Hump Day is Early-out Day.

                What makes going to school at John F. Kennedy High School great, besides the obvious second-to-none academics and competitive sport teams, is the fact that we get early outs every other Wednesday. Why, you may ask, do we get an early out every Wednesday of the school year? Good question. I believe that the district thinks that we, as hard working, high achieving students, need breaks every "Hump Day" as students.

We need a little break every now and then. This so happens to come in the form of shortened class periods. The 12:17 PM early out twice a month is an incentive to work hard for two weeks and a reward for the hard work that was put in the previous two weeks. Students need this little break to go out to eat with their friends (mostly Pancheros) and strengthen their social life that is any other day, non-existent.

Students aren’t the only ones in the academic equation that need breaks. Faculty needs it as well. Faculty includes: athletic directors, teachers, professors, nurses, guidance counselors, office receptionists, principals, assistant principals, janitors, coaches, and librarians. They are so busy during the school day, it is nice that they get to relax a little. However, they aren’t as lucky as us, as students. They don’t have to deal with us for an extra two hours, but they do have to attend meetings. The meetings that they attend every two weeks on Wednesday revolve around becoming better at what they do: their job. They also discuss, as a faculty staff, some of the upcoming news and issues that are occurring and how to fix them.

Bottom line: I wish that I would have had these relaxing, social opportunities twice a month to break up my week at my other schools. The weeks fly by knowing that an early out is approaching next week. It’s kind of a mini-weekend in your school week. It makes getting to the weekend bearable for both the faculty and the students. God bless the early out we have coming up next week. (344)

Gettin' Yoked!

                What I love most about school? Scratch that. What is my favorite subject in school? My answer would be Weightlifting or “Performance Physical Education (P.E.).” This is a great class to take, and I think that every school across the country should be involved in making their athletes lift during school so it doesn’t take time away from their athletic practices after or before school. Kids can get more sleep and focus more on school if they get their weightlifting out of the way during school.

                You might say that it isn’t important enough to be forced into students’ academic schedules during the day, but the fact of the matter is the nation already pushes children to take a Physical Education class each year of high school. This is because America, as a whole, is getting obese and overweight. The nation, in order to get all of the kids healthier, has a “60 minutes, get active” plan.

                I know that until I came to Kennedy High School, I wasted a whole class period every day in gym class doing unimportant, dangerous activities or sports. Dodgeball, floor hockey, and indoor soccer units most certainly have the potential to hurt athletes… and other kids. If athletes don’t want to risk their bodies playing floor hockey in gym, they can benefit themselves by getting stronger for their next season.

                Now, I’m not saying that we should make kids that don’t want to get bulkier or stronger to lift weights, but I feel that the class should be available to choose. I am so grateful that we have a weightlifting class here, because if there wasn’t, I would have to stay after practice and lift. By that time, I am tired and drained emotionally and physically from school and practice. After lifting, I’ll most likely come home, eat dinner, take a shower, and do homework right before bed.

                I take my weightlifting class in the middle of my day, fourth period. This is right before lunch, and it breaks my day up perfectly. I get a few hours to wake up and get in my academic flow, and after lifting, I have a few hours to recover for my practice after school. I don’t think in a school of 1,800 students the counselors could allow everyone and their dog, so to speak, take weightlifting fourth period, but I’m sure glad I have it when I do. It is relaxing, and I hope to take it next year as a senior.  #swole #yoked #pumpingiron (419)

#HMPU: Hit My Post Up

                Abbreviations are easy to use, right? I mean, if you are in the middle of a tedious task or are busy, why not just text to your bffl, “brb?” Or what about the famous “ttyl?” And we can’t forget about the “cya l8r.”

                Everything in today’s world is easier. From parking cars to plagiarizing homework off of the internet. We don’t jump through hoops to get the job done, being satisfied that whatever we got, we EARNED. Whatever is quickest is best. WRONG.

                Abbreviations that stand for certain meanings can become disastrous. First off, they destroy (and will continue to destroy) future generations. For example, my generation has been deemed the “kids that don’t know how to communicate.” We can’t carry on a conversation with a grownup or our peers, for that matter, because we don’t use eye contact, we have as much time as desired to respond with texting, and we can hide behind a screen for what we say. How will we interview properly to get our very first job? Our bosses will probably ream us out for being “lazy”. How are we going to purpose to our significant others? Text your girlfriend, “Hey bebe, wgh?” (WGH= Wanna get hitched?) I can’t even imagine what my children will have to go through. It’s depressing. Why can’t we just talk in person once in a while?

                Texting and internet talk can also be bad, because meanings of symbols and abbreviations can be taken all different ways. Sentences can also be received in different context also. There is no possible way to communicate sarcasm in your texts. What if the people that you are talking to don’t understand some of your hip, urban lingo?

 Should there be a published book of all the abbreviations in the world? Impossible. Why? Because they are always changing! There are always new phrases and slang words being slung around. They become popular, because more and more people begin to use them. Words like “fire” and phrases like “on point.” No wonder English is considered to be the downright toughest language to learn. Non-english speaking foreigners don’t know whether there is a natural disaster or a sharp object to look out for.

Bottom line: I hope we can corral this slang. It might be fun to speak here and now, but how is this going to affect our lives in the future? And our children’s lives? We can’t help but to hash tag everything. #smh J (457)

Translations:

BFFL: Best friends for life

BRB: Be right back.

TTYL: Talk to you later.

CYA L8R: (Understood “I’ll”) See you later.

BEBE: Baby

WGH: Wanna get hitched? (I made this one up!)

Fire: Awesome

On Point: Perfect

SMH: Shaking my head (derogatory, disappointed head gesture)

Snow Week #wintersuccess

We had what I would have called a "snow week" this school week. Usually when you think of a school day, it is a day off of school due to weather conditions that can become dangerous for students getting to school or coming home. The snow can be extremely dangerous, along with the icy roads and streets.

That is why we had a lot of school days this week, making it a school week. Our school has a systematic schedule giving the students, teachers, and faculty every other wednesday a half day. This week just happened to be one of those. While we went to school this past Monday, it was a drag. If there was anyway we could have a little mini vacay in the middle of this dreadful Winter, it would be great. We did! That night we got around four inches of snow. The road to school was slippery (I live a few blocks away from school). There was no way we were having school, let alone a two hour delay. And the snow only continued. We got Wednesday off as well. It could have been a two hour delay, but with the early out already in place, what would have been the point? That night, I was happy to find out that the city's school district cancelled school for the next day. And Friday, we got a two hour delay. It was a magical week, full of chores that didn't get done the previous weekend, and homework that was caught up on.

There was no better week in my school career than this one. I think that it was great that the schools didn't take chances with accidents and family situations. Someone could have lost their life. We have to be careful as a society, especially in the Mid West, where there is erratic weather. Hopefully we can have another week like this, but spring break is on the verge. Plus, we really don't want to still be in school until June because we are making up days from January. You have to have oh so many school days in as a district. I think it is around 180 days. Hopefully we don't have to go in June because of the snow week, but it was well worth it, if we did. I hope everyone stayed safe, and had a great snow break! #hotcocoa #movies #blankets (400)

Pitch Perfect (2012)

A movie that seems to be sweeping the nation, especially girls, is Pitch Perfect. Pitch Perfect came out to the public around September of 2012. The movie is just starting to make an impact. Almost every girl, and guy, I might add, has seen it. The movie is incredibly well known.
The movie can be comparable to the Hangover, except it is not so vulgar and raunchy. It is about an acapella group, which is trending now a days. The show is definitely a comedy, from "Fat Amy" to the "puking scenes." I think kids, especially the girl's basketball team that I'm on, like it so much is because of how funny it is. There are parts of the movie that are laugh out loud funny. Some girls even watch it because they like the lead Trebble Makers' star, Jesse. They think he is attractive and a great singer. Other kids like it because of the musicality. There are lots of renditions of present day songs in the movie, incorporated with dance moves in competitions.
I would definitely recommend watching it, whether you are a guy or a gal. Whether you like to sing or not. If you liked Bridesmaids (the English woman living with Annie) you will love this movie, because the same actress plays "Fat Amy." One of the characters asks "Fat Amy" why she calls herself "Fat Amy," and she replies that she does it so "twig girls don't do it behind" her back. The acapella auditions that the college singers sing and compete in to get into a group at Barden University is also hysterical. The singers have to sing their own rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" song.
The movie is rated PG-13, so I think almost all of your friends could watch and enjoy it. It doesn't have a lot of nudity or cussing in it. There is some critical reception that has gone with it about the "shower scene." While nothing explicit is shown the viewer can definitely tell that they are nude and, in fact, taking a shower. I think this adds to the comedy of it. The girl is being intrusive, going into the shower to recruit a Barden Bella for her acapella group because she overheard Becca singing in the shower. I hope that you go out and rent it, fall in love with it, and then buy it! It truly is one of my favorite movies. "I'll Pitch Slap you so hard, your man boobs are going to concave." (422)

Super Bowl 47

Super Bowl 47 was exciting to say the least. It was full of momentum swings, a brother rivalry, and so much more. Did I mention all of the halftime show buzz?

The Super Bowl was played in New Orleans, Louisiana for the tenth time in National Football League history. The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens played against each other, but more importantly their coaches played against each other. "Well, duh," you might say. But there is a special relationship between the two pro coaches. They are brothers. Jim Harbaugh for the San Francisco 49ers, and John Harbaugh for the Baltimore Ravens. You may ask, who is older? Jim is. And while they both told reporters that the other one was the better coach, it still remains a mystery. Some say that their father, Jack Harbaugh, was the best of all. The post-game exchange between the two of them was awkward, to say the least. I'm sure that the younger one just wanted to let his older brother celebrate with his team, and they would discuss it later... possibly at Ma and Pa's house.

While it was a hard act to follow (Madonna's attendance record breaking the previous year, surpassing Michael Jackson in 1993) Beyoncé still did a fantastic job. All the tweets and Instagram photos were directed towards her, her music, her dancing, and her body. Everybody was envying her and her husband. She was simply the best part of the game for some people. Other viewers had to disagree. The outfit was said to be too revealing. The dances were too provocative. And the songs weren't her best, well-known songs; did she even sing that much either? The critics from Obama's January 20th Inauguration were also asking if it was even her singing. The lip-singing/synching scandal didn't really help her viewer rate, but she did redeem herself. It was a little too rough for my personal tastes, but I usually enjoy her music.

Ok so who actually won? It would have been easy to guess after the first half, Ravens up by quite a bit, scoring at will against the 49er's defense. But after a Beyoncé performance and a power outage for around thirty minutes, the 49ers came back with vengeance. They made a terrific comeback, and at the end it came down to a touchdown or field goal. Needless to say, it was one of the best comebacks in a Pro-Bowl in all of history. It was a memorable one. The Ravens were definitely lucky to win. (421)

I'm a writer/reader/love doctor.

Some of you are readers, some writers, some neither, some both. I, personally, am neither.

No offense to you book thumpers, but I would much rather be lazy on the couch, watching the screen of white, red and yellow t.v. bulbs that flash up a story, then waste energy holding up a book.

Left... right... Left.... right... Left.... right.

Boring.

I admit I do enjoy orchestrating a literary piece every now and then, when I am in the mood, but hardly ever am I in the mood. What gets me through the writing process is being able to do this. The freedom I get from my teacher to write about whatever I want in a weekly blog!

Being the science/mathematics person that I am, I want a definite answer. But with the English, you can be artsy and creative. I guess I just struggle with it, that's all. I confess, I am jealous of you authors, painters, and dancers out there.

God bless your talents and creations. (167)