Nigohosian 10 - Obstacles in life

As I looked at the weekly challenge this week, I saw a quote that is very relevant to some of the things that I do today. This quote is from Warren Buffett, and he states “I don’t look to jump over seven-foot bars. I look for one-foot bars that I can step over.” This quote has many connections to various ideas, but it also relates to the saying work harder not smarter. There is a strong correlation with this idea because it’s much easier to do work that is either broken down, or it is easier to do less work in general. For the most part, it is important to do work that is manageable, so you don’t overwork yourself trying to get work done.

I think that it is important to follow this advice as it helps to save time. If it is Warren Buffett saying this quote, I would think that he used this same idea while he was younger to be as successful as he is today. I think the main takeaway from this is to look for opportunities that are achievable rather than daunting tasks which would allow us to be much more successful rather than striving to achieve an almost impossible goal to reach. This success comes from the many achievements that we would be able to complete because they are much more manageable to do. Even if there is the occasion when we face daunting challenges, it is important to break it down into smaller obstacles which makes things easier to handle. Taking advice from a person who became successful from it is important because of the possibilities that we could achieve.

Gianna 10: What's So Great About 17?

     I am feeling quite reluctant to turn 17 in a few days. However, I don't have a choice whether I turn another year older or not. It seems like a silly thing to be upset over, but it’s been on my mind a lot recently. Seventeen is the last year of our technical childhoods. In a year, I’ll be about to turn eighteen, making me a legal adult. It doesn't seem very real.

     My 16th year zoomed by incredibly quickly. I had been looking forward to being 16, a “real teenager,” in my opinion, from a young age. 16 felt like a massive milestone to elementary school Gianna. Influenced by extremely dramatized Disney media, I expected 16 to be a lot more eventful. I felt pretty much the same at 15 as I did at 16, the only difference being that I could start driving. Even now, what does turning 17 bring? I still can't legally buy spray paint or lottery tickets, and I’ve still got more than a year of high school left.

     The only major milestone differentiating 16 from 17, as I see it, is that there are many songs about being 17. Most obviously, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “17” by Avril Lavigne, “Seventeen Forever'' by Metro Station, and “Girls” by The 1975 are the first few songs that come to my mind.

     My life doesn't quite feel as “wild and free” as these songs might suggest being seventeen is like. In a way, it almost adds to the pressure of being seventeen for me. Am I not making the most of the last bits of my childhood? Media, such as music, is oftentimes quite dramatized, yet it still makes me feel as though I may be missing out on fun experiences while I’m still young.

    While I’ll probably feel the same turning 17 to 18, it still signifies a big period of transition. This time next year, I’ll be preparing to go to college. I will be getting ready to start a massively new chapter in my life. So I suppose, in a sense, 17 could be considered the last of this chapter of my life--my childhood. It’s a scary thought.

     I think that this year, I am going to try and be more conscious of the time I have. I want to enjoy the high school chapter of my life as much as possible, because before I know it, it’ll be over.

     Is there anything that you think makes being 17 particularly special? Do you feel pressured by 17 being “the last year of childhood?”

Alora Kutzler 10 ¨College Visit¨

On Wednesday I am going to visit my boyfriend at his college. He goes to Kutztown University, and hes going to give me a college tour while i´m up there. I´m excited to get to know the campus because i have only been there once and it was to pick him up.

 I have interest in attending the university, It has a well known education program, which my boyfriend attends. Kutztown is a state school, its about 40 minutes away. The mascot is the Golden Bear. We are going to tour the academic buildings, recreation areas, and the residence halls. For dinner we are going to eat at the dinning hall so I get the full experience.

I´m overall interested in this school for a number of reasons, such as affordability, proximity to home, and the education program. This will be my first time touring a college campus, and doing so with my boyfriend will make it a memorable experience.

Alicia Zhang Week 10: Lack of Direction

   

    My internal compass is a mess. This was the conclusion I came to at the ripe age of 11 on the first day of school, and I couldn't find my homeroom even after someone provided me instructions. They'd say to go right, then left around the corner, and so and so, but I still failed to remember them correctly. Or rather, it could just be that I thought they were talking about going left from my position, when in fact it was the opposite from their viewpoint. Either way, this has been a life-long struggle of mine's, and when other people bother to ask me for directions, I always end up just dragging them along to their destination when I can, rather than offer a monologue.

    If my bad sense of direction remained purely in the spatial sense, in that my mind failed to produce the map others could, it would be an embarrassing flaw of mine's when it came up, but still manageable. However, I've found that during high school, as classes become more difficult and talks of my future more and more common, my lack of direction in the metaphorical sense has become apparent as well. What do I want to have for a job? What college do I want to go to? Am I going to stay eternally single, like Artemis without any of the godly benefits? Overthinking is my favorite hobby when I'm stressed, and these days, I've been stuck in my head pondering all these matters quite a bit. I don't think I'm the only one wondering where I'm headed in life, but it's both surprising and depressing for me to realize that even with my supposed planning skills, I'm nowhere near prepared as I'd thought I'd be at this point.

    Last Friday, I decided I'd take some serious action to get back on track after two quizzes left me feeling burnt out and miserable. So I went down by Staples, and got a fancy daily planner to write down my schedule for every day onward, hour by hour. My thinking was that if that planner, left open with all its neatly written in details glared up at me, I'd be able to stop myself from wasting time on frivolous activities, and actually get some AP class work done in the afternoon instead of in the late hours of the night. I'd fill in these details on the weekend, and by today, I'd be stealing glances at it and doing what I need to do. This plan for my daily planner did not pan out as I expected. Instead, I procrastinated on filling in the details, and as such, the pages are still pure white and lovely as ever. In order to prevent me from procrastinating with my anti-procrastination measure even more, this entire blog post serves as a reminder for tomorrow's me to get on with filling it out. Yes, tomorrow's me, you might have homework, track & field practice, and maybe a quiz to study for, but that still doesn't excuse delaying the planner. Regardless, at least I've started on something to fix my lack of direction and laziness. For my readers, have any of you figured out a solution, or have any tips, on mitigating procrastination and getting things back under control?

Caleb: 10- Stress

Have you ever encountered those nights where you have lots of studying, homework, or projects to complete? Have you been in that situation when you know you have a lot of work to do that night? This has happened to me far more times than I care to say, but over the years I have found ways to overcome the stress of all of this work laid out in front of me. 

First of all the most important thing to have before you have even tackled any part of this work is a plan. A plan can be a great way to calm your nerves and keep you at ease throughout the process. With a plan, you can focus on one project at a time without your mind being scattered all over the place. 

The next important advice I’d give to anyone struggling with a burden of school work is to plan to take rest time in between completing these assignments. If you work for two to three hours straight you will be absolutely miserable, but if you go thirty minutes and then take a ten to fifteen-minute break, it will be much easier on yourself because mentally you won’t be exhausted.

Also, you should understand that if you are studying for a test, it is to your detriment if you stay up until 1 am studying for it. You want to go into your test fully rested, which is why I urge you to get a full eight hours of sleep. Going in nearly half asleep will probably get you a worse grade on the test than not having that extra hour to study. 

Additionally, make sure that you are taking exercise breaks. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and in turn, increase your productivity.

The worst thing that can happen is if you aren’t calm and relaxed. If this happens, you won’t be able to focus and you won’t be able to deal with the burden of your workload. Stay calm through breathing exercises, stretching, and as mentioned before, taking regular, short breaks that include some downtime or exercise. 

Gabe 10: Too Much Money

Yesterday, I was running errands with my mom and on the way we visited her friend’s house. This would be a rather boring and uneventful story save for the fact that her friend is a millionaire. I have no idea how my mom met her, but I got to take a tour of their massive house and it really got me thinking.

Allow me to describe this house. On the exterior, it looks like a sprawling multi-level log cabin. It rests in a shallow valley just deep enough to obscure it from the road, at the end of a mile long driveway and on the edge of a huge lake. Stepping inside, you are immediately greeted by the giant tree trunks that shoot up like pillars into the high ceiling of the foyer. This is a common theme throughout the home, and everything feels like it was built around the trees. There were more rooms than I could count, and each one cost more than my house probably about three times over.

There was an indoor pool, for example that was designed to look like a lagoon in the middle of a cave. A waterslide was hidden in rock outcroppings made to look like natural cave formations on the far wall, and the pool itself had a natural, figure-8 sort of shape. I later learned that the pool designs had been done by someone who had designed the environments for theme rides at Disney Land.

Everything in the house was detailed down to the last millimeter, and it all very tastefully fit into the aesthetic theme while still managing to boast its extravagance. But despite all the luxury and feats of interior design, I noticed something was missing: It didn’t feel like a home. Yes, people lived here, but everything was so big and so meticulously cleaned it felt like I was standing in a hotel lobby or theme park or something.

Sure, the ultimate luxury home sounds nice on paper, but what do you lose in exchange for all that surface-level extravagance? Here were people who had accomplished the american dream, who had achieved what almost everyone dreams of doing, and they just seemed kind of bored with it all.

That’s when it dawned on me. Money does not equal happiness. Of course, money can help you pay the bills and put food on the table and keep Netflix on your TV, but once you have so much money that the numbers lose their meaning, what’s even the point of having it all? You can buy loads and loads of things to make you happy, but soon the novelty of it all will wear off and you will be back where you started.

What do you think, is being rich worth it, or does it actually not make a difference in the long run?

Katie Madson Week 10- Future

I have always had high ambitions for my future. Since the eighth grade, they have never changed. My life has changed in many ways, but my future goals have always stayed the same. When I was little, I fell in love with New York City. I know it is a typical thing for a girl to dream of, but I have always dreamt of living in the city. I love the culture, location, and opportunity. I also would love to travel. Whether it is with my job or in my free time, I plan to make it a priority. I grew up very, fortunately. I have an amazing family and have been granted many opportunities. I can only hope I can do the same for my family in the future.

For my career path, I plan to go into marketing. I am still undecided as to if I want to study international marketing or marketing management, but I know either will be a perfect fit for me. During my freshman year of high school, I took a design and multimedia class where I fell in love with advertising. From there, and talking to my teacher, Ms. Gerhard, I knew marketing was the area of study for me. New York City is the perfect environment. Unlimited opportunities at every step. So far, I have toured three colleges in New York. Pave University, New York University, and Stevens Institute of Technology.

Pace University seems to be the perfect fit for me. Located in the financial district of the city, it provides the opportunity I am looking for. Internships and connections are a huge focus of the school, and that is mainly what I am looking for. Pace starts all freshman with a counselor that begins a search for internships freshman year. That was the most attractive thing about the school. They also have a huge study abroad program, which is also very important to me. I plan to study abroad in London either my sophomore or junior year of college.

Another important part of life to me is helping others. While my career path does not directly lead to that, I plan to do everything possible to continue to volunteer and do charity work. I believe it is our role as members of society to help the less fortunate if we are capable. Hopefully, I will be capable enough to do so.

After college, I plan to still live in the city for a few years, traveling the world (hopefully with my job) and experiencing new things. I know I have high ambitions, but I plan to work hard to achieve all of my goals.  What are your goals or plans for your future?  What do you deem important to you in your life?

MaryJo 10: Engaged

Recently my sister Abby got engaged to her boyfriend of nearly 6 years Ryan. He asked for my parents’ blessings to marry her during Christmas break, carefully planning every move he made around them throughout our entire time together. My sister just turned 26 last week while Ryan is 29, so I am glad they finally decided to take the final step and promise a lifetime together for each other. They already have been cohabiting together in their house in Pittsburgh for the last 3 years, so marriage won’t bring many new changes to their relationship other than a band around their fingers. I had always considered them as a married couple anyway, sharing a home and their dog, Buddy, who is as much of a child to my sister as I am to my own mother. 

Even though I have known Ryan and have seen him at every family event for the past 6 years, it’s crazy to think that they’re finally taking the next huge step in their adult lives. It’s even crazier to think that my own sister, the same one that went to mosh pits and worked at Pizza Hut when I was in elementary school, has a master’s degree in Psychology and is finally settling down with someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Even though years keep passing and we all get older, my family acts the same with each other as we have when I was in 3rd grade. We all have the same personalities, tease each other the same way, and argue over the same things. Now one of us is married with two, soon to be three, in college. Although a part of me is saddened to watch all of us grow up and have less time together as an entire family, I am excited to see the plans that life has in store for all of us come to life.

The wedding is scheduled to be on November 6th on a ski resort about 2 hours away from Pittsburgh. I’m really excited, especially since this will be the first wedding I go to since my mom and step dad’s wedding when I was 4. My sister asked me to be a bridesmaid while my little sister is going to walk her dog Buddy down the aisle during the ceremony (I am a little jealous). Either way, I can’t wait to be a part of the biggest day of her life while spending a fun night with my family and enjoying fancy food and cake. I know that they’re both making a good, smart decision, and I am excited to see this bring them even closer.

Are any of your siblings married? If so, does it feel weird to you?

Megan - Week 10 - Dancing Through the Motions

As the music hummed to a soft stop, I’m jogged back to reality. 

Reality: It’s 8:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night. I’m on my second hour of ballet and we’ve rehearsed our recital dance four times already tonight. At this point, it’s complete muscle memory, and I find myself mindlessly going through the motions. 

Somehow I went through three minutes worth of choreography while thinking about everything but my dancing. When the music ends, I’m baffled by how fast those minutes went; I didn’t even appreciate the movements, and somehow it’s over.

We did our dance again, and this time, I thought about every step and flowed through every change. When the music hummed to a soft stop once again, this time, I was satisfied. 

I had a second chance to redeem myself on Wednesday night, but in life, we don’t always get second chances. When we just go through the motions, life does pass us by, and there’s no going back. The music keeps on going until it's over, but it never restarts.

Days pass quickly, and those days turn into weeks, months, and eventually years. In the end, I don’t want to wake up and realize that I’ve been an unconscious observer, simply watching my life pass by. I want to make intentional decisions for myself, and one day look back knowing that I played an active role in my destiny --- good or bad, I’m responsible. 

Because when it comes down to it, that’s all we can do. Every choice we make builds us into who we are. I’d rather make a million wrong choices than become a product of indecisiveness because that way, at least I know that I didn’t take anything for granted. I’d played the cards I’d been dealt, even if I lost the game. I danced every note with intention, even if my performance ended up being less than perfect. 

And still, the music keeps on playing. 

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions? What do you do to break this state? 

Nathan Schmidt 10: In the News: Coronavirus

In the News: Coronavirus

Nathan Schmidt

In my psychology class, we open each class with the teacher, Mr. Angstadt, asking, "does anyone have anything psychology-related to share with us?"  It is pretty much an open time to talk about something interesting that has happened since the last class, big or small.  Most of the time, we, the students, say nothing.  So recently, he has asked the follow-up question, "are any of you worried about the coronavirus?"  These questions have opened the past three classes or so, but the second question always gets more of a response.  One student often makes a comment about how coronavirus is inevitably going to spread to Nazareth and take out each and every one of us.  Really?  I am not sure if this person actually believes this or if they are just trying to get a reaction out of everybody, but as to that belief, I find it highly unlikely.

I had a cold last weekend.  There was nothing special about it; just a run-of-the-mill cold.  While I had this cold, though, I went to a rehearsal for the musical.  As I was coughing, sneezing, and blowing my nose through the rehearsal, a friend jokingly said to me, "you don't have coronavirus, do you?"  I just chuckled, but the person standing next to us did not find if very funny.  She walked up to me and asked, "have you been coughing?"  "Well, I have a cold, so yeah," I responded.  Her eyes widened, "have you been sneezing?" she asked.  "Have you had a runny nose?" she asked.  My answers remained the same.  "Well, I have a cold, so yeah," I would reply.  "Do you have a sore throat?" she asked.  Once again, my answer did not change.  "But is it really sore or just a little sore?" was the final question.  I responded, "well it's not too bad right now."  "Okay, good" she mumbled under her breath as she walked away.

I have since made a full recovery from this cold, but let's assume for a moment that I did have coronavirus.  What would have been my chances of survival.  I decided to look it up.  As it turns out, I would have about a 98%-99% chance of survival.  So why is everyone freaking out over this illness?  I think the answer lies in the news coverage.  News corporations have to keep you interested in their product, and the fact is that the real coronavirus is... well... kind of boring.  Jumping back to my psychology class, we discussed a quote from the Psychology book that has since become a favorite of mine: "if it's in the news, don't worry about it."  Much of the time, news corporations are concerned about what is good for business.  They will toss in information that may not reflect reality completely accurately, but it will certainly get more viewers.  Now, of course, there is a certain level of fear that should be associated with things like the coronavirus, mass shootings, or shark attacks, but it is fair to say that these concerns are often blown out of proportion.

If you're still not convinced, then perhaps these statistics will help.  You have probably heard about the 3,000-some deaths caused by coronavirus but have you heard of the other 60,000 or so cases in which people fully recovered.  Mass shootings are certainly scary, but so is choking on your lunch, and the latter is far more likely to be the cause of your death.  How often, though, do you hear about that on the news?  Shark attacks can also be frightening, but you are more likely to die by being crushed by a vending machine.  Of course, that doesn't get people to watch the news in the same way shark attack footage does.

The topics that I mentioned in the blog post are certainly not ones to be taken lightly, but that does not mean we need to overreact to the extent that we have either.  We should keep an eye on the coronavirus like we have been.  We should prevent it from spreading and figure out how to treat it.  Does this disease bring about the end of the world, though?  Probably not.  Hopefully this post has helped to clear up any thoughts or fears over coronavirus, but I would like to hear other thoughts below.

Are you nervous about what coronavirus might do to the United States?

Do you have any other statistics about the coronavirus that I may be missing?

What is your opinion on the "if it's in the news, don't worry about it" quote?

Muskan Week 10 - Chocolates

On Friday night, I was going through a rough patch. I had had a bad day, to begin with. Then, I was running late in between one after school activity and another. To top that off, I wasn’t even dressed for where I was going. I felt frustrated, upset, and angry. All of these emotions took over and I snapped at almost everyone who talked to me. How is it that the solution to my horrible mood and attitude was a small gesture, a small object? How was my solution a simple piece of chocolate?

My cousin met up with me at my destination on Friday. I was in such a mood that I didn’t want to talk to him. I just wanted to go to the bathroom and get changed. He saw that I wasn’t in any mood to talk to anyone at the moment. After calling my name out a few times, he finally caught up to me and stopped me to give me one small item. A miniature KitKat. 

Kit Kats are my favorite chocolates. My cousin knows this very well. In that instant, when I saw that KitKat in his hand, my scowl immediately turned into a smile. After being in a terrible mood for over half an hour, something so small had instantly brightened my day. 

Chocolate has always been a happiness booster for me. Whenever I’m in pain or feel tired, sad, angry, frustrated, upset, etc., I always turn to chocolate. At work, when I feel tired, I grab some chocolate to give me an energy boost. When I feel stressed, I grab a box of chocolates and eat while I get my work done. Chocolate has always been a sort of getaway for me. It’s easy to understand why chocolate had solved my attitude that day. Does anyone have a similar experience? What solved your issue?