It is a Sunday night and my whole family is sitting in the living room, the TV is on but the only one watching is my brother who’s eyes are glued to the screen. My dad is sitting on the chair with his laptop on his lap, I too am on my laptop sitting next to him. My sisters are both on the ground with earplugs in, on their iPod touches, and my mom sitting on another chair with her cell phone checking her email. This is not unusual for my family to all be sitting in one room, not talking but on their own electronic device. It is during one of these scenes that it occurs to me how much Americans today rely on their, cell phones, lap tops and other sources of technology. Newsweek published an article in July of 2008 saying that 85% of Americans have cell phones, 84% have DVD players, 80% have a PC or Mac, 69% have a digital camera, and 40% have an iPod or MP3 player. These are just the beginning of all the technology that we Americans depend on. If fact most people who own a cell phone would say they could not live with out it.
Now that people are relying so much on their technology they have begun to come up with a way to fit all of it into one. Take Apple's I phone for example, this a cell phone that can hold contacts, planner, camera, music, directions as well as calling, texting, getting online, checking your email and there is room to spare for games. An I phone as all the same features as a laptop, palm pilot, iPod, cell phone, digital camera, email, GPS and a game boy but with this you can fit in all into the palm of your hand, who wouldn't want it? But with technology surrounding us everywhere we go we are beginning to go to it for our problems, need an answer to hard question all you need to do is hop online and look it up. TV is giving our options and by telling us how to think or feel. Meals can now be cook in on minute rather than hours of hard laboring. Cars allow getting from place to another quicker and easier. But without all this help from technology could we do things ourselves? Lets face it, technology makes our lives easier, help us get through our daily lives without as much hassle, in fact for people who have grown up like me, life without technology seem well. . . unimaginable, and it is hard believe that 50 years ago none of this stuff existed. In fact people 50 years vary little if not no technology, even my grandpa grew up without plumbing! Obviously life is possible with out technology.
Grated good has come from it as well. Hospitals now have better technology making surgery easier, quicker and less painful. Today it is also easier to stay in touch with family and friends from far away places, take it from someone who knows staying in touch is hard, but texting, email, Instant messaging and group sites like face book or MySpace has made it a whole lot easier.
A lot of good has come from technology but with such a big power comes big responsibility, its good to meet face to face with someone, and go for a walk rather than watch TV. Technology isn’t a bad thing it has helped make lots of advances but if we rely on it took much it leads to trouble. So get off the computer, and go over to your friends house, or sit down an write a letter to your grandma, its not to late to change some of your ways and move into the future without being dependent on technology.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Move me by Jake Ross-Sheehy
Mo-ti-va-tion adj; used to describe the false sense of enthusiasim [sic] one shows to get their jackass boss to leave them alone (Urban Dictionary)
Now, I bet a lot of people are going to be like, “nuh-uh, you’re so wrong”. Well, what do they know about motivation? Who are they to truly understand the meaning behind it?
What I’m really asking is what is motivation? It doesn’t have much of an effect on success because if someone has brains, they can half-ass almost everything and still pass with flying colors (if they’re lucky and know how to “work” people). Sometimes people are short on brilliance, but pour their blood, sweat, and tears into all of their work and still barely scrape by.
Don’t get me wrong; motivation can affect your life in great ways. For example, people who are motivated tend to do their homework, they might learn to play guitar *well*, and maybe even have a life on Friday nights.
But why would they do their homework when they get B’s on their tests anyway? Why would they play an instrument when they could just listen to people who have an idea of what they’re doing? Who needs friends?
If you’re like me, you’d understand these thoughts, perhaps even had similar ones. It’s not that we’re just lazy, or at least I speak for myself, I don’t do nothing by choice, in fact it frustrates me quite a lot and I bet I’m not the only one. But that’s not the worst part, there’s this idea that if you punish kids for being lazy they wont do it again -- but that’s not helping anything, in fact it’s probably hurting. Even if by some miracle it actually worked, you’d still risk making those poor kids go insane under all that pressure.
Now I’m not saying you should give all unmotivated students straight A’s, that would just be a bad idea, all I’m saying is that maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge us as unworthy, or as slackers, because some of us can’t control it.
Obviously we all will have to learn to get around it at some point or time, or we’d all end up on the streets (and I hate the cold). But no one can help us, this is something we have to learn on our own. If you try and punish us, we’ll take it and then proceed to do it again, because one thing that all unmotivated people have in common is a thick skin (metaphorically speaking, of course).
So what I’m really trying to say here is, mind your own business, this is our problem, our curse, and nobody can help us but ourselves. Do us all a favor and be understanding for once.
Now, I bet a lot of people are going to be like, “nuh-uh, you’re so wrong”. Well, what do they know about motivation? Who are they to truly understand the meaning behind it?
What I’m really asking is what is motivation? It doesn’t have much of an effect on success because if someone has brains, they can half-ass almost everything and still pass with flying colors (if they’re lucky and know how to “work” people). Sometimes people are short on brilliance, but pour their blood, sweat, and tears into all of their work and still barely scrape by.
Don’t get me wrong; motivation can affect your life in great ways. For example, people who are motivated tend to do their homework, they might learn to play guitar *well*, and maybe even have a life on Friday nights.
But why would they do their homework when they get B’s on their tests anyway? Why would they play an instrument when they could just listen to people who have an idea of what they’re doing? Who needs friends?
If you’re like me, you’d understand these thoughts, perhaps even had similar ones. It’s not that we’re just lazy, or at least I speak for myself, I don’t do nothing by choice, in fact it frustrates me quite a lot and I bet I’m not the only one. But that’s not the worst part, there’s this idea that if you punish kids for being lazy they wont do it again -- but that’s not helping anything, in fact it’s probably hurting. Even if by some miracle it actually worked, you’d still risk making those poor kids go insane under all that pressure.
Now I’m not saying you should give all unmotivated students straight A’s, that would just be a bad idea, all I’m saying is that maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge us as unworthy, or as slackers, because some of us can’t control it.
Obviously we all will have to learn to get around it at some point or time, or we’d all end up on the streets (and I hate the cold). But no one can help us, this is something we have to learn on our own. If you try and punish us, we’ll take it and then proceed to do it again, because one thing that all unmotivated people have in common is a thick skin (metaphorically speaking, of course).
So what I’m really trying to say here is, mind your own business, this is our problem, our curse, and nobody can help us but ourselves. Do us all a favor and be understanding for once.
Come On Ref! - India Goss
You're at a (insert your favorite sport here) game. Your favorite team is up against the leading team in the nation. If your team wins, they get into the playoffs. You are sitting on the bleachers with popcorn and soda, enjoying the fans screaming around you and the anticipation of the latest time-out. The band plays your team’s theme song and the announcer continues to shout out statistics and MVPs. Thirty seconds are left on the clock and your team is a point away from the big win. Players are released from their time-out session. One more play can be made. The play starts then… wait… what?! Someone blows a whistle. You sit in great agony as you hope that the call is on the opposing team. The call stands against your team. The crowd then roars with the common, “BOOOO! COME ON REF!”
Now I know I’m not the most sports-worthy writer in my intro into journalism class. There are many other people that could do a better job. But I do know this, whether your team is losing or winning, the referees of any sport gets blamed for making a bad call, even if your team just messed up and rightfully deserves the call on the field, the ref is the one who made the mistake. I believe there are three instances in which the referees are publicly noticed by everyone in the stadium.
1. The obvious mistake
This is the instance in which the official or referee really does make a mistake. In this case the poor men in zebra costumes are humiliated by everyone’s “Boos” and “What were you thinking?” calls from their seats. This instance is usually caused if no one was really traveling, that was so holding or duh, that was NOT a strike. Even if the referee tripped wrong or made a funny signal with his hands or body, if the reputation of the referee has been bad throughout the game, the ref will soon be humiliated by laughs and whistles from the crazy fans.
2. The “good” call
In this instance, the official does make the right call (which is, actually, the majority of the time). When officials go to sleep at night they dream of a place where people shout out, “Good for the official!” I mean, being a referee/official is a hard job. Getting the right call in there a couple times should be praised by the judgmental audience. The crowd roars with “Yay!” and “Good job ref!” even if the call is against their team. The official bows with happiness and skips back to his job. Well, only in Referee Heaven.
No, but really, even if the official makes the right call, the crowd is furious and steam fires through their ears. Usually this type of hatred comes at the end of a close game where the official has the power to either let your team win, or lose. If they choose that your team has better sportsmanship and can take the call against them (as they usually do) the onlookers are… well let’s just say VERY angry. Sayings like “What game are you playin’ ref?” the occasional “What the &%*@ are you doin’ ref?”or “Is this your first day ref?” are constantly heard. In this situation the refs must be thinking, “These people are idiots.”
Are we really idiots? Or are those prison escapers the stupid idiots making the wrong calls against OUR team?
3. The really good call
In this case, the official does the right thing in the eyes of the crowd (a.k.a. the official makes the call in favor of the home team) and, therefore, gets praised for it. The fans scream and yell with happiness. Now, the official shows no sign of being content with his good call. He doesn’t show unsportsmanlike conduct by raising his hands in the air asking for the crowd’s cheers and approval. Nor does he put his hand up against his ear acting like he can’t hear the screaming that is obviously loud enough for the whole town to hear. In this situation, the ref is the humble man in a silly uniform that, in this rare case, is getting approval for doing his job.
In these three situations refs find themselves in, it would be good to meditate on our reactions to their calls. Why do we hate on a man who is just doing his job? After all, hasn’t he come, taking time out of his life, to give us the entertainment that without him would not exist? Should we not be thanking this man who has come fully aware of what the crowd may say or even do to him? Well, I leave this in your hands to figure out for yourself. But think about this… maybe next time we could show our support to these underappreciated refs by, not necessarily cheering them on, but just by keeping quiet when a call against our team is made.
I have the tendency to be “mean” to the ref with boo’s when the call was clearly not what he claims it was. But he is just doing his job. And how would we feel if every time we made a mistake (or even if we didn’t actually make a mistake) in our job people booed us, told us to get out of the building or threw things at us? .
In the end, the saying holds true… “An official is only as good as his last call.” So next time you’re sitting in your stellar seats, sipping a cold coca-cola, enjoying the game you’re attending and then a serious disturbance whistles at your team, think twice about imagining the ref shot down then and there. Even if you don’t think it at this moment in your life, you’ll be happy he’s alive in the minute time span it takes to call a foul on the opposing team.
Now I know I’m not the most sports-worthy writer in my intro into journalism class. There are many other people that could do a better job. But I do know this, whether your team is losing or winning, the referees of any sport gets blamed for making a bad call, even if your team just messed up and rightfully deserves the call on the field, the ref is the one who made the mistake. I believe there are three instances in which the referees are publicly noticed by everyone in the stadium.
1. The obvious mistake
This is the instance in which the official or referee really does make a mistake. In this case the poor men in zebra costumes are humiliated by everyone’s “Boos” and “What were you thinking?” calls from their seats. This instance is usually caused if no one was really traveling, that was so holding or duh, that was NOT a strike. Even if the referee tripped wrong or made a funny signal with his hands or body, if the reputation of the referee has been bad throughout the game, the ref will soon be humiliated by laughs and whistles from the crazy fans.
2. The “good” call
In this instance, the official does make the right call (which is, actually, the majority of the time). When officials go to sleep at night they dream of a place where people shout out, “Good for the official!” I mean, being a referee/official is a hard job. Getting the right call in there a couple times should be praised by the judgmental audience. The crowd roars with “Yay!” and “Good job ref!” even if the call is against their team. The official bows with happiness and skips back to his job. Well, only in Referee Heaven.
No, but really, even if the official makes the right call, the crowd is furious and steam fires through their ears. Usually this type of hatred comes at the end of a close game where the official has the power to either let your team win, or lose. If they choose that your team has better sportsmanship and can take the call against them (as they usually do) the onlookers are… well let’s just say VERY angry. Sayings like “What game are you playin’ ref?” the occasional “What the &%*@ are you doin’ ref?”or “Is this your first day ref?” are constantly heard. In this situation the refs must be thinking, “These people are idiots.”
Are we really idiots? Or are those prison escapers the stupid idiots making the wrong calls against OUR team?
3. The really good call
In this case, the official does the right thing in the eyes of the crowd (a.k.a. the official makes the call in favor of the home team) and, therefore, gets praised for it. The fans scream and yell with happiness. Now, the official shows no sign of being content with his good call. He doesn’t show unsportsmanlike conduct by raising his hands in the air asking for the crowd’s cheers and approval. Nor does he put his hand up against his ear acting like he can’t hear the screaming that is obviously loud enough for the whole town to hear. In this situation, the ref is the humble man in a silly uniform that, in this rare case, is getting approval for doing his job.
In these three situations refs find themselves in, it would be good to meditate on our reactions to their calls. Why do we hate on a man who is just doing his job? After all, hasn’t he come, taking time out of his life, to give us the entertainment that without him would not exist? Should we not be thanking this man who has come fully aware of what the crowd may say or even do to him? Well, I leave this in your hands to figure out for yourself. But think about this… maybe next time we could show our support to these underappreciated refs by, not necessarily cheering them on, but just by keeping quiet when a call against our team is made.
I have the tendency to be “mean” to the ref with boo’s when the call was clearly not what he claims it was. But he is just doing his job. And how would we feel if every time we made a mistake (or even if we didn’t actually make a mistake) in our job people booed us, told us to get out of the building or threw things at us? .
In the end, the saying holds true… “An official is only as good as his last call.” So next time you’re sitting in your stellar seats, sipping a cold coca-cola, enjoying the game you’re attending and then a serious disturbance whistles at your team, think twice about imagining the ref shot down then and there. Even if you don’t think it at this moment in your life, you’ll be happy he’s alive in the minute time span it takes to call a foul on the opposing team.
Calling all ITunes users- jami mcClain
A buck twenty-nine that’s right. ITunes has decided to raise the prices of their songs in March of ’09. They will raise the prices of their newer songs, and their high definition songs. Also, get this if you want your old songs that you already spent a dollar on (.99) you could pay ten more cents to make it a higher definition what a “bargain.” They did manage to do some good things though. They will lower the prices on their older songs. Some of their old songs will be priced .69 cents. Not all the songs will drop or go up in price some will stay the regular .99. People with mp3 player will now be able to use ITunes to. You won’t have to have an IPod.
This is ridiculous because it’s already enough to pay a dollar just to buy a song. Now people might have to spend as high as a dollar twenty-nine. ITunes already makes a lot of money off their products. The money people will spend on these things will start to add up. Next ITunes could decide to raise the prices on their videos, movies, games, or rentals. People won’t want to spend 387 dollars when if it was .99 cents they could spend 297 dollars. You can buy almost 90 more songs with the difference. The change in ITunes could make buying songs illegally go up some ITunes users won’t want to spend the extra money. If a CD comes out that you like. You Are not going to pay a dollar twenty-nine for the seven songs you like on the album. You might as well go bu7 the whole CD.
ITunes will either suffer from this or just make more money. It probably won’t hurt them. At least you can go, and buy older songs that you never listen to anymore. On the other hand, you now can get your favorite songs from the artists you enjoyed when you were little like the old Brittney spears, backstreet boys. So ITunes music buyers you better hurry up, and buy your songs now!
Uggly Fashion Trend
By: Chelsee Birt
You’ve seen them everywhere. They come in different colors, styles and lengths. Sarah Jessica Parker made them famous when she wore a custom-made pair of ruby red ones in the final season of Sex and the City. No, I’m not talking about Manolo Blaniks. I’m talking about Ugg boots.
It’s almost impossible to step into school and not instantly spot a pair. An outsider would probably think they were part of the dress code. Some may not know this, but Uggs aren’t a new invention. The brand has been around since 1978 when local Australian and Californian surfers used to slip on a cozy pair of the boots after hanging ten. Then in 2002, the trendsetters of Southern California certified them the "it" shoe. Countless celebs were photographed strolling around L.A. wearing them and they quickly became extremely popular. Oprah loved them so much they were on her favorite things’ list in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007. And she is known for setting trends.
Uggs are at the top of most young girls wish lists during the holiday season. If you plan on getting a pair for a loved one, you better plan ahead and get them before Thanksgiving. The demand is so high; it’s harder to find Uggs after Black Friday than it was to find a Tickle Me Elmo during the Christmas of ’96. Since they are so hard to get a hold of, when people finally get a pair, they people choose to wear their coveted suede footwear year round. This perplexes me. I think it’s ironic to sport a pair of suede fluffy lamb boots with daisy dukes or a mini. Why do you need to wear them in the summer when its ninety degrees outside? (Perhaps that’s why Paris always said “that's hot,”… because her feet were roasting!)
To an outsider the Ugg craze may seem ridiculous. I mean, c’mon people, be honest. These things are not the most aesthetically pleasing shoes. They’re chunky, shapeless, and are even downright UGGly. Stacy and Clinton from What not to Wear and many other self proclaimed fashionistas won’t be caught dead in them. Until recently I have strongly agreed. From seventh through tenth grade, I refused to break down and buy a $160 pair of slippers. I was not going to be another clone sporting my Northface, Coach purse, and Uggs. Then something happened that changed my life forever. I was running out the door one day, late as usual, and accidentally grabbed my sister’s pair of chestnut short classic booties. At first I was extremely depressed (tears may have been shed) and contemplated turning around to grab different shoes. In the end however, I came to the conclusion that this was not practical and I sucked it up and went to class. What happened next surprised me. I noticed the shoes were comfortable and I kind of liked them. All day my feet felt as if they were floating on clouds! My toes were so much warmer than in ballet flats or ankle boots. I realized that maybe all those clones were on to something. At the end of the day, I wasn’t crying from blisters the size of quarters that usually resulted from trampling around all day in my BCBG stilettos. These boots were durable, comfy and warm.
After all of this soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that, ugh I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe Uggs are ok. They are definitely not going to “make and outfit” or help you stand out in a crowd of teenage girl; but they are going to keep your little piggy’s warm when it’s below zero outside. So I say, give Ugg boots, Northfaces, and Coach purses a chance. (Maybe just try to avoid all three at once!) And to those who have tried them and still refuse, well, let 'em freeze. Because in the end, who really cares about someone’s boots?
You’ve seen them everywhere. They come in different colors, styles and lengths. Sarah Jessica Parker made them famous when she wore a custom-made pair of ruby red ones in the final season of Sex and the City. No, I’m not talking about Manolo Blaniks. I’m talking about Ugg boots.
It’s almost impossible to step into school and not instantly spot a pair. An outsider would probably think they were part of the dress code. Some may not know this, but Uggs aren’t a new invention. The brand has been around since 1978 when local Australian and Californian surfers used to slip on a cozy pair of the boots after hanging ten. Then in 2002, the trendsetters of Southern California certified them the "it" shoe. Countless celebs were photographed strolling around L.A. wearing them and they quickly became extremely popular. Oprah loved them so much they were on her favorite things’ list in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007. And she is known for setting trends.
Uggs are at the top of most young girls wish lists during the holiday season. If you plan on getting a pair for a loved one, you better plan ahead and get them before Thanksgiving. The demand is so high; it’s harder to find Uggs after Black Friday than it was to find a Tickle Me Elmo during the Christmas of ’96. Since they are so hard to get a hold of, when people finally get a pair, they people choose to wear their coveted suede footwear year round. This perplexes me. I think it’s ironic to sport a pair of suede fluffy lamb boots with daisy dukes or a mini. Why do you need to wear them in the summer when its ninety degrees outside? (Perhaps that’s why Paris always said “that's hot,”… because her feet were roasting!)
To an outsider the Ugg craze may seem ridiculous. I mean, c’mon people, be honest. These things are not the most aesthetically pleasing shoes. They’re chunky, shapeless, and are even downright UGGly. Stacy and Clinton from What not to Wear and many other self proclaimed fashionistas won’t be caught dead in them. Until recently I have strongly agreed. From seventh through tenth grade, I refused to break down and buy a $160 pair of slippers. I was not going to be another clone sporting my Northface, Coach purse, and Uggs. Then something happened that changed my life forever. I was running out the door one day, late as usual, and accidentally grabbed my sister’s pair of chestnut short classic booties. At first I was extremely depressed (tears may have been shed) and contemplated turning around to grab different shoes. In the end however, I came to the conclusion that this was not practical and I sucked it up and went to class. What happened next surprised me. I noticed the shoes were comfortable and I kind of liked them. All day my feet felt as if they were floating on clouds! My toes were so much warmer than in ballet flats or ankle boots. I realized that maybe all those clones were on to something. At the end of the day, I wasn’t crying from blisters the size of quarters that usually resulted from trampling around all day in my BCBG stilettos. These boots were durable, comfy and warm.
After all of this soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that, ugh I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe Uggs are ok. They are definitely not going to “make and outfit” or help you stand out in a crowd of teenage girl; but they are going to keep your little piggy’s warm when it’s below zero outside. So I say, give Ugg boots, Northfaces, and Coach purses a chance. (Maybe just try to avoid all three at once!) And to those who have tried them and still refuse, well, let 'em freeze. Because in the end, who really cares about someone’s boots?
Dude, where's my life? Eleanor Marshall
I’m only a freshman, but already I’m filling up my schedule with every possible activity I can fit in, cramming my days with anything and everything I think I may have some chance of liking. I always make it a point to only involve myself in things I’m actually interested in, but somehow the image of another resume builder tacked on the end of my college application always manages to sneak into the back of my mind.
And obviously, I’m not the only one. We all know that person who’s taken the SAT twice by the time he hit junior high and loaded up his schedule with extracurriculars he doesn’t even like in preparation for his college apps. What we don’t like to admit is that there’s a little bit of him in all of us. After all it’s been hammered into our heads that, especially with this economy, it takes more than good grades to get scholarships. Have you heard about all the kids with 4.0s that are getting turned away from Harvard because they aren’t well-rounded enough? I have. Many, many times.
Yes, college applications and scholarships are great, and even better if they happen to motivate apathetic procrastinators. What’s not so exquisite is when we stop doing things just for the pleasure of them or just because they’re a part of our daily responsibilities. The issue isn’t what we’re doing; it’s what we’re not doing instead. We forget our household tasks and sense of fun because we’re rushing from one resume-builder to another.
We don’t have time to walk our own dogs, but we’re happy to walk abandoned shelter puppies. We’re too tired to empty the dishwasher because we spent the entire evening washing dirty plates and silverware at a charity dinner to benefit the homeless. We’re too busy for arts and crafts night with our friends because we have massive amounts of homework from our AP-laden schedules. We don’t ride our bikes to school because we need our cars to get us there on time for early bird PE.
We all end up with wonderfully complete resumes, but when it comes to becoming complete people, I’m not so sure. We emerge from high school academically ready to take on the world, but lacking the common sense to take on a dorm room. College admissions officers don’t measure how often you help your mom with dinner, do your own laundry, or remember to feed the cat you persuaded Dad to buy you in 4th grade. They don’t count the number of times you were tardy because you helped someone pick up the books she dropped all over the hallway or carried in your elderly neighbor’s groceries.
Being a good person can’t be measured by the number of clubs you join or even the number of volunteer hours you put in. Being a good person is how you act outside of the application, off the resume. It’s all the extra things you do just because they’re right.
I’m not saying you should drop all your clubs, quit doing your homework, and coast through high school. But the next time learning how to cook Mexican food with a group of friends sounds better than an all weekend math competition, or planting a garden sounds better than volunteering at Oaknoll, do it. Your resume will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Your life won’t.
And obviously, I’m not the only one. We all know that person who’s taken the SAT twice by the time he hit junior high and loaded up his schedule with extracurriculars he doesn’t even like in preparation for his college apps. What we don’t like to admit is that there’s a little bit of him in all of us. After all it’s been hammered into our heads that, especially with this economy, it takes more than good grades to get scholarships. Have you heard about all the kids with 4.0s that are getting turned away from Harvard because they aren’t well-rounded enough? I have. Many, many times.
Yes, college applications and scholarships are great, and even better if they happen to motivate apathetic procrastinators. What’s not so exquisite is when we stop doing things just for the pleasure of them or just because they’re a part of our daily responsibilities. The issue isn’t what we’re doing; it’s what we’re not doing instead. We forget our household tasks and sense of fun because we’re rushing from one resume-builder to another.
We don’t have time to walk our own dogs, but we’re happy to walk abandoned shelter puppies. We’re too tired to empty the dishwasher because we spent the entire evening washing dirty plates and silverware at a charity dinner to benefit the homeless. We’re too busy for arts and crafts night with our friends because we have massive amounts of homework from our AP-laden schedules. We don’t ride our bikes to school because we need our cars to get us there on time for early bird PE.
We all end up with wonderfully complete resumes, but when it comes to becoming complete people, I’m not so sure. We emerge from high school academically ready to take on the world, but lacking the common sense to take on a dorm room. College admissions officers don’t measure how often you help your mom with dinner, do your own laundry, or remember to feed the cat you persuaded Dad to buy you in 4th grade. They don’t count the number of times you were tardy because you helped someone pick up the books she dropped all over the hallway or carried in your elderly neighbor’s groceries.
Being a good person can’t be measured by the number of clubs you join or even the number of volunteer hours you put in. Being a good person is how you act outside of the application, off the resume. It’s all the extra things you do just because they’re right.
I’m not saying you should drop all your clubs, quit doing your homework, and coast through high school. But the next time learning how to cook Mexican food with a group of friends sounds better than an all weekend math competition, or planting a garden sounds better than volunteering at Oaknoll, do it. Your resume will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Your life won’t.
Patience, my young padawan
As we near the end of Bush’s reign as President, we can reflect on the many problems that our country has had in the past eight years that may or may not have been his fault. On Jan. 20, we will swear in a new President, Barack Obama. Many people seem to think that all the problems that this country has, such as the economy and the war will magically disappear on this day, too. Well, sorry to break it to you, but they’re not. Oh, they will eventually, but not right away. It’s going to take time, and America is going to have to use a little bit of patience.
Patience seems to be a virtue of the past. These days, people will do anything to save a little bit of time. Multi-tasking is a desired skill. People drive and yak on their cell phones at the same time. They can’t wait five minutes to take the call at a later, not to mention safer, time. But, hey, time is money, as the saying goes. In this era, things are prized for being fast. Faster Internet, faster cars, faster food. Heck, we even have instant oatmeal. We rush through meals, school, even life. Children can’t wait to grow up. When you’re fifteen you want to be sixteen. Sixteen, seventeen. Seventeen, eighteen. Eighteen, nineteen. Nineteen, twenty-one. At each age, we get a new benefit that we weren’t allowed before. But as soon as we gain the power to do one thing, we are instantaneously looking for the next. We can’t stand to wait for anything. If we don’t get instant gratification, we get antsy and upset. We rush through too much in life without taking the time to enjoy anything. So slow down and breathe, for heaven’s sake. Life’s not going anywhere. This isn’t an easy thing for me to say. I am not really a patient person. I won’t even make toast for breakfast because I hate to wait for it to toast. I am constantly being told to wait a minute, take your time and do a good job. Lately, though, it just seems like we could all use a little patience.
As we look ahead to the change in our government, just remember that some things take time, and as the turbulent whirlwind of a year falls behind us, take a moment (you can spare it) to add patience to your list of New Year’s resolutions.
By Laura Stamnes
Patience seems to be a virtue of the past. These days, people will do anything to save a little bit of time. Multi-tasking is a desired skill. People drive and yak on their cell phones at the same time. They can’t wait five minutes to take the call at a later, not to mention safer, time. But, hey, time is money, as the saying goes. In this era, things are prized for being fast. Faster Internet, faster cars, faster food. Heck, we even have instant oatmeal. We rush through meals, school, even life. Children can’t wait to grow up. When you’re fifteen you want to be sixteen. Sixteen, seventeen. Seventeen, eighteen. Eighteen, nineteen. Nineteen, twenty-one. At each age, we get a new benefit that we weren’t allowed before. But as soon as we gain the power to do one thing, we are instantaneously looking for the next. We can’t stand to wait for anything. If we don’t get instant gratification, we get antsy and upset. We rush through too much in life without taking the time to enjoy anything. So slow down and breathe, for heaven’s sake. Life’s not going anywhere. This isn’t an easy thing for me to say. I am not really a patient person. I won’t even make toast for breakfast because I hate to wait for it to toast. I am constantly being told to wait a minute, take your time and do a good job. Lately, though, it just seems like we could all use a little patience.
As we look ahead to the change in our government, just remember that some things take time, and as the turbulent whirlwind of a year falls behind us, take a moment (you can spare it) to add patience to your list of New Year’s resolutions.
By Laura Stamnes
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