Goodricke Week #5

    For the past almost 10 years of my life, I have struggled with anxiety. Before I could even grasp the concepts of basic mathematics, I knew that there was a problem that needed to be sorted out. I was a little wary about talking about something deep like this, but I think bringing it to light takes away the power that it holds over me. I believe this all started when I was around 7 years old. 

    I remember going out to dinner with my family at a sushi place. I think it might have been for my birthday, but I'm not sure. I remember in one of the days that followed, I was at school about to perform in a concert. I recall being in the nurse's office right before because I was extremely nauseous. As I finally gathered myself to join my peers and perform, I realized the show was over. I was standing outside of our cafeteria where they were performing. Then kids, faculty, and parents started to leave. As I opened my mouth to talk to my friends about their performance, I threw up in front of my entire student body. I remember going to the hospital to make sure that I was okay. It turns out that I developed a bacteria called h pylori. This bacteria caused me to be sick all the time and lose weight like crazy. 

    Though I don't fully believe that this was some sort of traumatic experience that caused the entire mental illness that I developed, I believe that this is how my phobia of throwing up started. In the years that followed, I was in the hospital constantly with consistent nausea that would become more severe after eating. They would run test after test to try and find out what was wrong with me. After thousands of dollars and weeks spent at the hospital, they kept saying that there was nothing wrong with me. 

    Year pass and I don't find myself having many run-ins with consistent nausea after eating. This was until around my 14th birthday. I started to feel this debilitating nausea following or even at the thought of eating. My mom took me to the pediatrician to run more tests. My mom immediately thought that I had somehow still had the bacteria. They, once again, ran a bunch of tests and concluded that there was nothing wrong with me. My dad suggested that it was a psychological thing, so I sought out a therapist who could help make sense of that. It was there where I was introduced to the possible answer being anxiety. 

    Fast-forward to the present day, I continue to struggle with this. I've noticed that it has been getting increasingly worse. In fact, today I was convinced that I was gonna be sick at work, so my manager let me come home. I know there's nothing wrong with me physically, but my brain convinces me that I am. There's this whole cycle that my brain goes through that makes it worse and worse. I have a phobia of throwing up, so when I feel anxious it makes me nauseous, which makes me more anxious, and on and on. I know that there are resources that I could seek out in order to start helping this go away, but I am finding that I don't have that much to do so with work, school, and other extracurricular activities that I'm apart of. However, I WILL make the time, and so should you if you find that you struggle with any mental issues.

    Taking care of your psychological health is incredibly important. I know for myself, I often believe that I can solve everything by myself, which is not the case. There is nothing wrong or shameful about asking for help. Please take care of yourselves, everyone!

I couldn't think of a picture to put here so here's
Ariana Grande :)

Sheka Week 5

 Stuck in the House

I am currently self-isolating at home, and it is my least favourite thing ever. Why do I have to self-isolate? I hadn’t recently traveled out of state, or gone out without a mask, so I had been doing everything right. Well, everything except showing up to swim practice apparently. Two of our coaches tested positive for COVID-19, so our entire swim team had to quarantine because we were technically in close contact. 

I’m not the only one who’s upset. A lot of the kids on the team are frustrated because we had been taking so many precautions in case something like this would happen. We all assumed that those precautions would allow us to continue practices in the case that someone tested positive, never mind being able to attend school and be around other people. But here we are. Stuck in the house, rest of our families at work or school, stressed out of our minds. 

They said that we’re allowed to come back next week if we haven’t tested positive, and it cannot come fast enough. I’m fine being by myself or not being around other people, but the minute someone told me that I have to, I started to lose my mind. I’ve kind of been wandering around in a haze over these past few days. This is the first time I’ve had to actually self-isolate. I haven’t been out of the state since quarantine began, and no one in my family had tested positive. If at least one person in my household was also ordered to self-isolate, I would feel less stressed. Alas, that’s not the case. Wish me luck for the rest of the week.

Grimm Week #5

Singing and Donating

    About four months ago my vocal teacher and I both caught COVID-19. To this day we both don't know who passed it to us or even if we gave it to each other. I won't bring up precautions we took because it's uninteresting and not important to the story, but they existed and still do. Connie, my teacher, and I made a pact to donate our plasma together once we knew we were virus free. And so we did. 

    About two weeks ago her and I met up at the Miller-Keystone Blood Center to donate. I had a vague idea of what we were going to go through from the internet, but ultimately was naive to what was about to take place. I found myself nervously filling out the most repetitive questionnaire I've ever taken prior to testing. A lot of the questions were seemed both unnecessary and offensive, but that's besides the point. We then proceeded to the little offices to finalize our paperwork. There was a big packet of medications and other things that would terminate our visit if we had taken them recently. My eyes stopped on an acne medication I take and I instantly told the nurse. She began to void the appointment and called another nurse for help while I sat there feeling like a total failure and embarrassment. Thankfully I looked up the medication and it was actually not the same one I take. The name was longer and the steroid was one hundred times stronger than mine. Saved the day with that one, thank you inter-webs.

    Probably the most hilarious part of the trip happened when the nurses tried to seat my teacher and I in blood donating chairs a mile apart. We called up a week in advance to get an appointment together so Connie was not going to have us separated. I was just chilling in my chair freaking out about the inevitable needle and I hear Connie's nurse tell mine something like "she's not cooperating." Connie was ready to throw a tantrum I think, no, I'm just joking, we would've just donated separately if we had too. Thankfully they moved me to the machine right next to her, it was just a newer one that needed to be cleaned so I had to wait longer.

    The nurses were very, very chatty. They actually called Connie my mother several times before we corrected them. She could be. They hooked us up and we had to pump our blood through the system by squeezing this stress ball. I found it really difficult because my machine wouldn't let me know when my blood was done being extracted. The way the plasma donation works is the blood is taken out and then separated. After a minute or so of extraction the machine then feeds you back the rest of your blood except the plasma of course. Everyone else's machine would beep letting them know they were in a "return," mine, ironically being newer, did not which was more difficult. In between the donating we got a choice of almost any junk food you could imagine because salty, sweet, carb(y) snacks are good for donators to have. We got girl scout cookies right from the fridge and that was everything. Somehow Connie convinced me to let her show the nurses a video of me singing, cause she's a proud "mom" and they loved it, I think. It was really embarrassing for me, but at least it wasn't a bad video.

    After an hour we had finished eating and pumping. I can't say how incredibly rewarding it is to donate. I highly recommend it to anyone who is in good health. If you can't donate blood than the facility also takes money and food donations. We asked, and the nurses said the companies income is mainly from a transfer fee, of the blood they give to hospitals and wherever, which is not much. I have to wait a good few weeks, but I will go back and can't wait for more cookies!

Dawe: Week 5

 

 Finding Happiness Through Pets  

    One of the things that brings me the most joy in life is taking care of my guinea pigs.

That may sound weird that a 16-year-old girl has two guinea pigs but in actuality, they are just

as hard to take care of as a cat. 

    Many do not know this but guinea pigs actually need to have a full balanced diet in order to live long and have a healthy life. They need fresh hay and vegetables every day and pellets to give them the nutrition that may be lacking from the chosen vegetables. A bowl of pellets and a carrot every few days is not nearly enough to keep guinea pigs healthy. 

    Guinea pigs can also not live alone or they will become depressed and actually live a shorter life. Just like humans, if we were told to live alone with no other human contact, we would go insane and fall into a depression. We need people to talk to and others to provide us with comfort, so it shouldn't be hard to understand that other animals need this too.

     You may also be thinking why would I put so much effort into taking care of a rodent that is only going to live for a few years? The truth is, that I just love taking care of animals. I love chopping up their veggies and waking up to them practically screaming for breakfast. I love seeing how happy they are to see me and how excited they get over food. I love watching them play with each other and munch down on their veggies. 

    I wouldn't encourage everyone to get guinea pigs due to how much work they can be. But I would encourage everyone to find something in life that will just bring a smile to their face every morning like my pigs have done for me. I know this is a very simple topic to write about, but during these hard times during the pandemic, I just wanted to write about something that makes me happy.

                                                       My guinea pigs Sam and Bailey

Buezo Week 5

                                                    WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA SO ADDICTING?

    I really don't know why social media is addicting and obsessive for no reason. So while I write this blog, I will educate you and myself by doing some research. I hope the more I educate myself about social media, and the negative consequences, I will take that into account each day, and work on myself. The reason why this popped up in my mind is because this morning I woke up, sat on my phone for 20 minutes, just blatantly wasting my time. When I realized what I was doing I was so mad at myself. I could have used that time to dress up,  make myself breakfast, arrived to school earlier, or even find a better parking spot. 

    The first place I decided to get some information on was the addiction center. What I have learned is that about %5 to 10% of the people in our country has a real addiction to social media. The reason why people are so drawn to it, is because apparently because they care about what others think of them through social media. It becomes an addiction when it impairs important life events. Common symptoms of social media addiction is letting ones mood be determined by the engagement of a post, or even withdrawal signs of not being able to log on for a certain amount of time leading to bad moods.

    Now let's go back to the original question, why is social media so addicting? According to The Addiction Center "social media addiction can largely be contributed to the dopamine-inducing social environments that social networking sites provide." The big take away I got from the article I read from the addiction center is that people see "likes and retweets act as a reward to the brain that trigger a chemical acts as drugs." (addictioncenter.org) Often times I used to see myself scrolling to see who liked my picture and how many likes I got. I will admit I know I have stopped doing this significantly for two reasons, one the algorithm of instagram makes it hard for peoples post to be see, which means the engagement has gone down, and two I realized I was obsessing over something that I had no control over. It made me feel insane. The more I educated myself about social media the more I realized how awful the effects of it are. Next time you catch yourself constantly refreshing, remind yourself you can't control the internet, and it is awful for your mental health.  

addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

Hunter Week Five

 Making The Best Out of Bad Situations

    Here we are, February 2021, still fighting the pandemic. As I look back on the photos taken on March 13th, 2020, I can hardly recognize the girl within them. Though I have the same skin and music taste, I have rearranged every aspect of my life. Remaining in the same four walls, alone will do that to you. 

    Fortunately, I have had it better than most, seeing as though I have only lost one distant family member and my immediate family has not had any exposure scares. Millions have died, lost their jobs, dealt with horrible mental health conditions, missed their last year of high school/college, etc. 

    I, along with many of you, am using this extra time and lonesomeness to my advantage. I began isolation sleeping until 2 pm, watching Glee for the 17th time (not an exaggeration), and dwelling on the things COVID has taken away. I don’t know why, when, or how, but the determination to achieve personal growth began to magnify within me.

    Life doesn't stop because of a pandemic, it just (safely) alters. Luckily, hiking is one of my favorite things to do. The gift of free time and the ability to maintain social distance within the activity led me to become obsessive. Though that word sometimes has a negative connotation, that is not the case. Reconnecting with nature helps me embrace my truest self as well as keep me grounded. I did not know then but realizing this connection let me overcome losing myself. 

    My dad and I share the need for adventure within the outdoors, so getting out was not an issue. Because all of our summer plans fell through, we went on a road trip spent strictly outside. On a whim, my dad and I tested negative for COVID, and drove to Bar Harbor, Maine (Acadia National Park) at 7 am the next morning. My favorite song, "Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac, was on repeat as we glided down the coastal highway. We had a wonderful time, and more importantly, we did it safely. Activities such as hiking, camping, sunset chasing, and sleeping on the beach remind me that you can find happiness anywhere. 

    Our adventure led me to return home with a mindset full of productivity and optimism. There is no more sleeping all day out of boredom, or complaining about everything I cannot do. Instead, I try to work around the circumstances given. Doing so has surprisingly changed my life, considering the situation in which my high school years have occurred. I feel like myself when I am in the midst of a forest, and I feel so grateful to have had that realization. Going to Maine during this time of crisis taught me how to make the best out of a bad situation. Oh, and also, nature cures boredom, so go outside!

Sunrise from Cadillac Mountian!

 

A photo from the Eagle Lake trail!

Falzone H. Week #5

                                                                          Nurtured by Music        

        Human beings learn from one another and grow from each other. We absorb things and tend to mirror who we spend the most time with. The younger our brains, the more impressionable, or easily molded and changed. The biggest time of influence is within our adolescent years, and more specifically our childhood. How you were raised, how your parents acted, how an older sibling acted, if you had one, all affect how you act and see the world, leaving little impressions on you that influence how you respond to life scenarios. You are also influenced by the culture you are brought up in and your economic situation. It is proven that children born into poverty or a family with substance abuse are more likely to be unable to escape this poverty in their future. As a product of a stable family, with a happy and healthy childhood, I believe this has largely contributed to my success in school and in life. I also believe one of my greatest influences comes from sound and the way I was engulfed in sounds from a young age.

        One of the biggest influences in my life was music. Everything my sister and I did when we were younger involved music and even today we are constantly singing or humming a melody. These melodies are planted in my childhood. Like little seeds sprinkled throughout my memories, this process started when I was just a baby and my mother would constantly play different songs to soothe us or my dad would play his country songs so we could dance to them. When a certain song comes on the radio today it can instantly take me back to a place or a memory from years ago, unlocking it with the lyrics that fit like a key. I live for these moments when whole memories I didn’t realize I had, come pouring back with each verse of the song. Growing up in a house where music was a great influence I experienced it in my day-to-day life. I would wake up to my mom singing around the house and go to bed to the lullaby my mother had crafted that incorporated a well-known prayer from our prayer book and then prayers for my whole family. She had geniously positioned words and lyrics together that allowed us to say our goodnight prayers as a family while singing along to the melody she had written.         When I reached an age where I could finally choose the music I wanted to listen to, I chose a country-pop genre that consisted of songs by Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. As a young and impressionable child, I adored both of these artists and wholeheartedly wanted to be exactly like them. From Taylor's blonde curly hair to Carrie Underwood's sparkly style, these successful women became huge influences and role models for me as I bought into every word they sang.         Each and every song written by them, I committed to memory and played over and over on my CD player while dancing and screaming the lyrics. As a huge “Swiftie”, I let Taylor’s words and guidance change my life and influence who I am. I was driving home the other day listening to her music and Carrie Underwood’s and thought to myself how different my life would be, had I never heard their songs. Their songs provided the background music to my whole life and a remedy for any mood I was feeling. As a 4-year-old shouting about relationships, I never realized it would influence my life and outlook, or relationships now. As I relisten to songs like Two Black Cadillacs by Carrie Underwood, I finally understand the message and cannot help but realize the morbidity of what I was singing so many years ago. These two artists have greatly affected and molded my whole adolescent life. Their songs brought me comfort both then and now and continue to offer advice and messages, I relate to now more than ever.         Music has been my guiding light and something I was born into and nurtured in. Without my parent’s musicality and love for sound, or my discovery of powerful female artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, I would definitely lead a different life. I believe music brings happiness, memories, and families closer together. Singing together as a family and having fun while trying to harmonize or combine voices has shaped me by allowing me to grow closer to my family and find inspiration through music and its message.

At a Vespers singing service

Brougham Week 5

 Ariana Grande's best album

This friday, February 19th 2021, Ariana Grande releases the deluxe version of her 6th studio album Positions. For those who don't know, Ariana is my favorite artist, as well as favorite person in the world. In honor of this deluxe album, I wanted to write my blog about her BEST album, Sweetener.

Sweetener was Grande's fourth studio album which was released on August 17th, 2018, and consists of fifteen tracks, resulting in 47 minutes and 25 seconds of pure serotonin. This album was her first release after a terrorist attack left multiple dead at one of her concerts. Ariana faced a lot of backlash for this event due to lack of security, however no amount of security could have stopped this bombing from happening. Because of this, there was a lot of eyes on Ariana and this album.

The first four tracks on this album, Raindrops, Blazed, The Light is Coming ft. Nicki Minaj, and R.E.M. all set a very optimistic tone. All four of these songs make you feel very happy and almost like you are floating. This is a theme throughout the whole album. At track number five, we have God is a Woman, the second of three singles on this album. God is a Woman sets a tone of empowerment. The chorus, the choir, and Grande's voice all result in a very emotional and powerful song. The next two tracks, Sweetener and Successful, are two good songs, however my least two favorite songs off of the album. Not skip worthy, but out shined by others. Overall, the first half of this album is very strong.

The last half of the album is what sets it apart from her other excellent albums. At track number eight, we have an emotional message in a somewhat upbeat song, which results in arguably her best song ever written. It is a hidden gem, and top 2 on the album for me. Tracks 9 and 10 are her other two singles, Breathin and No Tears Left To Cry. Breathin is a good song, but NTLTC is a fantastic song. When thinking of this as her big comeback song after the bombing of her Manchester bombing, the message is very powerful. Track eleven is Borderline ft Missy Elliot, a good song weighed down by Missy. Twelve and thirteen are two amazing songs, Better off and Goodnight N Go. The latter is my favorite track off of the album, while the former is top 5 for me. Number fourteen is a minute ode titled Pete Davidson, a message to her then fiance. Then the album ends very strongly with Get Well Soon, which finished out my top 3 tracks on this album.

Overall, there are three no skip Ariana Grande albums for me, however this one sets a tone that is unmatched by any other. Sweetener is her best studio album yet.

Cover of the Sweetener album

Cuevas Week 5

 Take Care :)

    We are currently in the third week of the second semester of our junior year. As I am sure you all can relate, I am tired. The pressure and expectations of a normal junior year would be exhausting enough, but we unlucky children of the COVID-era are forced to meet the same expectations with half of the learning experience. This hybrid cyberlearning has been grueling and ultimately unrewarding. We all are tired- and there's nothing we can do about it.

    I’ve been trying to have an optimistic outlook regarding this new learning style. I've appreciated sleeping in late, eating whenever I want, and staying in the comfort of my bed. But after a while, reality begins to catch up with me. I've always been a bit of an overachiever- one who sets a bar for themselves so high, I must work and grind and jump to reach it. Every time I reach that bar I push it higher. How can I even get close to the bar when there's a new, unchanging obstacle blocking the way up? I’ve been working twice as hard, trying to do just as well or better than I have in the past, hindered by this new obstacle. Still, I feel behind, and like I’m not good enough or working hard enough. I know I am, but our new learning environment can trick us like that.

    We have all been spending so much time trying to overachieve in an environment where simply achieving is twice is hard. This constant pressure can be distracting from important things, like self-care. We cannot forget how important our mental and physical health is- how we can not even come close to succeeding without it, and therefore should not let it slip away in the haze of pressure and unrealistic expectations.

    I find myself working extremely hard and feeling unrewarded- simply tired and unmotivated. I look around at my messy room, the acne on my face, the old clothes I’m wearing, and the bags under my eyes, and question whether or not feeling this way is worth the result. You’re all AP students, I know you. I guarantee you have felt the same.

    The answer to that hopeless question is not simple, but it is important. We can find a balance in our lives that allows us to do well and be well. We just need to take care of ourselves and understand that those excruciating expectations aren’t everything. We are all incredibly smart people, that's why we're in this class writing these blog posts right now. We just need to do the best we can in this difficult environment. Just by taking care of ourselves and doing our best, we are overachieving. So please, my friends. Get a good night's sleep, eat a good meal, clean your room, and drink some water. You deserve it. I’m proud of you.

My dog! Dogs make people happy :)

Regan Week #5

Birthday Twins

    

    Something special about my oldest sister, Claire, and I is that we share a birthday (July 11), but we are four years apart. I was due to come on July 4, so my mom didn't think that I would have been born on Claire's birthday. At first, my mom was nervous that Claire was going to be really upset about having to share a birthday with me, but she was actually excited! We have spent every birthday together, and each year I get more and more excited to spend the next birthday with her. 

    When I was younger, I wasn't as excited as Claire was. It actually bothered me a lot. Grasping the concept that it was to be shared and we had to compromise on the things we did for the day was very difficult for me. Looking back at it now, I can't believe I was so upset over this. I remember being so frustrated on my past birthdays for the sole reason of having to share it. I have to admit, for a while I was very self-centered, and I wanted the whole day to be about me. It wasn't until I was about ten or eleven when I started to actually enjoy a combined birthday!

    

    As I have grown and matured, I now love sharing a birthday. I think being able to celebrate our birthdays together is something very special, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Because our birthday is in the summer, we always have something super fun planned. Whether it is a trip to the beach or even just lounging outside by the pool, I love being able to spend it with Claire!

This is Claire and me on her eleventh birthday and my seventh birthday. 

Ahearn Week 5

 A Growing Family

I never really sat down and looked back when it was just me and my parents. It seems like my brother has always been part of our family, but there was a long period of time that they weren’t. I am the oldest of three children; I am 17, Patrick is 9, and Luke is 6. I was born in Delaware and shortly after, my parents and I moved to the Poconos. My family moved to the Poconos when I was about 3. We had a cute little playset in our backyard where my parents would push me on the swings until the sunset. We also had our own little garden so we could grow pumpkins, tomatoes, and all of our favorite veggies. For a while, it was just the three of us. Family vacations, road trips, holidays, grocery shopping, and family game nights were all done by just the three of us. I never envisioned having siblings in my life until they were actually here. 

My family moved to Lower Nazareth when I was going into first grade and my brother Patrick was born that same year in the summer. It was definitely a big change to our family dynamics. For 8 years it had just been the three of us and now we had a new baby in the home. At first, it was definitely different, but then we all got used to the different dynamics in our household. Patrick hit all of his baby milestones and it was amazing watching him grow up and being there as a role model for him. 

Shortly after Patrick started growing, Luke was born. There is only a three-year age gap between the two. When Luke came home from the hospital, I was more comfortable because I remembered what it was like when Patrick came home for the first time. Although it was a smooth transition for me, I know it was a little different for Patrick. Patrick was used to being the young one and the little kid in our house and Luke coming home meant he was no longer my parents' “little baby” anymore. It was weird having another newborn in the house again, but it was so much fun. Patrick and I were eager to be Luke’s role models. Luke in particular, is a very quick learner, so it was amazing to watch him go from crawling to walking, to running, and to climbing and exploring. He was eager to learn and Patrick and I were eager to teach him. 

Overall, my family has changed a lot from when I was a toddler to the present day. We have moved multiple times, our family has grown, we’ve made new traditions, but most importantly we have created some of the best memories. It is crazy to think at one point I was an only child without my brothers in my life. They are my best friends and have given me some of the most precious memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

My brothers and I on vacation during 2019. 

Falzone M. Week 5 American Idol Let Down

American Idol Let Down

This week on American Idol, the viewers were surprised by an audition from 16-year-old Claudia Conway, daughter of Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to the president and outspoken advocate of Donald Trump, and George Conway, high profile lawyer, and public opposer to Trump. I have been following Claudia Conway over the past several months through her “exposures of her mother”, “trying to get her mother arrested”, and then “support of her mother” all documented on her whirlwind involvement on the platform of TikTok. Through all of these videos, this outspoken and at times, the defiant girl has been involved in scandal after scandal. This left me surprised when she appeared on American Idol assuming a new persona as her highly problematic family all appeared in support of her audition. The viewers saw a young girl, torn apart from the life of living in a family that had different values and beliefs than she. Needless to say, I was confused but also suspicious of her “story,”

Although there were many teasers leading up to this moment, I still believe that it was a shock to see this controversial influencer participate in a show which highlights the dreams of Americans all over the country. Surprisingly, or not very surprisingly her appearance was not well received by viewers. I was left unimpressed by a pitchy and strained performance of When We Were Young by Adele. Not only did I find that she had an unfair advantage, being allowed to sing 2 songs when her first song crashed and burned, but I also saw the judges coaching her on singing with emotion, something I did not see them doing for many of the other contestants. I found this extremely unfair. I found that her controversial status of fame was disproportionately used in the judging process. I gave major props to Luke Brian who stuck to his gut, giving her an initial “No”.

After watching this performance I decided that status, fame, and money had played a huge role in her success on the show. Had she been someone with less money and non-famous parents she would have been sent home. I was annoyed by the leniency the judges gave the girl and found it discouraging for other American Idol dreamers. I disagreed with the judges allowing her to go to Hollywood, potentially taking the golden ticket from someone else.

I am interested to see if anyone else perceived this audition as unfair or if you enjoyed her performance. I would love to hear other people’s reactions to the video.

Here is the link to Claudia Conway’s American Idol Audition here

Claudia Conway on American Idol

Rodrigues Week V

 Samuel M. Rodrigues                                 AP Language & Composition                                         16 February 2021

European Football P1

    When you think about European football, what do you imagine: an intense game requiring high cardio fitness, a game of brute strength, or a mentally trying game that requires thinking and strategy? Well, soccer is a combination of all three aspects. Tactics and team play require high levels of thinking and playing requires a lot of strength and cardiovascular fitness. In this first part of the blog, I plan on sharing the basic mechanics used by football players, as well as the rules that create a fair and safe environment.

    Let's begin with some of the basic mechanics. To begin, in order to shoot the ball at a fast pace, you should lean forward and plant your non-dominant foot to the left or the right of the ball. For example, if you are right-footed, plant your left foot to the left side of the ball. After you have done this, lean forward and strike the ball with the top of the foot (laces), and point your non-dominant foot towards your target. Make sure you follow through with your dominant foot to effectively shoot the ball. Now, if you're just looking to place the ball into the net or to make a pass, you are going to want to use the inside of your foot instead. To pass the ball or to place the ball into the net, you are going to want to plant your non-dominant foot to the left or the right of the ball and swing your dominant foot through the ball making contact with the center of the ball. Make sure to point your non-dominant foot towards your target in order to achieve maximum accuracy. Depending on the power you want behind the pass, you may want to use your laces for more power. Now, if you're the goalkeeper and you were looking to punt the ball, you are going to want to hold the ball out in front of you with your hands and drop the ball slightly -only about an inch- onto your swinging dominant foot. Make sure to follow through with your foot to achieve the maximum velocity, height, and distance. As the goalkeeper, you may also want to throw the ball. In order to do this with the most accuracy, you're going to want to hold the ball with your dominant hand behind your head, point your left hand towards your target, and whip the ball overhead in a catapult motion. Don't be disheartened if you don't achieve your desired level of skill at first. Developing the mechanics of soccer takes many years and many hours of practice. But, hopefully, with this little description, you can effectively begin you are soccer journey.

 Now, what are some of the rules of soccer? Well, the most essential rule is, "do not touch the ball with your hands unless you are the goalkeeper." Note: this is by far the most important rule. There are several other rules that must be mentioned, however. There is the offsides call, a general foul call, yellow cards, and red cards. A person making all these calls is the official. To be offsides, you must be on the offensive and must be in the attacking half of the field. To be offside, you must receive a pass while being behind the last defender excluding the goalkeeper. This does not result in a yellow or red card but will result in a foul. Each foul almost always results in the other team getting a free-kick. A free-kick is simply a placement kick in which the other teammate puts the ball on the ground and may take a shot or pass. In order to obtain a yellow or red card, you must either use extremely explicit language directed towards the official or commit a violent foul. Hopefully, with this description of the rules, you will feel confident playing European football. In my next blog, look forward to a thorough rundown of strategies and tactics used by most professional teams in order to score and maintain possession.

    

    

One of the many football stadiums around the world.

Ricci week 5

 

                                                                        Friendship troubles                                              

    When you’re friends with someone, you would like to believe that they are actually a good person. That they value your friendship and that they would never lie, or do anything to hurt you. You don’t want to think about the possibility that this person is actually someone completely different when you aren’t around. But what are you supposed to do when a friend you thought would always be there for you, turns out to someone you don’t even recognize?     

    It is really hard to accept the fact that somebody isn’t the person you thought they were. It is even harder when you have known this person for your entire life, and are just now finding out who they really are. My friend and I have always gotten into arguments, even when we were younger. However, it was never over anything major. But in the past few years our relationship has turned less into a friendship, and more into an inconvenience. Whenever we try to do something it is always an argument, and when we aren’t fighting we are talking about their issues. I feel as though they do not value our friendship as much as I once thought. 

I have realized that sometimes people are just not worth having in your life, no matter who they are, or how long you have known them. It can be really upsetting when you have to let someone go, but in the end, if they do not bring happiness into your life, then there is no point in keeping them around.

    

Leszcynski: Week 5

                                                                             
Happiness

We all have things that make us smile. We have things that make us laugh or just can make our day. Whether that be a sport, a person, a place, an object, or whatever it may be, we all have something. With all of the negative times, I thought that I should reflect on some of the things that make me the happiest. 

The first thing that makes me happy is the beach. There are so many things about the beach that make me smile. But the best part about it is the relaxation that comes with it. The sound of the waves crashing onto the sand, the feeling of sand beneath your toes, hearing the seagulls above you, the taste of the fresh sandwiches packed from home, or even the painful sunburn after a long day. It all is a part of the most peaceful place on earth. 

Another thing that makes me happy is ice cream. Ice cream is such a little thing, but it can make your day. Especially Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream which happens to be my favorite. During a hot day, the first spoonful of ice cream is absolutely delicious. It also may help that I work at an Ice Cream Parlor, which makes it very easy for me to get my ice cream.

Laughing. This sounds kind of funny, but laughing is one of my favorite things in the world. Especially the type of laughing when you can’t catch your breath and are struggling to breathe. Those are the moments that you know you are having some of the best moments of your life. Those are the times when I am the happiest. 

Finally, the thing that makes me the happiest is summer. Summer is the happiest for me because I am stress-free, I do not have to worry about getting my assignments done or studying for a test. Another reason it makes me happy is because I get to play the sport I love which is basketball all the time. We are playing in tournament after tournament in numerous different cities. I also get to spend time with my family outside in the sun by my pool. Summer makes me the happiest because of everything that comes with it. Even the littlest things. 

Although we all have different things that make us happy. Being happy is a choice. We all have a choice in the morning to smile or to frown and I hope that people will begin to smile more. Our world needs everyone to be a lot happier and enjoy what we all have.

My team after getting 2nd at Nationals two summers ago

Kryemadhi: Week 5

 The Ultimate Swifty

    “In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team.” Since she first sang these words, she has accomplished so so many great things. If you are unfamiliar with this lyric or where it comes from, it is just one of the many inspirational phrases from a Taylor Swift song. This one specifically comes from Fifteen which is on the album Fearless. For over a decade now, I have been an avid listener of Taylor Swift’s music. I absolutely love her. 

    I’ve listened to Taylor’s music from the very beginning. From a young age, she had a special place in my heart. When I was little, I would always dance around the house singing her songs from the debut album, Fearless, and of course Speak Now. Even now, I still listen to all  her music. Whether its scream-singing in the car with my best friend or while sitting and doing my homework, I constantly have her playing in the background of my life. As I’ve grown older, her songs have become more relatable, therefore making them even more special to me. 

    Since her debut album in 2006, Taylor Swift accomplished so much. She currently holds the record for the most female artist entries on the Billboard Hot 100. She is also the first female solo artist to win the “artist of the year award” twice. In addition to many other awards, she has won 10 Grammy's. She was also awarded “artist of the decade” by the American Music Awards in 2019. Moreover, Taylor has also provided to the community with funding for educational and wildlife programs.

    Now, you may be wondering “Sarah, why on Earth are you talking about Taylor Swift right now for your blog?” Well, I was inspired. Last Thursday, February 11th Taylor announced that she was soon going to release her new version of the Fearless album. To your average Joe, this may not be a big deal, but I’ve been waiting for this since summer. That was when the original rumors came out that she may be rerecording some of her old music. Fearless is not only one of my favorite old albums, but these re-recordings provide me and all her other fans with such a unique opportunity. The new re-releases pretty much allow us to hear some of our favorite songs for the first time again. She has already released Love Story as a single. Her voice has matured so much since the beginning of her career, and I cannot wait to continue to see her grow. I am so excited to see what her future holds. 

The album cover of Fearless (Taylor's Version).