Category: friends

Why Do We Relay?

sennymcflyLeave a comment

It’s 10:01 pm. Kai, Lucy, and myself are walking on the desert red track at Buena High School. While the senior Lacrosse players have only just arrived, Lucy and I have been walking, dancing, and celebrating for 13 hours. But, we still have 11 more to go.

It started with the survivor lap and when our beloved John Valenzuela circled to the first strait-a-way an eruption of applause broke out from our booth. And as he smiled and put his hand to his heart in appreciation tears began to fall. Mr. V is our survivor.

Then there was wedding. A 5 year survivor was given the chance to marry the love of his life. Tons of ladies in dresses joined in and led the bride’s path to the alter. As they exchanged vows hearts were lifted in the celebration of their chance to live a long life of happiness. He is her survivor.

After numerous laps honoring cowboys, the 80’s, and siamese twins there came the luminaria ceremony. Hundreds of lights shined representing the battles fought by millions. As the names of the lost and the loved showed on the big screen yet more tears came. We sat in silence.

For some the walk is for their mothers and sisters. For others it is for their sons and daughters. For me the walk is for my great aunt, my great grandmother, and my mom’s sister who is a childhood cancer survivor. If you were there you knew who the relay was for. For Dad, for a 13 month old baby girl, for Krista.

Relay for Life is not just a fund raiser for cancer research. It’s a celebration. It’s not a time to grieve but a time to give respect and celebrate life.

OVS relayed for Mr. V and celebrated and continue to celebrate his life. A life that he was given a second chance to live, alongside so many other lives because of the support of their family and community. We relayed. We walked. We celebrated. We fought.

The End

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

You never realize how much you miss someone
until your heart sinks to the floor with grief
A soundless crash that mirrors
After months of forgetting how they mirrored asphalt after rain.

And how days seem to creak on by
When you’re in no rush to take a breath.

And how cigarettes taste youthful
a tremor of nostalgia; a secret childhood kiss
a breath of forgotten lust.

And how, with your legs propped up against the bench; our minds tightly shut
; the breeze spilled into the cracks of our words

And how my heart seemed to bleed through my lips
Your mind finally made up.

My inspiration.

Happy Mother’s Day

sennymcflyLeave a comment

Sometimes, I wonder how people cope with not being able to spend Mother’s Day with their moms. Or even the other holidays that we boarding students don’t get to go home for. Personally, holidays honoring parents or lovers or, heck, even the Easter Bunny should be spent with at least the person who the holiday has been dedicated to. Well, today is Mother’s Day and as I got off the phone with my mom I realized that it has been at least two years since I’ve spent Mother’s Day with my mom. Come to think of it, the past two Father’s Days were spent in the car driving down here, to school. If you are a boarding student, doesn’t that bother you?

It’s just that, some kids, adults, parents, don’t get to celebrate some of these holidays. To me, that’s just makes the day even more important. We get the chance to spend time with our parents, show them why we love them and that they are appreciated, but others probably don’t get that opportunity. And yet, here we are. Forced to make phone calls and the cards we buy don’t get there until six days later and we can’t go out to lunch but we can talk about all the stuff we’re going to do “when we get home”. I think we take advantage of these holidays. How do I know that when I get home there will be enough time to spend with my family before I have to start my new life? So, I say treat them, the holidays, your parents, like it’s the last day you’re going to see them. Corny, yeah, but these holidays were made for a reason. Your mom deserves a hug, so give her one and while you’re at it, can you give mine one too?

Prom

venturatrekerLeave a comment


OVS was my first prom, and it was fun.  It took so much effort from everyone and it came out great.  ON top of that I got to ride in the party bus and we just well, partied all the way to Prom.

The food and glow sticks, and well all of it was simply great.  The Dj was good, and he even offered me a job! (and he’s Jewish; just sayin).

What I liked most about the Prom was the photos though.  They were done really well and I took some very funny pictures…with Mr. Cooper.  I must thank OVS for such a wonderful opportunity to have a prom.

GOtta love the Coopster

The Aftermath

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

I’m not going to lie. In the end, prom was amazing.

It pretty much started like this.

And then ended like this.

Placed convienently at the Mandalay Beach Resort, it was a night that I don’t think any one of us seniors will forget. But I can really only speak for myself.

It’s scary to think that last Thursday night was the last OVS dance we will all ever attend together. We’ve all spent a minimum of seven months together and I can’t imagine not seeing all these lovely faces again.

What will become of us when we all leave? Will we all remember how we felt that night? I can only hope so. I just really hope that everyone found that night as memorable as I did.

FAT TALK

vabenissimoLeave a comment

“Ew. I am so fat.”
“OMG. Stop it. You are so skinny.”

A rally of nonsense complaints between females, this is called FAT TALK.

Teenage girls, especially, behave such for the following reasons:
To draw an attention,
To express their discomforting body shape,
To make their “friends” uncomfortable,
etc

Every girl experiences Fat Talk.

However in the midst of this prom season, the complaints get worse, much worse. I frequently catch girls in their prom dresses or in front of mirrors spill their words casually, “I am fat.” Gosh. Yes, you are fat, if and only if you fall for the media that purports extreme thinness and gross starvation.

If obesity is the concern, try to be healthy—exercise, eat balanced meal, do not binge eat, and sleep well. But, do not starve.

Hunger is a disease. It leads to starvation, then to death.

And, this Fat Talk is also a disease. Once a girl speaks of her “fatness,” her listener goes on to another to complain, and the cycle runs on and on until the girls runs out of their self-esteem.

So, next time when a friend say, “OMG. I am so fat,” be ready to shush her.

Glenn Beck, the Anti-Elitist.

smackyjackjack1 Comment

America, we will remember this day. Write it down, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. This is the day that America’s greatest idiot finally got his  show taken off the air. Glenn Beck has finally been removed from television.

Let’s look back at one of Beck’s blunders.

Glenn Beck is the moronic dunce that cries at the drop of a hat. Beck once cried when he was grossly misinformed about the happenings at the Boston harbor on December 16th, 1773. Beck was under the impression that the “patriotic” American colonists were symbolically  protesting the “elitist” British Government’s rise on taxes. Beck also believed that the British were comparable to the modern day Liberals.

Ok, where to begin? First of all, Mr. Beck, the colonists were not protesting the British taxes as much as they were protesting the monopoly the British had given to the East India Trading Company. Secondly, the Liberals of today are raising taxes to lift the USofA out of it’s trillions of dollars of debt (thank you Reagan). The British were heavily taxing paper, and other miniscule things. For you, Mr. Beck, to even attempt to compare the poor governing of the British in the 18th century to Obama and those Liberal elitists, is so ridiculous, that it baffles me to think that you have your own show. Oh, I’m sorry, HAD your own show. Even the corporate giant FOX News has realized how stupid you are.

Finally, I would just like to point out the irony that you are being fired for not knowing how to perform your job well enough, when you constantly call out elitists.  An elitist is not a bad thing, Mr. Beck. Hell, you don’t even have to be an elitist to have your own show. Just show some intelligence.  However, if you were an elitist, then you would still have a job. Isn’t life funny?

Graduation

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

T-minus 61 days. That means we have about two months left of this school year.

jksdhfskdjghsjdklgnkeldmfgnkjdfghueirjhgjkdsfnvksdjfgheiujrhgjrehgjkernfdkjsghuweirth!!
Excuse my improper spelling, grammar, and exclamation, but this is pretty big deal.

I’ve been at this school for five years. Some have been here for thirteen of more. It’s crazy to think that it all has boiled down to these last few weeks. All 27 of us, (hopefully we’ll stay at 27) will be moving in each and every different direction, down our own roads, to new and wonderful lives.

We should all end on a good note, right?

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel as if there is far too much tension between us. Why is that exactly? Can’t we all just look past that and think, “Hey! We’re almost done with this year! We should just relax and finish this year with class and with relaxation!”

We have students going to Wesleyan, UC Berkeley, Chapman, and UW. Shouldn’t we all be proud of our friends? It’s pretty big deal to get into colleges such as these whether we chose to believe it or not. Just because we watch it happen every year doesn’t mean that it happens to the collective population outside of our school?

Can’t we unify as one? We still have enough time to really appreciate these people one last time. All these people we’ve known for years will soon be out of our lives with the blink of an eye. I’m sure you’re thinking “I’m glad! I can’t wait to get out of here!” But once you’re actually gone, you’re going to miss it. I know that I’ll miss it.

Raise Your Weapon

vabenissimoLeave a comment

Titles, reputations, and rumors kill me.

They spread like fireballs and grow infinitely at a blinking rate.

Who on earth could possibly find themselves intelligent enough to title another?

How does one assure that he or she is not observing the silhouette of another?

Age, class, and wealth.

Should these factors really grant one the power to be judgmental?

Phony, fake, genuine, inconsiderate, kind, spoiled, thoughtful, respectful, ignorant, rude.
Even if one finds such titles necessary and appropriate, one should never forget that these adjectives can act as fatal weapons in tearing apart another’s heart.

Once this principle is disregarded, the war begins.

As in retaliation, the two sides will unconsciously hold a grudge against each other. Although difficult and disturbing to recognize, this vicious cycle is an inevitable part of human nature.

In fact, reputations must stem from some sort of solidity, but never from nothingness.

One word, and it’s all over.

So please, raise your weapon. And fire, until your enemy cries for mercy, it is the only way to survive.

Raise your weapon.

Two-Faced

Paloma Spencer5 Comments

I cannot even describe my love for people who act like they are your friend but in actuality spend their days discussing their absolute hatred towards you.

Honestly, it makes me laugh.

But I truthfully just don’t understand the reasoning behind it.

If I never asked you to be my friend and you simply say horrid things about me, then I obviously don’t care to be your friend.

So why fake it?

I believe that if you don’t want to be someones friend, than simply don’t.

If you don’t like someone, then don’t be rude, but simply don’t talk to them.

I just don’t understand why someone would take the time to pretend to be nice to you.

It doesn’t make sense.

And I also have an issue with people who have such utter hatred towards you for no absolute reason.

If I don’t even talk to a person, then why would they even care about me?

Maybe it’s a person’s lack of happiness, or a life for that matter.

Or maybe their heart is just a tiny hardened piece of stone.

In actuality, I feel bad for these people.

For they can say as many things about a person and get as many people to side with their arrogant opinions. But in the end, at least I am not a selfish, conceded, arrogant jerk.

I thank these people for making me stronger, more confident, and more aware of the horrid people who exist in the world.

P. S.

Since you actually have the audacity to call me immature for blocking you on Facebook, I will have the audacity to tell you this.

You’re not my friend in real life, so why would I want to be your friend anywhere else.