Quarters!

r3t5nomLeave a comment

To the average human a quarter is just another way of saying 25 cents, or is seen as just another coin in the pocket. In the boarding school life that is definitely not the case.

This is what a quarter looks like to the those in boarding school
At a boarding school a quarter has a higher value, a quarter is considered to be gold. Not the kind of gold that is worth hundreds of dollars, but more along the lines of it being the main currency for both the laundry rooms washer and dryer, as well as the soda machine. Both of which are to many seen as necessities.

On a nightly basis you can hear as the students seeking quarters rummage through hallways stopping room by room in search for those 25-cent coins. And the cries of happiness and satisfaction when they find a fellow student willing trade a dollar for quarters.


It’s funny to me how such a small thing could be such a bigger part of ones life when they have to do their own laundry and better yet pay for it. If there is anything I have learned from being at a boarding school it is that when I go off to college, quarters are going to be a dear friend.

what do you think?

Nikon 1 J1

r3t5nomLeave a comment

This weekend I was at Target and I was looking through the electronics section at all the different video games, game consoles, and eventually I crossed paths with my favorite electronic…CAMERAS!

I was looking at all the different point and shoot cameras and well they all looked pretty much the same, all but one. The Nikon 1 J1. This is the revolution of point and shoot cameras because it gives the person using it the option to interchange the lenses as if it was a DSLR which is a big camera except less than half the size.

The Nikon 1 J1 has the capability to take 10 megapixel pictures, which for a normal point and shoot camera wouldn’t be seen as a lot of mega pixels but when you have lenses to attach, those lenses increase the quality. And it can also take 1080p video, making it a great high quality camera to shoot those home videos or fun days at the beach with.

This camera was developed to give people an alternative to a big DSLR camera (which is what I have) this makes it so that one can feel like a professional photographer but not have to pay what a professional had to pay for his/her monster camera.

(this is my camera)

Time To Get Fit!

r3t5nom1 Comment

It’s that time of the year, that time when I push my body to the point of exhaustion in the gym on a daily basis in order to achieve a nice fit look for summer. Time to hit the weights and jump that rope, eat less junk and run like a mad man.

I had the pleasure of being trained by one of the most incredible people and amazing personal trainers I have ever met this last summer.


Yes that is him, he has modeled for various companies and contrary to what most people believe he has never done any steroids or any kind of enhancing to get his body to where it is today. His name is Modu Seye, he was born in West Africa and his way of being and view on life and health is what keeps ME Moduvated.

He started his own company called Moduvated (clever right?! haha) a couple years ago and has gone as far as creating his own protein called Moduvated Greentine!

Aside from being an amazing personal trainer, Modu is also one of the most thoughtful human beings in this world.

So I’m writing this blog to say thank you to him and encourage everyone else out there in reading my blog to get out and work out every day for a little bit and care about themselves and their health.

Issues.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Everyone has issues, whether it be with their family, friends, co workers, employees or even teachers. Issues with people and things are  common as people become fired up by different situations.

Gossip, drama, lies etc. are all just things that entice people to get caught up in the play of every day soap operas. Just like when watching soap operas it’s good to observe drama and plays between people sometimes and discuss the plots, but you must never get too involved in the drama. When the storyline becomes your life that is when tangled webs tie you down and don’t let you go without some sort of punishment.

Recently I have been observing lots of drama in my community. I must admit sometimes it’s entertaining but after a while it gets boring. The same old charades occur and the same old people will be the villains of the crimes.

Some things will never change and a lot of drama involves around secrets and lies. One common theme occurs don’t lie unless you expect to be found out, because in the end it always happens. So don’t become star in your own soap opera.

secret

The Vow

rangerthecatLeave a comment

This Saturday, I went off campus with some friends to go shopping, have dinner, and see the new movie The Vow.
I have been SO excited for this movie ever since I saw the first trailer in theaters.
First of all, the actors in it are some of my favorite. Channing Tatum is a god, and I have loved Rachel McAdams ever since the Notebook. The story also sounded so extremely cute, and I expected it to be the cutest new love story that everyone was talking about.

But to be honest, I was not impressed. I could be because I built it up so much in my head that my expectations were much too high. I was actually a little upset, especially at the end. The ending truly ruined it. I was hoping for a total cliché and cheesy romantic ending. Even if it would have been a predictable one, I wanted a real love story, and it ends leaving you wondering, and not in one of those good ways.

The story had so much potential, and I really don’t think that the movie makers took full advantage of what they had to work with. Maybe they didn’t want just another predictable, perfect Hollywood romance.

It was not terrible by any means, but it wasn’t great. I’m a bit disappointed.

Lacrosse

venturatrekerLeave a comment

Tomorrow we start a new sports season, Lacrosse.  This year the OVS lacrosse team actually has more players than the Baseball team!

Lacrosse I think is a misunderstood sport.  This I believe has to do with the fact of the  “Lax Bros.”  These bros are basically married to the sport.  They can be recognized by their flowing hair, posh polo shirts and that they carry their lacrosse sticks around with them all the time.

But that is not OVS, at least not this year anyway.  We have a full crop of fresh players coming in and a few returning.  Although we lack the experience I think we will succeed none the less with our desire to learn and play the game.

Starting tomorrow the era of the “Lax Spud” begins.

Giants Superbowl Again…

r3t5nom1 Comment

The harsh reality that the New York Giants took the 2012 Super Bowl win away from the New England Patriots was a tough one to cope with.

I am not a big Patriots fan but man do I dislike the Giants. That is a team that I’ve never liked. It might be the fact that Eli Manning is on it, or maybe that they have won enough super bowls and it’s just boring to see them there again.

I was especially disappointed in the fact that Eli Manning was given the MVP award. In my opinion that award should have gone to Giants player #82 Mario Manningham. He made an amazing catch that I believe changed the game for them to take it home.

Averaging 14.6 yards per reception for a total of 73 yards, played a key role in the Giant’s offense in the final minutes of the Super Bowl. His most notable catch of the night was the 38 yard sideline catch that moved the Giants offense from deep within their own territory into the midfield. Manning was under heavy pressure at the Giants’ own 5 yard line and threw a pass of desperation to Manningham, who was put under heavy two-man pressure. Statistically speaking, this play should be impossible but Manningham was able to get catch the ball and quickly plant both feet in the ground before being knocked out of bounds by the two corners that were at his heels the entire time.

What do you think?

The Valiance of Girls soccer

venturatreker1 Comment


Today at OVS the girls soccer team had a game against Oak Grove.  First off I must say it was one of the most hard-fought games of all time.

The girls stepped onto the field with only 9 players; 10 is the minimum number to play. Another student who was just there to watch stepped up and decided to play. That was the first valiant move made of the day.

So with no subs and only 10 players the girls went out full force.  One of the opposing players was extremely vicious  and was fouling our players left and right, and even after she yelled and pushed one of the girls, the OVS players still fought on!

By the time the second half started the OVS spuds were exhausted, yet still they persisted and gave them hell.

All in all I feel that if the boys; team had the same heart as the girls, we would probably have gone to finals

Camping

thehungryrunnergirlLeave a comment

I got back from the Ojai Valley School Outdoor Education trip (6 day camping) this past Friday. It was an interesting experience. I hiked up to Machu Pichu once, but the porters carried all my stuff so I hadn’t backpacked before.

We washed dishes with dirt, went to the bathroom in the wild, didn’t shower for 6 days…

But other than that, it was a fun trip. On the first day, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Since I was walking with the marine science teacher, she answered every question I had, which made it more fun and interesting!

On the second day, we backpacked about six and a half miles with a 25- pound backpack on my back and the camping began. I had bruises on my shoulders and my back but I felt accomplished after it all.

We played card games, hiked a lot, and saw many amazing vistas, it was so inspirational.

This is the OVS outdoor education website. Camping pictures will be up soon so check them out ☺

http://ovsoutdooreducationupper.wordpress.com/

Santorum?

therightliberalLeave a comment

Despite the CPAC victory for Romney, there is a challenger in Rick Santorum.

Santorum recently won three state’s GOP caucus/primaries, a big surprise for the front-runner, Mitt Romney.

Things just seem to get stranger and stranger.

Now I don’t think that Romney will lose the nomination to Santorum but I think the trend shows the real weakness in the GOP. They have become so divided that they are running into the problem that they cannot agree on the ideals they want to see from their candidates.

Romney has been having to defend his “conservativeness” to the GOP party because heaven forbid there is a moderate candidate.

I may be naive, but it seems to me like that GOP is changing very quickly and I believe it has to do with the increase in (relatively) young republicans like Sarah Palin and Santorum.   They have polarized the party between the radicals and moderates.

Similar things are bound to happen for the democrats before too long, but for now, the GOP is being put at a major disadvantage. Within a short amount of time, we could have a major change of the two-party system, potentially having more than two parties.

Change happens in politics but this seems to be happening faster than usual. We are seeing a lot of change in our country right now and this is just part of it. From changes in the economy and social standings to changes in politics, we are going to have to deal with change quickly.