Fa La La La La

As the Holidays are approaching us it seems as if people are in a whole new mood; some people are more cheerful, stressed or just cranky. What really gets on my nerves is the whole New Year holiday. Every New Year everyone says the same thing, how they’re going to change for the better, how they’re going to give something up, blah blah blah.  In my opinion, five out of twenty people will actually change. This Christmas and New Year is a chance to look back on our past year(s) and realize what we’ve accomplished. This past year has been the toughest year in my life. My family and I have gone through some struggles and it seemed like they were never ending, it was just tragedy after tragedy. One thing that I learned going through all of this is that, it should take a “new year” in order for a person to change. If you really need to change you will, but you are who you are for a specific reason. Honestly, if you don’t like something about yourself then fix it, you shouldn’t have a specific time to do it and you don’t have to broadcast it to the rest of the world, just do it. Also, Christmas is all about the presents to almost every kid/teenager in the world. I’ll admit, my Christmas list has been made and given to my Mom and it may or may not be almost two pages; but it’s not the point. We all do it because we all want stuff that we might not deserve. The point is, Christmas and Thanksgiving isn’t about what we get out of it, and it’s a time for realization of what we have and how thankful we are for everything. Our society today is so different from how it’s ever been before, people are beyond selfish. All I’m trying to say is that, people need to be more thankful and open their eyes to the real world sometimes. That’s all.

An Interview With The One and Only, Shannon Purdy

I had the chance to interview our very own, Shannon Nicole Purdy! Shannon was born on January 13^th; she’ll be turning seventeen this upcoming year. Our interview started off a bit interesting because we were so unsure of what to ask one another. Shannon doesn’t have a favorite store; she can usually find something anywhere, pretty easily. She well never buy a pair of ninety dollar pair of shoes or over unless they are “amazing.” Her favorite restaurant and place is Dave and Buster’s because she loves the games and fried/popcorn shrimp. She doesn’t watch a lot of Christmas movies but she sticks to the classics with Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer being her favorite. The farthest place Shannon has ever traveled was Virginia Beach; she loved the shopping on the boardwalk because it’s so different from here. If she could own any kind of vehicle, she would want a motorcycle “a really fast one too!”  This year for Christmas Shannon asked for a camera, a jewelry box, and a lamp that looks like a chandelier but stands. Shannon’s favorite actor is Johnny Depp, she finds him very attractive and her favorite movie is Lovely Bones.  She doesn’t like a lot of sports but she plays tennis and really likes it, she wants to continue to play it her following years of high school. Shannon likes music, her favorite band as of right now is Flyleaf. She doesn’t enjoy country too much besides a couple songs by Taylor Swift.  She doesn’t like Justin Bieber, sadly and she’s never listened to his Christmas cs.  She has NEVER listened to Larrabe but she is now aware of their show on December 23^rd at club infinity! If she had the opportunity to live wherever she wanted, she would pick Paris. Shannon also figured out that she has some relation so French Royalty. She’s never had the chance to go to Disney World but she said as soon as she has enough money for it, that’s the first place she wants to go; even if she’s twenty years old, she doesn’t care. Her favorite Disney Princess is Bell! Shannon’s favorite thing to do is read and write. Shannon enjoys reading about all genres besides historical fiction. One thing that Shannon and I found we had in common is that we both love the TV. show Awkward, we’re both excited to watch the new upcoming season that starts in January. Last and final note that I established with interviewing Shannon is that she hates pink tie’s... especially on Mr. Currin. I’m really glad that I got the chance to interview Shannon and get to know her, it was a very nice opportunity!

An Interview With The One and Only, Shannon Purdy

I had the chance to interview our very own, Shannon Nicole Purdy! Shannon was born on January 13^th; she’ll be turning seventeen this upcoming year. Our interview started off a bit interesting because we were so unsure of what to ask one another. Shannon doesn’t have a favorite store; she can usually find something anywhere, pretty easily. She well never buy a pair of ninety dollar pair of shoes or over unless they are “amazing.” Her favorite restaurant and place is Dave and Buster’s because she loves the games and fried/popcorn shrimp. She doesn’t watch a lot of Christmas movies but she sticks to the classics with Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer being her favorite. The farthest place Shannon has ever traveled was Virginia Beach; she loved the shopping on the boardwalk because it’s so different from here. If she could own any kind of vehicle, she would want a motorcycle “a really fast one too!”  This year for Christmas Shannon asked for a camera, a jewelry box, and a lamp that looks like a chandelier but stands. Shannon’s favorite actor is Johnny Depp, she finds him very attractive and her favorite movie is Lovely Bones.  She doesn’t like a lot of sports but she plays tennis and really likes it, she wants to continue to play it her following years of high school. Shannon likes music, her favorite band as of right now is Flyleaf. She doesn’t enjoy country too much besides a couple songs by Taylor Swift.  She doesn’t like Justin Bieber, sadly and she’s never listened to his Christmas cs.  She has NEVER listened to Larrabe but she is now aware of their show on December 23^rd at club infinity! If she had the opportunity to live wherever she wanted, she would pick Paris. Shannon also figured out that she has some relation so French Royalty. She’s never had the chance to go to Disney World but she said as soon as she has enough money for it, that’s the first place she wants to go; even if she’s twenty years old, she doesn’t care. Her favorite Disney Princess is Bell! Shannon’s favorite thing to do is read and write. Shannon enjoys reading about all genres besides historical fiction. One thing that Shannon and I found we had in common is that we both love the TV. show Awkward, we’re both excited to watch the new upcoming season that starts in January. Last and final note that I established with interviewing Shannon is that she hates pink tie’s... especially on Mr. Currin. I’m really glad that I got the chance to interview Shannon and get to know it, it was a very nice opportunity!

What It's Like To Be A Flapper!

I would love to be able to go back into the time of the late 1950s to early 1960. In the fifties if you had a television, you would be considered the luckiest kid on the block. Even though at the beginning they only had a few shows, anything would be fun. In 1956 some scientists did a study on how much kids ages 10-16 watched television.  The results showed that an average kid watched six hours of television a day which was equal to how long they went to school every day, that’s completely different from today’s rating. Television was just one of the new technologies. In 1950 Paper Mate made its first leak free ball point pen. The first copy machine was made 1950, also.  The Chevrolet Corvette became the first car to have an all-fiberglass body in 1953. In 1955 Disneyland opened for business in California; I imagine that that opening was huge, today kids still are excited to go to Disney World but back then I’m sure not even half of the kids that go today went back then.  Fashion during the 1960s didn't start out with colorful clothes. They were dully designed and looked better on older people, most would say. Then little shops called boutiques opened selling cheap and colorful clothing for younger people. During the decade, women started wearing miniskirts, leather boots and fake eyelashes. Men wore Paisley shirts, velvet trousers and high collared Regency jackets. Men also began to wear their hair long.  The “younger generation”, known as the roaring twenties! In the 1920s, a new woman was born. She smoked, drank, danced, and voted. She cut her hair, wore make-up, and went to petting parties. She was giddy and took risks, she was a flapper. The term "flapper" first appeared in Great Britain after World War I. It was there used to describe young girls, still somewhat awkward in movement who had not yet entered womanhood. It’s amazing how much different our generation is now from what it used to be “back in the day.”

To Change The World!

In our world today there are many problems that we and others face. The first thing that I would do to change the world for the better is to get people more involved. There are many unknown problems that exist and could exist in the world, people need to open their eyes and realize that they could make a difference.  Our world is extremely polluted, it’s ruining the air we breathe and in our future it’s going to lead to treacherous dangers.  Also on a serious note, I think that when you reach a certain age, maybe between fifty five and sixty years old it should be required to re-take a road-test.  No offense to the elders but most can’t drive. How many of them have crashed into buildings? How many other people have gotten hurt because of their “accidents?” These “accidents” can easily be avoided; needless to say… if you can’t see then you shouldn’t be driving a car. I also think our government should do more for the less fortunate. I think it’s ridiculous how we can pay sports teams an unnecessary amount of money when half of them sit the bench. There are tons of people living on streets, working everyday all day to fend for themselves because they don’t have the things that others do. People do make mistakes and end up on the wrong path but it’s not like there isn’t anything we can do to tell those people. There is so many more places that our taxes and money can go besides to sports teams, we can live without them. People die every day when we can do something to stop that from happening. If we look back into the early to mid-1990s, our world was almost the opposite from what it is today. We base our money and lives into technology. If we all had to grow up not having half of the things we had to do, we wouldn’t be so ungrateful and we would all realize how lucky we are to have what we have.  

Read It And Weap!

As Mr. Currin tends to share his “hilarious” stories with us from time to time he often leaves out the funniest ones, the ones we wouldn’t forget.  I’m Mr. Currin’s TA (teacher assistant) every other day, block two and I’ve come to find out a lot of Mr. Currin.  One, he doesn’t clean his room; I can’t even tell you what the color of his desk is because I’ve never seen it.  I’ve come to know that Mr. Currin enjoys listening to The Beatles and Coldplay. If you didn’t know, Mr. Currin is the coach for the girls modified basketball team in the middle school, they just won another game! Anyways, I was in his room today with Domenic Brotz, Mason Lambert, and Mrs. Gramza, I was working on my blogs when Mr. Currin decided to share yet another “amazing” story. He said that he always would send letters to different sport teams. He would write to the teams and put the letters in an envelope, his Mom worked at the post office so she would send it out for him. He would later receive a letter back (so he says) and it would say “Dear Fan” but Mr. Currin tried to convince us that sometimes they said “Dear Robert”... (doubtful) so at first when I was hearing all this I was thinking that it was pretty cool, a lot of kids still do it today. But here comes the weird part, he would save all these letters he would receive and pile them up and go through them pretending that all the sports teams were asking him to play for their team. To Mr. Currin these were no long fan letters; they were acceptations/invitations for him to play on their team.  Ladies and gentlemen this is in fact a true story about our very own, Rob Currin… You’re welcome.

Facebook...

Almost every person in this world today has a Facebook or knows what Facebook is, I just wanted to write this blog to tell everyone how annoying it’s getting. I don’t even think its Facebook itself, I think it’s the people that are using it. First the weather, when the first snowfall falls in Buffalo we’re all excited but we’re used to it because Buffalo is known for a lot of snow, it’s not a big surprise. This morning we we’re supposed to receive six to eight inches of snow and we didn’t. I made the mistake of going on Facebook this morning and looking through my newsfeed and all I continued to see was “snow” “omg it’s snowing!” “Let the snowboarding begin”... I actually liked that one but anyways “I hate snow” “snow puts me in a bad mood.” Can I just say that one, we are all more than capable of going to our window or walking outside and seeing that it’s snowing out.  Two, we are all aware that in winter people snowboard and ski, we know. Three, Facebook is not a diary if you weren’t aware, not to be rude but chances are, no one cares what your opinion is on the snow. People on Facebook constantly post novels for a status and half the time, no one reads them because no one cares! Also, people must think Facebook is a photo website because yes, seeing five or more different pictures of you every day is what I like going on Facebook and seeing. Have a couple pictures and that’s it, there’s no need to post 20 pictures of yourself in one week, we all know what you look like. Another thing is, stop googling and stealing other people’s status’ just to get likes. The reason Facebook started was to connect with others, not all this stuff! Finally, there is absolutely no reason to have 2,000+ friends. I’m almost positive that you don’t know 2,000 or more people so why are you friends with them? Facebook is and will never be turned into EHarmony so stop with the statuses about how you’re single, how you want a boyfriend for the Holidays, just stop. That’s all.

Snowball 2K10

Once upon a time, there was an Alden Snowball 2010,junior year. My friends and I all got ready at Brianna Harris’s house. We took tons of pictures; I wasn’t about to challenge myself and attempt to wear heels to a high school dance so of course I was wearing flip flops. We went to the dance and it was really fun, nothing to exciting. It was freezing out and there was like eight inches of snow on the ground. Afterwards all the girls wanted to sleep at my house so my Dad picked us up from the dance but our stuff was still at Brianna’s so we drove back to her house. I was the first one out of the house but all the girls were right behind me. Mind you, Brianna’s drive way was a bit steep.. a slope if you will. Anyways, I was still in flip flops and my dress and was walking to the truck and I grabbed the door handle and I slid, my legs literally shot up and I flew down so hard. I was unaware of the giant piece of ice under the truck door.. So everyone is trying not to cry from laughter and I’m lying in a driveway in a dress covered in snow. I was laughing but I stopped when I realized that there was something in my hand. The door handle that you pull out to open the door was in my hand. My Dad was laughing so hard that he rolled down the window.. which did nothing because he couldn't stop laughing. I then crawled up the side of the truck to try and get up and he literally had tears coming down his face. As soon as I held up the door handle.. all laughter came to an end for my Dad. This is a memory that will never be forgotten, this might be a pointless blog to anyone reading this, besides Brianna Harris. It might come off as a “you had to be there” kind of moments but allow me to inform you that it was hilarious.

Welcome To Winter..

Winter is officially here with this snow coming and going. This is the time of year where all the wipeouts occur; meaning, Devyn Woelfle constantly falls on her face. For example, this morning I went outside and started miserably brushing my car off and it was really cold so I was trying to hurry. I was wiping the front wind shield and I was leaning over and lost balance and I first dove first into my car and my coat was covered with snow, which was awesome. I started swearing to myself because I was so mad and I just looked even more stupid because I was talking to myself. That’s not all though, shortly after I for some unknown reason thought it would be a good idea to really try and hurry and run to the back of my car and I then completely wiped out and looked like I was doing a split in my driveway. I then heard a honk and looked up and a car was slowly passing and by slowly I mean literally sitting in front of my house not being able to contain his laughter. Don’t worry though, about after two minutes of laughter he rolled down his window and attempted to ask me if I was okay and then drove away.. continuing to laugh.  So my pants were soaked so I ran in the house.. almost falling again and I woke in the door and look to my left and see my mom practically on the floor laughing hysterically because she saw the entire thing. I finally got re-dressed and is in my car driving to school and this was about ten minutes after this whole occurrence happened and my mom was calling me so I answered and all I hear is her continuing to laugh. Welcome to Winter.

I wish I wish I wish!

A wish to me is a hope or desire for something. I could wish for a lot but I feel like if I really got the opportunity to wish for something, I would wish for things that were only for me as bad as that sounds. Like the first that comes to mind when someone says “make a wish” is usually something that you probably want at that moment. My first wish would be not to have to wish for anything; that life would just be easy and everyone could have what they wanted and deserved and be content. I know that life isn’t easy and it’s good for everyone to struggle at certain times but people go through problems that they shouldn’t have to. My second wish would be to have the ability to read others minds. Life is full of two-faced people and backstabbers, its stressful putting so much trust into a person only to have it backfire against you and only cause more problems for yourself in the end. I wish I could know what people were actually thinking and not just saying, because there’s a good chance that they are two completely different things.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion but they never say what they really want to, which don’t get me wrong, it’s probably a good thing because if everyone actually said what they wanted to, this world would probably be a lot worse than it already is. My final wish would be to know that I’m going to be successful in my future. Most people know what they would like to do but people are constantly changing their minds and things are set in stone, ever.  I would like to know what my future has in store for me. What my career will be, where I’m going to live, who I’m going to marry, everything. Life is all about waiting but if I had the chance to know, I would love to.

Yehaw!

World music is made up of many different genres and styles. Every culture has their own indigenous music, and modern world music often blends these genres with electronic sounds. Country Music has been associated with cowboy hats and boots. The fact is that apparel has got nothing to do with it. The Music Industry is divided and fractured as to what really the Country Music is. Most people say that, when they hear it, they know its country or it’s not. The relationship is one if hate and love; either fans love it and hate other genres intensely. If you have met some diehard country fans, you will notice, they will always find a way to hear it, no matter what state country radio currently finds itself in. Country Music has an association also, the Country Music Association (CMA), founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee.  The one thing that bothers me most about country music is that it can fall under other genres other than country. Taylor Swift started country and is still considered to be “country” but she’s played on more than just country stations. In my opinion, country music has definitely changed from what it used to be, we now have rap in our country songs, etc. Also, when people complain about country, their usually complaining on how “slow moving and depressing” the songs come off as. Although, country music is so much more than slow and depressing, I don’t think enough people give a chance to the country genre. All country music is different starting from Taylor Swift to Alan Jackson.; there’s just a different rhythm to each artist’s taste. This blog was one of the harder ones to write about because I have a strong passion for music; my foot will tap to any kind of beat. If I had to narrow it down to one genre though, I think I would pick country over anything else!

3 2 1 Action!

I’ve always been really into movies, especially when I was younger. I always watched Disney movies, the older ones; like Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Snow White, Lady and the Tramp, etc.  There still isn’t a day that I wouldn’t sit home and watch them all. Even though Pixar movies are generally made for the younger ages, they’re still my favorite. One of my favorite movies is Up.  Up is a movie that I will literally sob over every time I watch it... Pathetic, I know but it’s one of the cutest movies I’ve ever seen. The main character is 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen that easily sends the message that it’s important to set your dreams high and pursue them, no matter what it takes throughout the entire movie.  Another one of my favorite movies is Grown Ups. Grown Ups is easily a comedy that does not hesitate to make me laugh every time I watch it. Grown Ups stares the actors, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider. I couldn’t imagine the movie without these actors in it. Also, another great movie in my opinion is Just Go With It. The first time I saw Grown Ups, I nearly had tears as I was watching it. The main actors of Just Go With It are Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Griffin Gluck, Brooklyn Decker, Bailee Madison, and Nicole Kidman.  The movie shows a lot of comedy within sarcasm and jokes while watching. Movies that were made in the 1990’s to movies that are made now have drastically changed. Sometimes we watch movies and in the end it does/could change our opinion on certain things, for good or for worse. In my opinion, there are a lot of movies that are pointless and useless but everyone has different opinions.  

What Are Books?

I haven’t ever been much of a book reader, literally ever. Last year in Miss. MC’s English eleven, we were given four book reports throughout the class. It was often hard for me to find a book that we liked; we didn’t have long to pick a book and it was hard to find a book within fifteen minutes that you wouldn’t lose interest for fast. In the third semester I was having really bad luck trying to find a book that I liked and hated every book I picked up, the sub librarian recommended a Stephen King novel titled, The Long walk.  The beginning of the novel did not spark my interest what so ever, I began the book at page 102 out of 389 and was confused at first but then got really interested in the novel. As the story went on I obviously became more confused, I learned that the novel stated all the facts that are required to understand the book thoroughly.  I then restarted my novel and was bored to tears, but only for about.. roughly fourteen pages and I was then hooked onto the story.  The story left me in suspense towards the end; it definitely ended with a cliff hanger and I haven’t got the chance to read the story that is based off of the one I had the chance to read but I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ve never even had the slightest interest in reading, unless it’s a magazine or something like that; but after finding a book that I actually look forward to reading each night, opened my eyes to give it a chance.  Although I haven’t read a book since and I don’t think I’ll ever run to do it, in my opinion/perspective still has changed on reading and when the time comes, I’ll read another book.. Maybe.

Holiday Joy!

Holidays have always been a time for families to come together to celebrate and reminisce. When I was little the only Holidays I cared about was Christmas and Easter; the two main Holidays where you the most presents. Growing up, you realize that it’s so much more. Over the years, most people unfortunately lose people that are close to them, every year a Holiday could be spent without a loved one. Over the years I’ve learned that Holidays are so much more than the gifts, it’s about being together with your family. Christmas is my favorite Holiday for many reasons.  Every Christmas my extended family all comes together; from North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada. The entire family comes to my house on December 23^rd with all their gifts for each other, and we put all the present under the tree; which usually takes over my living room.  There’s about twenty people living in my house for 3-5 days every year; people are sleeping on the floor, air mattresses’, one year on the dinner table. Needless to say, Christmas day is udder chaos.  I have thirteen cousins ranging from two years old to twenty- six; the gifts go from Barbie’s to gas cards. As years go by, we all get older and we grow more apart; when the Holidays come around it’s so nice reuniting with one another. We started doing this tradition about three years ago, before it was just My mom, dad, sister, and I every Christmas morning which was fun; but when the family comes together it’s always fun watching the younger kids filling the room with excitement.  For me, goodbyes are always the hardest. I’m really close with my family, even if they do live on the other side of the country, every time we’re together; we leave right where we left off.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

During high school, most students don’t think that after senior year it’s the real deal; we have to start making our own choices for ourselves and become responsible.  High school, school in general flies by before we can even realize, it’s hard to realize that I’m almost half way done with my senior year. When I first started thinking about college, I went back and forth way too much. I thought that going to GCC for two years and then transferring to a four year school was a great idea. Then, came the idea to go out of state for College and get away from the “same old’ same old’.  I wanted to go to ASU (Arizona State University), I went there over the summer and went all over campus and I knew that I couldn’t regret making my decision to go to this school. I wasn’t thinking about the entire situation though, I was thinking mainly of myself; not thinking about other people that it could/would effect. Each day I brought it up more and more to my parents and finally, one day they told me how upset they were, that they’d do anything in order for me to stay in state for school. I realize that college is mainly going to affect me in the long run, but some things aren’t worth it. I looked at the entire situation and came to the conclusion that whether I stay in Buffalo or decide to go out of state, I’m still going to college and I will still end up getting a great education in order to have a great future.  Plus, part of me knows that I wouldn’t be able to leave my family for four years.  In conclusion, I’ve been debating between Buffalo State College and Medaille College. The main thing that is stopping me is that I’m not 100% sure on what’d I’d like to do for a career; I’d much rather save a ton of money and go to GCC to figure out what it is that I want to do, and in the end I’d be ending with a better education!

Classes Throught The Years!

Out of twelve years of being in school, we’ve all experienced many classes. We’ve experienced classes we like, some we hated, and some we loved. This year I’ve found my favorite class of all time though which is ironically taught by my favorite teacher, Mr. Casillo.  FYE is a class for seniors that prepares us to be ready for college. So far in the class, we’ve learned to do a resume, letter or recommendation, how to fill out a college application, and how to make the right decisions for our future. Mr. Casillo always manages to make every class enjoyable which is hard to do because I have first block. Mr. Casillo breaks the class up; we’re not sitting in class for eighty minutes listening to lecture. We’re active and learning in a comfortable way for everyone. I didn’t quite know what to expect from taking this class but I’m so glad that I decided to. It’s only been about two months since school has started and I find myself never bored in the class and I’ve learned a lot. During class I’ve already filled out two college applications and got tips from Mr. Casillo on which college’s I could benefit from. A lot of teachers come into work for a paycheck and that’s all; Mr. Casillo truly likes his job and likes helping every student that walks into his door as much as he can. It’s so much nicer being in a room where there is always good vibes in and out. I think the reason why FYE is my favorite class is because how much I have benefitted from it already. I never knew how to write a professional resume for a college or even a job. In my opinion, I think the class should be mandatory. It’s an easy grade if you do your work, you receive a great relationship between the teacher, and it really does prepare you for the obstacles to come.  

Mr. Casillo!

Over twelve years of schooling I’ve met a lot of teachers; some that I liked and others that I didn’t. Sophomore year of high school I was in Mr. Casillo’s health class. I never liked health during middle school but Mr. Casillo put me in a different perspective. Most classes are mainly lectures. It generally feels like it is anyway, that’s teaching though: someone stands in front of you for eighty minutes and you have to take notes and listen. I know that not all teachers teach this way but a good handful of them do. I actually looked forward going to health class. This year I decided to take FYE which Mr. Casillo also teaches and it’s a great way to start off any day! From my point of view, it seems like Mr. Casillo understands his students, he tries to make class fun for us and him. Every day in class in a new, we’re never doing the same thing day after day, which keeps us all interested. No matter what we’re talking about in class, Mr. Casillo always has a story to go along with it and it’s never a disappointment. Over the years of high school, Mr. Casillo and I have become close with one another. He’s a teacher that I’ll easily go to whenever I need help or advice. Mr. Casillo is someone who is willing to do anything for anyone. I’m extremely glad that I chose to take FYE – a class that prepares us for college because Mr. Casillo has been through everything that we’re about to experience. In class he often breaks things down for us so that the students can fully understand the topic and what needs to be accomplished.  Mr. Casillo has impacted me in a positive way by opening my eyes to the experiences that are out there and it’s always comfortable in his classroom. I really appreciate everything that Mr. Casillo has done for me and the rest of students at Alden High School.  

Jamey Rodemeyer

C3. The death of Jamie Rodemeyer is nothing but an unnecessary tragedy.  I can’t even imagine saying the words that were said to Jamey, let alone having it be about me. The internet has changed our society in such bad ways when it comes to this particular situation. The website Formspring was a website that should have never been thought of.  Why would anyone think of a website where you can post whatever you want to anyone you want and have them never know who you are..? I think bullying has just gotten ten times worse than what it used to be and not enough are attempting to do anything about it. This isn’t the first time that suicide has happened because of bullying, it’s just one of the few times that it’s been announced nationally. Children/people are getting meaner and more careless.  It’s such a shame that more people don’t take action so that tragedy’s like this can’t be prevented.  In today’s world, many don’t know how much words can hurt; the kids that bullied Jamey knew exactly what they were doing and how bad it hurt Jamey. For the fact that after Jamey decided to commit suicide they were cheering and saying “I’m glad he killed himself”, it’s so wrong to me; I can’t fathom how any person could be so mean to someone who didn’t do anything to deserve it. In high school, especially freshman year is hard to fit in and find friends, Jamey seemed careless and he wasn’t afraid to be himself, but kids couldn’t accept it. Most high school kids do whatever it takes in order for them to fit in and get through a day. People are mean today, so mean that people that are brave enough to be themselves are ending up dying before they got the chance to see the real world.

Alden Restaurants

C2. There are many good restaurants to eat at in small town Alden. Just a few of my favorite restaurants in Alden would have to be Town and Country and Carbone’s! It’s a close call between the other four pizzerias in Alden. I don’t usually go out to in Alden but the times I do I feel very welcomed. I can easily say I’ve never had a problem with any restaurant in Alden; the workers are always very welcoming! When I do go to Town and Country I usually am going in the morning for an early breakfast. My order never changes, two scramble eggs, two pieces of rye toast, and ham and it’s always perfect. Carbone’s and I happen to go way back. I’m very proud to say that I’m a former employee of Carbone’s pizzeria (it’s a true honor). The workers of Carbone’s always find a way to have a great time while working and helping customers when they walk in to make sure their leaving happy. Every time I order form Carbone’s I never seem to have a problem with my order.  Prices are very reasonable for such great food!

Alden School Lunches!

C1. School lunches... so much to say. Out of all the years of school that I’ve experienced I generally bought all of my lunches from the school. My favorite lunches received from Alden High School were usually the spaghetti without the sauce and meatballs, chicken nuggets with tater tots or the buttered noodles. After twelve years of school though, it was time for a change. So far this year I’ve been packing my lunch... well my Mom has been packing my lunch.  In my pink princess lunch bag I usually drink a blue Gatorade or a half and half Arizona tea. Next comes a bowl of cucumbers with a side Italian dressing found in my Mom’s Tupperware. Following after comes a chicken sandwich with lettuce, crispy chicken, and Italian dressing found under the Italian bread. This year my goal for eating was to try and eat a lot healthier but as most of us know… that normally doesn’t ever go as we plan. What I do love about school lunches is around the Holidays; that’s when the soft pretzels come with our lunch or the juicy cups! Also, usually towards the end of the school year the school has really good apples. Most of the time they’re generally bruised or super tiny, but towards June they are perfect apples. Also, when they offer peaches it’s always a good day!

Is Anyone Ever Ready For College?

For my fourth blog, I’m choosing to write about my future involving college. Going into high school everyone told me that it’d go by so fast. I never believed it because it was hard to think that four years of school was going to “fly by”, but it really has. Freshman, sophomore, even junior year I never thought about college to the point where I thought that I should go look and see what’s out there that would spark my interest. Reality is starting to set it and I’m realizing that it’s senior year. In just a couple of months people that I’ve been going to school with my whole life will leave the state, some will go all the way to the other side of the country, some will stay here; the point is that it’s never going to be how it is now.  This is our last year to have it “easy” because the next step is the real world, the time that we turn into adults and have to take care of ourselves practically. The scariest part though is not knowing what you want to do. As I sit here, I wonder where I’m going to be in ten years because I literally don’t have a clue. I don’t know what I’ll be doing a year from now. Some people that I sit next to every day have their life all planned out, not saying it’s going to happen but there’s a good chance it will. They say it’s okay to go to college and not know exactly what you want to do for a career. They say it’s okay to change around your major. I know that eventually I’ll get where I want and need to be, but it’s scary that as of this moment, I don’t.

A Blessing In Disguise

After sixteen years there’s a lot that has happened both good and bad. Everyone goes through things that others don’t understand, even if we try too. Last November my family had a house fire. My Dad, Mom, and I were ten hours away in North Carolina visiting family for Thanksgiving. My sister had just moved home from California only a week before and was home. She woke up to a house filled with smoke and she was coughing uncontrollably. She got up as fast as she could and opended my bedroom door and it was in flames, she ran out of the house! She called the police right away and there were over seven fire companies at the scene immeditetely. She then called my Dad’s phone and I woke up to yelling, my Mom rushed to tell me the news and everyone in the house was freaking out. We packed up all of our things and said our goodbye’s and got on the road as soon as we could. On the way home we received pictures of the fire it was absolutely devastating.  We continued to get phone calls and updates to see if the animals made it safe and somehow, they all did. After doing a ten hour drive in seven we finally made it home. There were at least thirty people still at my house and I couldn’t even walk in to what was left. Not many people know what they have until it’s gone. Pulling into my driveway and seeing what was left of my house that was filled with all my memories and everything that I owned was now gone, I can’t explain the feeling that I felt. The question was to say a great moment in our life and obviously this isn’t the greatest, it’s the worst but afterwards the realization that one feels is amazing. It changed me and my family as people. To be put that situation that we were and watch everything that mattered to us be lost was more than horrible. I would never wish anyone to go through what we had, because it was the hardest I have and hopefully will ever go through. But as of today I realize how lucky we are as to not have lost a life, like my sister. Husbands lost their wives, parents lose children, every day in this world. No one realizes how lucky they are to have what they do. There’s more to life than Facebook and cellphones, be grateful for everything that you have. It was a great moment in my life after realization.   

The Change Of Colors

Out of all the seasons, I’d have to say my favorite is fall. Fall is a season of change; the leaves are changing from green to a mixture of yellow and orange. It's a time that carefree summer comes to an unfortunate end and people of Alden High School make yet, another impression on us all. Some students remain the same look wise and personality wise, others remotely remain the same as they were. At the end of summer it's a time of tiredness from the heat, sun burn, and humidity.  Going into fall is the fresh beginning to a new school year and reuniting with others that we haven’t seen in almost two months. To think, next year the impressions will be made among college students. The love for scenery of the leaves changing. The time of perfect weather. Fall weather is close to perfect with the continuous cool breezes throughout the day, the temperature remaining in fifty to sixty degrees. Times to put flip flops away and bring out the boots. It's a time for a new impression on the Buffalo Bills considering their actually doing well this year.. so far. A time for myself to break out the eye-skates and count the amount of times that I fall, respectively. The time of perfect sleeping weather, to bring the many blankets out of the closet that had been stored away. A time that we look forward to the holidays. A time to say goodbye pools and turn to hot tubs. To say goodbye to air conditioning, and turn to heat and fire places. I've always pegged fall to be the season for family; there are so many activities to take part in. Halloween is just around the corner, the fear of haunted houses is upon us all. The time to create a costume to go trick or treating.. even if you are seventeen years old. The time to bring all family around one table and gain ten pounds from endless food. Fall is easily, my favorite season.

What's Facebook?

Facebook began a few years back and fastly turned into the new thing to use. I use Facebook to keep in touch with many people, such as family that currently live in North Carolina. Facebook is a social network but it’s been turning into much more ever since the start. Positives of Facebook include staying up to date with people, keeping track of upcoming invents, and many others. Many people from schools and work use Facebook to interact with their schoolmates and coworkers. Lately, there are many negatives appearing on Facebook though. First, many people that use Facebook often post pictures that they shouldn’t, usually include alcohol and much more. Colleges and companies are starting to search people that are applying for a school or a job and are denying the applicants by what they are finding on Facebook. Also, there has been a lot of bullying on Facebook.  Jamey Rodemeyer's suicide was caused due to bullying over Facebook. In my opinion half of Facebook is for interaction and the other half is to judge others. Using Facebook makes it so easy to see what people do on a daily basis, what their opinions are, the kinds of pictures they choose to take, and what their interests are; people don't know how to keep their comments to themself. People often say that not as much drama and pointless fights would happen if it wasn’t for Facebook.  From the bullying that is often seen on Facebook to kids getting in trouble in school which often leads to getting in actual fights in school which is now leading into suicide. In my opinion Facebook has taken pointless drama to a whole unnecessary level. One of the positives of Facebook is finding and keeping in touch with others who you haven’t seen in a long time. Again, I’ve been seeing more negative things coming out of Facebook then positives. Lastly, another negative of Facebook that has been seen through many netwroks of the internet is dating. Many teenagers today add people that they don’t know and talk to them just because they think their attractive. Many people that take part in this action don’t think of the negatives that can come from it. Such as, you don’t know who the person you think you’re talking to is really that person, there’s a lot of creeps out there; it could lead you in a terrible position in the long run.

My Writing

I would say that I feel comfortable writing about a lot. Although I it’s hard to catch my interest in many things. I would rather write about something that I have a lot of interest in so that way I have a lot to say about the topic that I am writing about. I can’t really categorize a section of things that I would like to write about because I would write about anything, even if it doesn’t catch my interest, I’ll make it work. Writing about current events and about people is always easy for me; because most of the time I can relate in some way. The only sport I think I could write about is football because no other sport really catches my interest.  I like to write articles that I can share my opinion on the topic; it gives me a way to fully understand the topic and give readers another way to look at the issue. What I don’t like is getting an assignment in certain classes and having to write a summery on a book, because half the time I don’t like the book that I have to write a two-page paper on. I usually have to force myself some sort of interest in order to pull myself through the essay that counts for half my grade. Also, I do not like to do research papers because again, you have to drag yourself through it and I usually don’t enjoy doing it. In my opinion writing is important and it can and should be enjoyable if you like what you are writing about. In conclusion, I would like to write about something that it’s important and meaningful not only to me, but whoever is reading my article. I want to write about something realistic!

My School Years!

 Out of all the years of school I always disliked them until I came into high school. Obviously when I was in the younger grades it wasn’t bad because we weren’t learning things like we have to now. I didn’t like middle school at all, I wasn’t popular at all; and those were the years that I went to through the ugly stage as a kid. My junior year was definitely the hardest; all the classes were really difficult for me. Now that I’m in my senior year it’s completely different for me. It’s hard for me to realize that in just a few more months that this will all be done and I’ll be considered an “adult” and I’m still only sixteen; I don’t even have a license yet and I have to worry about what college I’m going to. The first three years of high school were so hard to me. Freshman year is a whole new experience from middle school; it was hard to learn where everything is and handle the new scheduling and people at the time. Sophomore year I was a lot more comfortable but the work and classes was still hard for me to get used to, but it was becoming easier. Junior year was hard because of the classes and because there was so much work, there were only two regents exams but it was the hardest ones I’ve ever had to take. Senior year for me though is beyond easy with classes and everything else. I’m enjoying the easiness and the early release, but it’s going to fly by me. So far senior year would be favorite from everything that me and all the other seniors have overcome, it’s nice to have finally reached the top and overcome twelve years of school.

This School Year!

This school year I hope to accomplish a lot. I want to take as many classes as I can; I want them to be different.  It’s my senior year and I want to be involved as much as I can. For example, the homecoming float and the dances, dressing up for Halloween, possibly the talent show, prom and so much more. I never realized how fast high school went by and this year I want to make it the year that I will always remember. My grades haven’t always been the best so this year I’d like to maybe honor roll every quarter. I think back to freshman year and then now and I’ve grown up drastically. I’d like to think I got my act together and I can accomplish anything that’s thrown my way.  I never was involved with too many sports and I’m looking into doing track this year. All out of high school I went through a lot of friends because there is always drama, especially with girls. Every year I experienced in high school, I grew more and more.  Now, as a senior I could care less what anyone has to say about me because I like who I am. This year I’d like to make it an effort to talk to new people and if I don’t know someone, to walk up to them and introduce myself. When I was a freshman I was obviously picked on and this year I’ve introduced myself to them and offered them help if they ever needed it. This school year I’d like to become a better person.  Finally, I would love to graduate! I’ve waited twelve years to walk across the stage. In the beginning of summer I watched the seniors of last year walk across the stage and that’s where I feel like I grew up a lot. I watched a lot of my friends graduate and it made me realize that this is growing up and that’s going to be me a year from now. I’m scared but I can’t explain how excited I am to get started with my life.

Summer 2011

This summer was one of the best summers of my life. I went to North Carolina for a month. I stayed with family and it was unbelievably hot. We went swimming almost every day.  My Aunt, four cousins, and myself all drove to Daytona, Florida for a week and stayed on a Mexican resort that was right on the beach.  When we got to the resort, our room wasn’t ready for four hours so we decided to go on the beach for the day. While we were all on the beach, we saw dolphins swimming. They were so close to the shore that surfers were right behind them on their boards. There were so many people at our resort and the beach. I’m terrified of the ocean so I was literally running away from the water as the tide came towards me.  A couple days from being there we found out that there was supposed to be a hurricane only an hour away in Orlando. One morning my Aunt I got up before anyone and decided to go running on the beach.  The waves were huge from the current. As we were running we saw a lifeguard rush into the water, we both stopped and looked into the water and we saw nothing. As we kept standing there another lifeguard rushed into the water and we saw it. There were two foreign boys past the buoys in the water, we couldn’t believe it! We were so scared but we couldn’t look away, we kept seeing their hands waving and their arms rushing above the water. The lifeguards pushed their way through the currents and approached them. They were saved and as they came back to the shallow water they weren’t alarmed. They almost just drowned and they were acting like it never happened, it was amazing. During the time in Florida I also got sun burn which was horrible.  I couldn’t wait to get home; I missed my parents so much. When I got home we were almost moved into our new house. This summer I think I grew up a lot. I realized that I was about to be a senior in high school and it was time to step into the reality. I have a good idea of what I want to do and I’m glad I had the amazing summer I did.