Reflections and a lame game i just made up (blog post 24, Annie Deitz) (*winner of my game gets a dollar* woo play)

This blog post is unnecessarily lengthy and not super exciting, I spend half of the time droning on about myself and the other half making up this strange and irrelevant game. 10/10 would not read. I'm so so so sorry it's so long. I would appreciate it if you played the game though, I would love to see what you all come up with.

If anyone does want to just skip to my game, go to the purple part. It's not a game in the sense that... you can just see for yourself if you want.

When I originally read the assignment title, I was terrified that you'd make us write about our goals for the future. But you only partially did, so thanks for that. I'm probably not going to do that. We'll see how this goes.

Junior year has been okay. That was a lie. It was worse than freshman year. It was worse than sixth grade when I had absolutely no friends and ran a ten minute mile and just played monopoly ALONE for most of the time. But I also don't want to talk about why it wasn't super awesome, because that's boring. Most people have sucky junior years. That's just the nature of the American public education system, and I'm fine with that.

Now that I've spent eleven sentences discussing things I wished not to discuss, I'll discuss things I do want to discuss, slightly out of order nonetheless.

Mistakes Made? Hells to the yeah. Do I regret making them? Hells to the yeah. Have I learned from them? Other than the seemingly useless "maybe you should not do that again?" Not in particular. Maybe I have yet to discover that I've learned anything, but rather than teaching me, my mistakes decided to lodge themselves into my stomach as rocks of guilt, anxiety, and sadness. fUN :)


Risks Taken: very few. The ones I have taken have ultimately either led to the mistakes discussed briefly earlier or completely led nowhere.

OKAY I PROMISED YOU A GAME. This year, I feel like I've learned a lot more about biases and seeing the world through different lenses. We all acknowledge that we have biases and different points of view, but we never think enough about how this affects our interactions with other people on a deep enough level. Or at least I rarely did prior too my "lesson learned," or more fully developed over the course of the year. I'm expecting 0 people besides myself to play this game, especially considering this is the absolute worst time of year timewise, but I would be really interested in seeing what you all have to say.
Basically, I'm going to assign you a few different traits, based on your birthday and shirt color and such. From there, you have to write your views on a specific topic BASED ONLY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS I GIVE YOU. YOU CANNOT BE SATIRICAL, YOU CANNOT PORTRAY WRITE IN A WAY THAT CAN BE SEEN AS OFFENSIVE, YOU CANNOT ALLOW YOUR OWN BIASES TO CLOUD YOUR WRITING. As I wrote the second point I realize that this could end poorly. Please please please do not write in a way that can be seen as offensive to a group of people you are representing.
Leave them in the comments. I guess the best one will win a dollar. I cannot emphasize how little I want to start a political altercation, so please leave all of your instinctual biases and political stigmas in the pockets of your not-writing pants, and put your positive attitude and PC diction in your writing-pants.
Topic: let's see... Medicare.... okay yeah Medicaid.

Choose Your Ethnicity Via Your Birthday Month (as opposed to equally dividing you all into majority AND minority ethnic groups, there will be a few with multiple months)
-White- January, May, August, October, November
-Black- July, September, December
-Hispanic- February, March, November
-Asian- April, June

Choose your Gender Via Your Eye Color
-Male- Blue
-Female- Brown
-Other- Green

Choose your Religion Via Your Hair Color (I acknowledge that there are more than four, you all just have little variance in hair color)
-Christianity- dark brown
-Islam- black
-Judaism- blonde
-Atheist- light brown

Choose Your Socioeconomic Class Via Your Favorite Subject
Upper- social studies
Upper Middle- math
Middle- art
Lower Middle- English
Lower- science

Choose the Region of the US in which you live Via your Favorite Season
Northeast- Winter
South- Spring
Midwest- Summer
West- Fall

Choose Your Age Via the color shirt you're currently wearing
12-18 Red/Pink
19-29 Blue/ Purple
30-40 Green/ Yellow
41-60 Black/ Grey
61-100 Any others

Choose Your Political Ideology Via The Middle Letter of your Middle Name
A-F- extremely conservative
G-M- moderately conservative
N-S- moderately liberal
T-Z-extremely liberal

I think that's it, I'll do an example in the comments. I'd really appreciate it if you all played. You would just need to write a few sentences. It would be a lot of fun. Not really. But do not forget that this was not intended to start fights about political ideologies, I solely wanted to experiment in the idea of biases and points of view.

If you have stuck around this long, thanks I am impressed. I hope the rest of your week is absolutely fabulous.

 

Assignment 25 - STRESS!!

This is a Makeup Blog Post.  If you have a score that is less than a 30/30, this will replace that grade

Inspired by Keanu Gomez

As high school students, you are becoming more and more involved and in control of your school life as well as your "real" life. You face the many challenges of being a high school student in the Liberal Arts Academy as well as the growing responsibility of independence. Many of you are about to experience the dreadful two weeks of multiple high stakes tests as well as your Final for US History. To get through these two weeks and other weeks like these, how do you manage all that stress? What are your stress relieving activities? Are they effective? 

Minimum of 150 words.  Due on May 8th @ 11:59 pm


(The last day to submit blogs 24 - 26 will be May 22)

Robert Hancock Blog 24

Junior year feels just like every other year honestly, it's all a drag. A necessary drag, but a drag none the less. I can't really complain, grades are as good as can be expected and I have done well on the ACT but I feel I could do better. So I will. Classes feel about the same, but the work load is noticeably more. Honestly I can't wait for summer. I can move at my own pace, choose how my day will be spent and get to experience a period of minimal worry. I will get to look forward to my future and not have to juggle school as well. School was alright and that's all I've got to say about it. It is necessary but I don't feel any animosity to it, I'm just ready for it to be over. Classes were hard but nothing impossible, I found teachers I like and some I didn't. English has been pretty good, and I'm not just sucking up, while math has been far less good due to my particular teacher. Overall it's been a slow drag to the end but when it does end i will be happy.

Holden Huffman Blog Post #24

My junior year has been pretty good.  Classes have been more difficult, but that's a given when transitioning from 1 AP class to 5.  My grades haven't been as good as in the past but I've maintained A's and B's the whole year.  I got a decent score on my ACT and I hope I do well on my AP test.  Some of the things I have learned this year are:  Ms. Dewees is a VERY good teacher, but is very serious about math, so bring your A game; all junior core teachers are pretty awesome (chill, good at teaching, nice, helpful, etc...); take your junior year seriously, as it is a year that colleges care about; prepare well for your ACT.  This year has been a good year, but I'm really looking forward to the summer.  I plan on getting a job, FINALLY getting my license,  working on my mentoring project, and starting to learn how to play the piano (I've just always wanted to know how) over the summer.  So there you have it, my junior year and my plans for the summer.

Blog Post 23- Gloria Pulley

If you’ve ever felt like creeping on me, you will probably notice that I take every opportunity to listen music.  This is because people are loud and overwhelming.  So since I cannot go sit in a dark, quite room all alone, I listen to music. 

Here’s my perfect people-tuning-out playlist:

1.      Graveyard Whistling by Nothing but Thieves-

I will not lie, this band makes me feel like a badass whenever I listen to them.  The band in general has dark and mysterious sound to it.  Lots of kickass guitar.  Great, slightly screechy vocals.  Hardcore song names like Hostage, Painkiller, or Drawing Pins.  I enjoy tuning people out with the song by focusing on the rhythmic drum beat and piano chords.  I highly recommend this for when you are looking for some empowerment as you charge through those unit assignments or blog posts. 

2.      Conrad by Ben Howard-

So fair warning, I listen to a lot of British bands with a lot of guitar.  Recently I was sitting outside on the top of UBC’s student union when I heard a familiar melody coming from the courtyard below.  It was student who had set up his guitar and amp and was singing this song.  I dropped my conversation with my dad and started singing because that’s what I do when I try to figure out a song and then blurted out BEN HOWARD.  I got a few strange looks from the students next to me.  Anyway I really enjoy listening to ben whenever I’m feeling chill.  This song in particular is good for just chilling out in class and thinking or sketching or reading because I find it quite relaxing. 

3.      Hungry by White Lung-

No, I’m not dreaming of lunch when I listen to this in class.  Usually, I reserve this song for when I’m working on some really intensely.  This is the type of rock that’s faster and louder than what I listen to most of the time.  The lyrics as well are ones that make you feel a certain kind of way.  Almost helpless and weak and hardcore emotional.  Really good for when you have 5 minutes to do your calculus homework. 

4.      What It Is by Made in Japan-

I discovered this band last week actually while driving through Oregon because I had gone through all my usual playlists.  So I haven’t actually had the chance to listen to this in class to tune people out, but I will say that the band is pretty awesome.  They’re very upbeat and there’s a significant amount of pedal work in their songs, similar to Two Door Cinema Club, but a little more bass.  This band is another band that’s good to listen to while working on something that you associate with happiness.  For instance, I would listen to this while drawing because both make me feel good. 

5.      Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Tiny Tim- 

Okay so I just included this song as a gag song because it is the best song ever.  It is so disturbing.  I once told my friend to listen to this song.  He thought it was hilarious and proceeded to show it to his super conservative parents.  He got grounded for “incorrectly using the internet.” In reality it was the best use of the internet ever.

6.      It’s Only a Paper Moon by Ella Fitzgerald-

Ella holds a special place in my heart.  10 out of 10, the best voice ever.  I dream of a day when people stop listening to auto tune trash and return to true musical talent.  Great song for when you’re walking in the hallway and there’s no one around so you can totally dance to your class.  Also really good for when you’re staring out the window while day dreaming in class. 

Blog 21: Ahmed

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe someone is laughing. They could be having a polite laugh with their boss, they could be rolling on the floor with laughter with their friends, or they could be snickering in the back of a classroom.

We all love to laugh. We all laugh. Laughter creates a sense of community, it unites us, it makes us appear friendly, and happy. Smiling which is a side effect of laughter happens to let some sweet endorphin's out into your system, meaning laughter makes you feel good. I mean een hanging out we've all been hanging out with some friends and then they do something that is so  incredibly stupid or clumsy or anything that everyone just bursts into laughter and eventually starting gasping for air and then laugh at how everyone else's facial expressions, and then you continue your rapid descent into chaos and a lack of breath.

Robert Hancock 23

Playlist: Feeling Melancholy
1. True Faith- New Order
A song about lost childhoods, always made me feel melancholy but I still rather like it. It is at the top of this list because of the odd, totally mismatched music video that accompanies it.
2. Tin Man- Future Islands
I love Future Islands, especially this song, the singers voice is crazy and the emotion he puts behind all of his performances is really great
3. The Fountain- Future Islands
I said I liked Future Islands didn't I? This one is has some great symbolism revolving around a relationship and  each persons motives and methods in the relationship.
4.Nights in White Satin- Moody Blues
Very pleasant song that I used to hear on the radio a lot but never learned the name of until I heard it in, and I'm sorta ashamed to admit this, Dark Shadows. That weird Tim Burton Movie( is that redundant?)
5. Mad World- Gary Jules
Pretty well known song but a good one none the less.

Blog 22-Robert Hancock

If I had to choose one character to be I would be...... someone inconspicuous, just kidding , I honestly don't know who I would want to be as I have never wanted to BE someone that I've read about but I have certainly  wanted to emulate the behavior of some characters. If I absolutely had to choose I would probably go with Frank Castle (AKA the Punisher). While he is a psychotic murderer  he is doing (relatively) good things by taking out sex traffickers and other murderers and even preventing a cold war from going hot! He gets to run about New York with a huge arsenal of weapons and keep criminals shaking in their boots. But again I think his concept is cool, but I wouldn't really want to be him.

Blog 23: Ahmed

The perfect playlist. This is far from the perfect playlist, but it's a bunch of pieces that remind me of my old orchestra.

Dragon Hunter by Richard Meyer
This song was the start of my old orchestra, and it symbolized the start of several strong friendships. An example of that is I was having difficulties playing a part of the song where we did what seemed at the time to be the quickest scale to ever be written by man. My seat partner was practically a veteran cellist, so I was extremely intimidated of him-the first time we played he played a snippet of a song just straight out of the blue, this was as I was trying to get the end-pin out- though one day we sat down and he taught me how to learn to play it. That just completely surprised me because he was extremely patient with e me.

Theme from Cannon in D by Johann Pachelbel
This song showed me the wonders of the cello. It gave me my first taste of the richness of the cello. I'd have to compare it to when you stopped scarfing chocolate down your gullet and started to taste it. It also hurt me and my seat partner's shoulders so much because of how many whole notes there were, after this song my shoulders never hurt from playing a song a again. And during the concert, me and my partner's hands got cramped up.

Me and my Cello by The Piano Guys
This is my favorite song, video, and band in the whole world. I have watched this video at least a million times(plus one, it's still got it).

Carmen Suite by George Bizet
First off I would like to point out that Suite is not pronounced Sweet it is pronounced Suit-ayy. And second I want to point out that the first five notes are the same as Secrets, but Secrets is in a different position. This song has always been graceful and majestic where Secrets was strong and emotional.

Secrets by One Republic
This song was the last song we played as an orchestra. It was our finale. I love this song. NO, I love what it means, it somehow tied off the ending of one of my favorite classes ever. I had some great times with my friends, we had our own little community of sorts there. And it ended. And as impossible as this sounds I miss that class. I miss my director, i miss my classmates, i miss the room, I miss the inside jokes, but most of all I miss my cello. Well that took an interesting turn, this song will always symbolize to me my orchestra class and the ending of it.

_________________________________________________________________________________
Check out Me and my Cello here! It's pretty darn awesome.

Thomas Winterton- Assignment 23

So pretty much my perfect playlist has to do with either dealing with self doubt or getting myself focused for a sports competition that I will be participating in. These songs build me up, make me feel good about myself while getting me excited about what I've been through or what I've accomplished.

1. Foofighters- Something from nothing
This song talks about starting an event. to start something. While it is full of rhetorical choices, the song talks about becoming something from nothing. That either you started with nothing knocked you down but you clawed your way out and survived. This really relates to certain aspects of my life and get my heart racing.

2. Halestorm- I am the fire
This song is more about building yourself up and being great with yourself, whether that is by having self confidence or pushing yourself to be better, this song gets me thinking about my unreached potential and that I can "burn brighter."

3. tech n9ne- The Beast
While this song differs from the tone of the first two songs it pretty much does one thing, and that is to get me foaming at the mouth and ready to go crazy on some unlucky dude in my way of winning. Its self confidence times 1000. Inspires swagger.

4. Disturbed- Invincible
This song is the same as the last, only while it is not as aggressive towards others. it builds the listener up, that whatever they've done. they have become "invincible" through their toils. That no matter what happens, they will still be standing by the end of the ordeal.

5. Disturbed- Sound of silence
I love this song, Favorite on the list. This song for me, locks all the excitement and hype from the first 4 songs deep inside me, While still raging, I am under control and can flip the switch to go nuts on someone and just as easily turn it off and conserve myself. This song to me, ESPECIALLY THE OPENING OMG. Reminds me of where ive come from and that while things were bad, that im here now and after hearing that, I know nobody has worked as hard as I have to bring myself back to doing what I love and that makes me feel sad at reminding myself of the physical and mental torment I've been through to get back, while making me feel absolutely amazing because I was able to come back from my tribulations and become greater.

Assignment 24: The Future

You're done!  - well almost
Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.
Tell us about it.
Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, April 17th at 11:59 pm

(Last day to submit blogs 24 - 26 will be May 22nd)

23 Y2K

the perfect playlist for reading the book Elantris (tried to keep all spoilers out)

1. Gloomy Clock (IU) - I don’t think that’s a very good translation of the title but the song itself is a very slow and slightly depressing number about being lazy and perfectly discontent lying in bed that perfectly captures the very slow beginning of the novel (and the fact that I’m projected to wait four years until the sequel comes out)

2. Demons (Imagine Dragons) - This song epitomizes the condition of one of the main characters. He was a prince, is now an exile, and is living out his life as what some perceive as a literal demon (or at least a freak of nature) in the grimy city of Elantris. Describes the plight of the other Elantrians and his relationship with another main character pretty well. The beat begins the escalation of the book’s plot.

3. The third story (leessang) Sarene is a very independent person and she’s sort of famous in the Arelene court now after playing the king around. This song depicts her struggles of actually doing something meaningful despite her insecurity. (Or even Hrathen’s insecurity about Jaddeth, etc) Also one of my favorite Korean raps, it comes at a time when the plot is slowing down a bit and the tension is more character based than action.

4. Ready Aim Fire (Imagine dragons) More imagine dragons! This is the part when the climax is ascending and things are happening with Telrii and the Daork Monastery and Iadon’s mysterious religious tendencies that lead to…battle! Although the ready aim fire bit is not of this world, the background rhythm mimics the heartbeat and stress of conflict as you flip the rest of the pages to see how the story ends…

5. On Top of the World (Imagine Dragons) A lot of imagine dragons here but I think it’s appropriate. Raoden and Sarene are celebrating, the peppy tune definitely lends itself to a celebratory atmosphere (can’t tell any spoilers can I? But I can say Hrathen is, too, in a way)

(If any of the plot/structure of Elantris is not actual factual stuff I’m sorry)

Thomas Winterton- Assignment 22

If I could be any fictional character I've read or heard about, I would choose to be batman. Pretty basic right? Hear me out though, Batman is arguably one of the smartest individuals in the world, at the peak of human physical capabilities. He also has done a lot of extremely bada** stuff. for example, Batman has nearly killed Superman, a dude who many consider invincible, a mere man who made a god bleed. He killed Darkseid, literally the one dude who Superman cant kill. He has a bunch of awesome gadgets and vehicles, including a suit of armor that feeds off his metabolism to make Batman capable of standing toe to toe physically with beings on par with Wonder Woman. He went to apokolips (DC comics equivalent of Hell,) to save his son. He is a mere man that has pushed himself to perfection and does the impossible. While people rant about hope is Superman's gig, Batman shows people what a man is capable of when pushed to the limits.

Aditi lohe Blog #23

Playlist
1. I took a pill in Ibiza by Mike Posner
2. Don't let me down by Chainsmokers
3. I wanna get better by Bleachers
4. Cheap thrills by Sia
5. Firestorm by Kygo
I chose all of these songs above to be part of a "Dance like no one's watching" playlist (I know it's sorta cheesy but I honestly don't really like sharing my music with people so I just put a bunch of hype songs in). They all have very simple choruses that are easy to sing along with and are catchy. These songs help to get one moving around and singing. Each of them have a very unique tune from each other but all are still upbeat. I chose these songs because they really do a great job in waking someone up and making them want to jump around. For instance, song 1, 2, and 3 have very simple choruses that are loud and easy to sing. All of these songs possess an awesome beat. Whenever I listen to them, I always end up dancing because they set a great mood.

assignment 21- Thomas Winterton

Some where in the universe right now, there is another version of myself writing his blog posts the night before they are due like a total punk. That version of me was busy being a procrastinator, enjoying spring break and not paying attention to his GM to see that plenty of people has warned each other about them impending deadline that is blog posts. This version of me is probably not identical to me in every way, but at first glimpse we would look like twins. The sheer magnitude of the universe insures that even considering the most infantismal chance of other life forms evolving to sentience being slim. the size of the universe makes it slightly possible that given the incalculable size of the universe, there will be other life forms. Other life forms like us. Even other lifeforms that live similar lives to us. A supposed doppelganger of sorts is even possible given the sheer size of the universe. While this sounds totally preposterous, if the theorized size of the universe even proves close to being correct, the CHANCE of my other earth self, could be real.

Blog Post 23: Isabel Bandoroff

This is the perfect playlist to listen to when you're sad, but it won't make you happy. It will make you even more sad.. so you have to kind of want to get absorbed in your sadness.
1. The World At Large - Modest Mouse. "If the world's at large, why should I remain" This song actually puts things in perspective. It's about going with the flow and carrying on through life. So many things are happening around us and to us, sometimes we may need to take a moment to realize that the world is larger than ourselves. It instills some hope to the sadness.
2. Four Walls - Broods. I don't even know how to describe this song, you just have to listen to it. It'll put you in the feels real quick and it's wonderful. It just shows the desperation and sadness of life/love.
3. New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem. When I listen to this song, I feel like I am walking on the streets of New York City, it is powerful. "New York, you're perfect oh please don't change a thing." This is an odd thing to say in a sad song about a city that brings you down and freaks you out. Maybe it's sarcasm but it really perplexes me. Anyways it's long so you get really absorbed in it and it's sad.
4. All We Do - Oh Wonder. I think the instruments and actual music in this song play a huge role in it's powerfulness. Even without words, I think it could still bring me to tears. But, the lyrics are there and they do depress. This song speaks about the human condition, or maybe just two people. You have to listen to it, it is moving and repetitive and heart breaking.
5. Love in the Dark - Adele. This song is perfect for heart break. It shows the complexity of love and relationships, love isn't enough and it is very circumstantial. Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions and do what is best for your future - even if it hurts. This song is just depressing and heart breaking af and it's great if you need a good cry about your love life.

Blog 22: Ahmed

This is a tough one. The first things that came to my mind were the stereotypical people, you know? People that had unbelievable powers or an amazing world. The first people to come to mind were: Percy Jackson,  Peter Petrelli, Number 4, Oliver Queen, Josh Newman, Robert Downing Jr.- I'll stop there. Who are these people? A guy with some seriously messed up family, another guy with the same problem, another that is an unwanted refugee to earth who endangered species is being hunted to extinction, a guy that spent "five years in hell" and with a whole slew of strange people, a person/god/other that will have to either kill his parents(I think? It's been a while) or he'll battle his twin sister in this crazy death match to end all of reality. Ahh... and the last, this guy had some daddy issues, he is super rich, super smart, and has flippin' Iron Man suits. Now what did all these people have in common ? They all had some major bad voodoo in their lives, which meant they were off the list. Though than I thought about it, I was thinking what kind of fictitious character did I want to be? Did I want to be like Norman and live an extraordinarily mundane life? NO, so I decided I needed a delicate balance between mundane and super, what I needed to be was a character that lives a nice life without the dark backstory. I knew what I had to do. I had to become Spider-Pig.

Andrew Reese Assignment 23

This is a playlist meant not just for hype, but the kind of hype that you can physically feel, the kind that burns itself deep within your soul that makes every other day of your life better, knowing that the kind of hype you experienced is even possible.

1. No Brand Girls by μ's (pronounced as "Muse") 
This song might be a little girly compared to all of the others, but that's part of the reason I put it first. This song cheers me up from pretty much any emotional state and not only makes me excited, but it also makes me want to be more excited by virtue of its unrelenting joy.
2. Rising World mashup by Triple Q, other credits in the video description.
This one has the instrumental done by the group from the last one, so it has kind of the same lighthearted feeling there, but the lyrics by various groups that worked on the Metal Gear Rising add a certain weight to it. Phrases like "a predator on the on the verge of death" and "a soul can't be cut" sound heavy or dark in most contexts, but here, they just sound cool and exciting.
3.I May Fall composed by Jeff Williams, vocals by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams
This track I thought more about the lyrics than the other ones because now I want to focus more on getting exciting ideas into my head, because at this point, I'm thinking about hype thing happening from the previous song. I can also focus more on the lyrics because by this point 8 minutes have passed The song is about standing tall in the face of a threat, which is about the most hype activity I can think about.
(Spoilers for Undertale in #4)
4.Hopes and Dreams/Save the World by Toby Fox
This song mixes both a weighty, important sound and an incredibly uplifting overall feeling to make a song that says "You can do the impossible." It also makes me think of the amazing final boss of Undertale, and thus about doing the impossible with the power of mercy and determination. Like I May Fall, it makes me think about standing tall in the face of a threat, but the uplifting sound makes me think of a threat that I will defeat, whereas the last on just made me think of standing up to one.
5.  Sorairo Days by Shoko Nakagawa
This one relies even more on context than the last one, but that context is the greatest story ever told (to me). Also like the last one, it makes me think about doing the impossible, even if it requires sacrifice, restraint, or suffering, but the result is a drive to do something great not because I want to, but because I NEED to, otherwise I've failed to live up to this amazing song and the story I associate it with.

22 Blue Y2K

I think I would be Blue from the Raven Boys Cycle. These books are a work of art and helped me realize what a work of art is. Personally they’re brilliant. So is Blue, who is normal and sensible and a fanciful sort of girl (contradictory a bit) who doesn’t care what other people think of her. But she is also part of a psychic family (she only has the power to magnify these psychic abilities) and is thrown into the world of Irish mythology (I think). She is unafraid and honest and personable, creative and determined. Also, she is best friends with three raven boys (hence the title of the series) and I absolutely love their friendship. Perhaps it’s Maggie Stiefvater’s writing that persuaded me to love Blue this much and maybe I’m just grasping at straws and later I will think of a brilliant character that I’d much rather be but it’s too late for that.

Allie Gregory Post #23

       My below-listed playlist is perfect in its own right, though not in a way I expect most people to have the proper respect for. My dad doesn't usually like to listen to music when we're driving, but on rare occasions he can be convinced. He drives a big grey truck with an insane sound system, and sometimes my family will engage in what we like to call "jam sessions." Windows down, music rather loud, and an incredibly selection of perfectly lame songs. As follows:

1. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - this song is ridiculous. It's the opening theme for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, and in the movie it is sung by a choir of dolphins. It's so much fun to sing, because it's so perfectly inane.

2. Shell Shocked - this is almost a real jam song. Well... Sorta. It's got a rap and it's pretty intense but it also is from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie, so... It's fun. I like it.

3. Man or Muppet - this is the first emotional song of the bunch. It is a song of internal conflict. You can correctly assume from the title that it's from the Muppet movie and, as such, no it's not serious. But it's excessively dramatic and really what's better than that?

4. Home Sweet Home - first legit song. Ha, I have an almost normal side. This is a rock song, but it's slow and smooth and actually totally still jammable. It's perfect for the near conclusion of an evening, as these jam sessions typically are.

5. Rainbow Connection - honestly I just love this song. The others are fun, and I'll get pumped singing them with my family, but this song, also from the Muppets, is really beautiful to me. It's about dreamers and I find it sweet and inspiring. It really is perfect. 

       Are these songs that I listen to when I'm at home doing homework or driving around in my car by myself? No, not really. I do listen to normal music sometimes. But these songs are still near and dear to my heart because they're fun and I've certainly enjoyed them. They personify my quirky family quite nicely.

Post 22 Thomas Werner

Out of all the fictional characters there are out there, if i had to choose one to be I would choose Luffy the Straw Hat Pirate. The guy is amazing. He’s the greatest pirate to ever live. He gets to hang out with his cool crew all day, sail the coolest oceans all day, and do fun pirate stuff all day. He also has to fight really tough bad guys, but that is part of being a pirate and I accept that fully. He can also stretch. His body is literally made of rubber because he ate a magical fruit as a child. That would be fun as heck. He can suck in cannonballs and launch them back at enemies, turn his body into a slingshot, fall and jump large distances, pack a whopper of a punch, and more. On top of all this, he’s on track to find the greatest treasure in the world.

Allie Gregory Post #22

       I'm generally unskilled at decision-making, and in accordance with that pattern I had a difficult time deciding on this prompt. I like so many characters, but some of them have sucky back stories and others don't have cool enough universes. That being said, I went with Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson books (not the movies, we're ignoring those). Her backstory isn't the greatest, because her mom is the goddess Athena and her stepmom couldn't handle this, and therefore she was on her own after age seven. But then she got to go live full time at camp half blood which is rather epic. She got to train with swords and bows and is an expert with a dagger. She's strong and brave, and incredibly witty. Best of all though is that her life is an adventure. She literally saved the world multiple times over. She saved her friends and is a hero, through and through. Not to mention she's freakishly smart and I'd quite like to be her. 

       Also, Percy Jackson is the perfect boyfriend. Just saying.

Allie Gregory Post #21

       At this very moment, somewhere in the universe a man is stubbing his toe. He will jump, shouting obscenities. And he will stumble into the wall, taking a good minute to recover before finally leaving the house as he had been planning to do. Because of this, he will be almost two whole minutes late getting to work, and he won't bump into a random girl on the way and she won't spill her coffee down her shirt. He will not offer to buy her a new coffee after work and, and because this cheesy romance plot will not ensue, the two will not fall in love and get married. They will not have a child who grows up to invent the flying car, and because this invention takes several more years to come about, a young child who was meant to work in a flying car factory, instead will work in a towel research facility. He will invent the first injury soothing towel, soon popular in all hospitals and most every home, and they will become an absolute wonder for people who have stubbed their toes everywhere. 

Assignment 21 Thomas Werner

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, nothing is going on. There is a spot somewhere out there, out in deep space, or even close to us, absolutely nothing is going on. No light, no TV, no oxygen, no bugs, no nothing. Nobody is yelling, nobody is sleeping, nobody is living, nobody is dead.

There’s nothing special about this place. I don’t even know where it is. It could be a million light years away, it could be just a few light years away, it could be in Ohio. It doesn’t matter. Nothing is happening there so why would we try and find it? If we found it, then something would be happening there. A finding would be happening there. We just gotta let it be, we just gotta let it chill and do nothing. And that’s ok.

Blog Post 22: Isabel Bandoroff

This is so easy, it took me .2 seconds to know exactly who I'd want to be. Olivia Pope from the t.v. show scandal. The most badass woman in the fictional world. Okay why do I want to be Olivia Pope:
- As stated earlier, she is a badass. She rules the gladiators and is feared by even the most powerful men and women in D.C. You do not want to mess with Olivia Pope, she has ways that you would not believe, and she always wins. She's just awesome.
- She has excellent taste in red wine
- Men go to war for her... literally.
- She practically controls the white house, ya know... being the Presidents (former) mistress and all.
- Her job is perfect
There are some draw backs to being Olivia Pope though. Her mother was a terrorist and her father was the head of B613. Her love life is very complicated, she is unhappy at times, and the whole world is watching her. But still, she is wonderful and I'd change lives with her in a second.

wait Khaleesi is also so awesome

Post 23 Thomas Werner

Here is my perfect playlist for when you are brushing your teeth. These five songs are perfect to help you get through the 45 to 60 seconds every morning and night, or between meals, when you are scrubbing those chompers, fighting off cavities and making those whites pearly.

The playlist is gonna take longer to listen to than one brush, so you can listen to it in little bites (haha) throughout the week.

1: The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

A classic. Don’t brush without it.

2. The ‘Holes’ Soundtrack

A great movie, and a great way to remind you to keep those cavities at bay.

3. Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

Please only add this to the playlist if you have an electric toothbrush.

4. The Shadow of My Smile by Marvin Gaye

Clearly this song is referring to the fact that if you don’t brush your smile will only be the shadows from the inside of your gaping, toothless mouth

5. The Cupid Shuffle by Cupid

Circular motions? NAH. Turn your brushing up.

Blog Post 21: Isabel Bandoroff

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, a mother is scavenging to find food for her family, for her children. She is looking everywhere, for some loose change behind a couch or in an alley. In a trash can for some leftover pizza, because she doesn't have enough money to buy a fresh one. She's just been laid off, and her drunken husband left them a year ago for a younger, prettier girl. He left her with three kids to take care of: to clothe, feed, entertain, and to send to school. Sometimes they cry at night because they go to bed hungry. She always puts them first, and she always makes sure that they have more to eat then she does. But right now she is utterly hopeless. What can she do without a job? So she's searching for loose change in alleys and leftovers in trashcans, and tomorrow she will look desperately for another job. It's one day at a time. She finds two slices of pizza and a couple bucks, it'll do for now.

Post 23- Hannah Price

 
Songs for Relaxation

Losing My Balance (J. Cole)
I love this song and I love J. Cole as an artist. I feel like he is a relatable artist and I feel like the song itself is relatable. I love the beat that he put to the song and it's just a relaxing song. Though this isn't one of his mainstream songs, I feel like it's one of his best ones.

Novacane (Frank Ocean)
I personally think this song is a classic. I feel like this song has a great beat and I think he tells an interesting story with is although it may not be relatable.

The Recipe (Kendrick Lamar)
I feel like this song is not really relaxing but it pleasant to hear at all times. Like all the song from above I like the beat that this song has and I like all the different rappers verses on this song.

Many Faces (Jonathan Butler)

This song is of a completely different genre of music than the rest of the songs on my list. This song is jazz. This is the definition of a relaxing song to me. I could listen to this song and fall asleep. I wouldn't fall asleep because its boring, but because is just relaxing.

 For Real (Atmel Larrieux) 
This song is of a similar genre to the one above. For me this song is just relaxing. The song is just relaxing in and of itself.


 Although these are songs of different genres they all help me relax. These song also each have a good beat which is one of the things i look for in a son relaxation or not.

Andrew Reese Assignment 22

(Note: I'm writing this as if I get all of the character's powers, skills body without my personality or circumstances being changed. If I had to live out the events of a fictional character's life, I would say Simon from Gurren Lagann.)

(Also this post contains massive spoilers for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure:Stardust Crusaders.)

Of every fictional character I can think of, Dio has almost everything I could possibly ask for. He doesn't physically age past 30, he's absurdly strong, and he can fly. But all of that means nothing compared to his ability to freeze time. He uses it to seemingly teleport, surround people with knives and crush them with road rollers, but this actually makes normal, daily life way easier. You can pick things up before they fall, think of what to say to people with an extra few seconds (or more depending on how long you have it), but you can also use it in fights, hiding from people, and a million other things I'll probably think of after posting this. I love it just for its sheer potential, limited only by the user's imagination. And I like to think of myself as the kind of guy with the imagination to exploit this to its full potential.

Post 22- Hannah Price

Of all the fictional characters I could be I would love to be one of the characters from my childhood favorite book the Magic School Bus. I chose a character from this book because they are always on an adventure. I wish I could go on adventures and explore the world more, but because I'm still in schools and will be in schools for a long time, I will not get this opportunity anytime soon. Additionally, the kids have these fun adventures at school. Since, I'm at schools for the majority of the time, I would love taking a trip or adventure during those 8 hours a day. I also think that the kids always have fun with their teacher and classmates and they all seem that they have a good relationship with each other. I just think that the book shows the fun that each kid has traveling and having adventures during a school day.

21 Y2K about choices and milk cartons

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe

something important is happening. of course.
Someone’s life is changing; someone is changing.

(Skip down to the last paragraph, if you’re even reading this. I’m sorry for sounding utterly inane below - most of that is gone by the last paragraph.)

Whether it be by death or by new life, or by outside circumstances or internal struggle, or by the very stroke of luck and God that is a conscious, deliberate, actually intelligent choice about something important (at least for me). At Panda Express, should I order the orange chicken or the spring rolls or the chow mein? I spend a ridiculous amount of energy on those questions. Should I read Red Queen because of all the rave reviews I’ve heard or this other, less well-known novel by Orson Scott Card? It’s stupid - I’ll just get them both from the library because there’s no way I’m spending thirty-five dollars on things I might despise myself for reading, but I agonize anyway. So, with the brain juice I have left over, there’s enough for deciding to do homework and actually doing homework. Only after that do I actually think about what matters, what’s (I feel a Hamilton lyric eluding me right now) but there’s only a precious few drops I have left in my mind’s reserves and they are the kind of drops that refuse to depart the corners of a milk carton even if you turn it upside down and wait several minutes. (Also the kind of drops that lead you to thinking that the Princess Bride is very very real and that Florin is absolutely a genuine place. You can judge me because I am judging myself right now) So. I flip a coin a couple times and make a decision. Those decisions change me and I can’t change them.

Your moment will come, but even in that moment, you might not even know that it’s your moment. And unless you know and tell them, no one else will know that your moment has irrevocably changed you forever. But it’s happened, and it’s significant, and it’s important to remember how and why and when. “You could not step twice into the same river.” Yes, the water swirling around your legs is different; but otherwise, you stub your toe on the same bedrock.

Post 21- Hannah Price

 

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe someone is on a plane. On that plane they are going to a different place. They are on that plane and they are on the same plane as people that are going to carious place and different places than each other. They are looking out the dark sky and seeing a whole different view of the world. They could be starting a vacation. They could be going on a business trip. They could be visiting family and friends / family of friend. Regardless, they are embarking on a new adventure at this point in time.  On the plane they could be watching a moving, reading a book, doing work, or even sleeping since it is night town in the east coast right now. They are probably excited about embarking on this new adventure. A person could be doing a lot of things at this moment, but this is what I wish I could be doing.

blog post 22- annie deitz

I would probably be James Bond.
Who wouldn't?
Pros of being James Bond:
-you would be super fit and can perform all sorts of death-defying physical feats.
-the world would be indebted to you several times over
-you wouldn't really have to listen to the government, you can just do your own thing and have a good time without federal agencies breathing down your neck.
-you'd receive access to high tech gadgets fifty + years before they would be sold to the general public for free
-you'd get to see the world, also probably for free
-you'd have a license to kill (yet it would go unexercised in my hand, how cool would it be to say that you have a license to kill)
-you always have cool theme music
-you're overly observant and would probably be safe from pickpockets forever.
-despite losing a battle or two, you would never lose the entire fight.

Cons of Being James Bond
-you would be a womanizer (but I don't think that I, as James Bond, would be a womanizer, so this con is just irrelevant)


Wow I spelled losing wrong the first time I published this. That's just embarrassing.

calm clams* playlist (blog post 23) de Annie Deitz

*BEFORE I CONTINUE WRITING I AM MORALLY AND PHYSICALLY** OBLIGATD TO GIVE (almost) FULL CREDIT FOR THE "CALM CLAMS" PLAYLIST NAME TO ZAYNAB KHAN (who I mentioned in my zombie apocalypse blog post)

We have officially reached the one month countdown until AP tests begin. This time of year is always the worst. There are too many places to be, too many things to do, and too many tests to study for. And as the length of time before the first AP week decreases, the amount of stress and anxiety in students increases, exponentially. So, if you happen to be a student reading this, here are a few songs that can help you reduce cortisol levels and become a "calm clam."

Give Me Love- Ed Sheeran
If you've listened to multiple of Ed's songs, you've probably realized that they can easily put you to sleep. Ed's soothing voice and soft acoustics are the number one choice for a calm clam's playlist. Disclaimer: if you haven't heard this song before and are actually planning on listening to it, I do have to warn you that the last forty or so seconds stray slightly from the course of the rest of the song.

Long Way Down- Tom Odell
You may recognize this song from The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. Songs on movie soundtracks (particularly ones that serve as background music, as this one does) usually help viewers concentrate on the story. Plus John Green has a decent taste in music.

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)- Green Day
What many people think this song is about: some girl broke up with one of the band members. In response, they're writing a sassy song about how they're glad she left.
What it's actually about: some of our fans think we aren't punk enough for them. That's fine, we can't really control that, and this is the way we want to do things. As grateful as we are that they helped us get this far, we really aren't too devastated by the fact that they dislike us now, and we can do little to change their minds, so we'll accept things the way they are.
That's the way a calm clam thinks. Calm clams go with the flow and try not to get upset over things they can't change.

Sing Together- Train
Whilst this song may bring tears to the eyes of an overly sentimental person, the calming vibes and happy aura given by this song helps to relax an anxious mind.

Vincent- Don McLean
Van Gogh is my favorite artist. That's probably obvious to you all by now. But I'm not just putting this song on my playlist because it's about him. Everyone knows Don McLean's musical style (bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye....) Vincent has the same sort of folk feel, but it's softer and more relaxing. If you only listen to one song on my playlist, please listen to this one :)

This Love- Taylor Swift
In what world would I not choose a Taylor Swift song on this playlist??? Trick question, there is not one. Lay down, imagine you're at the beach, and play this song. It's not necessarily a happy song, but it's soothing.

I could continue this forever, but I've already rambled on enough and I need to finish the other blog post. So, stay classy calm clams.


*Zaynab could easily beat me up.

Holden Huffman Blog Post #23

Over spring break, while most people were at the beach or what have you, I was in a steaming hot backroom at a local graphic printing company helping print shirts for some pocket money.  This job, while easy, was very boring and required some music that would keep me going.  My top 5 songs for this time were:

1.Jumpman/Scholarships-Drake and Future (Yes, I'm putting two songs into one slot.): These songs both have pretty good beats and seem to get me hype everytime I listen to them.  To add on, Drake is fire and a Kentucky reference is made in Scholarships, making it all the better.

2. Heavydirtysoul- Twenty One Pilots: I just recently started to listen to Twenty One Pilots due to their latest album being on sale for $0.99, and they are actually pretty good.  They are so diverse, it's hard to put them in a specific genre (they do rap, rock, pop, etc...), but this song in particular always gets me going with the fast rap, the rock instrumentals, etc...

3. Rap God- Eminem: I'm a pretty big Eminem fan, and I could probably put almost any of his songs here, but this song is pretty great.  The point where his "lyrics come at ya at supersonic speed" is ridiculous and could keep anyone going.  This song really proves that he's a rap god.

4. Guap- Big Sean: For some reason I feel like Big Sean is someone that rap fans would say is lame and jank, but I don't care.  He's got some of the best wordplay and references I have ever heard.  This song, while somewhat lacking in his usual lyrical genius, has a nice, upbeat tone to it and definitely gets me hype.

5. Don't Stop Me Now- Queen: Yes, this song/band is very out of place from the rest of my list, but this song is great.  You always got to have an oldie, but a goodie on your playlist, and this song fufills that requirement.  This song is very upbeat and helps you with "Havin' a good time!"