Rainy Chicago.

eternity1030Leave a comment

During this Spring break I headed to Chicago for my very first time.

However, I didn’t expect it to be rainy all week. But thanks to the rain, I had such a precious chance to enjoy a different Chicago.

The most rainy day was the day I went to the Millennium Park for the “Big Bean” sculpture. Its actual name is “Cloud Gate,” a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its bean-like shape. “Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.”

It was inconvenient to visit under a rainy but when I got closer to the “Bean,” i realized that it could be a good opportunity for me to see the city in another way. The shiny silver bean became more vivid surrounded by the gloomy air, which made it more lonely somehow. The water drops slide down from the smoothy sphere as if it is crying.

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Too Far Away

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

One of the downsides of going to a boarding school so far from home is that sometimes you feel that you’ve been left out of the family. Sometimes when I’m talking to my dad or brothers on the phone they talk about things they’ve done, and I get to feeling a little bit left out.

I realize that it comes with living away from home. I would not trade my amazing life here at OVS for going to the punchbowl or Smash Burger back home. But hearing about it does make me miss it.

Another thing I miss is making decisions with the family. Over the past four years we have moved three times, and all three times I have not been able to choose my room, or the furniture that goes into it. The result? Home doesn’t feel like home.

I know that I am far away, and that I have another life here at school. And it’s a life that I love and would not trade. But I do miss home. I miss being able to relax all the time. I miss designing my own room and being excited about where we are moving. I miss my family. I miss my dogs. I miss not being there to watch my little brothers grow up. And sometimes it all makes me feel like I am too far away.

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Part 1: LAPD Drugs

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

On a cold and foggy day in down town Los Angeles two cars are parked side by side. Window to window hands exchange different bags. I am not sure what’s inside the bag, but I know it couldn’t be anything good.

I follow these two cars as I watch from above, on top of the bridge that they are under. As they drive away I exit the bridge and pull up behind one car. A flat black Dodge Challenger with red break calipers, and chrome handles. Pinstripes run down the side of the door. A chrome tip muffler extends out from underneath the chassis, it is a sound many cars do not make. We stop at a red light, the Challenger is rumbling so loudly that my mirrors are shaking. The man looks in his side mirrors, I am afraid I have been spotted. His face is tattooed, head shaved, and stretched ears. He looks like a high level thug.

I am no cop, just a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I am not one to let something like this go. My name is Jax. I am just an average person. I wear a suit to work every day. I sit in a cubicle from 9-5 Monday-Friday. I live alone with my two dogs, no woman, just a single guy trying to make a living. Witnessing this exchange was not my idea of a Saturday morning, all I wanted was to drive to the beach in peace, but these stupid asses had to go and mess it up.

I see the Challenger turn into a parking lot. I drive passed his tail lights and turn around the corner. I don’t want him to think I am following him. I park along the curb and watch as he goes into the store. He comes out of the Vons with no bags, but he has been in there for almost 45 minutes. I run inside to ask a clerk if he bought anything, she tells me no. She’s an innocent looking girl, blond hair, blue eyes, and infinity symbol tattooed on her wrist. She looks trustworthy and I figured while I was in there I’d ask her for her number. She hands it to me on the back of a receipt. Julia is her name, I didn’t see her as a Julia, but it fits. I told her I would call her later, but that I had business to get back to. She asked me what I was doing, but I said, I’ll have to tell you some other time.

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Spring is in The Air

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Spring is my favorite time of year. Why? Because back home in Colorado, it’s when the snow starts the melt. The grass begins to turn green, and the flowers start to bloom. Here at school in Ojai, the weather goes from foggy and cold to sunny, and almost unbearably hot.

In Colorado, spring means the end of a cold winter, which a couple months in, everyone is already sick of. Flowers start to peek out, and it’s when they have just bloomed that they are the prettiest. The grass is green, and the rivers rush with all the snow melt-off. It’s perfection.

Spring also means that the school year is coming to an end. Classes start turning their attention from the everyday lessons to the upcoming finals. Senioritis kicks in as the seniors prepare to throw their cap in the air.

The sun finally peeks it’s head out from behind clouds, flowers decide it’s warm enough to come out of their shell. The world seems awake again. That’s why Spring is my favorite season.

Infinity.

eternity1030Leave a comment

Recently, I have been obsessed with this little symbol – Infinity.

Because I see that symbol a lot not only in my math textbooks, but also on the advertisements and even on the streets. Therefore, out of my curiosity, I did some research on it’s history.

Infinity refers to something “without any limit, and is a concept relevant in a number of fields, predominantly mathematics and physics.” The English word infinity comes from Latin infinitas, which can be translated as “unboundedness”, itself calqued from the Greek word apeiros, meaning “endless”.

The symbol “∞” refers to the concept of infinity. The symbol is just so popular that I found accessories like neckless and rings that are made in the shapes of “∞.”

However, I really think that the symbol is more than just a math symbol which looks cute to people. The design of this symbol is creative and incredibly fits its meaning. When we write it, We can start wherever we want due to the shape of “8.” But wherever we start, we all always end up at the same spot and then just trace its trail for forever and forever. And that’s the amazing part I discovered about this little guy.

As time goes, the symbol also becomes a common metaphor. People use it to compare with life, time and love. People use the sign to make vows.

The “infinity” is an inspiration and sometimes courage.

It means eternity.

It creates endlessness.

It embraces promises.

NFL Draft RECAP!!!!

backinphillyLeave a comment

Didn’t I tell you? I had NO CLUE what was gonna happen.

I’m gonna talk about the Eagles tonight, and I might get into the other picks later on this week.

First up is Lane Johnson, offensive tackle from Oklahoma.

This kid is a solid offensive lineman. Very fast and very athletic. He’s going to shore up a solid Eagle offensive line.

Some fun facts about the draft are as follows.

The Vikings had 3 first round picks this year, the first time that has happened since 2001 with the Rams.

There were no running backs taken in the first round for the first time in the Modern Draft era.

There was only one quarterback, and it wasn’t Geno Smith.

These are facts.

This week, I will bring you through all the draft picks that I think are important. I named Lane Johnson this time so that I can follow with a blog dedicated to him this week.

Stay tuned, psycho sports people!

Blank Page

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

It’s like staring at a blank page

I can’t read it.

There is no information, but I know something is on it.

Invisible ink?

Maybe.

Maybe the words were washed away with the last storm.

I do not know what it is,

Only that it is.

Prove to me what is on the page.

Show me the words.

Bring sight to my blind eyes.

Bring peace to my unsettled mind.

Word by word reveal what it is,

Word by word show me what this is.

Yeah So That Didn’t Go Well

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

So my last blog, “The End”, was basically about how all the Lakers needed to do was just lose their next game and everything would be okay.

Well, they even screwed that up.

Not only did the Lakers lose, but they did it in a terrible fashion.

About 20 minutes into the game, Howard fouled out, probably intentionally. Now, being a loser in a professional sport comes with the expectation that you won’t be a baby and that you’ll lose with some sort of dignity.

Well, Howard screwed that up.

After fouling out and leaving his team to basically be a bunch of dying fish trying to make their way to some kind of water, he got into an argument with the ONE person he shouldn’t have.

No it wasn’t D’Antoni, and it wasn’t Jerry Buss’ kids either. It was Mitch Kupchak. Yes, that’s right, after intentionally leaving the court during a playoff game, the little punk Howard got into an argument with the Lakers’ General Manager.

There isn’t really a whole lot for me to say about that, other than let’s just hope he can clean up his act this summer, or that was a LOT of money down the drain.

T-Minus

displacedlocalLeave a comment


“All systems go.” Said the leader of our group.

This seemed familiar for some reason.

We were colliding particles at mind boggling speeds, something interesting was bound to happen.

I am just a lab technician with an eye for detail. Nothing special.

a simple error message

“error code OXO223.”
“Hey Johnston!” I yelled to the team leader, “What is the deal with this error that keeps popping up?”

“It’s all part of the plan,” Johnston replied. “Continue with the procedure.”

I kept with my job

I set the generators to full power and started the countdown.

“Launching in T-Minus 5…4…3…2…1… Launch”

White.

“All systems go.” Said the leader of our group.

Deja Vu started kicking in. I thought nothing of it.

“error code OXO224.”

I knew that code, something was familiar about it. Maybe I saw it in training.
“Hey Johnston!” I yelled to the team leader, “What is the deal with this error that keeps popping up?”

“It’s all part of the plan,” Johnston replied. “Continue with the procedure.”

I hesitated. Something seemed wrong.

“Are you sure the error is nothing?” I said.

“Yes, very, now get back to your job Rook,” Said Johnston.

I set the generators to full power and started the countdown.

“Launching in T-Minus 5…4…3…2…1… Launch”

White.

“All systems go.” Said the leader of our group.

I was hit with a huge bit of Deja Vu. Something was definitely wrong.

“error code OXO225, WARNING ENTANGLEMENT NEAR,”

I showed Johnston.

“It’s all part of the plan,” Johnston replied. “Continue with the procedure.”

“John, this can’t be right,” I said. “We have to shut it down.”

“You will do as you are told, now get back to your station,” Said Johnston.

I walked back to the station. I couldn’t do it. Something was wrong.

I started imputing the abort code. Before I could get through the five number code I felt a gun against the back of my head.

“Continue with the procedure,” He said.

I hit the switch.
“Launching in T-Minus 5…4…3…2…1… Launch”

Black. The whole of it. The darkest black I had ever seen. I felt suffocated in my own body. I was left here for eternity.

Just my thoughts.

NFL Draft-Doesn’t Get Much Better

backinphillyLeave a comment

Thursday (Today) is the NFL Draft. The first round opens up, and the Kansas City Chiefs go on the clock at 8 o’clock eastern time tonight. There are a lot of talented players in this draft. But, there are also a ton of questions. I’m gonna try and answer these questions to the best of my ability.

Here goes nothing.

Question 1-Who is going first overall?

I’ll be honest. I have absolutely no idea. Up until yesterday, everyone was saying the Chiefs are draft Luke Joeckel and that was that. However, now it appears that KC is looking more towards Eric Fisher. I’ve also heard that the Chiefs are thinking about trading the first pick in order to build a foundation later on in the draft. I think that last option is probably the best thing KC can do. However, KC has Andy Reid, and I know his patterns pretty well. I don’t think he’s going to trade that pick since he likes high picks, and potential trade partners won’t want to give away a slew of picks for one player in a lackluster top 10. The safe bet is saying that KC will draft Fisher. I’m a firm believer that as far as the draft is concerned, the information we had last week means nothing now that new info has emerged. The newest updates in the NFL are usually the most accurate.

Answer-Eric Fisher if the Chiefs stay put. If they move the pick, I have no clue.

Question 2-How many quarterbacks are being taken in the first round?

Another thing that I am really not sure about. I can almost promise Geno Smith will be drafted in the first round. That’s just about a consensus idea. However, a lot of analysts think maybe one or two more QBs get taken in the later picks of the first round. I have no clue who those one or two could be. Maybe Matt Barkley, maybe EJ Manuel. My bet is on Ryan Nassib. I think he has the best shot at going in the first round with Geno.

Answer-Geno is going in the first round. After that, there’s nothing for sure.

Question 3-What teams could trade their picks?

This is an interesting question. Like I said, the Chiefs could move that number 1 pick. I think the Eagles could. I think the Bills could. I think the Giants could. I’m hearing things that Dallas wants to move up (I don’t see any reason). There are a lot of possibilities. Once again, this question has no real answer.

Answer-As far as we know, nothing.

So that’s your primer for the draft. I’ll recap it all on Sunday!