Hoodies are my absolute favorite piece of clothing. There’s something about their comfy, soft fabric and oversized fit that feels like a calming warm hug. Whether it’s a chilly school morning or a lazy weekend afternoon, hoodies are perfect for any time. I love their compatibility you can pair them with jeans or, workout clothes, or even use them as a comfy layer while relaxing at home. The front pocket is also super convenient for keeping my hands warm or carrying stuff like my phone or keys. Hoodies come in so many colors, designs, and materials, making it easy to have a different one for every color. No matter the season, a hoodie always makes me feel comfortable. I way rather feel comfortable than anything. Hoodies allow me to be both comfortable and cute. I probably own around 40 hoodies they are a staple in my closet and forever will be.
A while back, I reviewed all the books I did for required reading in high school, and nearly all of the books in the “almost masterpiece” tier were from Ms. Whipple’s classes. I don’t know how she keeps getting away with this, but I’m adding Merchant of Venice to this tier. (The most I will say about Heart of Darkness is that I put it in the “I respectfully tolerate” tier.)
Before I read Merchant of Venice I actually thought I would put it in the “respectfully tolerate” tier, as I thought it would have aged too poorly for me to be invested in. My only exposure to it was a Jewish youtuber I liked using the play as the ultimate example of a poorly aged classic, so I feared the only thing I would find in it would be garden variety antisemitism.
Though after reading it I suppose I know why we’re learning about it. It’s true, parts of the character Shylock, the main Jewish character in the play, and especially the way other characters treat him that make me cringe. People call Shylock a dog and Lancelet, the most “love to hate” character in the play, outright says he should hang for his religion. But once I read about Lancelet tricking his blind dad into thinking he’s dead, just for the kicks of it, I began to wonder if my disgust towards the characters is meant to be the point.
All of the Christian “heroes” have unsavory qualities, even outside of their antisemitism. Portia mocks the men who want to marry her because they are foreign. Bassanio is a gambler and wannabe gold digger. And what most surprised me was how Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, sells her dead mother’s ring to buy a monkey. As a Jewish convert to Christianity, the other characters act like she is her father’s moral superior, but her actions only make the rest of the cast’s moral standards suspect.
At this point, I can’t help but wonder if Shakespeare was on the better side of history, that he really try to write Shylock as the most sympathetic character in a sea of terrible people. He has some of the best lines, many of which sufficiently call out the injustice of his world, and his villainous actions can’t hold a candle to many of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes. My bread and butter are works where nearly everyone are equally terrible people, as it makes the halfway decent ones stand out all the more. So I can’t help but find that Merchant of Venice scratches my itch, so into the Unofficial Whipple Tier it goes. I don’t think it’s quite on the level of works like Invisible Man, which are stories that I think anyone can get something out of it. I still get that youtuber’s discomfort with Merchant of Venice, so I’m not making this messy story required reading for all of humanity. For all my low expectations I still think it needs an inventive production to bear stomaching for modern audiences.
I’m so sick of getting in trouble all the time for no real reason. There has not been one day this week that I haven’t been in trouble for something and I’m so sick of it. On Monday I got laps for being 1 minute late to turn in my phone for study hall. I also got laps for not checking out for Halloween night even though I was explicitly told that I didn’t have to and I let a dorm parent know I was leaving. Then I got laps when my alarm didn’t go off and I was late for breakfast. Why is someone there with a lap sheet every time I mess up? It’s not like I’m deliberately trying to break the rules or inconvenience the dorm staff. There should be a difference between making a mistake and knowing what is expected of you and ignoring it. I have never skipped class or been more than 2 minutes late, I’ve never set out to hurt anyone or myself, I always volunteer and don’t argue, and I’m where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. I do well in school and fulfill my duty as a leader by helping others and setting a good example. It doesn’t make me want to keep that up when no matter how good I do I’m still punished. If I’m in trouble the one time I mess up where is my reward for all the times I do the right thing?
Remember that “All Things End:” Think about any past struggle you have gotten over. Are you in disbelief about the amount of heartache and time you’ve devoted to this? If so, then remember that this current time will likely pass the same, and your life will be as unaccustomed to this despair as you currently are with your past ones. If not, at least go listen to “All Things End” by Hozier because optimistic nihilism has never looked so good.
Immerse Yourself in Escapism: Escapism has a bad rap, but if things currently are going poorly, a little fantasy won’t hurt. Read a book, start a new show or binge an old one, just entertain yourself. Distracting yourself can even be “productive,” which is what CEOs use to describe commendable activities. If you have to do well in school or earn tips at your underappreciated minimum wage job, then you might as well motivate yourself.
Talk to Other People: As no feeling is completely original, it’s likely that there are people around you who share the same existential dread that you do. Vent all you want to this person, be validated by hearing your same sentiments repeated back at you and talk all you want about anything else as well. Being around others can also remind you that, if anything were to happen to those specifically like you, you and your friends can share the interest of fighting back.
Okay so I think I was right about soccer, riding and school being too much. I have been feeling so run down lately and I literally have no time to do anything. I also just sprained my ankle at soccer so now I might not be able to ride or do soccer but I’m pretty sure I still have to go to practices and just sit there. Hopefully that will make it easier for me to catch up on school. It is so weird because for the first month of school I felt like I had no work to do and now it feels like it just doesn’t stop. But if I don’t practice then I won’t be playing in our games next week and seriously hate just sitting and watching my team lose and not being able to help. I also have a feeling we’re going to get a lot of fouls because I don’t think most of the tema know how to do a throw-in or what offsides is. I’m praying we don’t get obliterated by nordoff.
I honestly don’t mind homework that much. I usually don’t make much of a point to do it either. It usually all just falls into place,but sometimes it ends up not working out which has already happened this year. I seriously despise breakfast club. It is so awful. Like I get it if you have a bunch of missing stuff or if you’re just not turning stuff in but if you get it in by the end of the week I don’t think you should have to go. This happened to me at the beginning of the year and I literally just watched tv the whole time. It really sucked for my mom too because she had weekend duty as well so she had to drive me up there at like 8 then drive me back at 9, then turn around and go back up. I’m so happy she didn’t make me stay. People complain about OVS a lot but I actually do think the way the classes are scheduled is helpful. I usually don’t have any homework once I get home because I’m able to just get it all done during the day. It’s definitely better than lower but I liked the schedule better last year.
At the end of my sophomore year, I had to choose my classes for junior year and I had 2 options. I could take normal classes probably have more free time and be less stressed or I could challenge myself to do AP classes, have barely any free time and a lot of stress. Me being the great decision-maker I am I choose to sign up for 5 AP classes. During the summer while I was working on summer assignments I quickly realized 5 APs would simply be to much. Knowing I would have my license and more freedom I didn’t want to spend all my time doing school work, so I dropped one. It is now the end of the first quarter and I’m doing great my social life is thriving and so is my academic life. There is a lingering fear in the back of my head that I will fall behind and my grades will drop but this hasn’t happened yet. I’ve been consistent in all my classes and I really do hope this continues. I have learned to have a positive attitude, even if I feel everything but positive. Changing my outlook on school has made doing my homework and studying so much easier. Today is Halloween and the first day of school I’ve missed all year which is very impressive as last year I missed way to much school.
Everyone always has at least one moment in which they make a decision that completely upturns their life. What makes them notable, normally, is that they begin completely innocuously, like the decision to switch a class, to make small talk with a specific person, however you respond to them, and only later can that decision maker realize how a radical change to their life hinged on that one choice they didn’t see.
I may be able to call what I did around 3 years ago that sort of choice, but its payoff seems just as innocuously debilitating as its trigger. I saw a playlist on youtube, clicked on it, and listened to it while doing homework.
You might be compelled to laugh, but yes, it can be debilitating! Work moves like molasses if I’m not hearing sick beats, and hearing sick beats can make me less able to focus on what I need to. I’m not sure at this point if my habit slows me down or is the only way I can set my mind to anything vaguely smelling of labor. During regular classes it feels like I have to do anything else just to not lose my mind to the clouds, but nearly all teachers seem to misinterpret multitasking as a character flaw of the youth. I’ve become a Gen Z stereotype, technology has completely divorced my attention span from what organized society finds acceptable.
I’ve been thinking about starting soccer. I played pretty much my whole life and I miss it. The whole reason I quit gymnastics is because I didn’t think I would have time or energy to do two sports. Especially after school games and leaving class early for games I’m a little worried I wont be able to keep up. Don’t get me wrong I love soccer and I love riding but I think it will also feel like i’m not a whole part of the team either because I will have to miss some practices and maybe even games for riding because that will be my priority. I think I’m still going to do it anyways though because cross training has always helped me in riding and gymnastics. I also heard that we have 3 games our second week of practice which sucks because I won’t even be there for our first week of practice which is this week. So I might die but wish me luck.
It’s almost 2025. That’s the year I’ve been looking forward to all my life. I’m not so sure I’m excited anymore. Yeah, college is exciting, but I’m not ready to finish high school. Anyway, I’ve finished and submitted all my college applications. It’s a funny feeling because everyone around me is so ready to graduate, and they all have something to work towards. I don’t have a career I’m excited about or a dream college. The only thing I have been working towards is a D1 team and now I know I won’t be on one. I’m afraid because when I don’t have something to work towards I start to wander again. I feel like a zombie. I don’t want to lose my focus. Everything is moving so fast and I can’t believe it’s almost 2025. There are so many things I would do if I had more time. I better fit it all in quickly because there are 78 more days until 2025.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.