J4. Rest In Peace Angela

I’m sure by now, everyone has heard about the car crash that killed the fourteen year old girl, Angela. It’s an absolutely tragedy that should have never happened. There were four teenagers in the car, and fourteen year old Angela was said to be ejected out of the car and dead at the scene. My family always tells me to “drive slow, be careful, watch out for deer, roads may be slick” and I always think their annoying because it’s just common sense, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The investigators said that there may have been other cars involved in the crash. My family has always said “you may be doing nothing wrong but it’s important to watch for your surroundings” and this is a perfect example. Today, it is way too easy to get a permit and your license; so many people don’t know what they’re doing. I’m a new driver and I still have so much to learn about driving.  Anyways, friends of Angela made a “RIP Angela” Facebook page. This is something that people do to write could things, say how much their going to miss them, etc. I didn’t know Angela but I joined the page to support and show respect. I looked on the page to see what people were saying and it was downright cruel. There are literally grown men and people from other countries are laughing at this girl’s death; calling her names and posting horrible things. It shouldn’t matter what kind of person Angela was, no one deserves to die, especially people ejected out of a car. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing, this generation is opposite of what it should be. One little mistake or wrong decision can turn out into such a disaster; it’s not at all fair. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone that was in the car and Angela’s family. Rest in peace Angela.

J3. Viva La Vida

I have always been into music; my foot will tap to any beat. One of my favorite bands would have to be Coldplay. Coldplay is a British alternative rock band, formed in London, United Kingdom in 1997. The band’s vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion.  In my opinion, music is nothing like it used to be.  I believe that in past years, music consisted of a lot of meaning and today it hardly makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many good bands today but I think Coldplay’s songs have a lot of meaning; they’re not just made for fun. They achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single "Yellow" in 2000, followed by their debut album released in the same year, Parachutes, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), was released to favorable reviews and won multiple awards, including NME's Album of the Year, and has been widely considered the best of the Nelson-produced Coldplay albums. Their next release, X&Y, the best-selling album worldwide in 2005, met with mostly positive reviews upon its release.  The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida (2008), was produced by Brian Eno and released again to largely favorable reviews, earning several Grammy nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards. On 24 October 2011, they released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, which was met with favorable reviews. Also, I think that many musicians today have the fortune and fame but do nothing to give back. Since 2002, Coldplay have been active supporters of various social and political causes. They have been visible advocates of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International. The group has also performed at various charity projects such as Band Aid 20, Live 8, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.  To me, Coldplay is a band that everyone can look up to while enjoyable their amazing music that they produce.

J2. Mrs. Skiowski

There have been many people who have influenced me and those who have set great examples in my life. Many of those people were teachers that I have had from Kindergarten to the present time. If I had to choose one who has had the greatest influence, it would have to be Mrs. Skiowski. Mrs. Skiowski always had a smile in her face and if she was ever mad, we’d never know. I know that in first grade school isn’t much of a challenge; we got up in the morning and wanted to go to school. Mrs. Skiowski was very intelligent; she always had knowledge to give you to help you at some point in your life. Mrs. Skiowski would have been my second grade teacher too but she went on maternity leave.  Mrs. Skiowski was a favorite of mine because she made learning fun. It did not matter whether we were in a portable classroom, where space was limited, or in an actual room in the building, where we had plenty of room to move around. She always had ideas to get us moving and enjoying whatever we were learning.  I remember that each Friday everyone in the class would have to go in front of everyone, one by one, and tell how their week was and what they did. I never liked doing this, I still don’t; Mrs. Skiowski would always go up with me to make me feel more comfortable and it really worked. Even today I hate doing oral presentation but every time I do one, I think of her and the ways that she helped me.  About two years ago I saw Mrs. Skiowski Christmas shopping in the mall and I talked to her for about an hour with my parents. Mrs. Skiowski informed us that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer and her and her family were having a hard time dealing with it. My heart absolutely sank when she told us that; it’s not fair, the things that happen to the people that least deserve it.  Mrs. Skiowski is by far the best teacher and one of the strongest women I know, I wish her well.

Here We Go Again

      I officially do not like driving, for many reasons.  As we all know, I haven’t had the best experiences driving since I’ve gotten my license; but I’m proud to say that I’m proceeding to get better every day. Anyways, I’ve come to notice that there are a lot of terrible drivers out there, ones that make me look like the best driver in the entire world. I hate when I pull up to a red light and you awkwardly look over and see the person in the car next to you staring at you… no big deal, it’s normal.  Also, I hate how people feel like they can cut into your lane at any given time, don’t even have to look, it’s fine. Now, I realize that I have no right talking and complaining about other people’s driving because I’m a terrible driver.  Next, this morning was the first time I’ve actually driven in the snow where the roads were covered. My parents didn’t want me to drive to begin with because I’m not “ready for it” as my mom said; but I somehow convinced them to let me drive.  I drive a scion tc, front wheel drive, BTW. I backed out of my driveway and everything was fine, drive down the road, and turned onto peters corners. I was on the corner of North and Peters Corners, and I was ‘planning’ on making a left onto North road. BUT, I must have hit the gas a little too hard or something could have been anything; but I went to go and my back end spun my entire car around into a 360. I was literally freaking out, jaw was dropped and I stopped in the middle of the road onto Peters Corners, no idea how I managed to stay onto the road. I was sitting in the middle of the road.... Stopped and I pulled my emergency break, for whatever reason. My car was completely stopped but I thought that pulling the break would really do something for me... Not.  Needless to say, I drove home in tears because I’m a baby and I went in my house and asked my Dad to take me to school. The end.

J1 Billy Black

Most people would agree that a hero is someone who has performed something extraordinary and astonishing deeds, far beyond the capabilities of the average person. A hero to me is simply someone I can look up to and go to whenever I need them; a hero is a role model. My hero is my cousin, Billy Black. Billy has always been there for me whenever I needed him, whether it would be at two in the morning or five in the evening, he’s there. All my family lived in Buffalo at one point, most eventually moved to North Carolina as time went on. In my opinion, it seems like families aren’t nearly as close as they should be, my family lives over five-hundred miles away from me and we’ve never been closer. Billy and I don’t see each other a lot, a couple times a year; if that. The thing about Billy and I is we pick up right where we left us the last time we saw each other. Billy may make fun of me and embarrass me but I’d never want him to change.  Billy and I have a lot in common; we’re both really sarcastic and never let anything go. As I was looking into colleges to go to, Billy told me to consider coming down south and going to school for a couple years; he even offered for me to live with him. Billy is insanely protective, more protective than my Dad could ever be. Billy constantly goes and looks at my Facebook and if he see’s something he doesn’t like, he will gladly make it known. Speaking of Facebook, girls between the ages of ten to twenty will constantly add him on Facebook when they don’t know him... Cute.  I look up to Billy more than anyone else. Billy is the type of person who’s never gotten in trouble like most kids today; he’s responsible, knows what he wants and goes for it. Billy is currently in MMA fighting, at the end of summer he had a fight and it was the scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed.  Anyways, like I said, Billy lives over five hundred miles away but I know if I called him this second and said I needed him, he would be here in a heartbeat.  In conclusion, I could never imagine losing Billy. It’s hard to find people that you can trust with everything and lead you in the right direction when you’re struggling but Billy has never failed at doing so, this is what makes Billy Black my hero.

Here We Go Again

      I officially do not like driving, for many reasons.  As we all know, I haven’t had the best experiences driving since I’ve gotten my license; but I’m proud to say that I’m proceeding to get better every day. Anyways, I’ve come to notice that there are a lot of terrible drivers out there, ones that make me look like the best driver in the entire world. I hate when I pull up to a red light and you awkwardly look over and see the person in the car next to you staring at you… no big deal, it’s normal.  Also, I hate how people feel like they can cut into your lane at any given time, don’t even have to look, it’s fine. Now, I realize that I have no right talking and complaining about other people’s driving because I’m a terrible driver.  Next, this morning was the first time I’ve actually driven in the snow where the roads were covered. My parents didn’t want me to drive to begin with because I’m not “ready for it” as my mom said; but I somehow convinced them to let me drive.  I drive a scion tc, front wheel drive, BTW. I backed out of my driveway and everything was fine, drive down the road, and turned onto peters corners. I was on the corner of North and Peters Corners, and I was ‘planning’ on making a left onto North road. BUT, I must have hit the gas a little too hard or something could have been anything; but I went to go and my back end spun my entire car around into a 360. I was literally freaking out, jaw was dropped and I stopped in the middle of the road onto Peters Corners, no idea how I managed to stay onto the road. I was sitting in the middle of the road.... Stopped and I pulled my emergency break, for whatever reason. My car was completely stopped but I thought that pulling the break would really do something for me... Not.  Needless to say, I drove home in tears because I’m a baby and I went in my house and asked my Dad to take me to school. The end.

A Blog To Remember

This past break, it’s easy for me to say that it was one of the best breaks off from school that I have ever experienced.  I did not do anything out of the ordinary, nothing crazy; I realized and hung out with the people that mean the most to me. Christmas was nice for my family and I, for once we didn’t wake up at the crack of done and tear open the presents; each one of us slept in until about eleven and didn’t begin opening presents until about eleven-thirty. As many people reading this know, last year we were stuck in a small apartment for nine months and we were in it for Christmas, it was such a horrible Christmas. It was really nice to be in our new home with everyone brought together to share Christmas. I got a bunch of clothes and shoes, blah blah blah, my sister got two hundred dollars in all singles that ended up covering the living room floor. Funny story, my Mom really wanted Versace perfume, my Dad and I went to Macy’s and bought her the whole set, we smelled it and we really thought it smelled good. It was about $209.00 dollars for the perfume and the lotion and a bag. Well, when my mom opened it up on Christmas morning she was really excited that my Dad had gotten it for her; little did we know that we purchased the small size, the size the lady showed us at the mall was a decent size and we thought the one she showed us was the small. Anyways, she opens it and it was probably the smallest perfume I have ever seen in my life. Literally, the cap to the perfume was bigger than the actual bottle; it’s unreal how they get away with that for that amount of money. My break was really relaxing though, I enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

      There are so many things to see in this world, so many places to go, so many things to do; I’m worried that I won’t have enough time to do everything I would like to. The first thing that is on my bucket list to travel the world, I want to see everything. I wish it was possible to grow up in each place, I’ve grown up in Buffalo, New York my entire life; but I wonder what it would be like to have grown up in Europe or Hawaii, something completely different. I hate that we never are really going to experience it, it’s like each place we travel is such a different atmosphere. So first, I would like to travel every place there is to go! Next, I really want to be known for something I did, I want to make a difference in some way, shape, or form. I don’t necessarily want to become famous, but I want to be known in a good way, obviously, for something incredible that I did. Whether I write a book, save someone’s life, become famous, it doesn’t matter; I just want to make a difference and be known for it. If I got to choose, I’d like to be known for my career, I don’t know exactly how that would happen but I’ll find some way to make it happen.  Thirdly, Id like to give back to my parents and every person that has ever helped. This may sound bad but when I’m choosing my career, money has a lot to do with it. I’m seventeen and I have and continue to cost my parents a lot of money and it’s really not fair to them. In my career it’s important to like what you do, be successful and have a lot of money. To sum it up, I want to eventually save enough money up to pay off my parents bills and help them anyway that I can because they deserve it more than anyone I know.