The day that school pictures are taken is a great day to just observe the people around you. I don't know if you have ever taken the time to do this, but if you get a chance I recommend it. First of all, I think most students probably act/dress like however their parents have addressed the topic. If the parents care and are going to fork out 50 dollars for these ever so wonderful pictures, their children might put a little effort into looking decent. But if the parents don't care at all/slash have no idea that it is picture day, the student is probably more likely to not care at all either.
So here I am, going to stereotype the three different kinds of "looks" that I see on picture day....
--The I totally forgot or don't care at all look: These kids tend to be wearing the average casual/lazy attire. This most likely includes a t-shirt or sweatshirt and sweatpants, maybe jeans. The hair might be combed and you can definitely tell if it's someone who forgot because they are desperately trying to fix their hair. The pictures aren't typically any worse than the others except for the akward wrting that is on the t-shirts and sweatshirts. Many times the words are half-way cut off.
--The I just came to school in my normal clothes/I kind of care but I'm not going to try that hard look: This is the category that I would fit into. I don't get any more dressed up than normal but I also don't look like a slob. This is the category that most people fit into. Jeans, sweaters, nice shirts and tops are most common. Basically its what the majority of high schoolers wear to school on a typical day. The hair might have a little extra volume or one more swipe with the brush. The only thing most people think about is the fact that it will be in the yearbook.
--The I care about this picture more than anything/my parents care about this picture more than anything: These are the kids that are at one end of the bar all by themselves. They are in dresses, skirts, high heels, ties and sometimes even suits. For girls the hair is probably curled and guys it is brushed through. They look uncomfortable throughout the day and I just wonder why they would ever care so much about their school pictures, until I think....it must be the parents.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Girl's Heaven
There are many things that can make a girl extremely happy. Shopping, chocolate, flowers, hanging out
with friends, perfume and shoes. Shoes are something girls can't live without.
I don't know why us girls have such a fascination with shoes. I think that we think it is kind of a staple to our outfits. You can't have a cute outfit without cute shoes! Now, I am not excluding myself from this statement. I have many outfits in which the outfit wouldn't be complete if it weren't for my pink sandals or my white Keds.
There are so many varieties of shoes that I don't even know where to start. There are tennis shoes, boots, moccasins, clogs, flats, flip-flops, sandals, stilettos and many more. You can even get more specific with these types of shoes. You cannot only have boots but you could have rain boots or gladiator sandals and with every kind of shoe you can get the dressed up version or the casual version.
I know many people that have their own closet or dresser just for their shoes. This seems a bit ridiculous to me. Like I said before I understand that certain outfits call for a certain type of shoe. But having 10 different pairs of boots or flats in different colors? I would rather spend my money on a different outfit! Sometimes I think buying shoes must be a competition for some people. At least you are stimulating the economy!
Here is a list of a few of my favorite shoes and how to make the best outfit possible:
--My white tennis shoes: These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes. Just a simple, flat white pair of tennis shoes. In the spring, summer and fall they make me look extra tan! They look the best with the perfect sundress or jean capris and a cute top.
--My chocolate brown moccasins: Basically this my staple go to pair of shoes in the winer. They go with basically everything, most importantly jeans and yoga pants.
--My black flats: Every girl should have a simple pair of flats. They look adorable with skinny jeans or with a skirt and leggings.
--My flip-flops: I have so many pairs of flip-flops! Not only casual-2.50 Old Navy ones but dressy ones and everything in between.They are extremely practical to where to the pool, to work, out shopping or to school.
with friends, perfume and shoes. Shoes are something girls can't live without.
I don't know why us girls have such a fascination with shoes. I think that we think it is kind of a staple to our outfits. You can't have a cute outfit without cute shoes! Now, I am not excluding myself from this statement. I have many outfits in which the outfit wouldn't be complete if it weren't for my pink sandals or my white Keds.
There are so many varieties of shoes that I don't even know where to start. There are tennis shoes, boots, moccasins, clogs, flats, flip-flops, sandals, stilettos and many more. You can even get more specific with these types of shoes. You cannot only have boots but you could have rain boots or gladiator sandals and with every kind of shoe you can get the dressed up version or the casual version.
I know many people that have their own closet or dresser just for their shoes. This seems a bit ridiculous to me. Like I said before I understand that certain outfits call for a certain type of shoe. But having 10 different pairs of boots or flats in different colors? I would rather spend my money on a different outfit! Sometimes I think buying shoes must be a competition for some people. At least you are stimulating the economy!
Here is a list of a few of my favorite shoes and how to make the best outfit possible:
--My white tennis shoes: These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes. Just a simple, flat white pair of tennis shoes. In the spring, summer and fall they make me look extra tan! They look the best with the perfect sundress or jean capris and a cute top.
--My chocolate brown moccasins: Basically this my staple go to pair of shoes in the winer. They go with basically everything, most importantly jeans and yoga pants.
--My black flats: Every girl should have a simple pair of flats. They look adorable with skinny jeans or with a skirt and leggings.
--My flip-flops: I have so many pairs of flip-flops! Not only casual-2.50 Old Navy ones but dressy ones and everything in between.They are extremely practical to where to the pool, to work, out shopping or to school.
"The Help"
Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. The Berkley Publishing Group: New York. 2009. (534 pages)
I had an absolutely amazing time reading this book. It had been recommended to me by a lot of people and when my mom bought it for me I decided to give it a shot. I was somewhat used to reading a different style of book because the last book I read was The Lucky One. When I started The Help, I fell in love with it during the very first chapter.
This book was very addicting yet at the same time quite challenging. Because the book took place in the South during the 1960s and two of the three narrators were African American and not well educated, the language was hard to follow at times. The slang and uneducated use of English made the read a challenge, but gave the book a quality that I wasn’t used to reading. The use of three narrators resulted in a unique set up that allowed the story to be told in a variety of ways. Each narrator, Miss Skeeter, Minny and Aibeleen had diverse backgrounds, which made the plot complete and well rounded. The variety of narrators and the quick introduction too many characters at the beginning made the first 50 pages or so confusing. Once the plot thickened and I started to get to “know” the characters better there weren’t any problems differentiating the between them.
Another aspect that made The Help challenging to read was the content within the book. The story deals with the horrible lives of how African Americans were treated in the South during the Civil Rights movements. I am used to reading about these types of things in textbooks, but reading it in a different setting, such as in this book, it was heartbreaking. I felt like I grew close to the characters and seeing how they were treated was so difficult to read.
On the other hand, reading about this historical time period was really enjoyable. I tend to read books that take place in modern times, so reading this book was a new experience. It was neat to “see” the cultural differences and to experience something new. The combination of compelling stories, bitter attitudes, heartwarming relationships, and shocking accounts resulted in a wonderful book. There wasn’t too much of one person or story, it was a well thought out, balanced book.
The Help was similar to the last book I read, The Lucky One because each told the story through the eyes of three narrators. I really began to enjoy this set up in the first book and became accommodated to it by the end of the second. The two books are different because The Help was not a love story whereas The Lucky One was a book based on a romantic love triangle. This is also what made The Help unique to me because a great percentage of the books I read happen to be romance novels. I learned through reading this book that I can enjoy different genres as well.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. The courage shown by the women in the South at this time was extremely motivational and was great to read about. The depth that the story goes into the character’s lives is unbelievable and it becomes impossible to put down.
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Future....I Don't Even Know Where to Start
As I am sure that all juniors in high school and sophomores and seniors for that matter, are hit with that scary C word. College. Where do you want to go to college? What do you want to study? Do you want to go to a big school or a a small school? In state or out of state?
Last year is when I started to really get the mail and e-mails from colleges across the country. Some schools it was kind of exciting to receive something from them, such as Columbia University. Others I have no idea were the heck they even are located. This is a topic that probably scares and excites us all. At times there is nothing I want more than to get out of town and start a new chapter in my life. But then I don't know how I would ever bea able to tear myself away from my friends, family and the life I have built previously.
Having to deal with the pressure of the ACT, SAT, scholarships, applications, college visits and recommendations takes the excitement out of the entire process. It doesn't help having a dad as one of the school counselors! Nah he isn't that bad, it is actually quite helpful having access to his knowledge. He knows what to look for and has good ideas on how to approach the whole process.
Up until recently, I have always blown this whole part of my life off. My parents would always say, "Read these brochures" or "Look at this website" and I would, but I never really put much thought into it. Recently it kind of hit me that I need to seriously start thinking about this, as do all of us juniors. I do know that I want to stay in the Midwest region of the United States and that I don't want to stay in Cedar Rapids. Other than that I don't know if I want to attend a private or public school, if I want to swim or not, or even what I want to study.
I'm not too worried yet because I still have time to take college visits and do some more research. But I feel like there is a lot of pressure put on upperclassmen to succeed not only in our academics and athletics in high school, but to be figuring out what our plans are for the future. I don't even know where to start!
Last year is when I started to really get the mail and e-mails from colleges across the country. Some schools it was kind of exciting to receive something from them, such as Columbia University. Others I have no idea were the heck they even are located. This is a topic that probably scares and excites us all. At times there is nothing I want more than to get out of town and start a new chapter in my life. But then I don't know how I would ever bea able to tear myself away from my friends, family and the life I have built previously.
Having to deal with the pressure of the ACT, SAT, scholarships, applications, college visits and recommendations takes the excitement out of the entire process. It doesn't help having a dad as one of the school counselors! Nah he isn't that bad, it is actually quite helpful having access to his knowledge. He knows what to look for and has good ideas on how to approach the whole process.
Up until recently, I have always blown this whole part of my life off. My parents would always say, "Read these brochures" or "Look at this website" and I would, but I never really put much thought into it. Recently it kind of hit me that I need to seriously start thinking about this, as do all of us juniors. I do know that I want to stay in the Midwest region of the United States and that I don't want to stay in Cedar Rapids. Other than that I don't know if I want to attend a private or public school, if I want to swim or not, or even what I want to study.
I'm not too worried yet because I still have time to take college visits and do some more research. But I feel like there is a lot of pressure put on upperclassmen to succeed not only in our academics and athletics in high school, but to be figuring out what our plans are for the future. I don't even know where to start!
So Many "Ones!"
Today's date is November 11, 2011. Or in other words the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the 21st century. This is a rare occurrence folks, it only happens once every one-hundred years. What is it about this day that is making everyone so excited?
I'm not going to lie, just a few hours ago I watched the clock and when it struck 11:11.11, I made a wish. Thousands of people probably did the same. Even in our own school, students were tooting party horns and throwing confetti all over the place. It might as well be a reason to celebrate. Isn't that what us Americans do? Just come up with more reasons to throw a party?
According to USA Today, the last time there were more marriage licenses in Las Vegas was the week of 07/07/07. What is it about these dates that make people want to get married? Walt Disney world will be hosting 11 weddings today. At the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York, 11 ceremonies will be performed by one matchmaker (US Today). I don't know the answer I'm just wondering. I am aware of all of the prophecies, theories and everything else but where did that come from?
In my opinion people are taking the date way to seriouly and analyzing it way too much. According to Fox News, people have predicted everything from end-of-the-world scenarios to the start of a new spiritual era. Seriously? Just because of a bunch of ones in the date? Of course there are business trying to cash in on this historic day. Apparently there is a movie set to be release today called "11-11-11" and the plot consists of a scary, mysterious force that enters the realm of Earth at 11:11 on 11/11/11. If you have nothing to do tonight, I suppose you could tell me how it is.
In the end, I think its just kind of a fun thing to talk about. Personally, I hope there are some crazy stories floating around the internet tomorrow about some babies being born at 11:11.11 on 11/11/11 and who knows maybe they were 11 pounds and 11 ounces!
I'm not going to lie, just a few hours ago I watched the clock and when it struck 11:11.11, I made a wish. Thousands of people probably did the same. Even in our own school, students were tooting party horns and throwing confetti all over the place. It might as well be a reason to celebrate. Isn't that what us Americans do? Just come up with more reasons to throw a party?
According to USA Today, the last time there were more marriage licenses in Las Vegas was the week of 07/07/07. What is it about these dates that make people want to get married? Walt Disney world will be hosting 11 weddings today. At the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York, 11 ceremonies will be performed by one matchmaker (US Today). I don't know the answer I'm just wondering. I am aware of all of the prophecies, theories and everything else but where did that come from?
In my opinion people are taking the date way to seriouly and analyzing it way too much. According to Fox News, people have predicted everything from end-of-the-world scenarios to the start of a new spiritual era. Seriously? Just because of a bunch of ones in the date? Of course there are business trying to cash in on this historic day. Apparently there is a movie set to be release today called "11-11-11" and the plot consists of a scary, mysterious force that enters the realm of Earth at 11:11 on 11/11/11. If you have nothing to do tonight, I suppose you could tell me how it is.
In the end, I think its just kind of a fun thing to talk about. Personally, I hope there are some crazy stories floating around the internet tomorrow about some babies being born at 11:11.11 on 11/11/11 and who knows maybe they were 11 pounds and 11 ounces!
"The Lucky One"
Sparks, Nicolas. The Lucky One. Grand Central Publishing: New York. 2008. (332 pages)
I really enjoyed reading this book because it was different from most of the books I have read in the past. Typically, I have chosen the average girly teenager books with a fairly predictable plot. I liked how the main characters in this book were adults because it was something that was brand new to me. The combination of drama, light-hearted moments, and funny scenes was just right and made the story enjoyable.
There were also a few parts of this novel that made it challenging. The three narrators: Beth, Logan and Keith each incorporated their point of view to make the story complete. The chapters went back and forth among the three narrators. The switch of narrators kept me on my toes as I read this book. It was really fun getting the story from three different people and their varying opinions and thoughts. I felt like I grew close to one character as they were telling their story, and then that chapter would end and I would have to change my mindset for the next character. Then it would happen all over again! Once I got used to technique I began to really enjoy how Nicolas Sparks set this book up.
Former U.S. Marine, Logan Thibault, also had quite a few flashbacks to earlier events in his life throughout the novel. The flashbacks were really helpful because as a reader I gained more information on what it was like to be fighting for your country while in Iraq. The time change and difference of characters made it a little bit confusing at times but overall it was pretty easy to follow. The vocabulary in this book was fairly average. A couple of times in each chapter I would come across a word that I didn’t know and tried to figure it out by looking it up, asking someone or using the context clues.
Overall, I appreciated this book to the fullest. Many times I had a hard time putting it down because I just wanted to know what horrible thing Keith was going to do to Beth next or how Logan and Beth’s relationship would evolve. As I said earlier, I have not read many books like this before. One of my favorite series is the Private Series by Kate Brian. There are currently twelve books so the characters and plot are carried from to book to book. They are always left on a suspenseful note so you can’t wait until the next one. The Lucky One was different because, the conflict and relationships were solved within one book. Now that I have experienced this type of read I can’t wait to start another book just like it. The adult characters are more sophisticated and have to deal with more in their lives than the characters I have read about in the past. This created kind of an eye-opening experience for me. I also feel like I have a better understanding for what a challenging book might be for me. I want to continue to read a variety of books with multiple narrators or a range in age of the characters. I know that I can go above and beyond my comfort level into a new world of characters, settings and plots.Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Freezing Conditions and Winter Weather
Oh the joys of winter. Even though it is only the ninth day of November, it seriously is starting to feel like winter. There are so many things about this season that are just a pain. Today when I woke up, it was snowing or sleeting, I don't even know. Its depressing!
The bad weather of winter causes so many problems. First of all, it takes forever to scrape off all of the ice and snow from your car every morning. I have to go outside five minutes before I'm ready to leave and start the car so the defrost can be running. Then I have to freeze by butt off while scraping the car. This is all before I even get on the road. Then because the weather is so yucky, you have to drive slow. I admit it, I hate driving in bad weather, even rain! I don't like having to plan five extra minutes to get from place to place. Even though I'm caustiously driving because of the slushy slipperiness, doesn't mean everyone else is. The ridiculous fools that drive crazy when the weather is bad are endangering themselves and everyone else around them. Therefore everyone has to be even more careful just to avoid these people.
The bad weather of winter causes so many problems. First of all, it takes forever to scrape off all of the ice and snow from your car every morning. I have to go outside five minutes before I'm ready to leave and start the car so the defrost can be running. Then I have to freeze by butt off while scraping the car. This is all before I even get on the road. Then because the weather is so yucky, you have to drive slow. I admit it, I hate driving in bad weather, even rain! I don't like having to plan five extra minutes to get from place to place. Even though I'm caustiously driving because of the slushy slipperiness, doesn't mean everyone else is. The ridiculous fools that drive crazy when the weather is bad are endangering themselves and everyone else around them. Therefore everyone has to be even more careful just to avoid these people.
The task of having to wear a coat everywhere is also a pain. Big, bulky coats are not the most comfortable and annoying to have to either wear in the store or carry around when shopping and what not. Why does it have to be so cold? I get cold so easily and I always find myself dressing in layers. It makes me feel depressed when I'm all bundled up. All I want to do when the weather is bad in the winter, is curl up with a blanket, hot chocolate and a good book. Its not appealing to go outside into the frozen tundra and risk your life with the maniac drivers.
Now that I am done venting about the ever so horrible conditions of winter, I suppose I should go grab my sweatshirt because of course, I'm freezing cold.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Reflect and Relax
Exhausted. That is the word that describes me mentally, emotionally and physically right now. I am sure that all of my fellow teammates could attest to this same feeling as well. I promised in my post "All Season Long" that I would update and reflect on how the rest of my swim season went.....
Unbelievable. This is the best description of my regional swim meet that I talked about in that previous post. It was our first shaved meet, our brand new Fastskins (read "Hightech Swim Suits) were ready to go, it was a home meet, we were just plain ready. Everything started off great with the first race of the day- the medley relay. I happen to be the breaststroker on this relay and we raced to a second place finish right behind our arch-rivals Linn-Mar. We both broke the pool record but that red and black team touched us out. The unbelievable swims just kept coming. Every swimmer having lifetime after lifetime (personal best) in every race and the crowd roaring was incredible. My 200 IM was my best time by three seconds and I just missed the podium by .09. This was so hard to swallow as the swimmer right ahead of me was from you guessed it--Linn-Mar.
The battle for first place (between Kennedy and Linn-Mar) continued. Then, one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me in swimming occurred. My 200 free relay broke the school record! Once again we broke the pool record as well, but Linn-Mar touched us out. The feeling was indescribable. Anyone who has ever received any type of reward for work that they have put in knows what I'm talking about. The moment of screaming and hugging my teammates will never be forgotten by any of us. The meet followed with more fast swims and it came down to the last few events. Unfortunately we lost by 1 point. 1 point! Oh my gosh this was like trying to swallow fire. The amount of emotion, excitement and disappointment, was so large I felt like I was just hit by a truck.
Well, off to State it was! The following week was filled with more technique based practices and goal setting meetings and lots of pasta dinners! The school send off was a blast, with the whole State team wearing our classy, Nike half zip jackets. We headed up to Marshalltown on Friday to get settled into the hotel and to watch the diving meet for awhile (we didn't qualify any divers this year). Saturday, after shaving we arrived at the meet. The butterflies and anticipation started to kick in immediately after we got to the pool....
The swims were all really great. As a team, we hoped for a little bit more but all in all we swam very well. Our medley relay got 7th place (one off the podium), the 200 free relay got 10th place and the 400 free relay got 9th place. We had great individual races as well. Part of the whole State tradition is that we go to Dairy Queen after the meet. Being able to hang out and relax was really good for all of us. It was so fun to celebrate our success!
So here I am now, reflecting on this past season trying to relax. I can't believe how much fun I had and how sad I am that it is over. The team became such great friends and it's going to be weird not seeing them everyday! For most of us it has been since August since we have had a weekday without seeing each other. I will take a few days off and then I will start my other swim team. It's much more laid back, so I don't have to deal with so much stress. Most importantly I just need to relax!
Unbelievable. This is the best description of my regional swim meet that I talked about in that previous post. It was our first shaved meet, our brand new Fastskins (read "Hightech Swim Suits) were ready to go, it was a home meet, we were just plain ready. Everything started off great with the first race of the day- the medley relay. I happen to be the breaststroker on this relay and we raced to a second place finish right behind our arch-rivals Linn-Mar. We both broke the pool record but that red and black team touched us out. The unbelievable swims just kept coming. Every swimmer having lifetime after lifetime (personal best) in every race and the crowd roaring was incredible. My 200 IM was my best time by three seconds and I just missed the podium by .09. This was so hard to swallow as the swimmer right ahead of me was from you guessed it--Linn-Mar.
The battle for first place (between Kennedy and Linn-Mar) continued. Then, one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me in swimming occurred. My 200 free relay broke the school record! Once again we broke the pool record as well, but Linn-Mar touched us out. The feeling was indescribable. Anyone who has ever received any type of reward for work that they have put in knows what I'm talking about. The moment of screaming and hugging my teammates will never be forgotten by any of us. The meet followed with more fast swims and it came down to the last few events. Unfortunately we lost by 1 point. 1 point! Oh my gosh this was like trying to swallow fire. The amount of emotion, excitement and disappointment, was so large I felt like I was just hit by a truck.
Well, off to State it was! The following week was filled with more technique based practices and goal setting meetings and lots of pasta dinners! The school send off was a blast, with the whole State team wearing our classy, Nike half zip jackets. We headed up to Marshalltown on Friday to get settled into the hotel and to watch the diving meet for awhile (we didn't qualify any divers this year). Saturday, after shaving we arrived at the meet. The butterflies and anticipation started to kick in immediately after we got to the pool....
The swims were all really great. As a team, we hoped for a little bit more but all in all we swam very well. Our medley relay got 7th place (one off the podium), the 200 free relay got 10th place and the 400 free relay got 9th place. We had great individual races as well. Part of the whole State tradition is that we go to Dairy Queen after the meet. Being able to hang out and relax was really good for all of us. It was so fun to celebrate our success!
So here I am now, reflecting on this past season trying to relax. I can't believe how much fun I had and how sad I am that it is over. The team became such great friends and it's going to be weird not seeing them everyday! For most of us it has been since August since we have had a weekday without seeing each other. I will take a few days off and then I will start my other swim team. It's much more laid back, so I don't have to deal with so much stress. Most importantly I just need to relax!
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