PROM! :)

            Prom was on Saturday, and that means the majority of the school dressed up, took pictures, went to dinner, and then the dance at school. Everyone has their own interpretation of homecoming. Dictionary.com defines homecoming as an annual event held by a college, university, or high school for visiting alumni.  Times have changed in many ways, and now it seems like homecoming is a decision on how much to spend, what to do, and where to go.

            I think that it is important to have at least one formal dance, especially for the underclassmen, since they cannot go to prom. I know that I definitely enjoy getting dressed up and going out with friends for a night. But to me, the formality that comes with Homecoming has become a bit too extravagant and overdone. If you feel that it is important to go all out on Homecoming, that's totally ok with me, but it is not a priority for me. I guess you have to think to yourself.... is it really worth $250 for a new dress, shoes, getting your hair done, and a mani-pedi for one night? Personally, I believe that you can accomplish the same look with a lot less paper or plastic involved. When you think back to high school and look through old photographs twenty years from now, we will all probably be nearing the big four zero. Will it really mater to you if you bought a designer dress and shoes, and spent hours on your makeup? By 2032, your kids will probably think everyone looked hideous, so why worry now?

            My Saturday plans were originally to go to the Iowa game in the afternoon (I am a dedicated fan), which would still leave me enough time to get ready for Homecoming once I got home. However, because I have a part-time job, that means that sometimes I can’t do everything that I want, when I want. Fortunately, my boss and I were able to work something out. I worked in the afternoon until five and had the evening off so I could still go to the dance. My friend Amanda is a swimmer and they had an away meet until 4:40pm and did not get back into town until 5:40. If any of you were complaining about not having enough time to get ready, try getting ready in less than 30 minutes!

            I think that WPA (Women Pay All) should be informal. It would be so much more fun if we actually had a theme for our dance like a “rave,” and everyone wore a white t-shirt with jeans, or whatever neon they wanted. It would probably be ten times more comfortable while you are dancing or grinding, whatever you prefer, and student government would finally have a reason to create a theme. Another high school in our area does that, and it seems so fun just from looking at their pictures. If the administration still wanted WPA to be formal because they are afraid girls would complain because they buy their dresses in advance, they should add another dance like Toga (dress in costumes) or a Dance Marathon (to raise money) that is specifically meant to be for fun, not who has the cutest dress.  (543)

New Tennis Law

            Tuesday nights are something to look forward to during the stressful, hectic, and “lack of sleep” school week. Tennis lessons at Elmcrest Country Club began on the 23^rd. The purpose of these is to begin hitting and practicing so that we are not so rusty when the regular season begins. That way we spend more time working on technique and improving specific skills. Sarah, Marisa, and I are captains this year so we had to get people excited about this opportunity so that we can continue our tradition to state and have a great and successful (for me, senior) tennis season.

            Our first lesson went well and it was fun to play again! I don’t think that coaches are allowed to coach players on the court before the actual season starts, so Coach isn’t at the lesson. Of course, there is a staff member that makes sure we don’t burn down the place. J Because Iowa is an arctic place in the winter and is known for its brutal winters and snowstorms, Elmcrest set up a bubble, which is placed over their outdoor tennis courts until it’s warms enough to play outside. However, it was 75 degrees on Tuesday night, and the bubble was quite warm because it wasn’t set up for those weather conditions. If it hadn’t been so dark, we probably would have played outside and it would have been nicer outside.

Marisa and I are doubles partners and we have been all throughout high school. We played singles against each other on Tuesday because there were 10 people at the lesson and the other eight were playing doubles against each other. The point of the lesson is to practice and improve on your own so it actually worked out well because you have to review and practice singles at some point. Marisa and I don’t like to play each other that much. This is because we know how each other plays too much and we are at the same playing level pretty much. Despite the cons, because of this, we continually learn from our mistakes and improve because we are pushed to play our hardest in practice. 9/10 times it will be extremely close, probably down to a point for a tie.

I am pumped for the spring season and ready to practice in the off-season. I am also eager to see what the season will bring and what we can accomplish with our hardest work and best effort.  (413)

Pro v. Con

           Cougar Advisory Council is a group of students from all different parts of our high school that meet together over lunch and discuss issues and events with our principal. These include topics that we feel are important, need to be adjusted, or other random recommendations that we have always wanted to tell someone. On Tuesday the 23^rd, Happy Joe’s Pizza, cookies, and bottles of water were served. It was quite delicious; however it was tough picking between Cougar Advisory Council and Lovely Lane. This is why Cougar Advisory Council should be on crappy school lunch days. Examples: Beef and Noodles, Hot Shredded Beef Sandwich, Fruit Plate, etc. Avoid Tuesdays, Tortellini, Turkey Gravy, and Corn Dogs. Those are the finest meals made by our marvelous lunch ladies. Of course it isn’t just about the food, just one of the greatest perks of being in this group. We meet once a month, and it’s based by your lunch shift. A and C lunch has it first, and then some other day B and D lunch gets to meet. Since I have B lunch, our meeting was Tuesday verses A and C on Monday. Certainly not the end of the world though.

            After Dr. W took attendance, she asked us to introduce ourselves to the group and tell her the class we look forward to most during the day and our most challenging course. I responded with AP Chemistry and AP Language and Composition as my favorite(s) and AP Spanish as my most challenging. Everyone in my AP Spanish class agreed, but it truly is my most difficult. Not because of the teacher, but because of the extensive and intense content.

            There wasn’t much time for suggestions at the end so I suppose I will share this with the group next time. I believe that we should rotate lockers every year. Although this will not affect current seniors, I believe that it is important because everyone should get the equal amount of locker privileges. The current senior class has lockers down by the gym and has been down there for all four years of high school. Long story short, those lockers are in a really inconvenient location. They are not near the majority of classrooms and not near the foyer or main stairways. My idea would be to always have the freshmen down by the gym. That way they would not block the hallways in the mornings, and it would be their own secluded area to make new friends. Plus, I’m sure a lot of parents pick up and drop off down on that end as well.

            The reason why I thought of this is because my locker is really inconvenient. I park in the North lot. This means that I basically walk from one end of the school to the other, just to put away my coat, umbrella, and what may have you. The biggest disappointment in my opinion was that my freshman year of high school, I had a locker just off the foyer. I was never really sure why my friend and I were put down there but we were and it was awesome. It was very convenient, especially when I fractured my ankle and my dad had to help me carry my backpack in on the first day back with my ‘boot.’ Then they announced that all lockers were to be relocated so that each grade could be together. My locker partner and I even wrote the counselor a note asking to keep our current locker on the last day of school. It unfortunately did not work. Either that or the message never got passed along. Well now here I am three years later and still strongly disliking the fact that our lockers never change, and we always had the near-gym lockers. If things don’t change, have fun with your lockers next year, Class of 2017….  (648)

Tragedy Week in the USA

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/04/16/mid-april-often-brings-tragedy/

http://elitedaily.com/news/world/april-15th-historically-week-full-american-tragedies/

                It’s been a terrible, emotional rollercoaster this week in the United States. Not only have bad things been happening in 2013, the month of April in history reveals many more things that simply should never have happened. Let’s begin with dates and evidence from sources: The Elite Daily and CBS Miami.

·         April 15^th:

-1865, assassination of Abraham Lincoln

-1912, sinking of the Titanic

-2013, Boston Marathon Bombings

·         April 16^th:

-2007, Virginia Tech University Massacre

·         April 17^th:

-1961, Bay of Pigs invasion fails

-2013, West Fertilizer Company explosion near Waco (in West Texas)

·         April 18^th:

-1983, terrorist attack by suicide bomber destroys US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon

-1906, magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocks San Francisco and northern California

·         April 19^th:

-1995, Oklahoma City Bombing

·         April 20^th:

-1999, Columbine High School shooting

-1889, Adolf Hitler was born

-2010, oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Gulf coast

            Why do bad things happen? Why are all tragedies happening at once? The USA is going through some rough times. There are some sick people in the world, and some natural disasters that there is just no way of preventing. We need change and a trend of good to happen for America. Please pray for all bad to go away.  (211)

No Need to Fret

            The ‘AusOpen’ in case you are wondering, stands for the Australian Open which is currently underway in Melbourne, Australia. This is probably my favorite tennis tournament out of the four that are televised yearly. The other three are the French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open. Although they generally do last two weeks a piece, which seems like a considerable amount of time to a non-tennis player, this is nothing compared to the constant basketball, football, and baseball games that are ALWAYS on. Currently, everyone is complaining that ‘boring tennis’ is the only thing that you can watch on ESPN2. Well here is how I look at it: maybe it will be good for you to watch a sport that is generally overlooked and underappreciated, and you might even learn something new.

            In my opinion, one of the best things about the Australian Open is that it’s televised in January, which is Iowa’s frigid winter, but Melbourne’s steamy summer. It makes me want to be there just by watching. You can kind of imagine that you are there, so it’s sort of like a paradise getaway in your living room. The Aussie Open also has hard courts, which is what I play on during lessons at Elmcrest and during the tennis season at Kennedy, and in general, what the United States uses for a court surface. Rafael Nadal, my favorite tennis player and someone I look up to, had to miss the Australian Open because he was sick with the flu the week before and wouldn’t be able to compete to the best of his ability. Although I can’t watch him or cheer him on, I am rooting for Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Andy Murray of Great Britain. I like to think that Murray is American since that is a common last name; maybe my logic is incorrect but I suppose I can dream.

            Another great thing about watching the tournaments on TV is that I learn new things and can try them in my own playing game. It’s also fun to watch professionals use tactics that you use or have learned, and can couch them from the sidelines like they can hear you and you are their coach. Overall I can say that something about watching tennis is soothing for me. I don’t know if it’s the sound the balls make when they hit the court, or how quiet the match is, (since tennis is a relatively quiet sport, disregarding the tennis grunts and rowdy supporters). Tennis is just something I love.

            I am currently watching Ferrer play Almargo, both from Spain, in the men’s singles quarterfinal. It is quite intense, and they are pretty well-matched players. Every time I look up, the score is at deuce or is tied up. I am rooting for Ferrer since he is the underdog. The score, from the viewpoint of Ferrer, is 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 0-1 and has been going on for three hours and twenty minutes.

If you are thinking that this post has been very scattered, unorganized, and probably not very representative of my writing skills, please forgive me. I tried my best and I will edit this very soon!  (535)

Weird Lingo. Please Stop.

            With a changing world, we can expect a changing language. Regardless if what is changing is the dialect, accent, diction, sentence structure, style, tone, or the linguistics of the language, it is happening before our very own eyes. My sister, a Spanish Education major at the University of Northern Iowa, who in fact just graduated this past weekend, is someone who understands language and where it comes from. She is extremely interested in the roots and history of Spanish, where and how it’s used, the cultural aspect and relations with Hispanic cultures, and finally educating people on the Spanish language. I respect her deeply because she is well educated in this topic and deserves to get a job in order to put her passions into action. She understands real language, with real words, used in a correct manner.

            Some of my fellow classmates and underclassmen think they know everything about the English language, and those brainiacs probably even think they are fluent in Japanese by now… let me tell you, your hard work will pay off, but you haven’t learned everything yet dearies.

There are also the street kids who think they’re cool and use slang and other weird lingo to express their emotion and sound “cool.” Swerve, swag, ballin’, YOLO, ratchet, beast, whether new or old lingo is nevertheless, annoying.

While trying to pay attention in my AP Spanish class a couple of weeks ago, Jose, the sophomore Peruvian native continues to tap on his desk, kick his legs, and whisper “swerve” over and over. At first it was just irritating and I could ignore it, however after he continued to make nonsense comments after anything someone said, I simply said: “Jose! Stop trying to make yourself look cool by using a fake word!”

All I am asking for, and all I am trying to explain, for you, my reader, is to understand that it’s better to sound educated and smart by using correct grammar… promise me, it is! It’s ok to sound grammatically correct and for people to say: “Wow! This girl knows what she’s talking about!” Americans often complain that our education system is far behind Great Britain, Japan, China, and India to name a few. But if we allow our children and siblings to talk like that, and don’t bring any notion of change, we are only encouraging them and telling kids that it’s ok to talk like that.

Pick up a dictionary. Pick up a thesaurus. Get knowledge. Be proud of your education. Appreciate the education we get for free. Don’t take it for granted. Please: make the weird lingo stop.  (437)

Senioritis

            Wowzas can you say Senioritis is in the air?! For me, there are eight days of school left, that’s considering a day I will be gone for an AP Exam and another day gone for tennis at Pleasant Valley. The school year is winding down, and let me tell you, there’s not much winding happening… it feels like the last two weeks are going at the rate of a snail. As a senior I’m experiencing the “last events.” Last time putting in lunch money, last pep assembly, last tennis meet before tournament play, last tennis season, last school dance, last first day of school, and soon enough, the LAST last day of school (well in my K-12 career). There are last minute school projects to finish, oral final to prepare, study for my AP Exam, finish blogging and reading, get ready for my graduation party, pick out a laptop for my graduation present, come up with a birthday wishlist, figure out a lab by myself, and simply just survive for two. more. weeks. I really don’t dislike school; I just cannot stand the busy work, for example doing a ‘Diario’ when I could be reading for my AP Language and Composition class. In fact, I want to be an elementary school teacher and be part of the education process.

            Every trimester this feeling and routine happens from different points of view. The two week rush for teachers to cram everything in from the curriculum, students who would just like to sleep, but instead stay up until the crack of dawn just to scrape out work and extra studying for final exams. Sometimes I ask myself, why didn’t I start earlier? Why did I put some of this work off? Because in the long run, I feel better if the majority of my time is spent getting normal amounts of sleep, if it means a week where I feel like absolute crap.

            I just want graduation to come faster, play tennis in the warm sun, and work/keep busy this summer while spending time with my three best friends. I just need to remember to stay calm and let things happen at the appropriate pace. Everything will get done, I’m confident I can do it, take a deep breath and here we go with a wild ride….  (386)

One is Silver and the other's Gold

                I kind of, sort of, had a breakdown last night. I was questioning whether my friends were really my friends, among many other things. It’s complicated why I was having these thoughts and the only three people that really know what was going on were myself, my Mom, and God. This isn’t your typical high school friend drama where your best friend starts to date your ex and so on and so forth. This is just me being ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, meet new people, and become friends with people I probably never knew I could have so much in common with.
               I was upset because I have three good friends that are going to different colleges next year and I probably won’t see for a longer period of time. This will be much different from walking down the hallways of Kennedy every day and saying a brief “Hi!” to them. Concerned that they would forget me and I never would be able to stay friends with them, my Mom reassured me that if they’re good friends, you’ll stay in touch and stay friends. A good friend will always be there for you and will always stay your friend. This made me feel better- I get to keep my three best friends, meet new and relatable friends in college, and forget all of those that have been rude to me in the past.

            As Vitamin C says in her song: Graduation (Friends Forever) and the song we used to sing in Girl Scouts, “One is Silver and the other’s Gold.” This one’s for you, Ayla, Aliza, and Sarah; you guys are the old, but still the best. I used to think the song by Vitamin C was cliché and everyone was being overemotional about graduation. I think it’s ok to be emotional about the best of friends, and that’s why people cry at graduation- for the best of the best.

           As for the new, I am excited to see what the future holds for me at the University of Northern Iowa, and I’m ready to meet new people and make even better friends the next four years, and even into my career. This one’s for you: to the new, that I may not know yet, but I will, soon enough.  (387)

Katy Perry is my girl

            As I’m sitting here pondering thoughts of what to write and listening to Katy Perry on YouTube, “Part of Me” came up on the playlist. Now for a while, well actually most of high school, I wasn’t particularly fond of Katy Perry. I thought she was your typical LA girl who was very superficial and didn’t care about what she did with her life- whether it be party, drugs, or alcohol. That was very wrong of me to judge her like that, but after watching the Katy Perry Movie in 3D, I realized she is a real human being that can easily get hurt and enjoys the simplest things in life, just like me.

            Now call me crazy, weird, and any other demeaning adjective for actually enjoying the Katy Perry movie, but honestly I just don’t care. Sure there probably was little to no plot, but it made me think about how I pre-judged her and never gave her a chance. It gives people a perspective into a generally “superficial” lifestyle. Indeed there was bias and I did realize how bad it made Russell Brand look, however when you observed her getting up every day drained, exhausted, and feeling sick, just so her crazy and over-antsy makeup artists could put on her fake eyelashes so that the audience could get the “full-effect.” It upset me because all she wanted to do was lay on the couch in her robe with a towel on her head. But there were probably 20,000 fans waiting for her to perform and they would be so disappointed in her. Once you become a global role-model, you have to be at 100%, 100% of the time. Perry claims in the documentary that she didn’t mind, and that only her family and fans were there for her now that Russell Brand dumped her.

            I have always wondered what going to a concert would be like. Many of my friends have gone to Mac Miller, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber concerts, and multiple times. Sure, you get the thrill of seeing your favorite perform live, but the show ends, you go home, the excitement lasts a week, two weeks tops, and your life goes on. You are now out $400+ including hotel, tickets, food, and transportation, whether it be by plane or car. Why not buy the CD, jam out in your bedroom, and live life with a little extra spending money on something that will last longer than entertainment?

            All in all, I am pleased that I haven’t gone to a real concert before and I think it’s important to remember that celebrities and artists are humans too, that need rest, respect, and a chance to prove who they really are on the inside as well.  (462)

Doing What's Best

            I have been contemplating for quite some time whether to go on a leave of absence from work… like for a really long time now. Ever since the spring trimester of my junior year of high school, I knew I had to do what’s best for me and my situation. It doesn’t matter what my coworkers think, what my managers and boss think, or even what my parents think; it should be in the best interest of me. Last year I had played Varsity tennis, and once the season was underway, I regretted not leaving work for some time. The problem with tennis, an outdoor sport, is that any source of precipitation, whether it is rain, snow aye, sleet, or hail, you cannot play tennis, maybe you could serve. The courts get super slippery on a hard court surface… it becomes the equivalent of ice. So days that I had asked off from work in advance I could suddenly work that day, but I had to rush and find someone to work for me on days I was scheduled… AKA a nightmare. I worked weeknights last spring as well, and some days I would go from school, to tennis, to running home to change and eat, and then work from 6-10pm. Then I would do my homework until who knows when. I just hated always having something to do and staying up late.

            I love where I work. It’s a great part-time job, my boss and managers are fair even though they can be strict at times, and I get great benefits as well. Who can say that they get free pop and popcorn, free movies, any time, any day? However recently, a couple people have really been getting on my nerves. They are taking the role as a manager even though they are clearly not, and then telling other workers that they are not doing their job right, even when they are. They then proceed to gain up an individual worker and making them feel bad about themselves. Now I usually stay out of this drama, but it simply is mean and childish. This girl did nothing wrong, and they suddenly hate her- wow you’re cool!!

            I think I made the best decision to take a leave of absence for two months during tennis season, and then return in the summer for kid shows, afternoon, and night shifts as well. I need to make lots of money this summer, because hey? What else do I have to do anyways? This will be my third summer at the theatre and I’m really excited because I like working there and feel confident about how I get tasks done. Tennis season could last longer, and maybe school could end early. Wouldn’t that be nice? 15 days.  (465)

Spring Has Arrived!

            When I originally decided to write this blog post, the skies were clear, the sun was bright, and the temperature was somewhere near 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That one beautiful day suddenly has me hooked for spring. But where is it? I miss the 60 or 70 degree weather, and it honestly sucks to play tennis in 40 degree weather. You shouldn’t have to pack gloves, earmuffs, and headbands at the end of April, even if we are living in crazy bipolar Iowa weather. It’s almost always windy and I still have to wear a fleece jacket to school in the morning… I’m lucky if I can take it off when I leave school at 1:45pm. Oh spring, how I miss you. And don’t even get me started on all of the rain. It’s a sore subject. The end of the week looks promising however; a high of 65 tomorrow with 20% chance of rain, and a high of 68 on Saturday with a 0% chance of rain… which means great weather for tennis and Prom! J
            Although I’m clearly being a baby and complaining about how there’s been little to no sunshine, I am thankful for something. Because it hasn’t warmed up and thus, plants and trees are not able to pollenate and sprout, my allergies have not been bad this spring… knock on wood. Usually during tennis season (spring) I come home from a long day at school, being outside in it for 2 hours because of practice or a meet, and my eyes and nose are really itchy. If you have never had seasonal allergies, or seasonal hayfever, if you want to get technical, you’re oh so lucky. It’s hard to get away from the pollen… it’s everywhere- on my car, on my clothes, on counters of my home when the windows are open, and on the sofa. Luckily, my mom is very nice and checks the pollen counts daily and decides which windows to open in the house, we hardly ever open the windows in my bedroom. Everyone loves fresh air, even me, so I feel bad when we have to turn the air conditioning on just for me. Sometimes you just have to suck it up, fight the itch, and keep taking your medicine.

            Finally, I just want warm weather because schools almost over (15 more days for me!), I have a major case of senioritis, and I just want to be able to go outside and not be chilled. I may reconsider my desires once it hits 95 and 45% humidity…..  (427)

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