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)

How To: Register for Senior Year

Wow! I can't believe my Senior year is almost here in less than half of a school year. That's right. Time to register for classes. This can be a tricky process, especially when you get into what colleges want, what your career calls for, and what can allow you to relax a little, kick back, have fun, while still getting prepared for your future.

So how do we do this? Simple. Here's my how-to:

1) E-mail some of the colleges that have shown interest in you and you have shown interest in them in return. Find out what classes they want you to take and what they require to get in.

2) Talk with your guidance counselor. He/she would know best. After all, they have been organizing senior schedules for quite a while now.

3) Talk with your parents. They aren't as old as you think and might be able to give you some advice on some classes that you don't want to waste your time with.

4) Remember to have fun. I'm not talking about taking Wine Making 101 because your goofball, upperclassmen friends said it was a guaranteed A+, boost to your GPA. Do something out of the box, something that you wouldn't have dreamed of doing. For example: I'm the typical jock. I play sports, and am highly focused on math and sciences. It would be totally cool if I could take an art class next year! I used to love drawing cartoon characters as a kid, so why not?

5) Even though you aren't taking that Intro to Note Taking or Studying Habits Advanced, you ARE allowed to take more than just the required Senior English and 12th grade P.E. It's not illegal! Push yourself with lots of A.P. (Advanced Placement) classes, get prepared for freshmen year at the University, and then take a chill class to reward yourself.

6) When in doubt, go with what your current teachers recommend. They won't feed you to the wolves, I promise!

Good luck! Have a rockin' Senior year. It'll fly by. (343)

"Miss Rep... wait a minute! What's with all the men/boy stats?"

Although, I thoroughly enjoyed the Miss Representation documentary, I had some doubts on some of the stats. Well... not really some doubts, more like questions. Why would you put this in the movie? You are just contradicting your claim and purpose! The statistics that I was most worried about was the ones pertaining to men vs. women or boys vs. girls. I could understand if they alluded to the fact that women were taking a back seat to men ALL the time and that men were simply breezing through life easier than women, but the percentages and numbers stated differently.

 

1)                          While girls are twice as likely to think about suicide, boys are four times more likely to actually die from it.

 

This is a statistic shown in the documentary "Miss Representation." A documentary centered around women's portrayal in the media and how women are affected by the media.

What my question about this stat is: Why? Why would they want to put this fact in here? If you ask me, it seems to completely downplay media's effects on girls and, instead, up-plays the effect it has on boys! We can come to the conclusion based on the context that the reason for girls thinking about suicide is the "media," but is it the same reason for boys?

I feel that this statistic hurt the documentary and its prose. It made me think, "Oh, yea. Girls can have media-rooted self esteem issues and think about suicide, but it's even worse for the boys. Why wouldn't they make this movie about the boys?"

"Miss Representation" got this statistic from a website titled "Teen Suicide Facts." http://www.teensuicidestatistics.com/statistics-facts.html

After looking into this statistic a little bit, I found a website that is called "Teen Suicide." http://www.teensuicide.us/articles1.html. Here I found that girls are, in fact, more likely to attempt suicide, but boys are more likely to go through with it. This does parallel the statement revealed in the documentary, and after a little separate research of my own, I can safely say that it is true.

I still don't understand why this would be in a documentary about women suffering from media effects. I feel like this statement distracts the viewer and transports them into a questioning state of mind. They might ask why they aren't making a film about the effect the media has on boys?

I feel that the information is credible and true word for word, but it simply is not fit to be in the video.

 

2)                          54% of men want a boy if they only had one child. 26% of men have no preference for the gender of their child. 19% of men want a girl if they only had one child. (These stats have not changed since 1941.)

 

Again, I'm not entirely sure why the directors of this movie "went there" with the men/boys, but I may have a hunch. From this stat I know that most men prefer to have sons as opposed to daughters. My hunch is that the producers of this film wanted the viewer to recognize the conclusion, and assume that most men, as the media has "portrayed," struggle understanding women/girls. They would much rather have a special bond with their little buddy, take them fishing, teach them how to play sports, and so on. That's where my hunch stops. I have no clue where the women's portrayal and hardship trying to live up to impossible expectations comes in.

As for the source of this statement, I couldn't find a listing of it on the Miss Representation website: http://www.missrepresentation.org/

But I did find another website in my further research called Ingender: http://www.in-gender.com/XYU/Gender-Preference/ It said that women were virtually equal in their preference of getting a boy or girl, while men were 2.5 more likely to hope for a son. It was tested by the Gallup Organization in (interestingly enough) 1941 and had not changed in over 50 years (the same time frame as the Miss Representation stat). This stat from the website also parallels the original statement.

I could understand the documentary statistician using men and women work force and political stats in favor of men; to make it appear that women are suffering from pop culture and media, but the two statements above were completely in favor of women. Maybe I could do some further research into suicides and parental gender preferences. (729)

Pretzel M&M's

Pretzel M&M's can be easily one of the greatest alterations to the best chocolate coated candy ever. Who would have thought to put little pretzel balls inside M&M's? Something tells me that it wouldn't work with Skittles... So please don't try.

I had some people over a few nights ago to hang out and watch some movies. You can't have a movie night and invite your teenage girl friends without having some snacks to crunch on. My mom ran to the store for me and got a bag of Snyder's Cheddar Cheese, BBQ potato chips, caramel corn, puppy chow, and last, but not least, Pretzel M&Ms.

She called me while there and asked to list it all off to her. I quickly rattled off where everything was, the shape and color of the box, and roughly the price. She had a little trouble with the M&Ms. I told her it should be medium sized... like bigger than the $1 grab and go bag near the check out line, but smaller than a package of halloween treats. You know? Like the movie theatre size. She said, "Well, they're pretty expensive!" I told her I'd pay her back thinking it would be around $3.

She brings all of the stuff home, and I take it all out of the grocery bags to get it ready for the get together. She brought home the friggin' two pound bag of M&Ms... You know what I'm talking about? The big bag with a Ziplock seal that you get for filling treat bags and snacks for like twenty-some people! Yea... That one!

I said, "No wonder it was expensive." She said that I owed her $8 for them alone.

That's ok, though. Because the peanut butter and jelly combo of chocolate and pretzel is worth it! #heaveninmymouth (301)

Miss Representation

In AP Language class, we are watching a documentary called "Miss Representation." It is a film made in 2012, so it is extremely up to date and modernistic in it's data, interviews, and sources.

It's all about the portrayal of females in the media. It's all about how the media shapes society's expectations of how women should look, behave, and think, and then it even gets into the negativity and backlash when girls fall short of the extremely high standards. It is very interesting to me, being a teenage girl.

I personally can see where lots of girls could feel pressure to be twenty pounds underweight and act like Captain Desperado (sexual), but I also don't have a lot of sympathy for the issue. Yes, the media is increasing, but the influence most definitely isn't all negative. We have plus sized models and successful African-American women in the limelight nowadays. If you ask me, possibilities are on the right track to becoming endless.

I never felt pressure to conform to wearing makeup and playing with dolls at a young age, but it is sad that thats not always the case for others. They see music videos, movies, and magazines full of girls with a highly paid crew of makeup artists and a million dollar makeup set... not to mention, the dress that she is wearing is at least that, if not more. Don't even get me started on her "perfect" body because you know dang good and well it's Photoshopped. Do you think Britney Spear's looks that great after half a decade of drugs, buzz cuts, and a few kids? Just pick up a People magazine. I guarantee you'll see the real J-Lo body on the cover in a swimsuit on a beach... with her hair soaking wet. Not dissing on Jennifer Lopez because, trust me, I'm a big fan! She's totally gorgeous, but she doesn't actually look like she does in magazines.

The documentary basically covers this issue: Completely normal American girls today are trying to chase after something that's impossible. What's impossible is having a two page spread in Seventeen magazine after having a million dollars worth of makeup brushed on them. They just simply don't have the paycheck or budget to look like Kim Kardashian; who is a billionaire with the means to afford expensive tastes and looks.

The documentary is narrated by a low key actress that had a hard childhood. Her sister died in a car accident, and she got sexually assaulted by a teacher. I feel like those are the reasons that she never felt good enough as a woman. She uses a faulty emotional appeal. I know we have to know some background about the author, to connect to them, but I feel like she just got us to listen because we felt sorry for her.

Hope I don't seem harsh because this problem is a reality for quite a few girls out there. Stay beautiful. God made you for a reason. (499)

The Gangs of New York

In Martin Scorcese's film, The Gangs of New York, there is a lot of violence. Of course that coincides with the time period: mid 19th century, right around the time of the Civil War. This is around the time where there are lots of Irish immigrants coming to America in search of jobs, opportunities, freedom, and a better lively hood.

Before watching this, I wasn't completely sure what the title meant by "gangs," because nowadays when people hear the word "gangs" they think of hoods, ghettos, violence, crimes, and territory... Well that is exactly what it was back then. Natural born Americans felt extremely threatened by the immigrants coming in and taking their jobs because they were willing to work for less.

Not to mention the fact that these Irish immigrants were also Catholic. Religion and ethnicity prejudices were extremely common, and the country was in turmoil. The United States didn't know what religion and ethnicity was superior... so why not be against all of them?

Don't forget about social status. That was very important during this time especially in politics, government, and industry. The immigrants weren't exactly part of the Elite or Upper Class, so they had to take backseats to the natural-borns. This didn't set well with them, and because it didn't set well with the immigrants, it didn't set well with the higher-ups.

I knew that the Civil War was going on and all of the stuff pertaining to that topic, but I was completely unaware at the hatred intertwined on the insides of the regions. Why would you fight your own people during this time, when you are supposed to be fight the other side (Union or South). This inspired lots of thinking as to whether there was inbred fighting down South. I could infer that the cause of this immigration hatred is tiredness of the war. People were probably very put out with the tariffs, acts, and battles at the time, but throw in some people that are taking your jobs and opportunities... That probably wouldn't set well with anyone.

If it weren't for Cameron Diaz (who I absolutely adore) and Leonardo DiCaprio (who I adore even more), I probably would have shut it off. They did an incredible acting job with their characters in such a violent and historical movie. I thought I was thrown in an APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) episode of "Boyz N Da Hood II," because the crimes, killings, and attempted murders were quite shocking. It had me thinking about how angry the country was back then. And it only picked up more as the war drug on and the New York draft riot started.

Plain and simple. This movie is an excellent portrayal of the emotional side of the American Civil War. It shows another side of it. They weren't at war with the South but with each other as well. I give it two thumbs up! (488)

Dr. Dre Beats Headphones

 

 Can you hear me? Oh my gosh... I said, "Can you hear me?" CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!?

Ok. Now back to this post.

Beats by Dr. Dre is a brand of awesome headphones! They represent all styles, generations, and walks of music. They are universal, and, nowadays, almost everyone has a pair. I would like to add that their innovative look, sound, and design appeals to musicians and wannabes. Their (normally) red chord that connects from your phones to the music device is not flat and two-part like other brands. It is circular, and it doesn't tangle. Amazing, huh?

First off, there are lots of different styles suited to the type of music lover you happen to be, the type of music you enjoy listening to, or when/where you are listening. You have your Executive Beats that are designed for you Brad Paisley lovers. That's right. You know who you are. Country cowboys: who square dance to their songs.

Next up we have your Pro Beats that are designed for musical engineers. The people that are most likely infatuated with mixes and the raw power of the music. Pretty deep, huh? Like $400 deep into your pockets?

Don't like all the hype around a downpayment on your music? You can go a little cheeper with the Studios. These are the ones that come in every and all types of colors. From lime green to light blue, and don't forget about the ever classy black and white. These are the ones that are most popular. Most professional athletes have these, but Dr. Dre said that his intentions were to give the listener the "music that the artist intended for ears to hear."

Are you by any chance a DJ? Well if you are, you're in luck because world renowned DJ, David Guetta, teamed up with Dr. Dre to create Mixr Beats just for turntable junkies like yourself. The new design is powerful and lightweight with hinges just for listening with one ear.

And now we come to the kind I have: Solo Beats.

 Now before you make fun of me, let me explain. At first I thought that paying anything more than $10 for a pair of JVC earphones (notice I didn't say headphones) was just ridiculous... Until I tried Beats on at Best Buy. I fell so hard in love that my birthday money account broke, but I didn't care because I was smart about it. Instead of paying out the wazoo for Studios or Pros (that I would no doubt choose the wrong color in), I got the Solos ($200), because they have the exact same style and look. They are just smaller... like small enough to fit in a purse. But that is ok, because I get the best of both worlds: the look, the sound, and the recovering pocketbook. (CAUTION: Solos are ON the ear, not over the ear like the Beats above.)

Haven't found the one that screams you yet? Stay with me. I promise Dr. Dre has something for everyone... even you, you Indie-band groupie, you!

Now we break into the actual earbuds. The ones that are small, but feisty. Why get this style if you can get a $25 pair of SkullCandy, you may ask? Because, even though they are the simple design, they have a complex beat! And it is boomin'. You can get these in a few different colors/styles such as: Tour Beats, Power Beats (hangs on and around ear, recommended for the athlete that works out, endorsed by LeBron James), Heart Beats (for you Little Monsters/Lady GaGa fans), and Ur Beats (for the reckless, dangerous headbanger, priced the lowest of them all at $99).

If you completely fall in love with this brand, then you have more Dr. Dre to love. He has a computer out with built in Beat speakers (like the best Youtube video just got a whole lot better). He also has a bunch of speakers and docks that you can bump it up to another level and share your sound with the whole room!

Good luck in your quest for powerful music! (685)