A Pattern

bartholomulethegreatLeave a comment

The reason that we as a class in journalism write these blogs weekly is that some of us enjoy writing about stuff and sharing our opinions but it is also a required project for the class. The blogs are all graded by a rather strongly opinioned small person who very much so has a specific type of blog that they enjoy reading and that they grade highly. For example, if you the reader were to guess what kind of blog that I have written has done the best I’d be willing to bet that you’d probably be wrong in your assumption. Out of all my blogs, there are six about video games, ten about me and my life, and three about music or tv shows. Out of all these blogs on average I tend to receive lower grades on ones about video games and sports, I don’t know if this is because of the fact that I can be a mediocre writer at times or just a consistent thought process from the grader. Also, I don’t know if it’s just because it’s me or something but all my blogs about my various injuries such as breaking my arm or the stitches that I have gotten in the past. But I tend to score higher on injury stories and blogs about music. And it might make sense to lean into that but I ran out of injuries to write about at this point in time. And yes I could write about music but I don’t really have any new music I’m listening to right now it’s just some old stuff. Personally, I feel like it would be interesting to see how the journalism members’ grades would change if the grading of blogs was put in the hands of someone else. Would it be a positive impact or a negative one, there are a couple of students that I think would make my grade go up because of their common interest in video games and anime. But on the other hand, I feel like certain students might grade me poorly just as a general dislike towards my writing topics and or me as a person. I don’t think that I would be a good grader because of the fact that I am not the greatest person at noticing errors in writing.

Image Credit: Readers Digest

Plans For The Future

bartholomulethegreatLeave a comment

So far in my life, I have had many experiences that have shaped me into the person I am now. I have traveled all over places including Canada, Germany, and Mexico and all of these places have shown me different cultures and people. I have had the privilege to learn to snowboard and I have been riding dirt bikes for over ten years now. Even with all this under my belt, all I can wonder about is what is to come for my future. Such as where am I going to go to college and what will I learn to love, for example, I really want to major in some sort of computer-related degree such as computer science or computer engineering. But I also want to do outdoor activities such as snowboarding and dirt-biking. So I will have to find places in which I can do both, the convenient thing about the career path that I would like to have is that it allows me to work in almost any place and almost any category of work. For example, if I wanted to live in the mountains in a place where I could snowboard in the summer and dirt bike in the summer I could and I would be able to do that while also being able to do my work from home or work on the mountain in some way. All I know now is what I can do to help myself go towards that goal, I can learn to code better and I can apply to colleges that may lead to what I want to have in life but all I know now is that the future is a really interesting and scary thing that I have very little control over and I cant wait to see.

Image Credit: Vivente Australia

Using Spanish

navraj22Leave a comment

I have taken Spanish casually for 9 years now and at no point have I thought I have been good at it. I never really paid attention until high school, but completing workbook pages in Spanish was my least favorite homework. The work I was assigned was habitually tedious and boring. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoy listening to music in Spanish and speaking Spanish with people who speak the language.

Last year, I hated Spanish 3 Honors. I hated learning tenses and rules, what even is the reflexive? This year I am in AP Spanish, which is more conversation and application-based, which is the first Spanish class I have really enjoyed. My speaking ability has improved immensely, and I have a good grades without feeling like I am slaving over the work. This has given me confidence in speaking that I never really had before.

I have also started speaking mostly Spanish to the new girl in my grade from Spain. I have talked to her friends who only speak Spanish for hours on the phone and have gotten only good reviews.

I am very proud of how far I have come in speaking Spanish and feel like I can have a decently fluent conversation with just anyone.

PC: Pintrest

4 Square Diaries

navraj22Leave a comment

Some say soccer is a beautiful game, but I beg to differ. For me, it’s four square.

This quarter, four square has taken our high school by storm. Yeah, you read that right, four square and high school in the same sentence. It is mainly played by the freshman, who isn’t the most mature bunch (ask anyone), but a small contingency of senior boys, myself included, also are driven to play. It’s probably because, like the freshman, we are not the most mature bunch.

We have created all types of rule sets: feet only, west coast no feet, and many more. Most of which came from one of the most magnificent minds of all time, (can’t say the name but it’s pretty great).

Each player uses their own rule set when they are king. The power of tailoring the rules to your strengths is intoxicating and keeps the players coming back. This forms them for square identity, with the only other factor being how much they argue and whine.

There is so much whining and arguing that goes on, it is plain to see how much these people care, even though most act like they don’t. When two players disagree on a call, it becomes a screaming match, with the mob of players itching to get back to the king square serving as a jury. If the jury grants it, a 1 v 1 starts, in which two players face off. The winner is usually the person who throws it at the other person’s shins first.

On April 1st, Mr. Floyd pranked the players, sending freshmen into what I can only explain as identity crises.

“This isn’t FAIR!” whined nearly all of them.

That dark day demonstrated how reliant these students are on four square. They truly care about a children’s game, as if it is the NBA. I have been punched, insulted, and jeered over it, and I am fine with it, it’s in the game.

PC: Playworks

I Really Like Sunflowers

treefroggyLeave a comment

Sunflowers are great. They’re pretty, when you plant one you suddenly have 20 popping up in your yard, the seeds are edible, they’re easy to maintain, they’re not toxic to most animals, they symbolize loyalty, and every song with “sunflower” in the title is a bop. I really like them. Sunflowers are my special thing with my best friend, too. If I could just have one plant in my yard, I would choose sunflowers. I don’t really like yellow things, but I love sunflowers. I really want one of those teddy bears that have sunflower print on them. I’d name her Susan after Susan Storm. If anybody wants to get Susan for me, I’d be very grateful.

https://www.milwaukeemag.com/7-sunflower-fields-to-check-out-this-season/
https://www.buildabear.com/online-exclusive-build-a-bear-x-van-gogh-museum-sunflowers-bear-bow-bundle/329739_29738.html

Sports I Don’t Like To Watch

treefroggyLeave a comment

I don’t mean this post to be controversial, but it probably will be. Oh well.

Baseball

I’m so sorry to every baseball fan. I despise watching baseball. It goes on for so long, and it’s honestly not entertaining to me. Even when I watch my own school playing, I get bored and distracted like 10 minutes in. It’s just not my thing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/sports/baseball/Dodgers-halfway-season.html

Football (American)

Same complaint as baseball that it goes on forever. Literally, there will be ten minutes left in a quarter and the game will go on for forty. It just feels so anticlimactic too. Like, everybody cheers when someone’s running, then they get tackled and have to start all over again. Plus, the fanbase can be a little insane sometimes, but that can be said about almost every sport.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/sports/football/nfl-covid-ravens-steelers.html

Track Meets

This one is mostly just a noise complaint. I’m super sensitive to loud noises, so I hate that they fire a blank to signify the start of the race. Like, they couldn’t just blow a horn or something? Do they think they’re so cool that they need to shoot a gun? Hate it.

https://gomatadors.com/news/2018/4/18/mens-track-and-field-csun-travels-to-long-beach-for-2-track-meets.aspx?mobile=skip

Water Polo

This explanation is going to sound so stupid. I’m acknowledging it in advance. Since it’s in a pool, water polo is almost always played in the sun. I HATE sitting in the sun. You have to sit on hot bleachers with the sun on you while praying that somebody splashes you and cools you down. Not my thing. I think I’d enjoy it more if I actually knew the rules, which I probably should know since my cousin is an Olympic water polo player. Let’s pray he never finds this blog post.

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/07/02/usa-mens-water-polo-olympic-team-tokyo/

Horse Racing

I love watching any other style of riding. Horse racing just is the worst. It’s basically a sport invented for gambling and materialism. Watching horses run as fast as they can isn’t even enjoyable. Especially when you know the way they treat the horses behind the scenes. And if you argue that not all racing stables abuse the horses, they still start the horses when they’re way too young to have riders on them and before they’ve even stopped growing or fully developed their bones. It’s literally just the money that people like about it.

https://www.britannica.com/sports/horse-racing

Men’s Gymnastics

Sure, it’s cool-looking. There just aren’t enough events and not enough variety in the routines to make it interesting to watch for longer than an hour. Let’s let the men compete in cooler events and have nicer routines so that watching them is actually enjoyable.

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/July/26/In-FifthPlace-Finish-The-US-Mens-Gymnastics-Team-Finds-Satisfaction-Hope

I hope you enjoyed 400 words of me complaining about watching sports that nobody forces me to watch. See you later.

My Top Five Fall Out Boy Albums

treefroggyLeave a comment

Fall Out Boy is one of my all-time favorite artists. I had a huge pop-punk phase that’s not completely over, and they were my top artist for a few years. Here are my favorite five albums, and as a bonus, my favorite songs from each one.

5. Infinity On High

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-High-Fall-Out-Boy/dp/B000LC4ZIK

This album is a classic, and it would probably be higher up if I had listened to it before I listened to some of Fall Out Boy’s other stuff. My favorite song from Infinity On High is “The Take Over, The Breaks Over.”

4. American Beauty/American Psycho

https://www.mtv.com/news/2055608/facepaint-fall-out-boy-cover-model/

This one’s probably the most popular Fall Out Boy album, just since so many of the songs ended up on the radio. It was the first album I listened to, and it got me into Fall Out Boy. The songs all kind of have the same feel about them, which I like. I really can’t choose between Favorite Record and The Kids Aren’t Alright, so I’m gonna say they’re tied for my favorite song.

3. MANIA

https://www.muziker.com/fall-out-boy-mania-vinyl-lp

MANIA is incredible. It would probably be in my top two if I didn’t love the next two albums so much. It’s a bit more modern, but still, distinctly Fall Out Boy, and Patrick Stump really shows off his vocal range in this album. My favorite song is Bishop’s Knife Trick, but Church is a very close second.

2. Save Rock And Roll

https://www.amazon.in/Save-Rock-Roll-Fall-Out/dp/B00BAVCD8A

Not exactly old enough to be a classic, but that’s the best word I can come up with to describe the feel of it. Fall Out Boy sings with icons like Courtney Love and Elton John on this album, and all the songs have amazing drum lines. My favorite song from here is Miss Missing You.

1. Folie à Deux

https://www.amazon.in/Folie-Deux-Colored-Vinyl-2LP/dp/B001HRJG2S

If you haven’t heard this album, you need to. It’s literally their best album. The lyrics are good, the song titles are cool, and the music is addicting. Patrick Stump has an insane voice that he shows off in every song. Plus, the album cover is cute. All the songs are super good, but my favorite is She’s My Winona. For real though, listen to this album.

So yeah, those are my favorite Fall Out Boy albums and songs from them. Definitely go listen to these albums, especially the top three. They’re amazing.

House Plants That I’ve Accidentally Killed

treefroggyLeave a comment

So I’m bad with plants. I feel like it’s not that surprising of detail to know once you know me since I’m not exactly good with responsibility, but I’m impressively bad with plants. Here are some house plant species that I’ve tried to keep and ended up killing somehow.

https://www.almanac.com/plant/aloe-vera

Aloe Vera

Starting off strong with the plant that house plant connoisseurs like to claim as the “unkillable plant.” I managed to kill two of these guys somehow. I’m really not sure what happened. I think they just wanted more sun or more affection or something. I felt really bad when they died since I was trying to rescue them because one of them was browning. Instead, I murdered them.

https://www.sfgate.com/shopping/article/best-air-purifying-plants-16288121.php

Ivy

I really thought I’d be able to take care of this guy. They’re supposed to have indirect light, which is exactly how my room is set up, but my plant ended up in the kitchen somehow. I did my best to keep it nicely watered, and I really don’t know what happened. Probably that’s why I keep killing plants– I have no idea what to do with them. Anyways, flies started to hang out around it, and a week or two later it was fully brown. I was really sad.

https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/g29132632/indoor-blooming-plants/

Kalanchoe

This guy was almost a lost cause from the start. It came home with me from Lowe’s in perfect condition and decided it hated me and my family and died like a week later. I really have no idea what happened.

http://www.home-designing.com/best-low-light-indoor-house-plants-for-sale

Lemon Button Fern

I gotta be honest, I killed this plant so long ago that I don’t even know if it was this species. It kinda looked like this one, though, so let’s pretend it was this one. I rescued it from my aunt throwing it away while cleaning out her room, and it actually lived for pretty long before deciding that it didn’t like my house anymore. My aunt got her to wish of throwing it away eventually.

And now, to change things up, a plant I have so far kept living

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_sanderiana

Bamboo

I have a little bamboo plant that’s been living with me for a few months now. It stays in my room, and it lives in a little dinosaur pot. It’s very cute. I’m hoping this guy will stay with me until at least college.

So, I’m not good with plants. But there might be a bright future for my little bamboo plant and me. We’re just gonna have to see what happens.

My 5 Favorite Fidget Toys

treefroggyLeave a comment

Fidget toys can be really hit-or-miss. For me especially, since my tactile sensory issues can quickly make something that once seemed fun into my personal sensory hell. Here are the ones I’ve found that have worked for me.

https://bitzngiggles.com/water-bead-stress-ball/

These squishy ball things

I really like these stress balls that have Orbeez-like things in them. They’re not too difficult to squeeze, so they aren’t great for coping with anger since you might break it, but the little balls inside are really satisfying to feel and squish. Great for distracting yourself during tough conversations or to absentmindedly hold while doing work.

https://www.fivebelow.com/categories/toys-and-games

These guys

I call them my worms. I like to whip them around. They’re squishy and all have different textures, which is nice for variety. Having them inspired a friend to get their own. 10/10 recommend.

https://www.faire.com/discover/donut-toy

Pop-it donut

You literally don’t understand how satisfying these things are. The noise they make is indescribable. It stimulates some part of my brain that I didn’t even know existed. I want one of these so bad.

https://kineticsand.com/products/beach-sand-kingdom-playset-6044142

Kinetic sand

Kinetic sand – especially this color and texture – is amazing. It kind of sticks together with glue-like strands separating it, and I love it so much. I like letting it stretch out than grabbing the glue strands. It’s super nice to feel and play with.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/product-recommendations/best-loom-bands-kits-1202693623/

Rainbow Loom

I’ve totally gotten back into rainbow loom bracelet making in the past two weeks. I’ve made over 10 bracelets so far. It’s not exactly a traditional fidget, but it really works for me. I’ve used it as a coping skill for breakdowns, too, and it works pretty well, especially if you make it on your fingers instead of a loom. Plus, you have something tangible to keep with you when you’re done!

Anyways, those are my favorite fidgets right now. I’ve been using them almost every day to get through the difficult stuff. I definitely recommend getting fidgets if they sound interesting. Most are pretty low-budget, but they work super well. I, for one, have used them much more than their low prices suggest they should be used.

I Saw An Opossum The Other Day

treefroggyLeave a comment

There I was, a passenger in my mom’s car at night, on my way to my grandparents’ house, when I saw him.

I noticed a shape out of the corner of my eye, but I hardly thought anything of it. I’m a naturally curious person, though, so I turned my head to look at it from a better angle after a moment.

At first I thought it was a cat. However, if it were a cat, it’d be a very short one, and it had toes that were unlike any cat I’d ever seen. My next thought was that it might be a huge rat.

And then it hit me.

I quickly exclaimed to my mom, “We have to turn around! I think I just saw a possum!”

My mom whipped a three-point-turn in the middle of the road and stopped just in front of the driveway of the stranger’s house. In the illumination of the KIA’s headlights, I saw him.

It was an opossum.

Over my mom’s warnings of, “Don’t you dare get out of the car and chase him!” I whipped out my phone and started taking pictures of the beautiful little guy. A second later, he heard our engine (for opossums have bad eyesight and the lights didn’t bother him) and scurried away. And he was fast!

See, most opossums are pretty slow. They meander at their own pace through yards and forests, and when confronted, they aren’t fast enough to run away from predators like mountain lions or bears, so they have a freeze reaction and play dead.

But this little guy went running like he had been training for this moment his whole life. In the blink of an eye, his short little legs went flying and he sprinted up the driveway at the fastest trot I’ve ever seen and proceeded to climb the outdoor stairs into the person’s yard.

He was out of sight – but certainly not out of mind – in just seconds. And then my mom, my grandparents, and later my aunt had to listen to my happy cries of, “A possum!! Oh, a possum!!” for the rest of the night.

I named him Bruce Banner.

Photo Credit: me (treefroggy)

Sorry for the wonky quality– the best quality picture I got showed too much of the street around the house for me to comfortably post it. Privacy, and all that. You can still see Bruce’s beauty and his speedy legs.