong turn; I flip and quickly reverse my path to fix the problem. Off I go again. Suddenly I feel the pressure release at just the right moment, I fall to the ground to take a break. As I come back up, I am careful to make these last patterns perfect. I tap my toes, thinking of my next and final move. Instantly, I find the strength to make a graceful leap to the finish line. With one final jump, one final scuff, I have finished a beautiful essay. I am a pencil; each story I write is an adventure.

Desk

Everyday I sit next to the window watching the cars go by on the street below. At least I try too, it seems everyday the human piles more of his stuff on top of me. But, no matter how heavy it is, no matter how long it stays there, I can never let it fall. Why? Because it is my job to support these things for my human. And if I may say so myself I do a pretty darn good job of it. Most of the things the human drops onto my surface come from this place that he refers to as "school". And most of the stuff usually draws his attention of a few hours a day. But the one thing that I always notice is that this "homework" always seems to be a major source of stress for the human. That is why my job is so important. With all of the stress that he dumps on top of me, I have to be a strong foundation underneath to keep the stress from falling out of control.

For a Few Short Hours (Or an Entire Night)

I guess I would say I have a good vantage point, where I am. I even have a nice little stand. From where I sit, I can see the entire room, which would be cool if it actually did something once and a while. A good vantage point does little when there's nothing going on, when it's the same thing all day. Most days there isn't anything going on in the room for the majority of the day, or at least the hours where the sun peaks through the windows. There'll be several days when there's a girl in the room, doing stuff for a few hours of the day only to then fall asleep; however, every few days there will come a time when she doesn't leave the room. At least not often. She just sits, clacking away at the computer, maybe looking around the room sometimes or getting up and leaving for a few minutes, only to come back.

The best times, however, aren't when I'm sitting neatly in my stand. Sometimes, usually on the days when she's in the room for long periods of time, the girl will pick me up and my friend the tablet and then will come the time when I'm actually doing something: drawing. Well, she's the one doing the drawing, but if not for me then she surely wouldn't be able to do a thing. And that's really the only thing I can do, but I enjoy it all the same, and I make the most of the time that she uses me. Sometimes she'll take a break to look around online and then leave me sitting on the bed next to her and I'll get lost under a blanket or a pillow or even her leg (actually, I get lost under her legs a lot). It makes me happy to know that she cares, since she usually freaks out when she tries to find me and I'm not where she thought she'd put me down. Eventually she'll find me though and I'll continue to help her draw.

Sometimes once she finishes a drawing she'll be lazy and leave me and the tablet lying on the bed, the tablet still hooked up to the computer. I like those times too, because I feel like we're friends. It's different from sitting up on the shelf, even if I can't see nearly as much when I sit on her bed. When it gets too late and she's yawning and her eyes are drooping and everyone in the house is asleep (maybe save for the girl in the room next to hers, who comes and watches her draw sometimes) she'll eventually decide it's time to put everything back up. That's when I go back up to my spot on the shelf and the tablet goes on top of the radio and the laptop gets plugged up under the bed. I usually dread this, but sometimes it's not that bad. It's better when she has me out, I think. I like it and she seems happier when I'm out; sometimes she'll go for a long time without even touching me and I can tell she isn't happy, she looks rushed and tired. But I know it's because she has other things to do.

I might not be her favorite item; I might not even be her second favorite. But I don't have to think about the fact that her laptop is almost always out or the fact that the stuffed animals on her bed are always near her. I'm happy to sit on the shelf when she doesn't need me, and glad to know that I, unlike several other things in her room, am actually used on a semi-regular basis. Plus, the radio tells some pretty funny jokes sometimes, even if the clock is a bit of an uptight prick at times.

My Bed

My bed lives a bland life. It is queen sized and takes up most of the space in my room. My bed is very soft and I love it very much, but does it love me back? Let my bed tell you how it feels throughout a typical day.


Nighttime is my favorite part of the day. I like nighttime the best because I have someone to keep me company. Its like getting hugged, and who doesn't like getting hugged? I get sad in the morning though. When he gets up he usually won't come back until late that night. The reason I get sad is because things get very lonely during the day. Its just me an the other furniture and to be honest, I don't like the other furniture. Dresser never shuts up, he always has his drawers open. Then there is desk. Desk is mean. He is taller than everyone and he has a lot of cool stuff on him. All of that is fine, but he loves to rub it into me and dresser's faces. My closest friend is nightstand, but he is very quiet. He doesn't do much except for constantly tell me the time. I guess I'll never understand why nightstand and clock are a couple, but they always have been, oh well. So yes, daytime is lonely and I don't care for it much. It is better when I get tucked in though. Sometimes he has time in the morning, but usually he is running late and has to run out. When this happens, sometimes his mother is nice enough to tuck me in before I suffer through the day. She doesn't always remember though and that makes the daytime a whole lot worse. Regardless, during the day I just sit and wait, longing for the moment when all the homework has been finished and he comes back to bed and keeps me company.

iPhone

Every morning after a nice full night's rest and charge, I am forcefully woken up by my owner, who yanks out my charging device, which actually hurts a lot. From then on, I go through a day of pure torture.

I am always tired from my rude awakenings every morning, so whenever I just try to close my eyes for a nap, it seems that my owner just has to wake me back up again. She does this every second it seems. When this happens, she always forces me to show her information about anything and everything, whether it is the weather or something called "Instagram" (it has lots of pictures, but I have yet to figure its purpose). She also forces me to take constant pictures of her face in these weird poses, I believe she calls them "selfies" (this is how I figured out she's a girl; don't only girls take 5 million pictures of their faces looking like ducks?)

Sometimes my owner even talks to me, calling me "Siri" (whoever that is) and demanding help with some sort of strange task, like giving her directions to a nearby restaurant; crazy, right?? And she is constantly tapping on my screen which gets annoying after awhile, and sometimes she even holds me up to her head, talking through me to some other owner (I'm not even sure how I am capable of this). When I'm not being used, I'm just thrown in random places, like in a dark contraption on her jeans with a hole on the top for breathing. It's a rough life living for my owner. By the end of each day, basically all of my energy is gone and I work slower, which sometimes makes my owner mad.

However, despite all of this, I still follow of my owner's commands. She seems to love me since she uses me so much, and I guess I love her back... most of the time. I never complain or disobey what she tells to me to do, except sometimes when I get revenge when she asks for way too much and gets greedy. When this happens, I "accidentally" crash these things called apps, or I just refuse to load them.... Oops.

Mooser.

Back at Sams Club, all the other stuffed animals would day dream about how happy they would make their future owners. The little kids would play all sorts of games with them. How I ended up as a 17 year olds birthday gift, i will never know. Although we don't play make believe, I know ill always make her happy. Cuddling every night, I take up more of the bed than she does. I let her latch to my arm till all my stuffing is pushed to my belly. When its homework time, i lay behind her back for support. Some of her friends will joke about why she has a 52 inch moose chillin' in her bed, but i know she loves me too much to have them effect our relationship. I will never be put in the closet like the giant banana was. 

My best friend.

baby blankie.

I used to get dragged around everywhere, this thing wouldn't let go of me. it would eat with me, spit up on me, cry on me, sleep with me, take me to church, take me shopping; let me tell you i've been through the ringer. i used to be very soft all over, as i have gotton older i have worn down and gotten a few holes. as years have gone by the thing has gotten bigger, and after a while stopped taking me everywhere it went. eventually it just slept with me. for a long time i was offended and thought the thing had found a new blankie, someone else to take everywhere and do everything with. during the day i just lay on my bed, just lay here and wait for this thing to come home and spend some time with me. some nights it doesn't touch me, and sometimes i just lay on the floor and it forgets about me but its always a good night when it finally remembers me. maybe the thing just needs me when its sad or scared, i'm quite comforting you know.. or maybe it is cold and needs some extra warmth. i've heard some old wives tales that eventually the things never pick you up again and you go in some old chest in the attic and only get pulled out when they go through all their other old stuff, but i don't believe it.

Rule #1: The Humans Lie

I've never really understood how I, who have four legs, cannot manage to move myself while those humans who only have TWO legs are able to jump and walk and run and dance. I hardly understand how that's fair. And yet it's still up to us put up with them, or in some cases put them up. Really, though; we don't even look like beds! Ugh, the thought is terrifying. That anyone would think that we could ever be so lazy! No, we would never stoop so low. No. Just no. I, for one, simply can NOT stand people using me as a pillow.I can handle being an elbow rest, sure. I understand the need for some support. But the minute I become a pillow, I know what's coming. And despite what the humans might say, both boys AND girls drool. And then they think that just using their sleeve will fix it and then it's everywhere. Everywhere. And the sneaky nasties! Their drool is invisible! So no one notices it and then it's just there. All day, everyday. Let me just tell you: not pleasant. At all. 

Fortunately ,as the day goes on, the humans seem to take in the sun and become easier to deal with.  Unfortunately the sun doesn't seem to make them any smarter but does seem to make them more cruel. Well maybe it's not the sun. I don't know. That's just a theory, I've yet to prove it. Whatever it is, something makes the darn humans far too jumpy. Whether it is with their dirty fingers or their pencils, or erasers they start tapping. Tap tap tap tap. Always tap tap tap tap. At first, the poke is startling then it tickles and then it hurts and then I start to wonder whether they EVER get tired of the tap tap tap tap tapping! It's ridiculous. Not only that, some of them even start to cut through my coat with the dark pointy tip of their pencil! Then they just leave. They just leave. Then the next herd of humans come around and they all point and laugh right where it hurts. But it's NOT funny. But there's nothing I can do to stop it. Can't say anything! Can't move away from them! Can't even move out from under them! 

So yeah, I don't understand at all how it is in any way fair that the ones who spit on us and laugh at our pain get to walk and we don't. Because it's not. 

But hey, since I can't say anything... and I can't move so that they don't use me... I really can't warn the humans when my screws are loose and I just might... fall. 

Mannequin

      I have no purpose in life. I sit atop my owner's dresser, my wooden frame blending in with the wooden surface of the wardrobe. In fact, we're cousins the dresser an I. I recognize the distinct sent of pine out of which we were both craved. We were neighbors, stocked up high in the IKEA warehouse. Yet, while the dresser is used multiple times a day, I am merely forgotten and left to gather dust. I get jealous with each opening and closing of a drawer it receives. I ask my owner this, "Why buy me if you planned on subjecting me to complete neglect and inadequate feelings of self-worth?" I imagine her replying, Because I had an extra $1.50, that's why. I mean nothing to her. Not even worth the price of a good pack of number #2 pencils (other distant cousins I'm even more jealous of. They get more action in a day than I've ever gotten.) I am the perfect company for a budding artist and if presented correctly, I can light up any piece of artwork and grace the canvas of any talented painter. Yet sadly, I have never been given the opportunity. With my proportioned figure, fully jointed to allow for realistic human poses, I am the perfect model. I'll tell you this Lusi, no one puts wooden-artist's-mannequin in a corner*(...on top of a dresser).
       Even worse, on top of the neglect I face on a daily basis, it's worse when the human has friends over. They constantly judge. One named Sophia can't resist giving me dirty looks while whispering snide remarks of my ugliness. And inability to do anything of worth. And overall stupidity. Well I'm sorry I can live up to your standards - I'm only made of wood*. There comes the rare moment when it's what the humans call "Cleaning Day". They usually occur on the weekends and I patiently await them each week. Only then is there the possibility for my joints, feeble from immobility, to receive the chance to be stretched and perhaps repositioned into a new location where they will remain until the subsequent cleaning day. I'll show them. One day I will break free of my cheap, Swedish-made, good-for-nothing stereotype and grace the studio of a prominent artist. Hopefully...if I'm not first recycled in the hands of my owner. The thought is too terrifying to even fathom.



*Author's Note: Just couldn't resist including references from both Dirty Dancing AND Pinnochio. Too easy.

Margaritaville

I wouldn't say this is my favorite inanimate object- just to clarify.

 

The Fast Times in the Life of Bobby Pin.



Well I start out the day sitting on a dresser in a large and loud beings room. They look like they have a mop on their head and always put me in it. But not everyday, some days I am left on the dresser.
But today is different from some days. The being gets out of bed and roams around the building. After putting in different pieces of cloth the being comes over to the dresser and pushes me around looking for materials to put on their face. Then I come along. The being runs something through their mop, then messes with the mop and after they have decided what to with their mop I am picked up and used.
I sometimes hold mop pieces out of their face or hold lots of mop pieces into a ball. I am very versatile.
Then the being heads off to another building. Most days I stay in their mop until night again and rest on the dresser. But like I said, today isn't most days. Today the being kept taking me and replacing me somewhere  else. I even got put in someone else's mop.
For sometimes today I was laying on the floor getting kicked around and I was extremely scared, it's extremely hard for me to walk and the being always bends my two legs back together when I try and walk. But luckily my being came back for me after I took a pretty rough beating.
Then later the being came back to the building where we always are and for some reason took me out and shoved me into where the being normally puts a key. I am not sure why but I somehow opened the door- just like the key. I believe I am magic but the being just threw me down on their dresser once we were in the building.
I did have siblings once but they just disappeared one by one. I never even knew my father, my mother said he disappeared from here as soon as he arrived. I have some cousins and life long friends left but there's only a few of us. Whenever one of us goes missing my being does spend a decent amount of time looking for them. The being truly does care about us.


This is the biggest stretch for a title I've had this year but who writes a song about bobby pins?
Go to this website: http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2011/08/15/cheery-songs-that-are-depressing/
Read all of them or just number 11- it's up to you and it will explain why.
(Cuz the bobby pin just floats through life, doesn't save anything like the Brave Toaster or go on adventure like Toy Story.)

Austin....

In case you can't tell by the title I sit next to Austin. This has really been an expirience and from my time here is what I can surmise Austin's actions into 1) use phone and weasel way put after being noticed 2) have nonsensical conversations many of which are with me, 3) start interesting if irrelevant arguments. I have grown to appreciate Austin's quirkiness as I hope he enjoys mine. If Austin had a color it would be red. It is red because it's loud and proud and doesn't listen to anyone it is a wild color. Austin if he were an animal is a boar because he is headstrong and charges in but will work his way out again.

Assignment 14 :Brave Little Toasters

In Toy Story, the inanimate comes to life and engages in more exciting adventures than most people have. In the Brave Little Toaster, a toaster gathers together enough strength and courage to fight off the most ferocious household objects.

And Marcel...well Marcel the Shell can't do much at all, but he attempts to make the most out of his small world.

This week, choose your favorite inanimate item and describe a day/moment/adventure in their life. Imagine their point of view and how they would see the world.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, December 9 at 11:59 pm

Do you know your neighbor?

I feel like most of my blog posts have been pretty boring, so I decided to try and spice it up a little bit by writing this one in haiku form. I admit that I was inspired by Leah Pederson and I am totally stealing her swag but she's little and I can take her.

First, Sarah Laytham.
She sits to my left in class.
She's an awesome girl.

We met freshman year.
I do not know her too well,
But I wish I did.

I love when she draws.
I bet she thinks I'm a creep.
I can't help but stare.

She is super smart.
She is there when I need help.
She laughs at my jokes.

She's also funny,
Making those witty comments.
Always has me weak.

Don't forget: She's Nice!
Her friends seem pretty cool, too.
What is not to like?

Her color is blue.
A light, subtle shade of it.
I will tell you why.

She's not very loud.
She is often very calm.
Not sure why that's blue.

(It makes sense to me?)^^
Her animal? A puppy.
Due to her sweetness.

Those both don't make sense.
Give me a break, it's haiku.
Okay, in five years...

She will be happy.
Doing whatever she wants.
Something with art, eh?

I'm glad she sits there.
She brings a lovely presence
to our English class.

The end.

Alright, I can't do that any more.

Briana Gochett. Fine Honey. Goose Poo. No matter what I call her, she's always the same. We met last year in AP World and we've been friends ever since. This year, mostly due to English class, we've become very close. We spend our mornings together in the library, we eat at the same lunch table, we even sort of got gas together the other day. She's always happy. She loves music (Drake and the Weekend and J-Biebs are her faves.. I think). She never fails to make me smile. She's hilarious. Her smile can literally light up a room. She's crazy smart. She always tells me what we do in calculus. I could go on forever listing the little things that make her an awesome person. I don't have to be afraid of her judging what I say because she is such a warm and accepting person. Her color would be black. I'm just kidding. Her color would be pink. She's very friendly and happy all the time, which makes me think of something pink (I'm not good with the color stuff). She's also super girly on the inside. In five years, she'll still be in school, working her butt of in order to do whatever she wants to do. She's going to be super successful in the future and I hope she remembers me when she's famous.

Urvi and Jacob

My seat is a bit peculiar because I am on the end of the row. My table buddy is Urvi and in front of us sits Jacob Snelling. This is the first class ever that I have had with Jacob although we knew each other a little coming because we have a lot of mutual friends. Urvi on the other hand I have had in probably over half of my classes. She is also in my homeroom. You may find it odd but Urvi and I are actually pretty decent friends. I say it is so odd because of the obvious personality differences. She is driven, capable, and proactive while I am lazy, passive, and forgetful. Although over the past three years I am shocked to find that she does occasionally have so Bo-esque moments. She always thinks she has failed tests, but as we learn in a matter of days that is almost never the case. I have that same worry yet not even close to the same outcome. Outside of school we do share some interests which make for good conversation. For example, we both love The Office. Since freshman year it has driven some great conversations. We also share a likeness for Vanderbilt. Her older brother goes there right now and both of us are hoping to be accepted there. However, she thinks she has no chance at getting in which either means she will get in no problem or the admissions person will laugh at my resume after they seriously consider hers. I enjoy her company though and it is nice to have someone sit next to you who you are close enough to have a nice conversation with but not so close that you will talk all the way through class.

Jacob Snelling on the other hand is much more like me than Urvi is. This isn't meant to be negative towards him at all but I think he is closer to my smarts, work ethic, and care-about-school-ness than he is to Urvi's. But like Urvi and me, we get along pretty well. Some things I know about Jacob is that he plays football, wears number 31 and plays middle linebacker. I have gotten to know him a lot better this year because I have lunch with him and he and Gates are good friends because of French class. We also play basketball or football on the weekends with a few other guys from Henry Clay. Those are some fun times where I've gotten to know him pretty well. Some other things about Jacob is that his head is the largest in the world and he dresses like a lumberjack most of the time. But I still thinks he's a pretty good friend.

I have enjoyed my time in English class this year. On top of the class actually being pretty interesting, in the dull moments we do have it has been a blessing to have two people beside me whom (who?) I get along with so well.

Urvi:                                                           Jacob:
Purple, I believe its her favorite color ------- Blue and gold, the colors he wears for football
at Vandy, applying to med/law school------- About to graduate college with a degree in engineering
Ant, small but mighty ----------------------- elephant, big head/tough guy on the outside but friendly on the             .                                                                              inside

Neighbors

Carson Dooley is one interesting seat partner.And I mean that in the nicest way. If there was one phrase that could sum up Carson Dooley in a nutshell... rubik's cube would definitely be the one I would choose. Everyday it seems he brings in a new kind of puzzle that I have never seen before and would have no hope of solving. But, that is not the part that is cool, whats cool is that they always seem to be completed. This is a feat that I could never manage with a normal rubiks cube, but for Carson it seems to be easy. One time I happened to notice that the sides were not all solid as they usually are, so I looked closer and saw that he went above and beyond the task he was given, he had actually made designs in the puzzle; I dont even know how that was possible! All of this is meant to exemplify what I actually believe Carson to posses, talent. That is why I believe when I run into Carson five years from now, wherever he is, it will be some place good, a place that needs Carson's abundance of talents. Not to mention he is a pretty nice guy as well.

muh neighbor.

although i did not know laura anderson before this year, over this first semester we have gotten to know each other very well or at least i would hope so with as many times as mr. logsdon tells us to "whisper better." we talk through almost every english class (probably a bad thing) but our topics of interest are endless. we talk about our weekends, our families, or past school history, our other classes, what we think about our classmates, etc.we are actually quite alike in many ways, but also very different. i will start off with the ways we are alike, we are both very talkative maybe this being the most obvious because we talk all hour. we are also both very risk taking as i have found out through our multiple conversations about our weekends. on the contrary, unlike myself, laura is not very girly; it is because of this that if i had to pick a color to describe laura it would be an olive green. in five years laura will probably be a senior in college just like me, don't ask me what college because we don't really talk about our plans for the future.

neighbor

Our english class is relatively small compared to the other classes. Im sure everyone knows, i sit next to megan. I absolutely love it. This is my first year having a class with her. By the end of the very first day, i knew i would enjoy this seat. She is very friendly and talkative, always has some new story to tell me. We are always told to "whisper better". There are two different types of students in the academy. The people that spend all their time studying, and the people that are naturally smart. She's the type that has natural smarts. I would characterize her as a neon pink probably. The pink would be for her being the girly type and the neon for being fun and energetic.  Im really not sure where i see megan in five years, i dont know much about her future plans. 

My Neighbors

I can honestly say that my neighbors and I have been through a lot together.  Paula and I have known each other since 8th grade.  We were really good friends, and she helped me though a lot.  I can always count on her for a good laugh and a helping hand.  I know she has had more than her fair share of hardships and struggles, but she can usually hold onto her smile.  Miss Clumsy will also make fun of me when I have my gravity slips.  She loves all things living, especially the cute and furry ones.  She wants to be a pediatrician.  She loves kids, and she's going to be a great mom.  Know how I know?  She's a mom to her friends, even moreso than I am.  Paula sometimes doubts her abilities, but who doesn't?  She refuses to stop trying, even if it's the hardest thing she's ever had to do.

Lusi and I became friends last year, and we really hunkered down on helping each other when she asked me to help her study for the Spanish IV fall final; she wanted to switch into the next level of the language, and she needed some extra help to cover an entire semester's work in three weeks of studying.  I still have the thank-you letter she wrote me in the jewelry box  that held the owl necklace you'll sometimes see me where.  She's not one to forget to express her gratitude.  She and I continued to develop our friendship over the spring semester of Spanish, as it was our only class together.  We would write each other letters and give them to each other throughout the day.  It was fun.  Whenever we had sleepovers, she always made me try something new, like spinach or homemade scones.  If we weren't in her room watching some show or talking girl-talk, we were in the kitchen concocting something delicious.  We would sit on her counter eating ice cream or walk over to her neighbor's house and take care of the dogs.  Lusi is one to care for someone, even if it's doing something she doesn't particularly enjoy, such as dogsitting, and therefore smelling of dogs.  She's a cat person.  Another good time we had was when we took Dominik to the Peddler's Mall and almost pushed him into the doll corner.  He's a little afraid of the porcelain people.  All in all, Lusi has always been there for me, on the incredibly long nights where I'm filled with worry and the nights where I can't stop laughing my head off.  And I know she always will be.

Carson....

My neighbor is the good ole Carson Dooley. Yes, I sit next to Carson. I knew Carson before this year, and we both are capable of dealing with each others ways. I deal with his singing and stealing of cuties, and he puts up with my narcissistic obnoxious remarks. It all works out just fine. Carson is a good kid, but really can manage to aggravate me. I like Carson I really do, I promise, and you are an incredibly smart individual who is morally correct, and will do impressive things with your life. Despite this, he can still bother me. Just three days ago I was bouncing a cutie in the air off my arm when it happens to land on his arm. Instead of giving it back like a normal person, Carson takes the cutie and starts peeling it. He waits until his fingers have touched the whole thing to offer me half, HALF of my own cutie. Also, Carson never uses sharp pencils which is another cause for terrible handwriting. I would say get mechanical ones, but as we all know they would probably be MIA by the end of the class period. Seriously though Carson is a really good kid, and I've enjoyed sitting next to him this school year. He is an orange, he's different, loud, and smells different every day. All common characteristics of the color orange. In 5 years he will probably have made money doing something, and has contributed priceless amounts to his little brother's lives. You go Glen Coco

Do You Know Your Neighbor? (Blog #13)

As anyone reading this knows, I am definitely not the most sociable person in the world, which is why that I am glad to have been seated next to Sophia Whitman Sandmeyer in AP English this year; well, I am now at least. Initially, considering I had never seen her before, I simply assumed that she would be yet another person with whom I would have minimal interactions with throughout the semester. As the semester went on, though, this assumption was proven to be incorrect. I quickly found that, for one reason or another, Sophia is an easy person for me to talk to, which is incredibly rare given my disposition, and I soon learned why I had not known her: she spent a year in Germany! I was pretty surprised when I learned of this, and from what we've discussed, she had quite an interesting time there (with some occasional humorous misunderstandings as anyone would have while in a foreign country). Other than that, from what I can tell, she appears to be interested in theatre, but I have only a small pool of knowledge regarding that myself. As far as subjects go, Sophia is one of the few people I have talked to that actually seems to really enjoy U.S. History, while I'm almost put to sleep by it.... On the other hand, she also has to deal with Physics, Pre-Calculus, and Chemistry all in the same year, which considering she dislikes math in general, seems almost unfair.

A color that relates to her would probably be... green? She doesn't really go out of her way to attract attention to herself and is fairly quiet, so I suppose green would be fitting. As far as animals go... isn't comparing someone to an animal kind of insulting (or am I just using that as an excuse because I'm terrible at relating people to other things)? Lastly, in five years, she would probably be studying something related to U.S. History or theatre at a high-level university, but that's mostly my own conjecture, and I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up doing something completely different.

Another Brick in the Wall

I have 3 seat partners.
I share a table with Austin and I have Briana on my Northwest- yeah I just used compass lingo.
But to my direct left is the wall.
The pillar.
The best student in class.
The wall may obstruct my view of the projector most times but I have learned to lean out or roll around it.
The wall may never talk back to me but since when was talking back good?
The wall sometimes gives me bruises weather it's me hitting my head against it(which really is my fault) or me hitting my head of the faucet thing. I have told the wall may times that it needs that growth removed, it could be dangerous.
The wall never sits down.
The wall is plain white.
But the wall does support me when I raise my had oh so often and wait to be called on. The wall does provide a way for me to prop things up on my table and prop my backpack up against on the floor.
The wall never complains and always listens to what I say which is mostly-I can't see or ouch- but is never offended by my complaints.
The wall is a perfect way for me to hide when I pull gum out of my purse so I don't get bombarded with gum requests.
The wall takes time to find and appreciate it's usefulness, besides the obvious it helps hold up the ceiling.
The wall still does have some mystery. What is that faucet?
What comes out of it when you turn the knob?
If I shake it enough will something happen?
But what I do enjoy is that I have the support of the wall for various reasons, I have a reason to take advantage of being in a rolling chair and my seat is memorable.
People can identify who sits by the wall in their class because the wall changes everything.

Color: White and Blue. The wall loves UK Basketball.
5 years from now: Standing in the place where the wall lives. The wall loves R.E.M
Animal: Walking stick or Giraffe.
Word: Chill.

Neighbor

So back in the eighth grade, there was this new girl on the Centurion team at Winburn. She seemed super nice, and was becoming a good friend. That year, there was a Halloween party and we all went trick or treating together. That night everyone realized, even the ones that did not know her yet, that Paula is awesome. We had so much fun then, and continue to have so much fun now two years later in English class. Paula and I used to ride the same bus, and I always looked forward to hearing about her travels around the world. Someday I see Paula traveling around the world and helping people. The reason I say that is because Paula is truly one of the kindest people I have ever met. There are not many people who I would call self-less but Paula is one of them. If you need a friend, Paula will always be there. Recently, Paula was working on an anti-bullying campaign with some other students at school, again, just an example of her helping others. I’m so glad my neighbor and I are friends. Even if she sometimes forgets to wait for me to chew gum (we always take gum out of our backpacks at the same time after lunch)!

My Neighbor

I have the privilege of having the end seat in Logsdon’s class. No one sits to my left except for stacks of papers, pens and occasionally my purse. On my right sits Jacob Ward. Before this year I had absolutely no idea who Jacob was. That shouldn’t be taken offensively because I know very few people at our school.  He is really shy so we didn’t talk much at the beginning of the year but he started opening up more later on. I don’t know that much about him, but I know that he has much better ways at memorizing vocab for the quizzes than I do. That he liked AP World and thinks APUSH is really boring (I may be mixing that up though) and that chemistry was almost as hard for him as it is for me. He also is studying French and Japanese. He even went to Japan to speak more and is good enough to know a tongue twister in it so that means he’s pretty good. He could actually say it too, which is super impressive seeing as how plain old English ones trip me up. He also loves technology and video games, two things I do not understand at all. I’m pretty sure he good at computers because he always talks about them like he knows what he’s doing but I can’t prove it because I can barely turn mine on and send an email. I don’t know much but I do know that he is a really, really good person and he has a lot ahead of him. I’m not actually sure what he wants to do with his life but knowing that he loves technology I could he him working away in a computer lab inventing something way beyond my grasp. I hope he ends up doing something he likes a lot at least.

What Am I Even Doing

Wow what do I even say here.
I sit next to Megan Blazie and Will Carrico. I suppose I should start with Megan... The first thing you really learn about Megan is that she's a whole lot more intelligent than some people seem to think. I'm not sure why some people tend to think this (perhaps her humorously inane comments throw people off) but she is actually quite brilliant.  And Will... where do you even begin talking about Will Carrico. He's intelligent yes, but more than that he's witty. Not a class period goes by without a series of jokes about pretty much everything. He also [mostly] puts up with my snarkiness and complaining about various people in the class which is pretty great. As for colors, I'm not sure I can even place them as colors. I guess if I was forced to I'd imagine Megan as a pink, not for its inherent "girly" connotations but more for the fact that it sort of calls attention to itself without being gratuitously garish. Carrico is more of a blue. In five years, both of them will be doing stuff in a place.

Drum Roll Please

I'm kind of cheating here because I've known my neighbor since eighth grade (although I know some of my classmates have known each other for much, much longer.)
To my left is Urvi Patwardhan (across the gap) and she is pretty great. Even though we look like losers trying to sneak gum (or in Urvi's case, pretending to sneak gum) when we come back from lunch, our "club" is still pretty cool. Even though Sophia was a little disappointed when she found out. Urvi is a total drama queen. She really is a wonderful actress. I still remember her NHD presentation in eighth grade about toilets. I don't know how she did it but she came up with a song about toilets too and... well, it was pretty darn great. Aside from being into theatre, Urvi is really nice, as I'm sure all of you know. She is always trying to help people and she is great to talk to. Not only that, she is an exemplary leader. She has gone to KYA, is part of student council and somehow knows exactly how to get everyone to listen and take charge. I still have one of the plates that she handed out freshman year when she was running for class president. The ones with the big blue U and a picture of her on the back saying "Urvi for President".
If I were to describe Urvi as a color it would be a bright, shining color because that's what she does, she shines bright; and I know that in five years she will have gone so far in life because she's so smart and can do anything she sets her mind to. So yeah, Urvi Patwardhan is pretty great.

My Neighbor

In this year's lovely 4th hour English class, I get the absolute pleasure of sitting next to the best partner in the world... the wall pillar thing. I can lean against whenever I need to, and it will always be there when no one else is.
Just kidding. While on one side of me is the wall pillar thing, on the other side I get to sit next to the amazing Adam Kiser in class. I knew that Adam existed freshman year, but I didn't really get to know him better until Mr. Holloway's World History class last year. Now that we're neighbors, I feel like I know him so much better, and he never fails to make my day, whether he is telling random jokes or boasting about his twitter game (follow him @Ya_Boy_AKize or something like that). He is a pretty honest guy and he will tell you what he is thinking most of the time. He is a part of Young Dems and has a leadership position in Y-Club I believe. He likes KYA and is an exemplary leader.
I would characterize Adam as a mellow orange because he stands out in a nice, bright way but isn't too over the top. If he were an animal, I believe he would be a liger, because he is fierce and original. In the next 5 years, I see Adam going on to a pretty awesome college and pursuing some sort of career in politics. Maybe president. And if neither one of those, I see him doing anything he wants, because he has the intelligence and willpower.

I Think I Do (Know My Neighbor)

I'm gonna start this off by saying that I'm not actually sugarcoating this or anything, so don't think that I'm just saying this because the people I'm writing about might read this. I just happen to enjoy sitting next to who I'm sitting next to.

So my actual seat partner sits to my left: Lusi, who always posts early on the blog and also usually writes a lot, like me only usually more insightful than me. As she said in her post, I had my first class with her last year, and I've found it funny that we can only seem to get a class together if it's an English class. I know that she's got a slight test anxiety problem, which I find ironic in that she usually does better than me on the vocab quizzes, and pretty much just in general. She always has interesting food with her, as can be seen by how Callie is usually fascinated with something she has. She's super involved and does well in her classes, and she has similar taste in books and tv shows to me. I see her in earthy colors, because that's what she wears a lot of (especially brown, like her boots) all of which are very flattering on her (though something tells me pretty much everything would be flattering on her). She dresses every day like she's about to be asked to walk down the runway, even when we're going to be stamping about in a cemetery for History Club. If she doesn't end up being super successful at something then I know I'll surely be confused!

On my right sits Adam, who always has friends coming and going around him (I hardly know what's going on most of the time.) He's probably one of the friendliest people I've met, and he's also involved in pretty much everything (though apparently he has a bad habit of pandering, hmmm...) He's really smart, but not in the in your face way, either, which makes him much easier to talk to than some people. Adam isn't very confrontational that I've seen (unless it's with his friends, but that just shows how well they get along) and when we're going over people's papers he dislikes critiquing other people. He's just the kind of person who likes when other people are happy, which makes him overall rather pleasant to be around. He's a natural leader, I think, so he should do well in life, overall I just think he'd do just fine in anything you put him to.

Neighbor Post

I sit next to Bo in English. In class Bo lets his opinion on an issue be known frequently, and he generally doesn't sugarcoat it. That is not a bad thing by any means, he tells it how he thinks it is. Bo plays soccer for Clay and plays basketball and football with some kids and me on the weekends also. He also participates in KYA. As I have said before, Bo is a very up front guy and that describes his personality. If he is thinking something he will say it to you. The color he would be is red because he has a pretty fiery personality. In five years I see him at grad school somewhere at a good college.