final blog post

It's hard to believe that we are all already seniors. In one short fun packed, exciting, life changing, decision making filled year we will be headed of to college in whichever direction life takes us. It feels like just yesterday I was worried about starting high school and nervous about making friends. Soon, we'll have completely different obstacles to overcome. This summer probably won't be too exciting just hours upon hours spent at various pools for practice and leisure with maybe a little travel squeezed in at the end but more importantly nervous tension building up on the stressful semester ahead. Making college decisions and writing applications and a full course load but after that I look forward to soaking up what little time I have left to hang out with all of the friends I will leave behind as I start my new life at college.

Junoir Year Boi

Almost three years down the drain. That feels sooooo weird. With only senoir year to go my childhood is almost over, and I think that's really sad. But I've got one more year left and I've had an amazing junior year so I'm going to make the most of next year. This year has been the most challenging I've ever had but I think it's also been the most fun. I've had more fun in golf and in baseball than I've ever had before, and I feel like I've bonded with members of the senior class because of it. I'm going to miss everybody in the senior class as well and Henry Clay definitely won't be the same without them next year. Especially since I'm in classes with a lot of seniors it's going to be weird being the top dogs next year but I am so looking forward to it. I may have senioritis as a junoir but I plan on making senior year an awesome ride and getting into the college of my dreams.

Blah Blah Blog

I'd say I've had a pretty average year. Nothing too huge happened in my life. I did a lot of good tv-watching. 

Hmmmm yep. Nothing stands out to me.

I guess what I can comment on is the fact that I kinda sorta made some new buddies this year. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I owe that all to LeakyCon I believe. I was put into a situation where I could easily socialize with anyone because I knew we had a common interest. So I kinda developed a new...ability,  I guess you could call it, for socializing. I'm still by no means a chatty Cathy or anything, but I feel like I'm more able to talk to people that I know fairly well without anxiety. I even developed a nice little group of friends that I hang around with every once and a while. I will admit that I'm still almost entirely dependent on Annie when it comes to social situations, but I've still branched out a bit more than I previously would have. I don't think that was exactly what this blog prompt was going for, so I'll talk a bit about some other junk as well. 

This year I've actually really enjoyed all my classes. Sure, when I go home and think about having to go to school the next day, I moan about it, but when I start thinking about it, I wouldn't actually want to miss any of my classes because I like them all so much. Hopefully it'll be the same for next year. And I think I'll end this blog on that note because I do not want to start thinking about the impending senior year yet. So long, blog! I'll miss you. It's been real. 

End of Year 3

Almost to the end……everyone is saying it and all I pick up on is end. It’s so close but the key word is almost. Almost seems to drag on forever making this time of the school year the worst. This year has been great but I’m so ready for it to be over. I would have to say when upperclassmen told me this would be the worst year of high school I just laughed and took it as a joke but they really weren’t kidding and I probably should’ve taken them seriously. Overall this year has been a success. I have made it through (so far) without any huge mess ups or mistakes. It may not have been my perfect year but it went alright. I succeeded in keeping my grades acceptable and failed in time management but what else is new? I thoroughly enjoyed this year and I am proud of myself. This summer I hope to have lots of fun and prepare myself for college apps so that senior year I am not drowned in them. I want senior year to be fun and not very stressful so hopefully I will manage my time well and it will turn out as planned!

This is life

Junior year has been fairly average in nearly ever way. Some friendships grew while others dwindled. As a person in many regards I grew and yet in others I seem to have shrank. I survived minor dilemmas and powered through deadlines. Academically speaking this has been my hardest year to date and unfortunately the work ethic that carried me stunningly through fist semester has dwindled leaving a mediocre lackadaisical drive within me. I anxiously await the end of this year, but dread the upcoming AP tests and finals which will all have a major impact on my grades and future. This year has been one in which I challenged myself to enjoy life no matter the circumstance and with a brief list of exceptions I was successful. I am extremely excited about the coming summer as I will be participating in GSP. I think the experience will do me good. Immediately following GSP I will be boarding a plane bound for Honduras, a place that became a second home to me. As for the future, I wish to remain open to what it brings. I hope academically and collegiately next year is a success, but I plan to take it in stride and as I look at colleges and push myself in the classroom I simply hope to be satisfied with the work I do and the decisions I make. I wish to spend my last year of high school without regret and having success as a friend, student, athlete, president, and human being.

Where does the time go?

It seems like only 2 years and 8 months ago that I was walking the halls of Henry Clay as a freshman.  But I don't need to go back that far for this post. Junior was an ok year academically, a lots of B's. I did get out of the house more, socially, and that was a great thing. Went to a few parties, oddly, I think they were all Dunbar parties... Oh well senior year I'll try to make more appearances at Clay parties! This summer I was really hoping to get into GSP but I guess I wasn't what they were looking for. So I found a couple other programs and conferences to go to and attend. As a junior I was able to buy my own ticket for prom, but instead of going to Clay's, I strangely chose to attend Creek's instead. I feel like I didn't address this blog the way Logdog wanted... But oh well.

THE FUTURE

This has been a year of transitions and learning, to say the least. I'm kind of afraid of launching into everything that happened for fear that this will turn into a personal diary; I'll just try to compact it into something interesting but brief. I want to say I've learned a lot about myself, but let's face it, that's pretty dang cheesy.

Essentially, my junior year load was hard, or at least harder than last year. (If you thought it was easy... well, I probably just need to manage things better.) And a lot of drama managed to make its way into my life from outside of school, so that was actually pretty hard. But then, some good things happened. I relied on my friends a lot during the aforementioned drama, and I found out who's good for what; some people are good to talk to, some people are good about letting me stay at their house to mope, some people are good for just being there. In an unrelated but also good note, I started driving, which made me feel a lot older and more independent. And, of course, college visits happened! So college seems a lot more real to me--in fact, it feels like I'm going to college, not senior year, next year. I'm afraid I've contracted an early case of senioritis.

Overall, junior year's been amazing and also atrocious. There have been times when I've laughed so hard I cried, and some times where I thought my life was pretty much in the dumps. I guess that's life, though, and I guess that's the future; it'll be great and it'll be difficult and it'll be everything in between.

(Dang it, I was trying to avoid being cheesy. Sorry. I guess I can't stop myself.)

Blog Post #23--I'm just a believer

As some of you know, I was recently in our school's spring play.  The cast of this show actually comprised of a lot of freshmen--compared to normal, anyway.  So, all of the freshies are in the Academy, and sometimes the other juniors and seniors and I would tell them of what they have to come--the Gatsby party, the Big Lab, AP world and APUSH, Mr. Pope's collection of phrases.
Talking about all of this made me realize how far we've come as a class.  From Mr. Lentz's impossible Iliad test to our recent APUSH EOC, we've done and accomplished so much in the past three years.

I'm sorry.  Three years?!

It feels like Freshman Year was so long ago, yet not long ago at all.  Time has passed pretty quickly, this year especially.  It's crazy to think that in one year, I will know exactly where I'm going to college and what I'm going to start doing in life (hopefully).  Next year, we're going to be the top dogs.  It's hard to believe.

So, this assignment is supposed to be all about what I've succeeded and failed at, and quite honestly, I'm coming up short with a lot of things to say.  I mean, sure I was in a couple plays!  Yay!  And maybe my studying habits could have been better this year, but really, besides those two things, it is pretty difficult to come up with specific instances of success and failure.  This year has been more of a giant blob of stuff that's happened.  I could list different things that have happened for you, good and bad, but it's sort of hard to reflect on everything because it's all been sort of mushed together:  the year started, the work load got rough, I had rehearsals a lot, I visited a college, Thanksgiving got here, finals happened, Christmas came and went, I got sick a lot, my Nana passed away, I got sick some more, I went back to Chicago, I had a few mental breakdowns, rehearsals started again, prom happened, I got sick again, and well, here we are.

Despite how everything was sort of mushed into one giant event, I think one trait of this year sticks out.  I really feel like I've--we all have--gotten older.  I feel old.  I know I shouldn't; I'm sixteen.  But still, I can't quite get the feeling out of my head.  I'm driving now; I'm narrowing down my college list; I'm really planning my life.  It's just weird and responsible.  I don't really feel like I did last year.  I look at my freshman and sophomore friends and I can really tell that there's a difference between us.  Yeah, I know this is all a really bad explanation, but I don't know how else to describe it.  I guess it feels like I'm growing up.  ...Is it bad that I don't know whether I like it or not?

Anyway, this summer's plans are still being decided!  I just got off of a Skype call with my mentor, and we're still working things out, but it looks like I'll be staying with her and her family in Long Island, New York for several weeks this summer!  I'm learning Malagasy (the language spoken in Madagascar besides French) for part of my project, and this time spent with my mentor will allow me to have nearly-full immersion with the spoken language!  Yay!  After these few weeks, I plan on visiting several colleges with my parents, which should be quite fun.

Good gravy, senior year is so close, it's hard to imagine.  I guess I do have some things lined up, but as of right now things aren't officially planned.  I'm trying to get a tap solo at the company that I dance with, which is something that I really want.  I'm not sure if it's going to work at all (my family is sort of money-tight right now), but I'm still hoping!  Also, our school is going to be doing another musical next year, and I would love to be a part of it!  Oh, and to top all of this off, I'm going to apply to colleges (like everyone else).  The fact that I'm actually going to be applying in a couple of months kind of scares me.

So that's pretty much it!  The past year has been a crazy ride, but I'm honestly going to be very glad when it ends.  I think summer will really help me gain back some of the sanity that I've lost this year.

I think this song that I recently discovered describes the optimistic feelings I have about the coming year:
Believer by American Authors

Applicable Lyrics: 
I'm just a believer that things will get better.  Some can take it or leave it, but I don't wanna let it go.

Goodbye 3rd hour blog!  It's been a fun journey!
Your friend,
Anna

Best Year so Far, Don't Waste your Summer!

You're done!  - well almost
Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.
Tell us about it.
Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

This year... was without a doubt the best out of the three years so far I have spent at Henry Clay. Probably a close second to my eigth grade year for best school year ever, which I expect will be beaten by senior year hands down. Freshman year, in the same way as first grade and sixth grade, is the worst out of the lot. New school means leaving all your friends behind and scrambling around looking for people to fill the holes. Within days, clic's already form and socail groups close their doors, leaving you feeling a little isolated. That was freshman year to me. I struggled to find friends and as a result developed a kind of facade of an "I don't give a damn" attitude which ultimately failed. Plus I was around a six or seven inches shorter and barely fit into my men's size clothes. After that, sophomore year was a transition into this year. I physically changed dramatically, and if you don't believe me check my Facebook. And I also opened up to more people and truly began to act like myself and not be as socially akward and conforming.

That is what I think is my greatest accomplishment this year, becoming more of an individual and experimenting with new things and ideas. I shunned off the pressure of the "corn-pone" opinions that previously held me down. And I actually learned to not be discouraged or angered by other people and their circumstances. Along with that, I learned and still am learning to drive my car which is always an adventure. Overcoming my fear of learning to drive, and becoming the master of my domain, that is the Kia Forte Koup, was a highlight of my LIFE. Oh, and I didn't fail at all this year because I am just too legit. Well, I could've done slightly better when it comes to grades, but that's okay, I for one do not wish to be shipped off to some liberal arts, Ivy League, and snobby university on the atlantic coast.

I really don't know of any risks that I took this year, however. As tempting as it might be in high school, I have chosen to abstain from drinking like a 40 year old dad and smoke summa dat kush. No. I am not going to waste my time trashing my body at the expense of my peers and innocent bystanders. Not going to happen. I guess you could say asking a senior to prom was a big risk, but I don't know. We were both good friends and it turned out to be one of the greatest nights of my life.

And finally, as this school year comes to a close, I really hope to spend a lot of time with my friends this summer and enjoying my adolescence while I still have it, because after high school, your fun is over. Your going to be working 7 days a week hosting tables at some eatery, even in the summer to pay off student loans and other expenses (car payment, rent, bills, food, etc.). Then you work in your career, slaving away all your summers until your 65. So when I hear people talk about how they are attending 5 summer school programs, simply for the sole reason of putting that on your college resume, it hurts my sole to see them wasting away their time. I have to concur with my good friend Andrew Mason, life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop to look around for a while, you might miss it. This summer should be spent on vacations, hanging out with friends, and being a teenager, not sacrificing half of it to be in summer school! Seriously people, if you are thinking about summer programs for resume flair, drop those plans right now.

To a long and happy summer for all,
Zack Hamblen

Can we not?

I hate to say that we're almost done with this place and at the same time I can't wait to leave. I feel like even through all our differences we've sort of become a family. However, I can't wait to go off to college. My senior year, I think the first thing I want to do is get my letter from my past self from Mr. Lentz and laugh at how lame I was, and probably still am. I want to continue to annoy Mr. Behler until the day I walk across the stage on graduation day, and although I have no set goal for this, I will do it. Don't doubt me. I'm almost certain he doesn't. Successes? I actually pushed past my pride to rekindle some friendships I was certain I had lost forever. Failures? I continue to suck at the Hunger Games: Timed Writing Edition. Lessons learned? Never doesn't actually mean never. I also came to find I have self-diagnosed number dyslexia. Feel free to shake your head at me.

Junior Year

You're done!  - well almost
Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.
Tell us about it.
Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

Going into junior year I was very intimidated by my course load, and knew it was going to be difficult to get the grades I wanted to while maintaining a social life, extracurriculars, etc. I am pleased to say that I have somewhat succeeded (except AP Bio but who cares it's over). I have kept my close group of friends and had tons of fun with them and avoided Cs so that's my success. My failures are not getting all A's even though I wasn't expecting to, and not improving my golf game as I had hoped. I have taken some small risks but nothing substantial enough to write on this blog, so I won't. This summer I am hoping on studying abroad in Spain for 3 weeks! I don't know if i can persuade my parents but I'm hoping. Besides that I will go to the pool, play golf, and enjoy my friends' company (some will be going off to college). Senior year I plan to take another challenging course load and will be applying to selective colleges. I will need to be very determined and focused in order to avoid procrastination and get into my number 1 college. 

Future/Junior Year

The future scares me a bit, as I'm sure it does everyone. The reason for this isn't because I don't feel absolutely prepared (thanks to my teachers, family, friends, and just everyone in my life) but it's because, this year, I've learned that hard work doesn't necessarily mean success. This was a hard lesson for me to learn but it came at a good time. It also helped me to learn that if you fail at something once, you can give it your all and even more the second shot. And if your second shot doesn't ever roll around you can always make other, if not better, opportunities for yourself.

Junior year marks the year in my life that I've probably had the most failures. But, at the same time, I'm grateful for this because I've learned the most from my mistakes this year. My GSP application is one example. After getting alternate for GSP (which by the way, I don't consider a failure! I'm honored to be an alternate) I looked back at my application and realized just how much of a mistake it was. For starters, like 99% of my application was music and GSP is definitely not a music program... I guess, when I need to "rave about myself" the first thing that pops into mind is what I've accomplished as a musician. Music isn't in any means the only thing I've done, but it is the easiest aspect of my life to brag about. After realizing how much of my application was focused on violin, I started considering my other interests and wondered why I hadn't included them on my application. This was a big eye opener and something I'll consider when applying to colleges. 

Moving on from talking about failing... Junior year has been the best academic year of my entire life. Yes it has been relentlessly stressful at times, but every single one of my classes has challenged me in some way, shape, or form. My teachers are all dedicated to helping  me grow and improve which is something I highly appreciate. The support has been tremendous and even though it's been exhausting, it has been rewarding. This summer my plans are to begin my mentoring project, go on college visits, volunteer/fundraise, and prepare for college auditions! 

The Future

Soundtrack: "Future Sick" - Neon Indian - Era Extraña (Mom + Pop - 2011)

Now that I've been given a chance to reflect it hardly seems possible. I have always had a problem with this exercise because my memory is less than satisfactory. I imagine that I have some dreadful cataloguing error which stores my life in the places I can never look. Regardless, I find myself coming up short when contemplating successes and failures and lessons learned. However, I know that I have succeeded and failed and learned quite a lot, but I think I absorb these events into my very character so that I am indistinguishable from my very actions. If one must know how I've succeeded or failed or what it is that I have learned, they must only know me. That being said I can speak to one specific risk and arguable success this past year in the realm of poetry. I have always written poetry since middle school (albeit bad), but my craft has been improving steadily so that by sophomore year, I started to rather enjoy some of the words that I arranged. This year, I learned of the "Teen Howl Poetry Series" which takes place the first Thursday of every month, and I decided to see what it was about. Upon attending I learned that it was an open mic opportunity for young poets to read their work with a chose feature reader closing with multiple poems. My second time attending I read and was received with great enthusiasm. By March, I myself was the feature reader, and I continue to read each month. I feel quite validated by the whole experience because most of my art in every form is kept in my head, never reaching the ears or eyes or minds of others. Junior year has been an experience in itself just as any other year, and I think it would be inappropriate to compare it to others. I have had incredible highs and treacherous lows, and I think I will be alright. This summer, I hope to get working on my script and score for my mentoring project film. I hope to get back to running now that it's warm out. I hope to use this free time to record the countless albums that I have written and resounding in my head. I fear many things, but to commit them to bits would dignify them in some way, so I think I'd better not. Senior year will be a chance for me to buckle down and face my impending reality. I will try to have fun though. I'll close with a poem that I wrote for my feature performance.

Somniorum Opus

When I, weary and broken, collapse into comfort,
I am not going to sleep.

Sleep is a vulgar practice
For its cruel command over all times
Forcing its thick veil over every mind
At the slightest exertion.

No, the relief I seek is more rare and complete.
Slumber, deep and satisfying.
True repose.

But though my body may lie contorted in delight,
My mind takes to flight, escaping at last to paradise.
The magnificence of dreams, so it seems, is infinite.

It's...
The warm embrace,
The seamless transition to superconsciousness,
This natural tendency for the magical
That is so extraordinary.

Always staged in mindful hybrids
Of former homes and schools and churches,
My dreams soak in nostalgia and longing,
Above all a passage back to youth and unresolved tension.

My dreams allow for expression,
Unhindered by fear of reproach and rejection.
They are a sanctuary.

No even in nightmares,
This black plane from which I raise my empire
Is not the clutch of death but is a life itself.

Yet, so foolishly, I covet a moment of control,
For what beauty might escape the touch of man?
What grace might remain unsoiled?

It's all a veritable sea of Freudian associations,
Extending out past eternity.
So abandon wakeful aims, brave sailor,
When so delightfully inanimate.
Bask in its immediacy and grandeur,
For it has surpassed reason
For if even a brief moment of jumbled clarity.

And... though I hardly remember my travels,
Sometimes I just wake up smiling.

future

This year went by so fast, its almost scary. I remember when i was a little sophomore everyone would warm me that "junior year is the worst year of your life" and "junior year is terrible i hated it." But honestly, i have loved junior year. Although the work load has been a little heavy and school is sometimes stressful, it has been the most fun year hands down. I have successfully kept my grades up, made new friends, kept old ones, and have matured and grown so much over the course of the year. Failures? Mistakes? I can honestly say i cant think of any, maybe studied a little more for apush. Ive learned that you don't have to always impress people, being yourself will always help you in the long run. I could not be more excited for this summer. I am going to gulf shores, sanibel, possibly younglife camp, and possibly Cumberland island! Its definitely going to be a summer for the books. I want my senior year to go smoothly, but not too fast. I want to enjoy it. I want to live it up one last time with all of the amazing friends i have made throughout high school. My goals are to, obviously, get into to college and just enjoy myself. I'm about to start crying, high school has been amazing and i cant wait to see what the future has in store for me!

Future

School is school. I don't prefer to reflect upon my time at school at all. Not because it's completely awful, but because I spend so much time inside of this institution, that when I finally get a break I want to focus on something else, such as playing basketball or swimming. I refuse to answer the question "How was school?" when my mom asks it, because I can't accurately convey just how tedious, boring, and often inane some of my classes are. But for the sake of receiving a full grade on this assignment, I will talk about my experiences in this school year. The biggest parts of my year were probably choosing a mentoring project, and taking the ACT. my ACT score was neither good nor bad. When I saw the score I was not impacted emotionally at all. I'm also glad that I decided on a mentoring project focused on a topic that I'm really interested in (writing), but I am stressed out at times because I don't know if it will turn out exactly as I envision it. I don't expect much in my senior year. I hope it is just like this year, and I also hope that I discover that I have a real talent for writing.

(almost) Senior Year!!!!!!!!

This is it! Junior year is almost done (thank goodness)!!!!! This year has had its ups and downs for me from having the honor to perform in a state wide music festival to being sick (as I am now) to losing a grandparent to experiencing my first college visits. Lets start with the bad. Well I have failed to constantly get my homework done at night (still working on it) and I have failed to get an A on a history test... But on the other hand, I was accepted into NHS and a foreign exchange program this summer and my math score jumped 6 points on the ACT! Another huge success was getting both Mrs. Dewees and Mrs. Gill as teachers (a HUGE thanks to Mrs. Barnes)! Lessons learned? Choose lab partners wisely, some people are reallllllyyyy bad at sarcasm, and I need more sleep than 6 hours every night (thanks teachers)! This summer is going to be crazy! The first bit is devoted to ACT prep and going to counselor training camp for my church camp (till about june 8th). Then its a northern loop of college visits and more church camp both as a camper and a counselor in training (CIT). And then July. I leave on July second to fly to IRELAND!!!! with the foreign exchange program! We visit for a week and a half and then an irish student comes back to the us and visits here! I am very excited to have this experience getting to travel abroad! Yay!!! Next year is going to be amazing. My mentoring project, or what options I have narrowed it down to, is absolutely incredible and I am looking forward to it!

Almost done!!

Junior year. You know everyone always says that junior year is the hardest year in high school. I disagree. While yes, you have to get the good grades to show colleges that you are ready, I do not feel like the classes I took this year were not any more challenging then the one classes from freshman and sophomore year. That may just be my opinion because I did not take AP Chemistry or AP Biology. But, I will say that I have enjoyed my junior year.
Sucesses: Well, some have to come from fencing of course. Taking 15 in Reno after being extremely ill the day before was an awesome success. Grades are undeniably a success to be proud of. Oh, any you can't for get the success of recieving my liscense (Most likely the most important success.)
Failures: Well, I can not think of any major failures this junior year. Not that I have been perfect at everything I did this year but I did not fail anything. I like to stay positive about my life any not dwell on any failures.
Lessons learned: I have learned so many lessons this year, many of which are too personal to announce to the world. Actually, all of the lessons I learned are too personal to share:) Sorry guys!
Risks taken: My junior year has been to packed with studying, and fencing I honestly have not had the chance to take any worthy risks.
Yep, that is my junior year. I cannot say that it was the most interesting year of my life. But, I can say that I enjoyed it for the most part. Being a busy busy person makes a lot difficult. I will admit to regretting not getting a large amount of time in with my friends but that has (in a sense) payed off with great grades. I am happy with how my junior year has turned out.
What will I do this summer? Simple. Relax. Read. Fence. Attend a Brandeis Fencing Camp. Work. And most importantly hangout with my best friends.
Senior year! That I am looking forward to. Senior year is the last year of grade school! From this last year, I want to have a great experience. I want to establish myself more as a leader. I would like to complete more community service than just the requirements. Next year brings coaching responsibilities for fencing as that is my mentoring project. I want to grow to be exactly who I would like to be senior year. I plan to reach these goals my going to do community service as much as possible. I plan on being more evolved in Student Council and other clubs. I plan on working my hardest academically.
I am extremely excited for senior year and to learn just where I will be attending college for the next four years of my life. I am excited to see if any fencing coaches decide to recruit me to be on their team. I am simply filled with excitement.

Chill, Man

The one think I think I've realized this year is this:

You just gotta relax, man.

People take school and life too seriously. There's a time to study and a time to focus on school, but its not all-encompassing. There's so much more out there to experience than what you can learn in a textbook, and I think a lot of kids, especially Academy kids, forget that sometimes.

We worry so much about the expectations of others, and about the pressure of doing well in school, that we forget that it's all gonna work out in the end. Sometimes you gotta blow off studying for that test to hang with your friends or family. Its not the end of the world if you don't get into your dream school, you can have awesome experiences somewhere else.

But you gotta get out and do stuff, people. Experience the world, laugh it up with your friends. Because one day, you're gonna be sittin' at home with a spouse and a baby, tryin' to hold down a stressful job, thinking to yourself "I should've gone out in high school, because I sure as hell ain't goin out now".

People, high school is awesome, and we've got one year left of it. Don't waste it by taking 6 AP classes and stressing yourself to death. Relax, man, let it all be sublime. Breathe and have some fun.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."- John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The Future

At the end of my sophomore year, I was extremely nervous about entering my junior year of high school. Some pretty challenging classes loomed before me including this class and when Mr. Logsdon came to visit our English class last year I was very intimidated (no offense Mr. Logsdon) about the high quality work I would have to produce in the coming year in all of my classes, not just English.

As it turns out, I really enjoyed each of my classes this year finding new passions in math and physics as well as discovering my own writing style that I had never really understood before AP Lang. and Comp. Moreover, while my sometimes tangential conservations with Mr. Pope irritated some people in my class, APUSH really made my year a great year academically because I felt that I got to know the American identity as a person, not just a period of time in history. In addition to my enjoyment of the curriculum, I really enjoyed strengthening friendships with teachers and starting new ones while I actually lost a teacher midyear due to personnel issues.

To be quite honest, it was not that great of a year on a personal level and I realized that I have made so many mistakes in the past and I am currently trying to work on them in preparation for my senior year when I hope to be the best person I can possibly be (like Annie Bradford: it is impossible to be angry at Annie). In a way, I plan on focusing on my mistakes from my past years of high school and embarking on my own "quete du soi" or personal quest to truly find myself and while it seems cliche, it is important to me that I know who I am before I begin my life as an adult.

This year turned out to be relatively risk free with the riskiest thing I have done is gone zip-lining if that counts as a risky activity.

Over the summer I am planning on volunteering for a significant amount of time at the Best Friend's Day Center, fundraising for the Walk to End Alzheimer's, working on my mentoring project, and attending GSP (this might change, I am trying to find out if I was chosen to be a Page for Senator McConnell but since the Ashley Judd scandal  his office won't answer its phones or respond to emails). I am excited about GSP because I feel that it will be a great time to really experience new subject areas that I have explored before and it will give me some time to find myself personally, which is really my largest priority for the summer. At the end of summer, I will be working on the Common App and supplements, but I have finished all my college visits (yay!).

My biggest goal for next year is seriously focusing on my mentoring project and having all my college applications finished before November 1st. It may be a lofty goal, but it is not set in stone at this point. I plan on reaching these goals by getting as much work done over the summer as possible while staying very organized with a giant calendar for all my important due dates.

BTW: I am kind of sad that this is our last blog of the year. I really enjoyed these expressions of opinion and emotion so thank you Mr. Logsdon for reading each and every blog. I felt like it was a great opportunity to express ourselves in a personal way with each other that was unique and interesting.

lovin life i guess

Oh my goodness gracious, this year has been magnificent and wonderful and I feel like it's been so much more than I ever thought it would be and it's just been so different.

The biggest thing that's probably changed my whole year has been my lack of volleyball. I know it's something I probably talk about a lot, but not playing has changed so much. I learned that I didn't have to identify as an athlete to be taken seriously (why did I think this?? I have no idea), I learned that there are so many more fun ways to work out other than jump roping constantly and doing squats like there's no tomorrow (I got to play some super fun indoor soccer), and I learned that there are things I enjoy WAY more than waking up at 5 AM every Saturday morning to play in a hot gym for 14 hours and spending lots of my time in spandex shorts. I mean, I know that's what I loved about playing volleyball, but it feels like such a relief to not worry about it.

What I learned is that I L O V E to bake and cook. I mean, I used to not be able to successfully make coffee (??now I live on making coffee??), but I find a serious comfort in having a kitchen full of supplies and a recipe to follow- if there are step by step instructions on how to make something, I feel a little bit invincible. And then everything is yummy at the end!

And that taught me that I like to craft, which taught me that I like to make monogrammed shirts, and that I loved starting my own business and that I loved to write by starting my own blog. I've learned that I love to learn (I know it's cheesy and it sounds like I'm a suck up but I'm being dead serious). I've learned that I love to feel like I can do something and that I love feeling like I'm on top of the world and that I love what I believe in and I love my friends and my family and I even like being by myself (even when everyone else is out). I love a LOT.

What I'm most excited about this summer is this program I'm going to be in through the Wharton school at Penn, called Leadership in the Business World. I feel like I talk about it a lot, but I cannot explain my enthusiasm (this is why me and Helen are friends). What's most exciting is that I'm actually going to be on the San Francisco campus (!!!!!!!!) and will spend three glorious weeks in SF and then fly to Philadelphia for the last week. We'll work on business plans and meet with execs from Google and eBay and live and breathe business and economics. And the people there will be from ALL over the world: New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Turkey, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, London, Paris, and so many more places. I'm honestly the most 'diverse', being a normal white girl from Kentucky. But this summer will be crazy, I'll be in Wingate, NC for church camp, then my family's going to Boston for vacation (it'll be weird now knowing the circumstances), and then I'll fly across the country to SF.. it makes my mom want to cry knowing I'll be by myself.

But I'm being dead serious when I say that this year has been GREAT. It makes me excited for senior year and college but not want to leave this high school that I love. Everything about this year has been great- even all the stresses and worries and anxiety have been worth it. I can't even put into words how happy I am.

The Future

I definitely consider this to be a learning year for me. I feel like I let immaturity and lack of discipline creep up on me in the fall semester. I may no longer have my consecutive A's streak, but I still think I developed a much better work ethic, which is more valuable than any record or GPA. Probably the biggest thing I've learned so far is to not dwell on what others are doing. Not trying to sound pretentious, but why should I give a Hoover Dam about who got what score on the ACT? There's no reason to be jealous or discouraged about what others do. It's more about focusing on what you can control while praising others who follow the same motivated path. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a very competitive person. I see a ton of people (even some in the Academy) who may have it slightly better than I do. Maybe they have more connections, more friends, better test scores, better GPA's, etc. Of all that stuff I just mentioned, what can I control? Nothing. All I can do is work as hard as can trying to improve my abilities and raise my game. Everything else will just fall into place.

As for future plans, I've started to narrow down my college list during the second semester. Right now, I have it down to about 6 or 7 schools. Here's how I have the top 6 ordered right now.
George Washington
UVA
North Carolina
American U.
Kentucky
George Mason

I really loved my trips to both GW and UVA over Spring Break. Both had really nice campuses and first class academic resources. Haven't had the chance to visit American or UNC yet, but I'm hoping I will be able to over the next few months. I'm planning to major in Political Science with a Pre-Law track, which is part of what made GW so appealing.

What I'm most looking forward to is this summer. I was able to get into CHA at Murray State, which runs for 3 weeks in mid-June. That's going to be a great opportunity to get away from it all and live the college experience firsthand. I'm also going to hit the ground running on my mentoring project this summer. I'll be working with MyClyns helping them introduce new healthy cleaning and sanitation products into 7 pilot FCPS Schools (Henry Clay included). One of the major parts is replacing the Purell dispensers with new alcohol-free and scent-free hand sanitizer. It probably means I'll have to wage war with some of our school's scented hand sanitizer supporters (You know who you are), but I think our products will have a successful debut. Shout out Mrs. Logsdon for helping me set up my project and agreeing to serve as my mentor.

The Future

               As cliché as it is, junior year has flown by. I remember dreading the first day of school and dreading the monotony that this year would surely bring but now all I want to do is go back to the beginning and have little more time to figure out what I want to do and to de-stress a little. Junior year marked our upperclassmanship, and dang, that is crazy.

               The biggest success of junior year is not pulling all of my hair out and having an emotional breakdown in the middle of school with the amount of just stuff that’s been thrown at me. People always say that junior year is the toughest academically and I’ve been able to deal with it, so that’s always a plus.

               Failures have such a negative sense of finality to them and I just don’t like it. Maybe it’s because I don’t like to admit defeat. However, I can own up to the hundreds of mistakes that I’ve made this year. I really should’ve dedicated myself more academically instead of getting so easily distracted by literally all the things. I should’ve taken more initiative in my outside activities and put more effort into them. Hopefully next year I’ll keep these in mind, but by this time next year I can already see an awful case of senioritis taking root in me.

               This year has been quite risk free. I think the riskiest it’s gotten is …… starting Physics web homework a few hours before it was due? It wasn’t the most stress free Sunday night ever. Well actually, I officially started driving this year. There’s a pretty big risk. From that I learned that people can get incredibly aggressive when they can’t see your face and that they can be quite self-centered.

               I’m planning on traveling a bit over the summer to do college visits, but the bulk of my summer will be spent at GSP. And doing summer homework and volunteering at the hospital if I can. Summer marks the beginning of freaking out over college things, so it should be fun filled and happy times. Yay.

               My biggest goal is to get all of my applications done before the hour before applications are due. And in order to do this I’m going to have the most organized planner ever. I’m thinking about getting an agenda just for application dates and things, but that might be overkill. My second goal is to not become terribly apathetic and contract senioritis, and so far I haven’t got a game plan for that, but it’ll worked on sooner or later. 

Blog #23

It's unbelievable that my junior year is almost over. I remember being crazy stressed for this year because everyone talked about how it was all about college planning and tons of work. Surprisingly, this year was not so bad. I'd say it was filled with exponentially more successes than failures. My homework was almost always completed (aside from 2 times where I felt very bad for not doing it), my grades have all been favorable, and I survived the ACT. Granted, I still have AP exams and finals to worry about, but my worrying is not being wasted on subjects that I am certain to pass. Over summer I plan to begin my mentoring project, go on college visits, and generally read as many books as possible. I try to beat my record of the number of books read per summer, and my current record is 20 books. As for my senior year, I simply want to enjoy it and experience as much high school as possible. I'm extremely excited for all my classes I am going to take and I believe I'll have a lot of fun next year. Like Tristan, I'm going to try to become more involved in school activities because I, too, sit at home and wish I had something to do. Overall, I hope senior year is amazing, will prepare me for my future, and lessen my debilitating fear of the future.

EL FUTURO

Your done!  - well almost
Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.Tell us about it.


First off, please note that it is *You're. 

Okay, I'm done being sassy. Actually, maybe not. Because for me, this year can be summed up in the frank hashtag of #thesassisreal. Junior year has been incredibly stressful for me because I've been juggling piano, school, standardized tests, volunteering, applications, club requirements, you know, the usual. And just like everyone else, I've had a few all-nighters and nervous breakdowns which have resulted in high levels of relentless sass. I guess that could count as my risk taken. If I see you twisting a story because you suffer from a severe case of self-victimization, then you better BELIEVE i will point it out. That's just one example of my sass. Usually, my facial expressions give it all away. Rumor has it that I do some serious, blatant eye-rolling without knowing (or do I). Basically, I've decided to be sassy because that is WHO I AM am i right ha. ha. ha. I sound like Adam Kiser AM I RIGHT. 
I spent a nice, long time trying to be a sweetheart like Annie Bradford (it is physically impossible to be mean to her) but I realized that I am just not that nice of a person. I am sassy. (euphemism for obnoxious and bratty?)

I'll sum up my very extensive list of successes (jk jk jk) with one word: March. March is always an Asian's busiest month. I'm serious; ask any Asian and I GUARANTEE that he or she will concur with me. This March, I had two piano competitions, followed by the ACT and the SAT in the same week, KHSSL state for Speech and Debate, and a very important summer program application to complete. I know that might not sound like too much, but they all overlapped so I almost died. 

This summer will probably be the greatest and most educational summer of MY MEAGER EXISTENCE. 

Here's some background on what I'm about to gush about:
The Medill School of Journalism has been consistently ranked as the #1 or #2 school of journalism in the country. They host the Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute, which is a 5-week summer program for experienced high school journalists. The 84 students live in a dorm on Northwestern's campus and take classes in print, broadcast, digital, and audio journalism. Basically, the program prepares high schoolers for college and media careers. Students receive individual instruction from famous journalists and current Medill professors, and visit professional media outlets like CBS Chicago and the Chicago Tribune.

So a while back, I annoyed all of my friends with incessant comments regarding this journalism program I just happened to come across over the Internet. My interest transformed into an all-out unhealthy obsession that literally drove me to insanity.
 Fortunately, however, that insanity led me to create probably the strongest application of my life. Y’all have no idea how many edits were sprawled across my desk, how many nights I fretted over my writing samples, how many times I daydreamed of an acceptance letter.And so it happened. When I got in, my tear ducts decided to think, “you know, now would be a great time to make an appearance.” I started crying that really ugly cry we all have; i’m talking the whole shabang—skewed face, heaves, sputtering breaths, quick tears.I’m super pumped about this. This has been a crucial part of my dream for a very, very long time. I still can’t believe I got in to begin with!!

Sure I'd love to make friends with some of the international students (they're from Guam, France, Indonesia, El Salvador, etc!!!!) and explore Chicago, but above all else,  I hope to grow and be challenged and walk away from the program as a more coherent and forceful writer.

Walking on a Bed of Grass on a Windy Day Getting into a Bubbly Mood

"Walking on a Bed of Grass on a Windy Day Getting into a Bubbly Mood"
1. Pick the perfectly temperatured, windy day.
2. Put on something that flattering
3. Put in Headphones
4. Walk towards the nearest open field while listening to this playlist and you should get into a bubbly mood.

Always Like This -  Bombay Bicycle Club

Here we are provided with almost an introductory song into the realm of bubbliness as we introduce a piece that uplifts the spirits of the listener with drum beats, soothing melodies, and euphoric rhythmic patterns. 

This Head I Hold - Electric Guest
This song is perfect for beginning your transition into a bubbly mood as its upbeat temp and leading vocalist transform your emotions into a swirl of upbeat emotions. (the actual song doesnt have the random cut scene the music video does but im still showing you it because its hilarious and provides a perfect satirical analysis on today's society.)

Money - The Drums
This song provides a sense of urgency towards happiness and the main chorus to the song is "before i die, id like to do something nice."

Kites - The Geographers
Now that the past three songs have transitioned the listener into a bubbly enough mood it is time to progress from simple bubbliness to a feeling of true, unwarranted happiness. This songs synthesized beats and tenor of a vocalist combined with an intense back beat take the listener towards happiness.

Doses and Mimosas - Cherub
In order to ensure your happiness continues for the rest of the day you need a song that has such a strong rhythmic vibe to it that you feel a sudden urge to dance. Cherub's, Doses and Mimosas , though it may contain an explicit message, provides the listener with a sense of relentless euphoria and happiness through dance.

done/

Future

Every day at school is a drag. I feel like I’m there forever. And then suddenly I wake up and there are only 20 days of school left? This year has gone by so fast, but it’s been a good year for me. The schoolwork wasn’t as hard as I thought (people always say your junior year is the worst). One thing that makes this year really special for me and that I’m sure some people have noticed is that I really came out of my shell and am more comfortable talking and participating. In past years if a teacher even mentioned having to talk in class, I would have a mental breakdown. But now I’m pretty okay with it, and sometimes I’m even a class disruption, which I find ironic. It doesn’t bother me though because it just shows how far I’ve come.

Now the year’s almost over which means tests are coming. And freshman year I thought finals were bad. This year, I have an EOC, 4 AP tests, and 6 finals. Great. But I feel like I’ll be okay. I’m pretty confident now since I got a 31 on the ACT, and 36 on the English section. I even got a 30 on the science section, which quite literally made me cry tears of joy. I really need to study though. I’ll get around to it

This summer I have to do practically my whole mentoring project, but I’m cool with that. I’m interning at a vet clinic. I’m also going to be volunteering at Saint Joseph East, and hopefully at the Humane Society as well. I don’t want to just sit around this summer, and I want to do something productive with my life. But I have no clue what.

Future

The year is almost over but right now its crunch time. I plan on studying non stop until my eyes bleed and then napping and studying some more to prepare for all these AP tests / the ACT because these next few years will determine whether im the richest man in the world or the poorest. I know I am going to go into medicine, specifically neuroscience and do research with genetic engineerign on the side hopefully with interspecies modification. Essentially I plan on patenting a way to genetically modify fetuses to full grown adults and captialize on it to progress the human race. this year is the first time in my whole high school career ive slept during class and ive been doing it like crazy but that is only becaue I learn at home.bye.

The Future!

Well I have finally reached my last blog post. That's exciting! So I think I will just go in order of the prompt to finish it off.

Successes? Well this year I have somehow managed to balance being Band Council President, 4 music ensembles and school work. I would consider that a success. I also got a great score on my ACT so that's an accomplishment.

Failures? I didn't do so well in seating this year for band and I have gotten a few "B's", but beyond that I wouldn't say I have had that many failures.

Lesson Learned/Risks Taken? Well I learned that even a semi-severely asthmatic kid can march in a 6 mile parade and have the time of her life! I would also say that was a risk, that ended up working out quite well! I also learned that you are going to mess up and you won't always succeed but you just need to try harder the next time an opportunity arises.

Mistakes made? Too many to mention them all. Mainly I wish I had been better at time management during marching season so I wouldn't have had to play "catch-up" at the end of the semester.

Summer? This summer I am spending two weeks in Wyoming on a family vacation. I dont know why my parents decide to take me to a ranch when I am most allergic to horses, but I just plan on taking all my meds as often as possible! I will also have band camp!

Senior year? For senior year I would love to be drum major for the marching band, auditions are in about two weeks so I am working to get there. Also, I want to be seated higher in band (practice practice practice). I would like to be accepted to a great college, right now my favorite option is Purdue. I also want to just have a good time and enjoy senior year, and be as involved as I reasonably can be. I know all my friends and I will be going off to college in different states after we graduate so I would like to make the most of it.

Sorry for all my band blogs! and that is all I have to say. It has been great blogging with y'all!

Fictional Character

If I could be any fictional character, I think I would most like to be Ginny Blackstone from Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Ginny gets to go on this fabulous fully funded international adventure following, as the title would suggest, 13 little blue envelopes. How cool would it be to say you traveled around Europe by yourself following letters your dead aunt left you? Slightly sketchy, but nevertheless a fun story. With her aunt’s quirkiness, she finds herself meeting new people who are equally as quirky, but somehow have some sort of deeper meaning in the jigsaw puzzle that her aunt has created for her. Wouldn’t you love to go to a dumpling place in New York and find a plane ticket to London? Or donate a couple hundred pounds to a cute, British, starving actor who ends up taking you to Scotland? And of course, there is the slightly bitter sweet ending that doesn’t seem at all realistic, but hey, everything gets solved in the sequel so that’s always a plus. 

Sorry that this was late Mr. Logsdon! 

Assignment 23: The Future

With the near a close, I just wish I could go back. While I had fun outside of school, I didn’t do as well in school as I would have liked. Part of it stemming from just not being interested in the class and part of it from just being lazy, I did not do as well as I should have. I am excited to start next year, though, and am very optimistic. I’m glad to have made National Honor Society and I’m happy with my ACT score (especially English, thanks to you, Mr Logsdon!). Senior year I want to stay on top of everything and have a lot of extracurricular. I don’t want to get behind and have things looming over my head. And I want to be involved at school too, because I hate the feeling of just coming home and not having anything to do. I hope that my classes will be more interesting and I am also very excited to not have a first hour. Outside of school, senior year will be a blast. I love my class and am excited to spend the last year of high school with them. Hopefully I can accomplish everything and get into a good college, but we will see!

Assignment 22: the perfect playlist

My perfect playlist would be one for being at the beach.

1.)  The Only Place // Best Coast – This song is perfect for a sunny day at the beach. It has a fast tempo which is always nice when you’re having fun in the sun. The chorus sings “Why would you live anywhere else? We’ve got the ocean, got the babes, we’ve got the sun we’ve got the waves” which is just a perfect description for the beach, and honestly, why would you want to live anywhere else?

2.)  Stella // San Cisco – I love when a song has lyrics having to do with what I’m doing, so naturally I love the first verse of this song while laying out at the beach “Your heart's down, down in the ocean Don't get burnt put on your sun lotion”, but not only does this song have fitting lyrics but it’s also a very uplifting song. It fits the beach perfectly because I love being at the beach, so obviously I want to listen to happy music.

3.)  Seafarer // Tennis – This song just has the perfect “summer” vibe. It’s cool, uplifting and just bright. It has to do with the ocean and it’s just perfect.

4.)  Before the Dive // St Lucia – Again, this song just has a cheery feel to it. The synth makes it pop and stand out.

5.)  Deadbeat Summer // Neon Indian – This song just makes you want to dance, it’s retro but fresh and I love the fact that it’s about summer.

Assignment 21: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

If I could be any fictional character from anything I would be Bruce Wayne. No matter what, Bruce Wayne always comes out on top. He can’t even die. He is rich, powerful and lives a double life—all of which are awesome. I would love to have all the money he does and then be able to live another life where you give back to the world by saving it. Both of his “lives” are well known and, for the most part, respected as well. Batman is a hero to nearly everybody and Bruce Wayne is a local celebrity. But the most important thing to me is how rich he is. I mean he’s #8 on Forbes’ richest fictional characters! I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t like about being Bruce Wayne. Yeah he gets beat up a lot and yeah he may have more than a safe amount of near death experiences, but I’d say everything else more than makes up for it. Through the good and the bad, I would always love to be Bruce Wayne.

Epic Playlist of Epicness

Okay so literally the majority of my songs in my itunes library are soundtrack. So I shall stay true to that and compile my playlist of absolutely epic soundtrack songs, whether they may be tear-jerking or make me want to fight in a battle FOR NARNIA! And when I say soundtrack, I mean the scores from movies/tv shows. So here are my top five, with a representative song for each movie that has a wonderful score.

1. Freedom/The Execution/Bannockburn- James Horner (from the soundtrack of Braveheart) This song falls into both previously mentioned categories, though the battle would be for Scotland and not for Narnia. Okay so this 7 and a half minute long song pretty much spans the entire end of the movie starting from, as you can probably guess, the execution of William Wallace. I am just very attached to this song/movie because I think I might be way too close emotionally to my Scottish heritage. We watched most of this movie in seventh grade in World Civ. and I just got really into it. So when we started watching the scene when they are killing Wallace, and with his dying breath, he shouts FREEDOM and the music swells, I just lost it and broke down into tears. He just wants Scotland to be free! I still lose it when I watch it. Especially since at the end, the men who fought with Wallace finally battled the English at Bannockburn and won their freedom! That part of the song makes me cry too. I credit it to the soundtrack a lot, though. Because as we all know, the music sets the tone and ultimately makes a movie. I listen to the song when I'm in a revolutionary mood and want to take down the English for Scotland. Also there's lots of bagpipes, which is always fantastic.

2. The Battle- Harry Gregson-Williams (from the soundtrack of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) I'll stick with the theme of battles and such for now. So this one, as you might have guessed, is from the battle scene from Narnia, where they take down the White Witch and her army of evil Narnians. Most of the criteria for what makes this song so great were mentioned in the first song listed. Makes me feel like I'm wielding a sword in battle and that is always a super feeling. Perhaps I was a warrior in a previous life.

3. Old Friends- Howard Shore (from the soundtrack of The Hobbit) I would include the entire soundtrack of this movie if I could, but alas, I cannot. It is all pure gold, just like the kind that Smaug is hoarding in Erebor. This song seemed like the best choice because it just seems to encapsulate the spirit of the Shire in a song. It's cheerful and carefree, just like most Hobbits. Plus it feels nostalgic for the Lord of the Rings films to hear the similar themes throughout the movie.

4. Mischief Managed- John Williams (from the soundtrack of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) I couldn't get through this without putting an HP representative in here. Like with the Hobbit, I wish I could include the entirety of each score from all eight movies, and it was truly difficult picking just one. There are many other songs from the various movies that I absolutely love, but I picked this one because it seems to capture the real feel of Harry Potter, and it's probably one of the most recognizable themes from the movies. I almost feel like it's cheating to pick this song because it's a twelve minute song that plays during the credits of the movie so it fits all the themes from throughout the movie into one song. It's the genius of John Williams rolled into one nicely compiled song. Plus it's my favorite HP movie (I think), so it's like a little summary of the tone of the movie in one song.

5. He's a Pirate- Klaus Badelt (from the soundtrack of The Pirates of the Caribbean) Yes one of the most recognizable movie themes, but it's popular for a reason. Once again, it's a powerful song with a strong orchestral arrangement that makes me feel much more epic than I actually am. In this case, I'm a pirate, which in my opinion is pretty awesome.

So it was hard to have to leave out tons of other film scores but this will have to do. And I have made a revelation that I apparently really like battles.

Assignment 23: The Future

You're done!  - well almost
Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.
Tell us about it.
Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, April 28 at 11:59 pm

A Play Down Memory Lane

Personally when I can link music into my life and my relationships the music becomes far more powerful than ever before. Growing up on country music it holds a place in my heart and has allowed me to connect with people in very unique way. My playlist consists of songs that connect me to the most important people in my life.

"Finally Friday" by George Jones

My father and I sang this song every Friday on the way to school from early elementary school into late middle school. George Jones was my dad's favorite artist and his music never fails to conjure memories that we share.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones

This was the Monday song for my dad and me. It lacks the energy of the former, but even now as I listen to it I can picture my father randomly bursting into his own heartfelt rendition.

"Boney Finger" by Hoyt Axton

My father and I stumbled across this song on an old mixed tape and it became an instant joke between us. Anytime one of us is working away on a project the other chimes in with the chorus which is always rewarded with laughter and a smile.

"A Boy Named Sue" by Johny Cash

When I was younger my dad's parents took my cousin and me on a trip to Gatlinburg. The entire was we listened to the same Johny Cash album over and over again. A Boy Named Sue developed as my favorite song, but i ironically never knew the full lyrics. Every time the words came around to the one profain word in the song my grandaddy would lower the volume quickly and precisely. I didn't learn about the dirty word's place in the song until much later in my life.

"Ol' Red" by Blake Shelton

This song always takes me back to riding in the car with my grandpa. After his passing I hadn't heard the song in years, but when I stumbled across it on a CD it took me back to being a little kid in the backseat getting picked up from school by my grandpa. In that moment it brought tears to me eyes and occasionally its a hard song to hear, but I'm so thankful for the fact that a song can bring us back together again.

Relaxed and Happy

Anchor by Zee Avi- Well really anything by Zee Avi makes me happy. Described as a “whimsical jazzy singer” her tone is always calming. Most of her songs incorporate guitar as well as other not as commonly used instruments like the tambourine.

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers- I’m not sure if it’s the upbeat nature of this song, their strong Scottish accents, or the fact that it was a recurring song in How I Met Your Mother, but this song always effortlessly puts a smile on my face.

Sweet Pea by Amos Lee-  Just like Zee Avi I really love everything by him. This is one of his faster tempo songs but most of them are really slow and are great to listen to after a long stressful day. I always like to listen to Amos Lee whenever I’m really worried about something or need to unwind.

Little Liar by Paper Lions- I don’t know that I’ve ever paid close enough attention to this song to actually know what it’s talking about to be honest but I love voice and the beat to this song.

Nuvole Bianchi by Ludovico Einaudi- Let’s be honest we can’t have a relaxing playlist without having a classical song on there and this is probably my favorite one. 

HAPPY PLAYLIST

This is my happy playlist. They are a collection of my favorite songs and songs that simply make me happy.

Hey Girl- OAR- This has to be one of my all time favorites and its speacil to me. This song gives a relaxing yet fun feel to my playlist.

Thrift Shop- Macklemoore- This song is the best song in the world to drive to, I can promise you that. Its fast, funny, and upbeat, all of which make me happy. Who doesnt love poppin tags?!?!

Gone Gone Gone- Phillip Phillips- I think this song is really sweet and meaningful and whenever I hear the chorus I automatically get a huge grin on my face. "I'll love you long after you're gone gone gone"

Because We Can- Bon Jovi- This song is not only the most motivating song, but since Bon Jovi is a classic, it makes this song a classic. It adds motivation to my happy playlist.

Wannabe- Spice Girls- I am going to go ahead and admit that I was a HUGE Spice Girls fan. I had almost every Spice Girl barbie (minus ginger spice and posh spice ):). This song is a throwback and adds nostalgia to my happy playlist.

All of these songs work together to create an awesome playlist that turns regular old Caroline into happy Caroline. And when Caroline is happy, EVERYBODY is happy.

Blog #22

The Perfect Playlist: Best Songs from Musicals to Sing Along to Loudly

I can almost hear groaning in the background due to that title. Anyway, it's not too much of a secret that I absolutely adore musicals. There's something different about songs from musicals compared to "normal" songs (it's probably that the characters are singing what would be normal conversation for them, but just go along with it.) Songs from musicals are my favorite to sing to when I'm home alone, so here we go.

1. La Vie Boheme from Rent - No doubt the best freakin' song in the whole play. It's fast paced, every character sings in it, and it's a huge celebration of the bohemian lifestyle that is condemned by the world at this time. I also have the ability of singing every single word of this song without messing up the words so that's a big contender in why I chose this song.
2. Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge! - Almost anyone who knows me knows that this movie is  my favorite movie and has been since I was five. This song is a mash up of many different love songs and it's quite a lot of fun to try to sing every single part by yourself.
3. On My Own from Les Miserables - I don't think I need to mention how everyone who has ever sung this song kills it, every time. Eponine is the character most easily related to since everyone knows how unrequited love feels. This song is also best sung in the most dramatic way possible, as loudly as you dare.
4. I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules - I know this doesn't technically count as a musical, but I'm counting it anyway. This is one of my favorite Disney songs, and Megara is one of my favorite Disney characters, so I had to include this song.
5. Hey Jude from Across the Universe - Also unsure of whether or not this counts as a musical, but there was no other way I could fathom ending this playlist. Hey Jude is one of my favorite songs ever (notice how many times I've said "my favorite..." in this blog post?) and it's a perfect ending for a playlist such as this one.

rolling down the windows

In the spirit of warm, spring weather, I'm just really loving being able to roll down the windows and play country music. I know, I know, that sounds like a country song in and of itself, but there's something about warm weather and driving that makes me even more obsessed with it. So here's my playlist for when you're in my sort of perfect moment: driving with the windows down, warm weather, and nothing to do.

1. Beat This Summer (Brad Paisley)- This one's new, but I know it's going to be the summer anthem. I love Brad Paisley and I LOVE this song. Its message is pretty simple: "But the sun keeps settin', the days go fast and the sand the beach is like an hourglass...I ain't gonna beat this summer" and I just love it.

2. Out of Summertime (Scotty McCreery)- "OH MY GOSH I LOVE SCOTTY MCCREERY HE'S MY HUSBAND" screams every teenage girl. I love him, but I'm obsessed with this song. Hopefully we're not out of summertime (considering it hasn't even started), but you can't help but smile when you're listening to this.

3. Highway Don't Care (Tim McGraw feat. Keith Urban and Taylor Swift)- The reason I put this song on here was because the first lines are "Bet your window's rolled down and your hair's pulled back and I bet you got no idea you're going way too fast" and even though this could apply to a million girls, my windows were in fact rolled down, my hair was pulled back, and I was going too fast (don't tell my mom). So then I got hooked and I love the chorus (*everyone lets out a collective groan against T-Swift*) and it's just pretty catchy.

4. Get Your Shine On (Florida Georgia Line)- This is the ULTIMATE summer song (as well as their other popular song, Cruise) and it's a song that just makes me happy.

5. The Road and the Radio (Kenny Chesney)- It's from 2005, but as a Kenny Chesney fan, it's one of my favorites. Most of these songs don't have any direct application to my life (other than them being good to sing along to), but 'the road and the radio' is what I like to do and what this playlist is about.

Honestly, I could put a million other songs on here (most of them being by Billy Currington and Eric Church, or just from the Country Top 40), but these highlight some songs good for the windows down and the music up.

Just because I had to: Wagon Wheel, I Drive Your Truck, Sure Be Cool If You Did, Like Jesus Does, Good Directions, Until You, 1994, Big Green Tractor, Highway 20 Ride, Summertime


(shameless self-promotion: I run another blog and posted this same post on it as well- monogrammeredith.blogspot.com)

Disney Playlist

Classic Disney songs have always been at the top of my playlists. I don't think I could ever be tired of them or not want to sing along with them. It's hard choosing only five but if I had to, it would probably look something like this: 

1. Hakuna Matata from Lion King: This song is at the top of my list because I absolutely love the Lion King and I think this song captures the nature of the film pretty well. The characters are adorable and the tune is catchy. 

2. Trashin' the Camp from Tarzan: This one made the list simply because it was my favorite scene in Tarzan. It's always the very first thing that comes to mind when I think of the film and it always makes me laugh every time.

3. I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan: As a kid I used to think Mulan was scary but I remember liking this song because I thought it was amazing how a group of weak and weird looking people could be turned into great soldiers. 

4. A Whole New World from Aladdin: I don't actually remember that much from this movie, but this song has always been one of my favorites. It's really pretty and plus, who wouldn't want to go on a date on a magic carpet ride? 

5. Beauty and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast: This song is just beautiful! 

Powerful Music

The best type of music is those songs, those albums that just hit you really hard. Usually they are strong and heavy ballads that induce cold chills, but they can also be songs just with a great instrumental that makes you want to get up and dance. Whatever the case, these songs just move me in a certain emotional way.

1. The Unforgiven-Metallica (1991/Metallica)
One of my favorites from Metallica, if not the favorite song by Metallica for me. Metallica usually brings up images of Kirk shredding the guitar, Lars going buckwild on complex drum solos, and James screaming about violence, drugs, crime, death, and partying among other things. But here we have a HEAVY ballad that has the power to give shivers to any fan of any genre. The heavy and slow verse, speaking of a man oppressed by his superiors and society, losing his humanity. Then the chorus comes and the song becomes more airy, calm, and ultimately more powerful with soft guitars and ballad vocals. Best song off the album.

2. Pjanoo (Club Mix)-Eric Prydz (2008/Pjanoo-EP)
Here we have the best club song I have ever heard. I can't really go into detail about what the song uses in it's music since it is mostly electronica, but it does have an excellent, catchy piano "riff" that continues for most of the song and a lot of electronic background track. It is really a trance song, repeating over and over, but that riff is just amazing and makes the whole song. Basically think the Pink Floyd meets house music. Great song to dance to for seven and a half minutes.

3. Rooster- Alice in Chains (1992/Dirt)
Wow, just wow. If you are a big fan of rock and ballads, you've probably already heard this song before. But if you haven't, the song starts with a slow, distorted riff from the bass and lead guitar. Every time this song comes in with the melancholy and chilling atmosphere it really hits me. Lyrically, the song is talking from the view of a man sent to die in the Vietnam War, and how he's not going to die. The best thing is you can easily fit into the shoes of the singer, and instead of dodging bullets, you are saying you will never change and that you will not suffer abuses from others. Also this song goes from ballad to powerful metal in a beautiful way, check it out.

4. Wet Sand- Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006/Stadium Arcadium)
Another ballad here, and a great one at that. I really don't know what to say about this song it just all came together well, nothing really steals the show. Anthony Kiedis does his job and throws down some great vocals in what sounds like a tribute to a lost romance. The drums are great as usually, and John Frusciante really shows his prowess here, notably in the song's ending. First a series of usually three chords, that he repeats in a emotional buildup, aided by Kiedis' loving vocals. Then he closes the song out with one THE most powerful solo the RHCP have ever made, pouring his heart out and releasing the tension the song's built up to. YouTube this right now and go to 3:38 in, you will not be dissapointed.

5. When You Say Nothing At All- Kieth Whitley (1988/Don't Close Your Eyes)
Yeah, I put a country song on here, make fun of me for it. Oh wait this is a blog, you can't. If ya'll didn't know Kieth Whitley is from Kentucky, which makes me really proud that this amazing song came from my homestate. Surprise, surprise it is a ballady love-song as well. Whitley just goes full-out in this masterpiece and serenades a girl he's hanging with, saying that her actions speak louder than her words. It all comes together excellently here with the acoustic guitar, the bold piano that supports the chorus, the moving vocal performace, and that stand-up slidy guitar-thingy. It all just works like a watch.