Before I begin this final blog prompt, I must say that it has been an absolute pleasure reading your entries each week. I've been able to learn so much about each of you through this process, and I have a great amount of respect for the openness that many of you approached this assignment with every time. I saved this particular topic for last because I feel it's an appropriate question to ask anyone about to embark on a new journey. So, without further ado, here is your final blog topic:
Some things are important to us from a very early age and stay important all our lives. Other things are important to us for a while, then their importance fades.
What’s important to you at this time in your life? What has meaning in your life?
Something as complex as family relationships might be important; making and keeping friends might be important; activities at school or elsewhere might be important; how you’re doing in school and planning for your future might occupy you now—or, perhaps, a more eccentric and lovely thing like reading every word of a favorite book.
Why do you think these things are important—either to you or generally?
And for the final time, write about it.
Before I start to write my last blog for my 'Period 1 - Gina Cuiffo' section on Blogger, I have to say that this year's homeroom was the most fun homeroom I have had throughout my high school career. Although I walked in late borderline every day, with a coffee in hand and sleepys in my eyes, I was always happy to be greeted by a smiling face that always seemed to make me laugh and enjoy my mornings. This is the kind of thing that indirectly is the answer to my blog.
There are many things in life that can be considered important, but that is such a vague statement; what are the things that are truly important? These are the things that have serious meaning and value in life.
I think that one of the most important things right now in my life is finding people that can surround me with positive energy and good karma. When I spend an excess amount of time with people I am not that close with, I start realizing how truly special my closer friends are. I don’t always understand or approve of other people’s actions, so when I have to be around them it makes me feel out of my element. When I am with my best and closest friends, however, I am in my comfort zone and I know that my friends all like to do the same types of things as me.
One example of this feeling was this weekend. I spent Friday night and Saturday night in Wildwood, New Jersey. The whole time I was there, so was the rest of the Class of 2012, and of course some graduates and undergraduates. We all spent so much time together and had a lot of fun, but I did not always feel like I was in my comfort zone. Of course I know that certain people can have separate opinions and they will usually do what they want to do, but I just could not agree with the way some people presented themselves. It was important for me to try to be nice to everyone, but I did not hold back when people started to physically put me and my friends in danger. I know that my friends and I agree on what were the right actions to display this weekend, but putting people’s health in the way so that you can have fun is something that I do not agree with.
All in all, while I did have a fun time this weekend, I realized that my close friends are the people that I really want around me and in my life. I had the most fun when I was with only a few people just hanging out, instead of those moments when the whole class was together. I value people’s honesty, trust, and respect, and those are the qualities that I find to be necessary in a friendship. I learned a deeper lesson, that being that close, best friends are the ones that will pick you up when you fall and wipe your tears, so you should always keep them around long enough so that you have time to have some fun with them and make lifetime memories.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Blog 32 -What is Courage?
What is courage? Courage, by dictionary definition, is "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery." To have courage, you do not need to chase down a bank robber until he is caught; you do not need to shoot down an enemy place from a hideout on a mountaintop; you do not need to be an adult; you do not need to have a certain definition to be considered courageous. Courage can be holding the door open for a stranger. Courage can be a physically challenged person making their way down the street in a wheelchair. Courage can be going through a long day of work to provide for your family.
One huge example of courage to me is the firefighters that go into burning buildings. They go into those buildings completely selfless and with the intentions of saving innocent civilians, and they almost always come out having achieved their goals. Not only do they put their own wants and needs aside, but they risk their lives for strangers that they do not even know.
Another courageous field of work is police work. Every day they have the chance of getting shot at. They go out of their way to put their lives on the line, once again, for strangers.
However courageous these jobs are, you do not have to be a firefighter or a policeman to define courage. A lot of people in the spiraling economy have dead end jobs and are getting paid minimum wage. I can only imagine how hard it is to support a family with a low paycheck. The majority is suffering, and I think that all of them that can get through the days, cut down, and still maintain stability, and frankly, those people deserve some recognition.
Someone that I know personally that is courageous is my brother. My brother recently went through a tough break up with his girlfriend of six years. They had been through so much together, and as many times as he thought it could have been over, it was really over now. My brother and his then-girlfriend moved to Maryland about a year ago for my brothers job. Not only is it hard for him to keep up with the bills but he has to be away from his family, and he is making it by a thread. My parents try to help my brother out as much as they can, but my brother really doesn't like to take their help because he has enough pride to know that he can make it on his own. Now that they have broken up and she moved back with her family in New Jersey, my brother is completely alone and struggling. I am his little sister, and if it was up to me I would say that he should come home and live with us again. However, my brother's pride and courage are the two driving factors that tell him that he can make it and eventually he will be more than stable. He is courageous to me because he is in such a hard situation and he has gone through it gracefully and he never complains or tries to make anyone pity him. He is truly courageous to me.
One huge example of courage to me is the firefighters that go into burning buildings. They go into those buildings completely selfless and with the intentions of saving innocent civilians, and they almost always come out having achieved their goals. Not only do they put their own wants and needs aside, but they risk their lives for strangers that they do not even know.
Another courageous field of work is police work. Every day they have the chance of getting shot at. They go out of their way to put their lives on the line, once again, for strangers.
However courageous these jobs are, you do not have to be a firefighter or a policeman to define courage. A lot of people in the spiraling economy have dead end jobs and are getting paid minimum wage. I can only imagine how hard it is to support a family with a low paycheck. The majority is suffering, and I think that all of them that can get through the days, cut down, and still maintain stability, and frankly, those people deserve some recognition.
Someone that I know personally that is courageous is my brother. My brother recently went through a tough break up with his girlfriend of six years. They had been through so much together, and as many times as he thought it could have been over, it was really over now. My brother and his then-girlfriend moved to Maryland about a year ago for my brothers job. Not only is it hard for him to keep up with the bills but he has to be away from his family, and he is making it by a thread. My parents try to help my brother out as much as they can, but my brother really doesn't like to take their help because he has enough pride to know that he can make it on his own. Now that they have broken up and she moved back with her family in New Jersey, my brother is completely alone and struggling. I am his little sister, and if it was up to me I would say that he should come home and live with us again. However, my brother's pride and courage are the two driving factors that tell him that he can make it and eventually he will be more than stable. He is courageous to me because he is in such a hard situation and he has gone through it gracefully and he never complains or tries to make anyone pity him. He is truly courageous to me.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Blog 31 - Bad Kid (Wild Card)
Lately, I’ve been a bad kid. Not according to me, but according to my parents. Not only is it frustrating that they think this way, but it starts a lot of fights between my mother and I. If my parents looked at the big picture, they would realize that they have a daughter who is involved with National Honor Society, sports, clubs and extracurricular activities, honors classes, and more. I have two jobs. I spend my weekends with my friends. I have never been arrested or even suspended, and I had a lunch detention one time in eighth grade.
If you compare me with half my class, you’d see a good kid. But to my parents, I am a ‘troublemaker.’ I hate these types of accusations. I don’t do anything extremely bad that would ever make my parents disappointed. Sometimes I do go out and have fun, but I am always safe and I always let them know what I am doing at all times. It insults me that my parents ask me if I was drinking when I come home late, because I was just hanging out and all of a sudden it turns into me going to a party and getting wasted. My parents did not give me an answer about going to Wildwood after prom for the longest time, mainly because they thought I would be drunk the whole time I’m there. That is not the type of person that I am. I can go out with my class and have a good time without having a drink.
I can’t stand it when people think that the only way to have a good time is to go drinking alcohol, making fools out of themselves, and tweeting about the rest of the weekend. People that do that kind of stuff are going to get a rude awakening in college (I am predicting that they will go to college, get wasted the first few weeks straight, start failing, and then realize that they need to cut down on the bull and hit the books.).
If only there was some way that I could let my parents know that my future is filled with big plans, I would let them know that I don’t plan on ruining that. Life is more than just high school, and my parents need to realize that I am getting by just fine. I have a good balance over school work and play time. If my homework isn’t finished, I am not allowed out. That is a rule that I actually enjoy. I know that if I procrastinate my work won’t get done.
I keep up with most of my work, so if I want to take off a day of school to sleep, my parents should reward me for being so awesome every other day of school! It is hard to relay this type of message to them, so instead I’ll continue to hear the lectures about being a good student and I will keep it in the back of my head that they will (hopefully) realize soon that I am a good kid.
If you compare me with half my class, you’d see a good kid. But to my parents, I am a ‘troublemaker.’ I hate these types of accusations. I don’t do anything extremely bad that would ever make my parents disappointed. Sometimes I do go out and have fun, but I am always safe and I always let them know what I am doing at all times. It insults me that my parents ask me if I was drinking when I come home late, because I was just hanging out and all of a sudden it turns into me going to a party and getting wasted. My parents did not give me an answer about going to Wildwood after prom for the longest time, mainly because they thought I would be drunk the whole time I’m there. That is not the type of person that I am. I can go out with my class and have a good time without having a drink.
I can’t stand it when people think that the only way to have a good time is to go drinking alcohol, making fools out of themselves, and tweeting about the rest of the weekend. People that do that kind of stuff are going to get a rude awakening in college (I am predicting that they will go to college, get wasted the first few weeks straight, start failing, and then realize that they need to cut down on the bull and hit the books.).
If only there was some way that I could let my parents know that my future is filled with big plans, I would let them know that I don’t plan on ruining that. Life is more than just high school, and my parents need to realize that I am getting by just fine. I have a good balance over school work and play time. If my homework isn’t finished, I am not allowed out. That is a rule that I actually enjoy. I know that if I procrastinate my work won’t get done.
I keep up with most of my work, so if I want to take off a day of school to sleep, my parents should reward me for being so awesome every other day of school! It is hard to relay this type of message to them, so instead I’ll continue to hear the lectures about being a good student and I will keep it in the back of my head that they will (hopefully) realize soon that I am a good kid.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Blog 30 - Dear Young Me,
So here I am, next to myself three years younger. I look at myself back then and it makes me want to cry. I was such an innocent little girl with high hopes and low expectations of people. The first thing I would say would be “Don’t you dare let anyone step all over you” because honestly, that has happened a lot to me. It makes me really upset to say that, but I have been screwed over by tons of guys and lots of ‘friends’ too. Although that has made me who I am today, I could have gone without all the heartbreak and stress. I would also tell myself to stay away from the bad boys! because if you think they’re bad, they are most likely bad. In my case, I have been involved with this same bad boy for about three years now, and he has caused me a horrendous amount of heartache and self-consciousness. He did hurt me a lot, and he continues to hurt me now, but I do appreciate that he made me stronger. I believe that every person is a life lesson: he taught me that I don’t need all the drama, I just need a nice guy that will hang out and be a good time. Another thing I would tell Young Me is to try harder at field hockey. If I tried harder, maybe got lessons, and put my heart and soul into the sport, I could be playing in August with a scholarship to an awesome school with life-long friends and a sport that I enjoy tremendously. I would say that as much as math kills me, don’t ever feel like you can’t do it. Not only does that apply to math, but anything. I learned that if I really put my head and heart into something, I can do it. I would tell myself to be involved in anything and everything that has to do with my class. Join clubs, go on class trips, participate. I would tell myself that no matter what, do not conform because you think you have to. Still to this day, I don’t wear the same things that everyone wears. I don’t do things because “they’re trendy,” I do things because I want to. I would tell myself to be friendly to everyone, but at the same time, don’t take any shit. I would tell myself not to date any guys, because all they really do is create drama and you won’t fall in (real) love in high school. I think that with all the advice I’ve given myself, I’ll be set. Not to jinx anything, but my high school years haven’t been too consumed with drama or bad things; it’s safe to say I had an amazing high school experience. Right now when I am in my prime is when I am realizing that I’m done. I’ll be done on June 8th and I’ll be at The University of Delaware on August 25th. While I am sad that high school is over, I had an amazing time this past four years and I don’t really regret anything.
Blog 29 - Sorry (For Party Rockin!)
Forgiveness is complicated. Just like everything else, it isn’t just a simple definition that I can give. It comes with a large amount of feelings and memories. When I was younger, I was the type of person that would apologize even if things weren’t my fault. After going through so much bullshit and drama with people, I stopped being such a push over and started being a bitch. It’s not something that I’m necessarily proud of, but I do pride myself in not just giving people what they want.
The past few years in high school, I have learned a lot about myself and the people around me. I’ve learned how to stand up for myself and not get pushed around. I’ve learned that speaking up isn’t always a bad thing. And I have also learned that if people see someone they can take advantage of, they will. Seeing all of the bad people who take advantage of others is what has really made me stick with my gut feeling that being forgiving isn’t always a good thing.
I think that forgiveness shouldn’t be about practicing it often or only once in a while; I think there should be a healthy balance of where you draw the line and where you step over it. For example, I don’t have a problem with people until they do something to make me not trust them or not like them.
Earlier in the school year, I thought that cheating should have been punishable with the death penalty. Not that I had a husband or anything, but don’t call yourself my boyfriend if you plan on secretly dating someone for six months behind my back. To me, that was something that I can never truly forgive that person for. I won’t lie, it’s not like feelings just go away, but it is always in the back of my mind that you can’t be trusted after something like that. Maybe one day (very far in the future) I will be able to fully forgive him for that, but definitely not any time soon. Even though it happened months ago it is still lingering in my head. It happened, and it is undeniable, so it will be the ending to every fight when I mention that time he cheated. Therefore, I will always win the fights. But that does not in any way give me enough satisfaction. If it never happened, I might have a boyfriend right now, but since he messed up, I’ll never date him. I can truly say that throughout this whole thing, he has changed, and he would never do it again, but that doesn’t change the fact that he already did.
I think that people who forgive everyone for everything are people pleasers. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with not wanting excessive drama in your life, but I do find it hard to believe that people can just push out those feelings that they felt so strongly. But hey, if you can do that, more power to ya!
The past few years in high school, I have learned a lot about myself and the people around me. I’ve learned how to stand up for myself and not get pushed around. I’ve learned that speaking up isn’t always a bad thing. And I have also learned that if people see someone they can take advantage of, they will. Seeing all of the bad people who take advantage of others is what has really made me stick with my gut feeling that being forgiving isn’t always a good thing.
I think that forgiveness shouldn’t be about practicing it often or only once in a while; I think there should be a healthy balance of where you draw the line and where you step over it. For example, I don’t have a problem with people until they do something to make me not trust them or not like them.
Earlier in the school year, I thought that cheating should have been punishable with the death penalty. Not that I had a husband or anything, but don’t call yourself my boyfriend if you plan on secretly dating someone for six months behind my back. To me, that was something that I can never truly forgive that person for. I won’t lie, it’s not like feelings just go away, but it is always in the back of my mind that you can’t be trusted after something like that. Maybe one day (very far in the future) I will be able to fully forgive him for that, but definitely not any time soon. Even though it happened months ago it is still lingering in my head. It happened, and it is undeniable, so it will be the ending to every fight when I mention that time he cheated. Therefore, I will always win the fights. But that does not in any way give me enough satisfaction. If it never happened, I might have a boyfriend right now, but since he messed up, I’ll never date him. I can truly say that throughout this whole thing, he has changed, and he would never do it again, but that doesn’t change the fact that he already did.
I think that people who forgive everyone for everything are people pleasers. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with not wanting excessive drama in your life, but I do find it hard to believe that people can just push out those feelings that they felt so strongly. But hey, if you can do that, more power to ya!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Blog 28 - Lessons Learned (Wild Card)
Over Spring Break, I had a lot of fun. I went out a lot, partied with my friends, and barely slept in my own bed. At the same time, I learned a few valuable lessons…
I learned a few lessons one night when I hung out with my good friends from Lacey. Not only are they awesome friends to be around, but we can always think of something crazy and fun to do when we are together. So when a random Wednesday night came, my friends Amanda, Alyssa, and myself all went to our friend Tyler’s house. We had an awesome time, just playing card games and hanging out. Tyler’s friends (who we will call “Creepy Kid” and “Cute Kid”) were new to our crew, but all the same they seemed like nice guys. Little did I know that I had a situation on my hands. It was getting late now, and Alyssa got a call from her ex-boyfriend, so she left to go see him. Unfortunately, Cute Kid also had to leave, so he walked out and it was just Amanda, Tyler, Creepy Kid, and me. Amanda and I decided we were tired and we wanted to sleep, so we went into Tyler’s room and slept on his futon. The boys came in a little after us, but Amanda and I had made it clear that we were sleeping alone. Creepy Kid seemed to have a huge problem with that. He was annoying, he kept trying to awkwardly cuddle with me, and he had bad breath, so I got up and went to sleep on the couch in the living room. I was right on the edge of sleep when Creepy Kid comes strutting out of Tyler’s room. I reacted on impulse and pretended I was sleeping, just like I used to do whenever my mom would walk in my room as a kid. He shook me awake (ugh) and whispered in my ear that he was leaving so I could go back in Tyler’s room, and he was sorry he was annoying. Problem solved! I thought to myself. Boy, was I wrong. Right when I thought things were okay and I was not being obliged to cuddle with this stranger anymore, he creepily slipped onto the couch next to me. This was really starting to piss me off now. I don’t even know you, yet you are going to try to lay with me? I don’t think so, pal. After continuously shrugging him off, I was starting to think I had to freak out on him so that he would leave me alone. Miraculously, Amanda walked out of Tyler’s room and I jumped up and went straight to her. I quickly whispered to her the situation that was taking place, and she immediately grabbed me and pulled me into Tyler’s room. We got our things, and she announced that we were leaving “because of the creepy kid.” I got my keys, and we practically ran for the door. After that, I learned that you should never do things you aren’t comfortable doing. If I laid on the couch with that strange kid any longer, I might have started to cry or freak out or God knows what. It also taught me that friends can sometimes act as saviors. That night, Amanda saved me. And I am thankful, and I hope I never get put in that spot again.
I learned a few lessons one night when I hung out with my good friends from Lacey. Not only are they awesome friends to be around, but we can always think of something crazy and fun to do when we are together. So when a random Wednesday night came, my friends Amanda, Alyssa, and myself all went to our friend Tyler’s house. We had an awesome time, just playing card games and hanging out. Tyler’s friends (who we will call “Creepy Kid” and “Cute Kid”) were new to our crew, but all the same they seemed like nice guys. Little did I know that I had a situation on my hands. It was getting late now, and Alyssa got a call from her ex-boyfriend, so she left to go see him. Unfortunately, Cute Kid also had to leave, so he walked out and it was just Amanda, Tyler, Creepy Kid, and me. Amanda and I decided we were tired and we wanted to sleep, so we went into Tyler’s room and slept on his futon. The boys came in a little after us, but Amanda and I had made it clear that we were sleeping alone. Creepy Kid seemed to have a huge problem with that. He was annoying, he kept trying to awkwardly cuddle with me, and he had bad breath, so I got up and went to sleep on the couch in the living room. I was right on the edge of sleep when Creepy Kid comes strutting out of Tyler’s room. I reacted on impulse and pretended I was sleeping, just like I used to do whenever my mom would walk in my room as a kid. He shook me awake (ugh) and whispered in my ear that he was leaving so I could go back in Tyler’s room, and he was sorry he was annoying. Problem solved! I thought to myself. Boy, was I wrong. Right when I thought things were okay and I was not being obliged to cuddle with this stranger anymore, he creepily slipped onto the couch next to me. This was really starting to piss me off now. I don’t even know you, yet you are going to try to lay with me? I don’t think so, pal. After continuously shrugging him off, I was starting to think I had to freak out on him so that he would leave me alone. Miraculously, Amanda walked out of Tyler’s room and I jumped up and went straight to her. I quickly whispered to her the situation that was taking place, and she immediately grabbed me and pulled me into Tyler’s room. We got our things, and she announced that we were leaving “because of the creepy kid.” I got my keys, and we practically ran for the door. After that, I learned that you should never do things you aren’t comfortable doing. If I laid on the couch with that strange kid any longer, I might have started to cry or freak out or God knows what. It also taught me that friends can sometimes act as saviors. That night, Amanda saved me. And I am thankful, and I hope I never get put in that spot again.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Blog 27 - Unfinished Business
The end of my senior year is coming quickly, and it is freaking me out. The past few months have flown by, and in the blink of an eye, I am going to be graduating. I definitely have a lot of unfinished business to take care of before I leave Central Regional. Out of all four years at Central Regional High School, I have only cut one class. I know that being a good student is important, and I really do value that, but I want to be able to do lots more badass stuff.
Spring Break just ended, and most of the time, I realized, I was not with my own school. I have friends in Lacey that I met at work several years ago, and they have both become best friends to me, so over the break I spent the majority of my time with Lacey Township kids. Don’t get me wrong, they are awesome people to hang out with and they are a really great time, but I want to bond with my school as well. Ending my Spring Break I did get to bond with my whole class, and younger and older classes, too, and when I did I realized that I want to spend lots more time with my peers from Central before I graduate.
Also over Spring Break, I visited my future home at the University of Delaware. Even though I already made my decision, I attended UDel’s Decision Day. It made me really think a lot about how I don’t know anyone at the school, and it makes me want to be more outgoing. I can start doing this at Central. I know that graduation is looming closer, but it’s never too late to make new friends!
Another unfinished business that I have is Calculus Honors. Throughout my high school career, I have not been able to be on High Honor Roll because of Mrs. Keiser’s math class. Mrs. Keiser has said it herself that I am a great student, I raise my hand and ask questions a lot, I stay after for extra help, and I always do my work, but regardless of all those positives, her class always leaves me without a lollipop and an honor roll bumper sticker. By the end of the year, I want to get that bumper sticker. The funniest part is that I won’t even put it on my car because it will be too late and it would look silly, but it is what it symbolizes that I want the most.
Other than those things, I think that I have lived a pretty interesting and fulfilling high school career, and all I can think is that it will get better in college. College might be a scary thought, not knowing anyone, being away from my parents, and being in a totally new environment that I am not used to, but I think that it will be a good experience and I can’t wait to move forward with my life.
Spring Break just ended, and most of the time, I realized, I was not with my own school. I have friends in Lacey that I met at work several years ago, and they have both become best friends to me, so over the break I spent the majority of my time with Lacey Township kids. Don’t get me wrong, they are awesome people to hang out with and they are a really great time, but I want to bond with my school as well. Ending my Spring Break I did get to bond with my whole class, and younger and older classes, too, and when I did I realized that I want to spend lots more time with my peers from Central before I graduate.
Also over Spring Break, I visited my future home at the University of Delaware. Even though I already made my decision, I attended UDel’s Decision Day. It made me really think a lot about how I don’t know anyone at the school, and it makes me want to be more outgoing. I can start doing this at Central. I know that graduation is looming closer, but it’s never too late to make new friends!
Another unfinished business that I have is Calculus Honors. Throughout my high school career, I have not been able to be on High Honor Roll because of Mrs. Keiser’s math class. Mrs. Keiser has said it herself that I am a great student, I raise my hand and ask questions a lot, I stay after for extra help, and I always do my work, but regardless of all those positives, her class always leaves me without a lollipop and an honor roll bumper sticker. By the end of the year, I want to get that bumper sticker. The funniest part is that I won’t even put it on my car because it will be too late and it would look silly, but it is what it symbolizes that I want the most.
Other than those things, I think that I have lived a pretty interesting and fulfilling high school career, and all I can think is that it will get better in college. College might be a scary thought, not knowing anyone, being away from my parents, and being in a totally new environment that I am not used to, but I think that it will be a good experience and I can’t wait to move forward with my life.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Blog 26 - Being Mr. Mannion
Over the course of the first three marking periods you’ve been assigned twenty-five blogs. With those blogs I have always attempted to provide enough variety and range so that everyone should have an opportunity to do some self-reflection. I am aware that sometimes a blog topic may not apply as much to one individual as it does to another, but that is why they are assigned every week.
To end this third marking I have decided to turn the tables and put you in my role, by giving you the opportunity to write a blog prompt rather than respond to one. The average blog prompt thus far has been 118.76 words, so I’m asking that your prompt be at least 115 words.
So, that’s it! This week’s assignment is to write a creative blog prompt. Perhaps there has always been a topic you have wanted me to cover as a blog and I haven’t, or maybe you’ve never given any thought to the idea of creating a blog topic. Either way, here is your chance.
In 115 words or more (and perhaps a picture?) write a creative blog prompt. I am emphasizing the creativity aspect because that is what I will be grading you on.
Blog Topic - Future Plans
Now that you are all seniors, you are finally starting to realize that graduation is quickly approaching. So I will ask: what are your plans for after you leave the halls of Central Regional High School? Are you going to college? Do you have a job lined up? Are you moving?
Some people have a hard time getting over the fact that they might need to leave their friends and family behind. Are you leaving anyone behind? Do you think you will be homesick?
You can even go beyond after high school. What are your plans for the distant future? Do you have a 10 year plan? 20 year plan? What will your life be like? The future is in your hands...what will you do with it?
Blog 25 - Understanding Death
Of all things in the human experience, death is one of the hardest to understand.
What do you think death is all about? Why do we die—for some purpose, maybe, or is death perhaps nature’s way of making room for more people on the earth?
What happens after we die? Some people believe there is a soul, and that the dead go to heaven or hell. Others believe we are reincarnated as a person, an animal, a flower, etc., and still others believe that there’s simply nothing after death.
What about you? What do you think? Is there an afterlife, or is it all over upon death? Are you confused, like so many of us?
Write about it.
Frank Cuiffo Jr II; my grandpa. Meme Dion; my great-grandma. Michael Pasarelli; my great-uncle. Ray Ray Cuiffo; my cousin. And so many more people that died too early. There are so many people that die each day. It is obviously more painful when you know and love that person, but regardless, death is the saddest thing I think anyone deals with. Death is a necessary evil. Don’t get me wrong, I hate that I had to lose so many people that I care so much about, but what would we live for if we thought this life would never end? I believe that death brings meaning. It may be a hard concept to grasp, but it is true. If we thought that people would always be around, we might not treasure their presence as much. It gets me so upset to think that people can be taken from us at any moment. My great-grandma, my grandpa, my great-uncle, they were all taken away from me when they were at an older age. But how can taking away my 18 year old cousin Ray Ray be justified? He died because of someone else’s mistake, and now he is gone forever. Not only was he the most amazing football player, but he was a very smart guy. He knew everyone, and he had so many friends and people that loved him dearly. And then one day one of his friends that decided to drink took his life. I am still not at the point where I can even consider being forgiving toward that ‘friend’ of Ray’s. It should not take a person’s life to teach a kid a lesson. Now, not only does my whole extended family and everyone that knew Ray have a burden on their shoulders and a weight in their heart, but that stupid boy who made a stupid ass decision is going to waste his life away wondering what would have happened if he didn’t drink, if he didn’t kill my cousin, if he woke up that morning and thought a little differently, would everyone have been spared the tears? I think that if I ever had that burden on my shoulders, I would make a drastic change. I would move far away. I would change myself for the better. I would dedicate my whole entire to making what I did right. And when it cannot be made right, I would keep trying. I don’t know how someone could be that stupid, but unfortunately it is not just him. I am sure that a lot of people know someone who lost a life to a drunk driver. Or in general lost a life. We all lose people, it is inevitable; it is fate. It is something that will never stop happening to this world. I could die tomorrow. I could die in two minutes. So I want to make this life worth it. I don’t want to be remembered as “young teen from small NJ town dies early,” I want the chance to change the world before I die. This thought is only possibly if you truly know that death really is a necessary evil, and that you should not take something so precious as a life for granted. I don't think that I will ever fully understand death and what happens in an afterlife until I experience it myself, and then I will write a blog about it right when I know!
What do you think death is all about? Why do we die—for some purpose, maybe, or is death perhaps nature’s way of making room for more people on the earth?
What happens after we die? Some people believe there is a soul, and that the dead go to heaven or hell. Others believe we are reincarnated as a person, an animal, a flower, etc., and still others believe that there’s simply nothing after death.
What about you? What do you think? Is there an afterlife, or is it all over upon death? Are you confused, like so many of us?
Write about it.
Frank Cuiffo Jr II; my grandpa. Meme Dion; my great-grandma. Michael Pasarelli; my great-uncle. Ray Ray Cuiffo; my cousin. And so many more people that died too early. There are so many people that die each day. It is obviously more painful when you know and love that person, but regardless, death is the saddest thing I think anyone deals with. Death is a necessary evil. Don’t get me wrong, I hate that I had to lose so many people that I care so much about, but what would we live for if we thought this life would never end? I believe that death brings meaning. It may be a hard concept to grasp, but it is true. If we thought that people would always be around, we might not treasure their presence as much. It gets me so upset to think that people can be taken from us at any moment. My great-grandma, my grandpa, my great-uncle, they were all taken away from me when they were at an older age. But how can taking away my 18 year old cousin Ray Ray be justified? He died because of someone else’s mistake, and now he is gone forever. Not only was he the most amazing football player, but he was a very smart guy. He knew everyone, and he had so many friends and people that loved him dearly. And then one day one of his friends that decided to drink took his life. I am still not at the point where I can even consider being forgiving toward that ‘friend’ of Ray’s. It should not take a person’s life to teach a kid a lesson. Now, not only does my whole extended family and everyone that knew Ray have a burden on their shoulders and a weight in their heart, but that stupid boy who made a stupid ass decision is going to waste his life away wondering what would have happened if he didn’t drink, if he didn’t kill my cousin, if he woke up that morning and thought a little differently, would everyone have been spared the tears? I think that if I ever had that burden on my shoulders, I would make a drastic change. I would move far away. I would change myself for the better. I would dedicate my whole entire to making what I did right. And when it cannot be made right, I would keep trying. I don’t know how someone could be that stupid, but unfortunately it is not just him. I am sure that a lot of people know someone who lost a life to a drunk driver. Or in general lost a life. We all lose people, it is inevitable; it is fate. It is something that will never stop happening to this world. I could die tomorrow. I could die in two minutes. So I want to make this life worth it. I don’t want to be remembered as “young teen from small NJ town dies early,” I want the chance to change the world before I die. This thought is only possibly if you truly know that death really is a necessary evil, and that you should not take something so precious as a life for granted. I don't think that I will ever fully understand death and what happens in an afterlife until I experience it myself, and then I will write a blog about it right when I know!
Blog 24 - Room as a Reflection of Self
Some people say that a person’s room is a reflection of who he or she is. Others say that’s not true—a room is a room, simple as that.
What’s your room like? Do you think it’s a reflection of your personality, an extension of your personality, or just a room? Do you share it with brothers or sisters, or maybe adults? If so, are you able to make it a little “place of your own” amid that shared space, or is that impossible?
Is your room neat and tidy? Is it a little messy? Is it a disaster? What does it all mean?
Write about your room.
If you walk into my room right now, the first thing you will see is clutter. Clothes on the floor, books and folders on my bed, computer wires hanging all over, boxes in the corner, overflowing garbage, opened drawers. Nothing about my room is neat right now. This is why I believe that a room is simply a room. It does not reflect my personality at all, in fact, it is the opposite of my personality. While I am not at the OCD level, I am a very orderly person. I like to have things in their own certain place, and it has been driving me crazy that my room isn’t at least a little more organized. Thankfully, I do not share my room with anyone, so it is okay that it isn’t clean right now. One thing that bugs me about my room is that the walls are off-white. If this room was supposed to reflect me, it would have every color in the rainbow somewhere on each wall. It would be like one big mural that I would paint myself and that would include all aspects of my life. If my room was supposed to reflect me, I would have pictures all over the walls and candles lighting up the whole room. My dressers would stay clean all the time and I would never forget to put away my contact case. My closet would be in color order, and my drawers would never be too full. I would have a desk that I would use just for homework, and it would have enough space for any project that I could imagine. I would paint more pictures that would fill my walls, and my laundry would never be overflowing. I hate the fact that whenever a friend of mine comes in my room, I have to say “Sorry it’s so messy…” I hope that people realize that my room is not a reflection of me when they walk in. I know some people that have bright rooms that are dark people, and vice versa. All in all, it is just the way you choose to live. One of my friends who lives in an apartment especially cannot express herself through her room because she is not allowed to paint the walls or put up décor. I think for me that would be hell. My room may not be perfect now, but every day I try to do something little to make it cozier and more welcoming. I know that you can express yourself through your room, and other people also know this, but for me I just have different ways of conveying my style and interests. It would be unfortunate if I were to be judged on my room, because if that were to happen, I would be greatly misjudged and people probably would not understand me at all. Even doing this blog makes me ashamed of my “decorating skill”. I have lived in this room for a year now and this whole time I haven’t done anything to make it represent me.
What’s your room like? Do you think it’s a reflection of your personality, an extension of your personality, or just a room? Do you share it with brothers or sisters, or maybe adults? If so, are you able to make it a little “place of your own” amid that shared space, or is that impossible?
Is your room neat and tidy? Is it a little messy? Is it a disaster? What does it all mean?
Write about your room.
If you walk into my room right now, the first thing you will see is clutter. Clothes on the floor, books and folders on my bed, computer wires hanging all over, boxes in the corner, overflowing garbage, opened drawers. Nothing about my room is neat right now. This is why I believe that a room is simply a room. It does not reflect my personality at all, in fact, it is the opposite of my personality. While I am not at the OCD level, I am a very orderly person. I like to have things in their own certain place, and it has been driving me crazy that my room isn’t at least a little more organized. Thankfully, I do not share my room with anyone, so it is okay that it isn’t clean right now. One thing that bugs me about my room is that the walls are off-white. If this room was supposed to reflect me, it would have every color in the rainbow somewhere on each wall. It would be like one big mural that I would paint myself and that would include all aspects of my life. If my room was supposed to reflect me, I would have pictures all over the walls and candles lighting up the whole room. My dressers would stay clean all the time and I would never forget to put away my contact case. My closet would be in color order, and my drawers would never be too full. I would have a desk that I would use just for homework, and it would have enough space for any project that I could imagine. I would paint more pictures that would fill my walls, and my laundry would never be overflowing. I hate the fact that whenever a friend of mine comes in my room, I have to say “Sorry it’s so messy…” I hope that people realize that my room is not a reflection of me when they walk in. I know some people that have bright rooms that are dark people, and vice versa. All in all, it is just the way you choose to live. One of my friends who lives in an apartment especially cannot express herself through her room because she is not allowed to paint the walls or put up décor. I think for me that would be hell. My room may not be perfect now, but every day I try to do something little to make it cozier and more welcoming. I know that you can express yourself through your room, and other people also know this, but for me I just have different ways of conveying my style and interests. It would be unfortunate if I were to be judged on my room, because if that were to happen, I would be greatly misjudged and people probably would not understand me at all. Even doing this blog makes me ashamed of my “decorating skill”. I have lived in this room for a year now and this whole time I haven’t done anything to make it represent me.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Blog 23 - Design a Curriculum
If you could design a curriculum for students your age—that is, the classes they would take in school—what would you design? Seriously.
Would you schedule the usual classes—English, math, science, etc., or would you add other classes that you think are important—or, if not important, classes that would be cool or useful?
How would you make sure that the basic skills were taught? What specifically would you do to make sure that students learned to read, write, and do math and science in a smart and sophisticated way?
What would your day-to-day schedule be? What electives would you add? Would students stay in the school building all day long, either occasionally or for extended periods of time?
What about homework? Would there be more? Less? What would the homework be?
Write about it.
If I could redo the curriculum, it would be a dream come true. First of all, I would change the word “curriculum” to something cuter and easier to say. If I could really do this, it would be a drastic change, and it might take some getting used to, but I think in the overall aftermath it would be more beneficial than the way things are currently. If I had this opportunity to remake the curriculum, middle school would be the exact same, but at the end of middle school, you would take a test that would help you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. If things started like this, there would be a lot of people that are less confused about their future (like myself). After you took this test and were certain that you made your choice and you are happy with it, you would move on to high school, where you would take courses that were picked to go along with your intended career. For example, if you wanted to become an interior designer, you would take a few math courses, art courses, career planning, business education, and other similar courses that are useful for your future. I think it is silly that everyone has to take the same classes when they will never use it in their life. Math, English, Science, and History would be taught briefly and in a basic manner, but after assessing that your knowledge is sufficient, you could move on to other courses that will help your career.
If I was making the choices, students would come to school at ten. They would leave around 2pm, and they would carry on their day with homework, possibly a job, and taking time for themselves also. I think that by giving students a later time to come in, people would be more awake and there would be less absences and lates.
As far as electives, students would get their choice of electives. If they wanted, they could even take one elective that was out of interest, and maybe might not have anything to do with their career.
Homework. Oh how I hate homework. As much as students and people my age despise homework, it is still something that needs to be given to see if things are applicable when a teacher is not around to spoon feed answers to a student. I would include homework in my curriculum, but it would not include boring research papers and silly worksheets, it would be things that my students could go out into the world and apply to themselves. Instead of giving a problem like y= x + 9yz -123, I would make sure that the information that would be required to do for the homework would always under no exceptions be useful in the future. It is silly that I have things like that as homework, because once I leave Central Regional High School, I will never see those types of problems again. I think that this curriculum change is extreme, but I also think it is something that would help today’s youth.
Would you schedule the usual classes—English, math, science, etc., or would you add other classes that you think are important—or, if not important, classes that would be cool or useful?
How would you make sure that the basic skills were taught? What specifically would you do to make sure that students learned to read, write, and do math and science in a smart and sophisticated way?
What would your day-to-day schedule be? What electives would you add? Would students stay in the school building all day long, either occasionally or for extended periods of time?
What about homework? Would there be more? Less? What would the homework be?
Write about it.
If I could redo the curriculum, it would be a dream come true. First of all, I would change the word “curriculum” to something cuter and easier to say. If I could really do this, it would be a drastic change, and it might take some getting used to, but I think in the overall aftermath it would be more beneficial than the way things are currently. If I had this opportunity to remake the curriculum, middle school would be the exact same, but at the end of middle school, you would take a test that would help you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. If things started like this, there would be a lot of people that are less confused about their future (like myself). After you took this test and were certain that you made your choice and you are happy with it, you would move on to high school, where you would take courses that were picked to go along with your intended career. For example, if you wanted to become an interior designer, you would take a few math courses, art courses, career planning, business education, and other similar courses that are useful for your future. I think it is silly that everyone has to take the same classes when they will never use it in their life. Math, English, Science, and History would be taught briefly and in a basic manner, but after assessing that your knowledge is sufficient, you could move on to other courses that will help your career.
If I was making the choices, students would come to school at ten. They would leave around 2pm, and they would carry on their day with homework, possibly a job, and taking time for themselves also. I think that by giving students a later time to come in, people would be more awake and there would be less absences and lates.
As far as electives, students would get their choice of electives. If they wanted, they could even take one elective that was out of interest, and maybe might not have anything to do with their career.
Homework. Oh how I hate homework. As much as students and people my age despise homework, it is still something that needs to be given to see if things are applicable when a teacher is not around to spoon feed answers to a student. I would include homework in my curriculum, but it would not include boring research papers and silly worksheets, it would be things that my students could go out into the world and apply to themselves. Instead of giving a problem like y= x + 9yz -123, I would make sure that the information that would be required to do for the homework would always under no exceptions be useful in the future. It is silly that I have things like that as homework, because once I leave Central Regional High School, I will never see those types of problems again. I think that this curriculum change is extreme, but I also think it is something that would help today’s youth.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Blog 22 - Wisdom, Defined
What is wisdom?
Or is wisdom something else—something that a person cannot take a test for? Can people without “qualifications” have wisdom? If so, how do they get it?
Finally, do you know a person or people whom you consider wise? How old are they? (Does being wise necessitate being old?) What do these people do or say to make you think they’re wise?
Write about it.
Wisdom’s dictionary definition is sagacity, discernment, or insight. To me, wisdom isn’t any of that. From experience, I think that wisdom comes from time, effort, and hard work. People that are wise have lived longer and fuller lives. Wisdom does not mean getting A’s on report cards, and it doesn’t mean graduating with a Ph.D. from a terrific university. It doesn’t mean rising to the top of a corporation. It doesn’t mean possessing photographic memory. Wisdom isn’t something you can acquire, wisdom comes to you.
One of the most wise people I know would be my grandfather. My grandpa passed away in 2001 when I was still very young, but he was what I think of when you say wise.
Another thing that I think gives a person wisdom is passed on information. For example, this weekend I made crumb cake. However, this was no normal crumb cake. I got my crumb cake recipe from Buddy Valastro's Cake Boss Book. Not only is it filled with stories about how Carlo's Bakery began, but it has original recipes that Buddy tested and made into easy recipes for the home. So I decided to read up on how to make the perfect crumb cake. When I started the recipe, I realized that you have to refer to another recipe to complete the first recipe, and then after that you have to refer to a third recipe to complete the second recipe which then completes the first and final recipe. So naturally it took me hours to make it and I was completely in over my head. Not only did I use the whole kitchen and half of the flour in the house, but when I put it in the oven, it overflowed and was pouring out of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven, making the oven smoke and smell weird. The crumb cake was supposed to bake for twenty-five minutes, but an hour later was when it was finally done. As I fought with my mom the whole time I cleaned the oven, I started to realize something: from suffering through those three recipes, I took all of Buddy's wisdom about cakes, mixed with my father's wisdom about not fighting with my mom, and then put those together with my newfound knowledge of all things baking, and I inherited that wisdom. I may not be wise, but I know a lot more and I can't wait to share that knowledge with others.
In summation, wisdom is something that has given someone a permanent knowledge of information that they might pass on in their future. Not everyone, has wisdom, in fact more people don't have wisdom then people that do. Personally, I think if you have wisdom you should pass it on and let others in on that part of your life.
Or is wisdom something else—something that a person cannot take a test for? Can people without “qualifications” have wisdom? If so, how do they get it?
Finally, do you know a person or people whom you consider wise? How old are they? (Does being wise necessitate being old?) What do these people do or say to make you think they’re wise?
Write about it.
Wisdom’s dictionary definition is sagacity, discernment, or insight. To me, wisdom isn’t any of that. From experience, I think that wisdom comes from time, effort, and hard work. People that are wise have lived longer and fuller lives. Wisdom does not mean getting A’s on report cards, and it doesn’t mean graduating with a Ph.D. from a terrific university. It doesn’t mean rising to the top of a corporation. It doesn’t mean possessing photographic memory. Wisdom isn’t something you can acquire, wisdom comes to you.
One of the most wise people I know would be my grandfather. My grandpa passed away in 2001 when I was still very young, but he was what I think of when you say wise.
Another thing that I think gives a person wisdom is passed on information. For example, this weekend I made crumb cake. However, this was no normal crumb cake. I got my crumb cake recipe from Buddy Valastro's Cake Boss Book. Not only is it filled with stories about how Carlo's Bakery began, but it has original recipes that Buddy tested and made into easy recipes for the home. So I decided to read up on how to make the perfect crumb cake. When I started the recipe, I realized that you have to refer to another recipe to complete the first recipe, and then after that you have to refer to a third recipe to complete the second recipe which then completes the first and final recipe. So naturally it took me hours to make it and I was completely in over my head. Not only did I use the whole kitchen and half of the flour in the house, but when I put it in the oven, it overflowed and was pouring out of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven, making the oven smoke and smell weird. The crumb cake was supposed to bake for twenty-five minutes, but an hour later was when it was finally done. As I fought with my mom the whole time I cleaned the oven, I started to realize something: from suffering through those three recipes, I took all of Buddy's wisdom about cakes, mixed with my father's wisdom about not fighting with my mom, and then put those together with my newfound knowledge of all things baking, and I inherited that wisdom. I may not be wise, but I know a lot more and I can't wait to share that knowledge with others.
In summation, wisdom is something that has given someone a permanent knowledge of information that they might pass on in their future. Not everyone, has wisdom, in fact more people don't have wisdom then people that do. Personally, I think if you have wisdom you should pass it on and let others in on that part of your life.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Blog 21 - Relative Importance of Jobs
Is a doctor's job more important than a teacher's? Is a teacher's job more important than a bus driver's? Is a dishwasher's job more important than that of a woman who sews dresses?
How do you determine how important a job is? Obviously, some people take home bigger salaries than others: is that how job importance is rated?
In the world today, there are many jobs. You have hundreds of jobs in the school I am sitting in right now. Not only do you have plenty of teachers, but you have the principal, janitors, lunch ladies, etc. I, personally, do not think that any one person’s job is more important than another person. If you got rid of one job, such as the janitors, our school would be filthy. If you got rid of the lunch ladies, we would all be starving. If you eliminate one group, it messes up the whole order and sanity in the building. When you compare doctors versus teachers, some may say that doctors have a more important job. I think that’s nonsense. If those doctors never had teachers, they wouldn’t be doctors. They need their teachers to educate them to be a doctor, so therefore they would be useless without their teachers. And if teachers didn’t have doctors, they could be suffering a disease that they don’t know how to fix. And how would they get better? They wouldn’t. Everyone in the world and every job is a circle of life, and if you take out anyone than it ruins the order. When you compare a teacher and a bus driver, you have to think: how would students get to school if there was no teacher? And where would the bus drivers drive the children if there were no teachers? Everyone needs each other. Say you compared construction workers and professors at a college. People might think that the professor is more important because he is fully educated, probably has multiple degrees, and graduated to become someone who educates for life. That, no doubt, is an awesome job and he or she deserves a lot of praise for it. But to leave out the construction worker is wrong. That construction man worked his ass off to build a place for all those people to further their education at. He made a home to hundreds, maybe thousands, of students, teachers, administrators, counselors, janitors, prospective educators, and he needs to get recognized for all that work he put in. No one can be put down for the work that they do, because no matter what when people try it should be good enough for the world, and no one should judge them based off the job that they have. No one should be the judge of anyone else, so I can not judge any one by their occupation. My grandfather used to tell my dad that “the world needs ditch diggers, too.” When my father told me this, it sounded kind of mean and it was worded in a way that would probably come off as offensive, but I think that he meant that there is no job too small and no job that is unimportant.
How do you determine how important a job is? Obviously, some people take home bigger salaries than others: is that how job importance is rated?
In the world today, there are many jobs. You have hundreds of jobs in the school I am sitting in right now. Not only do you have plenty of teachers, but you have the principal, janitors, lunch ladies, etc. I, personally, do not think that any one person’s job is more important than another person. If you got rid of one job, such as the janitors, our school would be filthy. If you got rid of the lunch ladies, we would all be starving. If you eliminate one group, it messes up the whole order and sanity in the building. When you compare doctors versus teachers, some may say that doctors have a more important job. I think that’s nonsense. If those doctors never had teachers, they wouldn’t be doctors. They need their teachers to educate them to be a doctor, so therefore they would be useless without their teachers. And if teachers didn’t have doctors, they could be suffering a disease that they don’t know how to fix. And how would they get better? They wouldn’t. Everyone in the world and every job is a circle of life, and if you take out anyone than it ruins the order. When you compare a teacher and a bus driver, you have to think: how would students get to school if there was no teacher? And where would the bus drivers drive the children if there were no teachers? Everyone needs each other. Say you compared construction workers and professors at a college. People might think that the professor is more important because he is fully educated, probably has multiple degrees, and graduated to become someone who educates for life. That, no doubt, is an awesome job and he or she deserves a lot of praise for it. But to leave out the construction worker is wrong. That construction man worked his ass off to build a place for all those people to further their education at. He made a home to hundreds, maybe thousands, of students, teachers, administrators, counselors, janitors, prospective educators, and he needs to get recognized for all that work he put in. No one can be put down for the work that they do, because no matter what when people try it should be good enough for the world, and no one should judge them based off the job that they have. No one should be the judge of anyone else, so I can not judge any one by their occupation. My grandfather used to tell my dad that “the world needs ditch diggers, too.” When my father told me this, it sounded kind of mean and it was worded in a way that would probably come off as offensive, but I think that he meant that there is no job too small and no job that is unimportant.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Blog 20 - What is love? Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me no more.
People write about love all the time, but they almost never define it.
Can love be defined? Can a person say, “Well, love, of course is ____________ and ____________ , with a little of ____________ mixed in.” (Would a simple formula like that satisfy you?)
What is love, anyway? Can you describe it? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Smell like? Sound like? Taste like?
Where does a person find it if she or he is looking for it? Is it in a certain place? Does it have certain habits or routines? If so, what are those? Is it hard to get? Easy to get? Do you need to be qualified to get it? Is there anyone who doesn’t have it? Is there anyone who can’t have it? Is there anyone who has too much of it? Is it something people eventually want to get rid of?
Write about it.
What is love? According to a dictionary, love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; sexual passion or desire. But to me, a dictionary can’t tell you how to be in love. The dictionary doesn’t do the word “love” any justice. Love looks like two people genuinely and compassionately being sincere and falling for each other. It looks like the woman and man sitting on a bench in a park, holding hands, resting their heads on each other, never wanting to let go. Love smells like the perfume or cologne that you know they love so you wear it to impress them. Love sounds like music playing as he leads you in a dance in the rain that you have dreamed of all your life. Love tastes like your favorite restaurant where they take you out to enjoy a beautiful night together.
If your looking for fake love, you can go just about anywhere. You could put yourself on eHarmony and find a date in about five minutes. But that isn’t real love. You don’t need to look for true love; true love will find you when you least expect it.
To be qualified for love, you don’t need to do much – you just need to keep your heart open. If you are poor, you can fall in love. If you are rich, you can fall in love. If you are mean, you can fall in love. If you are nice, you can fall in love. Anyone in the world can find love. You might think opposites attract, or that you are exactly like the person you love. I think any of that is fine as long as you are both truly in love.
One thing that is questionable is young love. I’m not talking about my age, I’m talking about those obnoxious middle schoolers who think they have found their soul mate. I personally think that if you are that young, you haven’t found love, you have found obsession. When you take a step up into high school, you might also think you found love, but I am here to tell you that if he even mentions sleeping with you, chances are he will mention it to another girl in a month. People in high school haven’t found love, they have found lust. Occasionally, there are people that fall in love in high school and get married, but if you have that idea then you will most likely end up getting hurt.
I think that often people over use the word love. “I loooooveee this purse!” It isn’t that you have a warm personal attachment or deep affection towards the purse, you just like it.
At times in my life, I have thought I was in love. I actually don’t know if I have been or not, but I know that having someone love you is a really good feeling. It can be stressful at times and it can be a burden if you don’t know how you feel back, but in the end you feel good about yourself. For me, I find it hard to believe. I can never trust anyone and I am very cautious of letting my walls down because of my past, but recently I have been able to experience something very close to love. My friends didn’t approve, and my parents hardly like how often I was out, but I felt careless and free and I loved it.
Can love be defined? Can a person say, “Well, love, of course is ____________ and ____________ , with a little of ____________ mixed in.” (Would a simple formula like that satisfy you?)
What is love, anyway? Can you describe it? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Smell like? Sound like? Taste like?
Where does a person find it if she or he is looking for it? Is it in a certain place? Does it have certain habits or routines? If so, what are those? Is it hard to get? Easy to get? Do you need to be qualified to get it? Is there anyone who doesn’t have it? Is there anyone who can’t have it? Is there anyone who has too much of it? Is it something people eventually want to get rid of?
Write about it.
What is love? According to a dictionary, love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; sexual passion or desire. But to me, a dictionary can’t tell you how to be in love. The dictionary doesn’t do the word “love” any justice. Love looks like two people genuinely and compassionately being sincere and falling for each other. It looks like the woman and man sitting on a bench in a park, holding hands, resting their heads on each other, never wanting to let go. Love smells like the perfume or cologne that you know they love so you wear it to impress them. Love sounds like music playing as he leads you in a dance in the rain that you have dreamed of all your life. Love tastes like your favorite restaurant where they take you out to enjoy a beautiful night together.
If your looking for fake love, you can go just about anywhere. You could put yourself on eHarmony and find a date in about five minutes. But that isn’t real love. You don’t need to look for true love; true love will find you when you least expect it.
To be qualified for love, you don’t need to do much – you just need to keep your heart open. If you are poor, you can fall in love. If you are rich, you can fall in love. If you are mean, you can fall in love. If you are nice, you can fall in love. Anyone in the world can find love. You might think opposites attract, or that you are exactly like the person you love. I think any of that is fine as long as you are both truly in love.
One thing that is questionable is young love. I’m not talking about my age, I’m talking about those obnoxious middle schoolers who think they have found their soul mate. I personally think that if you are that young, you haven’t found love, you have found obsession. When you take a step up into high school, you might also think you found love, but I am here to tell you that if he even mentions sleeping with you, chances are he will mention it to another girl in a month. People in high school haven’t found love, they have found lust. Occasionally, there are people that fall in love in high school and get married, but if you have that idea then you will most likely end up getting hurt.
I think that often people over use the word love. “I loooooveee this purse!” It isn’t that you have a warm personal attachment or deep affection towards the purse, you just like it.
At times in my life, I have thought I was in love. I actually don’t know if I have been or not, but I know that having someone love you is a really good feeling. It can be stressful at times and it can be a burden if you don’t know how you feel back, but in the end you feel good about yourself. For me, I find it hard to believe. I can never trust anyone and I am very cautious of letting my walls down because of my past, but recently I have been able to experience something very close to love. My friends didn’t approve, and my parents hardly like how often I was out, but I felt careless and free and I loved it.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Blog 19 - Risks Taken
What kind of risks have you taken in your life?
What chances have you taken that may or may not have come out so well? Some people your age have tried dangerous things and survived. Many others, alas, have not survived. Some have taken other kinds of risks: social risks such as trying to make new friends, for example, or personal risks, such as speaking honestly to a parent, or even academic risks: doing something in class that might get them a great grade or result in horrible failure.
What risks have you taken in your life? Write about them.
Life is all about risks, right? Throughout my life, I have taken many risks. Some have worked out perfectly, and others…not so much. Socially, people take risks all the time. Someone might get a haircut just because they think it will impress their friends. Well, I’d like to tell those people that if your friends don’t like you the way you are, you need new friends. I would never take a social risk like that, because in all honesty it just takes away who you are as a person and turns you into a fake and a phony.
I, personally, would like to take better risks. I want to bungee jump or skydive before I go to college. I want to take risks that make me catch my breath and remember how precious life is. I do not want to take risks that could possibly take my life. Those aren’t risks, those are mistakes.
When it comes to talking to my parents, I feel like that is never a risk. I am comfortable with my parents to the point where I can tell them anything. I might be a little uncomfortable at first, but I know that my parents only have my best interests at heart, and they usually know what is best.
One risk that I took recently was skipping class and going to Oh What a Bagel. Throughout my four years in high school, I had never skipped a class and just drove off. I had a substitute, and we didn’t do any work that day, so it considering those odds it wasn’t a huge risk, but it was still exhilarating and I think that everyone should skip a class before they graduate. It might have been silly, and I can never imagine skipping class and leaving on a regular basis, but I think at the same time it was still worth it, for sure. There is no doubt in my mind that I needed that. I want to be able to remember high school, and little things like pep rallies and leaving school and watching football or basketball games with friends are going to be the memories that I will tell my kids about one day.
Someday, I’ll be doing big things. I feel like if I don’t take silly risks throughout my life, the variety will be to scarce. I am the kind of person that gets so used to a set schedule with a filled agenda that I might forget to have fun sometimes. Everyone in the world should do something outrageously fun and risky and beautiful at the same time, at least once a week. Keeping variety in your life will be your key factor to success. In college, I know I won’t be studying and doing homework during the day and sleeping at night. I will spend my days in class or with friends and I will pull all-nighters doing last minute homework and papers, and that is what will keep me on my feet.
Everyone needs a little variety and risk in their life.
What chances have you taken that may or may not have come out so well? Some people your age have tried dangerous things and survived. Many others, alas, have not survived. Some have taken other kinds of risks: social risks such as trying to make new friends, for example, or personal risks, such as speaking honestly to a parent, or even academic risks: doing something in class that might get them a great grade or result in horrible failure.
What risks have you taken in your life? Write about them.
Life is all about risks, right? Throughout my life, I have taken many risks. Some have worked out perfectly, and others…not so much. Socially, people take risks all the time. Someone might get a haircut just because they think it will impress their friends. Well, I’d like to tell those people that if your friends don’t like you the way you are, you need new friends. I would never take a social risk like that, because in all honesty it just takes away who you are as a person and turns you into a fake and a phony.
I, personally, would like to take better risks. I want to bungee jump or skydive before I go to college. I want to take risks that make me catch my breath and remember how precious life is. I do not want to take risks that could possibly take my life. Those aren’t risks, those are mistakes.
When it comes to talking to my parents, I feel like that is never a risk. I am comfortable with my parents to the point where I can tell them anything. I might be a little uncomfortable at first, but I know that my parents only have my best interests at heart, and they usually know what is best.
One risk that I took recently was skipping class and going to Oh What a Bagel. Throughout my four years in high school, I had never skipped a class and just drove off. I had a substitute, and we didn’t do any work that day, so it considering those odds it wasn’t a huge risk, but it was still exhilarating and I think that everyone should skip a class before they graduate. It might have been silly, and I can never imagine skipping class and leaving on a regular basis, but I think at the same time it was still worth it, for sure. There is no doubt in my mind that I needed that. I want to be able to remember high school, and little things like pep rallies and leaving school and watching football or basketball games with friends are going to be the memories that I will tell my kids about one day.
Someday, I’ll be doing big things. I feel like if I don’t take silly risks throughout my life, the variety will be to scarce. I am the kind of person that gets so used to a set schedule with a filled agenda that I might forget to have fun sometimes. Everyone in the world should do something outrageously fun and risky and beautiful at the same time, at least once a week. Keeping variety in your life will be your key factor to success. In college, I know I won’t be studying and doing homework during the day and sleeping at night. I will spend my days in class or with friends and I will pull all-nighters doing last minute homework and papers, and that is what will keep me on my feet.
Everyone needs a little variety and risk in their life.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Blog 18 - State of the Union
Every year the President of the United States gives a speech called the "State of the Union Address." In it he (or she, one day) talks to Congress about how things are going in our country.
Today, put down some thoughts for your own State of the Union Address, if you were to make the same speech.
How are things going in our country? Are you satisfied with everything? What is working in our country, and what is not working? Think about schools, transportation, national defense, our system of health care, the arts, protection of the environment, food stamps, welfare, treatment of the elderly, and other things that make up who we are as a people.
Be the President for a day, and tell us how we are doing as a country.
“My fellow citizens, I am your president, Gina Sarah Colette Cuiffo. I am here today to tell you how our country is fairing. To say that we are doing better than ever would be an understatement. Our nation as a whole has fixed each problem that we were given. Not only have I proven myself to you as a people, but I have proven myself to other nations as well. I am satisfied with all of the progress we have made, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of the great people of the United States. Last year when I came into office, I asked that you write down each thing that you think our nation has a problem with. I took those papers and personally looked over each one. I made it my mission to attend to each problem. I did not take a vacation this year like past presidents have done. I worked hard each day to prove to you all that I am good enough to be your president. Gas prices have decreased. The health care issue has been solved. Our schools have raised their graduating rates by over four hundred percent. Our environment is no longer going through global warming and is the best it has been in centuries. Food stamps are no longer needed, because I have solved the issues of poverty. Social security is taken care of. Any aspect of the nation that I should have covered has been covered. If you have any issues that you think haven’t been covered, I welcome you to come up and ask me about it and I will tell you anything you would like to know. According to any statistics you can find, you will see that I have done nothing but good for this nation and I hope you can all see that and consider it when you are voting again this year. No other president in the past has been able to compare, and I take pride in all the accomplishments I have made. I am so happy to tell you this, and I hope that you do not take my happiness as arrogance. I hope that you are all as proud of me as I am of you for making this nation what it is. Growing up, I saw bad people in the world, and I saw how they brought on our downfall. Now, with me in office, crime and drugs and all illegal acts have been completely wiped out and the world is full of good people again, just like it should be. I want to thank you for your time and consideration, and I would sincerely like to remind you that if you have any problems or concerns, or even positive feedback, please feel free to call me at any time of the day or night. As your president, I want to be available at any time for you to count on my help for any matter, whether good or bad. Thank you again for your time, have a lovely evening.”
Today, put down some thoughts for your own State of the Union Address, if you were to make the same speech.
How are things going in our country? Are you satisfied with everything? What is working in our country, and what is not working? Think about schools, transportation, national defense, our system of health care, the arts, protection of the environment, food stamps, welfare, treatment of the elderly, and other things that make up who we are as a people.
Be the President for a day, and tell us how we are doing as a country.
“My fellow citizens, I am your president, Gina Sarah Colette Cuiffo. I am here today to tell you how our country is fairing. To say that we are doing better than ever would be an understatement. Our nation as a whole has fixed each problem that we were given. Not only have I proven myself to you as a people, but I have proven myself to other nations as well. I am satisfied with all of the progress we have made, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of the great people of the United States. Last year when I came into office, I asked that you write down each thing that you think our nation has a problem with. I took those papers and personally looked over each one. I made it my mission to attend to each problem. I did not take a vacation this year like past presidents have done. I worked hard each day to prove to you all that I am good enough to be your president. Gas prices have decreased. The health care issue has been solved. Our schools have raised their graduating rates by over four hundred percent. Our environment is no longer going through global warming and is the best it has been in centuries. Food stamps are no longer needed, because I have solved the issues of poverty. Social security is taken care of. Any aspect of the nation that I should have covered has been covered. If you have any issues that you think haven’t been covered, I welcome you to come up and ask me about it and I will tell you anything you would like to know. According to any statistics you can find, you will see that I have done nothing but good for this nation and I hope you can all see that and consider it when you are voting again this year. No other president in the past has been able to compare, and I take pride in all the accomplishments I have made. I am so happy to tell you this, and I hope that you do not take my happiness as arrogance. I hope that you are all as proud of me as I am of you for making this nation what it is. Growing up, I saw bad people in the world, and I saw how they brought on our downfall. Now, with me in office, crime and drugs and all illegal acts have been completely wiped out and the world is full of good people again, just like it should be. I want to thank you for your time and consideration, and I would sincerely like to remind you that if you have any problems or concerns, or even positive feedback, please feel free to call me at any time of the day or night. As your president, I want to be available at any time for you to count on my help for any matter, whether good or bad. Thank you again for your time, have a lovely evening.”
Friday, January 20, 2012
Blog 17 - Earliest Memory
What’s your earliest memory?
Some people have amazingly detailed memories: they remember having their diapers changed, standing up in their crib and crying, or their mother reading them a story at age one. Others have a difficult time remembering last year, let alone their early years.
Think back: is there one memory that you see in that distant past? What is it? Does it include people speaking to you, or is it just a picture? Does it have other sounds in it—for example, people laughing or shouting? Explain it in detail.
Are there other ancient memories you can bring up? Do they relate in any way to each other, or are they random?
Write about them.
I have one memory that popped into my head when I read this blog topic. At the time, I was two years old. My family lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Two years olds usually do not have astonishingly great memories, but I have one simple memory that always boggles my mind. My memory has no sounds. No laughing, shouting, crying, no nothing. It is one picture in my head. There are no people in this picture. The memory is actually very silly and most likely pointless, but I feel like if it was pointless why would I remember it now when I am eighteen. Sixteen years later, I always picture the doorway to my old house in Carlisle. In the way I see it, I am standing with the door open, directly in the door way facing inside. I was two, so if you try to get a visual it was only two feet up from the ground. Nothing important is in this image-memory of mine. All I see is a light green welcome mat. It doesn't have any words or cool details, just a plain old rug. I asked my parents one day, and they told me that, yes, we had a green welcome mat, why? they asked. I had absolutely positively no idea at all. I am curious to know how a rug is symbolic for anything about my old house or something from being a baby.
I know some people that can remember childhood things very well, but I am not one of them. Recently, I have been watching home videos, some from before I was even born. And then eventually, it got to nineteen ninety-four (the good ol' years) and I saw myself as a small child. I thought it was so adorable and I loved seeing myself. While I want to remember those events when I watch them happen on my television, I can't. I remember weird details that have no important meaning to me. I remember when my family moved to Lakewood, New Jersey. I remember what my old tree house looked like (mainly because it was pretty kick-ass). I remember being in kindergarten at Holy Family School, and having to do the pledge of alegiance and then pray. And then things get more vivid as I got older and I eventually moved to Bayville. I hope that I keep all of the memories that I have from all my years here, because they have been more fun than I could ever even ask for.
Some people have amazingly detailed memories: they remember having their diapers changed, standing up in their crib and crying, or their mother reading them a story at age one. Others have a difficult time remembering last year, let alone their early years.
Think back: is there one memory that you see in that distant past? What is it? Does it include people speaking to you, or is it just a picture? Does it have other sounds in it—for example, people laughing or shouting? Explain it in detail.
Are there other ancient memories you can bring up? Do they relate in any way to each other, or are they random?
Write about them.
I have one memory that popped into my head when I read this blog topic. At the time, I was two years old. My family lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Two years olds usually do not have astonishingly great memories, but I have one simple memory that always boggles my mind. My memory has no sounds. No laughing, shouting, crying, no nothing. It is one picture in my head. There are no people in this picture. The memory is actually very silly and most likely pointless, but I feel like if it was pointless why would I remember it now when I am eighteen. Sixteen years later, I always picture the doorway to my old house in Carlisle. In the way I see it, I am standing with the door open, directly in the door way facing inside. I was two, so if you try to get a visual it was only two feet up from the ground. Nothing important is in this image-memory of mine. All I see is a light green welcome mat. It doesn't have any words or cool details, just a plain old rug. I asked my parents one day, and they told me that, yes, we had a green welcome mat, why? they asked. I had absolutely positively no idea at all. I am curious to know how a rug is symbolic for anything about my old house or something from being a baby.
I know some people that can remember childhood things very well, but I am not one of them. Recently, I have been watching home videos, some from before I was even born. And then eventually, it got to nineteen ninety-four (the good ol' years) and I saw myself as a small child. I thought it was so adorable and I loved seeing myself. While I want to remember those events when I watch them happen on my television, I can't. I remember weird details that have no important meaning to me. I remember when my family moved to Lakewood, New Jersey. I remember what my old tree house looked like (mainly because it was pretty kick-ass). I remember being in kindergarten at Holy Family School, and having to do the pledge of alegiance and then pray. And then things get more vivid as I got older and I eventually moved to Bayville. I hope that I keep all of the memories that I have from all my years here, because they have been more fun than I could ever even ask for.
Blog 16 - Balance of Nature
You may have heard about the "balance of nature." What is the balance of nature, in your opinion? We know that nature consists of air, water, land, flora (plants), and fauna (animals). How can those things be in balance? How do you think the natural system works, in its push toward keeping itself in balance?
Do you think the natural world is in balance today? If so, what keeps it in balance? If not, what's knocking it out of balance?
And what about human beings? Where are we in the balance of nature? What are we doing or not doing to keep our balance?
Write about it.
The balance of nature can be described in many different ways. I am sure that every single different human being has a separate definition of it. Some might differ widely, and some might be quite similar in the long run. To me, the balance of nature is perfect. My religion leads me to believe that God created the Earth, and he did it in perfection because that's what he was. Each part of nature lives off of each other. For example, humans breathe oxygen that is constantly in the air, and in return we breathe out carbon dioxide that keeps the trees alive. The trees keep a lot of animals alive, and those animals that eat the trees get eaten by other meat-eating animals. Eventually, we eat those animals. As far as water, we are seventy-five percent water, so I'd say water was pretty important to the human body and to the survival of the trees and those same animals that eat the trees. I am fascinated by the fact that they all connect. When you get rid of one element, it can possibly kill of everything. If we did not breathe out carbon dioxide, trees would not exist. If trees did not exist, all herbivore animals would not exist. If herbivores did not exist, carnivores would not exist. If herbivores and carnivores did not exist, omnivores like myself would not exist. It is the cycle of life.
One thing that is really hurting this cycle or balance or whatever you want to call it is the fact that humans are starting to think about it less. At this point in time, we have an ozone layer that might just metaphorically get up and walk away. This can not be blamed on anyone but humans. We messed with the balance, and we might just have to pay for it if global warming really happens. As humans, our main job should be to protect our planet and make it the best it can be. Instead, you see litter on the roads and smog in the sky. This is not okay. Maybe before, people did not know the effects, but now we do, so there is no excuse as to why we still have harmful things that hurt the Earth. And one day, it is possible that humans will really pay for all of their wrongdoings and the Earth will be no more.
Do you think the natural world is in balance today? If so, what keeps it in balance? If not, what's knocking it out of balance?
And what about human beings? Where are we in the balance of nature? What are we doing or not doing to keep our balance?
Write about it.
The balance of nature can be described in many different ways. I am sure that every single different human being has a separate definition of it. Some might differ widely, and some might be quite similar in the long run. To me, the balance of nature is perfect. My religion leads me to believe that God created the Earth, and he did it in perfection because that's what he was. Each part of nature lives off of each other. For example, humans breathe oxygen that is constantly in the air, and in return we breathe out carbon dioxide that keeps the trees alive. The trees keep a lot of animals alive, and those animals that eat the trees get eaten by other meat-eating animals. Eventually, we eat those animals. As far as water, we are seventy-five percent water, so I'd say water was pretty important to the human body and to the survival of the trees and those same animals that eat the trees. I am fascinated by the fact that they all connect. When you get rid of one element, it can possibly kill of everything. If we did not breathe out carbon dioxide, trees would not exist. If trees did not exist, all herbivore animals would not exist. If herbivores did not exist, carnivores would not exist. If herbivores and carnivores did not exist, omnivores like myself would not exist. It is the cycle of life.
One thing that is really hurting this cycle or balance or whatever you want to call it is the fact that humans are starting to think about it less. At this point in time, we have an ozone layer that might just metaphorically get up and walk away. This can not be blamed on anyone but humans. We messed with the balance, and we might just have to pay for it if global warming really happens. As humans, our main job should be to protect our planet and make it the best it can be. Instead, you see litter on the roads and smog in the sky. This is not okay. Maybe before, people did not know the effects, but now we do, so there is no excuse as to why we still have harmful things that hurt the Earth. And one day, it is possible that humans will really pay for all of their wrongdoings and the Earth will be no more.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Blog 15 - Visit a Historical Time
What historical time do you wish you could visit?
Of course, the future is not historical yet, but think about particular times in the past. Maybe you’d like to visit ancient Egypt and live there for a while. Maybe you’d like to have been an Inca in South America, or a Roman soldier fighting Carthage, or a writer during the Italian Renaissance.
Maybe you’d only like to go back a short distance—say, to the 1960s, to visit the hippie days in San Francisco.
Write about the time you’d like to visit, why you’d like to visit that time, and what you would do while you are there.
I would really love to visit the time period of the early nineteen hundreds. Around this time, my grandmother was growing up. She always shows me pictures, and it truly fascinates me. I would love to visit here mainly to see what it was like growing up like that. A lot of people were in tough situations, considering the economy was horrible. But through all the lessons in history, the people seem genuinely happy and together. I would love it if the nation today seemed like we were ‘one,’ but I don’t think that is going to happen any time soon. I would also love to meet a boy in that time period. Then, chivalry was still well alive and it seemed as fun as ever. The movie Titanic was based on a true story from 1912, and it is one of the greatest love stories ever told. I would have loved to be on that ship (well, before it sank…) and see all the beautiful things that were in that movie, especially Leonardo DiCaprio. Another great love story is The Notebook. If I am not mistaken, the movie was portrayed to be in the early nineteen hundreds as well. I love the kinds of music they had, I love what they did for fun, I love that the people were so trusting of each other. If I could travel back to then, I would especially love to go to New York and see all the people interact. I would go to other states also, and see how things worked for all different people in different states. As much as I hate history classes, I am intrigued by stories that my grandparents tell me. I think that every older person has a few awesome stories up their sleeve. I would love to be in that time period and go to school. The curriculum probably hasn’t changed much… I would go to Times Square and see how different it is. I would go shopping (and probably spend a lot less money). I would talk to anyone I could and just listen to all the riveting stories and things they have to say. I might even meet a Noah Calhoun or a Jack Dawson, and go out on a date with a true gentleman. The specific things that I would do wouldn’t really even matter to me as long as I could be in that time period and witnessing and living through all of the things that they got to do. The time period is just interesting in general to me, and maybe seeing the way things were would knock a little sense into me and be a wakeup call. I wish that people now could act like they did in the old days, and dress like them, and speak with respect the way they did. I would have a blast from the past. :)
Of course, the future is not historical yet, but think about particular times in the past. Maybe you’d like to visit ancient Egypt and live there for a while. Maybe you’d like to have been an Inca in South America, or a Roman soldier fighting Carthage, or a writer during the Italian Renaissance.
Maybe you’d only like to go back a short distance—say, to the 1960s, to visit the hippie days in San Francisco.
Write about the time you’d like to visit, why you’d like to visit that time, and what you would do while you are there.
I would really love to visit the time period of the early nineteen hundreds. Around this time, my grandmother was growing up. She always shows me pictures, and it truly fascinates me. I would love to visit here mainly to see what it was like growing up like that. A lot of people were in tough situations, considering the economy was horrible. But through all the lessons in history, the people seem genuinely happy and together. I would love it if the nation today seemed like we were ‘one,’ but I don’t think that is going to happen any time soon. I would also love to meet a boy in that time period. Then, chivalry was still well alive and it seemed as fun as ever. The movie Titanic was based on a true story from 1912, and it is one of the greatest love stories ever told. I would have loved to be on that ship (well, before it sank…) and see all the beautiful things that were in that movie, especially Leonardo DiCaprio. Another great love story is The Notebook. If I am not mistaken, the movie was portrayed to be in the early nineteen hundreds as well. I love the kinds of music they had, I love what they did for fun, I love that the people were so trusting of each other. If I could travel back to then, I would especially love to go to New York and see all the people interact. I would go to other states also, and see how things worked for all different people in different states. As much as I hate history classes, I am intrigued by stories that my grandparents tell me. I think that every older person has a few awesome stories up their sleeve. I would love to be in that time period and go to school. The curriculum probably hasn’t changed much… I would go to Times Square and see how different it is. I would go shopping (and probably spend a lot less money). I would talk to anyone I could and just listen to all the riveting stories and things they have to say. I might even meet a Noah Calhoun or a Jack Dawson, and go out on a date with a true gentleman. The specific things that I would do wouldn’t really even matter to me as long as I could be in that time period and witnessing and living through all of the things that they got to do. The time period is just interesting in general to me, and maybe seeing the way things were would knock a little sense into me and be a wakeup call. I wish that people now could act like they did in the old days, and dress like them, and speak with respect the way they did. I would have a blast from the past. :)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Blog 14 - Devise a Punishment/Prison System
If people do things that society says are "wrong," should they be punished? Let's assume you think they should be punished. If you think so, then how should they be punished? Should a murderer be murdered and a thief have all of his/her things taken away?
Should there be prisons? If so, how much time should people spend in prisons for various crimes? Do you believe that if someone commits a certain number of crimes he or she should spend an entire lifetime in prison? Could people be allowed out of prisons early sometimes—before their sentence is up? In what circumstances?
What would prisons be like, in your world of justice?
Write about it.
First off I’d like to say that I think people who murder are idiots. There is probably a ninety-nine percent chance that if you commit a murder or really any type of crime, you will be tracked and caught. Since our generation is so technological, it is especially hard to get away with a crime. There are security cameras in most stores, and there can be police on your tail in a minute. Stupid people, however, need to be punished. I am not talking about a slap on the wrist; I am talking about full-fledged punishment. A good punishment should make the criminal be truly sorry and regret their actions. If someone murders another person, there is no doubt in my mind that they should be tortured slowly to their death. Shooting someone is too quick and painless, and a needle is a simple, easy escape. To sit in jail is stupid, because taxpayers are paying for their air conditioning, heat, food, etc. Why would I want to pay for anyone who is committing crimes? I don’t. If you are a thief, then you will have everything taken away from you and you can sit on the streets for all I care. I clearly feel very strongly about criminals. I know of people that have killed people, and I have even heard of serial killers. I personally think that they are the scum of the earth and they deserve nothing and especially not any sympathy from anyone. There would be no need for a prison, because if I were in charge people would be paying for crimes the right way. I do not believe in second chances. If you mess up once, why wouldn’t you mess up twice? A murderer already knows the feeling of killing someone, and maybe they are some kind of psycho that likes that feeling; well screw that, they should not be allowed into our world. If someone somehow overrode the system and got a second chance and they messed up again, first of all I wouldn’t be surprised, and second of all, that person should go die in a hole. If there had to be a prison for people to stay in, I certainly wouldn’t be paying for it, along with all the other taxpayers. If money was needed to maintain the prison, it would be taken specifically from each prisoner’s personal funds. If you were lucky enough to be put into my prison, all of your money will be automatically donated to it. There would be no AC, and no heat. Your food would be paid for by you and your other fellow inmates. If I was in charge, there would be actual justice. I don’t even care if you are sorry for what you did, because you were dumb enough to do it in the first place, and the last thing we need is more dumb people. If you are serious about offering me a position as “President of Justice,” you can contact me immediately through Facebook. ;)
Should there be prisons? If so, how much time should people spend in prisons for various crimes? Do you believe that if someone commits a certain number of crimes he or she should spend an entire lifetime in prison? Could people be allowed out of prisons early sometimes—before their sentence is up? In what circumstances?
What would prisons be like, in your world of justice?
Write about it.
First off I’d like to say that I think people who murder are idiots. There is probably a ninety-nine percent chance that if you commit a murder or really any type of crime, you will be tracked and caught. Since our generation is so technological, it is especially hard to get away with a crime. There are security cameras in most stores, and there can be police on your tail in a minute. Stupid people, however, need to be punished. I am not talking about a slap on the wrist; I am talking about full-fledged punishment. A good punishment should make the criminal be truly sorry and regret their actions. If someone murders another person, there is no doubt in my mind that they should be tortured slowly to their death. Shooting someone is too quick and painless, and a needle is a simple, easy escape. To sit in jail is stupid, because taxpayers are paying for their air conditioning, heat, food, etc. Why would I want to pay for anyone who is committing crimes? I don’t. If you are a thief, then you will have everything taken away from you and you can sit on the streets for all I care. I clearly feel very strongly about criminals. I know of people that have killed people, and I have even heard of serial killers. I personally think that they are the scum of the earth and they deserve nothing and especially not any sympathy from anyone. There would be no need for a prison, because if I were in charge people would be paying for crimes the right way. I do not believe in second chances. If you mess up once, why wouldn’t you mess up twice? A murderer already knows the feeling of killing someone, and maybe they are some kind of psycho that likes that feeling; well screw that, they should not be allowed into our world. If someone somehow overrode the system and got a second chance and they messed up again, first of all I wouldn’t be surprised, and second of all, that person should go die in a hole. If there had to be a prison for people to stay in, I certainly wouldn’t be paying for it, along with all the other taxpayers. If money was needed to maintain the prison, it would be taken specifically from each prisoner’s personal funds. If you were lucky enough to be put into my prison, all of your money will be automatically donated to it. There would be no AC, and no heat. Your food would be paid for by you and your other fellow inmates. If I was in charge, there would be actual justice. I don’t even care if you are sorry for what you did, because you were dumb enough to do it in the first place, and the last thing we need is more dumb people. If you are serious about offering me a position as “President of Justice,” you can contact me immediately through Facebook. ;)
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