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.