Farewell, My Friends

It's been a great year with you, "Spin." To all my readers, best of luck in your future endeavors, and perhaps I will randomly update this sometime in my future. Maybe if I'm sick or have a moment of free time in college; we'll see what happens. I hope you've enjoyed what I have had to say and other topics that I may have brought to your attention. My main goal was to improve my readiness to write, and I think being able to write whatever and whenever I want to helped that goal tremendously.

Thanks Mizzay for forcing me to do this!

Much Love,
Lindsey

(PS: keep watching tennis ;) )

(112)

Confession: My Worst Day of School.... Ever.

*I bet you thought I was going to talk about me, well lets talk about something that is terrible for me to listen to.
            Gun laws have been the hot topic of the news lately, and a recent news story really got me thinking on a topic that is now considered the ‘social norm.’ “Do video games cause increased violence in children?” This was also a practice ACT question that was always hard for me to defend because it’s touchy and you need a lot of evidence. My answer and opinion to this controversy would be that it does not cause a child or young adult to be more violent, but it desensitizes the idea of killing someone or what a gun can really do to someone.

            I am not trying to cause an uproar of comments or a bunch of, “you’re wrong and I’m right” debates, but I am just saying that you do not need a mass-murder weapon like the ones used in the Sandy Hook Elementary or Aurora, Colorado theatre shootings. My manager at work (who trains children gun and knife safety at Boy Scout camp) would argue that you do need guns. I honestly never really listen to him when he explains his reasoning to me, partly because I don’t like debates about current events, and also because I don’t like listening to topics that are currently sensitive in modern day culture.

            The argument on the news was that President Obama should do something about the video game industry and the ratings on violent video games. My questions are: What else can he do? What else is there for video game companies to do? The problem isn’t the ratings on the games, the problem is the parents who buy their children the video games and then wonder why they are always consumed in them. Call of Duty is rated M for MATURE. This means anyone ages seventeen and up. Yet, parents still buy their 8 year olds these games. Do they not realize what they are letting their child do? Basically, they are telling the child that they can have anything they want and do whatever they want when they are given the freedom to play a violent video game. I know that it’s not a real life scenario, but what happened to the innocence in children? Why can’t they play Super Mario Bros and be happy? Parents who buy their young children video games are basically conforming to the social norm of the ‘cool, new thing,’ without thinking twice about what the game actually is. There is nothing wrong with the video game industry, nor President Obama’s action on this topic, it’s something that is happening in American families that needs to be taken care of.  (462)

Crime is Pride

Think: all men make mistakes

But a good man yeilds when he

Knows his course is wrong,

And repairs the evil: The only

Crime is pride.

-Teiresias

 

Although we have not directly talked about this in class, I think pride and self-judgement is important to take note of. Just like in the article "This is Water" David Wallace Foster discusses the fact that the majority of the human race, including himself is self-centered and has self-centered thoughts. Just like in the quote from Teiresias, when someone knows something is wrong, he tries to fix it even though it's still bad. Because we are always so worked up and worried about doing something wrong, the crime is not doing something wrong, but worrying about our pride and what people think of us. It's important to be nice to others at all times and everyone is bound to make mistakes at some point, so why do we always rush to fix the bad? The bad times are what builds us back up and teaches us a lesson. Only we can fix our future, and the only way to keep adjusting is to keep learning new things.

 

From what I have seen in the outside world; whether it's babysitting, watching people while shopping, or driving down the street, people worry too much about what others think. Their pride is everything to them. Heaven forbid you picked your nose while driving. Seriously, life will move on and you probably will never see that other driver ever again. I would agree that picking your nose is gross, but there are worse things you could do in life. Don't worry about the aggressive tailgator behind you, worry about yourself. Just like in school, "keep your hands to yourself" and "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Even adults need to listen to those more often and realize you don't need to unconsciously put someone down just because it makes you feel better- it's mean, so please just stop. Finally, we constantly judge others while at the same time others judge us. Why do we feel the need as humans to put others down to boost our pride? It seems like we all have it backwards. Everyone just needs to be nice to each other- no violence, no fights, no cattyness, no nothing.

 

Be a good citizen and be nice to everyone you meet.  (401)

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)