Powder

     For my Pecha Kucha I chose to talk about the short story Powder by Tobias Wolff. This short story is about a boy and his father who go on a skiing trip on Christmas Eve. The boy's mother is not very excited about this because the father hasn't been very mature and has let her down multiple times. Even though they are going through a bad divorce, the father tries to show both her and his son that he is trying to be better and not mess up. While they are skiing, a snowstorm hits and the father thinks it would be a good idea to stay for a little longer to get another run in. His son, who wants to get home on time and make sure he doesn't upset his mother, thinks they should go home. Unfortunately, his father decides to stay for another run and they get caught at a diner. At this point, the father knows he broke his promise with his wife to get their son home in time for dinner, and he also realized he let his son down. So he was determined to get his son home on time to show he actually cares and he has changed. As they are driving on a closed road, they start to talk and the son finally gained his trust back with his dad and they are able to get home in time.
     There were many parts throughout the story where I liked it a lot and where I didn't like it. The main reason why I liked this story was because kids our age can relate to it through the divorce and through the theme living in the moment. Many kid's parents these days go through divorces and they are always in the middle of it and are the ones who always get hurt the most. Also, many kids take things too seriously these days. One thing I got from this story is that we shouldn't let the small stuff bother us and have a good time. We should lighten up and try to look at the good times and live in the moment.
     I would recommend this short story to my friends and anyone my age because it's something easy to read and a lot of people can relate to some of the conflicts that go on in the story.

Last Week of High School

     When people told me that my senior year would flash right before my eyes, I didn't believe them, but here we are, only one week of school left. I remember saying to everyone, "I can't wait for this year to end. I just want to go to college". Now that I think about it, I wish this year didn't go by so fast. I'm going to miss walking through those green doors every morning, going to the cafeteria before school starts and hanging with my friends. I'll miss all those great times I had in class with everyone. It's going to be really strange not seeing people you have gone to school with for four years every day.
     When I was younger I couldn't wait till I was older and was in high school. Then when I got into high school, I couldn't wait till I was out and in college. But now as I look at only five more school days left of high school, I wish it didn't go by so fast. Everyone always wants to grow up so quick and be out in the world and they will just watch time fly by and miss important parts of their lives. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to graduate and become a Blue Hen, but I wish I had a little more time to be a Spartan. St. Marks is a great high school and I had the best four years of high school ever! I made the best friends, had many laughs, and most of all, I feel apart of the Spartan family. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I will miss walking the halls in this great school.

Chasing Your Dreams

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” The way you obtain something worth having is through hard work and perseverance. When you work hard for what you believe is worth having, it makes getting that something feel so much better. This quote by Theodore Roosevelt stood out to be because that's what I try to follow and do in my life. I believe the only way to get what you really want in life is to work hard and never give up until you obtain it. When I want something I usually set a goal and work towards that goal until I succeed. I wont give up no matter how hard i have to work or how difficult it is. I will make sure I succeed in the end. That's the only way I think that you can obtain something worth having. If it's not worth having, you wont put so much effort into getting what you want. you would just forget about it. 

In the Movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Lo Dark Cloud showed this type of perseverance while trying to get Jen Yu's love back. Lo loved Jen so much but they weren't right for each other  he was an outlaw and she was a princess and they would never be able to be together. Lo didn't care though. After many years after they went separate ways, he came back for her just like he said he would, but Jen told him she didn't love him and he should leave her. That didn't stop him from trying to get her back. During the day of her wedding, he fought his way to her and told her how much she loved him and how they were perfect for each other. No matter what obstacle came his way, he worked hard to get what he thought was worth having. 

My Best Friend

     In your life, you have that one person who you consider to be your best friend. They will always be there for you no matter what and will always help you get through tough times. My best friend would have to be my sister, Katie. When we were little I have to admit that we were like any normal brother and sister. We would never get a log and we would always get into fights over everything. That has all changed. Ever since my mom passed away five years ago, my sister and I have grown closer and closer every day. No matter what, I know that she will always be there for me when I need her the most, and I will always be there for her. These past five years without my mother have been very hard. I miss her very much and I wish that she was here with us everyday. If it wasn't for my sister, I don't know what or how I would have made it through these past five years. Almost every time I had a problem or just wanted someone to talk to, I would go to my mom. No matter what I was going through or whatever I needed help with, my mom always had the right answer. She always found a way to makes us all feel better. That's what I get from my sister now. Whenever I need someone to talk to just to vent or if I wanted to tell them how my day went, I always go to my sister first. She is so important to me and everything I do. I would be lost without her. She helps me get through everything, and with her kindness and how loving she is, I see my mom. I will always be grateful for having such a great sister to help me. She will always be my closest and best friend no matter what.

Senior Assassin

         So every year at St. Marks, there is a thing called Senior Assassin. What we do is whoever wants to play will pay five dollars to get in the game. Then after a short period of time you will find out who you have to "assassinate" and the last man/woman standing wins all the money that was put in. My plan was to get as far as I could and get as many people as I could and try to win all the money. To my disappointment, however, that didn't happen. It all started this past Tuesday during school. I put my money in the last day you were aloud to enter. My friends and I had it all planed out how we were going to try and be the last guys alive. Later that day I found out who my target was and I was already planning on how to get him. I also found out who had me and I heard that she was going to try and get me as soon as possible. I wasn't really worried at the time because I thought to myself, "If I know who it is, I can just stay as far away from them as possible". Boy was I wrong to underestimate her!
         That night my friends and I planned to go to the movies, not worrying about people trying to get us because it was the first night. That was our first mistake. Near the end of the movie, one of our friends left early and told us that there was a St. Marks car circling around the parking lot and they wouldn't leave. So we had John pull his car up to the exit and we jumped into his car and drove off. That's when we all started to get paranoid. A little later we decided to go out to get something to eat on main street. We saw two St. Marks students walk in and act very suspicious, so even before finishing our food, we ran out. On our way home, my sister started to "interrogate" me, asking me where I was and when I was getting home. I started to wonder if she was helping my assassin out. Low and behold, as soon as I get home, my assassin jumps out of nowhere and gets me! The worst part about the whole thing was that my sister let them stay at my house for three hours until I got home. So now all I can do is help my friends win and make sure I get revenge on the people who got me out.
       

Someone to Look up to

      In everyone's life, they have that one person who they admire and look up to. Someone who you always listen to and respect and learn important lessons from. This person could be a parent, grandparent, teacher, or even a friend. You could always trust and believe that they would always be there for you no matter what. The person who I looked up to was my grandfather. Ever since I was a little kid listening to his stories about when he was a kid and when he was in the Navy, I knew that he was a very important person in my life and I wanted to be just like him. My grandfather was a great man and he taught me so much. Every time I would talk to him, I would learn something new. He taught me the importance of family and friends as well as an education. He put his wife and family before everything. His dedication and love towards his wife and three children throughout his life was amazing, especially during the time he raised them. I admired this very much. My grandfather was a man of his word. When he said something to you, he meant it. He would tell you what was on his mind and would always tell you the truth. Most of the time he was a stubborn man and would want to do everything on his own without anyone's help. With all of that, he truly was a great man and I will always remember him and try and live like he did.

      After reading this, I would like to know who you look up to? What makes you look up to someone and make them important in your life?

What A Start to the New Year...

     The new year did not start out well. I returned to school after winter break with high expectations. I was hoping the second semester of senior year would be much better than the first. Oh, was I wrong. As I began to prepare for my dreaded midterms, I began to feel overwhelmed with fatigue, at just the mere thought of studying. The more I thought about studying, the worse I felt. The Saturday before midterms, I started with a cough, and by Sunday, all I wanted to do was sleep. To make matters worse my lower back was achy and my throat felt like I was swallowing razorblades. I slept all day Sunday, and my dad struggled to wake me up to continue studying. Shortly after getting up, I would doze off again. It was as if a bus had run me over.
     Monday, January 14, I made a noble attempt to go to school to review for midterms. Unfortunately, I slept through all my classes including lunch - which is highly unlike me. I left that day feeling even worse; however, that did not stop me from trying to study. That evening, both my father and tutor were telling me there was no way I would be attending school the next day. After returning from my tutoring session I hit the wall, and even I had to admit that I was not healthy enough to take my per-calculus exam scheduled the next day.
     Instead, I laid helpless on the couch for the next three days. These three days consisted of sleeping, eating nothing, and trying to find energy to drink. Finally, on Thursday I went to see my doctor and I received the terrible news that I had the flu and it was too late to get the medication for it. I also could not take any midterm exams that Friday or Saturday and was now looking at "hell week". In addition to a full class schedule, I would now have to make up all my midterms. Just my luck!
     I tried desperately to feel better and get my energy back so I could study and get all my midterms made up. Playing catch-up was exhausting and I looked forward to the day I finished my exams and was back on track. Well, once again, my plan did not work out accordingly. I completed three midterms, while I continued to lose energy. My dad realized something was still not right. He scheduled another appointment. My complete lack of energy and failure to bounce back had him very worried. At this follow up appointment, my doctor was concerned that my symptoms mimicked those of mono and/or pneumonia so she ordered a blood test. As my luck continued, I was diagnosed with mono and was delayed another week. Two more midterms were hanging over my head as well as a ton of class work. Oh, what a great January.
     My bad luck was not done yet. As I was on my way to school to study for my economics exam on Tuesday, my car sputtered and died at an intersection near school. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, to say the least. Mr. Carney was kind enough to stop and help push my car off to the shoulder. This kindness was very much needed to keep me calm as we crossed two lanes. As Spartans zoomed by, I became increasing steamed. Luckily my dad had off from work and met me. Later that day, I found out that it could not be fixed for less than it was worth. I was especially annoyed because it took me the entire summer before junior year to find and purchase this car, and I do not want to go through that again. Oh what a great start to the year 2013.
    

Procrastination

      Why do I always seem to procrastinate in doing assignments for school or simple tasks my dad asks me to do around the house? Every time I have a big project to do or just homework to do over the weekend or just vacuuming for my dad, I always seem to wait till the last moment to do it. And every time I end up procrastinating, I always regret it, but I still do it. I do not understand it because every time I get too stressed out because I decided to take too long to do my assignments and they end up being very long and I never have the right amount of time to finish. Even with these blogs I procrastinated doing them. I would think about doing them but then would say to myself, "I have enough time to finish these blogs, I don't need to worry about them." Look at me now...waiting till the last night to finish my blogs. If I did them two or three weeks ago I would be able to be doing something else like playing video games or hanging out with my friends or watching TV. I guess the main reason why I do this is because I want to do play video games or hang out with my friends before doing my homework because that is obviously more fun. In doing this, it only puts pressure on myself and sometimes shows in the results of the assignment.
      In the past few weeks, all you heard on the news was how the government was going over the fiscal cliff. Our law makers were procrastinating for over a year. Due to their actions and their last minute solution, they only put off spending cuts and the debt ceiling for a few more months. What will they do in that amount of time? Will they actually do something to fix the problem or will they go and procrastinate some more? Are they acting like servants to the people who elected them or are they servants to their own egos? Their procrastination doesn't just effect themselves but it also effects the whole nation. Stock prices have gone down because of tax and spending fears. How is this helping or economy recover? In my personal opinion, I believe that they should stop their procrastination and find a solution that helps the country become a leader in the world economy.

Senior Year

When I was a freshman and looked up to the upper class men, I always thought that being a senior would be the coolest thing about high school. I mean whats better than being the oldest in the school and having everyone look up to you and not having to worry about the older kids picking on you? Don't get me wrong, those are some pretty nice things about being a senior, but other then that, my senior year hasn't been too great. I mean being 18 and being able to do a lot more with my friends and having a lot more freedom is great but the stress from most of my classes and applying to colleges is making it hard for me to enjoy my senior year. Everyone I talked to said that senior year was going to be my most favorite year and most memorable year at St. Marks, and it will be, but the pressure of getting good grades and trying to get into college is making it harder for me to enjoy my last year as a Spartan. Out of the six classes I have this year, I only look forward to going to three of them. The rest of my classes I could live without. This isn't because of who I have as a teacher for each class, it's because no matter what I do, I don't understand the class or I just don't like the course. My least favorite class this year is Economics. I have no idea why I chose to take this class in the first place. Most of the time in that class, I have no clue what is going on. I feel like I'm the only one that doesn't understand the information. This class stresses me out because no matter how long I study or how well I take notes, I still can't  understand most of the information. It's like another language to me. English class is another class this year that is giving me a hard time. I know that all of the research and writing will help me with college courses but it's just not one of my favorite things to do. I'm almost half way done my final year at St. Marks and for the rest of my time as a senior in high school, i'm going to think more positively about all my classes and hopefully that will help me look at all my classes and the rest of the year differently because I know this will be my best year at St. Mark's High School.

Back to School

Going back to school after winter break, you guessed it, sucks! And not just winter break but going back to school after any long period of time. Everyone was use to going to bed late at night and waking up late in the day to do the same thing over again the next day. We all know as soon as Christmas ends and we are getting ready for the New Year, school is right around the corner, but we don't want to think about it. We might hope that there is a crazy snow storm right before break is over to delay the dreaded day we must return to school. Or we just try and forget that the day is just around the corner, but that just makes it come even faster. On our last day we try and make it count and make it last, but at the end of the day, we have to try and get back into the grove and get ready for school the next day. What really makes going back to school so hard is that it's only for a few days. Why must we go back to school for three days and then have another short little break from school again? This doesn't help us get into the grove again. It just simply gets us right back to where we were before we went back to school. This seems like an endless cycle that we know will happen, but we always try and find a way to brake it and delay our return to the real world in which we would like to take a break from.