Get Your Groove On

I don’t really have a “greatest moment” because I find myself wanting to write everything I’ve ever done or experienced. I do, however, have a moment that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I have always had an ability to dance but I hated the classes I took for a week because it was too structured and all I wanted to do was move. I love being myself and expressing it through dancing and to this day I wish to be able to be able to do a leg extension as I can’t seem to train myself to do it. I would always get distracted with the lyrics of a speaker shattering rap song. Hip hop has a way of telling a story and setting my joints on fire. While at homecoming this year, after my transformation summer, I was able to be myself. As we were getting our “groove” on, a song I previously learned all the words to came on (I just about freaked out). My friends know that I can dance and they experienced it the night before so they knew that I would go all out. They stepped aside and made a way for me and for the first time ever I showed all my friends a performance I’ve always wanted to do. Some other people, including teachers, got the chance to see as well. While it wasn’t the greatest moment of my life it was one that I won’t soon forget. It was a confidence booster because previously, I haven’t been comfortable enough with myself to show everyone what I can do. I am capable of a lot and I do have talent but I realized it’s a hobby. I don’t want to be a dancer for my career because I just don’t have the patience nor do I have the training. I will always love music, even more so as I do now, because I find that as time goes on I love music even more.

Stepping out and being myself is something to file under “greatest moments”.

500 Days of Summer

My favorite season of the year is summer. Not because it means freedom and no school, simply because it means warm. I hate cold weather so obviously, winter is my least favorite. I plan to go to college in a southern state so that I don’t have to deal with the cold. I am really into fashion, for the first week of winter I’m all about the scarves, wool jackets, and uggs. After that I want the pool. I think the winter is beautiful and I understand those who ski and snowboard but I also understand the people who view winter as I do…cold and painful. Summer on the other hand is beautiful and it allows for more outside activity without the thought of getting hypothermia. I enjoy summer nights; it is still 75 degrees out which allows you to sit and star gaze or talk to someone by a bonfire. I have had good experiences in the summer because of the relaxed feeling I get as I take a walk or read a book. The best fruit is in season during the summer as well like, blueberries, strawberries, and most importantly (in my mind at least) watermelon. You want to sit outside and drink iced tea and take a midnight swim, in the winter that just doesn’t happen. During the summer I find a lot of time to think about who I am as a person. This past summer I made a lot of changes, I set a lot of goals for myself regarding my senior year and how I was going to present myself. I changed my style, grew apart from a lot of people, gained responsibility, and became more comfortable with myself. While I lost a few friends, I gained a ton back. Change is something that happens over time. For me, summer is the time and this summer I accomplished exactly what I wanted to. Why wouldn’t it be my favorite season? (:

Capote. Real Drama.

I am choosing to write about one of the best movies I have ever seen. I am a huge movie buff and it is difficult to find a well-produced and well-acted movie in these times. The movie Capote is based on the writer Truman Capote, it premiered 30 September 2005 and it was directed by Bennett Miller. The leading role was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman along with Clifton Collins Jr. and Catherine Keener. All three of them were brilliant in this film. Capote was a writer in the 1959 and was in pursuit of a story for a new book and he decides to research a murder that took place in Kansas. I won’t spoil all of it for you but as he does his research Capote develops a close relationship with one of the killers (just to make things more complicated), Perry Smith. Capote faces trouble with in his own life as the two of them begin to love one other. As the mystery begins to unfold you see Capote struggle with his feelings for Smith as he knowingly gives Smith hope when there is none. The two of them have an electric friendship that captures the audience with the amount of truth that comes out their relationship. Even now as I think back on the movie I get emotional when I think about the characters. You fall in love with each of the men because it is rare that you find a friendship quite like theirs. While the film is a drama it has its comic moments because Capote is such a lively man. Capote’s personality shows in his relationship with his best friend Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). Lee participates in the research and continues as moral support for Capote. The film gives some good insight into Truman Capote’s life. The film was shot in a total of 36 days and the day it opened was on Truman Capote’s birthday. This movie was simply remarkable and well worth the 114 minutes.

Music is the soundtrack to life? I think so.

I am huge on music, everything I do has a song. I have found that if I have music playing in the background while I’m doing work I am able to focus much easier. I also love reading, if I can get lost in a story I will stay there until interrupted. So if I had to choose I would want to write about the school play and the school musical. Interviewing the actors, the band, the director and the stage crew would help to promote the musical and get the student body involved. Alden is big on music but the student body rarely comes to support concerts and musical events. This also applies to Park Street Voices, I am a HUGE fan of Glee and I see what they are capable of and then I see that the school is missing out! Park Street has amazing singers and a talented director so for the school to be more involved and help support them they could get recognized. Bringing the school to an exclusive assembly during advisement and being a part of Park Street’s performance could change the opinions of many. Along with the Art Department, they have so many classes with teachers who are invested in teaching what it takes to be an artist. If the students knew exactly what happened in each of the classes the students coming up to high school or choosing classes for next year might want to take it. If these things came from a student and it came in the write form I believe that students would listen to it. I have a lot of ideas for articles and most of it comes from what is going on around me. I believe there are ideas everywhere from school clicks to the new laptops. Writing an article about things that matter to the student body will only increase the level of involvement. Music is big for most teenagers so I believe that things like the musicals and Park Street Voices will promote and bring the school closer together.

2011 School Year

This school year is all about college. I have a goal that I want to reach which is to get as much experience in communications and journalism as I possibly can. I want to go into college well informed and ready to start my life. I am taking college courses so it is allowing me to already get a head start. Many of the colleges I want to attend require higher SAT scores so I am working really hard to study for the test. I am going out of state so I have to become independent and learn what it takes to take care of myself and live alone or with other girls. High School is a stepping stone on the path to my future. My senior year can’t mean anything other than gaining experience. I have to stay focused on getting all my work done and keeping my grades up. I want to do everything I can to become the very best I can be. The classes I am taking now revolve around what my major is for college. I am forced to make decisions and give up free time but I am willing to do so because my future rests on it. Many seniors take this year as blow off or easy but I think it is the most challenging. There are so many things to be done in the next few months that there isn’t any time to waste at a party or a girls night out. There will be plenty of that in college. I want to make my family proud and show everyone who told me I couldn’t do it, that I can do it. I was created to make an impact on those around me so that is what I am going to do.

By the way, this blog is exactly 310 words (:

Summer 2011

This summer was a big maturing period for me, I worked with my Mom at Calamar Realty Fund. Calamar builds senior housing facilities in places like Omaha, NE and Canada but also locally in Orchard Park and Wheatfield. My Mom is the executive assistant of the CEO of the company and the attorney of Calamar. I worked in the file room, organized binders, made copies and scanned blueprints. I made money like I would if I worked their permanently. I experienced office gossip and disputes between groups of people. I also experienced office parties and birthdays. I had to wake up early every morning, dress up on a daily basis, work 8 to 5 with only an hour lunch break, and act professional. It was a wonderful experience though I did come to the conclusion that I do not want to work in an office for my career. Aside from work I was able to spend some time with my family. My Mom and I took a week off of work and spent time exclusively with my brothers. We took a lot of time to get ready for school and lay down what the expectations were. This summer had a lot of lessons on growing up. I have begun college searching and found out relatively quickly what I wanted to do. The work was never easy but I made the process much simpler by thinking of everything that I enjoyed doing and finding a career that put all of those things together. Getting ready for college is a scary experience but at the same time it's crazy exciting. I can't explain the feeling I get when I think of spending the rest of my life doing exactly what I love doing. Never mind what the money is, I can be successful at any job if I try, but I want to be successful at what I was created to do. This summer was extremely eventful and a huge growth period for me.