How I Met Your Mother addiction

Hi, I'm Sydney and I'm addicted to How I Met Your Mother. This is where you respond "Hi Sydney". I don't know if it is a legit addiction, since now that I'm all caught up I don't feel like I need to go back and watch episodes, or that I'm yearning for a new one. However, I do love this show.

 Basic synapses: There is this guy named Ted Mosbey and he is an Architect. His best friends are Marshal Erickson (lawyer) and Barney (ladies man and big money maker). Marshal is dating/engaged/married to Lilly (kindergarten teacher/wannabe artist). And then there is Robin, who dates Ted, gets in the group, and near season 5 or so dates Barney. Pretty easy right? Ted, Marshal, Barney, Lilly, and Robin. They all hang out at this bar for the most part, and they are in New York City. The major thing is that Ted is telling all these stories about the five of them to his kids, answering the question How he met their mother. And trust me, he starts from the beginning. I mean, the show is on season 7 and still going.

 Basically, you start from his past and keep working your way up, through every new girlfriend of Teds, though there isn't a new one every episode and some you really believe will be with him forever. And if you are afraid that will get boring or they will run out of ideas, I assure you they don't. Plus, his friends are living their lives too and they tell stories along the way. It's hard to understand without really watching, but I assure you it is great.

 One of my best friends, Lexi, introduced me to it, so I blame my addiction on her. After all, she is the one who introduced me to the show. It is on Netflix Watch It Now up through season six. If you make it that far, you might have to do what I did and buy most of season seven off of Amazon's Watch It Now program or a similar thing. Episode 13 for season seven is on hulu.com right now though, so don't make the mistake of buying that one too. I sincerely hope and readers consider watching it. It'll blow your mind, and even has some great musical numbers ;) All comedy all the time.

 Sincerely Sydney

Group photo

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Book Cover

So this will be my first and quite possibly last book review ever on this beautiful little blog. The book is Me Talk Pretty One Day by the always funny David Sedaris. The book is nonfiction, published in 2000, and all short little essays. Starting off, the essays are about Sedaris' childhood in Raleigh, NC, slowly evolving to his more "troubled" and odd job years in New York City. The second "half" of the book is about his move to Normandy, France and Paris, France with his partner Hugh.


I'm not used to listening to people like Sedaris tell stories. He is sort of dark, cynical, and, if I'm being honest, not really someone you would usually cast as a main character of a book. These are his own little memoirs if you will, so I know he didn't have much choice, but I'm used to reading fiction. I'm used to having a hero of a main character, who even if they come from a troubled past, will get their act together and end up with good intentions. Sedaris is not this kind of guy. He gets involved with drugs, is not very smart, is sort of a downer at times, and not someone I would choose to be friends with in real life. I would consider him introverted. But, somehow, he got me laughing. He would take absolutely uncomfortable situations and make them seem hilarious with a little side commentary.

 The book was not what I expected, but I did end up enjoying it at the end. His stories don't end well in my opinion; there is an obvious climax but the conclusion does not come in with a bang. Which makes you want to start on the next story without really contemplating the last.

Altogether, I pretty decent book I'd say. Opened me up to a different lifestyle for sure, as I would probably consider Sedaris and I complete opposites.

Sincerely Sydney

Armenian Genocide Bill

This is one of the most ridiculous news stories out there, as of now. It is just a battle of wills between two countries, not an actual issue, at least not to this degree. This is not a topic that should be arguable about at all.

The story is France is just now choosing to pass a bill that can punish people with 45,000 euro fine or up to one year of jail time just for saying that they do not believe the Armenian massacre was genocide. Let’s be clear, this genocide happened in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire (no longer around), so I have no idea why it is such a pressing issue at this point in time. Sounds to me like France is just trying to be a dick, bringing up something that has yet to be proven (that it was an actual genocide) and so after the fact. Is it really a punishable crime to believe something different and express your view point? I know they have a large Armenian population who have been pushing for this bill, but it is most likely just because they know they don’t support the genocide. But honestly, how many people is this bill going to effect? How many people go out and speak negatively towards a mass amount of people being killed in the early 20^th century? Surely this is not the most pressing issue in France. Not even touching on the fact that it violates free speech laws. Nonetheless, it was passed on December 22, 2011, and now it just has to go through the Senate.

But now, Turkey is retaliating. They are angry that anyone would even consider it genocide, let alone consider passing a law about it. Claiming that this will ruin their prestige and delay or stop the growing relationship with Armenia, Turkey is not willing to take this sitting down. They are fully prepared to boycott France goods and ruin the friendship they have been working on. 

Most historians have embraced the fact that the Armenian killing were in fact a genocide, but not many people want to stand up to Turkey and risk a relationship with them. As shown by the cancellation of all political and military association with France, this would be a risky maneuver. I mean, they have completely kicked France out.  Turkish Muslims actually suggest that this new law is a way for Sarkozy (president of France) to get some more votes from the far-right by playing on their Islamaphobia. Russia also states that the genocide was not really a genocide, but that the deaths were on both sides, with the factor of starvation accounting for most deaths.   


Just in: Jan 23, 2011 is the date that the bill will be debated in the French Senate. 

Sincerely Sydney

White Christmas?

I want a white Christmas really badly. I want it with a passion. The fact that I know that Christmas Eve is this Saturday and upon looking outside I see green grass just makes me sad. I need a little snowflake loving and snowman building and snow fort sculpting and snowball fighting. Without these things, it barely feels like Christmas time. My house is surely decorated (talked about in an earlier post) with snow featured trinkets and such, but it does not reflect the outside weather. I know where all my snow has gone though. Apparently a different Midwest area stole all my snow and is “suffering” through news-worthy blizzards. Pieces of poop. I want that snow. Apparently “visibility was reduced to zero”.  Tragic for travelers (it actually has accounted for two deaths in Colorado: an inmate and a guard), but wonderful for the typical school-age student who prays every night for a snow day so they don’t have to explain why they failed to get their homework done yet again.  Speaking of which, why do teachers think it is okay to pile homework and tests and quizzes miles high for the last four day school week before my very long Christmas break. I’m already in the vacation sort of mind. My “I’ll do it over break” excuse is not working so well when teachers change the due dates to before break so we can truly “relax”. I want to relax now! I want 2 weeks to do something, not four days silly. And what is the point of making things due Tuesday and Wednesday? Are you really going to grade it before break? Why not just have it due Thursday since it’s our last day and all. Ughs. The public school system is frustrating me.  Sincerely Sydney

Mental Floss

Whatwe all need. A little something to keep us learning oddities and help us become inspired to further research things. It is necessary to have a little bit of a thinker to brighten the day in my mind. Like this random Teddy Roosevelt fact. I mean, he was a totally rad dude, finishing his speech and all. I’d probably be flipping out and start wearing a bulletproof suit of armor everywhere I go. Another one was that the only father/daughter duo to hit number one on the Billboard pop chart was Frank and Nancy Sinatra in 1967 for “Something Stupid”. Further showing you can’t top Sinatra. Or another favorite with a Christmas theme is that the Poinsettias red “petals” are actually leaves. Making me wonder how it is a flower and not just a plant. Hmmmm. I might have to google this. Another day I suppose. My final and favorite one of the one’s I’ve seen thus far is this: “Worcestershire sauce was invented accidentally by Brits trying to recreate the flavors in Indian food.” Stupid Brits, thinking they can actually recreate that delicious flavor by themselves. Hahahahaha :)

Sincerely Sydney

Hatin' on da Gays: Is it really worth it?

This topic has its basing on the conviction of Californian 17year old Brandon McInerney today. At such a young age, he now has a 21 year sentence to jail for killing a gay classmate. It was second degree murder, meaning “a non-premeditated killing, resulting from an assault in which death of the victim was a distinct possibility” (The Free Dictionary). He shot Larry King (15 years of age) twice in the head because of his sexual orientation in February 2008.  At that time, McInerney was 14 and claimed King was making sexual advances on him and other boys. King also had taken to wearing makeup and heels to school. I guess that was enough to push McInerney over the edge. He now admits he is deeply sorry for his actions and wishes he never murdered the boy. The family has publicly stated they can never forgive McInerney. Not that I can blame them. With a seconds notice, a disturbed boy ended the live of their loved child who was just trying to figure out his sexual orientation and express himself.

These kinds of people are what drive me crazy.  “You like the same sex; you deserve to die.” I mean COME ON. First off, the person can’t help it. It is a mental chemical thing. Why would someone choose to be considered socially taboo, be discriminated against, and have a harder time to find love (gay people are generally a minority). Do you think someone would put that on themselves? Especially during one of the hardest times of life: middle school.

Another big question this situation raised in me is: Who the hell are this murderer’s parents?! How can your upbringing ever make it seem even a tiny bit okay to kill another person so brutally just because they’d rather be wearing lipstick than a baseball hat? The parents of this child need to be seriously analyzed because they must have instilled a value into this mentally unstable child that needs to be gotten rid of. Honestly.

I get that people think that the Bible states that being gay is a sin. I’ve read the verses. I understand where they are coming from. But, the Bible pretty clearly states that God disapproves of meaningless sex, which what being gay was way back then. There were not relationships like we know today; it was giant orgies or just men using each other to get that good feeling. Women were also seen as possessions during this time, so having sex with another man like you would a woman was degrading to that man, almost an equivalent of rape. Gay relationships have totally evolved from those barbaric times. They date and take the same steps as we do. They have to be faithful. Many religions have accepted that gay relationships are okay and not sinful if treated the right way. I refuse to believe that God would stray such a large population of people if it was truly so sinful.

Which brings me to gay marriage: yes or no. I believe it is fine. Others believe in the sanctity of it being between a man and a woman. Honestly, this is where I don’t have any convincing. Marriage is a right. It should be extended to all. We as civilians all have the right to pursue happiness. How can somebody do that when they can’t even open themselves up to love, sex, and relationships? Denying such an essential part of yourself seems truly disgusting. I believe in change and self-betterment, but not denying your own needs. Love and lust are as essential as, say, the feeling of hunger. Unavoidable. Yes you can try to deny it, but eventually the appetite needs to be filled or their will be more serious consequences.

So anyways. This whole killing has really opened my eyes to why I find closed minded people dangerous. I mean, if you start thinking “them vs us” or “human vs other”, you dehumanize yourself. And as soon as you lose touch with humanity, you achieve an animalistic form of yourself. This form will take prey on the weak, the different, the things that you disapprove of. Finally, you ruin yourself doing something stupid.

Sincerely Sydney

Rant on education system.

I’m pretty sure school ruins things. It’s not fair that they just have to ruin everything fun by making it into something for points, with a due date and a rubric. I know there needs to be grades for schooling to be assessed and for a standard teaching tool, but honestly, some things just never will be the same for me. Like writing. I used to write everything down. I would write like there was no tomorrow. Now, whenever I think about writing, I think about what I should be writing instead of what I want to be writing. Does that make sense? Same with reading. I have so much to read for classes that I don’t have time to read for fun, something that does not have to have its diction analyzed.

It also sucks that I have to place my classes in order of importance on what homework I will do. My German suffers because I spend all my time trying to solve a million math problems that all look the exact same, with slightly different answers. I don’t know what I can do. Taking fewer classes is a college suicide risk, as I fear being pegged as an underachiever. Asking for less homework is like asking for the clouds to rain sundaes or God to allow everyone to live forever. Meaning that it will not happen until the apocalypse. Gah.

In AP Language Arts and Composition, we are talking about the school system and how it benefits some and kills creativity in others. Music and the arts are generally looked down upon as inferior classes, while math is held in such high esteem that if it was a person, its ego would be too big for its body.  I love science personally, which is lucky because if I wanted to be, say a dancer, I would have an extremely hard time finding enough music classes to help me even get my foot in the door. Everything would have to be done outside of school and in addition to my other classes, which would put a great amount of stress on me. That stress might even turn me off to dancing, and make me want to get rid of my passion and aspire to be a plumber instead. Now, don’t get me wrong, plumbers are important. Obviously we need them. But we need dancers too, right? For an expression of the society and for a form of entertainment? Or does nobody see the value of dancing as an equivalent of “typical” jobs. The problem with the school system is we are not harnessing the true potential of our creative children because we are constantly telling them to find creativity less important than memorization for tests. We tell our children that language arts are most important (4 years), then math and social studies (3 years), and finally science and foreign language (2 years). There is no requirement for the arts; they aren’t important enough. This system is meant to create factory workers, not modern thinkers. Yes, I believe that being well rounded is very important and good for people who can function in society, but I also think you should be able to specialize in everything or anything. Maybe set a 2 year minimum for everything, and then allow kids to take more classes in what they really excel at.

And there definitely needs to be more classes in each area. Language arts have a billion options, but if you are trying to find a computer programming class, you are at a loss.  Schools obviously favor certain subjects and that is unacceptable.

Sincerely Sydney

Hum.

 I’m having a hard time blogging this week.  Gosh darn. My house computer is slow, and my laptop has a virus. My eyelids are droopy. My tummy is full. I want to nap. My head keeps nodding, up and down and up and down. My lack of creativity leaves me absolutely revolted, but my want to throw up is probably a direct cause of the tons of sugary goods I just consumed. So ya. Let me try to refocus.


Sincerely Sydney

Nude Pictures. Ya. That's right.

You had to know this would come up, what with the Lindsay Lohan incident and all. I used to love her by the way. I would watch the Parent trap at least once a month and Mean girls dominated to television, particularly ABC Family. What went wrong, I don’t know. Further proof that cuteness is not all that matters; you do have to have a moral imperative as well. Drinking, drugs, and paparazzi harassment probably did not help the situation at all. 

Drinking games anyone?

But anyways. Lindsay Lohan had decided that to show she is “comfortable” in her body, she would reveal it to the entire world, with some nude pictures done for the lovely Playboy magazine. I don’t quite know how this is helping her situation at all or the court cases, but this is her latest endeavor. Unfortunately the pictures were leaked to an outside source, and currently are available on the internet. Poor Lindsay. Less money for you.

Whatever motivated her to do the pictures, be it money or self-proclamation, it is just wrong. Your body is your temple. It is what you are. This just shows to everyone that with a couple dollars (or an internet connection since the pictures were leaked), they can view someone’s full body. It just makes modesty an outdated fashion, and intimacy a purchased product. Maybe this is slightly over dramatic. But, I find it mostly true. By making nudity and sensuality socially acceptable for the public eye, you are ruining the very privacy and importance of it. If it is no longer just a thing for a man and a woman to do to show their love, it no longer has an equivalent worth.

I feel like Miss Lohan didn’t quite do this to show her strong feeling of acceptance of her body like she said she did. Call it a hunch, but most people don’t do a nude photo shoot to show they are back on their feet and ready to positively contribute to society. This is probably a self-esteem issue, and her lack of one.  I feel bad that she has been so beleaguered by the media, always portraying her as frazzled, mentally-unstable, or crazy. Even the pictures don’t quite show her in a positive light. Her self-esteem probably is in the dumps, but nude pictures aren’t going to help her. There always are going to be the critics (me included it seems) that will tell her she is dumb for doing this. Someone will be sure to say that she looks unattractive or an equivalent to that, which is counter-productive for what she is trying to achieve. She used to be America’s poster child (I mean, come on. The Parent Trap is an All-American move) (Side note: the original Parent Trap is German; it is a slightly different tale). Now she is just another centerfold. I feel like if a woman is not confidant enough to hold herself to a higher standard than just a tool for a teenage boy’s wet dream, she needs some therapy. Quick. Unfortunately, Lindsey has tried the therapy thing way too many times, and that really isn’t working. I can’t really say she has a strong support system either. Hopefully, the girl figures something out before she ends up making an even worse decision for herself.

Sincerely Sydney

Realization

So. There are a lot of things available on the internet. Realization. Holy cow. It’s like almost every week that I find another one of those look at this funny thing websites and I have finally begun to realize that their are a lot of very creative people who are funny. Little jokes people make thinking they are original probably have already been thought up. A little disheartening, but it is true. Anywho, I want to share my new one (I like it because I found it and it opened to a chem joke). It's one of those sites where you can find things that just pick you up for a long day of work. And if you are like me and have school, then work, then exercising, then homework and chores, sometimes your days get a bit monotonous and you need a pick me up. Which is when I turn to this site and flip through its many funny texting fails and such. Hopefully this makes you feel a little better. 

 lolhappens.com

 Sincerely Sydney

A blog is a current event, Right?

Say what you will about blogs; whether it just a narcissistic person’s diary or if it’s a new, creative form of expression, but I love them. They show you many viewpoints and many different elaborations of information in a fun way. Little tipplets of info with each new post. And now I’m going to tell you of the new blog I have found, since I find it extremely thought provoking and “AWWW” worthy. It’s called Marc and Angel Hack Life. They have a sister sight, Makes Me Think, which is also quite good and is pretty self-explanatory. Thought provoking sights are my favorite, so I think you should definitely check these ones out. The reason I’m blogging about these sights is actually because of the article “60 Tiny Love Stories to Make You Smile”. Yes, I’m a girl, so I like these sorts of things. Not too cheesy, but definitely cute.  

Sincerely Sydney

Christmas time is here

If you are like my mother, you have just hit full blown Christmas spirit. It is time to start to give in to the commercial temptation and have at it. My mother is very peculiar, in that, during the time before Thanksgiving and up to the day after (Black Friday), she complains of all the stores being packed full of Christmas things. From left to right, there is absolutely nothing Thanksgiving and all Jack Frost and Santa Claus. But then, after the week of Thanksgiving, she is ready for Christmas. Maybe she just finds the Countdown to the Countdown to Christmas ridiculous (thank you ABC Family for further proving that Americans think up the dumbest things).

But this Sunday, the true Christmas spirit came out in her. We bought our PERFECT tree ($85 of pre-cut deliciousness) and the matching $20 wreath from a local Christmas tree farm. I would never in my wildest dreams imagine that people could ask for $85 for a Christmas tree. It is just a tree that has been well groomed. Honestly, there are some plastic ones that go for cheaper. If past generations saw the going price for an 8 foot evergreen tree, they probably would frown. We've never spent this much for a tree. I think I'll just blame the economy and leave it at that.

But anyways, back to my Christmas spirit. What I find the most fascinating about Christmas is what people find most important, that being tradition. Every family has certain ways of doing things around this time of the year, and if one tries to stop such traditions from happening, there is a certain death warrant. For instance, I have already mentioned that we get our tree (snow or shine) every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving. We then drink hot cocoa and decorate the tree and house, while blasting Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas throughout every room. This happens without fail. No changes. Which sometimes can get hectic, especially when people try to make other plans on the “Tree Day”, or if someone is cranky or PMS-y or sick or tired. Traditions tend to have a way to bring people together, but sometimes they just make things worse. With little room for variation, things can get… well. Messed up. If something doesn’t meet the pre-set standard, the day has a melancholy feeling until people forgive and forget (which tends to take more than one day).

On the other hand, traditions create a theme of solidarity, which is very important for a family. Every Christmas Eve, my family eats an early dinner of Kraut Pockets, carrot salad, and other delicious foods to create quite a few protruding tummies. Then, dressed in our Sunday best, we trudge of to church to enjoy a candlelit service. Finally the high point of the night comes, when we open all our presents (except for the ones Santa brings) and gorge on cookies. Off to bed early, we eagerly await what “Santa” is to bring, and the next morning we are never disappointed. A big breakfast and the parade on television just continues the festiveness, and relaxing in my pajamas with my immediate family feels so… right, that it’s hard to imagine a time when I would get mad at them. We all join together to make a giant feast for mid afternoon and have gaming competitions on the Wii. Sometimes sledding and forts are feasible, but occasionally we have a semi-green Christmas.

All of these traditions are what I think about when it comes to Christmas; feelings of togetherness emanate throughout the holiday. But the thing is, during this holiday it is hard to remember why it even came into existence. It’s true, the holiday is about family and growth, but it’s supposed to be about the baby Jesus being born as well. How he was born in such a barbaric setting for the king of all kings, and how his birth brought hope to so many people. There was no Walmart, no million dollars worth of presents, no commercialism. It was just baby Jesus with such a great amount to live up to and a poor mother and father with such a great amount of fear. Mary and Joseph had very little to offer Jesus except their love and support, and I find that one of the biggest lessons of the story. Even those who think they have nothing to give have something. Not all presents come in a tangible form, and sometimes the most important kinds are priceless. But, the thing is, they gave their everything for a baby that God gave them. Showing their loyalty to their creator and towards their new child means the world, and if that didn’t happen, it’s unimaginable where we would be now.

I love Christmas; it’s one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating the birth of the child of God with my family, and even when we lose sight of why we are celebrating, we still hit the main point. We always remember to celebrate the love of a family and giving our all even when we think we have nothing to give. Just something to keep in mind as we embark into our Christmas season.

Sincerely Sydney

Penn State Ordeal

If even the devil is upset, you know it is bad. There are very few words I could use that would accurately describe the revulsion I feel towards the Penn State scandal. For those of you who don't know, first off: do you live on planet Earth?? This is BIG. Like ground-breaking, WTF, people-are-going-to-Hell big. Google this case now, and shed a tear with me for the possibly-hundreds of boys that were sexually abused by Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky started a charity called the Second Mile Foundation, which was supposedly a non-profit organization that helped impoverished youth. Turns out this charity was a way to get to his ideal victims; kids who won't speak out because they believe no one will help them, or kids who think this is the way help comes to those who need it. This man actually makes me so angry to the point of tears, thinking of how he stole the innocence of children looking for help. He is the scum of the Earth, the lowest of low, the definition of a monster. And the sad thing is, this information is only starting to be made public, and the story is going to get alot more scandalous. This is what they already have. More is bound to come out too, since you don't just wake up one day at age 55 and say, "O I guess I'm a pedophile now." And if you look at the "what was done" column, you see a long history of reports and coverups. Which makes me believe that Penn State is one horrid place, that places its football program over basic morals. If you hear/see ANYTHING that would give evidence to a young boy getting raped AND/OR sexually abused, anything at all, you report it. You report it right away, no matter who it is, no matter if you aren't quite sure how serious it is, no matter if you are scared for your job or football season. Obviously Penn State didn't quite know that. So Mr. JoePa (Penn State's pride and joy, the football coach who was recently fired; go figure), you are guilty in my eyes too. Guilty of protecting a football program over a child. Failure to report. You reported to your superiors. Big whoop. They aren't the police, they aren't going to arrest the people in this blatant cover-up. Who knows: maybe JoePa was in it all along? The janitor failed to report. The under-graduate failed to report.  The "superiors" failed to report. It was all a sick cover-up. At this point, the entire staff should be fired. And most have. But it is still not enough. Penn State better start a fund to help these boys that they have allowed to be taken advantage of at the least, if the university can even recover from this ordeal. Sandusky is currently out on bail, and probably will be shot by an outraged person before the trial is over anyways. I can't even talk more about this right now, I'm so upset. I'll do a follow up.
Sincerely Sydney

You have got to be kidding me.

Just when I thought I had seen the most stupid thing kids are doing, there is something new that takes the cake. The new thing: tampons soaked in vodka. That's right parents, you little girl is using her super-sized Playtex to get wasted. The science behind this is sound; a girl's lady business is very vascular, so the alcohol is basically absorbed right into her blood. A quick buzz. Unfortunately, there is no barrier down there to break the alcohol down; there is no stomach acid or anything of that sort. Which means alot more alcohol is being put in the blood stream than it normally would be by just straight up drinking, allowing kids to get really wasted. The problem: infection and alcohol poisoning. A tell-tale sign of alcohol poisoning is throwing up a few times, then possibly passing out. Since the alcohol isn't going to the stomach ever, you can't throw it up. So kids are just passing out. Doctors don't know what is wrong with them, don't know to check the tampon of all things, can't smell alcohol on the kids breath, and don't know how to treat the kid until it is too late. How do they know these kids are dying of alcohol poisoning then? Well, the kids still won't pass a breathalyzer.
Unfortunately, girls aren't the only one using this method either. You heard me right; boys are putting vodka-tampons up their only hole down there. It sounds so vulgar and nasty, but for whatever reason they think this a smart thing to do.
Kids find this a good method for quick, strong buzzes, and also find it a good way to avoid having alcohol-tainted breath, making it easier to hide their drinking from their parents. So please, parents, if you find your son/daughter using an unnatural amount of tampons, check your vodka supply.
Sincerely Sydney

Premature Senior Slump

Ya. I'm pretty sure it is a real thing. A senior slump junior year. It all starts with the receiving of a motor vehicle. It is like giving a child a key to independence; we can go wherever whenever. Parents now give you a curfew to follow, and don't expect a play-by-play of the evenings activities, as they don't need to be there to shuttle you around. You push that curfew to the limit, sometimes speeding to get home, or calling and asking for an extra 30 minutes to finish -insert here- (ex: movie, project, eating). You find with your new found freedom you have more opportunities to meet people as you are going to more social events, until you reach the point where you are actually having to turn away plans as you have too many things scheduled in a day. With this fluster of activity, where is there time to do the 18 hours (and growing with each week of procrastination) of homework? There is none. Yet we are still encouraged and forced to take a schedule of classes that is far beyond our capabilities in regards to time management. So we have to make choices of what is important. And generally, being the irresponsible teenagers we are, we choose the fun party over reading 3 chapters in AP book. Which is where I am now. Too many activities that I want to do, and too little time to do everything. My schedule is challenging, and if I didn't have hobbies, sports, and friends, I would have no problem fulfilling all requirements of my classes. But unfortunately, that is not the case.  I'm afraid my procrastination is getting the better of me, and if I don't get back on track, I will be very disappointed in my performance, and in myself. I know I am better than this. So, I decided to google how to avoid the premature senior slump. Nothing really good was found, so I'm just going to tell you my plan. Hopefully this will help you as well.
Using my planner. Seems like a baby step, but then atleast I can visually see deadlines. Also, not saving all homework for Sunday. Which means doing a little every night.I might even make a daily plan for bigger projects. And finally, stop opening facebook, email, or texting while doing homework. Focus is necessary I'm slowly beginning to realize, because when you need to reread what you are doing 60 times because you keep stopping, you aren't exactly being time efficient.
I know those things seem small, but I think they really cut at my main problem.
(Side note) I know my blog is supposed to be about current events and travel, but this is a current event for me so I believe it counts.
Sincerely Sydney

Some People Just Make You Feel Bad For Humanity

Example. Michele Bachmann. Every single time she opens her mouth, I feel a deep longing for her to close it again. Never is there a word out of that mouth that sounds intelligent it seems. Yes, we all have our slip ups. I, for example, infamously always us the word swim instead of swimming (like, You are so good at swim!). But, hers seem to happen much more often than should be expected of someone who obviously has to plan her speeches. Or of someone running for president. Each slip up is not winning her more votes, I can assure you. So today, I will be talking about someone who is arguably the disgrace of our country, Michele Bachmann.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-10-craziest-michele-bachmann-quotes

This women seem to have problems saying what she means. Either that or she is truly just an idiot. Examples: "Not all cultures are equal."-- Michele Bachmann. I think that sums it all up actually. Truly ignorant. How do we let someone like this be considered a politician? I mean she is looking out for us, trying to protect us from the Soviet Union (which was forced out of Russia/ disbanded in 1991); a little behind the times, but it was valid in the 20th Century. She also tries to keep us culturally aware, having us wish Elvis Presley "Happy Birthday" during her Take America Back tour. Sure, it was his death day not his birthday, but it's the thought that counts, right? Her excuse for her MANY slip ups? "When you speak six times a day, slip-ups can occur." Enlightening. Maybe she should talk less then.
I've recently have come across an article that made me actually feel bad for Mrs. Bachmann.