Author: rangerthecat

Cheers to the weekend!

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This weekend was one of the best that I’ve had in such a long time.

On Friday, I went to a really cool art show in Ventura with a few people.
There was so much beautiful pottery. I love pottery, and I haven’t had time to go to the studio recently, but this trip gave me some new inspiration and I can’t wait until I have time again. There were so many different artists with a variety of work that all took my breath away.

The next day, I got to sleep in until 10:30. BEST FEELING EVER. I have not spent enough time with my bed recently, and seriously, it put me in such a better mood for the whole rest of the day, which consisted of going to a gingerbread house making party and a birthday party!

I spend about one who hour making a masterpiece gingerbread house with my best friend. We made sure it was very colorful and cute, and let me just say, it was some high quality work!

It was so much fun to decorate a gingerbread house; I hadn’t done it for years, and it made me feel like a little kid again, which I love.

Then came the big “dance party,” I guess you could call it. When really, it was just a bunch of loud music, and people jumping around making fools of themselves (including me). And I’d have to say, that was definitely my favorite part. Having fun without anyone to judge me or anything else to worry about. I spent time with close friends, and others that I’m not as close with, but still had an amazing time with both.

I did, however, underestimate the amount of work I had to finish, and overestimated the ability I have to do so. But a little bit of a time crunch is just the price to pay for a pretty amazing weekend 🙂

Waiting Game

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I finally did it. I submitted my college applications to the Cal State schools and the UCs. It was totally stressful, considering how much I procrastinated – I literally met the deadline by one day.

I am so thankful that I have finished the application process. But I am just SO ANXIOUS to know if I will be accepted to one of the schools that I want to attend the most.

So now that I have finished my applications, all I can do is wait to hear back, and in the mean time, stress out. A lot. And wait.

And wait some more.

And as much as I can try to predict it and hope everything turns out well, I have no idea what the future holds.

All I can do now – besides MORE waiting – is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

New Pets!

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I absolutely love animals more than anything. I really do. I love wild animals, and of course, I love pets!

Over the years, my family has had cats, birds, bunnies, guinea pigs, and fish. They have all been pretty amazing pets.

But sadly, this past year, 2 of my cats have died, and the one still living has a fist-sized tumor in his liver. My parents took my cat Smokey to the vet, and she told us we will have to put him down within the next week if he survives for that long. I will miss his so much.

When I found out about it, I couldn’t imagine coming home to a house without my cats, or any pets at all for that matter. So, I was VERY happily surprised when my Mom told me she is going to get a puppy and two kittens!!!

I am completely overwhelmed with excitement right now. My family has never had a dog before. Ever. I have always been so jealous of my friends and other families that have dogs – and now I finally get to have one 🙂

My friend decided she would come help me look for a new dog and kittens that I like, so we took at trip to the Milpitas Humane Society yesterday. There were SO many cute dogs and cats.

I am just so glad my family and I get to adopt a cute animal and provide a home for an animal that needs one.

We’re still searching, and on Monday I am SO EXCITED to go to another humane society with my Mom and hopefully pick out a new member of the family.

Controversy over… Soup?

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Today in our senior class meeting, something unexpected and very surprising happened. And to be honest, even though it does not have a direct effect on me, it still bothers me. A lot.

Student council has proposed the idea of a soup lunch. Once a week we would serve only soup, salad, and bread, and the money saved would be donated to a charity of our choice to help people in need.

The unbelievable part is that this simple, easy, and helpful plan has basically been denied. Why? Because a small number of students feel like it is not a good idea for some strange reason.

I would like to say that I am sympathetic and that I also see it from their point of view, but unfortunately I don’t. The students who objected brought concerns about where the money is going, how much we will raise, and how they don’t want to skip a meal. But really, soup, bread, and salad is a very substantial meal that many less fortunate people out there would be ecstatic to have each day.

There are 20 meals served each week. And out of all of those, we can’t find the selflessness to give up one single meal to help others.

What’s happened to all the generosity in this world?

Honesty

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Honestly, (ha), I don’t understand some people’s logic/morals anymore.

It’s as if honesty is not even a common thing anymore.

There are lies as simple as “that was my last piece of gum”, and then there are much, much more complicated lies.

I know that sometimes, a little white lie is necessary and harmless. But, where is that line between little lies and big lies?

I believe that people have forgotten that honesty is EASY. I mean, it really is.

And, being honest more often seems to lead to less mishaps in the first place that may seem to require lies later on.

I know everyone who has ever walked this earth has most likely been hurt by a lie that didn’t need to be told.

Honesty is the most important quality in a person, in my opinion. So, as of today, I am making a promise with myself to be honest about anything to anyone.

People need to realize this, and do the same… They really do.

Trying Something New

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Stepping out of my comfort zone is not an easy thing for me to do.
Generally, I don’t like to try new things, especially if I have to commit to them for a long time.

To be honest, I’m afraid of being bad at things that I try.

But this year, I promised myself that I would take new and appealing opportunities that came my way.

So, on a whim, I decided to join the soccer team.

It’s funny when I think about it, it really is. I am sort of clumsy, and I am the slowest runner you will ever meet. I also have no stamina what so ever. I knew I would end up making a fool of myself, but then I decided I didn’t care one bit if I did or not. I mean, how bad could I be?

The answer is, not too bad actually. Although I am very slow and have never played a day in my life before, it turns out I don’t suck as much as I thought I would. I was the manager/helper in past years of soccer, so I already know most of the rules and how the games work.

I know it’s not going to be easy by any means, but I’m so excited for this season. And honestly, I just wish I had joined sooner. Our first game is the week we get back from Thanksgiving break, and I can’t wait!

GO SPUDS! 🙂

Trucks Take Over

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As I was driving today in the predictable evening LA traffic, I realized just how many different types of cars there are on the road. In my family alone, we have a truck, two sedans, and two vans, all by different companies. All of this thinking brought a question to my mind:

What is the most popular car in America?

I tried to answer it myself as I was driving by counting a few different types and thinking about what types of cars that people I know own. I finally concluded that it was the Toyota Prius. They are hybrids, so they tend to be very fuel efficient and are a great smallish size, and I see so many of them on the road I didn’t even second guess myself.

But, after looking up the most popular car in America, it was quite a surprise to me to discover that the Ford F150 takes the title.

I mean, in my opinion, they are beautiful. I LOVE trucks. But, when purchasing my own car, I realized that they are not very sensible (especially for a teenager) and that they are not really necessary unless a person is hauling around things or towing trailers, like some businesses do.

It’s crazy to think that a huge gas-guzzling truck would be the most popular, especially with gas prices being so high. I have seen a lot of them on the road, but it still came as a big surprise to me.

Maybe it was just my wishful thinking that people would choose more fuel-efficient cars in order to start caring for the environment!

Goodbye, Volleyball

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Have you ever had a day in your life that you wish you could do over?

Today was one of these days. Nothing tragic happened, thankfully, nothing life-changing either. But, today was my very last high school volleyball game; my last loss in a high school volleyball game, to be exact.

We lost, and although I wish we had won, that’s not the biggest disappointment.

I just really wish the varsity team had something to show for all of our effort.

We were not the team I know that we could have been. If I could have changed something, it would have been our attitudes, our willingness to try even though we know we might fail.

I will not deny, though, that this season has had its great moments. We have all grown as individuals on and off the court and we have grown together as a team. Even against the toughest public high school varsity teams, we kept fighting until the end. We might have had a losing season, but it was still an amazing one.

There are no words to describe how much I will miss playing volleyball and what an amazing time I have had with the other 7 girls this season. I am so proud of us 🙂

What is a team?

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As I stood in silence, holding the ball waiting for the whistle to be blown so I could serve the ball, I had a thought. Or , I guess you could say I had a question.

What is a team?

The dictionary definition of “team” is: A group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport.

Of course, I already knew that; but being on a team is much more than just being a group. My idea of a team is being unified, supporting each other, and trying your hardest for the benefit of those around you.

That is what I think of when I think of being a team.

A team captain‘s job – my job – is to make sure than each player is doing just that; making an effort to be unified, support others, and try their hardest.

When these things do not happen, I have no option but to accept the reality, move on, and try to do a better job next time so we act as a real team.

Even though we had a few setbacks within the team aspect of things, I’ve never been more proud to be with that group of girls out there on the court at Orcutt Middle School‘s gymnasium, battling the Orcutt High School Spartans.

Although they had much higher skill levels than us, each true team member put their heart into the game and it was the best we have every played as a team.

Even though we were not victorious, the varsity volleyball girls really learned how to be a team that day, which is all I could have asked for.

Spudfest!

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Face painting, tie-dying, rubber chicken tossing, water balloon tossing, dunk tank, laser tag – you name it, Spudfest’s got it.

This Friday was the best day of the school year so far, and will most likely be one of the best overall.

I got up at 7 and went to breakfast as usual, came back, put on my team comp shirt, and went to blow up orange and black balloons in the spirit of Halloween, then doodle with some chalk in the black hole with my best friends 🙂

And then we went to play team comp where my team, the Mosquitoes, DOMINATED!
Especially in the chicken launch where I was the launcher.
Teaming up with the 8th graders was surprisingly fun, too. It was good to have them up here and show them a good time.

So many good things happened that day, including dunking one of my best friends in the dunk tank on the first try, making friendship bracelets, tie-dying some awesome designs onto my t-shirts, and painting faces.

This day really reminded me of how lucky I am to be here, and how great it can be.
And it also reminded me how great my friends are.
I love all of you. Spudfest is fun and all, but it wouldn’t be fun if each and every one of my friends was there. I am so thankful for that.