Affirmations of Life

My Great Day

     Today I had a great day. I woke up with a full 10 hours of sleep under my belt, which hasn't happened in a while. Then I came into school first hour and Megan and I did the egg drop in Physics. We successfully got on our second wall of the year! We tied for second place on the egg drop, under Hannah Williams and tied to Andrew Wieting and Jimmy Clark. That made my day to start out with. I went through the rest of my day, and collected zero homework. Then Megan, Julie, and I made the band senior night posters and were very productive. I then went to my basketball game against Christian Life and we killed, not to mention I scored 4 points! (Never happens). I then came home and had a brownie and chocolate syrup ice cream thing. It was great. Now I figured I would write this blog about my great day. Really great day. 

Having Your Say

Healthiness 

Something that I feel very strongly about is being healthy. I do not understand when people are unhealthy,  overweight and out of shape. When I sit around for more than 1 day, I feel gross and disgusting and quite honestly like a slob.  Now don't get me wrong, I understand when someone has a condition or medical reason why they cannot exercise, but if there is no reason why you can't then why not? There have been so many studies that show when you take care of yourself by doing things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising, you tend to do better in athletics, academics, and really anything that you enjoy doing. You can get more out of life because you are able to focus on what you are doing. Now, I'm not saying that you can't eat sugar or don't deserve a day of doing nothing, but these need to be in moderation. I have a huge sweet tooth, and have the hardest time keeping myself under control, but somehow I do it. In order to keep myself healthy, I will eat a really healthy dinner, packed full of fruits, vitamins, protein, and then allow myself one cookie. Or after a day where I do an extremely long or intense workout, then I'll make myself an ice cream sundae. People have to learn to do everything in moderation and for exercising, to learn to stick with it.    That is another thing it helps, your self-control, self-discipline, and initiative. People have to be willing to start, and be able to get themselves to start. If you  have to hire a dietitian, or a trainer because you couldn't possibly go for a run on your  own, so be it. Just get out there. There is no excuse. And because I could talk about t this until this page runs out, which is probably never, I am going to state one last peeve of mine and be done with it. I absolutely hate it when parents give their children no choice but to become unhealthy. They themselves don't exercise. They don't cook healthy meals. They take their family out to fast food every night. They buy a bunch of snack unhealthy food to leave lying around the house. They don't encourage going outside or outdoor activities. THEY ARE DOOMING THEIR CHILDREN. This upsets me because this kid hasn't know anything else and most of the time doesn't even know the first thing about living healthy and may never find out. That is something that irks me. And just as a disclaimer, notice in this post I say healthy, not skinny, healthy. It doesn't matter to me if someone is big-boned or that is just their body type to be sturdier. As long as they are HEALTHY! Seriously people, and trust me when I say this, your whole life improves when you are healthy and fit.

Expressions in Art

Education of African American Young People 

This photo is strongly emotional. It is centered on young African Americans receiving an equal education. The Delaney  sisters valued getting an education more than anything else in life, besides maybe family. One of the said that education is the only way that they can better themselves (speaking for African Americans at the time). The Delaney sisters did just that. They went to school all the way through college despite what people might say about them, or do to them during it. This picture says the same thing. Ruby Bridges went to school in a white school in order to get the same education that every other white child was getting because it was a way to better herself. She went to that school despite the fact that adults lined the streets yelling at her, holding signs, and throwing things at her. She looked past all that and realized that this would better her and her race overall and that she had to do it. What they believed in is true, the only way that you can change things is by first receiving the education to do just that.

Connections from Whitman

Whitman's Ideas on Childhood

    In this poem, Whitman shows a lot about how he thinks children are formed into adults. All throughout their childhoods, kids are experiencing different things. Whether it is the nature around them, or the people they see, the children absorb it and it will always be a memory for them. All of those memories and experiences they have, help them to make decisions on how they think about certain things or their viewpoint on other things. They are also affected a lot by their parents in particular. How the parents talk, or treat others is shown to kids and they absorb and as well. Thinking, if they had good parents, to be respectful of people, etc. or, if they had bad parents, that they can treat other people badly. When the child grows up, everything that they saw had a lasting impression on them, and it will shape their character as an adult.

Emily Dickinson's Garden of Poetry

The Purple Clover

There is a flower that bees prefer,

And butterflies desire;

To gain the purple democrat

The humming-birds aspire.

And whatsoever insect pass,

A honey bears away

Proportioned to his several dearth

And her capacity.

Her face is rounder than the moon,

And ruddier than the gown

Of orchis in the pasture,

Or rhododendron worn.

She doth not wait for June;

Before the world is green

Her sturdy little countenance

Against the wind is seen,

Contending with the grass,

Near kinsman to herself,

For privilege of sod and sun,

Sweet litigants for life.

And when the hills are full,

And newer fashions blow,

Doth not retract a single spice

For pang of jealousy.

Her public is the noon,

Her providence the sun,

Her progress by the bee proclaimed

In sovereign, swerveless tune.

The bravest of the host,

Surrendering the last,

Nor even of defeat aware

When cancelled by the frost.

      This poem is literally talking about the The Purple clover. The clover is used as a main source of nectar  for bees and grows among the grass. It is not defeated easily and when it is cut or moved over, it will continually spring back up, much like a dandelion.  In a symbolic way, this poem could be talking about a women, since she refers to the flower as a she. The clover could represent her beauty and then many men find her attractive. She is also very confident in how she looks and will not be put down when other girls come around, trying to out do her. Eventually, as the frost comes, the women will loose her beauty, perhaps because she got old, or maybe it was something more sudden like a scar or a burn. 

Team Edgar or Team Nathaniel?

TEAM EDGAR

     I am on Team Edgar Poe for sure. I have read Poe for multiple years, in different English classes, so this may impact my decision to choose Poe because I may have not read enough Hawthorne works to truly appreciate him. On the other hand, the works that I have read, were not my style. They had too much symbolism and deeper meaning for me. Along with too much symbolism, there was too much description for my liking. I am a reader who likes when things are happening in books, and tends to skip over parts of large description in books that have no effect on the plot. Poe is an author who still did some symbolism, but not as much or maybe it was just easier to understand his symbols. I also enjoy his story more because they are creepier and more different. It is not some thing you see everyday. Poe is just easier to understand and has a scarier form of writing.

Last Blog for the Semester- Asthma

Asthma

     I did my research paper on asthma. I learned many things about the disease that I had not realized before. 

     Along with many people, I did not know that asthmatics do not ever grow out of asthma. Though their symptoms can become less intense with medication, they never truly outgrow it. They will have the disease for the rest of their lives. Its scary to think that at a time when your asthma is at bay, and you think it is for the most part not going to affect you anymore, an attack could happen. I have more respect now for those with the disease and know that I am blessed to not have acquired it. 

    Another fact about asthmatics that I did not know before was all of the things they have to deal with when treating asthma. They have two kinds of inhalers and many other medications that they need to worry about. They also may not be able to have pets for fear that the dander may make the asthma worse. All of the time they have to worry about triggers setting off symptoms or an attack. They go through more than most people realize.