Family. Mine is huge. My mother's mother had eleven children, and most of them had children. Some of those children have already had children. WOW. And on Thanksgiving, we all try to fit in one household. My dad's side is a little smaller; my grandpa on that side only had seven children. And most of them had children...and so on.
I love having a big family. There is always something to do, someone to chat with. You are never bored. Although there are arguments too. More often on my dad's side than my mom's. On Thanksgiving, we all went to my dad's sister's house in Illinois. We were silently anticipating bickering. However, I was hoping we could all get along, despite a loud argument that had taken place last Thanksgiving.
Nothing happened. It was really a lovely(and yummy) Thanksgiving. But I think there was a significant factor in this. My cousin Holden, and a baby with his girlfriend about three months ago, and my cousin Katie had one with her fiance the previous month. The small people made the atmosphere so much softer and friendly. Everyone was happy and welcoming.
Babies are innocent, and (almost) everyone loves them. They are cute to watch and hold, until they cry and poop. But that's okay.
I like babysitting children. I love children in general. I'm seriously considering going to college to become a teacher. I volunteer at my church by being an aid for a kindergarten class once a week. It's refreshing, and the kids always surprise me by the funny things they say. More than once, a child had thought I was a parent.
People like people, and people like laughing. I see the two merge in children. Always asking questions and laughing. It makes me miss my own childhood. But of course, as the saying goes: you must grow old, but growing up is optional.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Black Friday
Black Friday shopping is the time of year where millions of people stay up late, lose sleep, and stand outside in the freezing cold to buy stuff. Materials. Things you probably don't need.
I understand the human's need for wanting stuff. Because I am human, and I want stuff. As a teenager, however, I am not too keen on standing outside a store for perhaps hours at a time, in late November. It would be cold, and very annoying to one who may not be particularly patient. However, I was happy when my brother informed me that he was doing exactly that at Target. I scanned their catalog, and picked out what I wanted them to get for me. Target had actually opened in the late hours of Thanksgiving day, and not the early hours of the morning which is much more appealing to me. I would actually consider waiting in line for that.
My brother purchased an Xbox on sale, and the new video game, Skyrim. I had three glorious days of playing The Amazing Skyrim, until he went back to college...and took his gifts with him.
Buuuut I'm over it.
Back to Black Friday shopping. The one huge perk about it? All those purchases are beneficial to the economy. However, I would rather send my brother out and do it for me, so I can stay in my warm and cozy bed, and relish one of the last few days of my Thanksgiving break.
I understand the human's need for wanting stuff. Because I am human, and I want stuff. As a teenager, however, I am not too keen on standing outside a store for perhaps hours at a time, in late November. It would be cold, and very annoying to one who may not be particularly patient. However, I was happy when my brother informed me that he was doing exactly that at Target. I scanned their catalog, and picked out what I wanted them to get for me. Target had actually opened in the late hours of Thanksgiving day, and not the early hours of the morning which is much more appealing to me. I would actually consider waiting in line for that.
My brother purchased an Xbox on sale, and the new video game, Skyrim. I had three glorious days of playing The Amazing Skyrim, until he went back to college...and took his gifts with him.
Buuuut I'm over it.
Back to Black Friday shopping. The one huge perk about it? All those purchases are beneficial to the economy. However, I would rather send my brother out and do it for me, so I can stay in my warm and cozy bed, and relish one of the last few days of my Thanksgiving break.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
"Fair" is merely a perspective.
So most people already know about the Joe Paterno/Penn State ordeal. I'm sure a LOT of people will be blogging about it this weekend. I apologize in advance.
When I first saw something about this on MSN, I wasn't altogether interested in what it was about. I like to watch football, and I have my favorite NFL and college teams, but I never kept up with stats or background on the players and coaches. As the story progressed though, and Paterno revealed that he was going to retire, the story caught my attention. He was obviously a dedicated coach, and would only retire to protect himself, or to do it before anyone else told him he had to. So of course, the story progresses even further. He is fired. He had planned to stick it out for the rest of this season, but he was thrown out right away.
The story is an extremely messy one. As for the crime, the affidavit is online, and can be viewed by the public here. Be warned that it goes into gruesome details about the abuse. Gerald Sandusky was a former coach of Penn State football. What he did was disgusting and twisted. I personally could not finish reading the whole thing. Thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. However, it is much more clear when explaining what it has to do with Joe Paterno.
Basically, Sandusky molested many children. In one incident, a graduate assistant walked into the locker room where Sandusky was raping a ten-year old boy. The GA fled, apparently in shock, and contacted Joe Paterno. From there, Paterno immediately notified the athletic director of the univerisity of the situation witnessed. The information ended with the athletic director, who was Paterno's immediate superior, and the vice president of the university. They ended up sweeping the situation under the rug, like scattered dust. They did not go to the police to report a rape, and did not try to uncover Sandusky for what he did.
This was in 2002. The little boy that was raped is in his twenties now, and has now stepped forward with his story. Of all people in the story that needs to be brought to justice, it's obviously Sandusky. Joe Paterno is in the middle of all of this, because he was told the information of a crime, but it did not reach the police. He did the right thing by going to his superior immediately, but when nothing happened from there, he was obligated to take further action.
I will use another perspective. My mom works at the post office, so if one of her employees told her that she saw another employee stealing mail, then it would then be my mom's duty to go to her boss, and tell him what was going on. However, if her boss didn't do anything about the situation, then she could be held accountable for withholding information, unless she takes the next step, and goes higher than her boss. Either to the police, or the next highest position above her boss.
Since Joe Paterno did not take that next step, then he is at some fault for the crime not coming uncovered. Did he deserve to be fired from his job? What sort of punishment does he actually deserve? There is a lot of gray area to this issue. But for some people who say Paterno shouldn't be punished, then they need to blow the dust of their brains and get back into the 21st century. There are many twisted details about the law, but Paterno did break it. No one is above the law; not Paterno, not Obama, not the little girl next door, not your parents, and neither you nor me.
Paterno is a legend in his coaching career at Penn State, but one error may have screwed up his remaining time coaching. I don't like seeing Paterno fired, he is a fantastic coach, and probably a decent man, but intentional or unintentional, I would find it hard to believe if he thought what he did was good enough.
When I first saw something about this on MSN, I wasn't altogether interested in what it was about. I like to watch football, and I have my favorite NFL and college teams, but I never kept up with stats or background on the players and coaches. As the story progressed though, and Paterno revealed that he was going to retire, the story caught my attention. He was obviously a dedicated coach, and would only retire to protect himself, or to do it before anyone else told him he had to. So of course, the story progresses even further. He is fired. He had planned to stick it out for the rest of this season, but he was thrown out right away.
The story is an extremely messy one. As for the crime, the affidavit is online, and can be viewed by the public here. Be warned that it goes into gruesome details about the abuse. Gerald Sandusky was a former coach of Penn State football. What he did was disgusting and twisted. I personally could not finish reading the whole thing. Thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. However, it is much more clear when explaining what it has to do with Joe Paterno.
Basically, Sandusky molested many children. In one incident, a graduate assistant walked into the locker room where Sandusky was raping a ten-year old boy. The GA fled, apparently in shock, and contacted Joe Paterno. From there, Paterno immediately notified the athletic director of the univerisity of the situation witnessed. The information ended with the athletic director, who was Paterno's immediate superior, and the vice president of the university. They ended up sweeping the situation under the rug, like scattered dust. They did not go to the police to report a rape, and did not try to uncover Sandusky for what he did.
This was in 2002. The little boy that was raped is in his twenties now, and has now stepped forward with his story. Of all people in the story that needs to be brought to justice, it's obviously Sandusky. Joe Paterno is in the middle of all of this, because he was told the information of a crime, but it did not reach the police. He did the right thing by going to his superior immediately, but when nothing happened from there, he was obligated to take further action.
I will use another perspective. My mom works at the post office, so if one of her employees told her that she saw another employee stealing mail, then it would then be my mom's duty to go to her boss, and tell him what was going on. However, if her boss didn't do anything about the situation, then she could be held accountable for withholding information, unless she takes the next step, and goes higher than her boss. Either to the police, or the next highest position above her boss.
Since Joe Paterno did not take that next step, then he is at some fault for the crime not coming uncovered. Did he deserve to be fired from his job? What sort of punishment does he actually deserve? There is a lot of gray area to this issue. But for some people who say Paterno shouldn't be punished, then they need to blow the dust of their brains and get back into the 21st century. There are many twisted details about the law, but Paterno did break it. No one is above the law; not Paterno, not Obama, not the little girl next door, not your parents, and neither you nor me.
Paterno is a legend in his coaching career at Penn State, but one error may have screwed up his remaining time coaching. I don't like seeing Paterno fired, he is a fantastic coach, and probably a decent man, but intentional or unintentional, I would find it hard to believe if he thought what he did was good enough.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Golden Trio
Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Daniel, Rupert, and Emma. In the series, they're inseperable, and the actors have grown to be as such throughout the creation of the movies.
JK Rowling, along with the creation of the Harry Potter series, also created three best friends, that survive the twists and turns of drama and action in the luscious plot that is Harry Potter.
In interviews of the golden trio, they all seem to say that they have become great friends- more like siblings in fact. They are eager to branch out to other movie roles, but are somber about the end of a great ten year project together.
To film the last two movies, Emma Watson had to smooch with both Rupert and Daniel. When any of them were questioned, they all seemed to call it awkward, and Emma said it felt like incest.
I see this as both humorous, but also very cool. To grow up and work with someone for so long, and form such a special bond is something a lot of people look for, even if it doesn't go beyond a simple friendship.
I look forward to seeing these actors in their future roles. It would be strange, but very interesting to see them as different characters than we saw them as for the past decade. Would they play characters with the same sort of characteristics as in Harry Potter? Or will they branch out to different personalities? Will Emma play a mean girl? Or Daniel an obnoxious jock? I anticipate seeing them on different screens, flying solo. It's also a desire of mine that two or all three of them would be casted in the same movie. Also a strange vision of mine, that their characters may not be the best of friends like they were in HP.
Wherever they go, I know the Golden Trio will be successful going their separate ways. Each an excellent actor, I hope they will find their own spotlight.
JK Rowling, along with the creation of the Harry Potter series, also created three best friends, that survive the twists and turns of drama and action in the luscious plot that is Harry Potter.
In interviews of the golden trio, they all seem to say that they have become great friends- more like siblings in fact. They are eager to branch out to other movie roles, but are somber about the end of a great ten year project together.
To film the last two movies, Emma Watson had to smooch with both Rupert and Daniel. When any of them were questioned, they all seemed to call it awkward, and Emma said it felt like incest.
I see this as both humorous, but also very cool. To grow up and work with someone for so long, and form such a special bond is something a lot of people look for, even if it doesn't go beyond a simple friendship.
I look forward to seeing these actors in their future roles. It would be strange, but very interesting to see them as different characters than we saw them as for the past decade. Would they play characters with the same sort of characteristics as in Harry Potter? Or will they branch out to different personalities? Will Emma play a mean girl? Or Daniel an obnoxious jock? I anticipate seeing them on different screens, flying solo. It's also a desire of mine that two or all three of them would be casted in the same movie. Also a strange vision of mine, that their characters may not be the best of friends like they were in HP.
Wherever they go, I know the Golden Trio will be successful going their separate ways. Each an excellent actor, I hope they will find their own spotlight.
Refreshing Daylight Savings
I love the weekend of daylight savings, where we turn back our clocks. Getting one extra hour for the weekend feels nicer than one would've thought. Versus daylight savings in the spring, where you turn forward your clocks. Losing an hour seems more stressful, and gaining feels awesome.
This morning, my subconscious clock woke me up an hour earlier, so being a teenager, I wandered between Dreamland and reality for an extra hour. I woke up extra refreshed, and ready for the day.
I kept glancing at the clock, and realizing I had more time than I thought. I constantly felt like I had an extra hour, even though I had already spent it resting, which was probably more of a psychological thing. Even now, my eye slides to the lower right-hand corner of my screen, and I relish the feeling of being slightly more ahead of schedule.
As nearly every other human does, I wish there was more time in the day. Even just two extra hours: one for sleeping in the night, and one for the day. It would be amazing at first, but then I think people would get used to it all over, and find themselves craving more time.
So what about summer, when students have free time galore? Well, we take the time for granted, and end up doing nothing with it. That's fine to an extent, but then you always get into the late-summer rut, where you are tired of doing nothing.
So what can you do with that time? Well lately I've been pondering that, and I have been thinking of a personal to-do list for times like those, to better myself, or just make my life that more awesome. To perhaps inspire your own to-do list, here's my own list so far:
1) Teach myself how to rap
2) Teach myself how to shuffle.
3) Get back in touch with my interest in rock music.
4) Pick up my clarinet from middle school, and try out playing it on my own.
5) Create a series of outdoor games for parties.
So there's the beginning of my to-do list, to make my lame summer amazing. I hope you take these ideas into consideration, and start to make your own time for things you want to do. :)
This morning, my subconscious clock woke me up an hour earlier, so being a teenager, I wandered between Dreamland and reality for an extra hour. I woke up extra refreshed, and ready for the day.
I kept glancing at the clock, and realizing I had more time than I thought. I constantly felt like I had an extra hour, even though I had already spent it resting, which was probably more of a psychological thing. Even now, my eye slides to the lower right-hand corner of my screen, and I relish the feeling of being slightly more ahead of schedule.
As nearly every other human does, I wish there was more time in the day. Even just two extra hours: one for sleeping in the night, and one for the day. It would be amazing at first, but then I think people would get used to it all over, and find themselves craving more time.
So what about summer, when students have free time galore? Well, we take the time for granted, and end up doing nothing with it. That's fine to an extent, but then you always get into the late-summer rut, where you are tired of doing nothing.
So what can you do with that time? Well lately I've been pondering that, and I have been thinking of a personal to-do list for times like those, to better myself, or just make my life that more awesome. To perhaps inspire your own to-do list, here's my own list so far:
1) Teach myself how to rap
2) Teach myself how to shuffle.
3) Get back in touch with my interest in rock music.
4) Pick up my clarinet from middle school, and try out playing it on my own.
5) Create a series of outdoor games for parties.
So there's the beginning of my to-do list, to make my lame summer amazing. I hope you take these ideas into consideration, and start to make your own time for things you want to do. :)
Gleekz
Glee, the show that nearly every show choir member seems to love. Making covers of songs and performing them in a musical-esque setup. Drama, dating, dreams, and performing.
When Glee came out, I never sat down to watch it. In fact, I was still oblivious through the second season. I thought it may be overrated. The first time I saw an episode, it merely reinforced that opinion. However, I started to watch more episodes with my cousin, who is in love with the show, and it grew on me.
The show is extremely cheesy. The performances are "too perfect." But if there was one singular reason to watch Glee, it's Sue Sylvester. The evil cheerleader coach, who doesn't care about anyone, and will murder anyone who stands in her way of success. She speaks perfect sarcasm with a beautifully straight face, and you would never defeat her in a stand-off.
However, the rest of the show really is funny. The drama plots are funny because it is cheesy, and the characters are so ridiculous, it's hard not to love them.
The performances are awesome, but a little overdone in my opinion. They could have made it a little more realistic, such as not blocking out all white noise. The covers are so precisely done in the studio, and the character lip syncs while acting out the scene. If anything, changing that would make me appreciate the show a little more.
Also, it's not always such a cheesy plot. The show focuses on many social issues going on today, such as bullying, and LGBT discrimination. One main character, Kurt, is gay, and there's a whole episode where he comes out to his dad, worrying that he won't be able to accept him. Since the whole club is marked at "the bottom of the food chain" in high school terms, every one of the members has at one time been teased.
While catching up on what I missed during the first two seasons on Netflix, I find my weekends that much more enjoyable, with such a juicy, funny, and colorful show.
When Glee came out, I never sat down to watch it. In fact, I was still oblivious through the second season. I thought it may be overrated. The first time I saw an episode, it merely reinforced that opinion. However, I started to watch more episodes with my cousin, who is in love with the show, and it grew on me.
The show is extremely cheesy. The performances are "too perfect." But if there was one singular reason to watch Glee, it's Sue Sylvester. The evil cheerleader coach, who doesn't care about anyone, and will murder anyone who stands in her way of success. She speaks perfect sarcasm with a beautifully straight face, and you would never defeat her in a stand-off.
However, the rest of the show really is funny. The drama plots are funny because it is cheesy, and the characters are so ridiculous, it's hard not to love them.
The performances are awesome, but a little overdone in my opinion. They could have made it a little more realistic, such as not blocking out all white noise. The covers are so precisely done in the studio, and the character lip syncs while acting out the scene. If anything, changing that would make me appreciate the show a little more.
Also, it's not always such a cheesy plot. The show focuses on many social issues going on today, such as bullying, and LGBT discrimination. One main character, Kurt, is gay, and there's a whole episode where he comes out to his dad, worrying that he won't be able to accept him. Since the whole club is marked at "the bottom of the food chain" in high school terms, every one of the members has at one time been teased.
While catching up on what I missed during the first two seasons on Netflix, I find my weekends that much more enjoyable, with such a juicy, funny, and colorful show.
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