Nigohosian 5 - The Nuances of Goals

The Nuances of Goals

After revisiting my one blog about battling procrastination, I thought about the idea goals and why they may be hard to achieve. When thinking about that blog, I noticed that I never really stated what could go wrong with creating goals to assist with procrastination. After researching this information a little bit, I’ve found a multitude of reasons why goals can be so hard to fulfill. One of the main ideas with being successful with your goals is having accountability and motivation. Sometimes a compromise against your goals could simply be that they are worded negatively or the fact that goals people create feel more like chores than actual improvements. In order to create effective goals and become better at whatever you wish to, some minor changes with your goals should be made.

First of all, when creating goals, they should be smaller and slightly challenging to complete. You want to create them this way because you simply wouldn’t do them if it was too much to handle. The environment around you can also affect your goals, so it is important to make sure that there aren’t too many distractions to keep you off task. If you prevent distractions, you are well on your way to having more successful goals because the temptations to break them aren’t as prominent. One more thing with goals is that even the way that they are phrased can affect how effective they are. If things are phrased negatively, they can actually have the opposite effect on motivation. Instead, they should be phrased in a way so that the desired outcome is what is stated. Finally, the most important part of goals is to not minimize progress or be unhappy with your progress. This is because in order to grow, you must have a positive attitude as opposed to a negative attitude which will only prohibit progress. In general, goals should be created so you can improve, not berate yourself.

Auditions- Madson 5

Today was dance auditions for On the Town. And callbacks. Yesterday, was my audition. I felt confident, I did my best and was certain I would receive a callback. Only to find out, two hours later, that I did not do as well as I thought.

For those of you who do not know, I will explain the audition process. There are two days of initial auditions. This year, we had to prepare a one-minute excerpt from a song of our choice that best displays our talent, in the same genre as the show. Then, on the second day, the callback list comes out that night. A callback is when the director picks a smaller amount of people to re-audition with selected music and cold reads. This is done to see specific characters and the chemistry between actors when reading. On the third day, before callbacks, are the dance auditions. Colette, our choreographer, teaches us a small dance routine that we then perform in smaller groups. From there, she selects people to stay to learn a more advanced routine. Finally, the cast list comes out no later than a week after auditions are held.

The audition process is long and rigorous. We never know what our director is thinking. Most of the time, they already have the cast list in their heads, and then callbacks change it all. The moment the cast list comes out is always a confusing one. But in the end, no matter the role, everyone has fun doing what they love on stage.

Nathan Schmidt 5: Tradition

Tradition

Nathan Schmidt

With Christmas coming up, tradition has got to be a topic on everyone's mind.  Almost everyone has some sort of tradition.  Maybe you watch the same movie every year on Christmas.  Maybe you go to a Christmas party every year around this time.  My family has many traditions.  For a while, one of these traditions was that we would go to our grandparents' house in Wisconsin every year for Christmas.  It had become one of my favorite vacations of the year and it was always something I looked forward to.  But then, a few years ago, my grandparents wanted to sell the house.  The first thing my mind jumped to when I heard about this was "what about Christmas!?"  I felt like I needed to try to convince my grandparents that they needed to keep this house.  Because of Christmas?  Really?  I was not successful in convincing them to keep the house, so it went on the market and sold within the first day.  Being that I was fairly young at the time, I was so upset.  I thought that Christmas would forever be ruined.

We still go to Wisconsin every year, but now we go to my aunt and uncle's house instead.  But why do we hold traditions so close to us?  Here's another example.  Every year on Christmas Eve, we eat fondue for dinner.  Now there was one year that we didn't.  I was wildly upset, keep in mind, still, I was pretty young at the time.  Now, I do enjoy fondue, but was it worth throwing a fit over, definitely not.  And if it were any other time of the year, I would not have gotten as upset.  So why are these traditions so important?  My guess is that it is more a symbol than anything else.  I like eating fondue on Christmas Eve because it's what we've always done.  I like eating fondue on Christmas Eve because it brings back memories of previous years, memories of a joyous time.  I would like to hear other thoughts on this.  Do any of you have any traditions that you would feel devastated to lose?  If yes, why do you think that is?

Gianna 5: Change and Longing

      To miss something is to long for something that once was. Whether it’s to miss people, ages, dynamics, experiences, activities, sometimes change brings the feeling of yearning for the way things once were. 2019 has been a chaotic year, to say the least. I would say that this year for me involved and stood for a lot of change. Unfortunately for me, I don't really like change. I like set schedules and routines. I like to know exactly what is going on most of the time. This year, I had to break away from a lot of the things in my life I had grown accustomed to. I miss the way a lot of things were even a year ago, but I’ve been thinking about one pretty big difference a lot lately.

I started riding horses when I was six years old. I’ve always been passionate about animals, and being an equestrian was a defining part of my life and my identity. I never grew out of the “crazy horse girl” phase. During this year’s spring track season, I got injured. I was out for the first part of the season with Peroneal and Achilles tendonitis in both of my ankles. Even walking was painful. Horseback riding involves a lot of leg and ankle strength. I have had pain in my ankles for years, and it only gets worse with more use, which is how it developed to be such an issue this year. Once I could start working and running again, I wasn't able to ride while track season was going on. It was just too much pressure and strain on my ankles. I took a break from riding, and it was never really the same for me again.

I tried going back for a few lessons in July, but by that point, the competitive show season was already well in effect, and my ankles were causing me so much pain again. I didn't feel the same about it anymore. By the end of July, I was no longer riding. I haven't ridden since. Something that was such a defining part of my childhood and identity was no longer something I participated in. At first, I didn't really notice the difference in my life with or without riding. Recently, though, this change has been getting to me. With the new year coming up, I've been reflecting and writing in a personal journal about some of the really sensitive changes of the year. This, however, is a change that I feel like others could possibly relate to. It’s hard to cope with these emotional losses sometimes. Now I can say I truly miss it.

I’ve definitely picked up other activities along the way, though. I started rock climbing and bouldering at a gym a lot more seriously and often, I paint and cook a lot more now, and I still hold track very close to my identity. All of these things are very special to me, especially track, but they don't quite compare to that passion I had with riding. It was a combination of athleticism and bonding with an incredibly powerful animal. It really defined my childhood. Maybe soon or one day I’ll be able to pick it up again, because it is something I really, truly miss.

Caleb Johns 5- Santa Claus is a Real Person

Despite popular belief, Santa Claus is, in fact, a real person, well he was a real person. The legend begins as a man named Saint Nicholas of Myra who was born to two wealthy Catholic parents, Epiphanius and Johanna. It was his uncle, who was the Bishop of Myra that inspired Nicholas to involve himself with the clergy, and that is just what he did. After being ordained as a priest by his uncle, Saint Nicholas would devote himself to Catholic scripture and be an important figure in the defense of Catholics during the Great Persecution. For this, Nicholas paid the price of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian but was saved when Constantine, the first Holy Roman Emperor, defeated Diocletian in war and legalized Christianity when he believed it was the Christian god that earned him his victory. Nicholas returned to Myra to learn that his uncle had died and his successor was still to be named, a role that Nicholas would take. As the bishop of Myra, Nicholas used the fortune that his parents had left for him to donate to several groups of people, but especially children.

There are two stories however that immortalized Saint Nicholas and are responsible for why we celebrate him to this day. The first legend was the most popular and still recognized today. When a poor father became so in debt that he had to sell his three daughters into slavery, Saint Nicholas stepped in and paid the father the money so that the girls would not have to be slaves. The second goes that in an unfair trial in which the jury accepted bribes, a man was sentenced to execution, but Saint Nicholas intervened and just before the execution could take place, Saint Nicholas blocked the sword and admonished the jurors for their crimes. Other accounts of Saint Nicholas involve him resurrecting the dead, curing the sick, and giving away magical gifts.


From 1200 to 1500, Saint Nicholas had his own holiday celebrated on December 6th, but it was later removed by the Protestant Reformation because some saw his presence as a challenge to that of Jesus.

Nicholas’s physical appearance is inspired by the Norse god Odin, but the origin of where this design came from is unknown. The name Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas’s Dutch name Sinter Klaas. Klass was a common nickname for Nicholas. The modern appearance of Saint Nicholas as we know him today came from Clement Clark Moore in 1822 in his book “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Moore wrote the book for his, coincidentally, three daughters. Popular political cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose cartoons were and are still highly influential and respected, gave Saint Nicholas his elves in their workshop and his wife, Mrs. Claus. Nast’s concept for Santa came from Moore’s book. The concept of Santa Claus having a list in which he keeps track of the children who are naughty or nice comes from the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, which became an instant hit. Why Santa lives in the North Pole is not quite understood but a factor could be that he was a very popular figure in the Scandinavian region.

The next time someone tries to tell you that Santa is not real, now you’ll know they are very wrong. And when you tell your little brother or sister that Santa is a real person, you’ll know that you are not actually lying.

For further information on Santa Claus.

Alora Kutzler 5 "Wawa Stress"

Working a part time job, going to school, and finding time for friends and family all seems extremely stressful right now. Especially around the holidays when the hours and the money are so good but i seem to be struggling to keep up with my schoolwork and not having enough time with my friends and family. Working 25-35 hours a week all while going to school and having responsibilities is quite impossible sometimes.

 After just working a 30 hour work week I took a step back and wondered if all this stress is worth it in high school. If me working so much was hindering my ability to enjoy my time and relax. And I came to the conclusion that it was. So I was deciding on either cutting down my availability at work and or making a single day of the week let's say a Friday or Saturday an “Alora Day” where I get to relax and do whatever I want because I earned it.


After countless hours of making hoagies a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. When everything seems stressful take a step back, evaluate, and try to find a way to calm down. And that's exactly what I did. I went into work tonight and cut down my hours to 20 and im going to focus on my studies and some much needed relaxation this holiday break as well as after. Especially after i just got told tonight that Wawas system was breached and for the past 9 months peoples personal credit and debit card information has just been circling around. This could really hurt bushiness so well see what is to come.

Megan - Week 5 - Wisdom in the Weeds

When I was five, I loved dandelions just as much as I loved Barbies, and that’s saying a lot.

Whenever I would find one, I would beg my mom to put it in a vase, so it could become our centerpiece. The gardener in her would always let out a sigh, explain how dandelions are weeds, not flowers, and then the mother in her would smile and put it in a vase anyway.

I could never understand why it mattered that they were weeds. They were beautiful with fragile golden petals and that was all that I cared about.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a weed as “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth.” Dandelions grow quickly, having roots that can extend up to 10 feet under the ground. When they’re pulled up, unless the deepest roots are removed, the resilient plant will grow back even stronger than before. Once its time has come, the dandelion will turn into a white wisp. Carried by the wish of a wondering child or the soaring wind, the seeds will quickly disperse, going on to create new life in golden flowers.

Maybe my innocent zeal for dandelions as a child was foolish. But, maybe it was wise. The more I think about dandelions, the more I want to be like one.

You see, I want to be deeply rooted in truth and compassion. I want to be resilient, standing strong when I face opposition.

To be unwanted and grow because of it, to be delicate but strong all in one breath, to be chopped down only to become more and more determined, again and again, growing deeper each time...

And finally, when it’s my time, I hope that my legacy inspires, allowing others to wish and dream for themselves.

Alicia Zhang 5: My Hermit Crab

   When people ask me if I have any pets, I respond with a definitive no. In the past tense, however, the question would have a different answer. I used to take care of a lot of fish when I was a kid, and once, just once, I owned a hermit crab. It was the kind commonly found at boardwalk shops nestled beside the beach, and had I known more about hermit crabs, I wouldn't have even thought about getting it. But kid me always judged based on the exterior, and the hermit crab's gauzy red shell with Hawaiian flowers painted on was more than enough. Did you know that hermit crabs change shells every four to eight weeks? It's probably a good thing that I usually stuck to raising fish, since I am horrible at long term planning.

   In the end, I didn't even get to own my hermit crab long enough to find that fact out. Within a day upon returning home from our beachside trip, my sister and I had an argument while the hermit crab was outside its cage, and we lost it. After a few days of searching, and a lot of crying, I gave up the thought of ever seeing my hermit crab ever again, and that was that. Fast forward a few months later, and one early morning, I decided to get out of bed and go downstairs to drink some milk. Going down the steps, and still half-asleep, I suddenly noticed that right in front of my eyes there was the hermit crab skittering on the floor! That was a surprise, and it would turn out to be an unfortunate one.

   Of course, I was overjoyed to see my pet hermit crab again. It had lost its shell, and some of its legs, but it was alive at the very least somehow. The next day, I brought it with me to the pet shop, where I would hopefully get some food for it. It died by the time we arrived, probably from the blistering heat felt even in the well-insulated car. And I have never had another pet from then until now. I don't even remember what name I gave to the hermit crab, but this whole experience is weirdly clear compared to my other, arguably more important, childhood memories. Maybe because it was so awful, but who knows? I just hope the hermit crab is enjoying a better afterlife than the life it had under my watch.

Muskan Week 5 - Winter Break

Winter break starts right after school tomorrow, and I’m so excited. My plans for the break are very relaxed, which is the complete opposite of my last few months. These past few weeks have been rough for me, so having this break is well needed.

My break isn’t one hundred percent free time, but I have at least half of each day free, which allows me to have some time to relax and do some stress-relieving activities. There’s so much I’ve missed out on, hobby and family-wise, that I’m ready to catch up on. With all free time, I can end the new year on a happy note. 

This past year, I’ve been running around doing activity to activity and a lot has happened in my family that has hurt us. The start of the New Year brings a new start and new opportunities. I’m sure I’m not the only one that is happy to have this new start. Some of my New Year’s resolutions for this coming year are to manage my time better and allow myself to have more breaks throughout a week.

Even though the New Year stands for new beginnings and happy time of year, I do get a bit sad that the year is ending. I had a lot of good times this year and it’s a little hard to watch them pass. I know they’ll still be in my memories, but it still hits me a little hard when it gets this close to the end of the year. This year will be especially hard since it’s also the end of the decade. It feels like the time we spent in this decade will just be gone when that clock strikes 12.

MaryJo 5: Soulmates

As I took some time to read my non-fiction book, Invisible Influence by Jonah Berger, I came across something he said that forced me to stop and think about it for myself for a while. His book aims to describe the unconscious factors that guide us to make certain decisions. Among these decisions is finding an ideal spouse. Everybody wants to find someone special that they can happily spend the rest of their life with. We find comfort in believing that somebody out there is perfectly crafted for us, knowing exactly what to say when we are upset and perfectly harmonizing with all of our own characteristics. The idea of having a soulmate is so appealing to us and seems strangely realistic, especially when countless married couples claim they can’t imagine themselves being with anybody else.

However, Berger points out many flaws with this mindset. Even when you cut out people that aren’t your ideal type, aren’t in an appropriate age range, or don’t share vital moral or political values, this still leaves billions of people around the world that could possibly be a successful match for you. Because people spend the majority of their lives either at work or school, they become the places most people end up meeting their spouse, but what are the chances that out of the billions of people you haven’t met yet, your soulmate luckily happens to work in the same department as you?

Realistically, married couples could be equally happy being married to somebody else. With the pressure young adults have to get married by a certain point of their life and longing for intimacy and commitment, it makes sense that most of us settle for anyone we are generally attracted to and see frequently. For some, beggars can’t be choosers, and whatever interest we receive is what we take. There are obviously mistakes in this process, and I think about my parents who were only together for a short time. My mom remarried, and although there are many times she argues with my step dad, they seem generally happy together. Even still, it’s hard to say she wouldn’t be happier married to someone else. Although it’s really impossible for all of us to find the one person that we would ideally be happiest with, many relationships are still healthy and provide both partners with lifelong intimacy and love.

Gabe 5: The Fourth Dimension

Last week, someone mentioned how there was an oddly large number of posts about time. This week, I’ve decided to add to that number, because I think it’s a fascinating topic.

Recently, there’s been a big influx in so-called “4D” movies. The first two dimensions are the length and height of the screen. The third is the depth that is created when things appear to pop out of the screen, like with a normal 3D movie. The people who make these movies have defined the fourth dimension as any physical sensation that isn’t happening on the screen, such as spraying water on the audience, or vibrating their chairs, or filling the theatre with an artificial odor.

So is that what the fourth dimension is?  Just a big catch all for any sensation that isn’t length, height, or depth? Well, no it’s not. You can move through the first three dimensions. You can walk forwards and backwards and left and right and jump up and down. These are directions that make up the space we exist in, not sensations like the feeling of water on your face or the smell of cinnamon. You move through the dimension of height by jumping up and down. You can’t jump through a sensation.

Obviously, the 4D branding is just a branding. So what is the actual fourth dimension then? According to scientists, it’s time. We can’t see time in the way we see length or height or depth, but we still experience it, and we can still measure it. The difference between time and the other three dimensions is movement through it. We can move in any direction through the first three dimensions without much difficulty just by walking around. But we can only move through time in one direction. You can’t stop moving through time. You can’t move backwards through time. You’re stuck moving forwards.

Most scientists now believe that time travel to the past is impossible. But there’s still so much we don’t know about the universe. I like to think that the only thing that separates time from the other three dimensions is how little we understand about it. I can move through depth by walking in a straight line. Who’s to say that moving through time is any different?

Hayden Berner 5 "Cookies Oh My"

Cookies. They are yummy, warm, their scent wafts through the air gracefully, and they are so so so sweet, but I only get the savor them a couple times a year. One of those scarce times being the break coming up in a few days…Christmas.

Because I am such an avid sports player I do not get many opportunities to eat whatever I please. One of the big no no’s in my diet are sweets (aka cookies for the sake of this blog). Which is a real shame seeing as they are just so dang good. I make one mean batch of chocolate crinkle cookies! The best part about them is that the instructions are super simple. These are probably what I am looking forward to eating most over Christmas break.

                                                        

Christmas break is one of the few times of the year I just get to let loose and eat whatever I want. It is the simple things in life that I truly enjoy, so waking up early in the morning, getting all messy with flour and sugar, and eating that one cookie that is always too hot because you just can not wait for the first batch to cool is always something I look can not wait to do.

Unfortunately, I only have a certain amount of time to enjoy before I go back to practices, strict diets and dreadful school work, hopefully I will be able to do everything that is on my Christmas break bucket-list for the year of 2019.