I think I’ve gone completely brain dead. After being away from school for two weeks, I have no recollection on how to get back into the swing of things.
“It’s easy” they say, as they stand at the front of the room handing me piles of worksheets and assignments to make up.
Yes, of course it is easy, WHEN THEY ARE THE ONE GIVING ME THE WORK AND NOT DOING IT.
I have a math test in two days. I don’t even remember how to use my calculator.
I know eventually I will fall back into my boring, monotonous routine of classes Monday through Friday and homework, Saturday through Sunday. But I know it will feel like an eternity until I fall back into those deep tracks.
Of course, as soon as I get myself back in the groove, it will time for yet another break and I will repeat this whole cycle over again.It
What does it take to make a change?From Rosa Parks to Marie Curie to Sacagawea, there is no shortage of powerful women who have made their mark on history.In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th and Women’s History month for the entire month of March,I am going to spotlight just a few of the women who changed your life.
Lucretia Mott
Mott was the pioneer of the women’s right movement.She fought for equal rights among all people.In 1833, she helped to form the Female Anti-Slavery Society and organized the Seneca Falls Convention, a landmark women’s rights gathering.
Her words to live by:“The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of woman, the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.”
2. Maya Angelou
Angelou wrote seven autobiographical books, including her most well known I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.She was an active voice during the American cilvil rights movement.In addition to her writings, Angelou made many people rethink their ideas about sex workers bu writing about her own experience as a sex worker.
Her words to live by: “Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud”
3. Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, one of England’s greatest poets.Despite her father’s literary achievements, she is known for being the first computer programmer.
Her words to live by:“That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show.”
4. Madeleine Albright
Albright became the first female secretary of state in 1996, she paved the way for Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.She has never been afraid to speak her mind: She recently told CNN that the 2016 GOP primary race is “like children in a school yard calling each other names.”
Her words to live by: “There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women.”
T-9 hours until I receive a decision from my second choice school.
For the past week, I have been constantly contemplating my academic strengths and weaknesses, calculating my chances at these schools… as if I have a chance at predicting the decisions I will receive.
I have never wanted anything more than to be accepted to these institutions.
My top two school choices for the past few years have been the University of Southern California and Occidental College.
I would be happy at either college, however, my chances of getting into either school are slim.
In comparison to other students that applied to Occidental, I am just slightly below average, GPA and SAT wise.
In comparison to other students who applied to USC, I am sub-par, with my GPA and SAT scores falling quite far below their average accepted student.
I keep trying to envision myself at another school, but simply cannot.
I want Oxy and USC so badly it hurts. My stomach has been in knots for days, and until 5:00 pm this evening, I will not feel relief.
I know this feeling is normal, but that does not affect my level of anxiety. I remain eager, waiting impatiently.
Good luck to all of the high school seniors waiting to hear from their favorite schools, you will end up wherever you are supposed to.
Monogamy as a concept is a strange thing, but little girls are taught from early childhood to believe that it is the ultimate goals.
More than half of my friends parents are divorced, often times with one parent leaving the other behind completely abandoned.
For me, I don’t even remember my parents kissing because I was so young when they divorced. Yet, pretty much every story I was read at night ended with a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after.
Now, I sit here in my late teenage years watching beautiful relationships turn toxic in the blink of an eye.
What was once the most amazing time of your life quickly becomes a distant and wildly painful memory.
I just broke up with the first person that I’ve ever loved and because of that I’m feeling certain emotions that I’ve never felt before.
I’m not sure how to dispose of these feelings for someone who I’m still kind of in love with, even though they hurt me so deeply and so consistently.
How do you know your last kiss will be your last kiss?
How do you know when he says “I love you” that it will be the last time you ever hear those words grace his lips.
There is no rule book on this stuff – no matter how much I wish there was.
My mom always said “love shouldn’t hurt”, and that is a major factor into why certain relationships of mine have ceased to exist.
But mom, you’re wrong.
Love hurts.
It hurts when you’re so full of passion that your heart could practically explode.
It is that time of the year again: Less than 50 days until Season 6 of Game of Thrones. It is time to start from the beginning of the show, watching one episode every night till the new season is released. I don’t binge watch alone; I get together with friends at least once a week and we watch the episodes together. With so many episodes it is hard to remember what happened in an episode 3 years ago, so I came up with a solution to eliminate gaps between the old and new episodes. A part of this tradition is to make predictions of what will happen and whoever is closest wins and gets the prize of hearing the others say “good job”.
Season Six is looking like it will be the best season yet; after the death of Stannis Baratheon and Jon Snow, it’s hard to tell what path the show will take. The entire series I have been a big believer in the Melisandre, Stannis’ advisor. For those who aren’t familiar with the show, she is a priestess who serves R’hllor, the Lord of Light. Westeros is full of many religions, but only the prayers to R’hllor are answered. Although the religion is borderline satanic and possibly witchcraft, it is extremely powerful. A fire priestess like Melisandre can see the future which is really important when commanding armies. She has never been wrong with the exception of Stannis dying in battle. But I believe she knew that he would die. Melisandre has been trying to get Jon Snow to join them, but Jon refused because he has sworn an oath forcing him to serve the night’s watch.
Men who swear the oath serve in defending the border wall till death. They are responsible for defending against Wildlings which resemble barbarians, and White Walkers, which are undead creatures that can only be killed with dragon glass, an extremely rare material. Because the white walkers are a new threat and no one believes the night’s watch reports of them, they are forced to ally the Wildlings under Jon’s orders. His men were so mad that Jon was killed in a mutiny in a dramatic Julius Caesar killing. His death is the best thing to happen to Melisandre. A fire priests in one episode showed that he could bring back the dead, but only those who R’hllor thinks is worthy. Melisandre knows that Jon is worthy and may bring him back to life. This is huge because Jon will no longer be sworn to the night’s watch; he is the rightful King of the north and the entire north will have his back in a war. On top of that he would have control of the remains of the Baratheon army, and because of his sister Sansa he will most likely get support in secret from Little Finger who basically controls everyone through blackmail. If that isn’t enough, he could probably get support from Dorne, a nation that isn’t a part of Westeros and Dorne really hates the current leaders of Westeros the Lannisters. If Jon Snow comes back to life, it would be game over for the Lannisters, and as much as I love to hate them, I can’t wait till they are gone.
It’s that time of year again, college acceptance, and denial, letters are coming our way. After months of working on applications, seniors are finally beginning to hear back from schools.
It feels as though I have been waiting a lifetime to get these letters. My dream school is the University of Southern California, and I want that school more than any other.
I have been accepted into all of my backup schools, two of my three targets, and neither of my two reaches, yet.
Chapman University recently sent me an acceptance letter, and when I got the e-mail I felt this enormous sense of relief, knowing I had been accepted into my third choice school.
The only reason it is my third choice is because I have applied to two more academically rigorous schools; Occidental College, and USC. But those schools are both reaches for me, meaning I have a smaller chance of being accepted.
I am completely happy attending Chapman, but I would be ecstatic to go to Occidental or USC.
Because I will be a pre-law student, meaning I will be going to law school after graduating from whichever undergraduate school I attend.
Because of this, I want to go to the most prestigious school I can in order to give me an edge in the Law School application process.
I am thankful I have options on where I go to college, but I am conflicted as to which school is the perfect fit for me.
Although transferring is always an option, I don’t want to build a life somewhere, make connections with other students, and learn the lay of the land at a school where I am not completely happy.
My best friend just got into Chapman as well, giving the school an enormous edge in my book. However, I have to make sure I make the right decision for me, not anyone else.
At this point, Chapman is it. But if I get an acceptance from Occidental or USC, that may change.
Prom…yay…that’s what I’m supposed to do right? Maybe?
Photo Credit: imgur.com
Rational:
An excellent time to dress up and spend time on yourself, not to mention cut down on a day of dry and sleep inducing work. Right?
Photo Credit: reactiongif.org
Cynic:
But then again, it’s also a time for people to spend way too much money on a dress they’ll only wear once. Obsess over their size, feel self shame, worry way too much about how they look and what people will think of them.
Photo Credit: www.bustle.com
Social salamander mode:
You could just hide in the corner and act like you like no one…you could hoard a bunch of food and converse with the potted plants. Yeah that’s a good plan. Find the cheapest easiest dress you can, throw on a pair a nondescript shoes, do your hair like everyone else with an obscene amount of hairspray and self-consciousness. Yep that’s what I’m doing.
Photo Credit:nobaddatesjustgoodstories.tumblr.com
Research:
This is all so much. So much sparkles. *bangs head on keyboard* So much shiny. *Sinks to knees* Why world?? So much sparkles, shoes, dress, eyes, blood stream. The cheapest thing is bedazzled to pluto and back, and eighty dollars??
*Opens purse* There’s some yarn, a tapestry needle, some bobby pins and oh wait is that money? => two hours, of digging through purse desperately, later => nope just a receipt for some sushi.
Photo Credit: www.gurl.com
After panic:
Know what world? I’m doing this my way. I’m going to work my own style and thrift store the price tags out of this equation. I’m doing this my awkward wallflower-y way and the socially acceptable prom ideals are going to take it. I’m done listening, I’m going to make this night of mandatory fun mine to enjoy how I please.
The Onion, a satirical newspaper that exists primarily to mock America’s antics, is one of my favorite forms of entertainment. While scrolling through Facebook, articles randomly pop up on my news feed, and never fail to provide amusement.
Even funnier than the articles themselves though, are the headlines – I cannot explain my love for them. I admit, I don’t always get around to reading the actual stories – that’s a big commitment – but the headlines, a short and easy read, are simply genius.
Impeccably sarcastic and wittily worded, these headlines are the epitome of satire – I love it.
Here are ten of my all-time favorites, in no particular order.
‘I Am Under 18’ Button Clicked For First Time In History Of Internet
Miracle Of Birth Occurs For 83 Billionth Time
Taylor Swift Now Dating Senator Joseph McCarthy
Secondhand Smoke Linked To Secondhand Coolness
Gay Teen Worried He Might Be Christian
Kitten Thinks Of Nothing But Murder All Day
Dwarf Falls Equivalent Of 10 Stories
Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids
Alcoholic Father Disappointed In Pothead Son
Buddy System Responsible For Additional Death
It doesn’t even matter if you read the articles themselves– the headline is all you need.
I don’t understand the stigma around tattoos and piercings, and the shaming of general presentation of oneself. The fact that someone has to censor their appearance out of fear of getting a job is corrupt. Everybody should feel safe to express themselves how they choose without having to worry about judgement and discrimination.
However, this is not to say I don’t see the reasoning behind this societal rule. It would be difficult for someone covered with crude tattoos from head to toe, or with piercings covering their face to escape judgement. While this person could in fact be incredibly kind, I believe it’s safe to say most would not want him/her to perform their heart surgery, nor teach their kindergartener.
I believe the only rational argument in this case to be the fact that although only a generalization, it can often be inferred that someone who would get an obscene face tattoo suffers from a mental illness. Therefore, it is fair to prevent these cases from working important jobs.
However, more times than I can count I have heard “with that piercing, he/she will never be taken seriously” or “with that tattoo, he/she will never get a job.” A few, small piercings or a small, tasteful tattoo should not affect judgement of a character, and especially not an employment decision.
Everybody expresses themselves in different ways – different wardrobes, jewelry, cars, etc. Why should body art be any different?
Again, I’m not talking about those with obscene tattoos or piercings, as people with insane clothing choices are likely to be judged equally. But there is no reason someone’s small depiction of self-expression should negatively impact how they are perceived.
Photo Credit: 40.media.tumblr.com
If an interviewer is unable to see past a tattoo and view a person as a whole, then honestly, the job in question might not be the job for them. Although a matter of opinion, tattoos and piercings do not represent somebody in entirety.
To put it simply, it’s not fair to discriminate against people solely because of how they choose to express themselves.
In order to graduate from Ojai Valley School, each senior must successfully complete a senior project. These projects range from visiting Alcatraz to camping on an island for a week. My best friend, and editor, Kendall Shiffman and I have decided our senior project is going to be “burger telephone,” more commonly known as “taco telephone”
We will begin the journey at Stout Burger in Santa Monica, California. At this first location, we will ask the employees what their favorite burger is there, and order it, with fries of course. We will taste the burger and fries, and rate them on a rubric we have created.
After finishing our meal, we will ask another person where their favorite burger is in Los Angeles, and so on and so forth.
We will continue this cycle until we have tasted around ten burgers over the course of two days.
OVS Journalism Blog 
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