Blog 24: Kelsey Halbert

My junior year is my favorite year of high school so far. My successes have been not getting any really really bad grades. All in all, my grades have been exceptional. My failures have been learning physics, since the teacher doesn't really teach and it's really easy to get distracted in that class. The lessons that I have learned is that when you look up answers online, you don't actually learn the information. In AP Calculus, literally every open response question is on the internet. It is really easy to just copy down the rubric to get participation points, but it does nothing to help prepare you for the AP test. The risks that I have taken are actually standing up for myself and learning how to say "no." This has also been a reason that I have make mistakes, because I feel like I should say no, even if I wanted to do it. This summer, I plan on working for my dad to help pay for the damage that I did on the percussion teacher's car when I backed into it (it's just a scratch...). I also plan on going to some music festivals and hanging out with my friends. For my senior year, I would like it to not be stressful. I know this will likely not happen but it wold be nice. I hope to get into the colleges that I apply to and to take work seriously and not get seniorotis too bad. I plan n reaching my goals by not getting side-tracked. Also by taking things seriously.

Assignment 22: Ethan Petraitis

If I could be any fictional character I would be ‘The Dude’ from The Big Lebowski. The dude has such an easy life, all he does is kick back, bowl with his friends, and drink white Russians. The dude had quite the adventure involving money and a man named Mr. Lebowski. The Dudes personality is great and he’s pretty funny, he’s got some very interesting friends and has some really unusual conversations. The Dudes dreams are crazy as well, so that would be a pretty enjoyable experience from his perspective. I would love to have an easy job and a laidback life but then be caught up in a crazy adventure like that (minus the whole rug thing). The dude does what he can to get by and seems to enjoy his life and the crazy adventure he gets thrown into and he handles the whole situation pretty well.

Assignment 21: Ethan Petraitis

Right now, somewhere in the world there are people standing up for what they believe in, not just posting about it on Tumblr, but actually off-their-butt, speaking their mind, and trying to make a difference in whatever way possible. There are people who don’t just start an online petition with 2,000 backers but who go out, riot, fight, and speak for change. I am not one of those people. I am one of the the millions of others who accept that ‘liking’ a facebook post is sufficient support for a cause. If a riot broke out, sure I’d join in the chaos, but I’m not going out of my way to start a movement unless that movement is to the ‘share’ button’. Somewhere there are people starving themselves in protest, burning themselves to death all for change and all American culture cares about is signing petitions about “not having broccoli on the school menu because broccoli is gross”.

Assignment 22 Caty Beth Gooding

I don’t know who I'd want to be. Probably a woman from Lord of the Rings. Arwen is pretty cool because she knows what she wants and she sticks with her wants, even though her father is pressuring her into going into safety. Eowyn is really a cool character who doesn't get enough props. She crushes on the King of men, but when he rejects her, she doesn’t push it . She rides off into battle disguised as a man and even takes Merry with her, a burden that not even the "strongest of [Theoden's] men" could carry. She fights the King of the Nazgul after he slaughters her uncle (who wasn’t the nicest person for quite some time). She even survives almost killing him and eventually lives a happy life (as far as we can tell) There is also Tauriel, who knows that Legolas is in love with her and still is friends with him. She uses his help (that she might not otherwise get from him) to save the dwarf  she loves (how scandalous) and his family. Legolas' father is very rude to her and she still has dignity, which I admire about her. Galadriel refused The One Ring and with that, the power to rule Middle Earth, because she knew what she could do with the power. I admire that she could give up that sort of power for the better of the world. Even Shelob the spider is pretty cool, I mean she hides Cirith Ungol under Sauron's eye and doesn’t get caught or killed for a very long time, and even manages to pick of little orcs to eat. That is pretty cool. Honestly being any of those characters would be pretty good. I think they have merits to them that I don't think I have, but that I want to have. They are all strong, and can defend for themselves, though in slightly different ways.

Also, sorry if I misspelled anything, it has been several years since I have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 

Assignment 23 Caty Beth Gooding

1 Luck - American Authors  My favorite line in this song is repeated several times. "I am my own man, I make my own luck." It just really speaks to me because for the longest time I have felt like I was relying on other people to help me and get me through my life. When they say I make my own luck, it just reminds me that I can do many things by myself, and that luck is more of an internal motivation.

2 Hold On - Wilson Phillips  My mother and I went to see Bridesmaids one day when I had a sinus infection freshman year, and Wilson Phillips was in that movie. The next year, I had mono and was really struggling  with getting through the year. My mom would sing hold on for one more day to me whenever I was having a particularly rough day, and that would make me at least laugh, and now it reminds me that I made it through mono, and now I can make it through lots of things.

3 Tell Me - Pulse  My brother's band wrote this song, and it really makes me remember that I am in control of myself and I can't let other people tell me how to run my life.

4 Your Grace is Enough - Matt Maher  My faith is an important factor in my life and I think Matt Maher is my favorite artist in the christian genre of music. I went to see him in concert during a convention for youth, and he told us a story about how he was struggling with something in his life and he wrote this song to help him remember that God will help you get through it. I like this song because it reminds me the same thing.

5 Demons - Imagine Dragons  This song tells me that we all have demons that we live with. While I may have suffered something that I thought was horrible, there is someone out there who has endured more than I have, and suffered the same amount. There are also going to be people who haven't endured as much as I have, but they have suffered the same amount. We all face our own battles. This motivates me because it reminds me I have already beaten my demons once, I can do it again.

Assignment 24 Caty Beth Gooding

 I think the biggest success of this year for me has been finding out why I am the way I am. For the longest time, I have been in poor health. I have never known why or even that I have not been running on empty. I used to be excited about life and school and friends and learning, and now I get excited about having the house to myself so I can sleep without getting in trouble. But it wasn’t an overnight sort of development. It crept up on me starting freshman year, starting with the sinus infections. I used to get them every other month or even every month at times. Then came sophomore year. I was still getting sinus infections, but not as many. We were very concerned about it as a family, so we went to a couple specialists. One doctor recommended surgery while another made me get a CT scan and said I was perfectly fine. We went to allergists that said I was allergic to certain trees and grasses (that don’t grow in Kentucky), and that was why I was getting sick. Eventually, we found out I had mono, and that I should not be in school. I was in the play that winter while battling mono and managed to balance both sleep and rehearsals and school until the summer when I thought I was better. I was, but then my problems started up again a couple of months after junior year began. We went to another specialist that told me to get another CT scan when I got another sinus infection. I haven't had a sinus infection since he told me that. We thought I was healed, and I wouldn’t have to worry about illness this year. But especially in the winter semester, I realized that I had stopped caring. Stopped caring about school, friends, even my future. I would have been content to lay in bed staring at the ceiling or sleeping until my life ended. We finally realized that I was not a "normal teenager" when it came to sleeping and being tired. I was fatigued, to the point where I could sleep 14 hours a day and up  and still be sleepy. I was drinking 6 cups of caffeinated tea a day just to get through. I was no longer living my life, I was just going through the motions with the vague sense that it could possibly pay off sometime in the future. Others would tell me how soon college would be and I would always wonder if I would even make it until then, because it seemed so far away to me and almost impossible to reach with how sick I always felt.

Recently, we have gone to another doctor. She recommended I do blood work for several things, including mono, and other mono-like diseases, and certain deficiencies, as well as allergies/ sensitivities. I was started on some pills to give me energy, and they helped; instead of running on 20% energy I was running on 30%. We got some of the bloodwork back, that told me I had deficiencies in iron (I was supposed to have 100 units, but I had 6), and in vitamin D (I was supposed to have 60 units, but I had 20). I started taking medicine to help with those. We also got bloodwork back saying I still had mono, or had contracted it again, and also CMV, which is basically the same as mono. I also had an immune system deficiency. I began taking medicine for my immune system and I was back to 50% energy. Finally, we found out that I have sensitivities to gluten, dairy, and eggs. So for one month I have to cut all of those things out of my diet, and see how I feel. I have been doing that for two weeks and now I feel back to 70% energy.

During the summer, I plan to relax and try to get back up to 100% health and energy so that I can finish my high school career strong. I plan to sleep as much as I am able, to eat healthy, keeping my sensitivities out of my diet if need be, and just start over. I believe that my worst failure of this year has to be letting myself get so sick without realizing it. Who stops caring about doing the things she loves, and doesn’t realize there is something wrong with her?

Assignment 21 Caty Beth Gooding

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, people are losing their faith; In humanity, in God, in things or people they thought were infallible. Bad things happen to good people. People think they can  trust another person, but only get betrayed once again. Cars break down and buildings have weak foundations. There are selfish people who hurt others through their greed and glutton. There are people scraping to get by, and others who have stooped to stealing and other illegal habits to get by. But  at the same time, there are people who are gaining more faith than they ever thought it possible to have. There are good people who break the vicious cycle of poverty for even just one other person. There are  those who make the faithless want to believe. There are selfless people. There are people who are willing to help those who desperately need it.

Assignment 24 Wes Grigsby

Yes, I am almost done, almost. Yes, my Junior year is nearly over. I guess that I will tell you about it. Over the course of this year, my Junior year, I do not know what would be classified as a success, therefore I do not know what my successes were. I do not know what would have been classified as a failure, therefore I do not know what my failures were. I did not learn any lessons. I did not take any risks. I do not know what mistakes I made. To be honest, I do not know what I will do in the summer. I want less stress for my senior year. I do not know how or what I will do to accomplish the goals that I have set for my self that I plan to achieve. Hopefully, this sentence that I am writing now will fill the one hundred fifty word requirement for this blog post.

Assignment 23-- Ben G

Typically, I just listen to my Imagine Dragons station on Pandora. However, there are certain songs taht really go well with a combat flight simulator. These include:
Radioactive-- Imagine Dragons
Radioactive-- My Mix (My as in I did it myself)
Radioactive [feat. Kendrick Lamar]-- Imagine Dragons + K. Lamar
Crystallize-- Lindsay Stirling
Bleeding Out-- Imagine Dragons
Demons-- Imagine Dragons
Fortune Days-- Glitch Mob
We Can Make The World Stop-- Glitch Mob
Lights-- E. Goulding
Too Close-- Alex Claire

Not usually in that order. Radioactive does get old pretty fast if it plays 3 times in a row.

Assignment 22-- Ben G (SPOILER ALERT)

If I could be any fictional character, I would be Jane from Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. For those that don't know, these books are the sequels of Ender's Game.

(Yes, technically, Ender in Exile is the 5th, but it is set between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, and has no mention of Jane.)

If you've read the Shadow series, basically Ender's Game and the events following it on earth from Bean's POV, you know partly how Jane came into existence. She started out as the mind game, the thing that Graff and the other teachers used to psychoanalyze the battleschoolers. Upon Bean's suggestion, it was adapted to manage Ender's pension, using advanced self-coding scripts.

Somehow, the Hive Queens of the past used Philotes to read the mind game, and therefore read Ender's mind. In order to do this, they had to create a bridge of sorts, which piggy-backed on both the Hive Queens' and the Ansibles' philotic links. The bridge, combined with the evolving mind game, became Jane.

Her links to both of these, combined with the inherent longevity of a computer program, are what I like about her. She can communicate instantly, with anyone, anywhere. She can also insert herself into any kind of electronic gadget.

TL-DR: I want to be Jane because she lives for however long she chooses, can put herself into computers, and is borderline omniscient.

Assignment 21-- Ben G

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe.....

A butterfly in Australia is flapping it's wings. The resulting rush of air causes a cat to rush inside it's house, and in the process of doing this, kicks dirt onto the meat the homeowner just finished grilling. The resulting grit in his meat causes him to get sick. Instead of staying home as he should have, he went to work the next day, at the Australian space agency. In the control room, he sneezed at the wring time, leading to the separation of two boosters occurring at the worst possible time-- AFTER they had ignited. This catastrophic failure blows the rocket into billions of pieces, big and small, some with engines still blazing. Most of the pieces hit the edge of a large ice mountain, bringing it crashing down into the frigid Antarctic Ocean, thereby raising sea levels.

Long story short-- the beach has moved inland, and now you can drive to Brannon Crossing for the best local beaches.

Assignment 24: The Future

You're done!  - well almost

Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.
Tell us about it.
Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, April 27th at 11:59 pm

Assignment 22 Maranda Gaines

If I could be any fictional character, it would probably be Catniss. A lot of people probably answered her but that’s just because she is so awesome! I don’t necessarily want to experience all of the life-changing and dangerous things that she has done in her life, but I want to have some qualities that Catniss has. Catniss is obviously very brave. No matter what the situation is, she faces it with courage and bravery. She would also do anything for the people she loves. She never puts herself first which is something I admire most about her. She would do anything for her mom, Prim, and anyone else who matters in her life. She’s also not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. A lot of people in society just “go with the flow” but still demand change. Catniss on the other hand will always fight for her beliefs and won’t take no for an answer.

Assignment 21 Maranda Gaines

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, people love each other. As a society we tend to focus on the negative aspects of people. But somewhere in the world right now, people are making love, not war. Somewhere in the universe, a father is telling his daughter he loves her as he sends her off to catch the bus for her elementary school. There exists a happy gay couple somewhere in the universe. There are thousands and thousands of animals in wonderful, loving homes. There are homeless men and women in caring shelters where they can sleep and hopefully receive help in finding a job. Somewhere in the universe, a family is adopting a child from a third world country right now at this very moment. It is hard to see the positive in humanity when as a society we focus on the negative. Even though there are so many bad people and things out there, there are also many, many good people.

Assignment 23: Sofi Tzouanakis

Whenever I've had a particularly trying day, or I'm not feeling so down-to-earth, or just haven't been feeling 100% for awhile, I love just listening to music. Something intangible and inexplicable happens when you listen to a articulate melody. Everything seems so much simpler, as even the most oblique things become transparent and easier to tackle. It's strange; you know when you've been tense and you don't even realize it until someone prods you? It's like the music prods me, and I feel my heart and my mind ease, and my shoulders sag, and my mouth sigh.
Anyway, here's what I've got for... relaxing. Yeah. (In no particular order)

1.) Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven: Seriously, I don't know who doesn't get chills while listening to this piece. Classical is always ultimately one of the most soothing music genres, particularly when you play it. I take classical piano and played this for a concert once, so sometimes I'll just play it to relax and it transcends simply listening. Just an unparalleled piece of art.
2.) To Build a Home, The Cinematic Orchestra, Ma Fleur: Jesus, this song is introspective as all else. It's the perfect "I'm looking dramatically out the car window" music. No, but honestly, just listen to it. It's so emotional and stunning and... ugh
3.) Ne Me Quitte Pas, Jacques Brel, Live in Concert: I don't feel like this one will be everyone's cup of tea, but what do I know? This song is sung in French. I find the way a foreign language sounds so refreshing. I'm listening intently to every word that's being spoken, more so than English songs, and yet I have no clue what he's saying. Take that as you will.
4.) Hurt, Johnny Cash, American IV: I have a very specific moment connected to this song, and it always brings me down. Picture this: Driving a pickup alone, through the West Texas dust, as the sun sets over the endless golden plain. Yeah, I cried.
5.) The Sound of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel, The Collection: I just really like this song, how simple it is, and the lyrics. I'm not sure what else I can say about it; I think the point of music is it can't be explained in words. So just go listen.

Assignment 22: Sofi Tzouanakis

I love Downton Abbey. It's truly one of the best shows to hit television in this generation. I've also always looked to the past with admiration, whether I liked what was happening or not. Lady Mary is a character I absolutely abhorred until this new season, and now I love her. She takes feminism to a new level; she's transformed into just a pretty figure to a women who uses her assets to get what she wants. In the older seasons, she simply sat around and was a little pretentious dirtbag while her sister Sybil (I MISS SYBIL!!!!) actually did something useful during the war while being totally awesome in the process. But Mary steps up in this newest season, standing up for what she thinks is best for Downton, even questioning her dad in the process. Additionally, she's absolutely gorgeous and super sassy: who wouldn't want to be her? Downton is so lavish and has such ridiculous grandiloquence, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want to live there (hint to parents: buy an estate comparable to Downton, forget my college tuition).

Assignment 21: Sofi Tzouanakis

At this very moment, it's the end of spring break. For most people, that means back to the "cold" place that is Lexington. But it doesn't mean that for me. I was working on college, my future, in the frigid Northeast this last week. While being away from schoolwork was nice, it only loomed in the peripherals of my mind as I looked at some crazy hard to get into schools. In a way, it was good--spring break reenergized me to do what I need to do at this point in my life, which is be the best student I can be. But it also made me feel anxiety, a fear for what every move I make now, and how it affects my future. Is that too much pressure on kids of today? It's not really my question to contemplate, or answer, right now. Right now, whether that bodes true or not, I've got to get over the difficulties and make achievements that I want to happen in my life happen. Because who cares if there's more pressure? If you make that your excuse, someone will gladly take the spot above you.

Assignment 23 Ethan Petraitis

Alright, so here is my playlist. This playlist contains five songs that I consider to be the most essential songs in third-wave ska.  These are by no mean my favorite ska songs, just ones I think identify the genera the most.

The Rascal King by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones- This song as a 'Big Band' quality about it, a heavy horn section and multiple people singing at the same time. If I had to pick one song to identify the entire genera, it would be this.

Sell Out by Reel Big Fish-This song uses the horn section very often and has an extremely recognizable guitar strumming pattern. The tempo changes multiple times as the narrative progresses, something that many ska songs do.

Superman by Goldfinger- This song has a recording clarity that is not present in many ska songs that opt instead for a high gain, noisy track. This track has a very punk sound but paces the vocals slower and uses the trombone sparingly.

Police The Nation by The Planet Smashers- This song is very high-energy and has a very sarcastic tone. And is extremely horn-heavy.

Super Rad! by The Aquabats!- This song is perfect example of the 'silly' side of ska that groups like The Aquabats! and They Might Be Giants tend to fall into. With their almost cartoon like appearance and nonsensical lyrics it's hard to take them seriously. Another example of this is "Doctor Worm" by They Might Be Giants.

Five American Cities, Audibly (Blog 23 Stevens)

Last week, on spring break, I was running along the Charles River when “Boston” came up on my iPod. It struck me that songs are more powerful when they revolve around a concrete place: the physicality combines with the song’s melody and your own personal memories of the city to create new levels of complexity. Maybe this is a strange idea, but here are five songs about five American cities:

5. “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin

            Although there are no lyrics, this song is so inseparable from New York and its vitality.

4. “Going to Cleveland” by the Mountain Goats

            A song for when the Cuyahoga calls. This song was recorded in 1993 on a boombox.

3. “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans” by Louis Armstrong

            The old person in me is showing again, but I highly recommend this one for a casual Sunday.

2. “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens

            All things go to Chicago.

1.     “Boston” by Augustana
            Where everybody knows your name? 

HTTP: America, Audibly

Directly to Spotify: America, Audibly

Stevens 22: Fiction as a Motivator

It is impossible to walk into a movie theater, to sit in front of the TV, to read a gripping novel without, in some way, becoming the characters before you. They are everything you want to be; they present a better version of yourself, a Romantic visage of life at its most breathtaking. Inevitably, then, we want to become these characters.

Often, the characters we see and read are impossible to become. You may adore Harry Potter—as I do—and you may have hoped against every rational thought that Hagrid would burst in on your eleventh birthday and, in an ominous rumble, declare you to be “a wizard.” But this will never come to pass. Captain America and Gandalf and Ash Ketchum are fantasy.

The truly interesting question is thus: what realistic character would you be? Why?

Therefore, I choose Will McAcoy, of  HBO’s The Newsroom. He is brash, outgoing and committed to journalistic integrity in the face of a profit-driven cable news system. He often stumbles on his idealistic struggle, but he responds by doubling his efforts and never quits. I admire him for making large sacrifices—namely in ratings and popularity—in order to pursue a quixotic and probably unattainable goal.

Assignment 22: Grace Goulson

I love the show Friends. One of my all-time favorites. And I love Phoebe Buffay-- so much. And she's who I'd want to be if I could be a fictional character. She's so quirky and so weird and funny without even trying to be. She has a big heart and has a unique relationship with animals. (See "The One with the Cat" where Phoebe thinks a cat she found on the street really is her dead mother reincarnated.) Phoebe is the odd one out of the six, because she is the newest one to the group. She finally finds true love in Mike, played by Paul Rudd, which makes me very happy. Phoebe has been through so much tragedy in her life (her father leaving, her mother committing suicide, her having to live on the streets), but she is still so optimistic. Some may consider her stupid and naive (and she has her moments) but she can also be very wise, insightful, and even witty. She loves all of her friends so much and she really lives life. I want to be that kind of person. 

Assignment 23 Wes Grigsby

The perfect playlist:

I am happiest when it is about sixty three and a half degrees Fahrenheit during the season of Spring, preferably the period of late March, or the period of the entire month of April, or the period of early May. These are the period when everything is in bloom, and the rain makes everything lush in a chilled and cloudy paradise, when the scents/odors of flowers and plants fill your nostrils with the most potency and float like little streams on the chilled air. What is the perfect playlist to this happy feeling? I am not really sure. What playlist could be played to the happy feeling of experiencing a period where everything is in bloom, and the rain makes everything lush in a chilled and cloudy paradise, when the scents/odors of flowers and plants fill your nostrils with the most potency and float like little streams on the chilled air? Probably anything, but most likely some classical songs?

Assignment 23: Grace Goulson

I'm not really quite sure what these songs best fit with, but I imagine listening to them while lying down in a field gazing at the brilliant stars on a cool but comfortable summer night. Just peaceful and completely relaxed.

- Patient Love by Passenger. First of all, let me just say that Passenger is amazing, and any of their songs are worthy of being on this playlist. Patient Love is a song full of both happy and sad emotions, but is overall very chill. There's even a line in the song about "staring at the stars ."

- Down to the Sea by Elephant Revival. This song is a little more fast-paced than the others, but nonetheless it is just as beautiful. I love the combination of the violin and cello and guitar and it all just sounds so good overall.

- Gold by the cast of Once the Musical. Gahhhh this song is just so amazing and perfect for relaxing and getting lost in the stars. It's such a genuine love song, and has such a comforting folksy feel to it. Check out the a cappella version too-- so incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing. 

- First Breath After Coma by Explosions in the Sky. Here's the odd one out, in that this song is purely instrumental and nine and a half minutes long.. I love this song because it almost forces you to clear your mind and just listen to the incredibly relaxing music- but it's also a good song to reflect to. The repeated rhythms are lulling but not boring, and it's altogether very relaxing. 

- Timshel by Mumford and Sons. Timshel is one of the most beautiful and haunting songs I have ever heard. The lyrics are powerful, the vocals are powerful, and the sole acoustic guitar is powerful. Every time I listen to this song my whole body goes limp-- it's that moving. Perfect for relaxing and just melting into the Earth.

Assignment 21 Wes Grigsby

What am I doing right now, at this very moment in time? Right now, at this very moment in time I am writing Assignment twenty one, an English blog/English assignment assigned to me by my English teacher Mr. Logsdon.  Right now, while I am writing the assignment, Assignment twenty one assigned to me by my English teacher Mr. Logsdon, I am watching the cinematic film Thor whilst simultaneously writing this blog assignment. I am waiting most eagerly with the most anticipation I can muster, to watch the Season four premier of the most amazing television series on television, Game of Thrones. I am extremely excited. I am beyond excitement. I am cannot describe the anticipation I am experiencing right now. That is what I am doing right now at this very moment in time, watching Thor with my mother while waiting for the Season four premier of Game of Thrones.

Assignment 23: Cassadi Cordea

The Perfect Playlist:

I am happiest when the sun is out. So here's a playlist for a sunny day, whether you're driving around with the windows down, or sitting on the front porch

1. Feel- Bombay Bicycle Club
I've been listening to this band's most recent album for months, and most of the songs on that album could belong on this list. This song in particular is very upbeat and energetic and is just fun to listen to.
2. Better Together- Jack Johnson
This song is just enjoyable to listen to, very easy-going and light.
3. Float On- Modest Mouse
I just find this song extremely catchy.
4. Gold on the Ceiling
I really like The Black Keys, and this is one of their more popular songs. One of the more upbeat ones.
and lastly..
5. Happy-Pharrell
Some people are just so sick of this song, but it really hasn't gotten that old for me. I still enjoy it. The title is pretty self-explanatory.

Assignment 20 Wes Grigsby

How to do Academy assignments with ease:

Being in the Academy, we have a shit load more work than many of our peers in the high school of Henry Clay High School in the city of Lexington, Kentucky in the county of Fayette County in the state of Kentucky in the country of the United States of America on the continent of North America in between the great Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on the planet of Earth as the third planet in our Solar System in the galaxy of the Milky Way in our Universe.
The best way to do the ocean of Academy work (the Academy assignments) is to do them quickly and to not think much about them. Even though they would help you in grow more intelligently, to keep from the edge of too much stress, just do it without too much thought and do it as quickly as possible. Let it flow past you like water, and for those who worry too much about the particularity in the arrangement of points on these said assignments, don't worry too much about it. Just do better next time. Don't worry about dropping and breaking something important, just pick up something better in your path.

Assignment 21: Grace Goulson

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, someone is living life to its absolute fullest. Someone (let's call him Frank for simplicity's sake) is going on a grand adventure. He is on a road trip with three of his best friends, driving through the never-ending terrain of, let's say, Arizona. It is a cool desert evening, and they've all got the windows down, blasting Styx's epic song, Come Sail Away. Frank and his buddies haven't a care in the world. They are not entirely sure where they will end up sleeping tonight, and they are not sure what their final destination is. They're just going on an adventure, being awesomely spontaneous. Frank wants to see the world, he wants to experience everything, he wants to really live. And who knows what will become of Frank and company, but can't we all just appreciate their love of life?

Assignment 19 Wes Grigsby

The definition of advice by the "google dictionary" that I have just searched as of two minutes ago is: guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative. For youthful persons such as myself and my peers, advice is both hated and treasured. The hated comes from the elder persons of the environment around us, though it may be very useful, we tell ourselves that the people giving us this advice do not know what they are talking about, some may, some may not. The treasured advice comes from our heroes and the ones we believe know what they are talking about. I guess that the advice we gather from the other people around us, the treasured advice from people and the hated advice from people. Whether certain advice is useful or not is based on experience, thus it gains a shred of relativity. 

Blog 23: Kelsey Halbert

Road Trip Playlist

Dance by Big Sean is the perfect song to begin this perfect playlist because of its upbeat tempo and the demeanor of this song. After listening to this song, how can you not be in a good mood.

Ms. New Booty by the Ying Yang Twins is second on my playlist because it is a song that a lot of people are familiar with. It adds a sense of coolness as you're driving down the road to your destination.

Switch Lanes by Tyga is in my playlist because it is THE perfect diving song. I mean, the title is pretty much self-explanatory. Just imagine driving down the road in the middle of the summer with your windows rolled down all the way and your music on full blast. You'd get all the attention.

Break Ya Neck by Busta Rhymes is in my playlist because Busta Rhymes is a beast. I have no idea how he raps so fast, but when I listen to him, I never really know what he's saying. But after listening to him, I feel somewhat cooler.

Sweatpants by Childish Gambino is in my playlist because his album Because the Internet has been on repeat on my phone lately and this song in particular is my favorite from the album. I like how the lyrics are witty and I like the beat.


I literally have all of these songs on a CD except for like 2 songs courtesy of Cassadi Cordea.

Assignment 21: Cassadi Cordea

Right now, at this very moment, I am taking a break from my calculus homework to write this. I am also wishing that I had done this earlier, so if this sucks and isn't interesting, sorry. I am sitting in our office at home typing away at the computer. I'm also eating an apple because I'm hungry and it's healthier than chips. I've been sitting on my foot for 15 minutes so now it's asleep which is great (not really). Today I peeled myself out of bed by noon, so hooray for me, I guess. I also went to target and bought a pretzel. Other than that I've been doing calculus all day so I am just over the moon right now. I also took a break from typing my timed writing to write this, so I guess that counts as something I'm doing as well. This has been fun, but I must move on to other things I have put off as well.

Blog 22: Kelsey Halbert

This was a really difficult decision to make, but if I could be any fictional character, I would be Spongebob Squarepants. Spongebob is an overall cheerful, funny character. I enjoy making people laugh, so I believe that if I were Spongebob I would have a lot of fun. Having Patrick as a best friend would be entertaining, since he is so dumb (Well I would be too, at least I wont live under a rock). Gary the Snail is basically a cat AND I LOVE CATS. CATS ARE MY FAVORITE ANIMAL EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE ONE YET. I could also eat all of the Krabby Patties I want. I've always wondered what they tasted like, they look so delicious. In my free time, I could go to Jellyfish Fields and catch all of the jellyfish. Day to day life would barely have any worries except for when Plankton tries to steal the Krabby Patty secret recipe (which he will never get). Life would be a geat experience if I were Spongebob Squarepants. 

Blog 21: Kelsey Halbert

At this very moment, I have procrastinated every single piece of homework that I was supposed to do over Spring Break. I have to catch up on all of my blogs, type and upload that essay onto turnitin.com, and I also have Calculus homework. I have waited until 6 on a Sunday night to complete all of these assignments because I have been busy moving all week and also my boyfriend and I took a trip to Louisville to visit his brother. Oh, and also Netflix. I knew from the moment that Spring Break began that I wouldn't get any homework done. Procrastination is something that I have struggled with for a while now. We don't have internet at the other house right now so I have to do all of my internet business over here, but literally all of my other belongings are at the other house. It's a hassle to drive back and forth. But omg, I'm literally the only person in my family that has moved my things over there. My parents are following me. Like srsly wtf. Ttyl.

Assignment 21: Right now--Angela Maske

Right now, at this very moment, I am sitting on my front patio in the sun, laptop on my lap, writing this blog post. While I am consciously thinking about what to include in this post, my brain is doing a million other things. It's registering all kinds of stimuli and deciding whether or not they're important enough to bring to my attention. It's holding all sorts of knowledge that I have previously collected and sifting through it, ensuring that the important parts are there for my disposal. It's integrating and evaluating memories, and keeping the random nonsense at bay so that I can focus on the present task. It's regulating my body temperature and blood pressure. It's literally keeping me alive. And I'm not even thinking about it. So the next time you think about your brain, don't take it for granted. Because without it....well, you wouldn't be able to think in the first place.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character-- Angela Maske

If I could be any fictional character, I would have to be Sherlock Holmes. It could be any of the many variants of Mr. Holmes, including the original mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, I personally prefer the portrayal in the BBC's show Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, because, frankly, who wouldn't kill for those cheekbones? Besides his physical gifts, I would love to be Sherlock for his quick wit, deductive reasoning skills, and ability to not give a sh** about what anyone else thinks. He also attracts people of both sex, and though he generally shows a disregard for human emotion, can be genuinely surprising at times. Besides, who wouldn't want to get paid to solve mysteries?

Assignment 23: The Perfect Playlist- Angela Maske

Unlike most of Lexington, I did not spend my spring break at the beach. However I love the beach and so I made a playlist for a laid-back day at the beach...or pretending that you're at the beach when you're really at Panera writing blog posts.

I always listen to playlists on shuffle, so the order that I present it in here is pretty much random. I think that a perfect playlist should be cohesive and enjoyable regardless of the order of the songs.

Track 1: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend

This track has a very relaxed, beachy vibe that goes along with the youthful, somewhat preppy references in its lyrics. It conjures images of, well, Cape Cod in the summer.

Track 2: Naive by the Kooks

Like the previous track, Naive has a youthful feel to it that, paired with the bright vocals and guitar, really suits a day at the beach, despite the lack of nautical references.

Track 3:  Chocolate by the 1975

This track is upbeat, with a catchy chorus and definite indie vibe.

Track 4: Beach by San Cisco

This song is called Beach, which naturally makes it perfect to include in this playlist (despite the fact that the lyrics never once mention the beach). It has a more "chill" feeling than the previous tracks, but really reminds me of watching the sun set while waves crash on the sand.

Track 5: See the Sun by the Kooks.

Another song by the Kooks. What a surprise. Sort of the same deal as Naive. And sun...beach...ya know.

Alex Warren - Perfect Playlist - Assignment 23

My perfect playlist for playing basketball:

1.) Warm up song: All I do is win by DJ Khaled ft. Ludacris, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and T-Pain

I would choose this because if you are warming up for a game you need to go in with a mindset that you can and are going to beat the opposing team, because if you go into it thinking you are going to lose you probably will.

2.)Three in game songs(I know you can’t listen to songs during a game, but if you could these are what they would be): 

Remember the name - Fort Minor

This would be a great song to listen to in game because you are putting your all out on the court, and your are proving yourself to the other team so you’re giving them “a 100% reason to remember [your] name.”

Beast Mode - B.o.B. 

This song really is just a hype song, in the middle of your game, you just start going “ham” and get into you zone. You literally go Beast Mode and are doing so much better than everyone else on the court.

Till I collapse - Eminem ft. Nate Dogg

When I listen to this song it just make me want to be the best at what ever I’m doing, it reminder that if you don’t play your hardest you won’t win

3.) Cool Down/After win song:

This song is exactly what you think its going to be

We are the champions - Queen

After you win you feel good, like a champion, well this song tells you your the champion.

Alex Warren - Fictional Character - Assignment 22

If I could be any fictional character I would be Sherlock Holmes (the Benedict Cumberbatch version of course). I would be Sherlock because in the series he solves mysteries that are very confusing. When my Dad and I see movies together we sit their picking apart the plot and telling each other what is going to happen before it does. I can’t do this with Sherlock, I might think one thing is going to happen and I am completely wrong. I would love to have the mind of Sherlock just to be able to piece small clues together like that to figure out the bigger picture. Although one thing I wouldn’t like about Sherlock is his way of living, it’s just weird, but ultimately I guess the weird things he does helps lead him to figuring out his next mystery. I would be a fun yet completely different life to live.

Alex Waren - At this very moment - Assignment 21

At this very moment I am sitting on the beach in a very cheap and poorly made blue fabric lounge chair, that cost me ten dollars to rent for the whole day, typing this blog I had almost completely forgot to do. But at this very moment, not in Jacksonville, but in Lexington my Dad is gassing up his walk-behind and rider Scag lawnmowers, putting new green plastic thread on his weed-eaters, and looking through his toolbox to make sure he has everything he needs and is prepared for his workday. At this very moment my Mom is searching through a twenty degree freezer looking for only the best flowers and other plants to put in her arrangements, dead heading and trimming the plants in the Henry Clay Estate’s garden, and moving heavy vases with her bum right arm. 

At this very moment my parents are working their tails off trying to provide for me and themselves as well, while I’m chilling on the beach. So for that, at this very moment, I am truly grateful.

Assignment 20: Sofi Tzouanakis

I speak a lot in front of groups of people, whether they be small board room meetings or large-scale conference rooms in hotels, so I feel like I have a decent grasp of the concept of public speaking (for my age). So today, I'd like to tell you how to be a passable public speaker!

You're a teenager; adults like anything that comes out of your mouth. Literally, sometimes I feel like I could say the absolute most obscene thing while speaking, and adults will still come back up to me afterward and fawn over it. I think it's because adults expect teenagers to just be hooligans and do stupid things, so they set their expectations for teenagers really low. When a teen actually does something halfway decent with their time, they're already impressed. So really, just think: if you make what you say at least mediocre, they're going to LOVE you.

Speak loudly. I've never had a problem with this (lol), but I know a lot of kids have trouble speaking up while others are watching. A tip I give for kids like this is look at the person the farthest away from you in the room and pretend you're speaking to them. That's how loud your voice needs to be, the whole time. Also, if you have to turn away from your audience and can't possibly talk any louder than you're already talking, just wait until you've turned back to speak. I've seen a lot of kids just keep talking when their mouth is turned the other way. We can't hear you!!!!

Don't script it. Trust me, remembering every line is much harder than just knowing the information and going with the flow (except if you're presenting a speech). It will also sound forced and terrible and like you were just staying up all night trying to memorize every "the" and "a" in your presentation... and that's because you probably were. When something goes awry, it's much easier to hop back if you haven't itinerized your whole time on stage.

That's about all! Now you might go from "slide-reader" to "slide-checker"! Just kidding (sort of).

Assignment 19: Sofi Tzouanakis

A lot of advice is given to youth, and whether it be for the benefit of the teller or the recipient of said information is not always clear. Nonetheless, advice is always something to look for, whether it's good or bad. Something (sometimes even more) can be gained from terrible advice. But today I'll share some advice which was, in my opinion, great. A lot of the time, advice isn't just what it says; much of the time, it's who says it. Somebody who I know who has been through a lot said a line to me very similar to the Plato quote, "Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." It wasn't a word-by-word reading of the quote, but I'm using it for reference because I can't remember exactly what he said, and the Plato quote is nicely articulated. I had heard things of this nature, but I never took it to heart until this person told it to me. For someone who had been through so much crap in their life, I could not believe they could see past all of the foggy resentment they could hold and say something so enlightening. My life isn't even close to as hard as theirs, so the least I could do was to keep these words in my heart and practice them.

Assignment 18: Sofi Tzouanakis

1.) The one thing on my bucket list to accomplish before high school ends is to actually survive high school! Truly, I think simply accomplishing this is truly a feat which is difficult enough on it's own. So much else goes on in my life that high school is the ultimate balancing act of extracurriculars, school and social life (lol). Hopefully I'll get my diploma and will be able to give that achievement one big fat check.
2.) I think I'd like to be more well-traveled before I finish college. This is an interesting goal, since I will be in college with no time to travel, but I think I mean that I wish to do a lot of study abroad and philanthropy trips in coordination to the school I go to. I absolutely love learning about cultures and the way other people work in different parts of the world, so what better way to figure that out than to travel and integrate myself into that culture?
3.) Before I finish living? I hope there's a lot of time between now and then, so my decision now will probably not my conducive to my future self, but that's alright. I guess I'd really like to live in a big city for awhile, whether that be NYC, or Paris, or possibly even Munich. I've always wanted to live in a place where everything is happening at one and a world of opportunity is at your doorstep. First, I need to consider the astronomical cost of living though...

Assignment 22 Ryan Collins

If i could be any character, I would have to go with Percy Jackson, from the Percy Jackson and the olympians series. Ever since I was young, i have been fascinated with Greek mythology. From tales of the gods intervening with mortals, or heroes heroically fighting terrifying beats, I have always enjoyed learning about them. Being Percy Jackson would be great for many reasons: 1, I would be the son of Poseidon, and therefore be able to control water which is pretty BA if you ask me. 2: I would go to camp halfblood, a camp with all the other demigods around the US to train, learn about our culture and just enjoy ourselves, in between monster attacks that is, which brings me to the last reason. 3: As a demigod i would embark on dangerous quests to combat the forces of evil and defend the mortal realm, so there would never be a dull moment. though it may be frightening at times, it would be a dream to see how greek mythology fits in with modern culture, one of the things i loved most about the books.

Assignment 22 Wes Grigsby

If I could be any fictional character, which fictional character would I be and why would I be that character? I think that that the character, more so the fictional character that I would be and the reason I would be that character would ultimately stem from the fictional character's abilities and/or position, and not so much from the fictional character's background. The fictional character that I would be would probably be Spider Man. The only reason I would be that nerd is because of his abilities, I mean who wouldn't want that shit. You get webs, you can climb stuff, jump farther, you get a cool suit, that would be. His position would suck though, college and you got to worry about fighting bad guys, that would be pretty bad. He does have the perfect amount of super stuff though. Superman has too much, its annoying how much crap he has. But with Spider Man you still retain a bit of normal stuff and humanness.

Assignment 23: the perfect playlist

A Blast From the Past

"High Fidelity" (2000) was a film that was remarkably ahead of its time. The film tells the story of Rob Gordon, a washed-up music junkie (played by the fantastic John Cusack) who spends his days creating perfect 5 song playlists. There's his playlist for his worst break up ever, his playlist of the top 5 soul tracks released between 1955 and 1965, and his playlist for his ex-girlfriend's dad's funeral.

Today, thanks to Limewire, iTunes, the "genius" Itunes feature, and Pandora, creating a "perfect" playlist has never been easier.

On the other hand, Rob probably would be appalled by the slapdash way some of us throw together any group of songs above a certain tempo before we head to the gym, or take all those below a certain tempo and thoughtlessly label it “chillaxxx.” As Rob forewarned, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. You’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

So for this blog assignment, create a "perfect" playlist for something. It could be your perfect playlist to listen to at the gym (boring!), perfect playlist for a rainy day, perfect playlist for anything. . . be as creative as you can. Once you have chosen a topic, select 5 tracks for this playlist, noting the song and artist, and write a few sentences explaining why you chose this song, what this song adds to your playlist, why you put it where you did, and how it works with the other songs you selected to create a cohesive perfect playlist.

If you want link it to a spotify playlist and share a link.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, April 13th at 11:59 pm

(Last day to turn in make up assignments 21-23)

entry courtesy John Cowgill

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

Out of all of the books, all of the movies, and all of the television shows you have watched, consider your favorite characters. Then, answer the following:

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 23th at 11:59 pm

At This Moment...

Found in an abandoned journal…

I. Hate. Texas. More specifically, I hate the town of Pecos, Reeves County, west Texas. Every day the dry wind whips off the Chihuahuan Desert and through town. The only discernable feature in the landscape is the mighty Pecos River, a glorified creek that winds through the red dirt hills. Oh, the hills! They stretch out into the flat horizon in every direction, giving the land a kind of suffocating infinity. The big gray sky presses down imperially from above.

I have to get out.

Ever since I was little, I knew I had to get out of Pecos. So I saved up my money, waited until I could buy an old junker from the used car lot—and made a plan. And today is the day, my friends. At long, painful last, I am headed Out! The open plains, the snowcapped Rockies, and the deepest gorges are beckoning to me.

As I abandon the torpid pace in Pecos to search for my own manifest destiny, I leave you with this, dear reader:

““It should not be denied that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led West.” 
― Wallace Stegner

Assignment 21 - Angela Tseng

At this moment in time, somewhere in the universe...
Someone is probably writing a blog post, just like I am right now. In fact, there are probably multiple people doing this exact act. Sure, while they're probably not writing about the same thing that I am, with the number of people in the world and also the number of those that probably run a blog, the chance that there's at least one person writing or simply working on their blog right now isn't unlikely at all. Someone could be writing simply about their day, while another is writing about a specific prompt like me, or if it's someone on a site such as Tumblr simply reblogging photos from other people. So when you think about it, knowing that you're not the only person being a hermit in the coziness of your own room typing out your thoughts instead of actually going outside to talk to people makes you feel a little bit better about it.