School Lunches: Is This Even Food?

Everyone loves food. Food is a necessity in our lives yet it is also one of our greatest luxuries. Whether the food is a delicious piece of steak, or a simple bowl of cereal, we humans find almost all meals to be satisfying or tasty. The one exception being the high school cafeteria lunches. There are several reasons why I never buy the school lunches and always pack my own.

1. They taste terrible. I don't know about others who enjoy the cafeteria food, but I don't enjoy the taste of cold spaghetti or dried up French fries. I'd much rather eat a turkey sandwich that's made at home with ingredients that I know are fresh and actually taste good.
2. Nutrition is lacking. I know as a high school student, nutrition is not necessarily at the top of our priorities, so we don't care what we put in our mouths if it tastes good. Despite this, I try to eat somewhat healthy because I am physically active and the cafeteria lunches don't cut it. I understand they try to encourage healthier meals and improve nutrition through the small servings of carrots or fruit that they offer, but to me they look as unappetizing as the rest of the lunch. Most students don't even get the vegetables or fruit with their lunch, and even if they do, they are often thrown away without being touched. My own packed lunch provides the vegetables and fruits that I enjoy, giving me no reason to buy the cafeteria lunches at any cost.
3. They just don't fill me up. The portion size is just way too small for someone like me who enjoys eating a great amount food in one sitting and also because I play sports, I tend to eat more than the typical person. By packing my lunch at home, I can put in all the food I want. However, I understand that I could simply just buy more food from the cafeteria, but why would I want to buy the food in the first place.
4. This has to do with the lunch period itself, but the time that is given is way too short. Supposedly we have thirty minutes for lunch, according to the schedule, but the time it takes between classes and the cafeteria before and after lunch take up ten minutes, leaving us with only twenty minutes to eat. If you buy lunch, you also have to wait in line as well, taking up even more time of your precious time to eat and relax with friends. With a packed lunch, I can avoid those few minutes waiting in line that may seem insignificant, but they matter to me after having to sit through classes for three to four hours beforehand.

Overall I think the school lunches are just plain gross and I would never buy them at WSHS. Maybe they are miraculously delicious at other high schools, but not at this one. I didn't mean to offend any of you through this blog if some of you do not have a choice and have to eat the school lunch as I completely understand. But if you prefer a school lunch over a packed lunch, please get your taste buds checked. Just kidding, but seriously. These school lunches have got to change, but in the meantime I think I'll stick with my homemade turkey sandwich.

Check here if you want to learn more about the school lunches and the efforts to make it healthier.
If you have any concerns or just wish to prove to me why school lunches are amazing, email me at ahan67@gmail.com.
-Andrew

Getting a 5 on the AP Homework exam

Do you get homework? Yes, it's a rhetorical question. Whether it's the next set of math practice problems or that English research paper you've been pushing back for weeks, homework has manifested itself firmly in the quotidian lives of students, a fact that however much we want, we cannot deny. And it's not going anywhere. No, I'm not here to rant about how homework is a completely useless use of time. I don't have the ego or the energy to challenge decades' worth of teaching practices and dogma. We all know what the result will be in Goyal vs. the World Education System. Not good.

With the boatload of assignments I get from my 4 AP courses, I have begun to consider homework as another AP course with its own AP exam - one which actually lasts the entire school year. In my opinion, AP Homework is probably the most important of all courses because it truly gauges your college readiness. If you can handle the load, you are good to go, but if you are having trouble, you better step up your game if you want to enjoy your college years.

The trouble with AP Homework is that you are all alone, left to stumble through a long, winding, rocky tunnel with no ray of hope in sight. You must dance with due dates, break through low printer ink errors, circumvent paper shortages, and overcome many more challenges in the process of doing your homework. In my painful journey, I have learned a few key lessons about what - and what not - to do when doing homework. You have likely heard most of them, but it doesn't hurt to get a refresher.

DO:

• Start it early. I know we all just want to flop down on the couch with a snack and the TV remote as soon as we get home. Perhaps take a "quick" nap. After all, you've just spent the last 6 hours or so endlessly toiling. But cut that break short and get started early. Aim for a starting time of 5 (PM, not AM) at the latest. Trust me, it'll save you a ton of stress later on when you are actually able to get to bed before midnight. Also, teachers know what they are doing, and there is a reason they give you multiple weeks to do major assignments. Start these early as well and work steadily on them so that you don't overwhelm yourself the day before they are due.
• Use your planner. The school paid thousands of dollars to get these for a purpose. When you get free stuff paid for by taxpayer money, you use it. Keep track of your assignments by recording them in your planners during each class. I stopped using my planner for a while this year, and my homework grades plummeted drastically due to missing work that I had forgotten about.
• Prioritize the hard things first. Tackle the most challenging assignment first, when your mind is the freshest. The temptation of the easy work may be difficult to endure but you must resist. Getting the difficult part out of the way first leads to a quick and satisfying sprint to the finish. This strategy also forces you to deal with the important assignments first so that you don't push them back.
• Form a routine. Create a pattern that you like. Find a groove that works for you and stick with it. If you like to go for a run after coming home and before starting homework, make it a habit. If you have dinner at 7, make space for that in your homework schedule and plan around it. Keep your starting time consistent. Soon you'll be churning out homework without missing a beat like an assembly line in a factory.
• Take breaks. Unfortunately, no cure for mental fatigue has been discovered yet. So you WILL get tired. To keep yourself from completely frying your brain cells, take small breaks at regular intervals. Watch an episode on TV or take a short nap, anything to give yourself a little time to rest and recharge. Breaks are key to tackling lengthy assignments .

DO NOT:

• DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! This devilish act is the bane of success, and I figured this out the hard way. Don't procrastinate your homework! Procrastinate procrastination! Save procrastination for later; do it tomorrow! Don't let it screw up your schedule and routine. Once it becomes a habit, it is very difficult to let go, and you'll find yourself scrambling to put together something that barely resembles homework the period before it's due.
• Do not touch your bed. YOU WILL FALL ASLEEP. Trust me. Despite my hardest efforts to stay awake, I have fallen asleep while working on my bed countless times. Even entering the proximity of a soft, flat, comfortable surface can prove disastrous. Multiple times, I've caught myself zoning out while working, subconsciously randomly laying down on my bed, and just falling asleep.
• Do not get distracted. Yes, I'm talking directly to you, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube addicts! Close that laptop and concentrate your full attention on your homework. The world will not explode if you don't check that Facebook notification, and live-tweeting your homework is just lame. In addition, don't get lost surfing on the treacherous seas of the internet. Time is of the essence. If you are having particular trouble with this, consider downloading one of those programs that bans access to Facebook and such for a set amount of time. Or go hardcore and just cut your internet connection. Both work.
• Do not take a nap without an alarm. Alarms are friends, however loud and obnoxious they are. They form a safety net that prohibits you from falling asleep for extended periods of time. Without an alarm, a "nap" turns into a deep slumber, and unless you like to spend the next day of school trying to finish homework in class, you will kick yourself.  

Unfortunately, homework is here to stay, here to taunt us and stress us and overwhelm us and turn us into fatigued zombies white from the lack of exposure to the sun in the hope that we will someday soon learn the importance of responsibility and time management. The magic has worked on me only recently. I revamped my horrible homework routine this January and it's been working! Hopefully I can maintain this momentum as I head towards senior year.

In the spirit of the AP Exam season, give yourself a score on your AP Homework exam.  Think you got a 5? Awesome! You are on your way to a successful college career. Making do with a 4 or a 3? Not bad. There's room for improvement! Hopefully none of you are failing in this department (cough*seniors*cough).

I hope these tips help you get a better score on the AP Homework test! Additional tips (from the consummate College Board) can be found here.

If you would like to share tips and strategies you use at home, feel free to contact me via email by clicking here or by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading!

-Raghav

How I Fell in Love with The Doctor

The most recent logo for Doctor Who

So one random summer afternoon, I see my brother watching some show. I haven't even heard the show already,   but I do what I always do and judge a book by the cover. It had poorly animated creatures. It had people with wonky teeth. It had grinding and cranky noises. It had bright lights, robots, English accents, and people on the run. What was this bizarre thing I was viewing?

It turns out to be a British show called Doctor Who my brother was watching on Netflix. I just stood, pondering why he would watch such a weird looking show. He answered, "because, The Doctor. Want to watch?" And so I gave it a chance and watched the first episode on Netflix. It had everything I can only describe as a typical pilot.  There was the introduction of characters; a nameless time traveling alien with a sidekick. The introduction of setting; usually a time machine he calls a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) or just modern day London, England. It also had a story arc setup; The Doctor goes around throughout time, finds a problematic and paranormal incident, and then solves it.  It seemed like a British knockoff of X-files. I was not excited at all. But my brother insisted I watch the next few episodes…

As I watched the next episode, and the next episode, and the next episode, I was becoming increasingly filled with interest. I realized that even with the aliens and the time travel, this show is actually more than a sci-fi. I screamed in horror from the weeping angels baring its fangs within a blink of an eye.

The Weeping Angels are featured in an episode called "Blink"

I laughed when they poked fun at the old queen Elizabeth being a werewolf. I was excited during action scenes such as when the Doctor battles aliens with a sonic screwdriver (his iconic wand like tool.) I teared up when Rose, a female companion of The Doctor, is torn between who she loves more (the doctor or Mickey, her human "boyfriend). The show was just the perfect mix up of sci-fi, comedy, drama, western, fantasy, and horror, just to name only a few of the genres. Not only that, this show kept me sitting on the edge of my seat. Even if they reuse some of the aliens, creatures, or robots The Doctor and Companion meets, it’s a new story with a philosophical theme such as ethics, sacrifice, and death. On the brighter side, it comes with some bonus back-story about The Doctor or the time period they are in. Through the story and dialogue, you learn more about this wonderful universe they are in. So all in all, my final word is that although it is a slow start (which I found out was more due to low budgeting), it is an enticing show to watch and follow today. I definitely recommend others to watch it. Allons-y!

If you have any questions or comments about the show feel free to email me.

You can also find more interesting information about the show here. 

"I've Got a Dream" from Tangled

Watch this!!!

                I’ve got a dream. I’ve been obsessed with Japan since middle school and never felt like I had a real heritage until then. I was raised in a house of assorted cultures, so in an effort to find some sort of feeling of natural heritage, I tried my best to be as Korean as possible. I chose Korean because, from all the Korean dramas I had been watching, it seemed more like me than my European half, which is made up of way too many countries; acting 100% Korean instead of the “halfie” I actually was would be much simpler. I cut my hair and got a straight perm for my naturally wild and curly hair. I wore clothes that better fit slim, petite Korean girls. Honestly, I was a mess, and not a hot one.

                On a whim I decided to watch the Japanese drama Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, the live-action version of the manga/anime The Wallflower, because it was ranked #1 on DramaCrazy.net at the time. I fell in love with Japan instantly. It felt like I fit in with the culture more than anywhere else. The funny thing was that my sister said I seemed to be more Japanese than Korean, though she was the one that was born in Okinawa. Specifically, she said I looked like a Japanese boy, which is a compliment because they tend to have very feminine faces, and if they’ve had plastic surgery, which many have, then they have PRETTY feminine faces. I felt at peace with myself. My dreams shifted in focus from Korea to Japan, and it felt amazing. I could stay true to myself while still pursuing a life goal.

                                    (from the first episode of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
               Change was difficult at first. My mom was against me having curly hair; my face is kind of chubby to say the least, and my mom said constantly that curly hair made it even chubbier. It took a lot of stubbornness on my part and some convincing from my sister to get my mom to stop nagging me about it. I think she regrets getting mad at me for it before. Now that I’ve let my hair grow out, she’s always complimenting me about how pretty it is. Now that I have my mother’s acceptance, I also have her support of my ultimate dream to teach English in Japan.

                Some might say that I’m just a wannabe Japanese girl, like the stereotypical American otaku, or as my friend Stine says, “someone who’s so obsessed with manga and anime that it is the only thing they talk about.” She compared it to a football player whose life revolves around his game. I admit I love manga and anime. I wish I could say that I’ve watched almost every anime and read almost every manga and honestly, the love of my life is an anime character (Ayasegawa Yumichika from Bleach). But I think, deep down, these parts of Japanese culture are a part of me now, just like Japanese rock bands. I hope someday I can say that I am truly Japanese at heart.

                                         (yes, the love of my life sparkles. Don't judge me)

                Les Brown once said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” My dream is specific so that even if I miss one or two details, I can still be happy with my life. I think everyone should have a dream like that, one that allows a person to be honest with himself. Having a goal to focus on and making decisions that will help someone reach that goal is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in life, besides all the cheesy “love” stuff. I hope someone, even if it’s just one person, will be inspired to dream and be happy with who they are and who they are meant to be.

Visit my blog, Love Writing, Writing Love.

Any questions? Email me.

Sports: The overrated and the underappreciated

                Basketball team makes it to Regionals? The school throws a parade. Track team goes to nationals? Nothin.

                It’s a rather irksome topic; at least to me it is anyway. The topic of recognition towards our sports teams at West Springfield.  Our overly acclaimed football team received quite a bit of praise this past fall, earning Toyota Game of the Week and gaining a few headlines in the local newspaper, The Fairfax Connection. Not to mention a few honorable mentions in the Washington Post’s All Met Fall Sports Edition. All this is fine and dandy, and I’m proud of their hard work, but if you ask me things have gotten a little out of hand when it comes to who deserves the praise.

                For one thing, when was the last time you heard anything about our girls gymnastic team? How did their season go? We wouldn't know would we, considering our school hasn't made announcements and/or any other news about them. For all we know they could have won districts but we’d have no idea. Or the crew team for that matter? Whatever happened to them? The logic behind that whole debacle is that because crew isn't a school sponsored team and only a club, they don’t deserve the same amount of recognition? I beg to differ.

                And speaking of winning districts, how many students would you say know about the boys track team winning districts this past winter? Or even the girls tennis team? Probably only a handful most likely. What they received as recognition for all of their hard work and success was a brief statement over the morning announcements for their win. But when more popular sports (lacrosse, football, soccer, etc)make it to the semi-finals of districts they receive not only an announcement but also an article in the newspaper, video coverage, and so forth.

                Not to be forgotten are the track runners who received All-American this past indoor and earned themselves a top 10 place finish at nationals. I may have a biased opinion on the topic, but am I just suppose to accept the fact that even though our girl’s were national runner ups in the DMR and that Seals, probably the most talented athlete in the entire school, got 8^th in the high jump  at nationals were given no credit whatsoever just because the national meet just so happens to occur after states? And the fact that about 5 school records were set in track alone, including the boys 4x200m relay who also went to nationals received no recognition?

                All I’m asking is a little more publicity to the other sports, it doesn't have to be the track team (although that’d be nice too), but simply to the ones who have earned it, not the ones who rake in the most money, but those who have truly made the most of their season and made us proud to have  them be a part of our school’s sports program. 

This issue thought doesn't just stop with our school though, it extends to society as well. If anyone had noticed this past summer all the talk was about the Olympic gymnastics team, swimming team, and  a bit about the track team winning gold. Most of us happened to overlook however our other successful USA sports teams and continued to remain ignorant to the talented athletes that just so happened to help us win the overall medal count. Archery, water polo, badminton, shooting, fencing, cylcing, the list goes on of the number of sports you probably never took the time to notice in the past. But I won't bore you any longer sugar, feel free to disregard this as you may, but all I ask is that you remember this in return: Don't get too caught up in the popularity of a sport, learn to give credit where credit is due, and never undermine the integrity of a sport. Like ever.

If you're ever interested in finding out more about these types of under appreciated sports, here is a compiled list of the top ten most underrated sports in the athletic world:

http://osu.uloop.com/news/view.php/71727/top-ten-underappreciated-sports

I hope I didn't bore or upset anyone in the process of this post! If you wish to contact me for any particular reason my email is: cmalcorta@gmail.com

Test Taking: The Heart of Our Living Nightmares and Ways to Face Them

This is the sight we get to see for 1-3 hours when we face the arduous 

task of taking a test.

If you ask any junior or senior in High school what one thing they hate most about the final ventures towards heading to college, the most common answer would tests. Juniors and Seniors are faced with test after test after test and it just never seems to end.

This topic is being brought up because as the 2012-2013 school year is coming to a close, AP Exams are starting to take place. As most students know, AP Exams are college courses that require a large and taxing exam to be taken at the end of the year, and if a good enough score is reached than that student may be able to opt out of that specific class in the college they attend. So yeah, these exams are a big deal. However, at the same time, many students (Juniors mostly) are also taking their SAT's, ACT's, SAT Subject Tests, and any other application or test related requirements they may have. Overall, the end of the school year is filled with testing, testing, testing, and then some more testing. 

I personally have my AP Lang Exam coming up this week and an APUSH Exam next week, along with an SAT on June 1, and I haven't even signed up for any ACT or SAT Subjects Tests yet, so I still have those to look forward to. I am sure that other Juniors feel my pain when it comes to all the things we must do in the next couple months before senior year gets up and running. Some people may deal with test taking better than others, but for the most part they are incredibly stressful and lead to the factors we all know so well: lack of sleep, over eating (or under eating), and near mental breakdowns at the sheer thought of all the things needed to be done. 

This is the expression we are all familiar
with, the "Ugh, what is going on?" face.

During times like these, we all try to find ways to deal with the said stress and difficulty testing brings into our lives. Some people take unique methods of loosening their tensions, but there are some more conventional ways that do help the majority of people loosen the grasps of the stress from school. I will list things that I have found to help me, but other sources do say similar things such as the one here.

But nevertheless, here are 3 tips/ways I have found to be helpful in dealing with the absolute nightmare of test taking.

1. Talk to your teacher - I am always surprised at the sheer amount of people who let this idea blow over them. Your teachers are there to help you, so let them help you. If you feel seriously unprepared for an exam or test, then ask your teacher for some extra help to clear up any uncertainties you have, and who knows, you may even be able to get an extension. Your teachers are people too and can totally understand if you feel stressed out about something in their class, so don't feel ashamed to ask them about it.

2. Relax - This one seems redundant, but im serious when I say all you need to do is stop freaking yourself out. You may be thinking, "Well, if I could do that then this wouldn't be a problem?", and you're right, it wouldn't be a problem, which is why you need to relax. If it's listening to music, watching your favorite show on Netflix, or playing some good ole' video games, whatever you need to do to take your mind off that dreaded test is what needs to be done. Over thinking and psyching yourself out about it can be the ultimate downfall for some people. 

3. Have confidence - This one may be hard because tests and school in general are so emotionally and mentally draining, but ultimately, having confidence when going into a test makes all the difference. If you think you are going to fail, then you're going to take the test knowing you're going to fail, a mindset which doesn't help out a whole lot. If you tell yourself, "I will beat that test", even if you may be totally unprepared, you will take it with a stronger mindset. And anyways, for the most part, the worst thing that could happen is you don't get a good score (and you can retake SAT's and ACT's as much as you want). Way too many people do not have enough faith in themselves to face these kinds of things. You are undoubtedly smart enough and don't let any person, test, or aspect of society tell you otherwise. Think it and you will do it. 

I hope these three points helped you make some sort of realization about something you need to change to help yourself with any upcoming tests or anything that you are worried about. Again, the website here probably compiles better tips, but these are the three things I have compiled through my own experiences to help myself through these trying times. 

If you have any tips of your own that you wish to aid in the benefit towards preserving other people's mental health, email me at jackdominick@gmail.com, or just leave a comment with anything you wish to say.

Thank you for reading and I wish you well on all your future endeavors,

-Jack

Viva Las Vegas

Elvis was definitely in the right frame of mind when he sang the song "Viva Las Vegas", although it was more focused on gambling than anything else. That is not surprising. Las Vegas is most famous for its casinos, but it's so much more than that. To me, it's one of the most fantastic places in world. Considering the fact that I haven't been to very many places, that's not exactly saying much, but there are still plenty of reasons why Las Vegas is amazing.

 

Aside from the casinos that seem to hypnotize people, the city itself is beautiful. As one might expect, there are hotels everywhere, and have different themes that range from Camelot, to Egypt, to New York, and more. The singularity of each hotel is reflected in the unique décor and architecture that correspond accordingly. There are pyramids, dragons, statues of warriors, and even the Statue of Liberty. It’s almost like visiting some of the most famous locations in world all in one city.

 

 

However, as spectacular as the view is during the day, it’s even more incredible at night. All of the buildings light up and an effervescent glow seems to settle upon the city. It is just as much the city of lights as Paris is. I could spend days just wandering through the hotels and the streets, staring at the lights and architecture and absorbing all of the sights. Of course, there is more to Las Vegas than just casinos and pretty buildings. For those that are not of the age to gamble, two of the hotels have the fortune to possess rollercoasters that are sure to keep anyone’s attention for at least an hour.

 

 

 

Now, as most people have very short attention spans, so to help them burn off some energy, they can go to the Red Rock Canyon which is fairly close to the city. I love climbing rocks, so it was a great place for me to behave like a monkey, but there are also trails for those that are not quite as adventurous. The natural beauty of the canyon is stunning, which makes the trip worthwhile. That’s another great thing about Las Vegas: its close proximity to national parks. Both the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park are within driving distance. Las Vegas is never boring; there is always something to fun to do or something interesting to see. Admittedly, there are some shady people on the streets, such as hobos that ask you for money, but as long as people travel in a minimum group of two, there will be few annoyances. There is no place that is completely perfect, but to me, Las Vegas is as close as it gets.

If you have any questions about Las Vegas, click here

If you are interested in contacting me for some reason, click here

A Bundle of Joy

   May 22, 2009 was a life changing day for the Moussa Family. My little munchkin, Rayan, was brought into this precious world. Looking back, I perfectly remember when my parents sat me down in the dining room with my younger sister when they told us the surprising news. My jaw dropped. I couldn't put my emotions together. I was happy because of the new addition to the family, but I was worried about the responsibilities that came with a newborn. 

   Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I anxiously waited for our bundle of joy to arrive, but my mother wasn't sure of what to name my baby brother, but after I found a name on this website, I knew it would fit perfectly. Rayan means "the door to Heaven" in Arabic. Our family loved it!

   Time flew by and around six P.M. on May 22nd, I heard the beautiful cry of my baby brother. My mother told me to carry my new sibling, but I was terrified that my fidget hands would hurt the fragile newborn. As I felt his warm, soft body meet my skin, we glazed into each other’s eyes as if we already met. I knew that there would be happy years to come. 

   These past three years have been such an excitement. Teaching my little brother new things make me feel like a role model. Things simple as telling him to put on his shoes the right way or even telling him to flush the toilet makes a difference to me even though he may not know it yet. As the oldest in the family, it is my responsibility to teach Rayan life lessons to make him a better person when he grows older.

   Everyone knows how hard it is to deal with toddlers. Rayan’s temper can get pretty extreme in a matter of seconds. Being the youngest of the family, of course he would get spoiled the most. He has learned that whenever he cries for something, he automatically gets it; like a time where I wouldn’t give him my ice-cream sandwich. I told him I would give him half, but Rayan insisted of taking the whole thing. I wanted to teach him a little lesson, so I refused, and I’m pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard his earsplitting screams.

   When Rayan turned two, I truly understood the meaning of the “Terrible Two”. It seemed as if he would never get tired, and always on the lookout for trouble. He was quite reckless! The amount of things he had broken in the house could never be estimated. Rayan always found a way to get a hold of something, even if it was 6 feet off the ground. Out of the numerous things he had wrecked, he hit home when he broke my dad’s favorite thing in the whole house, (not counting me of course) his new fifty inch flat screen T.V. Rayan avoided going into the living room for a couple of weeks, because the sight of the T.V. traumatized him.

   Despite the tantrums and annoying moments of Rayan, he has made my life so much exciting than it was before. The fact that he is turning four in exactly two weeks amazes me. I couldn’t ask for anything better than my little munchkin, Rayan. 

 

Email me here if you want to see more cute pictures of Rayan! 

LeBron James: The Burden of "The King"

Right now, there are over 7 billion people living on this Earth. About .000001% of those people, or approximately 10,000, can say they play in some sort of professional basketball league, and only about 450 of those individuals play in the elite league known as the NBA. Just one of those individuals boasts 4 MVP Awards, 9 All-Star Game appearances, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, an NBA Rookie of the Year award, as well as a Finals MVP trophy, along with numerous other accolades. Just one player's decision on where to play a sport will ever again be known as THE decision. Just one man in the sporting world constantly holds the attention of all around him, with each and every move he makes being more tantalizing and controversial than the last. Just one man holds the expectation of nearly all to not only become great, but to become a legend. Just one man can draw the pure amazement of so many with one swift move on the court, yet draw the ire of so many with just one word or action off of it. Only one man is simply known as the "The King." And that one man is of course none other than LeBron James.

Ah, LeBron. 

The man who can truly do it all. The one guy we know who can draw the love and support and cherishing of so many one second...

...and the pure hate, resentment, and just complete disappointment of those same people the next.

Only LeBron James, the man who entered and took over the NBA by storm at just 19 years old after a decorative high school career, could fill the hearts of a city desperate for a savior with hope and excitement just by gracing it's basketball court with his presence. The hometown hero, only a man like LeBron James could be deemed "the chosen one" and be expected to carry the weight of his city on his shoulders at such a young age. And just like Anakin did in a galaxy not too far away, only LeBron James could send shockwaves through an entire globe the way he did when he announced his decision to abandon his hometown courts for the ones of a distant team for a different city, all in search of that not so distant championship. 

And so he left. And with it he took his ever growing legacy, which was growing worse and worse by the second...

Did he give up on his people by abandoning them for a more talented squad? 

Is he not what we were expecting him to be? 

Will his failure to win a championship in Cleveland follow him forever? Is that going to be his legacy?

Were we really wrong about him? Could it be?

These questions and others began to slowly be whispered around him, and rightfully so. I mean, he sold out right? And what happened? He got to the Finals again, and failed again! Maybe he's just not destined for the greatness we thought he would be...

But then LeBron did what he does best. He proved us wrong, and he did so in dominating fashion. 

See, LeBron not only showed up in the Finals this time around, securing his first ever NBA title and Finals MVP award,  but he shut everyone else up in the process. "The King" led his team to a championship, earned his right on the upper echelon of basketball greatness, and along the way, he proved to everyone that he is all that people hype him up to be, and it's time for his haters to either graciously bow themselves out, or let themselves get embarrassed, cause there was no way they were coming out of this battle alive. LeBron had finally arrived, and at this point, we were all just witnesses.

But wait. This is LeBron we're talking about.

Sorry, but just 1 ring ain't gonna cut it. Nope, we expect a bit more, and by a bit more, we mean we expect you to multiply that ring total by at least 5.

And this is the burden of "The King."

All eyes are watching. And right now, as we get right into the swing of the playoffs, it's finally time.

This is a burden that no other man on this Earth, not Obama, not Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, not even Justin freakin-Bieber has to face. This is the burden to not only become a legend, but the legend. This is the burden to not only become the best at what he does, but to to be something beyond that. This is the burden to rewrite what is set in stone, and to replace what is irreplaceable. This is the task to supplant Michael Jordan from that Greatest of All Time, and to take that spot, all with each and every eye on the globe watching. 

This is what it means to be King. 

And LeBron, I hope you're ready. Cause I can guarantee you we are. 

 

 

 

 

Questions, comments, or concerns? Email me at akbarsuri14@yahoo.com

Mother's Day: Then and Now

We are now in the second week of May, which means one of the most heavily commercialized holidays of the year is coming up – Mother’s Day.  As a kid, I loved this time of the year.  After a whole month of gloomy April showers – along with muddy puddles and heaps of crawling worms on the asphalt – May emerged, carrying a colorful array of flowers with it.  In addition to the warm rays of sunshine, the activities we did in school in preparation for Mother’s Day also brightened my days.  I remember making handmade gifts, one after another.  First was the foam picture frame, decorated with messily glued sequins and glitter.  Then it was a wooden-stick pin, which I tried making into a mini version of my mom, complete with a set of googly eyes and markered-in clothing.  And who could forget all of those painted and glazed clay bowls from years of elementary school art classes?  Nonetheless, my favorite activity was making cards.  On every Mother’s Day, I loved watching my mom’s eyes crinkle as she smiled, reading my childish scribbles in between stick-figure, flower, and rainbow drawings.  It was the best feeling in the world.

But throughout the years, I've come to the realization that Mother’s Day, or more specifically the concept of it, doesn't really make sense to me.  Beginning with the one in 1908, every Mother’s Day observance has been an effort to recognize the role of mothers and maternal figures.  Today, the celebration has become a day of appreciating these motherly figures with gifts, such as cards, flowers, and candy (which all can be picked up at a local Hallmark or grocery store).  Often times, many people spend their second Sunday of May at a restaurant for a meal with their mothers.  I’m not saying that these modern customs, so to speak, aren't pleasant – because they are.  I guess I just feel that the essence of the holiday has been lost.  Maybe it has something to do with not spending the time making heartfelt hand-crafted gifts each year, but I think it also has something to do with commercialization.  Countless businesses have made huge bucks off of this single holiday throughout the past years, capitalizing on it as a source of revenue.  Even Anna Jarvis, the woman who arranged that very first celebration in 1908, believed that Mother's Day was being abused, and protested the commercialization of the holiday in the mid-1950s.
    

Mommy and me 

More importantly, I think the idea of openly expressing appreciation to mothers on a single day each year has led to misconceptions regarding a child and mother’s relationship.  I think this annual celebration allows people to generally believe that it's okay to show their love to maternal figures in their lives for one day, and that it's okay to not show their love for the other 364 days.  Ultimately, an annual holiday shouldn't be perceived as an obligation to show love.

It's funny how perspectives can change over time.  One of the holidays I used to always look forward to now seems trivial.  But I hope that I can internalize the adoration I expressed when I was younger and make everyday a Mother's Day.

If you have any thoughts or comments about Mother's Day, feel free to e-mail me.

                                                     

Virginal Mixology 102 with Formaldehyde

Having previously introduced you to the glory of Swamp Soup, The Puddle-Monger, and my incisively fresh spin on that old workhorse, Special Drink, this installment of Virginal Mixology will veer away from the simplistic, childlike wonder - some would call it trashiness, and I would in turn call them grotesquely oversized horse livers, thereby perpetuating the cycle of violence - of those concoctions, and into a more sophisticated, subtle vein of non-alcoholic beverages, categorically defined largely by the presence of wonderful, fattening, delicious, deadly, wonderful heavy cream.

The following drinks, invaluable tools in the arsenal of any liquor-free cocktail enthusiast, are best deployed at intimate, late-night parties, preferably towards the end of the affair, as the cream will sit in guests' stomachs with not-inconsiderable force, thus lulling them into a sort of tuckered-out, sugary stupor, allowing for a heightened degree of emotional frankness in the ensuing discourse, and making it easier to corral your dazed attendees out the door when the clock's mellow bongs signal the end of the soiree.

So far: two sentences, 170 words. That's just how I do.


The Bennold Palmer

For those not in the know, my given name is actually Ben Hyde (nomenclature that, for some odd reason, I unquestioningly accepted prior to my re-christening as a beverage guru), and this is one of the first drinks I invented when I was young and still going by that name - thus the (charmingly?) amateur spin on "Arnold Palmer."

While Arnold Palmers are more known these days for the canned Arizona variant than the striking but culinarily monotone original creation, the bev is pervasive enough to inspire some basic but effective remixing on my part - in this case substituting apple juice for lemonade, resulting in a cleaner, more memorable blend, with the mouthfeel cycling from front to back to front again with a calm yet invigorating fruity-earthy cadence.

Best served accompanied by diced escargots, sprinkled lightly atop Spongebob Squarepants-style Cheese Nips, which are novel because escargots is very haute cuisine and Cheese Nips very low. So your guests will be all like, "Hahahaha escargots and Cheese Nips?! Together? That is zany!" And then they will murmur amongst themselves in comic fashion for a few minutes until the initial wonder brought on by the unusual treat has waned and they find themselves slightly repelled by the soggy, sodium-rich monstrosity before them.

I don't know if there's apple juice in this tea, but if there isn't, this tea is a nerd

Ingredients:

Some sweet tea (MUST be sweet tea, not iced [ed. - if you drink unsweetened iced tea, please close your browser immediately and do not return to my digital establishment. We do not tolerate your kind here.])

Some apple juice

Instructions: Pour some amount of the sweet tea into a glass. Then proceed to pour some amount of the apple juice into the same glass. Stir briefly with your finger or gently swoosh the glass around for a moment. Remember to perform the sacred rites before imbibing the Bennold Palmer.



Purple Cow

This drink involves the use of milk. If you are unclean physically, mentally, or spiritually, please avert your eyes so as not to disgrace its Awesome presence.

The Orange Cow, a half-OJ half-milk concoction, is the stuff of legend, a bev with an insidiously numerous series of factors that can easily go wrong - if either ingredient is too cold, or alternately, too warm, the milk will curdle and spoil, resulting in an immensely enjoyable if gastrointestinally distressing drink. Sugar occasionally needs to be added depending on the sweetness of the orange juice, and as with any dish made with bovine dairy, you run the risk of having your soul immediately sent to rot in Hell if you seriously mess up the recipe, thereby tarnishing the sanctity of the cream.

The Purple Cow is a safer alternative - less risk, and admittedly less reward, but still generally delicious, and with a unique slate-grey color that will come in handy if any of your guests enjoy eating cement. Or slate, I suppose. Anyhow, the grape juice is significantly less acidic than OJ and thence less likely to curdle your milk, which is beneficial unless you're attempting to give someone mild food poisoning as revenge for their mispronunciation of "Sacagawea," in which case your plans will be thoroughly ruined, as I learned the hard way. Not really. That never happened. That's a ridiculous, contrived scenario.

It may not look appetizing to you, but to people who think it looks appetizing, it does look appetizing

Ingredients:

Some grape juice

Some milk

Instructions: Pour the grape juice into a glass. Pour the milk into the same glass. Release a horde of miniature dolphins into the glass to swim in circles until the beverage is properly stirred. Garnish with a small lightbulb for the sake of arbitrarily affected idiosyncrasy. Hey, I wonder what would happen if you dropped a battery in someone's drink? Would it electrocute them when they took a sip? I should try this out on my little brother.


IN SUMMARY
In today's post, using a series of codes and carefully selected words, I've given you two family secrets of the Barretts, who wronged my ancestors by tracking mud into the house. If you can figure these secrets out for yourself, please use this sensitive information to hunt down and systematically eliminate the descendants of this sinful bloodline, whether you carry out the act through physical violence, emotional treachery, or some grandiose Monte Cristo-esque plot involving long-term financial swindling and marital bedevilment. Incorporation of a troupe of trained armadillos in some fashion is desirable.



And now we will close as always with a prayer to milk:

Milk
Yummy yummy yummy
I like you in my tummy
Milky milk milk
You're so white
It is a delight
You look like paste
But you do not taste
Like paste
Milk
I want to drown to death in you
Please free me from this life
Take me to milky heaven



See you next week on Virginal Mixology 103!







This post is fictional. I don't want anyone to kill anyone. And I don't worship milk. I'm just being weird. If you have comments or questions, either comment below or email me at porpoiseville@harmfulfungi.net

Bored?

Bored?
I think many people would I agree with me when I say Springfield Virginia isn’t the most exciting place to be. There’s nowhere to hang out. There’s nothing to do.  We are all over the excitement of self-serve frozen yogurt, so now what?  Maybe our town would be more exciting if there was a beach here, or if Springfield were a big city.  But HELLO! WAKE UP! There are a bajillion things to do here! And there are a bajillion things to do in general! We are teenagers, we are creative, we don’t need to live in a super big city to have fun. 

There are so many things to do and so little time to do them so there is no reason to bored! Here are 10 things to do if you are bored (most of which require little money).

1.       Explore. It’s getting super duper pretty and warm outside now that summer is almost here! Take a walk around your neighborhood or in the woods. Find a hidden spot and make it yours.

2.       Write a letter. Don’t lie, getting a letter in the mail is one of the most exciting things in life. Ever. So make someone’s day. Write your friend a letter. (Or maybe write a relative a letter, I’m sure it would mean the world to your grandma or grandpa if they got a letter from you! J)

3.       Home Alone? All of your friends are busy? Perfect time for a personal dance party! Blast those catchy mainstream pop songs that you know you love and literally dance like nobody is watching.

4.       Cook something! You don’t even need to buy food for this. Work with what you’ve got. Pretend you’re on Chopped and you have to use certain ingredients to create a meal.

5.       Clean your room. Okay so this doesn’t sound very exciting, but cleaning your room can actually be fun sometimes, like when you find that bracelet you lost 3 months ago. You can also take this time to rearrange or redecorate your room. Try moving your bed to the other side of the room; It will change your life.

6.       Color. Go to the dollar tree, buy a coloring book and pack of crayons, turn on some music, and you will have a delightful afternoon.

7.       Go people watching.  Go to a public place like the mall and just watch people walk by! Make up wild stories about them, give them weird names, maybe even talk to someone; Make a new friend. (Well, maybe I shouldn’t advise you to talk to strangers… just stick to watching them!)

8.       Read a book. Read a book that you want to read, not one that you are required to read for English. Enjoy it J

9.       Make a collage. Making a collage is so much fun! Cut up magazines, old pictures, pages of books, and glue them all together or do whatever you want! There are really no boundaries.

10.   Browse through this website for more ideas!

Email me what you do when you're bored!

Ender's Game Movie! (Squee)

Honestly, I've been waiting for this movie ever since I first read the book.

Ender’s Game is a phenomenal book that I have personally fallen in love with. The characterization and dialog in the book are exceptionally good (partly due to the author’s experience in playwriting), and the uniqueness of the story line and the themes place this book very high on my list of great books. Actually, it puts it at the top.

Now, all of that being said, my expectations for the movie are very low. Don’t get me wrong, it looks exciting, and I don’t have many problems with the casting choices, but you know what people always say about turning books into movies: the book is always better. If this is true with most books, then it will be even truer with Ender’s Game. The book itself is about 10% action and 90% philosophical scenes and thoughts, and while that is one of the reasons that I value the book, that will be very hard to portray in a movie. Also, most of the cast is going to be children, and that almost worries me a bit. Sure, kid actors are great, but how will the movie do with almost an entire cast that is below the age of thirteen.

Yet, there are a lot of things that this movie has going for it too. For one, I think most of the actors are great choices, especially the casting of Asa Butterfield as Ender (If you don’t know him, he’s the boy from “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”). The only casting I don’t like is Hailee Steinfield as Petra. Any girl who is pretty enough to be cast as Juliet from “Romeo and Juliet” will have a hard time portraying Petra’s rough “screw you” attitude. Anyway, I also think that the animation technology will do the book justice. Orson Scott Card (the author) has waited this long to make a movie specifically for this reason, so if he thinks movie animation is ready, then so do I.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited for this movie. In fact, I’m likely to go see the first midnight showing of it, a practice that I do not consider very often. The movie is schedualed to air November 1^st, and I encourage everyone around me to at least give the movie a shot because I’m expecting that it will be a fun ride.

If you have any comments about the upcoming movie, please leave a comment in the comment section, or feel free to send me an e-mail at 97InkWellRights@gmail.com

How to: Stop Being a Mean Girl

                                                            How to: Stop Being a Mean Girl

 

Hopefully, we’ve all seen the hilarious Mean Girls movie where Lindsey Lohan plays a high school student who befriends the notorious “mean girls” (aka plastics) at her school. While this was just a movie, high schools across the nation are still filled with girls who seem to think that being mean is the right way to make friends. It has come to my attention that many teenage girls these days have the inability to keep friendships because of their attitudes and cold personalities. While being a “mean girl” may get you attention in high school, it will only cause you problems in the real world. To see what happens when mean girls grow up, click here. This is why I have decided to list a few steps that you can take which will turn you into a good friend who is genuine, kind, and trustworthy.

1.       Be kind. Friendships are filled with sarcasm, jokes, and laughter. This is what makes them so enjoyable. “Mean girls”, however, will take this one step further and constantly make rude and nasty remarks or comments on their so-called friends, and quickly cover them up by saying “just kidding”. It is important to know not to fall for this crap. While making fun of each other is harmless, vicious words are not ok and can cause real damage. Why would you want to hurt your friend’s feelings?  

2.       Be someone others can trust. Real friendships are based on trust. If your friend feels that she can’t tell you things without worrying that you’ll blab on about it to other people, then you’re probably not real friends.

3.       Be there for your friend. Everyone needs someone that they can count on when times get hard. If your friend is having a crisis, BE THERE FOR HER. Help her with what she’s going through, offer comforting advice, drive her cat to the vet when it swallows rat poison, the list can go on and on. There’s always something you can do to make your friend’s crisis better. And if you really can’t think of any way to help, then simply listen to her and be a shoulder to cry on! You would want her to do the same for you.        

4.       NEVER talk bad about your friend behind her back. This should be obvious. If you are gossiping about someone and saying hateful things about her to others, then you obviously don’t like her. Remind me again, why are you still pretending to be her friend?   

5.       Let your guard down. No one wants to be friends with an unemotional robot who never shares her feelings. When your friend tells you important things about her life, it’s ok to show a little emotion. Tell her about your opinions, if you’re sad or excited about something, or important events in your life.  If you don’t share things about yourself, then your friend won’t feel the need to share things with you.

Hopefully, you will take these steps to become a better person and friend. If you’re still happy with being a cold and mean person, then good luck in college honey because no one is going to deal with your crap anymore!   

If you have any questions email me here.