Staying strong, and moving on.

Sometimes, something awful happens. A truly terrible thing. You drop to your knees shaking. All you can think is, “No,” because it’s impossible. How could this have happened? Then it settles in that it is possible. You wonder, “Why hasn’t anyone else stopped? Why are people still going about their daily lives? The whole world should have stopped spinning. Life can’t go on.”

But it does. It shouldn’t. It sure as Hell shouldn’t, and it feels so wrong. Yet it does. The clock keeps ticking seconds away without them. You wonder how you could ever do anything the same way again. You cry yourself raw, and soon you can’t even shed a tear properly. You mourn in a frozen, numb life.

But you will heal. Eventually, you find yourself smiling again. You laugh a hollow laugh, and you remember how good it felt. It feels wrong at first, but then it gets loads better. You still have the scars, but they stopped bleeding, and have faded to a mere tattoo on your life. It feels like it shouldn’t be right, but it is.

Time will heal. It is rough, and it is a difficult, long process, that will never make the scars completely go away. But it is inevitable. Time is inevitable. Death is inevitable. But love seeps through the cracks.

The earth will always keep spinning. Time will always pass us by. Life goes on. I hate the fact that it does. It irks me to know that I have to admit it is a good thing. Life goes on, but above all, it is a good thing.

Death may be inevitable, but it is love that conquers all. You may not think so. How can love conquer death? If it did, no one would die. But death, like time, will always happen. No, the true conquering is that love still exists, even as death rips the person from us.

Love isn’t turned off like a faucet. When the person dies, you still love them. They still love you. Now, try to fathom that for a second. The person still loves you, even though they are dead. It doesn’t matter if you practice some sort of religion, lack thereof, or belief in any type of afterlife. You would be foolish to deny love as a beautiful and powerful thing. It took me a long time to realize it, but they still love you, whether they are dead or not. Love is immortal.

Honestly, I used to see, “the meaning of life,” as a mysterious, yet silly question. I still see it as a silly question, but now merely because I see the answer as so obvious now. I’ve said it already. Almost every song in existence has some sort of basis of it. Novels, movies, everything has it. When a death occurs, you are told to remember the good things, and be thankful for the time you had with them to experience it. Think, when are you your happiest? When you’re doing something you love, and when you are with people you love. Love. Love. Love. Love is the answer! Love is why we’re here, why we live, why we are happy, and finally, why we die and keep living.

A lack of love is why people kill themselves.

A lack of love is what causes problems.

So pass on the love. Pass on the new, remember the old, and cherish the love you shared once with a lost one. Know that it is still there, and know that even death and time cannot shatter it, no matter how hard they try.

Getting in the spirit.

Oh no late late late blog posts...my bad. This is one of six that should have been posted by the end of last week. :(

Oh my. It's that time of year. That time of year when chocolate and cookies are suddenly ten times more delicious, and you are expected to buy presents for people you may not particularly know or like all that much.

But don't be a Grinch. I'm sure you would be arrested if you broke into homes to steal Christmas trees. That's a little extreme. Don't be a Scrooge either, no one likes him. What you CAN be however, is a Stooge. Yes, that would certainly get some laughs at the extended family get-togethers. Don't be selfish, and don't let the lack of snow get you down. At least the driving conditions will be decent.

And oh goodness. The buying of the presents. If you are like me, and have a ton of friends you would love to give something to, you could do something like what I did last year. The weekend before break, I went shopping with my mother, and found a shelf at Michaels, filled with gooey snowmen balls. The kind you squeeze and squish, and if you throw it at a wall, and it will stick. I bought about 25 of them, considering they were fifty cents each, and gave them out on the last day of school. It was pretty satisfying, especially when my teachers started asking, "Where are all these snowmen from???"

But maybe you want to give something a little more special. So do that! Go for silly, or meaningful, or purposeful, or whatever, but don't bust your wallet. Pick a couple close friends and give them something. And here comes the cliche: "It's the thought that counts." But honestly, they will be glad that you simply went out of your way to do something for them.

And as for the weather, just DEAL WITH IT. Where I'm at, we have no snow, when we typically do. So many complaints are flying around. Yes, snow is fun, and yes, snow is absolutely necessary for Christmas to happen or Santa Claus won't come to your house (words from the mouth of my 6 year old cousin). But that doesn't mean you can't still get into the spirit. For goodness' sake, look on the bright side.  No snow means no awful driving conditions, most likely no flight cancellations, and you probably won't be snowed in for the holiday. What do I see as the bad side to this? It probably means a late starting Spring, which no sensible person would want.

Classic Disney.

The Disney movies from my childhood, are my favorites, forever and always. I love these movies. I love the storylines, the romances (even if they're cliche), the comedy, and the song bits. My absolute favorites include Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Mulan. Emphasis on the last one.

Mulan may be my favorite heroine ever. She is such a boss. Entering a war, pretending to be a dude, then saving China. Realistic? Maybe not, but I always found her the most admirable. Along with her, I like Meg from Hercules, and Jasmine from Aladdin for their down-to-earth, non-classical princess qualities.

This is one of my favorite songs from these movies. It's so anti-cliche. Maybe I'm just a fan of breaking the tradition. The dude's head-over-heels for the girl, and she is denying him.

Women at it, being bad@$$ always wins my heart. Toughing it out, and being a man instead of waiting around to be rescued.

A playful number that was also a favorite of mine. Two friends, just being silly and singing about growing up and being the boss of everything. Silly, but it also encourages you to stay hopeful and look to the future.

How to navigate your crowded high school hallway.

Here at my high school, we have roughly 2000 humans in the building. You could say it's overpopulated, but I like to think of it as cozy. The real challenge is getting to class in the middle of passing time.

Freshman year, it's overwhelming. You are shorter than nearly everyone, and you are the one who will most likely be shoved to the side. Getting smacked in the face by someone's backpack is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, seniority figures into this situation a lot. Some seniors think it's their duty to push around lower-classmen. Well it's not. But as freshmen, you also have to tough it out. Also, whatever you do, DON'T tell an upper-classmen to shut up. It does not end well. *Shudders*

Sophomore year, it's significantly better. You are no longer at the bottom of the food chain, and you know that 25% of the population is beneath you. It's a good feeling. But you are still considered an under-classmen. You have to yield to the large intimidating crowd of seniors that barricade in front of the senior bench. They will most likely not move for you out of pure kindness.

Junior year, it's even better. Now you are officially an upper-classmen, even if you still feel like a freshman. The only people above you are the seniors, and for the most part, you could blend in as one if you needed to. But you also have to realize you are NOT on top of the foodchain, no matter how many connections you have. Step down from your high horse, oh arrogant one.

Senior year, I'm sure it's amazing. Being a junior, I cannot say for sure. However, I can speculate that you are more confident pushing aside under-classmen who are under the impression that barricading a narrow hallway is okay.

Now for actual navigation tips.

1) When you're trying to make it across the foyer, the best way to go is with the flow. Cheesy, but much easier than fighting the oncoming crowd. Sometimes you have to go slightly past your hallway, then turn around in order to not be trampled. Fighting the crowd is the worst way to go, especially for under-classmen. Upper-classmen will attempt, merely because they know they can.

2) Now, there's not always clear flows of where the crowds are going. In these cases, it'd be wise to spot someone who looks like they're going the same way you are. It's more helpful if they are larger or more intimidating than you. Grab their backpack without their noticing, and just follow them through the crowd. This has been dubbed as tagging.

3) Some people do believe it's okay to barricade the hall. No, it's not okay. Yes, I realize you may not have seen your best friends since 2 class periods ago, but that doesn't give you the right to rush over for a 15 person group hug. Have some respect for those actually making an effort to not be marked tardy. In these cases, you are justified to tell them to move, or shove a little. You are more likely to get away with this as an upper-classmen, so be careful if you aren't.

Overall, everyone should be respectful of everyone. However, seniority exists, and it will play out, even if you don't like it. The hallways can be dangerous for everyone, just remember we are all one big school, and we are all in this together. For the record, I did not intend to just quote High School Musical.

Sculptures that speak.

From studying art history, I am learning more and more about the development of styles and influences on art. One of my favorite eras so far is the Greek times.

Greek sculpture is famous for its breakthroughs in developing realistic figural sculptures. In the beginning, figures were depicted in unnaturally frontal, and formal stances, such as this:

One foot is placed slightly in front of the other, yet the hips are still aligned. Proportions of the head are ever-so-slightly off. The shoulders are unnaturally broad compared to the slim hips.

But these sculptural characteristics soon began to change. What you see in the following picture is a change in stance, which shows incredible change in the realistic aspect of the sculpture.

What you see here, is a shift in weight to one leg, which is a much more realistic stance for human figures. In turn, the hips are at an angle, and one shoulder is slightly lowered. Sculptures started to make this more dramatic turn to realism in Greek art.

As the era progressed, Greek gods and goddesses were depicted in more dramatic positions. No longer restricted to the frontality, the gods were put in different positions, sometimes doing an activity. Nike, the goddess of victory, is shown here. Her wings are thrown back, and she poses on a sort of pedestal, proclaiming victory amongst battle.

Personally, this sculpture makes me feel epic. I look at this picture, and I feel like I could climb Mount Everest.

In late Greek times, there came about what is referred to the Hellenistic era. In this era, the subjects of sculpture began to show intense emotion, pain, and anguish. They were detailed, exaggerated, and sometimes frightening to look at.

This sculpture is of an elderly lady in a market. Details of the sculpture suggest that she is living in poverty. The emotion is anger, but you can't tell what is making her mad.

This sculpture shows a scene, rather than just a single figure. It depicts a father and his sons being attacked by serpents. The sculptor is skilled in showing details in the body, realism in the face, and the expression of anguish and pain.

The sculptures of Greece are truly remarkable, with how they progress. The gradual move to realism is wowing. The later sculptures begin to express emotion, which is truly a huge step in the history of art.

Drawing portraits.

Lately I've been working on drawing people. What I find to be the most difficult part is the details of the face, and their orientation. On Youtube, there are time lapse videos of drawings/paintings of portraits taken from photographs. here is a video of someone painting Johnney Depp, using the dry brush technique.

This is an incredible example, and obviously took much more time to complete. The artist said their works from photographs usually take 4-5 hours.
The dry brush technique is wiping paint off the brush until it is nearly dry, then applying to the paper, giving it an airbrushed look. This allows for much more detail in portraits and other subjects.
When doing the parts of the face, I personally like doing the eyes the best. I've had much more practice with them over the years, and I think of other facial features, my eyes turn out the best. I typically draw, but I also plan on experimenting with painting portraits.

Here is another time-lapse video, but of an eye exclusively. I really like this video, because the artist tells you what he's doing, and gives you pointers along the way. The piece was done in water color and colored pencil.

There is incredible, yet subtle detail. What the artist says is true: the more you put into fine-tuning, the better it will look.
The mouth is always the one that throws me off. If you at all screwed up the placement of the eyes or nose of the face, then the mouth will be even more skewed. The face is made of near-perfect proportions, that is applied to everyone.

A common mistake in drawing is putting the eyes too high up on the face. What many people don't know, is that the eyes are in the exact middle of the head. From the top of the head to the eyebrows, from the eyebrows to the bottom of the nose, then from the nose to the chin are each one-third of the head.
As for the lips, I've been told different things. I've heard it's halfway between the nose and the chin, and I've heard it's one-third of the way to the chin. However, I have had it confirmed that it is indeed one-third. I still have trouble placing it. Too big, too small, to wide, etc. I'm always erasing the mouth.
Once you have the general features of the face, I move into the shading of the skin. Above your eyes, below your mouth, along your jawline and just below the cheekbone is where I see most of the darker spots. It's hardly distinctive when you look at someone casually, but when you search for it, you can typically pinpoint the lights and darks. They are generally very subtle, depending on the lighting, but are exaggerated on paper.













In this drawn-from-photograph portrait of Hugh Laurie as House, the artist exaggerated the darkness in his hair, and above his eyes, while intentionally leaving the lights lighter, such as in the whites of his eyes, along the inner cheekbone, and his forehead. The lights and darks of a piece are called values, and the artist emphasizes them to make the whole piece pop. It's subtle, but highly effective.

I've done this in a number of my pieces, to also try and get the whole piece to stand out. It does a lot, as long as you exaggerate within reason. More often than not, however, I find myself looking back and wishing I had exaggerated more.

Babies and children make everything better.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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. :)

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 all else fails.

Last minute, you NEED a Halloween costume.

In my home, you can go into the storage room and scope out some costumes from the childhoods of four children. I'm pretty sure there's also an adult cow costume down there somewhere. But not everyone has a storage room filled with old costumes. It's time to get creative, and quick. Here's some witty costumes that require minimal effort, but will give you much praise from your friends.

1) Nudist on Strike- Dress in average clothes. Hold a picket sign with the words, "Nudist on Strike."
2) Lemon Surprise- Write the word, "LIFE," in black marker on a plain white t-shirt. Carry around a bag of lemons, while occasionally handing one out to someone.
3) Serial Killer- Dress normally. Get a giant plastic knife to keep in your back pocket. Your punchline is, "I'm a serial killer, because you can never pick them out from the crowd."
4) Leaf blower- Wear a hat, and tie one end of a string to the top of it. Tie the other end to a leaf from outside, so it hangs in your face. Blow the leaf out of your face.
5) Quarterback- attach a large picture of a quarter on your back. Football not required.
6) Game Show Contestant- Make a large nametag, and put it on the front of your shirt. Say things like, "I'd like to buy a vowel," or, "That is my final answer."
7) Pothead- Put a pot on your head.
8) The Lost TV Remote- attach a couch cushion to your front, and one to your back.
9) Refridgerator Magnet- Paint a shoebox black, and attach it to your back.
10) Cable Guy(for the party you don't want to go to)- notify friends what you are going as. Don't show up, because they never do.

And when you still don't have plans, just invite friends over for scary movies. Feeling ambitious? Do a group session for learning the Thriller dance. Whatever you do, make sure you have fun, because Halloween only comes once a year!

Halloween or bust.

Admit it. There's a time as a teenager where part of you wishes you could still trick-or-treat. So instead, you grab a small child, and dress up with the excuse that you are escorting them. Great excuse really, I'll use it in the future.

The past two years I have the excuse of trick-or-treating for a cause: trick-or-treat for UNICEF. Not entirely an excuse really, since I care for the cause too. However, I still get to dress up, and that's a huge plus.

So what happens when you're too old, even for that? Generally, you either have friends who throw costume parties, you stay at home and hand out candy, or you curl up to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Personally, I would love to bob for apples, but that's beside my point.

If you decide to hand out candy, but still desire to make it fun, then there's a number of things you can do. I would love to prank kids as they come to my doorstep for candy. Not the little-little kids- that's just cruel- but the ones old enough to take a joke. One prank is to sit in a chair on your porch, dressed as a scarecrow. You are pretending to be a real scarecrow, so it must be convincing. You have your bowl of candy sitting in your lap, with a sign that says, "Take 1." It's your choice who to scare them when kids walk up and reach into the bowl. You can jump to life and grab their hand. Some would jump and scare only those who try to take more than one.

If you're going to a Halloween party, and you don't wanna dress up, then you should stop being a wimp and dress up. Halloween is awesome, and unless you have a legitimate fear of plastic and synthetic material, then there's no reason you shouldn't get in the spirit and dress up. If you insist to dress with minimal effort, then dress in regular clothes, and carry a sign that says, "Nudist on Strike." Get creative, don't be a downer, and most of all, have fun!

When shows and movies go too far.

The first Shrek movie was amazing. An absolute classic from my childhood. I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard there was going to be a sequel. I was hoping for a good follow-up, and I wasn't disappointed. It wasn't as good as the first, but it was decent.

When I became aware of a third one being made, I was excited. I haven't seen that movie since I saw it in the theater, but I know that I didn't like it. It was a disaster compared to the first two. Then came the fourth, which I took my seven-year old cousin to. He loved it, and I thought it was a little better than the third, but still significantly bad.

So when do shows and movies need to stop? For Shrek, it should have stopped after the second. Some would say the first was perfect enough. When you have a good show or movie, businesses make sequels or more seasons to make more money, but often those follow-ups ruin the legacy built by the original.

I saw Madagascar with some friends, and I enjoyed it. I never saw the sequel, but I've seen the show, "Penguins from Madagascar." It's an awful show really; entertaining enough for children, but from a critic's viewpoint, not very good. The penguins were good as side characters in the movie, but when you make them the main focus, it dulls the plot. Those side characters are typically static, and most movies need a main character that changes throughout the movie.

There is a movie coming out, "Puss in Boots," that is doing the same thing: pulling a character from a previous movie, and turning the focus on them. Not having seen the movie yet, I can't criticize it. However, I can predict that the same thing will happen, while also hoping it doesn't. Who knows, maybe Hollywood spent more time on this movie to make it good, instead of doing it just because they know Shrek fans won't miss it.

TV shows too. I admit, I am a sucker for crime shows, but when the episodes turn to a more personal level with the characters, when it was originally supposed to be about the crime, then I don't like it as much. If it's a crime show, stick with the crime. They should establish ahead of time how personal they want to be with characters, and stay with that theme. It shouldn't change to a soap opera mid-season. It bothers me when crime shows turn into Grey's Anatomy.

I can't stop drawing.

the artists are building our own generation
go on try to stop us
we feed on oppression
we fight depression
we will give you sensations
to shake you to revelations

you can't see what we see
try to stop your jealousy
the colors flow easily
we look around and see what should be

snap a picture in your head
you'll tell your kids before you're dead
that you saw what lay ahead
because we paved away from certain dread

to create is expression
to need is obsession
what we have is opportunity
to stimulate the community

our wills crave what yours deny
don't you dare say goodbye
because you too could fly
if you only try

So I was going to sit down and write a blog, but somewhere along the way, I wrote a poem instead. Hence no capitalization or commas. Sorry OCD people.

I've been getting into this awesome groove, where I'm forcing myself to squeeze in drawing time between homework and school. It feels awesome, and I'm really happy about it. I have taken art classes the past two years, but only drew projects when they were assigned. Now I have all these ideas in my head of what I could make on my own.

I also have been starting to listen to music more while I sketch. It helps me loosen my mind, and actually inspired a couple sketches. I'm also researching different drawing and painting styles, such as automatic and speed drawing. Automatic is drawing without a predetermined purpose, so your ending product is completely spontaneous. Speed drawing is drawing under a time limit, with a plan of what you are drawing.

Unfortunately, the latter style is often confused with time-lapse video drawings. Searching on Youtube, it's very difficult to find videos of speed drawing in regular time(although the videos that come from that search are still incredible).

A Tale of Two Wizards

"After all these years?"
"Always."

Severus Snape. Once a hated character of the Harry Potter series, now loved by many. It's common knowledge to anyone who has ever seen a Harry Potter movie, that Snape hates Harry. But in the seventh book/eighth movie, his character is revealed for the role he played during the course of the entire series. *Spoiler Alert*

In the last book, Voldemort is getting very strong, and nowhere is safe. The end of the sixth book features the shocking scene of Snape killing Dumbledore, and revealing that he is a double agent for Voldemort. However, Snape is truly unmasked when he gives Harry his memories just before he dies himself in the seventh. Harry sees the memories, and becomes fully aware of Snape's past, and whose side he truly was on.

Lily Evans(Harry's mother) and Severus Snape were childhood friends before they entered Hogwarts. Entering Hogwarts, Snape was disappointed to be separated from her, with her being a Gryffindor, and he a Slytherin. She made new friends, and didn't like the friends he was making. But Snape was in love with Lily, and whether she was ever in love with him, we don't know. What we do know, is that despite their friendship ending, Snape still loved her. Lily married James Potter after Hogwarts, and didn't have much contact with Snape. He still loved her.

Snape began to work for Voldemort, and when Voldemort was making his plans to kill Harry, Snape asked him to spare Lily. Having no empathy, the Dark Lord didn't hesitate to kill her once she tried to stand in his way. Snape was heartbroken and devastated, and went to Dumbledore. Seeing how much Snape had loved Lily, Dumbledore trusted Snape because he realized that his love was greater than his loyalty to Voldemort. As Harry said, Snape was Dumbledore's the moment he started hunting down Lily.

So what did Snape do from there? Well in a nutshell, he dedicated his whole life to working with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix to protect Harry from Voldemort. He was pretending to be Voldemort's spy, but was really on Dumbledore's side. Harry is a strange character to Snape, because in the image of his father, he is the reminder that Snape never had Lily, and that he never would. However, he is the last piece of her that is left, and that's enough for Snape to get along.
So in overview, a man dedicates his life to preserve the son of the woman he loved. Even though she is already dead, and she married someone else, he died to save that last piece of her, because it's what she would have wanted.

I don't know about anyone else, but this gives me some serious, A Tale of Two Cites vibes. In A Tale of Two Cities, Man 1 gives his life so that Man 2 could live. Man 1 was in love with a woman, and that woman was in love with Man 2. He gave his life so that she could be happy with who she was in love with. Quite a tragic story because, to me, that act in itself shows true love. Snape was truly in love with Lily, and he still did what would have made her happy even after she was killed.

There should be more men in the world who are like Severus Snape.

My problem with mechanical pencils.

In my very personal opinion, I do not like mechanical pencils. What's the point of them? It's just plastic that wishes it was a pencil. Not to mention, you have to constantly supply it with lead, so that it may actually function.

I look around my classrooms lately to see a large chunk of students using mechanical penicls, and I wonder to myself, "Of all people in the world, do teenagers really show the proper commitment skills to consistently use a mechanical pencil?" Honestly, I would hate to have to go to the store to buy lead for a mechanical pencil. I much prefer plain wooden pencils. They feel more comfortable and more familiar in my hand. Bonus: I'd much rather walk across the room to sharpen a pencil, then having to refill it.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with commitment. I would just rather not be in a commitment-required relationship with a pencil.

This was originally going to be a rant about my dislike for mechanical pencils, but I feel it slowly turning into a discussion of commitment.

Commitment to classes, friends, family, and previously-made promises are important. Commitment to making time for the priorities in your life, and learning to balance what's due now with what's due later. Also planning assignments accordingly with your schedule outside of school. These skills are developed through commitment, and trial and error. You soon use them later in life with your career and social life, or significant other.

I feel strongly about staying committed to promises. Saying you'll do something, than not doing it is one of my biggest pet peeves. It doesn't even require the actual use of the word, "promise," like it did in elementary school. Promising to show up somewhere, then leaving the person hanging without explanation is disrespectful, despite whatever reason they didn't show up.

If you want to create a committal relationship with your pencil, I don't mind. You will not find me making a promise to my pencil, "I will fill you up when you are empty, take care of you through the thick and thin, and try my hardest not to drop you under my desk in the middle of class, because we know how embarrassing that is for the both of us."

Just remember to keep your priorities straight- beyond my example of a completely exaggerated personification of a pencil.

Halloween is coming to town >:)

Halloween is coming up! One of the silliest, funniest holidays. More celebrated than April Fool's, but less serious than Christmas. And coming from a high-schooler, I would like to say that not one year has gone by since my childhood that I did not get dressed up.

Freshman year, my friend had a party on Halloween. I dressed as a "neon hippie" or as such I dubbed it. Last year, I did trick-or-treat for UNICEF through a volunteer club at school, which I was able to dress up for with my friends. That year I went as Hermione Granger.

Now I'm obviously getting older to the point that if I went trick-or-treating without ushering a small child, then I would be just plain weird. This year, I plan on doing trick-or-treat for UNICEF again, which I'm sure slides by, considering it's for a cause. Not that I'm only doing it as an excuse, of course, dressing up is just a plus. This year I think I plan on going as someone from the 80's, although I considered going as an all-out Voldemort. That would have been much more difficult, however.

So what's so great about Halloween? Well, I find it amazing because it's one big costume party! Picking out something to be for a night, and pulling it off well is always rewarding. The candy was the best part as a child, but now I prefer costume-ing it up with friends.

And of course the scares. I have not been legitimately scared on any recent Halloween, although I eagerly anticipate this year. I hope to venture scary houses with friends, and maybe plan a scary movie party. I usually don't like being scared, but something about this time of year makes me yearn for that thrill. It would also be extremely fun to incorporate a scare-prank on one my friends. That's always a good time. >:)

Yippee, gender roles.

Sexism is often a touchy topic of discussion. Stereotypically, there's always the man in the room who has to say, "Well scientifically, men are stronger," and the woman who must defend every sexist aspect made for women, by adversely using sexist stereotypes toward men. "Woman are TOTALLY as strong as men because men just sit around all day while the wife does everything for them."

Ugh. I don't like battle of the sexes conversations. However, what bothers me is that I still find norms used in our society that originated back from our not-so-ancient patriarchal past.

"Man up," "Stop being a girl," and some other slightly graphic sayings, are still said daily. I've had them said to me, and I've said them before without stopping myself. But more than the idea behind it, what bothers me is that it's still said. Especially when it's obvious today- and been proven by Shawn Johnson, Jennie Finch, and Serena Williams- that women can be tough, and can excel at sports.

There are more women in the workforce than men. Statistically, that's true. Contrary to a hundred years ago, you wouldn't be able to find a woman with a job.

And when it comes to relationships- sure the guy can hold the door, dive in for the kiss, pull out the chair, etc, but it shouldn't be shunned if the girl does that too. I have a friend that admits she would never ask a guy out on a date, simply because she's old-fashioned enough to believe that the guy must be the one to do it.

And of course, the, "women in the kitchen," and, "women can't drive," jokes. I try to ignore those as much as possible, but in all honesty, those jokes seriously irk me. And I know I shouldn't let it, because the fuel of the anger it causes is what makes it successful. Grr, vicious circle.

Honestly, people who suggest women are better, annoy me as much as those who suggest the opposite. Is one really better than the other? My obvious answer would be no, but I think the better answer is, "who cares?" I think we all have something better that we could be doing.

Drawing Rant

A detailed and realistic drawing cannot be achieved without patience. You have to pay attention to details, look at proportion, shape, and lights and darks. It takes a long time, and I often find myself running out of time finishing a project that has a deadline.

Proportion always throws me off. Doing a figure, you have to analyze the size of the head in relation to the central body and the limbs. Particularly within the face, you must be careful with eyes, nose, and mouth. I still feel I am only amateur at drawing lips; they always look too small, too large, or too close to the nose.

I used to think shape was often the hardest part, but I see now that I often made it more difficult than it really is. Shape may be the simplest part. My art teacher always tells us to draw shapes, not things. If we are trying to draw a hand, we aren't supposed to think of it as a hand, but just simple shapes put together. The beginning sketch of a composition should usually be basic shapes, before you go back and correct angles and curves.

Shading seems to make many of my classmates groan. I did once, and some days I still don't like to shade, but I know that if I want my piece to look good, I have to have a keen eye for what I'm drawing, and take time with shading. Whenever I finish drawing something in detail, I always look at the subject in a different way. I drew my best friend's face once, and now I see all the curvature of the jaw line, the unique shape of the eye, and where scattered freckles may be. Typing it on the computer, it suddenly sounds creepy, but honestly, it isn't.

Then there's loose, expressive drawing. Some people think that art is purely for aesthetic purposes. Although art and drawings typically look good, and pleasing to the eye, they are often much more than that. The lines themselves are expressive, and have a purposeful- many times emotional- theme. Moving the pencil wherever the hand takes it, sometimes not even thinking about it, puts meaning into the piece the artist never planned.

I want to plan a spontaneous painting hour for myself, where I have my canvas and supplies all set up, and just paint for an hour with music going, and no intention of what I am painting.

Realistic drawings should take time, but art doesn't necessarily have to look pretty to everyone who sees it; art is expressing feelings or themes. Not all feelings in the world are pretty.

Guilty Pleasures

Everyone has guilty pleasures, or at least I would hope so. I would hate to have written an entire blog about guilty pleasures only to find out that only I have them.

But, I find that pretty unlikely, so here I go.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Something you like or enjoy. But you are embarrassed of your own taste, or what others would think.

I find that guilty pleasures are sometimes taken too seriously by the person who has them. As much as I dislike taking too much interest in what others think of you, I admit it would be near impossible to go through life without considering others' opinions of what you do.

So here I go, telling the internet some of my guilty pleasures.

1) Taylor Swift. *cue mixture of groans and cheers* Yes, Taylor Swift, her music liked by many, many people, especially teenage girls. Some like her, and some don't. I do, though sometimes I feel like I shouldn't. Why? Because some say she is too repetitive, and sings about cheesy love stories. Bleh.

2) Playing old PS2 games. Such as two Spongebob video games that I have, and an old Sitting Ducks game(does ANYONE remember that show???). Sometimes, when I have free time(which is remarkably rare nowadays), I go back and explore the games of my childhood. Cheesy? Yes. Do I care? Sometimes.

3) Spongebob Squarepants. This is sometimes a guilty pleasure, but oftentimes what I will dub, a "proud pleasure." Spongebob- the character I grew up with. I love him as much as I loved him as a kid. I am not ashamed, but I still feel this belongs here, because many people I know consider him a guilty pleasure. Guess what I got last Christmas? The first 100 episodes of Spongebob Squarepants on DVD. If you aren't jealous, you should be.

Guilty pleasures, what do they say about a person? Well, sometimes they can tell you something you never would have guessed about someone, but that doesn't mean it makes the person unlikeable. Often, it's a funny quirk, that doesn't actually represent a significant part of the person. Just a little thing they do, or like.

Band Competitions.

Recently, I've taken to attending Kennedy's band competitions. I've been to band concerts before, but the competitions are surprisingly very much different. For one thing, they're a lot more epic than just band concerts. When it's marching band, it's more interesting, and even comparable to show choir competitions.

Having never been to a competition before, I decided to tag along with my friend, who is a Kennedy band alum. She also felt that she needed to assist me in learning proper, "band competition etiquette."

There are definitely significant differences when it comes to football half-time shows, and what I saw at my first competition. When the band plays, there is complete silence, unless you are applauding a soloist, or a particularly awesome choreography bit. You do not stand up in the middle of a show. That is frowned upon. And you also applaud other schools, even though they are not your school. Whereas in football, it wouldn't be strange for you to hear someone booing the other team. In marching band, it would be.

My band alum friend also told me stories of her years of being in marching band.
During one particular competition, a school had a Mission Impossible theme. They had a briefcase as a prop that showed up, and then disappeared a few times among the students within the choreography. At the last note of the performance, a saxophone held up the briefcase in the middle of the mass of students. Finishing the note, he sprinted to the opposite corner, soon followed by the entire band chasing him off the field. They disappeared behind the bleachers on the other side, and received a standing ovation.
You would have assumed that they stopped once they weren't seen anymore behind the stands, but to everyone's surprise, they reappeared clear on the other end, still sprinting after the briefcase. This caused everyone in the stands to roll in laughter.

Overall, I learned that half-time shows at football games do not live up to the awesomeness of the performances of an actual competition.

Also, this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZtCZOiZ-cg

Seuss-y goosey

"Big D, little d, what begins with D? A dozen donuts and a duck-dog, d d d." Even seeing that on the screen, I hear it with it's obvious rhythmic, almost musical beat.

I had many Dr. Seuss books when I was little- so much so that they filled my fancy four-section bookcase. With their colorful pictures, and consistent rhythms, I loved reading them.

I've always thought so highly of Dr. Seuss. Even growing older, I was amused while reading his stories. As one of my previous LA teachers told me, it can be difficult to try and incorporate rhythm into writing so it shows clearly to the reader. When you read Dr. Seuss aloud, it's hard not to read with the beat. I've often thought of Seuss and Shakespeare as similar writers, with their consistency of rhythm in all of their works.

And then, of course the fantastic pictures! I don't know who did the pictures, but they are as exciting and colorful as the rhythm and invented words of the reading. I keep seeing the Truffula Trees from The Lorax, one of the more famous Dr. Seuss stories. All the colors, and the description of their texture and softness, really did fascinate me as a child. Not to mention, The Lorax is a story with an obvious moral, spreading the awareness of taking care of the environment to children.

One of my friend's seems to think that Dr. Seuss's works are a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, that don't tell real story. When you think about it most of Dr. Seuss's stories have an important moral, as most children's books should. Oh the Places You'll Go! tells you that you can accomplish anything you want, as long as you set your mind to it. In The Sneetches and Other Stories, the Sneetches teach you that what's "cool" isn't always what's best for you, and that you shouldn't feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing.

I feel it cheesy to say that Dr. Seuss taught me to be myself, respect the environment, and that I am capable of anything. However, he planted the seed of those morals in my head, while also sparking my creativtity and love of pictures and stories.

However most unfortunately, my mom decided to give away my Dr. Seuss books to my cousin a couple years ago. I was surprisingly heart-broken.  I shall get those back when I have kids, whether my cousin likes it or not.

Google Guessing Games

Yes of course, the Google game. You begin typing, and it suggests what you are searching for based on what others have searched before you. Many times it's accurate. For example, if you type, "How to.." The first thing that comes up is, "How to tie a tie." Indeed, I have Googled that before. Strange, considering I'm a girl? Nahh.

Other times, the suggestions really make you wonder what other people do with their free time...
When you type, "Why do..." the first suggestion is, "Why do dogs eat grass?" Seems to be a question generated by pure curiosity. And then there is the angry, "I'm so mad right now! Why is this happening?? WHY ME?? ....hmmm maybe Google knows..." Building off the "Why do..." the angry suggestion is, "Why do men cheat?" You can only think, "Awww, poor girl. She must have been cheated on. Yet, she's asking Google for advice...interesting."

I like this game. Let's try something else. "What happens when..."
The first suggestion didn't exactly surprise me: "What happens when you die?" Very ordinary question to ask. Pretty philosophical/religious depending on how you look at it. Goes along with, "What is the meaning of life?" and "What is my purpose?" But again...how does Google know? Considering it's a search engine...and it can't technically die...*sigh*

Next search. "Who did..."
First one: "Who did Ashley pick?" At first I had no idea what that meant. Further scrolling down the screen informed me that the question is about the reality TV show, the Bachelorette. Yay.
Second, of course, the celebrity gossip question. "Who did Kim Kardashian marry?" I feel the answer to this will not benefit me in any way. Moving on.
Looking down, to the fourth suggestion, "Who did Draco Malfoy marry?" HAHA. This question actually interests me. Who did Draco marry? I am curious, however, I do not know. If the series doesn't tell you, I don't think Google will.

Going from helpful suggestions, there's the silly ones that are only there because too many people were bored. "Hi google" and "Hi google how are you" are suggested when you get to "hi go-"

I'm going to end this post with the humorous ones. Many of these made me laugh.
"Dinosaurs are..." ---> "Dinosaurs are jesus ponies."
"Let's..." ---> "Let's kill Hitler"
"Snape is..." ---> "Snape is Harry's father"
"What if the world..." ---> "What if the world was made of glazed donuts?"

P.S. Upon further inspection, I found that the last one is from a song. If you have a strange sense of humor you may enjoy listening to it. That is all.

Craving expression

Lately, I've really wanted to go out and just take pictures. Have a photoshoot of the fall scenery. I've had these cravings before- yearning to take pictures, or itching to draw or write.

I know that expression is extremely important, because without it, I don't think we would be able to function. Doing something we love, or just showing ourselves through our passions, is vital to being happy. Whether it be sports, music, art, or anything else, expression is a major part of being alive.

Encouraging people to try new things is also helping them find a potential passion or hobby. Through that, they find their way of expression. For me, drawing is usually my outlet. However, I've wanted to try my hand out at photography, but, unfortunately, haven't had much time to do so lately.

A blockage of expression would not be very healthy. To make an assumption- I think that some people who are depressed don't know how to express themselves, or just don't at all.

I also find expression through clothes. Everyday, I dress how I want: lazy, fancy, pretty, comfy, stylish, or just something completely new. Often, what I wear reflects my mood. I would hate it if I had to wear the same thing of the same gray color every day.

In my own words, expression through passion is necessary to be happy. Without it, we may not know our own purposes.

My geeky obsession

If you already know me, you know that I love the Harry Potter series. If you didn't know that, then you do now. I promised myself I wouldn't gush about the series in every post- and I'm keeping that promise- but I knew eventually I wouldn't be able to stay away from a post about it here and there.

I began reading Harry Potter during the summer after I finished seventh grade, not too long after the entire book series was on the shelves. I began reading the first book, and I enjoyed it. I soon connected with each of the characters, and truly relish the unique plot. I was hooked.

I finished the series within the length of the summer, and immediately began reading it through again. I had seen the first, second, third, and fifth movies before I read the books, and I thought the movies were averagely good. Not the best, but fairly interesting. After reading the series, I realized why many people were obsessed.

However, it wasn't until around July 2010 that began what I may refer to as, "The Year of the Potter." Yeah...lame name. But somewhat fitting. I was now looking forward to the seventh movie coming out in November, and part two the following year.

Fortunately for me, I have a best friend who is as in love with the series as I am. Indeed, we saw midnight premieres of the seventh and eighth movies together. Quite the experience, might I add.

Now, if I were to change the series at all, I would merely change when I read it. I wish I could have read it earlier, before I'd seen any of the movies, and during the time when fans had to anticipate the release dates of the books. Although waiting must have been a pain, I'm sure it was quite worth it.

I will admit that I am obsessed with the series. However, I am not in love with any of the characters, and I will not stalk J.K. Rowling or any of the actors and actresses from the movies. I appreciate the literature for what it is, and leave it at that. You could definitely call me obsessed, though. On the other hand- like how wondering if you're insane might mean you are sane- does admitting my obsession make it less "extreme"? WHO KNOWS, maybe I just think about stuff too much.

In conclusion, you can expect an occasional post about Harry Potter in the future.

Irritable Sounds

I hope you know the feeling, when I explain how a certain sound or sounds immediately irritate me when I hear it. For example, the sound an intercom makes just before someone starts talking into it? That short second of static, as they're turning it on? I do not like that sound.

And the sound of scattered clapping. When there's a round of applause and it starts to die down, but those few people who do just a couple random claps when everyone else is finished? For some reason, that irritates me.

Although it doesn't bother me in particular, I know someone who can't stand the sound of a bunch of people typing on a keyboard at once. That also applies to many people pushing buttons on a calculator at once.

So why do these things bother us? Well I have no idea, I just think they're interesting to talk about. However, part of me is still curious. Personally, I think whatever sound tends to bother you is generally random, or has no specific reason.

However, there is a sound that has grown to really bother me because of what it is. The last couple years, I had an clock radio that I set my alarm for to get up everyday for school. I always set it to turn on the radio when the alarm goes off. But, sort of like the intercom thing, there's a second of static before the actual radio turns on. I almost always was in the light sleep phase before my alarm goes off, so in my semi-conscious state, I would hear that noise. Every. Single. Morning. I grew to despise that sound, because in my mind, it will forever be tied to waking up in the morning- which is NOT my favortie part of the day.

Double take. Yeah, try that one again.

So you're walking down any public street, and you see a girl who is obviously pregnant. However, she looks like she could be in high school. What is your first thought?
This is a complicated question, because often people don't want to admit their answers. Often, strangers will think, "Oh wow, that girl shouldn't be pregnant. How could she have gotten herself in a place like that? Obviously she's not that smart. Her parents should have raised her better than that." Or something along those lines, give or take a few bad names.

But let's look at it again. For most people, they would think that the girl made a bad choice. Maybe she did, but keep in mind, because of that choice, she is followed by stares everywhere she goes, with strangers thinking the same things you are right now.

However, I've also come to think, maybe those judging strangers should look at it from another point of view. For example, I bet many of those same people who would cluck their tongues, shake their heads, and turn their young kids the other way before they see, would be even less approving if the young girl got pregnant then had an abortion.

Personally, being pro-life, I would approve more of having the child instead of having an abortion. So next time, just think, "Okay, maybe she made a bad choice, but maybe she's learned from it. Look, she's chosen to have the baby, instead of getting rid of it. Maybe that's a step."

The insanity of bullying.

Bullying. I hear that word and all things that come to mind are negative. Because nothing good comes of bullying. It shouldn't even exist.

Why do people even bully? I can think of no good reason. Maybe they were bored. Maybe they were having a bad day, and decided to take it out on someone else.

Bullying can either be minor or major. When it's minor, feelings are hurt, but life goes on.

But when it's major, it's not easy to just move on. Bullying someone makes them embarrassed, hurt, angry, sad, etc. However, bullying has a much higher toll than just drama on the playground: bullying has, in the bad cases, pushed people into such deep holes of low self-esteem, they become depressed and suicidal. People have killed themselves because they were bullied.

Now, ask me 3 years ago about cases like that, and I would be totally shocked. How could teasing make someone kill themself? Why didn't they just ignore it? Growing up with three brothers, I have come to have a remarkable knack for ignoring a person if I wish to do so. However, what I didn't know then, was how important needing to be accepted by people is. No, not exactly fitting in with the crowd, but at least having someone or a group of people to appreciate you. For the worst cases, the person being teased feels like they have absolutely no one to turn to. If they ignore everyone who bullies them, then that may leave them with nothing.

The "It Gets Better" project is a well-known support group for LGBT teens, giving hope that it gets better for them in the future. I feel that this group has spread awareness of bullying very well. However, it's still happening.

A teen that spoke out against anti-LGBT bullying through a video several months ago, killed himself about a week ago. Jamey Rodemeyer was bullied- at school and online- because of his sexual orientation. Reading into more articles, I found that the online messages were calling him gay slurs, and telling him straight up that everyone would be happier if he was dead.

Absolutely ridiculous. That's the only way I can think to describe it. If you are thick enough to tell someone to kill themself, then you are neither smart nor good-hearted. First of all, to speak of suicide in that light and harsh tone, either your conscience is in the wrong spot, or you have no grasp of the concept of death. Second of all, to honestly hate someone so much and to wish them dead, is completely inhuman.

We are supposed to love each other, that is what all humans yearn for in their life. Acceptance, kindness, and love. You don't have to get sappy with everyone you see, but a simple act of kindness can mean a lot to someone.

And to all bullies out there: Get a new hobby. Whether you tease to feel better about yourself somehow, or just for sh!ts and giggles, knock it off. Because even if someone was the butt of a joke once, I guarantee they will be ashamed for much longer. If you've knocked down someone's pride so many times that they can't properly feel good about themself, then you should feel horrible. To anyone who bullied Jamey- or anyone else into suicide- I hope it haunts you for the rest of your life.

"It gets better," is a good message, however I think it's missing something. Love should be promoted. Love each other and love yourself, because everyone has a right to live. No one deserves to go through bullying, so let's emphasize the kindness that everyone should have learned even before they were in kindergarten. Respect and be nice to everyone. If that simple rule held up, I think the world would be a much better place.

The meaning of swear words

"Profanity is prohibited."
I've heard this phrase many times in my life, and I always followed by it, while in context. Because swear words, more often than not, are rude and inappropriate.

I don't like to swear much, because I have realized that the overuse of swear words has dulled the intensity of those words. When I see someone who uses the f-bomb in every single sentence, I become skeptical. What do I mean by that? It means that I don't take them seriously when they swear, even if it's in a mildly appropriate circumstance. If I do happen to swear, I want it to pack the punch that swear words should carry.

But in one of my mind-wandering, debate-the-philosophy-of-things days, I began to think about the whole purpose of swear words. Are they really "bad words?" Or are they solely an outlet for anger during a stressful moment? Well, I began leaning toward the latter. Swear words are a mild form of relieving stress, and are often used when someone is angry. I tend to swear more when I play during the softball season, because it's an outlet of frustration when I make a mistake, like dropping the ball. In that situation, I swear under my breath, usually before I even think about it.

But are swear words "bad words?" Well, they are obviously frowned upon, especially when used in the wrong context(recently, I was totally shocked to hear a boy, who looked no older than fifth grade, call a girl a b*tch). But when you look at the explicit meaning, what do they mean? Well, it seems to be common knowledge that bitch is another word for a female dog. However, when it is used as a swear word, I'm pretty sure the user doesn't mean, "You are a dog that is capable of having babies."

And what about the f-bomb and s-bomb? Do they have actual meanings? Well, I know they do, but they are almost always used out of context when "launched."

In my frame of mind, swear words and bad words shouldn't be the same thing. For both, you should hesitate before using them. It is encouraged in society to avoid swear words as a whole. Bad words, however, shouldn't be something that should be avoided. Bad words should be treated extremely carefully, so they are used in proper context. They shouldn't be near-meaningless, like swear words, but rather carry a heavy meaning.

Sh*t shouldn't be a bad word. Murder, rape, and hate should be bad words. War should be the most hurtful bad word that exists.
But they aren't. Instead, it's more frowned upon when people misuse words like the f-bomb. Instead, people- young and old- throw around the word, "kill" like it means nothing. Instead, only soldiers who have been through war will be haunted by what it really is, and shudder at the sound of the word.

Lion King, and other 3D movies.

The earliest 3D movie that I remember from my childhood was "Sharkboy and Lavagirl." Way back when 3D was paper glasses making it look like a hand was actually reaching at you. At the time, it seemed really cool.

But then came "Avatar". The big 3D movie with special effects that was supposed to change everything. Honestly, I didn't see the movie until it came on DVD. But there was enough hype for me to get the picture. Now 3D was RealD, and the picture would look like you were actually there in the movie.

The very first RealD movie that I actually saw was "Tron". It was quite the experience, although after a while, it definitely made my eyes tired. As someone so accurately described the ways of RealD, it's like the movie is taking place on a stage, where everything is in the correct perspective, and nothing jutting out too far at random and awkward times.

Now, most recently, I saw "The Lion King" in RealD, which was quite awesome, considering it was one of my favorite movies as a child. I found this experience particularly epic, because it brought new life to a classic movie.

However, I heard the other day that RealD movies are going downhill. The cost of having movies in RealD isn't paying off with how many people actually see it in RealD. Why this is, I'm not sure.

But the reason why I don't see as many RealD movies as 2D? Because it's paying 2-5 more dollars, for the same movie. When I saw the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2, I saw it in 2D. Two of my friends saw it at the same movie theater at midnight also, but in RealD. Their thoughts? It was really cool. When Voldemort was died, they said it looked like the little pieces of Voldemort were flying up right in front of your face. I admit, that would be neat. But guess what? VOLDEMORT STILL DIED. Seeing it in RealD doesn't change the plot or ending of the movie.

So is RealD worth it? Well, in the case of The Lion King, I think it was. For Tron and Avatar, it probably was. But will I go see Crazy Stupid Love in RealD? Or would I have enjoyed Marley and Me more if it wasn't just available in 2D? I say probably not. When the movie has special effects that are seen even more dramatically in RealD, then that may make it cooler. But for movies that don't have many special effects, I'd stick with the 2D.

Will I feel the same when I move out and have a career that pays enough me to always be able to see the movie in RealD? I don't know. All I know is that a movie is essentially a story on screen. If the RealD doesn't enhance the story enough to make me satisfied even though I payed more for it, then obviously not.

The artist that is me.

If you already know me, then you know that I love art. I draw, paint, and occasionally sculpt. I enjoy taking many art classes at my school, and plan on expressing myself through art for the rest of my life.

I would not call myself a professional artist by any means; I'm in high school. But it is a passion of mine, and in my eyes, that's enough to call myself an artist.

I always saw drawing as a hobby of mine, but now I'm starting to perceive it as a lifestyle. When I'm drawing or sketching, the pencil feels at home in my hand. Rarely do I not doodle in class. Only too often, I catch myself looking at something in the real world, and brainstorming how I could sketch it into a composition. And I love colors. "Colors" in itself could get on the list of my favorite things.

The project that I'm working on now is actually an assignment in the drawing class that I'm taking. It's a perspective project, which means we're supposed incorporate two-point and three-point perspectives. Basically, those techniques are supposed to achieve the look of- for example- a skyscraper when you are looking up at it from the ground. The top of the building is smaller compared to the bottom, since it's farther away.

For that, my composition is a little girl hanging upside down from a jungle gym. The perspective is looking up at her from the ground. When I first started, I wondered whether I'd settled on a composition that would be too difficult. But now, as I'm nearing the finished project, I really like how it's tying together.

My interest in art somewhat branches into my interest in writing. In my own way of explaining it, art is creating pictures with pencil, paint, or pastel. Writing is creating pictures with words.

Art history also fascinates me. One of my favorite major art events in history was the art revolution. In short, this was when cameras were invented, so now portraits and landscapes didn't need to be drawn. Thus, artists had to find something else to draw or paint.

One of my favorite quotes referring to the art revolution is this:

"When everyone could create naturalistic landscapes or portraits with a camera, it made little sense for artists to do so laboriously with paint and brush. Thus, painters began to think of canvas not as a reproduction of reality, but as an end in itself. The purpose of a painting was not to mirror reality, but to create it." (McGraw-Hill)

That quote came from a textbook! Honestly, I didn't think I'd read something like that in a textbook, but I'm glad I did.

Spirit Week

This week my school is having Spirit Week! One of my favorite times of the school year, no doubt. I really enjoy planning how I'm going to dress up for each day.
Some of my favorite memories of past Spirit Weeks...One week we had twin/clone day, where you make plans with someone or a group of people, to dress the same way. Me and my best friend bought Thing1/Thing2 shirts, and wore them with matching jeans, shoes, and hairstyles. That one in particular was a fun one, because it was our original idea. Another was during spring term, we had movie character day. That same friend and I dressed up as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, respectively. Obviously that idea was from the book and movie series, Harry Potter. That one was also particularly epic, because our costumes rocked. It was also slightly awkward, because I'm pretty sure a total of 15% of the student population dressed up for that day...oh well...

Next week, we will be having a Decades Day(60s, 70s, 80s), Crayola Day, Twin/Clone day, Jersey/Spirit Day, and Lazy Day.

Now, almost all of these days have been repeated from past Spirit Weeks. This isn't a problem, but being the type of person I am, it somewhat bothers me. I like creativity, and repeating ideas doesn't exactly please me. Now, I'm not going on a rampage saying they should change it, but if I were to create my own fantasy Spirit Week, this would be it:

Mix & Match Day- wear as many conflicting colors and patterns as possible.
Crazy Hat/sunglasses day - self-explanatory.
Celebrity day- dress up as a celebrity of your choice. See if others can guess who you are.
Color day(crayola day with a twist)- pick your own favorite color, and try to dress in only that one color.
Spirit day- Classic. Gotta keep that one. Dress in your school colors.

About This Blog! :D

This blog is probably going to be fairly random. Whatever interests me at the time, or inspires me, I will write about. However to give a vague idea, I may talk about what peeves me off, current events, or just interests of mine!
Well, whatever I end up blogging about, I hope you enjoy it! :)