I woke up with my mind racing of the dream that had woke me up. Half-asleep I forced myself out of bed into my normal morning routine which consists of 1, going to my parents room to say what’s up to my dog, 2 going into my room to shower and brush my teeth and finally 3, get dressed and leave.
However, this morning was different whether it was my cold shower being not so cold this morning, or the feeling of wearing a jacket to school for the first time this year. Today was different.
That was when I looked out my window to see water droplets had covered all the windows in my room. Then it hit me, last night was rainy. But I didn’t feel down because of the weather, not me, no this cat likes the rain. I ran outside with my wet hair and shoes untied and took a big nice American whiff of that rainy air.
I smiled ear to ear, with that rainy day smell in my body I knew today would be a great day.
This weekend I’m going to my friend’s homecoming, and I’m just really stressed out. I forgot that she had invited me two months ago, so I ordered my dress a week ago. It arrived yesterday, which is two days before, and I kind of hate it. I have so much work that I need to catch up on, and I feel like homecoming is just going to take over my weekend. I also have no idea what time the dance starts and ends, and I really don’t like not having plans. We are supposed to get ready with a group of girls before, and I have never met at least half of them, so that’s probably going to be awkward. Even though I’m nervous, I’m still excited because we are getting ready at our friend’s house, who is now in college, as her sister is having people over to get ready. My friends and I have already claimed to get prepared in our friend’s room, which is in college, because it would honestly be disrespectful if someone else who wasn’t us got ready in her room. I am manifesting that everything goes well tomorrow because I just see a lot of things that could go wrong.
Nostalgia is by far one of the worst feelings ever, at least for me. I feel like I have nostalgia even when I’m living in the moment; it haunts me. Every time I go out or do something fun, I’m flooded with it. No matter if it’s a song, moment, or memory. I basically just unlock the vibe or the feeling I had during some time in the past. I don’t really know how to explain it. I can just feel how I felt in the moment when I think back on it. Just like smelling an old perfume or candle from a special time in your past. It makes you remember and miss everything so deeply.
I miss being little; it was such a special time in life. The nostalgia from when I was younger is the thing that truly haunts me the most, out of everything. I miss Christmas, or any holiday, and the feeling I had for them when I was younger. It’s so different now, and I’m changing so fast. I didn’t even realize that all those special times I had were gone. And I will never get to experience them again.
Junior year is famed with being the hardest year of high school. Since I finished my junior year I’ve been ecstatic to go back to something easier with my senior year. I was lied to.
Difficult schoolwork and intense memorization. Sports until the sun sets and games until my eyes droop. Senior Capstone and overwhelming deadlines. College essays and applications galore that I can’t keep track of. I’ve never been so overwhelmed before in my life.
At the end of my junior year I was giving up and not putting in good effort whatsoever. I assumed that the summer would regenerate my motivation like it had every other year, but no. I feel the exact same as I did last May. I go through the motions but don’t truly memorize work. I participate in sports at the expense of my energy and time spent on schoolwork. I procrastinate the Capstone because I keep telling myself I have five months to work. I write my college essays and fill out my applications. Is it good enough? Will all of my hard work finally pay off?
I don’t know how my senior year will play out yet but I do know it will be difficult. I hope to get back into the groove and stay consistent. I also hope that people will stop lying about junior year being the hardest because senior year surpasses it drastically.
Over the summer, my sister turned 15, and since we are Mexican, she had a quinceañera! Her party wasn’t very traditional; it was in someone’s backyard, and it was planned a week before. Her dress was beautiful, but it wasn’t the traditional ball gown. It was sparkly and blue with many flowers. Although it wasn’t your typical quinceañera, it was still a long night full of fun!
This party was the last Mexican party I have been to. Mexican parties are very different from American parties. Every party I go to, the music is so loud I can hear it in my bones, and my heart beat is replaced by the tempo of the music. The dance floor is never empty; you can always count on someone’s drunk uncle or aunt to bust a move. Not to mention the food is always delectable. At my sister’s quinceañera, we had birria tacos, rice, beans, and tons of snacks. Birria is a stew with meat that is slow-cooked for multiple hours on end. The longer it is cooked, the better it is.
Parties are a group venture; they help bring the community together, especially quinces. We had about 10 people offer to buy stuff for the party, from the cake, to the table decorations, to even a mechanical bull. It was so much fun! I miss going to Mexican parties.
Within recent years, artificial intelligence capabilities have increased dramatically. It seems as though, through our efforts to improve and optimize every aspect of our lives with AI advancements, humanity is diminishing its ability to act for itself. Resultingly, artificial intelligence poses a risk to a variety of jobs, typically ones that are repetitive or data-intensive, such as data entry, analysis, and calculation-based jobs. While computer systems may be more “accurate” and “efficient” in performing these tasks, it contributes to the perception that humans are becoming obsolete, with the people in these jobs no longer having any use for the time and passion they poured into developing their skills.
By far, the most egregious modern implementation of artificial intelligence is with generative AI in creative fields. The primary reason why we as humans create art is our instinctive desire to express. All art forms, whether it be writing, drawings, or film, are products of the human imagination, fueled by the soul to encapsulate an individual’s vision in a tangible piece of media. While AI is once again more “efficient” in terms of time and labor, it lacks the passion and expression that drives humanity to create art in the first place.
The weather often has a profound impact on one’s mood. Sunny days feel uplifting, while a cold and gloomy mood feels lazy and exhausting. Temperature shifts change the feeling of a day. The feeling of driving to school on a crisp, cloudy day feels nostalgic and calm. But driving to school in blistering heat feels draining. I haven’t decided my favorite season because I feel like they all have different memories and feelings attached to them. Summer is sweet and warm. Anytime I hear waves crashing against the beach or fireworks, I’m brought back to summers in the past. Fall feels like a fresh start, the school year is still new, and the weather starts to change. The taste of pumpkin and a feeling of nostalgia from summer in the air. Christmas is the best of all. The feeling that comes with Christmas time is unexplainable. Being a child and opening gifts on Christmas morning in pajamas. I would do anything to feel Christmas again as a child.
I had just gotten home from football practice and ran to my room to grab my clothes and jump in the shower. I cleaned myself in the hot water then got out to shave my face. I was in a rush and accidentally nicked myself. Despite the blood I felt fresh in my dapper outfit, and headed out the door towards The Oak at the Ojai Valley Inn.
When my Father, my Mother and I arrived we were greeted by my grandmother and her cousin, they’re in town for the week. My Grandma hugged me and handed me an envelope, it’s a card for my birthday which is on Wednesday so that was very nice of her.
Right after we went to our table and were assisted by Danny who gave us ice waters and some warm bread and butter, which was amazing. Shortly after Tyler, our server came and I requested a Diet Coke which was brought to me. All 5 of us examined the menu and the growls in my stomach only got louder. Tyler came back and oh boy we were ready. Small but pricey was the restaurant, I ordered the Scallops, Bistro Steak, and a charred and cheesy side of Brussel Sprouts.
After I ordered we waited and waited for our food and all of had great conversation. From my school, to camping , to my parents at work almost everything was covered in that 20 minute wait for our meals. But I believe it was all worth it.
The food came and in an instant I absolutely slammed my meal, everything was so delicious I just put my head down and went to work. After I absolutely housed my food and Danny came back to clean the table Tyler brought out the check and a surprise dessert for my birthday.
The small Mason Jar was aglow on the outside patio complimented with a single spoon and a tiny chocolate with the words “happy birthday” spelt out in gold. The tiny yet deliciousness of that chocolate lavender concoction just put a smile on my face. The simplicity of the desert and presentation made it all worth it and man oh man I loved that thing.
That was my Monday Munchies and I hope you aren’t hungry reading this, because I was one happy little boy.
This year has been really sad for me because my person went to a different school. I still talk to her everyday and see her on weekends and even two times this school week, but I feel like I’m missing my other half. I remember my first day of school with her freshman year, looking around at my classmates confused. The second I laid my eyes on her I knew that we would click instantly. She walked up to me and instead of saying a kind greeting like “nice to meet you” she said “you look like the only normal person here.” That really summarizes her character. As we walked together she told me that she was going to wear the exact outfit I wore that day and I felt like that was an even bigger sign that we were so similar. Ever since that day, my relationship with her grew into something more powerful than a friendship, but a sisterhood. I feel like we can be really confusing and misread by most people, but I really don’t care because we understand each other. We don’t need to waste time explaining why we feel or acted in a certain way because we just get it. Sometimes I feel like we are telepathic. I have never had to think before saying something to her because we are both very direct with each other. Not all friendships are able to have this and some people would argue that we are bad influences on each other, but no one has made me grow more than she has because of her honesty. We don’t spend time with each other just to do interesting things or talk; her presence even in silence scrolling on our phones, brings me a sense of security and happiness that nothing else can compare to. I feel weird being here without her by my side. This past week I have caught myself dosing off the entire day just thinking about how much better life would be if she was here with me. I know that no one can replace her, so I will just finish the year with only a half of me.
When I did my writings, I got the sense my English classes only laid half the groundwork for presenting myself in the best light. Yeah, I got the sense of which rhetorical devices best clicked in some analytical essay, but analysis only occasionally begets charm in real life. I had to trim sentences for applications when I was rewarded for padding them out before. I had to justify myself rather than a distant theorem. Heck, until last year, I barely knew the importance of how applications use essays, so the persuasive quality of my writing was rather touch and go for me.
I’m guessing I probably get my head around the assignment around December, which is fortunate because it took me until after application season for me to find an unintentionally stellar college supplemental in the wild:
This is only an 90 econd speech but you can easily hear the conviction Chappell has about her past, and how it connects to a broader issue and community. And if it spoke to me, someone who otherwise has little to do with the music industry, then maybe we hit the formula for effectively marketing oneself. At least anecdotally, I can definitely see that when my supplementals paralleled this speech’s strengths, my application was far more likely to get past the post compared to when I felt aprehensive about my efforts just before hitting submit.
So in short, to be like Chappell:
Be honest and vulnerable – that way you’re relateable and readers/interviewees know you’re genuine
OVS Journalism Blog 
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