Weekend free write

My weekend was pretty fun. Friday night I played 3 consecutive ultimate frisbee games and it was actually a lot of fun. I'm very glad that I joined Mr. Steffens ultimate frisbee club. We had pizza after the games and then I finally went home and relaxed for a while. Then on Saturday I had my final theatre performance with the seniors of the theater company. It was a fun show and it was actually pretty nerve wracking because the audience was right there on stage with us. The seats surrounded the set in three different directions. It was a new experience, but I'm glad that I did it.

Walmart video

Many small businesses seem to be suffering at the hands of Walmart.
Walmart does not give its employees proper health benefits.
Walmart makes huge profits every year but pays their employees low wages.


I don't really have much of an opinion on this matter, I guess it's just never crossed my mind. However I will say, people like to blame the walmart executives, when we are the ones that put them there. It's a big business that profits off the people in this country. If we don't like it, then we should stop shopping at Walmart, but we probably never will, so honestly, is it really that bad? It must not be if millions of people continue to shop and work for Walmart. People love to complain about issues like this, yet most of them don't do anything to change it.
Will this make me stop shopping at Walmart? No. Walmart provides many goods and services for a somewhat decent price. Beggars can't be choosers.

Future

I plan on attending college and getting a 4 year degree at IPFW. I hope my degree is in something that I really love to do. I want to enjoy my work and I want to make a decent living out of it as well. Succeeding in life isn't just about landing a good high paying job. It's part of it, but it's not everything. After college, I hope that I can settle down and maybe start looking at starting a family. That's how I plan to succeed at life. If college doesn't work out, I'll try to sustain myself with factory work for awhile until I can find something else that I want to do.

Story 10

I think I have completion anxiety. I'm really bad about procrastinating with completing things. I always put it off until the last minute and then panic to try and get it done. It's not a good thing to feel and it makes finishing things extremely stressful. It's important because kids my age that are in high school, need to know how to properly handle it so they can go through high school without having to worry about never getting anything done. 

I learned that I'm pretty sure that I have completion anxiety, because it seems to describe me pretty well. It's important to manage it well, and not stress and panic over it. That seems to only make the problem worse and increase the amount of anxiety. 

It's especially important for this class because it's a project based class. Most of the grades we get are big projects that are worth a lot of points. I can use this for this class to not stress about all the project that we do in here. 

Video blog 3

Why is this important? Apparently it's a very prevalent issue in this country. Honestly, I don't tend to notice it, it doesn't really affect my day to day life, but I always see news articles about a white police officer shooting an unarmed black person.
My opinion? In the grand scheme of things, racial issues are so petty. Our focus as humans should be on bigger issues, like renewable energy. Not stupid petty human differences that seem to much more important than everything else.

My weekend

My weekend was actually really awesome. Friday night I went with some friends to see the new avengers in 3D. It was so good. I think it was much better than the first one. Saturday was prom and I was really looking forward to it. It was very weird to think that it was my senior prom though. It was a lot of fun though, and I won Prom King, which was very unexpected. And then Sunday was the long awaited performing arts trip. We went down to Indianapolis to see a broadway show of Beauty and the Beast. It was so amazing. One of the best performances I think I'll ever see. The next day before we headed home went to the Indy zoo which was pretty fun, even though it started to rain like crazy. And then, as a secret surprise, we stopped at an IMAX theater and watched the Avengers AGAIN. So I got to see it twice in one weekend, which was really epic.

Favorite food

My favorite food is probably my moms homemade chicken noodle soup. It's so good. We usually have it every few weeks because I beg my mom to make it. The best part is that it only takes about 15 minutes to make. It's the greatest meal ever.
The smell of the broth always fills the whole house and it's delicious. The taste is so fulfilling and every bite tastes better than the last. Even just seeing the soup boil in the big kettle makes my mouth water. Just even hearing it boil and simmer is amazing. Although touching to kind of hurts because it's boiling hot soup.

Story 15

I can relate to the stress of being in front of people and talking or performing. It would usually happen every opening night of a theater performance. Right before I would go on for my first scene, I would get incredibly nervous, so nervous sometimes that I thought my legs were going to give out and I would have to crawl on stage.  The thing that stood out to me the most was that she did something about it. She took medication to try and make things better and it worked, instead of just living her life the way it was. She took the initiative to overcome her mental illness.
I can use this information to tell other people that despite having anxiety or depression or whatever it is, there are ways to overcome it. It doesn't have to take control of your life, because you can stop it, you just need the will to do it. You just have to fight it, and live your own life, and not stay clouded by the illness forever simply because you're too scared or you don't think you can beat it.

Spring break free write

I had a lot of fun over spring break, despite not really doing that much. My friend Donovan and I watched almost all of the 4 seasons of Spartacus on Netflix, and then once we finished it, we didn't really know what to do anymore. We would usually just go outside and throw the frisbee around.
On Friday, a few of us went to the school at 7 in the morning to start a Lord of The Rings marathon. It was actually pretty awesome. We watched it in the auditorium on the big projector screen. We took some of the couches out of the dressing rooms and set them up right in front of the projector. We watched the extended editions of the movies, so we were there pretty much all day.

Free write 2

Yesterday was my last show with the Central Noble Theater Company. I'll be in the Senior showcase, but that will only be with the seniors, not any of the other members. It was emotional day for everyone yesterday, as we all knew it would be. This part of the season is always hard for everyone because another senior class has to leave and say goodbye. Theater has easily been the best part of my highschool career. I've met so many incredible people through it, and it's given me so many amazing memories.

Story 11

It's significant to me because theatre is a big part of my high school career and taking criticism is a huge part of being good at theatre. You have to be able to take what people throw at you in order to better yourself. The only problem with criticizing teens, is that they think they know everything. When really, they don't know anything compared to what the other person knows.
There wasn't really anything that this story taught me that I didn't already find out from personal experience. I've been in theatre since my freshman year and every part that I've gotten, every role that I've played, I've been criticized for. It's only made me better.

Story 9

The things mentioned in this story are very relevant to school, because school is mixed basket of so many different people. There are a lot of people that just like to be mean to others, and a lot of people let them be that way. It's important during your life in school to learn how to brush those kinds of people off. They only put you down to make themselves feel better, so anything they say can't be taken seriously, otherwise you'll drive yourself insane. After high school ends, chances are you won't see them again anyway.
I tend to just ignore things like this, because there's no point on dwelling on it, or saying anything back because they aren't going to change. So there is no point in even wasting your time dealing with them. Just brush it off and move on. The best way to upset someone like that, is to not give them a response because that is what they want.

Video 2

I think the main idea of this speech, is that you need to find what you love to do in life, otherwise you'll never feel satisfied with yourself. Everyone has a purpose, and it's important to find yours. The most important things about what he spoke about, was that he got up and kept going despite everything that tried to set him back. Dropping out of college, getting fired from his own company, even getting diagnosed with cancer, none of these things stopped him from doing what he loved. He didn't let anything stop him.
I think that it was a very great speech from a very prestigious man. He told stories from his own life to address very valid points for a young, graduating college class. He told them things that they can use for the rest of their lives.

Free write about project

I think our group has had a typical experience with this project. We've worked together in the typical fashion, we all find material to put in the book, and we all come up with ideas and suggestions. We all do pretty much the same amount of work. Our book is about a young boy and a monster that are learning how to share with one another.
My opinion on this project is that I don't really like it. Were in creative writing, and writing a book for kids. Children's books are simplistic with a simple theme. The only thing that really requires creativity is the illustrations. We aren't in creative art class.

Story 8

I have definitely done this before, but I think it's something that everyone has done. When someone is angry, they want to be angry. If they didn't then they would think about something that doesn't upset them. They want to be angry so they can express to the world what is upsetting them, that's why we vent to someone when we get upset or sad. You don't vent when you are happy, because talking about something upsetting is easier than talking about something happy.
I could use this information to tell a friend in particular that sometimes it's bad to think to much. That's what he does a lot, and it brings him down all the time. He's simply just an over thinker. He needs to realize that his thoughts are just tearing him down, and that he's letting it happen.

Story 7

The thing that stood out to me the most was the story telling us to ask people what the good things were that happened to them. The story was right, it would easily catch that person off guard. It's something that people don't really think about with each other, because they don't do it with themselves either. They only think about the negative that day brought to them, and so they think that the other person wants to talk about the same thing.
I will try to be better about asking people about the good, instead of the bad. I do that a lot, I always ask people if they had a bad day, but rarely do I ask if they just simply had a good day. It will be a nice change of pace and something I think the people I talk to will appreciate.

The CNTC's next production is going to be El Phantismo. It's a show about pirates. I play the character Pablo who is kind of a half drunk. Opening night is March 20th so you should probably come see it because it's going to be awesome.

Story 6

The knowledge in this story is important because it can literally apply to anyone. Everyone goes through those times in their life where they seem to be stuck in a rut and they can't get out. They think about and think it about so much that it almost drives them crazy. It's important to just keep a level head and think things through rationally. Instead of thinking about it too much.
Using the information in the story, I know how important it is to think about things with a clear mind. Otherwise you will end up making a stupid decision that will probably just end up making your situation worse. It's all about thinking rationally.

Story 5

Everyone should be able to relate to this because everyone has taken something for granted before. Especially us teens, we do it all the time. We always gripe and moan about our parents or school, when really our parents and teachers are some the people that care the most. I try to use gratitude as often as I can, I always try to remember to say "thank you" or "I appreciate it". It's more than that though, we should all try and take that extra step and say more than just thank you. My opinion of this story is high because graditude is something that everyone should show. It should never be denied.

1. Fill a binder with all assignments that describe ourselves.
2. Grades are up to date.
3. Work in class and in study hall
4. At least an A. It will be organized and contain good information.

Video 1

The main idea of the video is that just because two animals don't belong to the same species, doesn't mean they can't form a great bond of friendship. I learned a lot from this video. I learned that sometimes it doesn't matter if someone is drastically different than you, you can still form amazing bonds with them. My opinion of the video is that I love it, it was very heartwarming to see animals ignore the differences between them and just be friends. That's something that is very difficult for humans.

Story 4

       My opinion of the story is that everyone, no matter who they are, should show a little compassion every once in awhile.  It's part of us and it's something that makes us human. There's no reason to deny it if it's there and it won't go away. No one can do everything in this world alone, and sometimes your compassion might be the one thing that somebody needs to get through their own problems. 

       I've used this information a lot in my life, especially since my senior year got started, everyone in my group has had there fair share of issues, and we've all listened to each other a lot, because were so close to each other. We seek each other's help to get through even simple problems. 

Story 3

A lot of the time, when someone has a problem that they can't solve themselves, or they just want to vent to their friends, they seek the comfort of what we just heard about, deep listening. It's something that everybody needs every once in awhile. Just someone who will sit there and listen to everything they say. I can say that it honestly feels great to be the listener. I've done it many times for people close to me, and it gives me comfort that they trust me enough to tell me about their problems. I've also been the one who was talking, and it feels great to get your problems out from inside you. Everyone should be able to listen and be able talk.
It impacts me in a big way today, because my senior year has been full of drama and stupid problems. I've done a lot of venting to my friends, but I've also listened to a lot of it myself. It seems like every week there is a new issue that we all have to try and solve because it involves one our close friends.

Story 2

The story we listened to this time was about what  most matters to a group of teenagers.  Most of them said what you might think, being popular, good looking, being in a relationship, winning. All things you might think a teenager would say. However, there was one girl who said that kindness mattered to who. Which is good, the world could use some more kindness. Everyone who listened to this story, including me, could take something away from this. When we think about what really matters to us, think about it hard, and ask yourself, what makes you happier? For me, personally, I've always tried to be nice to people, because sometimes, people can just be complete jerks for absolutely no reason. So can't that be a two way street? Can't you be nice for absolutely no reason? 

The passage is significant to me because it shows that compassion can be in anyone. Even a group of rowdy teenagers. My group of friends is a great example of this, and I'm not afraid to gloat about them because what I'm saying is true. My friends are all great, respectful, and deeply compassionate people, and I'm proud to call them my friends. They mean everything to me, because they make the journey through life so much easier. 

Story

Basically what this story explained to me is that is isn't always the best option to try and win every arguement. You can't win every one, because nobody is always right all the time. That's just not how it is. The smartest thing to do is to pick your battles and know when you aren't right. That's something that everyone could apply to themselves. 

It isn't always easy to admit when you're wrong, and sometimes we don't always pick the battles that we should. I am very guilty of this, I've been choosing to fight a battle for months now, even though I should really just let it go. At this point, anything I do probably won't change anything. It's unfortunate sometimes that our feelings prevent us from doing what is always right. However, I think that is what makes us all human. 

Weekend

My weekend was actually very fun. Friday and Saturday was busy but fun. Friday night I went to the girls basketball game and sat up with the band like I usually do, but this time a good friend of mine came down from college to play in the pep band, and I was good to hang out with him again. That night we all went over to a friends house to hang out, and play some smash.
Saturday started off kind of slow. We all spent the night at our friend Jarod's house. We stayed there until around 5 when we decided to head into Ligonier for some Chinese. It's become a regular weekend tradition for us now, and we always get the same waitress and she's even starting to remember us. After we ate, we went over to West Noble to see their musical Anything Goes. It was about a two hour production and they did a fairly good job, it was certainly entertaining. Then we headed back to Jarod's to stay there again, except this time we all stayed up pretty late, just talking about whatever.

School Uniforms

When it comes to school uniforms, I'm honestly indifferent. I could go either way. I would be perfectly fine with wearing one, and I would also be fine without one. It doesn't matter to me. I'll try and give some evidence to both sides of the argument. On the positive side, it would eliminate almost all of the issues associated with dress code problems. And it would be very easy to maintain, and you wouldn't have to worry about rushing around in the morning to find a shirt or pants or whatever. As long as you take care of your uniform, it will always be on hand.
On the negative side, it takes away a small sense of freedom, in the sense that we can choose what we want to wear everyday. Also, the uniform would be the students responsibility, and if it gets damaged or lost, it's up to the parents to pay for and replace the uniform. Which for some people, could be an issue. A lot of people are against the idea of school uniforms, and honestly I would be perfectly fine with it, but I can also see why some people wouldn't be.

Current event 1

A 24 year old Chinese man was reunited with his father recently after he was abducted in 1991 and sold to a different family. He also met his younger sister who he had never met before. He was taken from his father while they were shopping in a local vegetable market. His mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and died in 2011. Unfortunately, the man was never reunited with his mother.

Free Write 1

     The time for graduation is slowly approaching. As a freshman, I couldn't wait to graduate. Now as a senior, I never want to graduate. People think that high school is awful, but really, it's giving me some of the best years of my life. I've met some of my closest friends in high school, friends that I will have for the rest of my life. We've made so many memories together and honestly, I don't want it to end.
     There will be many things I miss about high school, things such as choir and theatre. I've been in both since freshman year and love them. That's where I met most of my close friends, we all shared an equal love for the performing arts. I can't be a high schooler forever, so now all I can do is cherish the memory.