Madson 2- Our Town

I am sitting here writing this in a pit. By pit, I mean the band pit in the auditorium of the high school. I sat down to write this week's blog and thought to myself, what should I write this week. I looked around the room, hoping for some kind of inspiration. And then it hit me. I will write about the current fall play, Our Town.

Today marks the third day of tech week. For those who do not know, tech week is the week or two weeks leading up to the show. It is intense and attendance is mandatory. We started off this week with many people walking in late and simply not showing up at all. Not a good start, I know.

Overall, the show itself is very good. The main characters put a lot of time and effort into the show, and it is definitely very easy to see. The ensemble has done a good job as well, although their roles are very small. I play woman among the dead, number 1. I have two lines and even get a microphone. I know it sounds like I am making a mockery of it, but I am very proud of my role. These days, with as much talent as Nazareth has, it seems to be very hard to get any kind of part, so I am thankful for the one I have.

Personally, I find the show very boring. I do not find the plot interesting, and quite honestly it is a little confusing. There is supposed to be a “deeper meaning” to the show, one that I have yet to understand. The play itself is known to be a very simplistic show. It is very well-known in the theatre world and is held to high regard, so I have high hopes that the audience will enjoy it.

So now I sit here in this pit, really while I am supposed to be quietly awaiting my cue to go on, and I start to wonder now, what will people think of our show? So now, I encourage all of my readers to come and see our show. Not only see it, but comment on what they think, and if they caught on to the message.

Nigohosian 2: Wait, but Why?

Wait, But Why?

As I was doing some work for my classes as I usually do, I thought about why I always wait so long to get my work done. I always tend to procrastinate on my work but I don’t necessarily know why. You would think that its basic common sense to start work earlier to give yourself more time, but procrastinators tend to always do their work at the last minute. I always wondered what makes us procrastinate when it seems so clear that procrastinating is bad. I decided to look into this issue a little bit more, and I found some useful information here.

After looking through the variety of causes for procrastination, it seems to affect a large number of people due to the sheer amount of causes. Although I think that it is important to know why we procrastinate, I think it is even more important to know methods to circumvent procrastinating. First of all, in order to know how to stop procrastinating, you must know why you may do it in the first place. The causes listed in the link above can help us know some of the reasons why. After finding this out, you can find an effective way to prevent yourself from doing it. To start things off, motivation and planning are paramount in your efforts to avoid procrastinating. You must realize that the only way to get your self out of an endless cycle of action is to institute a solid plan of action. I find this very important when deciding to make a change in something. Although there are many different causes and solutions, this plan is the most basic step in order to institute change. It is also extremely important not to push off changing your habits and that you try to change them immediately. Well maybe not right now, this seems like a problem for tomorrow or maybe the next day.

Nathan Schmidt 2: Tech Week

Tech Week

Nathan Schmidt

Tech Week is finally here.  And, same as last year, I find myself questioning whether it is really worth staying up so late for a homework grade or not.  Of course, I have made the smart decision that doing my homework is, in fact, the smarter option.  So, tonight, as with every other night for the past week, I will be up well past my bed-time to work on the obnoxious amount of homework that I have available in a number of my other classes.

So, what is tech week?  Tech week is the week of play rehearsals that occur the week leading up to the public show performances.  This year, the play we are performing is called Our Town.  Side note: I highly suggest you all see it this weekend!  Tech week is basically the week where every bit of info needed for the show is crammed into a couple of rehearsals.  That leaves me, and just about everybody else in the case, a few hours to do homework before heading to bed at an unreasonably late time.

Tonight it is going to be psychology homework and a junior seminar essay.  No, I am not particularly excited to do either.  Still, as I mentioned earlier, I will stay up tonight until they are complete.  Hopefully, the sleep I get tonight will be enough to keep me from getting sick (I literally just knocked on the wooden table next to me).

Despite this, though, I would not give this crazy theatre experience up for anything else in the world.  It is absolutely crazy how people can find themselves so engaged in an activity that they will put so much aside and focus on it so heavily that everything else seems to fade away for a little bit.  I am lucky enough to have found what that activity is for me.  Unfortunately, though, not everyone is that lucky.  I have found something that I enjoy so much that I am completely happy to go to rehearsal 4 hours a day for 7 days a week (as will be the case with this week).  And I certainly hope that others, if not already, will find the same joy in an activity that I have found in the theatre.

Caleb Johns 2:The School Hallway

The School Hallway

By: Caleb Johns

At Nazareth High School there are around 1,500 students, and I think we can all agree that 1,500 students is a lot for the building size that were operating with. Once the classroom doors are open the halls are invaded in a moment's notice and a quick three-minute walk turns into a fifteen-minute traffic jam. This catastrophic issue is already bad enough but what really puts the icing on the cake is the absolutely disgusting hallway manners some people have. Now I’m not talking about the people making conversation by the lockers or up against the hallway walls, which are the designated socializing areas, I’m talking about the people in the obvious travel lane in the hallway that like to slowly drift their way through the hallway as they fixate themselves with their devices. I can’t tell you how inconvenient it is when I have to get to north campus basement, already a four-hour hike, and then on top of this being stuck behind someone walking slower than my great grandmother. 

Don’t even get me started on the people who just randomly stop in the middle of the hallway like they own the place. I’m walking at a 4 mile an hour walk, it's an “I’m about to be late for class” type of walk when some moron in front of me just comes to a complete stop to spectate some poster for some fundraiser that was recently put up. Now if my time in drivers-ed has taught me anything it would be know your out, meaning if any obstacle comes in your way, know where you would go at all times. So I make a quick sidestep to the left and live to tell the tale. 

Now am I really going to write this as if I have never committed some sort of hallway maleficence? Yes, I will because there is nothing more than I despise than a violation of hallway etiquette. I had a friend who committed the greatest sin to the hallway code of conduct, walking on the wrong side of the hallway. I will never speak to that individual again, that is how passionate I am about the hallway directive. The problem is that it's just so simple, just always walk on the right side. 

So I know what you're asking: What do I do If I see anyone committing hallway mischief? Do not hesitate! Get the authorities immediately involved and bring these hallway criminals to justice because there is no crime worse than hallway disobedience. 

Megan Week 2 - Just Another Happy Ending

This weekend, my mom and I convinced my dad to switch TV providers after discovering that our current plan wouldn’t allow us to watch Hallmark Christmas movies until the beginning of December. We are hardcore fans, and the 15 days that we would need to wait were 15 days more than we could bear.

This week I’ve watched three Hallmark Christmas movies. (Yes, I know it’s before Thanksgiving. I really like to live on the edge.)  

Whenever my dad walks into a Hallmark marathon, he makes fun of the predictable storyline. He’ll say “I’ll bet she jumps on the plane, tells him she loves him, and they have a Christmas wedding,” or “Let me guess, he’s her secret Santa?”

Usually, he’s right. There are always happy endings and 99.9% of the time, a Christmas wedding is the closing scene. 

It got me thinking: if I already know the ending, why do I, along with 85 million people, love cheesy Christmas movies so much? 

Whether it’s movies, TV shows, or real life, people have a tendency to view characters, places, and events in terms of their own experiences. For example, a child may remind you of how you were at that age, a character in a TV show may have the same favorite food as you, or a peer may have a similar style to you. We view the world through the lens of who we are.  

This is also true when watching Hallmark movies. I find myself relating to the characters even in the smallest ways. I may not have perfect blonde hair, a perfect white smile plastered on my face, and an always chirper voice, but maybe the character’s dog looks kind of like mine if you squint hard enough. Maybe the character eats ice cream to avoid her problems, and, you know what? So do I. 

It’s these little things that make us say, “Wow, that character is kind of like me.” So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the hopeful, credulous of us are up for a predictable happy ending. 

The happy ending for the perky blonde girl might mean I’ll get a happy ending one day too. And who doesn’t want a touch of magic and hope around the holidays?

Hayden Berner 2 "Time Flies"

So I have been thinking a lot lately about how quickly time passes. Everyone tells you “Your high school years go by just like that!” and for dramatic effect they snap their fingers right in your face. I never truly believed that I would miss high school when it was gone, nor did I think it would go by so fast, but now that I am nearly half way done with my Junior year it feels like my high school days are slowly creeping up on me and coming to an end.

                                                

Everyone knows that feeling of a week dragging on and on and on and on (much like this sentence) and then BAM its over, and you feel like you got so little accomplished in a week that felt like an eternity has passed. That is how I feel about high school. During my freshman and sophomore year I hated school, I wanted to be doing other things and each day dragged onto the next, but my junior year has been different.

Now do not get me wrong, school is just as rigorous and I would like much more to be outside or with my boyfriend or anything else really than being in school. However, this year is different in the sense that I am trying not to take it so much for granted. For example, going to state this year with the girls soccer team was such a great memory to be present for, but I also realized after we lost, that I would no longer be playing with the girls (seniors) that I had been playing with since I was eight years old. I mean that felt like it was just yesterday that I was so young, meeting them for the first time and going to tournament with them and staying in hotels over weekends and having long commutes to games. When I came to the conclusion that that chapter of my life was over I started balling my eyes out, it is such a scary feeling to know that the people you have known for years throughout your childhood are growing up, and it is even scarier to realize that you are not to far behind them.

I have one more year of school, one more soccer season, one more prom, one more summer break, and so many “one more's” that I can not think of at the moment; and after that I will be moving on to college! It really is a crazy concept to think about, but I guess it has to happen sooner or later.

I am just hoping that I can make the most out of the rest of my junior year and live it up my senior year.

Alicia 2- Dilemma

    Recently, I came across an interesting question in a book. Although I don't recall the book's name, the question remains very clear in my mind. In a hypothetical scenario, you are the neighbor of a women who appears to be abused by her husband regularly. One night, she comes to your door, begging you to hide her from her husband. She thinks that he will kill her if she remains with him for reasons unknown. You allow her to stay at your house, but the next day, her husband arrives asking after her whereabouts. He says that if he can't find her, he will file a report to the police declaring her missing. The million dollar question here is whether you would choose to continue to hide her away and break the law, or whether you would give her up to her husband despite her allegations. 

    At first, I thought to myself, what a simple question! I'd hide her, of course, because that is the "right" thing to do and the law isn't absolute. However, what if she is lying and the husband isn't abusing her as she says he is? There would be no righteous cause if that was the case, and you would just be a misguided kidnapper. Furthermore, the longer she stays with you, the more difficult it will be to keep her hidden away from the authorities or her husband. This is complicated even more if you have family living with you. The best possibility to come out of this scenario is that she comes forward to the authorities and reveals to them her circumstances, but even then, it all hinges on them believing her.

    What makes this question a moral dilemma is that it is centered around beliefs and values rather than concrete facts. The woman may be honest or she may be lying, and it is up to you to decide whether to believe her or not. The choice between hiding her or bringing her back to her husband is dependent on your values: putting you and your family first, or your desire to help another first. So, with all that said and done, would you guys decide to hide away the woman, or would you bring her back to her husband?

Alora Kutzler 2 "Friendship"

                                                          Alora Kutzler : "Friendship"

So my blog entry this week is going to be somewhat personal, but it's nothing new for me. I always tend to get personal in my smile and frowns. I overall just like to share my stories, because who knows maybe someone could relate in some way. Earlier this week, I had lost a friendship… I have lost many friends within the past year. Not all friendships, we are all growing up and going to different places in life. Especially because high school is coming to an end next year. But for some reason I just always wonder if it's me? If i'm the one who causes my friendships to fail? Or if it's them? A mix of both?

I give my all in friendships and always put everyone first..I always see the good in people. And  because of this i'm easily taken advantage of and don't see a bad friend when they are right in front of me. With that said, why are good solid friendships so hard to come by these days? Everyone always seems to talk behind everyone's backs, it seems no one is truly genuine anymore. Its few and far between when you can find a friend who isn't fake.  Backstabbing and fake friends seem to flourish in this generation and in our society. And especially in high school.

 I wish we could all get our heads out of our phones and take a minute to get out of our self absorption and take a look around. See what that is doing to our friendships and our relationships, to our lives. What is a good meaningful life without good meaningful friendships? To me it doesn't sound like a life I want to have. Does it to you? So take a minute to look at your friendships or make new ones. Everyone always needs a friend, make a new friend this holiday season.. It might just make someones life a little bit better.

Gabe 2: Stage Fright

Hi, my name is Gabe, and I suffer from stage fright. Last night, I had to do a short power point presentation for my boy scout troop. The troop is made up of kids ages 12 to 17, putting me on the older side, so a lot of the younger kids look up to me. I had prepared pretty well, and I knew what I was talking about, but when it came time to present, I found myself speaking softly and stumbling over my sentences. Thankfully, I made it to the end without any huge mistakes, but I still felt awful afterwards.

It’s not like I’m a stranger to presenting. Over the summer, I work at a summer camp where presenting to groups of people is literally part of my job. I’m responsible for teaching nature lessons and leading informational hikes for kids and their parents. The kids are aged anywhere between 5 and 10, and the group sizes can vary from 3 or 4 to upwards of 15. The weird part is, in this setting, I never get anxious or jittery. I’ve been told to teach things I know nothing about with literally only a moment’s notice, and done so pretty well without freaking out or stuttering or anything.

During meals at camp, sometimes I even get up on the stage in the center of the dining hall and sing camp songs or put on skits for the entire camp (200 to 400 people usually), which has to be one of the most humiliating things I am capable of doing. And yet, every time, I do it without getting nervous or feeling embarrassed.

Even so, I can’t imagine doing those same things in any other setting. A while back, I had to play trumpet in an audition at school. I practiced it endlessly, and I had done it several times on my own with no mistakes. But as soon it was time for the audition, the stage fright kicked in. I got super nervous, my face flushed, my mouth suddenly felt really dry, and I ended up cracking half of the notes. I didn’t get the part.

In the first few shows of my first year in marching band, I was barely able to play a note. Each time, as soon as I stepped onto the field my uniform suddenly felt really heavy and constricting. Everything I had spent almost every day for the last few months working on just vanished from my mind. Extraordinarily, I was actually able to conquer the stage fright in my third or fourth performance. I got super hyped up and confident moments before we went on, and suddenly everything was fine. Fast forward a year, and I no longer get nervous in marching band. But only marching band. As soon as I have to give a speech in class or perform an audition, the stage fright comes back.

Why does my stage fright only affect me in certain scenarios? How can I stop it? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Gianna 2: Remembrance

November 20th was Transgender Remembrance Day. This is a day to honor and mourn the lives lost each year to acts of violence in the trans community. This year, a documented 331 transgender people were killed worldwide. The U.S. reported 30 deaths this year. This day is a much needed time for many people to become educated on the violence caused by transphobia across the globe.

Although I, myself, am not a member of the LGBT community, this is still an issue that is very near to my heart. My cousin is a transgender man. He is the most inspiring person I have ever met (I guess I could be a little biased since he is my cousin). He came out to our family as trans and when he was 13 years old. He is now 18 and off at college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical to study space engineering (with an awesome writing career on the side). In his 18 years, he has gone through more emotional and mental obstacles than any child should have to go through. I can't even imagine what it must be like to feel like your physical appearance doesn’t match your identity on the inside. These people feel trapped in an identity that they just do not belong to. We are always told to “love yourself,” but what happens when you can't even be yourself? That is a challenge that I cannot even imagine what it must be like to go through for your entire childhood, like my cousin. He has since been able to change his legal name and start testosterone supplementing. Through the adversity he has faced, my cousin managed to graduate as Valedictorian of his class, National Honor Society president, and find his passion for space science and writing, as well as get accepted into a fantastic school. He has become an amazing activist for his community, and I am very thankful he is open to me sharing his story.

My cousin is one of the very lucky ones, however. He has always had a very loving support system behind him that inspires him to be the truest version of himself. Many other transgender people don’t have this support system. At its most extreme, transphobia leads to very violent acts. Trans women and trans women of color are at the highest risk of facing this violence. This is why Transgender Remembrance Day is so important. The best way to help protect these people is through education. We have come very far as a society in terms of accepting people, especially in America, however, there are always areas to improve. By educating others on some of the horrors trans people face, more people can learn and become more tolerant and accepting. 

No matter what, we are all people at the end of the day. Regardless of gender, race, religion, political affiliations, etc. we are all people deserving of basic human rights. No one deserves to be targeted for any of these things. I think it’s important to remember to be kind to everyone around us because everyone deserves basic respect and kindness.

Muskan Week 2 - Busy Holiday Season

For me, fall and winter are the busiest seasons when it comes to shopping. I am a horrible gift giver. It takes me hours of planning and thinking about what I should get for someone for their gift before I can even go to the store. I feel that when I give someone a gift, they have to genuinely like it. I believe that time has to be put into finding the perfect give for others to show them that you truly care on that special day.
       The weeks right before Christmas are the worst for me. What makes it horrible is that there’s not just Christmas to worry about. The majority of important people in my life have their birthdays or other special occasions in the late fall and winter seasons.
       It all starts with my best friend’s birthday. Her birthday is on October 25 followed by my mom’s birthday on October 28th. Then, exactly one week later, it’s my parents’ anniversary. The week right after is my close friend’s birthday on November 16. I get a quick break for the last 2 weeks of November, but once it’s December, it all goes downhill once again. My grandpa’s birthday is the 2nd, my closest cousin’s birthday is the 19th, and of course, Christmas is the 25th. In 2 months, there are 5 birthdays and 2 other occasions.
       My mom is also an indecisive gift giver. She comes to me for help, but I’m just as hopeless as her when it comes to giving gifts. While the holiday season can be fun, I also find it extremely stressful. I wish the important dates on which I have to give presents were more sporadically spread throughout the year.
       12 months in one year and half of the important dates for me are spread within 2 months. Do you have a stressful time of year like this too? Does Christmas just stress you out sometimes?

MaryJo 2: Mexico

Each morning that I leave my house for school, I find myself pulling tighter at my coat and wishing I put on an extra layer that morning by the time I’m sitting in class. Before I know it, I’ll be bedridden thanks to temperatures below 50 degrees and my abnormally weak immune system. When I’m in homeroom rubbing my arms and wishing I never left my bed that morning, I always turn to fond memories of heat to keep myself warm, my favorites being those of my trips to Mexico.

Although I haven’t visited Mexico in a couple years, my family would try to go to Mexico every other year to keep my mom company on her business trips and at the same time visit my family. Going to Mexico always brings out something in me that I can’t describe; it’s as if all my senses and consciousness work on autopilot and the moment I step out of the Mexico City airport, I'm seeing the world for the first time again. I’ve always had a sentimental attachment to the palm trees, cacti, sunlight you can’t get out of your eyes, and deserts. I was born there, and there is always something inside me that wants to lead me back. Something in the universe decided I belong there, and I feel most comfortable with the world once I am.

Each time I return to Mexico after an absence of 1 or 2 years, I experience a brief culture shock as my mind is forced to abruptly transition from my everyday life in the United States. At first, I am always a little skeptical of all the stray dogs walking along the streets, concerned when my mom starts yelling at windshield washers that try to force their cleaners onto our car, and almost uncomfortable with how friendly and loving everyone is with each other (other than those windshield washers). I remember one time we got into a taxi to get from the airport to the town my family lives in, and in those couple hours my mom had a long and engaging conversation with the driver full of laughter and what sounded like intense gossip. After we got out, I asked my mom if she knew the driver, and she told me she didn’t.

When I am reunited with my family members, I always go in for a quick hug before being embraced, accompanied with a wet kiss planted on my cheek. This is then followed by lines of fast and accented Spanish that sound nothing like the listening exercises I do in Spanish class, smiling and nodding whenever I feel necessary. The only time I am safe from this is when I am placed in front of my cousin only a year older than me, both of us making a silent agreement that transcends languages to initiate the least amount of physical contact as possible. The love that is always present for one another, even extending to strangers, is a huge difference from the reserved nature of Americans. Where there are situations that would just call for a handshake in the US, a warm embrace is exchanged in Mexico.

It’s not until I come back to the United States that I understand why at times I feel homesick even as I am sitting on the couch in my own house. I remember why I hate the cold so much, why I love buying mini cacti, and why I crave tamales so often. It’s as if Mexico has left itself in my skin, my eyes, and everything I carry with myself. My most vivid and comforting memories come from the small moments spent in Mexico that seem insignificant at the moment but become the most nostalgic scenes played over and over in my head. Sitting in my uncle’s truck in the desert, making OXXO stops with my dad when we have nothing to do at the hotel, eating too many tacos at a taqueria, and sitting on the beach at night are the moments that I hold closest to me, and they never fail to improve my mood no matter how far away they seem.

Jam 2: All By Myself

On Thursday this week I’m going to Baltimore for the NCTE Conference.This will be my second time going and I’m really excited. I love learning new things; I’ll get to see old friends and some I’ve never met offline before; I get to take a train; I get to go to the National Aquarium; and I get a whole hotel room with a king sized bed all to myself!

I actually really like traveling by myself. Not that I don’t like traveling with friends and family, but there’s a pilgrimage aspect of going it alone. I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s wants or needs. I find myself more present when I’m alone, able to take in the experience in a way that I can’t when I’m with other people. If I were there with my husband, I’d spend the whole time talking; alone, I’ll spend the whole time observing and thinking and reflecting. I’m not an introvert by nature, but I do enjoy that sort of headspace once in a while.

My mom, however, is a mess of nerves over my trip. She can’t believe I’m going to the big, bad city alone. She’s appalled that I’m taking the train alone. She’s worried about some apparent danger in me going to the aquarium alone. 

Now I guess to some degree it’s just a matter of mothering, right? I mean, even as a grown adult, I’m still her kid and she’ll worry about me. But I’m wondering if it’s something more than that. I wonder if it’s a generational thing, or life-experience thing, where she can’t fathom feeling comfortable doing things alone the way I can.

My mom met my dad when she was 15. When she graduated from high school, she moved out of her parents house and into an apartment, and I came along the following year. Suffice it to say that my mom has never experienced being alone for any extended period of time. She never lived on her own or supported herself completely on her own or really ever had a reason to go anywhere significant on her own. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just the way her life played out.

I, on the other hand, had a very different life experience. When I graduated, I went to college and lived in a dorm for four years. After that, I packed up my little purple car and drove myself 900 miles to Nashville, a city where I knew no next to no one, didn’t have a job or a place to live. I went there and made those things happen for myself. After moving back to PA, I lived on my own for another seven years before moving in with my now-husband.

Me on a plane, alone.

I’ve gone to movies alone; I’ve gone to restaurants on my own; I LOVE shopping alone; I’ve travelled alone many times; I’ve made my own meals, done my own laundry, put a spoiler on my own car, adopted my own cat, paid my own bills, suffered from my own big mistakes, and loved in my own stubborn way. 

But truth be told, I’ve always struggled to find peace in the way my life has turned out. I wanted to get married young, and have kids young, and the traditional life everyone expects. It seemed like that was the key to adulthood, moving through these milestones that were expected. I always thought my parents’ experiences were pretty good. By the time my mom was my age, her two kids were both in college. Here I am without even managing to have one. It’s always seemed a little unfair that my life has just never seemed to take a straight line to anywhere.

But on the other hand, my experiences of spending my 20s alone have given me something that might be more valuable than a straight line to adulthood. There’s a peace that comes with knowing you can handle life without relying on someone else. There’s a confidence in knowing I can be alone and be okay. That I can get on that train to Baltimore alone and not be afraid, not be nervous, not be lonely.