Isn't it amazing how when one person, let's choose the stereotypical cheerleader at school, is held in such high esteem by others around her that she begins to become a scapegoat of loathing and misdirected anger from those not as highly respected as her? I have always found it strange, that those who are highly respected are equally hated. Now a major factor in this is self confidence and the overuse of this confidence, and then there's always jealousy and such, but there's something else to it. This conundrum has puzzled me for many a night, and there seems no tangible answer in sight for this question. But I have something else to discuss at the moment, and that would be in the little discovery I made while attending marching band.
Since we are on the discussion of esteem, I now reach out to all those in a position of influence, which just so happens to be everybody. It seems that when a person of influence holds another at an abnormally high level of respect that others around these people begin to respect the disrespected, begin to praise the once unnoticed talent, all because you gave a little effort into treating someone who is less known or less noticed or less respected like they should be treated. By holding someone less noticed in the highest esteem, you can break through barriers once thought to be impossible to destroy; you can mold the very minds of everyone around you as you recreate this person of once low esteem into the very epitome of confidence. But of course you this works the other way as well. By constantly undermining and insulting you can crush someone, bring them to their knees in humiliation, and leave them longing for what they once had. So please use this power that everyone contains-you don't have to be someone important to make somebody feel important.
July 25, 2007
May 29, 2007
Yearbooks
The end of school is now at hand, as we approach the final day in which yearbooks are signed along with sly jokes and witty comments-and surprisingly we fall upon this one enigma, what we remember of our school frieds would be what they wrote in said yearbooks. When falling upon this idea at the end of my sophomore year I have come to the realization that I was......ignorant of the longterm effects of my once idealistic and intensely funny signature statements which are now naught but untimely and poorly disguised ruises based on previous inside jokes or plainly humiliating experiances remembered in the school year. However, this is all done in good fun, and one must take into consideration the age and level of intelligence when these quotes are written.
Now we come upon one of the most puzzling quandries which approaches only the night before the last day of school--what to write in peoples' yearbooks. You simply cannot write "H.A.G.S." or "School was fun" oh no, that is simply unacceptable. Nowadays one must find the funniest thing to write, but this is not such a large problem for the ladies. The ladies simply compliment their fellow lady-friends appearance and can even go so far as to compliment their guy-friends on their appearance. This cannot be done with the men, unless done in the most extreme of sarcasm or hilarity, even then it is questionable. Sadly enough, we must carry on, us men, always carrying the heavier burden, and must always travel on this quest for confidence.
Now we come upon one of the most puzzling quandries which approaches only the night before the last day of school--what to write in peoples' yearbooks. You simply cannot write "H.A.G.S." or "School was fun" oh no, that is simply unacceptable. Nowadays one must find the funniest thing to write, but this is not such a large problem for the ladies. The ladies simply compliment their fellow lady-friends appearance and can even go so far as to compliment their guy-friends on their appearance. This cannot be done with the men, unless done in the most extreme of sarcasm or hilarity, even then it is questionable. Sadly enough, we must carry on, us men, always carrying the heavier burden, and must always travel on this quest for confidence.
April 17, 2007
Ode to an English Teacher
One day in school I was asked by a rather frustrated teacher to "put myself in his shoes" and imagine how fun it would be to be a teacher. Well, I pondered this for a second, and I figured since my favorite subject is English, I would be an English teacher. Then my teacher suggested I ponder the anxiety one feels on the first day of school, and what I would do on the first day facing hundreds of impatient hyperactive children. I actually took this scenario into consideration, and came up with a speech all English Teachers should read to their classes on the first day of school.
"Welcome you ! You illiterate uncultered parasites! What you see as you step foot in this class is a dark prison, the windows barred with pronouns, adjectives, clauses and commas asthe door is locked with subjects, nouns, phrases and quotes. Think not of these rules as a cage in which you cannot escape and appear to frustrate you at every turn, think of these rules as your weapons of choice, the ones that will lead you to victory as you spring into the arena of life. This arena of archetypes, this land of literature and this ocean of knowledge you will all travel through, sailing on naught but your own imagination and willpower.
And I? I? Why I am your guide, here to lead you on to glorified immortality as your life is etched into the history books one sentence at a time. I am the Master of Metaphors, the Sultan of Similes, the Architect of Archetypes, the tSar of Sound, the Viceroy of Voice, the Patriarch of Paragraphs, the King of Clauses and Pharoah of Phrases! I am the law and the law is I! I am the conductor on the locomotive heading straight for a literary El Dorado, and my passengers are few.
And you? You? You are my lowly apprentices, here to feel the grace of my presence! You are here to serve me, and it might so happen that you learn something along the way! I am the key to your success, the ship on which you sail to freedom! You need me, but I have no need for you! So sit in silence as a sign of respect and humility towards one who holds your so much of your future in so low regard! Keep a standard of diligence higher than any other and always be ready to learn! Then, and only then, will you be one of the few to survive in the real world."
I think that puts the difficulty of a teacher's job into perspective just a little, don't you? I think this speech would be an incredible way to start the school year!
"Welcome you ! You illiterate uncultered parasites! What you see as you step foot in this class is a dark prison, the windows barred with pronouns, adjectives, clauses and commas asthe door is locked with subjects, nouns, phrases and quotes. Think not of these rules as a cage in which you cannot escape and appear to frustrate you at every turn, think of these rules as your weapons of choice, the ones that will lead you to victory as you spring into the arena of life. This arena of archetypes, this land of literature and this ocean of knowledge you will all travel through, sailing on naught but your own imagination and willpower.
And I? I? Why I am your guide, here to lead you on to glorified immortality as your life is etched into the history books one sentence at a time. I am the Master of Metaphors, the Sultan of Similes, the Architect of Archetypes, the tSar of Sound, the Viceroy of Voice, the Patriarch of Paragraphs, the King of Clauses and Pharoah of Phrases! I am the law and the law is I! I am the conductor on the locomotive heading straight for a literary El Dorado, and my passengers are few.
And you? You? You are my lowly apprentices, here to feel the grace of my presence! You are here to serve me, and it might so happen that you learn something along the way! I am the key to your success, the ship on which you sail to freedom! You need me, but I have no need for you! So sit in silence as a sign of respect and humility towards one who holds your so much of your future in so low regard! Keep a standard of diligence higher than any other and always be ready to learn! Then, and only then, will you be one of the few to survive in the real world."
I think that puts the difficulty of a teacher's job into perspective just a little, don't you? I think this speech would be an incredible way to start the school year!
April 12, 2007
Too many questions, not enough answers
Have you ever wondered why? Why do we drive on the right side of the road, why not the left? Why is it that when we greet strangers we shake hands? Why is it common courtesy to place your napkin in your lap at dinner and keep your elbows off the tables? Why are convicts leaving prison with a college education, when many people who are working hard are being denied a college education? So many questions, yet not enough anwers to go around. Here's a question that you might want to ponder; if you were going to prison and you could choose the reason why, what would it be?
The fact that prisoners today are being sent to jail only to receive satellite television with lazyboy recliners along with libraries full of books and tutors ready to supply these convicts who have broken the law with a college education is revolting and completely wrong. Hey! maybe if I want to go to college, instead of working really hard to get accepted into a school I'll just blow up Albertsons! Sounds Great! I think I'll stick to that!
I know that the state of Arizona has got it straight. Convicts in Arizona sleep in tents, and when they are out cleaning up highways, they wear pink polka dotted jumpsuits to let you know they severely regret what they've done. And Let me tell you, the crime rate has never been lower in Arizona!
The fact that prisoners today are being sent to jail only to receive satellite television with lazyboy recliners along with libraries full of books and tutors ready to supply these convicts who have broken the law with a college education is revolting and completely wrong. Hey! maybe if I want to go to college, instead of working really hard to get accepted into a school I'll just blow up Albertsons! Sounds Great! I think I'll stick to that!
I know that the state of Arizona has got it straight. Convicts in Arizona sleep in tents, and when they are out cleaning up highways, they wear pink polka dotted jumpsuits to let you know they severely regret what they've done. And Let me tell you, the crime rate has never been lower in Arizona!
April 9, 2007
Spring Break left one broken
Spring Break is often seen as a time of fun and relaxation, right? This year is not the case. After returning from California on a family vacation I heard the news about the death of my grandmother who lives in Idaho and has been very sick for quite a while. Immediately we left for Idaho, rushing to other family members who were in need of assistance due to this shocking twist of events. This is where I spent most of my spring break, in Idaho preparing for and attending the funeral of my grandmother.
I wasn't as close as I would've liked to have been to my grandmother, but I still wrote her letters every once in a while and enjoyed going to see her every now and then. I didn't know that she knew I played the trumpet, so when my aunt told me that before she had passed away she had requested I play taps at her funeral, I was totally taken aback. I have never been that great at performing solos in front of a live audience, and the fact that it was her funeral and emotional stress would be great didn't make me feel much better. But I stepped up to the challenge and practiced every moment I could for this perfomance.
Why is death such a big deal? I mean, of course we mourn for those we love, but why is it feared by everyone? What is this phenomenon that scares us into good health, safer vehicles, and religion? There really is no answer to this question I have asked, but I know one thing, when I have my funeral, I want it to be a party! None of this mourning and sobbing and stifling silence, I want people laughing and remembering the good times, the times of fun.
I wasn't as close as I would've liked to have been to my grandmother, but I still wrote her letters every once in a while and enjoyed going to see her every now and then. I didn't know that she knew I played the trumpet, so when my aunt told me that before she had passed away she had requested I play taps at her funeral, I was totally taken aback. I have never been that great at performing solos in front of a live audience, and the fact that it was her funeral and emotional stress would be great didn't make me feel much better. But I stepped up to the challenge and practiced every moment I could for this perfomance.
Why is death such a big deal? I mean, of course we mourn for those we love, but why is it feared by everyone? What is this phenomenon that scares us into good health, safer vehicles, and religion? There really is no answer to this question I have asked, but I know one thing, when I have my funeral, I want it to be a party! None of this mourning and sobbing and stifling silence, I want people laughing and remembering the good times, the times of fun.
March 14, 2007
Mental Workout
Here is a little something to think about that I discovered. I recently attended a party where one of the people there happened to give motivational speeches for a living, and after a lull in the party he was asked to step forward and inspire us all to do better. I was expecting an average speech that would leave my attention span screaming in pain as it tries to find something amusing, but I was totally blown away by what I heard. Cliff Orem, the speaker who also happens to be the brass instructor for the Davis High Marching Band, gave the speech about your mental capacity and the potential of the brain. I discovered a wide variety of information that makes me wonder.... Anyway here are some of the things he shared with me.
Anything is possible- I thought I would throw that out there to begin with. Your subconsious is always working on your problems and your goals and anything that affects you, and if you want something really bad, your subconscious will do what it can by altering your mood or your regular habits to place you in that situation where you can obtain your goal. So if you think that you are out of shape or overweight, and you really, really want to be thin, your subconsious will help you out by either killing your appetite or taking you out of that situation where you can obtain food. But your subconsious can only do so much. You have to act on the opportunities given. As long as your in the right mindset, you can accomplish anything. Just to prove the potential of your mind, as you go to sleep tonight, instead of setting your alarm clock just tell yourself what time you want to wake up, that's it. Just say "I'm going to wake up at 3:30 a.m." and you will. The same works for anything, write down your goals, and every morning read them to yourself in the present tense. For instance, "I'm a great trumpet player" or "I am great at writing essays" or "I have a girlfriend."If you place yourself in that mindset, your goals will be achieved. Obviously I don't have the entire speech in front of me, but if you want to hear the full speech presented much better, then Cliff Orem is the guy to see. But I've tried all of these methods, and as far as I know, I can't prove them wrong.
Anything is possible- I thought I would throw that out there to begin with. Your subconsious is always working on your problems and your goals and anything that affects you, and if you want something really bad, your subconscious will do what it can by altering your mood or your regular habits to place you in that situation where you can obtain your goal. So if you think that you are out of shape or overweight, and you really, really want to be thin, your subconsious will help you out by either killing your appetite or taking you out of that situation where you can obtain food. But your subconsious can only do so much. You have to act on the opportunities given. As long as your in the right mindset, you can accomplish anything. Just to prove the potential of your mind, as you go to sleep tonight, instead of setting your alarm clock just tell yourself what time you want to wake up, that's it. Just say "I'm going to wake up at 3:30 a.m." and you will. The same works for anything, write down your goals, and every morning read them to yourself in the present tense. For instance, "I'm a great trumpet player" or "I am great at writing essays" or "I have a girlfriend."If you place yourself in that mindset, your goals will be achieved. Obviously I don't have the entire speech in front of me, but if you want to hear the full speech presented much better, then Cliff Orem is the guy to see. But I've tried all of these methods, and as far as I know, I can't prove them wrong.
February 5, 2007
Colors
To have color in your life, is to live. Without color, nothing is worth living for. As you take a look around you, you can see that everything is formed around this one concept-color makes the object great. Color brings about appeal in every form, as you look to the objects surrounding you this very moment, without color they would be quite boring. As you find paintings of great people, or scenery, try to imagine the painting with no color at all. This would crush inspiration, blot out hope, and squeeze every last drop of ingenuity out of the world's artist-to have no color to work with.
Color can be the very reason for a good day! As you see the thousand shades of orange and yellow creeping slowly over the mountain every morning as we begin to wake up each day, urging us to get up out of bed and reach our full potential, just think what you would do without that kind of ectasy to wake up to every morning. The same takes place at the end of the day, when your sitting there with the people you want to be with most, gazing towards the bright purples and deep reds, along with a few strokes of oranges that we call the sunset. These colors bring about a certain feeling of peace and soothing relaxation as you finally realized it's the end of the day.
Emotions are so closely connected to colors it's amazing. Colors such as red bring anger, or love, whichever is best fitting for the situation. Even when you hear music you see a certain color in your mind's eye, try it-I guarantee you'll see a different color with every new song. Jazz music tends to bring about the color of blue, while rock 'n roll brings about bright colors like red or even....orange?
I truly feel sorry for those color-blind people who cannot see what everyone is missing, it is truly a shame, because the world around us is based on color and the glory it brings to our lives.
Color can be the very reason for a good day! As you see the thousand shades of orange and yellow creeping slowly over the mountain every morning as we begin to wake up each day, urging us to get up out of bed and reach our full potential, just think what you would do without that kind of ectasy to wake up to every morning. The same takes place at the end of the day, when your sitting there with the people you want to be with most, gazing towards the bright purples and deep reds, along with a few strokes of oranges that we call the sunset. These colors bring about a certain feeling of peace and soothing relaxation as you finally realized it's the end of the day.
Emotions are so closely connected to colors it's amazing. Colors such as red bring anger, or love, whichever is best fitting for the situation. Even when you hear music you see a certain color in your mind's eye, try it-I guarantee you'll see a different color with every new song. Jazz music tends to bring about the color of blue, while rock 'n roll brings about bright colors like red or even....orange?
I truly feel sorry for those color-blind people who cannot see what everyone is missing, it is truly a shame, because the world around us is based on color and the glory it brings to our lives.
February 4, 2007
Stars
Stars are one of the greatests things that have ever graced the sky with their prescence. They have been the inspiration for all sorts of scientific projects and discoveries, such as Newton's heliocentric theory. They have also inspired many artists, such as Van Gogh in Starry, Starry Night. Stars gives us hope, and helps us keep that hope, that kind of hope that nothing is impossible, that everything can be achieved one way or another. As we gaze at the stars, they bring about such a feeling of awe, that we could lay in the grass for hours, just trying to grasp the overwhelmingly enormous size of our universe, and what little part we play in the solar system's life. Suddenly our problems seem insignificant, the worries that we feel no longer seem to be as threatening. We just continue our routine of life, like ants in an ant hill.
Stars bring about the one question that every one wants an answer to, are we the only ones here? Or are there others out there, living lives just like us? Nobody knows, but for the record, I think there are. I mean, if you think about it, there are billions and billions of stars and planets, what are the odds that our planet is the only one with life on it? There has to be life on other planets, there's got to be something out there.
Stars also give us a chance to embellish the unknown. We give shapes to stars by forming them into constellations, giving them the images of heroes and monsters, such as Orion, or the Scorpion, to help us tell stories. These stories helps everthing slide a little smoother, and lightens our load a little as we apply our imagination to that we do not understand.
Stars bring about the one question that every one wants an answer to, are we the only ones here? Or are there others out there, living lives just like us? Nobody knows, but for the record, I think there are. I mean, if you think about it, there are billions and billions of stars and planets, what are the odds that our planet is the only one with life on it? There has to be life on other planets, there's got to be something out there.
Stars also give us a chance to embellish the unknown. We give shapes to stars by forming them into constellations, giving them the images of heroes and monsters, such as Orion, or the Scorpion, to help us tell stories. These stories helps everthing slide a little smoother, and lightens our load a little as we apply our imagination to that we do not understand.
February 1, 2007
Dreams-One of my Favorite Past Times
Don't you love dreams? They are like a one way ticket to your planet-what you want to feel, hear, see, or touch, it's all up to you. As you lie on your bed at the end of the day, slowly slipping into darkness your subconscious kicks in, sending you to a better place. Some people say that your dreams are created from your feelings of that day, or sometimes you dream about something that's been bothering you lately. Did you know that if you are thinking about a problem you have right before you go to sleep, your subconscious will continue to work on that problem during your sleep? Sometimes it reveals the answer to you in your dream, or you just wake up knowing the answer the next morning. Try to think about the last dream you can remember, and now try to go back to the day before that dream and see if there's any connection between the two. I remember once immediately waking from a dream at one in the morning and rushing over to my desk to finish a complicated math problem I had given up on earlier that night.
Dreams can be such an awesome experience, showing you your imaginative potential as you enjoy the gentle ride through the night of wonder and awe. Dreams can be the inspiration for art, literature, and other creative activities. But not all dreams are warm and fuzzy. The imagination has its dark side also.
Dreams can turn to nightmares in a blink of an eye, especially if you've seen a horror movie lately. Nightmares can really turn nasty and leave you lying in bed, with your eyes wide open, scared to even move in fear that your nightmares were more than just that.
Hopefully you enjoy your dreams every night, or maybe you don't. I actually look forward to sleeping every night-wondering which super power I'll have or some secret mission I'm being sent on or maybe I'll just win the lottery. It's all up to you.
Dreams can be such an awesome experience, showing you your imaginative potential as you enjoy the gentle ride through the night of wonder and awe. Dreams can be the inspiration for art, literature, and other creative activities. But not all dreams are warm and fuzzy. The imagination has its dark side also.
Dreams can turn to nightmares in a blink of an eye, especially if you've seen a horror movie lately. Nightmares can really turn nasty and leave you lying in bed, with your eyes wide open, scared to even move in fear that your nightmares were more than just that.
Hopefully you enjoy your dreams every night, or maybe you don't. I actually look forward to sleeping every night-wondering which super power I'll have or some secret mission I'm being sent on or maybe I'll just win the lottery. It's all up to you.
December 19, 2006
Super Heroes
You know who they are, everyone has a favorite. The dominate the toy stores, the cartoon channels, and every child's dream. They are the Super Heroes, and their fictional fantasy of unparalled power and virtue is admired throughout all the ages. There are thousands to be mentioned, but I will only mentioned a few... This list begins with most powerful, and ends with least powerful.
Superman,
Batman,
Wonder Woman,
Spiderman,
Captain America,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Iron Man,
Micron,
The X-Men,
Fantastic Four,
Green Lantern,
Flash,
Elektra,
Zorro,
Daredevil.
These are pretty much the best Super Heroes, but I know I'm missing some, so please let me know if you have a Super Hereo that needs to be added.
Now, here is my stand on the largest debate in Super Hero History-Who is better, Super Man, or Batman? Let me tell you straight out, Batman is the best, but not the most powerful. Of course Superman is invincible, superfast, superstrong, can fly, and has heat vision, but he was one fatal weakness, and that is Kryptonite. Superman can defeat any opponent, unless the have a handful of kryptonite with them.
Batman doesn't share his weakness, you can throw as much kryptonite as you want at him and the worse thing that could happen is Batman beats you up for it. So what if Batman isn't immortal, that just gives us a chance to relate to him. Batman Invented tools that give him all the powers of Superman, he has his own personal jet and Batmobile, along with plenty of other tools that he uses to defeat his enemies.
This reason is a good one, this puts Batman above Superman, just this one fact. Super Man is an Alien! He is from another planet! Batman is the real deal, from good ol' Earth.
The only weakness Batman has is that he doesn't trust anyone, not even Superman! Batman has his own stash of Kryptonite in his Bat Cave, just in case Superman goes crazy. And Even if Superman killed Batman before Batman got to the Kyrptonite, The world would be shocked and they couldn't trust Superman anymore, I mean whose going to trust a Super Hero who goes around killing other Super Heroes? A rather large reason that I like Batman better is that Superman just has too much power...After a while Superman is going to find out that he could take over the world by himself, and why wouldn't he? Batman is the one who would have stop Superman if ever an occasion came up. Besides that Batman is an inventive genius and knows like every martials art known to man, and some to aliens! And Batman is all that he is because he wanted to be, he earned the right to be a Superhero.
Anyway that is my stand on the Batman/Superman debate, but Batman isn't the only superhero I like. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they are just the best. They couldn't take on Batman, but they would make an awesome team. But the most widely known superhero, who has the most believers and is by far the most powerful, is the one and only Santa Claus, I'm totally serious. Well if you read this please comment and tell me who your favorite superhero is, and whose side you take in the Superman/Batman debate.
Superman,
Batman,
Wonder Woman,
Spiderman,
Captain America,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Iron Man,
Micron,
The X-Men,
Fantastic Four,
Green Lantern,
Flash,
Elektra,
Zorro,
Daredevil.
These are pretty much the best Super Heroes, but I know I'm missing some, so please let me know if you have a Super Hereo that needs to be added.
Now, here is my stand on the largest debate in Super Hero History-Who is better, Super Man, or Batman? Let me tell you straight out, Batman is the best, but not the most powerful. Of course Superman is invincible, superfast, superstrong, can fly, and has heat vision, but he was one fatal weakness, and that is Kryptonite. Superman can defeat any opponent, unless the have a handful of kryptonite with them.
Batman doesn't share his weakness, you can throw as much kryptonite as you want at him and the worse thing that could happen is Batman beats you up for it. So what if Batman isn't immortal, that just gives us a chance to relate to him. Batman Invented tools that give him all the powers of Superman, he has his own personal jet and Batmobile, along with plenty of other tools that he uses to defeat his enemies.
This reason is a good one, this puts Batman above Superman, just this one fact. Super Man is an Alien! He is from another planet! Batman is the real deal, from good ol' Earth.
The only weakness Batman has is that he doesn't trust anyone, not even Superman! Batman has his own stash of Kryptonite in his Bat Cave, just in case Superman goes crazy. And Even if Superman killed Batman before Batman got to the Kyrptonite, The world would be shocked and they couldn't trust Superman anymore, I mean whose going to trust a Super Hero who goes around killing other Super Heroes? A rather large reason that I like Batman better is that Superman just has too much power...After a while Superman is going to find out that he could take over the world by himself, and why wouldn't he? Batman is the one who would have stop Superman if ever an occasion came up. Besides that Batman is an inventive genius and knows like every martials art known to man, and some to aliens! And Batman is all that he is because he wanted to be, he earned the right to be a Superhero.
Anyway that is my stand on the Batman/Superman debate, but Batman isn't the only superhero I like. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they are just the best. They couldn't take on Batman, but they would make an awesome team. But the most widely known superhero, who has the most believers and is by far the most powerful, is the one and only Santa Claus, I'm totally serious. Well if you read this please comment and tell me who your favorite superhero is, and whose side you take in the Superman/Batman debate.
December 8, 2006
Holy High School, Batman!
Ohhhh my goodness, I have never been so unrelentingly bombarded with large amounts of work and study than ever before, thanks to wonderful high school. I used to be so excited to be a high schooler and now that I've gotten here it has taken some time to cope with the evermounting dissapointment that has been coursing through my veins ever since the third day of school. I do have to enjoy the A and B day schedule, it eases the pains of homework, even if ever so slightly.
High school has also been the one of the most enjoyable experiences, however. I have come to know many people from all schools, and it have gained some pretty awesome friends. I fully endorse High school, but take caution, High School is amazingly similar to cough medicine, it tastes awful at first, but eventually makes you feel better.
High school has also been the one of the most enjoyable experiences, however. I have come to know many people from all schools, and it have gained some pretty awesome friends. I fully endorse High school, but take caution, High School is amazingly similar to cough medicine, it tastes awful at first, but eventually makes you feel better.
May 16, 2006
Summer Jobs
This summer practically everyone has a summer job, so I got one. I work at Lagoon in the merchandise department, so if your ever at Lagoon and I'm there working please refrain from laughing hysterically and move on. I really think that all teens start out working way too early, I mean we can't even drive, but we're off earning minimum wage, or less than minimum wage, it depends on where you work. But I'll take what money I can get, and at fourteen, 4.65$ and hour isn't so bad. It can be worse, for instance I worked at Crestwood Growers during the months of January, February and March, and it was not a pleasant experience at all. Our job at Crestwood was to take trees from Idaho and plant them in buckets then fill the buckets with dirt from a pile about the size of the average house. There was usually twelve pairs of 14-15 year olds working on Saturdays, and as the trees came in semi trucks, each day of work usually took about nine hours. It was pretty darn hard, and on days when the tree trucks were late, we then loaded planted trees into more trucks for about six hours. All that for about 4.18$ an hour wasn't worth it, but money is money, and I couldn't get it anywhere else.
When I started working the merchandise stands all by my self, some pretty weird things started happening. One of my intensely weird stories happened just last week, and I still can't get over it. It all started falling into place when I broke the cash register...
I was starting my shift at Rad Brad's (the store that you have to pass through to get to Lagoona Beach) and I was doing pretty good when this strange old man came wondering in and repeatedly asking where the sun tan lotion was. I directed him to the little rack stuffed chock full of all kinds of lotion, but the old man said kept saying "I don't want that, I want some lotion!" I had no idea what to say, so I apologized and told him that we didn't have the kind he wanted. He totally flipped out! He started rampaging around the store stating that "You really have it, you just don't want me to have any!" I was on the verge of running out the store and looking for someone with higher authority for help, but I decided to try one more time. I told him "Sir, I'm sorry but we don't have that kind of lotion, but if there is anything else that we could help you with we'd be happy to." Just as I said this, he stopped immediately and said, "Oh, in that case, where are your nearest bathrooms?" He said this as if he hadn't been ranting for a full five minutes, and, being a little shell shocked, I pointed him in the general direction trying to find the right words.
Another time happened at the same store, and the day was going pretty well. That's when my supervisor Becky came and told me she needed me to replace the other supervisor at the booth near Rattlesnake Rapids. It's a small booth, with no walls so people just walk through, and the racks hold sunglasses, necklesses, and other assorted novelties. Of course I said yes, and she explained to me that she thought that I was the hardest working, so I would be working the booth all by myself while both the workers up there took their breaks. It was a living nightmare. As I started working the bo0th, a lady came and asked me how much a small bag of polished rocks cost. As I turned to the price roster, I noticed that this booth had no price roster, in fact, there wasn't price tags on anything! So I had to call in to Merchandise headquarters and get the price for everything in the store as the line got longer...
Well, to sum it all up, the register ran out of receipt paper, the credit card machine malfunctioned, and Headquarters called to tell me that they told me the wrong prices! AAAUGHH!
It was way hard work, but the moral of this story is....work may be hard, but at least you learn the value of a dollar.
Oh, and in case your wondering, after taxes and uniform costs and other costs, my first pay check came to a whopping 13.89$ OH YEAH.
When I started working the merchandise stands all by my self, some pretty weird things started happening. One of my intensely weird stories happened just last week, and I still can't get over it. It all started falling into place when I broke the cash register...
I was starting my shift at Rad Brad's (the store that you have to pass through to get to Lagoona Beach) and I was doing pretty good when this strange old man came wondering in and repeatedly asking where the sun tan lotion was. I directed him to the little rack stuffed chock full of all kinds of lotion, but the old man said kept saying "I don't want that, I want some lotion!" I had no idea what to say, so I apologized and told him that we didn't have the kind he wanted. He totally flipped out! He started rampaging around the store stating that "You really have it, you just don't want me to have any!" I was on the verge of running out the store and looking for someone with higher authority for help, but I decided to try one more time. I told him "Sir, I'm sorry but we don't have that kind of lotion, but if there is anything else that we could help you with we'd be happy to." Just as I said this, he stopped immediately and said, "Oh, in that case, where are your nearest bathrooms?" He said this as if he hadn't been ranting for a full five minutes, and, being a little shell shocked, I pointed him in the general direction trying to find the right words.
Another time happened at the same store, and the day was going pretty well. That's when my supervisor Becky came and told me she needed me to replace the other supervisor at the booth near Rattlesnake Rapids. It's a small booth, with no walls so people just walk through, and the racks hold sunglasses, necklesses, and other assorted novelties. Of course I said yes, and she explained to me that she thought that I was the hardest working, so I would be working the booth all by myself while both the workers up there took their breaks. It was a living nightmare. As I started working the bo0th, a lady came and asked me how much a small bag of polished rocks cost. As I turned to the price roster, I noticed that this booth had no price roster, in fact, there wasn't price tags on anything! So I had to call in to Merchandise headquarters and get the price for everything in the store as the line got longer...
Well, to sum it all up, the register ran out of receipt paper, the credit card machine malfunctioned, and Headquarters called to tell me that they told me the wrong prices! AAAUGHH!
It was way hard work, but the moral of this story is....work may be hard, but at least you learn the value of a dollar.
Oh, and in case your wondering, after taxes and uniform costs and other costs, my first pay check came to a whopping 13.89$ OH YEAH.
May 10, 2006
Test
I hate end of level testing, I just gets so tiring after a while. I know that we need the testing though, because it's the only way to see if any of us learned anything or not, but some tests are really lame. I think that if you get high grades all throughout the school year, you shouldn't have to take the tests. Of course this would conflict with the large amounts of students that fly under the radar and get barely passing grades, but when it comes to the end of level tests they cram all the night before and pass the test with pretty good grades. I still think though, that if you survive through the end of the year without completely failing a class, you shouldn't need a test at the end of the year to prove that you know it.
Another thing that I've heard throughout the school is that teachers don't review all that they should, and some kids don't do well because they forgot the massive amounts of information given to them at the beginning of the year. I have to agree with them on this point, we all could use a little more review. But I'm not saying that not everyone reviews, just some of the teachers refrain from refreshing. All in all, I know testing is a necessary item, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it right? In fact I don't think anyone at all likes it. Whoever reads this, I pay money to the first person who can show me someone who likes testing!
Another thing that I've heard throughout the school is that teachers don't review all that they should, and some kids don't do well because they forgot the massive amounts of information given to them at the beginning of the year. I have to agree with them on this point, we all could use a little more review. But I'm not saying that not everyone reviews, just some of the teachers refrain from refreshing. All in all, I know testing is a necessary item, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it right? In fact I don't think anyone at all likes it. Whoever reads this, I pay money to the first person who can show me someone who likes testing!
April 30, 2006
I'm in the Band
If you ever have a need to be in a large group of people and be a part of something really big and fun, you should join the band. I mean, it's only two hours of practice a week, and you learn to play a new instrument. The marching band is the best, or so I've heard. You get to know so many people and gain so many friends, it's totally cool.
"No car, No job, No money, but I'm in the Band!"
Marching band gives you a chance to shape up physically, sharpen mentally, and peak socially. From my very reliable sources (my brother is in marching band) you get a lot push ups when you don't follow instructions, and you get killer biceps from lifting your instrument. Not to mention the repetition of the program.
"Marching Band: Someday Football will be played at half-time."
The top kids in the surrounding high schools all participate in band. Band has been scientifically proven to help kids concentrate and do better on tests. And who knows, maybe it may help you when applying for a job or an education...
There was two people competing for the last spot at Harvard, but their resumes matched almost identically, except for one thing. The lady had taken band when she was in high school, and that's what got her into Harvard. Because that's what Band does for you, it helps you think straight and concentrate harder and longer.
It also gives you your own category to be in during your entire duration of the school year. People ask what you do for fun or what extracurricular activities you are in and you can say with your head held high-
I'm in the Band.
"No car, No job, No money, but I'm in the Band!"
Marching band gives you a chance to shape up physically, sharpen mentally, and peak socially. From my very reliable sources (my brother is in marching band) you get a lot push ups when you don't follow instructions, and you get killer biceps from lifting your instrument. Not to mention the repetition of the program.
"Marching Band: Someday Football will be played at half-time."
The top kids in the surrounding high schools all participate in band. Band has been scientifically proven to help kids concentrate and do better on tests. And who knows, maybe it may help you when applying for a job or an education...
There was two people competing for the last spot at Harvard, but their resumes matched almost identically, except for one thing. The lady had taken band when she was in high school, and that's what got her into Harvard. Because that's what Band does for you, it helps you think straight and concentrate harder and longer.
It also gives you your own category to be in during your entire duration of the school year. People ask what you do for fun or what extracurricular activities you are in and you can say with your head held high-
I'm in the Band.
April 15, 2006
Music is the key to happiness
Whenever I am doing something that doesn't take intense listening skills, I listen to all sorts of music. It must be really hard, though, to be able to come up with a song all by yourself and make it sound great. I'm not talking about bands and rockstars, makings guitar and drum solos isn't too hard, but the people I'm really impressed with is the major composers, like John Williams. I heard that he wrote the star wars music before he heard the movie or heard the outline. They just told him that they needed music for a scene where Darth Vader confronts Luke skywalker, and that's it. I only heard it, of course, but it seems like something John Williams could handle.
Anyway, it's scientifically proven that listening to music will help you relax and relieve stress. So every now and then I take a break, lay on my bed and pop a CD into my very out of date walkman. It would probably help you out a lot if you did the same every now and then. It probably help if you listened to something that relaxes you, though. It would really make you feel better if you were listening to a song about a guy addicted to drugs who was left by his wife and can't pay rent anymore so he has to go homeless and ends up dying in a gutter. But that's basically what every country song is about, right. Yeah, it's best to just avoid country music all together.
Then there are the people who like to make music rather than listen to it. My brother is one of those people. He happens to be my littlest brother, the baby of the family. He can already play Mary Had a Little Lamb on my trumpet, with me teaching him. Yes, those people who can really make music are going to make a lot of friends.
So if you are feeling down on your luck and are deciding which method of suicide suits you best, try listening to some music, and maybe you'll feel good enough to leave off suicide for another day. Who knows maybe listening to some country song about a guy and all his problems might make you feel better....
Anyway, it's scientifically proven that listening to music will help you relax and relieve stress. So every now and then I take a break, lay on my bed and pop a CD into my very out of date walkman. It would probably help you out a lot if you did the same every now and then. It probably help if you listened to something that relaxes you, though. It would really make you feel better if you were listening to a song about a guy addicted to drugs who was left by his wife and can't pay rent anymore so he has to go homeless and ends up dying in a gutter. But that's basically what every country song is about, right. Yeah, it's best to just avoid country music all together.
Then there are the people who like to make music rather than listen to it. My brother is one of those people. He happens to be my littlest brother, the baby of the family. He can already play Mary Had a Little Lamb on my trumpet, with me teaching him. Yes, those people who can really make music are going to make a lot of friends.
So if you are feeling down on your luck and are deciding which method of suicide suits you best, try listening to some music, and maybe you'll feel good enough to leave off suicide for another day. Who knows maybe listening to some country song about a guy and all his problems might make you feel better....
March 29, 2006
Behold, the power of pressure...
Yes, my friends, I'm talking about pressure. Not the pressure that pushes down on us all, but that great thing called peer pressure. We are all affected by it, but no one tries to stop it. There are those who resist it, but they are mocked and ridiculed until they finally give in.
I can't believe what has happened to our community, when if you don't have an iPod you are not cool. But there are the few who don't give in... They usually don't have all the cool clothes and newest gear, and they usually don't look the best everyday. Everyone makes fun of them, but nobody knows why they don't conform. Some people don't even know that they are "sticking it to the man" by not dressing the best. They don't get it, but I guess ignorance is bliss. The other people just can't afford those new clothes, or the iPod video. So they pretend to not want those things, and sometimes they are mocked and called weird. But I say go for it, if you don't like them, ignore them.
All in all, this whole peer pressure thing usually makes people do stuff that they do not want to do. Peer pressure usually makes kids do drugs or buy stuff that they don't like, and the kids don't want to.
"People buy stuff they don't want,
with money they don't have,
to impress people they don't like."
--Will Smith
I can't believe what has happened to our community, when if you don't have an iPod you are not cool. But there are the few who don't give in... They usually don't have all the cool clothes and newest gear, and they usually don't look the best everyday. Everyone makes fun of them, but nobody knows why they don't conform. Some people don't even know that they are "sticking it to the man" by not dressing the best. They don't get it, but I guess ignorance is bliss. The other people just can't afford those new clothes, or the iPod video. So they pretend to not want those things, and sometimes they are mocked and called weird. But I say go for it, if you don't like them, ignore them.
All in all, this whole peer pressure thing usually makes people do stuff that they do not want to do. Peer pressure usually makes kids do drugs or buy stuff that they don't like, and the kids don't want to.
"People buy stuff they don't want,
with money they don't have,
to impress people they don't like."
--Will Smith
March 16, 2006
Hollywood
Why are people so famous if they are in a movie once or twice? They play a good part, work a couple months and BAM! Rich for life. Usually rich for life, some of them can't handle their money and end up needing more. How do they do it? Why do we let them? A lot of the money wasted on very few people could be helping others, but nobody seems to care at all. Then there's the tabloids, the action figures, the whole package. It just doesn't seem fair-but for some reason life goes on. I guess in one case it's justifiable, but in another it isn't. That is where the big money is nowadays-Hollywood.
March 9, 2006
Respond in form of Essay:
Usually, I hate to write essays at school because we are given the topic. This I cannot stand at all, it just kills my imagination. For instance, when I was in eight grade I was told to write an essay on my opinion of the government. What kind of essay question is that!?!?! Not only did that kill my imagination, it slowly tortured it first, then dragged it out onto the highway and taped it down in the middle of the road. I like writing essays about what I want, especially when writing persuasive essays. But Most of all, I love writing short stories when I can. Maybe someday I'll become a writer. HAH! I really had you going there, huh? Wide-scale writing is way too much to hope for, but the short stories I can handle. I like doing horror stories and a little bit of sci-fi. My most recent piece I wrote was a horror story that I wrote solely for the purpose of showing my competency with commas. It was a pretty good story, let me tell you, maybe I'll post it sometime. Now that I'm older and I try to write stories myself, I have a much greater appreciation for those great writers of old. I won't list them, you all know who I'm talking about. What worries me today is, if we've been collecting books and have millions of writers across the world, how do we come up with new ideas?
February 28, 2006
Those crazy new slang words
Have you ever noticed that here in Utah, people speak a completely different language when it comes to cursing. This can only be shown by example, so I'll give you one. I'll create a conversation between boy 1, we'll call him Joe, and boy 2, he will be Jack. The following slang will be italicized. "Hey Jack, how's it going?" said Joe. "Not bad, but my math teacher gave me a frikin' (it is pronounced as it is spelled) lot of homework," said Jack. "Not mine," said Joe, "But I can't stand the flippin' huge term project in science." "What the heck does flippin' mean?" askes Jack. "I dunno, but it sound pretty dang cool." says Joe.
In my opinion, this new way of speaking your opinion is pretty funny to hear and doesn't offend you. I use a lot of them myself, come to think of it. All I can say is that our community has entered a state of censorship that leaves no one offended and everyone still light hearted. Of course, on occasion a certain person may look on it and critisize and mock, but who cares? Oh yes, the funniest one I have heard this week was spoken by an older person; Mother Fletcher!!! I guess old habits die hard.
In my opinion, this new way of speaking your opinion is pretty funny to hear and doesn't offend you. I use a lot of them myself, come to think of it. All I can say is that our community has entered a state of censorship that leaves no one offended and everyone still light hearted. Of course, on occasion a certain person may look on it and critisize and mock, but who cares? Oh yes, the funniest one I have heard this week was spoken by an older person; Mother Fletcher!!! I guess old habits die hard.
February 20, 2006
The Olympics
I can't believe how people can train themselves enough to qualify in the Olympics. I mean, it would take so much time, money, energy, and extreme patience. Even as I sit here, I witness the greatness that can be brought from entering the Olympics. But sadly, there is always a downside to everything, and in this competition when you fail, you don't just fail, you crash into a pitiful pit of misery and woe as the world watches you all the way. They still try, though, and many are successful. If you were to enter the Olympics, which sport would you enter? I myself would go into the curling sport, since I myself am scared to death Heights and high speeds. The worst mistake I've seen in the Olympics was when the Ukrainian figure skaters messed up. The guy was supposed to hold the girl for a while but he lost his balance and dropped her right on her head. She instantly lost consciousness and everyone was shocked, but this year they are currently in second place. What a recovery! I don't know how anyone could get up in front of several billion people and perform to there very best without having a complete breakdown. This worldwide competition could also bring alot of harmony between countries, so many people coming together for the games. And these are just the Winter Olympics, who knows what the Summer Olympics may bring.....
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