Assignment #21 - Irene Kim - HeForShe!

I write this blog post at the risk of sounding like a huge know-it-all, but I’m just gonna hope you can see the genuinity in it. Our community, along with most all communities in the world, has a significant gender inequality problem. The most frequently talked about issues—wage gaps between men and women working the same jobs, unequal treatment or harassment of women in the workplace—take up most media space and public attention. The word “feminism” itself holds a somewhat negative connotation—most opponents of the concept imagine a wild, ravaged group of all female activists demanding rights for women. But the concept itself, by definition, means “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” Gender equality means advancing women’s roles to equalize them with men’s rights; not to sacrifice them. It also means men should feel free to be vulnerable and take on different roles than society might have determined. UN Women founded a campaign in 2014 called HeForShe, which reaches out to all sexes to commit to gender equality, particularly men who define themselves as being apart from the “feminist” community. 

Even in schools and at Henry Clay, we partake in gender inequality unconsciously. Little things like saying “man up” or “you throw like a girl” are adding to stereotypical gender roles. I did it a lot, too, before I knew the significance of what I was saying. We say “mankind” instead of “humankind” and “manpower” instead of “workforce.” It’s a lot of cumulative things that I add to a greater bias against certain genders or roles. Derogatory terms towards women or the LGBTQ+ community are numerous in schools; even in private conversations, it counts! HeForShe stands for everything against gender stereotypes, equal treatment of all genders, sexualities, and eliminating the stereotype of “feminism.” It really isn’t the word that matters! I’m hoping to recount this problem in HC by starting a HeForShe club based off of the UN campaign. Hannah and I are co-leading with a great team and I hope we can make some achievements for the campaign! (P.S. if you’re interested, our remind is @hcheforshe :))

Assignment #21- Ellis Padgett- School Spirit

I would like to make our school a better place. Not that our school isn't great- it is. But when long winter months seem to drag on, and our days become an endless cycle of monotonous tasks, I think we could use some things to spice it up!
Steps that could be taken may include things like adding more spirit weeks, scattered throughout the year so that they aren't just focused in the football season. With a few spirit week spread apart across the year, the weeks become broken up, instead of the same schedule over and over again. Homecoming is a special week- but maybe that random week in January can be too.
I also think that we could play around with having music at lunch. The cafeteria is crowded and noisy and quite frankly unpleasant. Music could add a nice ambiance, make it feel a little more classy and less like a zoo. It's possible the orchestra could do caroling around Christmas, like the music grams for Valentine's Day. Except it could be free for everyone to enjoy.
Overall, I would like to see improvement in our school atmosphere. Walking through the halls right now is borderline scary, if not just dank and smelly. Little things like adding more art- even if it's just chalk art out on the sidewalk- might make us a little more of a community. We could spread school spirit, and maybe make each day a little different than the last.

Assignment #21- Miller Luhan- From a Child To an Adult In a Matter of Months

When I was in the 6th grade, my dad moved to College Station, Texas to attend Texas A&M and receive a doctorate in architecture. Looking back on this now, it was not that big of a deal, but as an 11-year-old I found this the most daunting situation. It seemed this way because my mom is an architect as well- only she is not so much in academia, she is a renowned leader of a business firm called CGL Ricci Greene (a national corporation) that requires her to travel outside of the good ole Bluegrass every week. 

Now obviously at this age I couldn't drive, and it would be unreasonable to leave a child at home alone for long periods of time, so my parents hired a caretaker to drive me to and from school, and live at my house rent-free. She was a college student though, living her own life, having her own social events, and studying hard. that being said, my parents didn't expect her to collect all of the slack around here. I soon became responsible for getting the dog walked, cooking dinners (unless we ate out), becoming my own time manager of homework, practicing my sports (which at the time was baseball and golf), and cleaning, along with numerous other things. Now, of course I missed my dad with only seeing him like 6 times that year, but seems like blip in the road looking back on it. Overall, through that experience, I blossomed from a child into an independent and responsible "adult".

Assignment #20 - Wes Davis - How to be a Pop Icon (or more accurately titled: How to Sing Maybe??)

I don't really feel qualified to speak, or educate, on any skill I've ever tried to acquire. I don't really see myself as being too great at anything, and if I did, this blog post would just make me sound even more self-absorbed than I already do (which I didn't think was possible). With that out of the way, today I'm here to teach you about how to sing! :)

So, I've been taking lessons for a couple years and have done a variety of vocal showcases and the like that would lead be to believe the advice I can give on this subject won't be completely detrimental to your future as an international pop icon and pop culture legend. I hope these help on your road to stardom xx

1) Breathe. Yes, I know many of you probably became aware of your breath when you read that. Unfortunately, breathing is something apparently no one really knows how to do (not until you're told how). By this I mean breathe from your diaphragm. Or, as I've also heard it, "breathe from your gut." Take one hand and place it under your rib and hold it firmly there. Now, breathe so that you can feel your stomach expand. Take in as much air as possible. Now, here's the hard part! Hiss the air out. When you do this, your stomach has to stay expanded! If you aren't mindful of this, your stomach will deflate after a couple seconds, and the whole point of the breath is defeated. This is called breath support. 

2) We're doing great! omg!! Okay, so now that you can actually breathe, we have to sing. For the most resonant sound, speak and sing in a place that sits right on the front of your face, and is forward. That doesn't make sense, sorry, but I'll explain. When you feel it you'll know what I'm talking about. One thing my teacher always tells me is to sing as if I'm biting into an apple. It works, and you should try it! I can't really give a ton of guidance other than that tip. It's something you have to feel out yourself for it to make sense. I've also heard it been described as singing as if you were smiling, which helps, but that doesn't make as much sense to me. Whatever phrase you need to help remind yourself to have a forward placement, do it! 

3) Okay I'm getting winded writing all this. I feel like I don't have any right giving you advice but we aren't done just yet. Go ahead and sigh now, just get it out of the way. I want to talk about stamina. If you're gonna be headlining a world tour, like I'm expecting you will, you need to make it through your own concert. Stamina is something built up over time, and hopefully maintained overtime, too. I have an absolutely torturous way to build stamina! So, here's what I always do before I start a new show: I run on a treadmill and sing through all of my repertoire for whatever gig I'm doing. It's awful. Well, it was at first. Training yourself to sing (and hopefully well) when you're both tired and focused on moving your body instead of just your voice teaches you how to sound good in not ideal circumstances. I've had to belt high G#s while out of breath for Putnam (I had to make it back on stage after running across the whole school it was awful I was so glad when the show closed lmao), and I was only able to do it because of this exercise. It sucks, but I believe in you. :) <3

If you read all this you really are the baddest and I support you completely on your road to fame!! I didn't mention actually having a sense of pitch or being able to read music, but I didn't mention those only because this blog post is already long enough, and also they're more obvious things to know. Can't wait to see you selling out concerts across the world! xx

Haley Noehren - Assignment #20 - How to Rock Climb

Surprise! This post isn't about running! I get it, I don't look like a rock climber. My arms are basically two dimensional and have little to no muscle mass. Or mass at all. Well, fun fact, you don't even need arm strength to rock climb! It's surprisingly about flexibility, core, grip, and legs. So here's a few basic steps about how to rock climb. 

Conveniently, we have an indoor climbing gym in town which makes this a whole lot easier.

Step one: Get your gear.  Yeah this seems like a no brainier. But there are some tips about how the gear should fit and look. Lets start with the harness. When you put the harness on you want the waist to be tight, with the orange carabiner loop in the front. If you are ever unsure about how tight your waist strap is, try pulling up really fast on the orange loop and make sure it cant slide too far up your waist. Now tighten the legs. You can leave some more room here, cause your gonna want some extra flexibility on your legs. Now that everything is tight and secure, take your loops and double back them. What double backing basically means is take the tightening thingy and thread the belt back through it again, just for safety. 

Now on to shoes. Your feet should feel nice and comfy, right? Wrong! I usually wear a shoe size 9, but I climb in a size 8. It sounds awful, but for the best performance you are gonna want your toes to be nice and squished in the shoe. It should be a bit uncomfortable, but the tighter the shoe, the better foothold you'll get on the wall.

Last, but not least, chalk. The climbing place will give you a harness and shoes, but you'll have to buy this one on your own. Yeah, you can climb without it, but sweaty hands trying to grip a wall are not the best. Basically there is the sock of chalk in a bag that hangs from the back of your harness, which you sick your hand in and it coats your hand with, you guessed it, chalk. I makes your hands disgusting, but it helps A LOT with grip.

Step Two: Stretch! You are gonna be contorting and moving your body up a wall. It might help to get your muscles warm and loose. Once you feel ready, go pick a wall!

Step Three: Hook up your harness. This part is kinda important. When your reach the top, or fall, you might wanna be hooked into the rope to catch your fall. There are actually two ways to do this, Auto belay or belay. 

1) Auto belay. This type of wall has a machine that belays you. Hooking in your harness is pretty easy here. Just pull down the rope, and unhook the safety carabiner from the belay. Then take the thick carabiner and hook it into your harness. The auto belay carabiner is kinda hard to unhook. It's a two step carabiner, so you'll have to push down, twist, and then push in to unlock it. Once you are secure, you can climb and then fall back and coast down the wall!

2) Belay. Grab a buddy, cause this one is manual. You'll need someone who is belay certified if you wanna climb a wall with a normal rope. Once you find  buddy, unloop the rope and tie what I call the figure 8 knot. That knot should be relatively close to your harness. Once you do that, tie a safety knot a bit above the figure 8 one. Once you've done that, have your buddy check, and you make sure that they have the rope safely in the belay carabiner. If it's all good you'll say "belay", and your buddy should reply "belay on". Then you'll say "climb" and your buddy will reply with"climbing" or "climb on". Now you are set to climb! If at any point you need more or less rope, just yell at your buddy. And if you feel like you are gonna fall, say "falling". 

Step Four: Climb! There are so many ways and strategies to climbing, so I'll make this brief. Keep your body close to the wall. Like basically touching it. This helps keep your center of mass balanced. Use your legs. If your body is all stretched out on the wall, you are doing it wrong. Keep your legs up high so you can use them to push up to the next hand hold. Your legs should be near your chest-ish so that you can use them to keep moving up. Every wally has a crux- or the hard part. Just push through, re-position, and be creative to try and get around it. Once you past the crux, it's smooth sailing. 

Step Five: falling. If ya reach the top, please don't climb back down. You gotta trust the rope, you aren't gonna die. So, let go from the wall, put your hands on the rope, and fall back. Keep your legs out, and use them to push off the wall, you don't wanna flail into a rock. So just glide back and enjoy the ride down!

And that's it! Sorry for making you read this whole long thing about rocks and legs and chalk. But climbing is super fun, and if I can do it, you can too!     

Assignment #20- Miller Luhan- How to... fuel your body

So I was gonna try to explain how to do a golf swing, but then I realized that it took me 4 years to get a to where I am now, and it's still not perfection. Instead I decided to focus on something a little more ... daily?
One of my other hobbies I guess is eating healthy so one thing I do before I workout is make a protein shake. Now there are a lot of sugars in protein powders, so I have found one that is minimal and then only use half of the scoop...

Cook and prep time: about 10 minutes total

Step 1: Get out all of the ingredients. You will need a measuring cup, frozen* fruit (half a cut banana and some mixed berries), unsweetened almond milk, the protein powder (I use a brand called Vega in the berry flavor), a blender, spatula, and some love.
Step 2: Put one cup of berries and the half a banana into the blender, as well as a cup and a half of the almond milk.
Step 3: Blend again and mix with the spatula as needed, then add the half a scoop of protein powder.
Step 4: Mix again and stir until it is at a desired consistency.

*Use frozen fruit because it makes the shake cold without watering it down.

You can add the almond milk and berries as needed, I just try to stick to the serving sizes because it keeps it around 300 calories and keeps me satiated for hours. On the weekend I have one around 9 in the morning and workout for an hour and a half to 2 hours and do not feel hungry until about 2:00 pm. It is yummy too!

Assignment 21: OB-STA-KELS – oh Brother Where art Thou (College)

We love obstacles.  When other people are facing them that is.  But where and who would our heroes be if they didn’t face any obstacles.  The same can be said for us.  Our obstacles shape who we’ve become and who we are becoming.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

OR

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 8 at 11:59 pm

March 29 is the last day to make up blogs 20-22

Assignment 19-Don't be stupid- Sam Chavez

Sam? Stupid? NEVER. Best piece of advice I've ever received? "Don't be stupid." Now I know it seems basic and stupid but stick with me. This advice could be applied to any situation in life that one might ever encounter. It's universal. Really want to say something to someone that you think would be really funny but also might get you suspended? Don't be stupid. Really hungry but the only place on your path is a gas station that serves sushi? Don't be stupid. Go ahead, think of a situation where you could either do something or not, and you could tell yourself... don't be stupid. I first came across these words on a church trip to Indianapolis. We were about to head into the huge convention center with 25,000 teens our age and all our priest says to us, you guessed it, don't be stupid. Words of the Lord.

Assignment 18- Life- Sam Chavez

In the grand scheme of things, I guess I am pretty young. Though I can't do my own taxes or apply for a loan, I do have lots that I want to do before I can finally get some sleep. 

High School: Before I finish high school and go on to college, I want to be completely happy with myself. While I don't know if this is even possible, I want to get as close as possible. I want to go into college completely non-reliant on the opinion of others and be 100% content with the person that I am naturally.

College: Before leaving college, I want to take a long road trip out west on a "soul revival" type trip. Though I'm not a hippie my any means, I do think that a long trip in an RV or van would be amazing. You know the hippie guy from Cars? Yeah that kind of car, those are cool.

Life: I want to sit on a really tall cliff and dangle my legs off the edge as I look off into the distance. I don't want to fall or anything don't get the wrong idea, but I want to feel on top of the world.

Assignment #17-Disney Plus- Sam Chavez

Ah Disney+. Now I'm not much of a superhero guy but Marvel movies on Disney+ are heaven-sent. So, while at work one day, I decided to watch Iron Man 3, as one does. Directed by Jon Favreau, this THREE HOUR masterpiece was a slight disappointment to be honest. The Iron Man Trilogy has proved to be my favorite series of Superhero movies. But this one I wouldn't recommend. The end of Tony Stark's "hero's journey" was portrayed in the 3rd movie, which just ended up being a dragged out dramatization of his fight against weird lava people. This film didn't in any form live up to the expectations that were present after Iron Man 1 and 2. Iron Man 1-the greatest movie of all time- is a much more reasonably lengthened film that shows Tony's discovery of his new alter-ego that is Iron Man.

Assignment #20 - Megan Ewing - French Emails

I’m in AP French this year, so we’re learning how to write specific assignments for the AP exam. I’m not taking the exam, so I’m struggling to see the real purpose of these assignments outside of college board just wants us to suffer. So far, the assignment I’m best at is the formal email. This guide could also apply to any other AP foreign language, but I’m in French so it’s a French email. Step 1: Read the prompt email- take note of any questions asked or important informationStep 2: Begin the email with Cher Monsieur ___ or Chère Madam ___ and a formal greeting. Use the subjunctive in one of these to ensure you get those points. Use the formal form of “you” throughout the email. Step 3: Use a transition to enter the meat of your email, such as “tout d’abord” (first of all). Then continue to use transitions as you move between topics. Consider “en revanche, malgré que, and cependant.” (On the other hand, despite, and however)Step 4: Answer every question asked in the email, adding extraneous detail. For example, if they ask how they should get to your house from the airport, you could say you’ll pick them up in a small blue car because the taxis and buses in the area cost too much. Consider using some figurative language here, such as “Ça coûte un œil de la tête” (it costs an eye from the head) for it costs a lot. Step 5: Ask a question. Make sure they haven’t already answered this question in the prompt and that it relates to the situation. Step 6: Use a formal closing. I would memorize one and stick to this one. I use “veuillez agréer l’expression de ma sincère reconnaissance.”Step 7: Close with “cordialement” (cordially) or “sincèrement” (sincerely) and your name. Either one is fine, as long as the prompt didn’t use it.Step 8: Get your grade and commentary from your French teacherStep 9: Sulk because no matter what you do, you can’t succeed with these emails.

Assignment 17- Caroline Blitch- spent $14 to see timmy on the big screen

Over the break I saw the movie Little Women. While I admit that the main reason I wanted to see the movie was because Timothée Chalamet was starring in it, I actually enjoyed if for more than that. It was a nice alternative to the movie I was originally meant to see that day, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Pop culture seems to be saturated with action-packed movies that all follow a similar storyline making them beyond predictable. Little Women is an exception to this and the movie was even good enough to make me want to read the book, which is quite honestly saying a lot. The main character Jo March is an inspiration to any woman that considers herself a feminist. At the end of the movie, Jo does not end up with a man, a refreshingly realistic ending that most writers are too afraid of. Too afraid that it won’t sell or be a success. But all of the film’s awards nominations as well as its rotten tomato grade prove otherwise.

Assignment #19- Caroline Blitch- Disney Moms

Thankfully, my parents aren’t the type to give my siblings and I cliché and cringey life lessons like every parent on any Disney channel show. That’s why when my parents do, it sticks. A few years ago my mom told me “If it feels too easy, then it is.” Basically, she was trying to tell me that taking shortcuts or the easy way out will nearly always come to bite me back in the ass. Or at least that’s what I interpreted from our discussion. She gave me this advice when I was studying for my next Pony Club rating. Essentially, you have to prove that you will be prepared for the test three months before the actual test date so that the examiners aren’t wasting their time. To do this, you have to get signed off on each category by a list of approved people. When I found out that I personally knew one of the people and that they would sign off for me, trusting that I knew my stuff without actually quizzing me, my mom warned against it. She told me that by no means was she going to say I couldn’t but that it wasn’t a good idea. And so naturally I went against her advice and took the easy way out. And then when it came time for the test, I failed. The first rating I had ever failed. So maybe my mom was right. 

Assignment #19- Ezra Mulalic- Advice

My father always seems to have some advice to give me no matter the situation I am in. He went through and fought the Yugoslav wars, and came over to America as a refugee. He has had an incredibly tough life, and he is always able to share some of his wisdom to me. One piece of advice he has given me that stuck to me was "find some fun in everything you do." My dad is a person who always tries to find some entertainment he does no matter where. This has stuck to me because I feel that everything needs a little pizazz to it, and boring things shouldn't be kept boring. This has helped me while doing some work or some chores. I rarely find myself bored or have nothing to do, because I always try to find something to do. My father is a great man, and I am really grateful of all the advice he has shared with me.

Blog post 19- Friend with your child- Chuck Logsdon

I honestly do not remember where I heard this advise or if it was even directed at me but one piece of wisdom I heard that always stuck with me is to make sure you would be proud to tell your kids about your life/actions. Now I often make bad decisions so I don't follow this one hundred percent but when I do remember it I will ask myself if I would be proud telling my future kids about what decision I am making. I think this helps me try and be a better person. I am not sure why this piece of advise has stuck with me but it is one I will definitely pass down to my children.

Assignment #18- Caroline Blitch- 47 Meters Down but Without the Tragedy

1. Bucket List for High School: maintain all As, receive a 34 on the ACT, travel out of the country at least once more, manage my migraines better by taking better care of my overall health, convince my parents to let me drive to the beach this summer with my best friend and stay with my aunt for a couple weeks. Maintaining all As is my first priority because it will be the most useful in helping me receive as much scholarship as I can for college.
2. Bucket List for College: My biggest goal for college is to be able to find something that I am actually passionate about, rather than settling for a safe career path. I also really want to travel to South America to study abroad. Ever since I was exposed to the Spanish language and hispanic cultures in elementary school, I have always wanted to move there. If I am lucky, maybe I can achieve these first two items on my list simultaneously. Two birds, one stone?
3. Bucket List for Life: Creating a bucket list for life overall is very difficult because there is so much that I don’t know and so much that I can’t control. I’m not sure if I want to be married or have kids or what career path I will follow. So, I will focus my bucket list on things I want to do regardless of all those factors. 1. Go skydiving, 2. Travel to the 5 continents that I haven’t been to, and 3. Be fluent in Spanish 

Assignment 18- Bucket time- Chuck Logsdon

In Highschool- Before I graduate I want to go on a roadtrip with my friends. I think this would be a very unique experience that would teach me valuable lessons about responsibility. Now this idea does sound fun in theory knowing my friends and I this would be a horrible idea.

In College- In my 4 years living semi-independent in college I think it would be beneficial for me to experience some significant strife that I have to overcome. I know this sounds masochistic but I think its important to struggle in order to grow as a person.

In Life- In my lifetime I want to have a project that I put a lot of time and energy in to. I have no idea what said project would be but I want to dedicate a a large portion of my time in to creating something. I think it would really worthwhile. 

assignment #19 - lily gardner: people with more estrogen refuse to listen to those without estrogen, on principle

My father takes pleasure in making every car ride the time to bestow unsolicited advice. My narcolepsy conveniently kicks in during any moving vehicle trek. I’ve avoided most of these diatribes through the sheer miracle of biology. But there are times in which a car ride nap is not possible - I am heavily caffeinated, it is too short to be worthwhile, or, a new development, I am the one behind the wheel and he is seated to my right.

My father is old. Point blank, hands down, no other way to say it: old. And as I understand it, increasing age brings about the sense that one knows more than other people. He qualifies this by noting that he also recognizes how little he knows more, but that part of the equation doesn’t often show in our conversations.

My father has given me a lot of advice. He asks me to write it down, in case he miraculously becomes senile. I never do. Perhaps I am the senile one, as I remember none of it. Or perhaps the advice has just been subpar.

He told me never to think of myself as better than my education, no matter how terrible. This is coming from a man who dropped out of college three times. Unfortunately, I never attend school, so it appears that lovely piece of advice has gone down the drain.

He told me that I will get better gas mileage, my breaks will last for longer, and it is environmentally superior to not drive fifty miles per hour in a thirty-five zone. I am waiting to get my first speeding ticket, he still holds the handle above the seat (does that thingy-ma-bobber have a name) every time I take a sharp turn, or, at this point, merge.

I remember when he told me the story of stealing a stool from his dorm room in an act of spite. I now place my largest plant upon it. I remember hearing about the movie theater we once owned, the restaurant, the hotel. It has not dissuaded me from owning any of those things. I remember learning that he pitched in to buy back the house of a friend who was a conscientious tax objector. I am proud.

We are not religious, but he memorized one Bible verse. “Just not, that ye be not judged.” I come from Eastern Kentucky, Bible or not, I think I could’ve figured that one out.

As I sit here, watching the snow fall, I find it so difficult to figure out what advice has truly impacted me. I am impulsive to the core, and so, in times of true struggle, I trust my gut. Of course, the instincts of my gut come from the life experience my parents and teachers haphazardly curated for me at a young age. But it is now my gut, clouded perhaps by my obsession with probiotics and Kombucha.

I was once told that knowledge is power, the implication of advice being to use mine in that way. But I now wonder, is it? Or is money power? Are there pieces of advice I have gotten that haven’t been futile? Have I turned any good piece of advice I’ve ever received into an ironic comment (“love yourself” “manifest your future” etc)?

It is cold and so I am wearing a flannel. The last time I chose to wear one was in the fifth grade. They say fashion comes back in favor every few decades. I am reading a magazine that my grandmother, the writer, doesn’t believe is real. Just as well, I think “people who produce more estrogen,” womxn, is too post modern for her taste. She would consider the repetition of such a long phrase to be bad writing.

Maybe the best advice is not stagnant. Can there really be one principle that guides someone’s life forever? Is there a piece of advice more valuable than what we come to ourselves?

I do not know, which is perhaps, the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given.

assignment #18 - lily gardner: a list to cure your back ache

When the nicotine hit it felt to him like the smoke from a campfire that gets in your eyes and just won’t leave them alone. He took a pause, then did it again, the harmony of high and low throaty cries behind him, an impromptu game on stage. Check.

When she reached the top of the mountain she screamed and chugged the entire Pelligrino and was happy, even though the avocado was rotten and the crackers were stale. She was finished with all of them, not that it was the counting that mattered, but there was some satisfaction in knowing she had completed all forty six. Check.

When I was four feet tall, I sat in the warmth of the big green chairs and made a family with dolls and read and read and read and then began to write lists. But only in the first page of every notebook, the rest tainted the moment the first drop of ink hit.

I write lists in a way that makes me feel good even when my butt bone aches. After I’m finished with one, I can always check something off. I like being there when other people do, too. I like being the one to suggest something be added to their bucket list and then follow through with it.

And so, here goes nothing:

- High School

• Learn to skateboard
• Climb Mt. Kilamanjaro
• Go to a drive in movie theater
• Live in another country (soon to be check)
• Parallel park....well
• Put on a really dope climate strike (round 2)
• Read more
• Make little waste

- College 

• Taking some cool classes
• Meeting some funky people
• Write
• Organize
• Travel
• Thrive
• Repeat

Living

• Have a kid perhaps
• A stable relationship
• Maybe owning some art would be nice
• Travel, lots
• Read, even more

My bucket list for life on the whole is contingent this whole climate change situation. Until then, top priorities include climate striking and climbing Kilamanjaro and doing whatever rad thing pops up on my Google Calendar. I’m not too attached to doing anything, as long as it’s something.

Madonna said that “fear is stupid, so are regrets.” I can’t say I agree, but ideally I’ll never know because I won’t have any. They always seem to do nothing but cripple people.

Assignment #19 -William Webb

If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice. This piece of advice has stuck with me for a great portion of my life. First seen one a regularly graffitied wall in downtown Memphis. Not going to lie, I had no idea what this one day powerful quote meant to me. No idea where the quote came from or who wrote it, it seemed odd for me to take this advice and run with it. But I saw this lack of background information as the point it was trying to make. If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice. I kept repeating it to myself. It came to light one saturday afternoon while watching my by far favorite college football team (UK). I wanted to play at this level of fiscality if it meant I had to make sacrifices.  This is when I realized that if i wanted to accomplish this goal, there would be a amount of work that is considered by others ridiculous.

assignment #17 - lily gardner: i am all but perhaps only half of a divorcee

The Gerwig-Bombach partnership is as iconic as it is confounding. A romance that began many years before another had officially ended. I wonder how she feels when she watches the film? Guilt? She is the metaphorical stage manager, after all.

When I watch films, I want to squirm. With delight. Inspiration. Because I am uncomfortable. Feeling something. If I don’t, rolling pictures can never achieve the highest level of validation in my mind, which is of course the most important ranking they will ever receive.

I was forced to visit a marriage counselor with my parents in the fifth grade. This was years in the making, I later learned, as they had been going for quite some time. It was to no avail, if they hadn’t brought me to the formerly drug-addicted Columbia University grad who I now text from my father’s phone as a joke, I would’ve never known. Such a fact is indicative of their progress.

I remember the bathroom clearly, as I locked myself in there rather than talking about feelings and all that bullshit. It was small. I had no phone. I sat with the toilet seat down, daydreaming about the compensation I could ask for when we returned to the farmhouse.

I am baffled by my choice to watch a film about divorcees who worked in a theater and made roast vegetables and had family both near and far away and were radically different human beings. My father could not put the car seat in the car. I resented him for many years, sleeping rather than partaking in any fun he had planned for me.

The film made me squirm. Perhaps it would’ve more had I not lived it. And yes, I have been known to appreciate anything Adam Driver is in, save for Girls. I would partake, but HBO is a financial commitment for which I must create a cost-benefit analysis. I have even watched his TED Talk, and Star Wars, which to me feels like a much more impressive feat.

If Marriage Story was about my familial life, then Frances Ha is about my own. I am wondering now if the experience of all Jewish adolescents is the same in some way or another, or if Noah Baumbach just understands.

My grandmother told me that the film reminded her what it was like to be young. I would concur.

At their core, youth and divorce are radically different subjects. But at the same time, are they one in the same? Someone just searching for their identity and wading into a world unknown.

Assignment #18 -William Webb

1. My biggest priority for high school at this point in my career is to ensure I can get into my dream school. I necessarily don't have a dream school rather than a list, and that list consists of one of the military academies that our government provides to the best and the brightest. This goal alone comes with many other goals, including a good ACT score, high GPA, and the ability to perform at a very high level at any varsity sport.

2. Probably my number one goal in college is to perform at a very high level (national level) in football. This has been a goal for me since I could remember. The greatest motivation I have at this point in my life. Everyday since the summer of my 5th grade to 6th grade football transition to a travel football team has prepared me for this mountainous task.

3. This isn’t much of a goal but a checkpoint in my life of having kids. I want to be able to do the same as my own parents and raise a child or two that knows the importance of hard work and dedication.  This doesn’t mean I'll be hard on them, but I plan on doing everything in my power to make them into the best human beings in every aspect possible.

Assignment #17 -William Webb

Over the weekend I’ve been lucky enough to get some work down, in other words, binge watch multiple movies. One of them was Greald’s Game. A very well orchestrated movie to see the least. Opening with a man smiling lovingly as he handcuffs his wife to a bed at their vacation home. We can tell immediately that not everything is going smoothly in these lovers’ relationships, but only looks like a road block that can hopefully be fixed with some Viagra. With early overhead shots, Flanagan reveals that Gerald packed handcuffs, and he plans on using them. When things start to get a little too weird for the wife, she tries to call it off. Feeling very objectified. “Uncuff me and we can talk,” she says. He replies, “What if I won’t?” This threat doesn’t pay out, however, because Gerald has a heart attack, dropping dead right on top of her. She pushes his body off, and realizes the sheer horror of her predicament, handcuffed to a bed, too far away for anyone to hear her screams. What will Jessie do?

Assignment 18 - Luke Plummer - Just A Drop In The Bucket

Bucket lists have always been hard for me to come up with. There are a lot of things that I want to do, so it's always been hard for me to create a top list. So, we are going to make an attempt at listing the 3 tops. First, before I finish high school I want to make first team all state for lacrosse. This a personal goal of mine, and ever since watching Clay Graves make it last year I knew that I wanted to be standing in his spot receiving the same congratulations at the State Championship game. Before college is over I want to have gone on a road trip with all of my friends. I want us to all pile into a car and just drive to a location. I want to be able to just talk and make a bunch of stops on the way. Before my life is over I want to own my own business. I want to be able to provide for my friends and my family, and to be able to have a very fun life.

Assignment #18-Bucket List-Max Carlson

High School- I'd like, before high school ends, to improve my self esteem and work effort. You, I'm sure, as a teacher, understand that I am not the best at time management, further evidenced by the fact that I'm doing this at 10:00 PM on the last night available to do it.
College- I really want to travel and hopefully study abroad to hopefully gain a different perspective on life and the people around me. I've lived in Lexington my entire life, and only been out of the country twice, to Canada and Europe.
Life- I'd like to find happiness. I'm sure you've received a bunch of responses "I want to be successful" or "i want to settle down and have a family" but I'm not really sure what I want to happen in my life. I'd like to kind of figure it out when I get there and do what I can to be happy.

#18: Bucket lists - M'Kiyah Baird

Highschool:

1. Get my driver's license - I think this one is most important to me. It's a start to conquering my fears as well as a little sign of freedom. It helps to have in certain situations in case of emergency. I do have very bad test anxiety so when it comes down to it, getting my driver's license (I already have my permit) would be a great step forward. 
2. Clean my room
3. Improve my painting skills
4. Sell an art piece 

College:

1. Travel out of the country
2. Travel to all 50 states
3. See Newsies 
4. See Beetlejuice on Broadway
5. See the Hamilton movie and own the DVD 
6. Create/paint something I'm proud of
7. Finish the book I started in 8th grade - This may be the most important thing to do before college ends. Though I might finish it beforehand, I think it's important to have done because it is a significant sign of progress, not only in my writing skills, but in my imagination. The book stems from an idea I had about characters that changed the way I view myself and my surroundings. Finishing the book would mean the start of something new and the beginning of a new chapter. 

Life:

1. Get married
2. Own a house
3. Have a cat and/or dog - this is the thing I want to do most before I die. Having a cat or dog is something I've always wanted (I have both currently) and it shows a sign of responsibility. I also just think they're cute. 
4. Get a job

Assignment #18- Ezra Mulalic- The bucket list

The number one thing I want to get done before high school. Hmmmm. That is probably going to be able to speak Bosnian fluently. My whole family is from Bosnia, and right now I am able to only say a few phrases and I understand most of what they say to me. At family gatherings, they speak Bosnian, and my parents or some other people will look at me and speak some English so I understand what it happening in the conversation. They all kind of make fun of me not knowing how to speak it. I also want to speak Bosnian with my family in Europe.
The thing I want to do before the end of college is go on a private jet. A private jet is a epitome of coolness. You have your own jet with barely anyone in it, free of all the jammed spaces and snoring people. A private jet ride would be an incredibly cool thing to go on.
The thing I want to do before I die is not something I've thought about a lot. I know we all don't have unlimited time but I still haven't got around to think about what I really want to accomplish. I know I want to make some sort of impact, but I don't know how big of one yet. I guess this bucket list of mine is still incomplete, but hopefully one day I find something I really want to do.

Assignment 19 - Luke Plummer - Papaw John

I’ve been on the receiving end of many different bits of advice throughout my years of being a living and breathing human being. Advice that I have received can definitely be ranked on a scale of how impactful it can be. As I have gotten older, my mother has always been constantly telling me advice that in her eyes helps me stay protected. Now that she works in the UK emergency room her advice has gotten a bit extreme. Wear helmets while riding bikes, seatbelts in cars, and even the occasional “Please do not put any object of which you do not know the origin up your ass.”. Thanks mom.

In all seriousness the best advice that I have gotten would be from my Papaw John. One day I was at his house, which is quite large and in the country. While I was leaving he took me on his back patio and spread his arms across all the land he owned. He looked at me and said, “Look. Look at all of my work. All of it is my responsibility. Look at yourself now, you are free, you have nothing besides family and youth. You are in the midst of the best years of your life. Enjoy every minute. After he told me that, I have tried to make the most out of every situation. Everything that I am able to do right now, things that I know someone as old as him can not I try not to take for granted. I am trying to live every minute of my teenage and young adult life to the fullest.

Assignment #17-End of the Sega-Max Carlson

Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker
While i understand that the typical old-fashioned Anakin Prophecy purist star wars fan probably disliked the movie because Rey and Kylo replaced Anakin in the role of bringing balance to the force. My argument against this is that Anakin had already fulfilled his prophecy fully after Episode 6, as he brought balance to the force (even if just for a short time). The sequel trilogy, in my eyes, is a separate story in which the Anakin prophecy is no longer a necessary part of the story.

Assignment 17 - Luke Plummer - GOTG

The two movies that I will be comparing are Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the galaxy volume 2. Obviously these movies had a lot of similarities seeing as they are two parts to a series, but there a range of differences that I, personally was able to notice. Some of those similarities include overarching themes, characters stayed the same, and how these characters acted. Also something that I think makes these movies great are the song choices that the director uses to create specific feelings at times during the movie. The older music is something that you do not normally hear in modern movies, but it is incorporated very well and makes the movie scenes very good. But, in the second movie, I feel like there were more instances where the jokes were forced, and they spent more time being serious. I think the forced comedy was due to the expectation to live up to the success of the first movie. There were various times in the movie where I felt more inclined to cringe rather than to laugh.

Assignment 17- Rian Johnson development- Chuck Logsdon

The two films I watched were directed by Rian Johnson at drastically different points in his career. The first movie was Brick, Johnson's directorial debut. Brick was an independent neo-noir film with a budget of only $500,000 released in 2005. The other Rian Johnson film I watched was Knives Out a 2019 classic mystery movie with a budget of $40 million. Brick was definitely darker and more serious than Knives Out, but I really appreciate the film Johnson was able to produce on such a small budget. Brick is very captivating and visually appealing with many impressive shots. I did think it took itself a little too seriously at times and was too convoluted but I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can really see how Johnson has developed in his directing career in Knives Out. Very well paced and fun while also maintaining an engaging drama that made the audience genuinely care about.

Assignment #17- Ezra Mulalic- Finishing the Trilogy

I recently finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I felt pretty satisfied with the ending being The Return of the King. This movie was directed by Peter Jackson, and I feel it greatly portrayed Frodo and Sam's conclusion to their voyage. With the movie focusing on the destruction of the almighty and powerful Ring, that corrupts almost all that touch it and Frodo was tasked with the deliverance of it to Mount Doom. On the way there, he met the fabled Gollum who was a hobbit once born in the same shire, but got corrupted by the Ring. Sam and Frodo met him on their adventure, and since Gollum knew the way to the volcano better than both Sam and Frodo he lead them to there. The Gollum and Sméagol battle was brilliantly played out, and it started my love/hate feelings for the character. Gollum was the corrupted version of Sméagol, and he desire for getting the ring kept growing throughout the movie. The movie was the best of the trilogy in my opinion, and it was a beautiful coda to this masterpiece.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_return_of_the_king?register_first_name=Ezra&register_last_name=Mulalic&register_email=Ezramoolalic%40gmail.com&register_password=Ezralan1045&register_newsletter=on&g-recaptcha-response=

Honestly, the best advice I've ever received is something I've heard constantly throughout my lifetime. I think most people have heard it before and most people will follow it. I personally struggle with it from time to time because I not only don't trust myself but I find it difficult to trust others. So the best piece of advice given to me is to trust your gut. Building trust in myself is something I needed to do and trusting my gut comes with that. Turns out your first feeling is usually right (and at this point,  it's how I get through guessing on tests) so I trust myself a little more now. Like I mentioned, testing is a little more bearable. I stopped second-guessing myself so I do better in school. Social situations are easier to handle now considering I'm relatively shy. I trust myself around others because reading people is easier when you trust your gut. Thus, trust your gut. It works. 

assignment 20 - debate? - cole

This blog post sorta gave me a complex. It reminded me of how remarkably untalented I am. There's nothing that I feel uniquely qualified to give advice on moreso than anyone else in the class. There's not really much of anything I'm particularly good at at all. This isn't just me being all quirky, saying I "suck so hard at everything lol;" I just don't have any particular forte. The closest thing I have, though, is debate. To demonstrate ethos (and flex), I just want to let everyone know I've placed the highest in the history of Henry Clay debate at two separate national tournaments, including the national championships, but it's basically impossible to give a how-to on debate. I'm gonna have to try though.

There are 4 key steps that I've identified to being able to win a debate round. They are as follows.

1. Write a good case. If your case is made up of research everyone else is gonna use, you'll lose. I tend to come up with four or five arguments that, if I can find evidence for, will be basically impossible to beat. I then research, research, and research, adjusting those points as the evidence presents itself. Good points with good evidence take a while to create, but it's super worth it if you wanna win.

2. Blocks. Think of arguments you expect to encounter on the opposing side. These include offense for their cases and defense against yours. Find evidence to take them out. This helps you not only be able to argue specific rounds, but it helps you get to know the topic really well, too.

3. Be confident. If you expect to lose, you will. You won't be able to formulate effective critiques of you opponent's arguments if you don't think there are any. Remember that your opponent is human, and that their evidence was written by a human, and that no humans are unbeatable.

4. PERCEPTUAL DOMINANCE. You need to seem like you're winning. The easiest time to do this is in cross-examination. Ask and answer every question with confidence and with a clear knowledge of the topic. I guarantee you that if you win cross-ex decisively, you'll win the round. It also helps if you're tall, and, sadly, male.

This was really long, sorry. :)

Assignment 19- Annie Bohannon- Annoying Advice

Along with many of my fellow students, procrastination is something I have struggled with throughout my academic career. My parents don't like to micromanage my grades and schoolwork but they have infinite campus so they noticed the missing grades going in. I tried to tell them, “It's not actually due guys I can turn it in whenever,” but that pretty just put a bandaid on the situation. Everyday my dad would ask if i'm working on it and I would answer yes and continue scrolling mindlessly through my phone. One night I was up late working on a project I waited until the last minute to do and my dad asks me what's my problem. He said “Do the things that you have to do so you can do the things you want to do.” Although at the moment this advice was annoying to an uninterested teenager the next morning when I woke up bright and early after a long night of stress I realized that maybe he was right after all. After he told me this I tried to start doing my homework as soon as I got home instead of wasting time. I still need to work on it a lot but his advice is helping me solve my problem of procrastination. 

assignment 19 - advice i wish i followed - cole

So, sorry to bury the lede here, but I stuck a paper clip in an outlet a little while ago. I truly have no idea why; it was absurdly stupid; I've apologized to Ms. Gill (who accurately described it as the "dumbest thing she's seen in her thirty years of teaching) about a thousand times; and I will accept any and all revocations of respect that you may have had for me with complete understanding. But, given the repercussions of that act (almost starting a fire, irreparably damaging my reputation among my teachers - all of whom have found out, and giving poor Ms. Gill a warranted conniption), the best advice I received was probably what my parents said to me when I was, I don't know, two or so. Simple, yet profound, they said the following: "don't stick stuff in outlets." I wish I had heeded their advice, but, in light of recent events, I am reminded of their sage words and vow never to disobey them again. For that advice was truly the best I have received.

Assignment 17- Annie Bohannon- A Random Movie Review...

Recently I went to see the movie Underwater starring Kristen Stewart. To be honest I had never heard of this movie and I only ended up seeing it because we were too late to see the movie we were planning on seeing. So I really had no idea what to expect. The movie takes place at the bottom of the ocean at some sort of underwater research center. I found it strange that the movie started so suddenly. There was really no introduction, within the first 5 minutes the rig was under attack and she was running for her life. This was confusing because I had no idea what was going on at this point. I liked the different people the main character had helping her in the movie and I think they added a lot to the overall effect. But overall I think that the enter movie was very wishy washy. I feel like they wanted to include so many scenes in such a short amount of time that the whole movie seems rushed. I would give it a 5/10.

assignment 18 - the granddaddy of them all - cole

1. My number one priority for high school is to ensure the best college application I can. I've more-or-less accepted the reality of my high school career, and it's whatever, but I have a chance now not only to escape having to think about the place where I currently am, but to ensure that the place I am in about a year in a half is much, much better.

2. I think the conventional "bucket list" items start here. I'm pretty much resigned to my current circumstances in high school, but college is a whole different animal. My number one bucket list item for college is to study outside of the country. I've never left the US, and I haven't been west of Texas since I was two, so I want to be able to broaden my horizons a little bit before truly entering the terrifyingly looming "adult world." Leaving the US (or, minimally, seeing the pacific ocean) would be an awesome way to do so, and doing so while simultaneously learning something productive would be a total win-win.

3. So, I realize this is a really stupid bucket list item, especially for the "number one thing before I finish living," but I want to go to the Rose Bowl. There's just something about it; I honestly don't know what it is, but every time they show that same exact shot of the sun setting behind the mountains looking over the ancient stadium hosting the most significant bowl game of the year, I'm uncharacteristically moved. I think the Rose Bowl is the only truly tangible thing that I know I want to experience at some point.

#17: Kenny Ortega - M'Kiyah Baird

Kenny Ortega is an American director. He typically works on musicals for Disney and I have always loved his work. Two of my personal favorites directed by him are Newsies(1992) and the Descendants franchise, more specifically Descendants 3, the third and final movie in the series, so I will compare these two. Both movies are musicals which include teenagers trying to change the world in which they live. The Newsies are a group of boys that work to sell newspapers on the street. The movie includes multiple group dance numbers with the boys running in the street, generally singing about hardships. We can see this in the song "The World Will Know" and its reprise. The boys run around the street yelling out about not getting paid enough or being appreciated enough for their efforts. They also introduce their solution of protesting. In the movie Descendants 3, the main characters (children of Disney Villains - thus the name descendants) also sing about their hardships and engage in group dance numbers to instill action into the film. The song "Night Falls" once again brings in a problem and solution that involves fighting off a particular villain. 

Assignment 18- Annie Bohannon- My Lifelong Bucket List

1. The number one thing on my bucket list before high school is over is to go visit my cousins in Kansas. Out of the three categories this was by far the hardest to think of something. But, my cousins live in Kansas and I’ve only ever gone to visit them one time. I feel like now is a good time because my family can go together and take my grandma.
2. The number one thing on my bucket list before I finish college is to travel to Europe. I love to travel and it is one of the things I am hoping to do a lot of in this decade. I am thinking about studying abroad so that could possibly cross this from my list. 
3. The number one thing I want to do before I die is to go skydiving. I don't know what it is about it but skydiving has always intrigued me and I need to do it before I die. I am definitely a thrill seeker and love a good adrenaline rush so skydiving is right up my alley.

assignment 17 - as if! - cole

I'll be honest; I'm no film critic. I don't watch many movies; those that I do I often find tedious; and even those that I enjoy I can almost never derive any "deeper meaning" from. But Clueless is one of the few exceptions to this otherwise-steadfast set of rules for me. When watching this film I feel as though I have been transported to 1990s Beverly Hills, seeing the world through the eyes of a character in Cher with whom I share virtually nothing in common, and enjoying every moment of it. And I think that my enjoyment of this movie is twofold. First, it is remarkably unpretentious. The plot, dialogue, and characters are unapologetically themselves, with no unnecessary dynamics forced in uncomfortably to make it seem more cerebral, and the result is surprisingly more convincing than the schmaltzy, academic Oscar-bait that I've never been able to get into. Second, though this is undoubtedly a result of the aforementioned, the film is incredibly cohesive. Each moment seems sincerely to be taking place in the '90s SoCal setting. To use a musical analogy (one which I am, being the film novice I am, much better-equipped to make), this film is like Vampire Weekend's Father of the Bride, or, to maintain the '90s theme, Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See. Neither album will ever be lauded for its incredible consistency or academic rigor, but both transport you to a place that, flaws and all, seems to, at minimum, be sincere. And I have a great respect for that.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/clueless

(It said they need to do quality assurance before the review gets confirmed, but I promise it'll be up there soon)

Assignment #19 - Megan Ewing - "Be Yourself"

I don’t remember most of the advice I get. In fact, a lot of the advice I’ve gotten has been very niche, like my mom advising me to look for sales when searching for a prom dress. As if I wouldn’t already do that. The rest of the advice I can remember, I can’t remember how it affected me. So instead, I’ll talk about how I need to follow the most common piece of advice we all get: just be yourself. It sounds so simple and basic and almost meaningless. You may be thinking “well that’s a worthless piece of advice.” I think differently. I have a very submissive personality and have been surrounded by strong personalities for most of life. It’s hard for me to stick out and be myself around so many others who are so strongly themselves. I’m also a naturally quiet person and find it overwhelmingly difficult to speak up for myself or simply voice my opinion. I need to follow this advice more and stop worrying about what people think and just be me.

Assignment #18 - Megan Ewing - There's a Hole in My Bucket

I’ve always struggled with bucket lists. I’ve never been quite sure why. Maybe it’s that I’m just not that ambitious or that my life could go in so many different directions that there’s no point making a list until I pick a path. It’s certainly not that I don’t think ahead enough. I’ve done plenty of that, being overly paranoid about how a small misstep could put me completely off the rails. But anyways, bucket lists.
In high school, I’d like to keep up my straight A’s but also take senior year easy. I think I deserve a break after what I’ve put myself through this past year. I’d also like to pass more AP exams and raise my ACT score to a 35. All this and I want to save time for myself, friends, and a job. That’s probably a bit too ambitious, but I’m willing to try.
College? That seems so far away, but I’ve only got a year and a half. I suppose I’d like to, obviously, learn and grow and earn my degree. But also, I want to live a bit more freely and have fun experiences. Have a long-term relationship and start learning how to survive on my own.
Life-long goals, man that’s broad! As I said above, I’m not too ambitious and I’ve never had a specific career I’m looking for, but I’d like to go into science or medicine. I’d like to get married eventually, settle down, have a couple kids. I don’t know this is hard.

Assignment #17 - Megan Ewing - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I’ve recently had the pleasure of re-watching the classic cinematic masterpiece that is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This movie encapsulates the teenage dream, even 34 years after its release. Matthew Brodrick as Ferris Bueller, Mia Sara as his girlfriend Sloane Peterson, and Alan Ruck as his best friend Cameron Frye, are all talented and encapsulate their roles excellently, though they are over aged for these roles. Jeffrey Jones as Ed Rooney and Jennifer Grey as Jeanie Bueller both do fantastic jobs of epitomizing the insanity of stiff-necked individuals trying to catch a teenager in a lie that only hurts themselves. Ferris, Jeanie, and Rooney’s plot lines are masterfully woven together in the end, leading to chapter development for Jeanie and Cameron, even over just a single day. Ferris asks big life questions, leading the audience down similar roads. Overall, this movie can be just about anything you want it to be? A comedy? Check! A fun movie leading to an existential crisis? Also check!
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/978569655/ratings

Assignment #19 - Buddy Goodwin - Hardwork

One thing that my father has always preached to me is that nothing in life comes easy and that you have to be persistent and work hard to get things you want in life. Not only does my father just preach this to me he shows me by example. My father is the hardest working man I've ever met. No matter the challenge he takes it head on works hard to get it done. This has affected my life greatly because I have found his advice very helpful in life. His advice has helped me earn good grades, perform better in sports and achieve things that I want to achieve in life. Similarly I have found that when I don't take this advice I do not normally achieve the things I want to achieve. This advice will greatly affect my future as I believe it will help me become a successful adult.

Assignment #18 - Buddy Goodwin - Bucket Lists

The number one thing on my bucket list to do before I graduate high school is to beat trinity and St X in lacrosse. Both of these teams are insanely good each year and we usually get spanked by them even though we always go on to win the city championship. One of these years before I graduate I would like to beat them and win the city championship to actually be state champions.

The number one thing on my bucket list to do before I get out of college is to buy a car. In college I hope to work also while I study and hopefully I will make enough to purchase a car. It will most likely be a Honda because they last forever and that way when I get out of college that is one less thing I have to worry about.

The biggest thing I want to do before my life is over is to go on a mission trip. From what I've heard they are amazing experiences and I have been blessed with so much and going on a mission trip would be one way I could give back. I also believe it would give me a better perspective on my life.

Assignment #17 - Buddy Goodwin - An action type of guy

I choose to watch the movies World War Z and I am legend. Both are great zombie apocalypse movies with World War Z starring Brad Pitt and I am Legend starring Will Smith. In both movies the main actors do an outstanding job. Will smith perfectly adopted the persona of a lonely man going crazy while trying to find a cure to save humanity and Brad Pitt skillfully recreated the passionate and family-loving father that will do whatever it takes to save his family and the world. I will try my best to continue without giving away any spoilers but both movies use flashbacks very well. In addition to this the two movies have relatively different endings but I feel like they both wrap up the individual movies well. However I feel like World War Z had a better thought out story in the sense that if you missed a part of the story it would more affect your experience in watching World War Z than I am Legend whereas I am Legend was much more strictly action overall.

Assignment #20- Ellis Padgett- How to Learn Guitar (and thumb-slap it)

When I first started learning guitar, one of the biggest obstacles I encountered was having to change chords quickly. And half of guitar playing is changing chords so that's a problem. But to help with that, I suggest picking a song with simple chords that repeat throughout, and practicing them in order. I chose Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The chords are Em, A, G, and C. Google each chord (i.e. "Em chord guitar"), and a little picture of where you put your fingers pops up. 

Once you have your chords, start to play them in order, practicing switching chords. Don't try and rush through one chord once you've got it; go slow, playing each chord four times evenly before switching. Doing this over and over again not only helps you become familiar with the chords; it helps train your left hand to switch quickly between them, so that you can play really fast. Once you're comfortable with switching, you can add in the strumming pattern and play the actual song.

Another trick that I think is helpful when learning guitar is studying a finger-picking pattern. For this, I used Aurora's "Murder Song." This finger-picking pattern uses all 6 strings, which helps your right hand learn where each string is. Use your thumb to pluck the bottom three strings, and allow your other fingers to take the top strings respectively. You have to go really slow at first, watching which string you're hitting each time; but once you have it down, learning other picking patterns is easier,  because you know instinctively where each string is. 

Finger-picking tab: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/aurora/murder-song-5-4-3-2-1-chords-1742994

Okay so if you know how to switch between chords and finger-pick cool patterns you're pretty well off. One more thing I think is really cool is actually hitting the guitar while playing to make it seem like there are drums as well.

To thumb-slap an acoustic guitar, you use your index finger to strum the upper strings while your thumb hits the lower ones. There are three steps to learning this:

1) Extend your right thumb, and flick your hand so that your thumb hits the lower strings. This is what gets you your slapping sounds. Repeat this, hitting the strings with the side of your thumb without actually strumming. 

2) Curl your right hand up, getting ready to strum the guitar. When you go to strum, release your index finger down on the strings so that sound is made. Do this over and over again, using only that flicking motion to strum with your index finger. 

3) Combine them! Flick your right hand, allowing your thumb to slap against the lower strings while your index finger strums them. This creates a simultaneous sound of playing and drumming.

*There are lots more ways to slap a guitar. You can also take your thumb off the strings and instead slap the actual guitar, which will get a more drum like sound. This is what Charlie Cunningham does in his music, and it sounds like there are both drums and a guitar- but it's all him!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38E_fFM3xe0

Hannah Qazi - Assignment 19: no regerts

I'll be honest, most of the advice I receive I reject. I hate being critiqued, but at the same time, I've come to accept my insecurities and learn to grow from them instead. I received a piece of advice just this morning, and in this case, I chose to accept it. It made me realize how unpredictable and sudden life can be. It was from a woman with stage four brain cancer, who ironically was a neurosurgeon herself and had studied to the areas her cancer was growing in. I was astonished by the fact she showed no sign of grief - she was smiling. When I asked her how she maintained such a positive disposition, she revealed her secret to me. She told me she'd taken each day for granted and she didn't want to ruin what she had left. But instead of making extreme decisions and fulfilling her every desire - she returned to the simplest of things that brought her joy. She took care of herself - meditated, ate pancakes daily and binged her favorite tv shows. She said it's ok to be a little selfish sometimes and remember yourself.

Hannah Qazi: Assignment 17 - movie

If I could crawl inside of Guillermo Del Toro's mind, I would probably be horrified, yet fascinated at the same time. After all, it's produced some of my all-time favorite scary movies - Pan's Labyrinth and Mama, whose creatures have contributed to my chronic insomnia. Toro's films wouldn't be complete without their characteristically frightening and imaginative monsters. For instance, Pan's Labyrinths iconic, "Pale Monster," has embedded itself into my mind. While it lacks the detail of his creature Mama, its features are grotesque and its movements are almost primal. It also has more depth to it than Mama, since it is the embodiment of greed and evil. It literally eats fairies. This creature alone is what makes this movie so unsettling, yet intriguing. Mama, on the other hand, is possibly the reason I will never stay in a cabin. Her movements, like the Pale monster, are inhuman. Guillermo's further develops this effect with quick shots of her to catch his viewers off-guard - crafting the perfect pop-up scare.

Hannah Qazi: Assignment 18 - Just Kick It Already

High School:

1.  have at least one indie-film-esque experience
2.  raise $1000 for UNICEF club
3. become fluent in French
4. go to waffle house at one in the morning because for some reason that's a high school tradition
5. go on a road trip down the pacific coast with my closest friends

In all honesty, my "high school experience" has been pretty lame. I have yet to attend an actual football game or dance because my Asian tiger mom thinks weekends are for act prep and debate. But I'm not even interested in any of those things. In fact, I'd much rather become the quintessential indie teen who sticks their arms out the sunroof while driving through a tunnel or sneaks into crusty old and abandoned house for an impromptu photo shoot. Even though these are possibly the most cliche aspirations that I would definitely be ashamed to admit if asked in person, (mostly because I can't think of better ones right now), I still feel like I'd get something more out of them.

College:

1. study abroad!
2. start a foundation for women's education in Pakistan
3. explore my interests
4. find at least one new hobby

Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky must be a pleasure for most - that is if you're a cisgender, straight white male, but I guess I'll never get that experience. I can't say I'll miss the routine, subtle microaggressions, or being one of the only people of color in most of my classes. At the same time though, I know I can't escape it - at least in this country.  So, I hope that I could experience at least one different culture and expand my own knowledge of the world. 

Life:
1. visit my parents' hometown
2. become fluent in a third language - either Farsi
3. move to a foreign country for a bit!

My parents have always told me how beautiful their country is, but my greatest regret in life would be to not experience this myself. While its unmistakable landscape has remained untouched - its people have been oppressed by a corrupt system of government. This alone has prevented me from visiting my ancestral home and my parent's place of birth, and until it changes, I will never be able to experience this.

Assignment 19- Advice- Sneha Amrit

I usually can’t remember advice long enough to follow it, but then one piece of advice that has stuck with me is that “there is enough room for everyone in the world” sometimes I find myself getting competitive unnecessarily. I then think back to this advice and realize that someone else’s success doesn’t take away from my success, and my success does not out do someone else’s success. There is enough opportunity in the world for everyone to be successful in their own way. I think this is very important advice to follow because of how damaging it can be to compare yourself to others. While competition can help you work harder I think it is also important to realize that not everything is a competition. Whenever I find my self comparing myself to others in situations that it doesn’t really matter in I remind myself that everyone can be doing well at the same time and individual success is not contingent on others. When you are able to uplift others often times you end up lifting yourself as well.

Blog 18- Bucket Lists- Sneha Amrit

High School Bucket List

• Pass all my AP tests
• Go on a trip by myself 
• Have fun senior year
• Get better at ice skating

Listen, I am a lover of me time. I need at LEAST one hour of me time per day. My life has exponentially improved since I got noise cancelling airpods. My ideal vacation would be by myself, everything would be up to me and I would be able to do whatever I want without anyone bothering me. It really doesn't matter where I go so long as it is solo.

College Bucket List

• Study abroad in Costa Rica
• Get a scholarship 
• Make Friends
• Get on the bachelor

A couple of years ago we went on a family vacation to Costa Rica and it was probably my favorite trip ever. Everyone is so happy there and everyone was super pretty, so I’m hoping if I study abroad there I’ll become like that. Maybe I’ll finally get good at Spanish while I’m there.

Life Bucket List

• Have a pet dog
• Have financial stability 
• Have a job that allows me to travel

I want a dog SOOOO bad, but my mom thinks they are the spawn of Satan so it’s just not going to happen while I’m living with her. The first thing I’m going to do when I have the means is get a dog. My dream dog would be a Japanese chin hair because they’re small, quiet, live long, are hypoallergenic, and travel well. These traits me I’ll be able to bring my dog with me when I travel.

Blog 17- Movie Time- Sneha Amrit

Tim Burton is a movie director that has many critically acclaimed movies. The two that I have chosen to compare are his 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, and his iconic 1988 horror film Beetlejuice. While I watch Beetlejuice every year in the Halloween season, I kind of forgot that there was a live action version of Alice in Wonderland. Looking back at the two films it becomes obvious that Beetlejuice focused more on the storyline, since it was a new story that people did not know about. Alice in Wonderland however is a tale that most people are familiar with, and while watching it seems as though Burton wanted to put a heavier emphasis on set design and costuming. The costumes and sets were much more intricate in Alice in Wonderland than in Beetlejuice which I guess was fine, but I would have preferred if Burton has instead put a new unique spin on Alice in Wonderland.