The 1950's were probably awesome.

If I could go back in time to any period, I would definitely pick the 1950’s. Things were just so much simpler back then! Life was easy going. I also love the pop culture of the time. I would love to have lived in the same era as Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Billie Holiday, and many more. Another one of the main reasons why I like this time period so much and why I would love to have lived during it is because of the way people dressed. The women were always classy, going out to do the simplest errands in a dress, high heels, and lipstick. The men always looked sharp in pants and a button down shirt. And you know what they say; every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man! If I lived in this time period, I would probably be a wife and mother at an early age, but I wouldn’t stay home all the time. I would go out and have fun frequently with my friends, family, and husband. I would go to shows and dances all the time in my dresses and cute little hats! I would love to go shopping in the 1950’s, when a loaf of bread was probably like fifteen cents, and the economy wasn’t out of control. Life would have been so much more carefree, I think. People had real, good, true, fun. 

There's a Taylor Swift song for that.

Have you ever noticed how there is a Taylor Swift song to fit any mood you could possibly be in? I often find myself feeling sad or missing someone, and almost immediately, a lyric from one of her songs pops into my head. The same for other feelings! In a good mood? There’s also plenty of Taylor Swift songs that can fit your mood. At a young age, she really does have a tremendous talent. Her latest album, called Speak Now, was a huge success. That CD as well, has songs for just about anything you need to express. Good days, break ups, mean girls, and missing someone can all be expressed by the wonderfully meaningful lyrics that Taylor Swift writes. I’m not even Taylor Swift’s biggest fans, but I just really admire her ability to be so relatable in her songs. I guess because she writes from real life experiences. Sometime it’s scary how accurate I find the lyrics to be. It’s like some of them were written to describe the things that I am going through! It’s like Taylor Swift is the only one who understands sometimes. Not really, but she’s the one who can put it into words! As I sit here writing this blog right now, one of her songs is playing in the background. The lyrics that she sings and the time that I first heard the song have so many good connotations and take me back to a certain time. “Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water, you put your arm around me for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter. You are the best thing that’s ever been mine…” just puts me in a good mood, as well as describing a time that I once went through. Bottom line, Taylor Swift has some pretty incredible songs that can fit anybody’s mood, and you can’t even deny it!

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change!

To seriously change the world for the better, I would never ever judge or stereotype, and encourage everyone else to do the same. I try my hardest to not stereotype or judge anything myself already, but I think to truly change the world for the better, I need to eliminate it completely. It’s just really unnecessary and disappointing to see people judge and stereotype other people, and also to see the people that are hurt by it. The most saddening part about the whole thing is that stereotypes and judgments are almost never accurate. Not only are people put into harsh categories, but other things such as their actions, words, and way of going about things are as well. People may never get to know a good human being, and potential friend, if they are going to basically shun them for acting a certain way or doing certain things. Not everyone who gets bad grades is lazy, just because someone is shy does not mean they are quiet all the time, not every cheerleader is a preppy girly girl, not everyone who is rich is snobby, and girls can play and watch sports just as much as guys. In fact, you can label someone or something according to what you might think, and will most likely come to realize that you are dead wrong. What I am trying to say is that to change the world for the better, I would never judge or stereotype anything myself, and try my hardest to get others to do the same. The world would be a more carefree and easy place to live in, and more people would get along with each other. There would be no boundaries or lines drawn.

Joe White likes to tell knock knock jokes.

Last class, I had the opportunity to interview fellow member of The Bulldog, Joe White. It was an interesting interview, never with a dull moment. Joe’s favorite subject in school at the moment is psychology. After high school, Joe says that he would like to get involved in audio engineering at some point. When I asked him about his favorite color, he was very specific. Joe’s favorite color is, and I quote, “the colors of the sunset in the horizon at about five or six in the evening”. Some of Joe’s hobbies are playing music with his “idiot friends” (including Rudy Schieder, who rudely interrupted this interview several times). He also said that this is one of the things that many people don’t know about him. For those of you who don’t know, Joe is the front man of the band Larrabe. They have played several cool venues, including the Town Ballroom, Club Infinity, the Mohawk Place, and somewhere in New York City. Another one of his favorite hobbies is trying new hot sauces. When asked about his favorite movie, he had a lot of difficulty trying to pick an answer. He finally settled with Star Wars. Joe also said that he enjoys hunting, but I’m not sure how true that statement actually is. Joe’s favorite book series is Harry Potter. When I asked Joe how he likes to spend his weekends, he simply said “out and about”. He then proceeded to tap his hands on the table, and also requested that I include that in the interview. Joe’s favorite thing to eat is Cajun food, or anything that you can’t get easily. My interview with Joe White was interesting and enlightening to say the least. If you ever have the chance to have a conversation with Mr. White, I encourage it. You will be thoroughly entertained.

The Crystal Beach Chronicles

Yep, I’ve decided to do yet another blog on Crystal Beach. But I think for this one I just really want to show my true appreciation for it and why I love it so much. It is legitimately my favorite place on earth. There are so many good connotations that I have with it. When I think Crystal Beach, I think of boat rides with my cousins, sharing a cottage with my best friend and her family every summer, walking to the candy store, swimming to the pier in huge waves just to jump off of it, endless walks up and down Beechwood Avenue, sitting by the campfire listening to Kenny Chesney at one in the morning, jumping out of windows, eating at South Coast, bike rides on old fashioned bikes, playing bad mitten and volleyball in the street, sunbathing, and simply feeling the sand beneath my toes. It’s like a sense of pride almost, because my heart swells with happiness and nostalgia every time I think about it or tell someone about it. It will always be a part of me, and I believe that it’s made me who I am today. There’s just something about it that I love, and I can’t even really explain it to its full potential. I can’t quite put my finger on it. When I go there with my best friend, it’s like an escape from reality. We lose all sense of time and forget what day it is. I still remember the very first time I went to my friend’s cottage with her. It was warm and sunny, and I wearing a blue t-shirt with flip flops on it. Her cousin was playing washers, so my friend and I joined him. We put our room together and escaped to the beach as fast as we could. I just have this unexplainable love for my favorite place on this Earth, Crystal Beach. And as a song by The Smashing Pumpkins says, “the embers never fade in your city by the lake”. True words right there!

When in Europe...

When it comes to roommates, Madeline Koelbl is a pretty awesome one. We shared a room together when we went on the school trip to Italy and France our freshman year. We had some pretty hilarious and splendid times, but some that were not so hilarious and splendid. The first night we were there, I got an ear infection on the way there (awesome, right?) so the tour guide took me to the doctor. It was pretty late when I returned, not to mention we were all tired from the twelve hour plane ride we had just took. Madeline was responsible for opening the door for me when I returned, but of course she fell asleep. With no room key with me, I was forced to pound on the door, waking up the entire floor of our tiny hotel, in order to wake her up. Good times. On a lighter note, in Nice, Madeline and I raced each other on the beach and collected rocks. That was fun! I will also always remember when Madeline started speaking French to an American tourist because she thought he was a French boy. However, I think the best moment of sharing a room with Madeline was on our last day of the trip. We had to wake up at 5 AM to leave by 6 AM, and Madeline and I didn’t wake up until 6 when Mr. Dimmig knocked on our door and told us to come down to leave. We had slept through three different alarms! In a panic, I ran into the bathroom and grabbed our pants that were hanging on the bathroom door. Then, I proceeded to throw Madeline’s pants at her and furiously get ready. I don't know why the first thing I thought to do was grab the pants, but I did. I guess we just didn’t want to be left in Paris! Anyway, all I’m trying to say is that I had some very unforgettable times with my amazing roommate Madeline!

Usher in Chicago?

For this choice blog, I have a funny story actually. Amber was talking about Usher, and it reminded me of this wonderful story. So, last spring, I went to Chicago with my friends Sarah and Kelsey Crawford. We were so excited! We started planning the trip in January, so we were hoping that it would live up to many high expectations of fun. It definitely did. We spent four glorious days visiting famous landmarks and enjoying the beautiful city. The first day we spent there, we went to the Blackhawks Store and the Water Tower Place, which is a seven story high mall. The next day, we went up the Sears Tower and stood on the Skydeck, which is a glass ledge that looks down over the city. That same day, we also visited Navy Pier, which is the focus point of my funny story coming later. To finish off the trip, Sarah and I went to a Chicago Blackhawks game at the United Center. It was awesome to see my favorite hockey players and be in that exhilarating atmosphere. By time the game ended, we took the subway back to the hotel and didn’t get to bed until probably one o’clock in the morning. This was unfortunate, because our flight was at eight o’clock A.M and we had to leave for the airport at seven. Kelsey, Sarah, and I headed down for our final breakfast in Chicago at about six fifteen in the morning. Kelsey, who is not a morning person at all, chose this time to reveal something to me and Sarah. In a delirious and sleepy tone, she said and I quote “Guys… yesterday at Navy Pier, I swear to God I saw Usher and his wife and kids while I was getting on the bus”. She looked at us with a dead serious face, and Sarah and I just lost it. We laughed in her face because there was no way that Usher was at Navy Pier the same time as Kelsey! We still laugh at her about it, actually. You should inquire about it sometime as well, and maybe she can try and tell you her side of the story.  

If I had a million dollars...

For my choice blog, I thought it would be interesting to write about what I would do with a million dollars. There are endless possibilities that one could do with a million dollars, really. If I were lucky enough to be able to make such choices, I’m not sure where I would begin. I suppose I would have to take care of the most important things first, like putting aside money for college. Most likely next on my list would be to buy myself a car, because that’s really the item that I need the most right now. That would be fun, because although buying a car is a necessity, I could have a lot of fun with it because I would have a million dollars to play around with! I’m definitely thinking a mini coupe. With all of my “needs” taken care of, I could spend the rest of my money on extra stuff that I’ve always wanted. The first extra I would probably invest in would be a big boat. I’ve always wanted one since I began going on my uncle’s boat in Canada. I want a boat big enough to have parties on with my friends and family, but small enough to fit into the harbor in Crystal Beach. It would be a dream come true to be able to buy a big boat and spend every day on it in the summer in Canada! On a similar note, I would buy a cottage in Crystal Beach. That’s no surprise because I say it all the time, but if I had a million dollars, I could stop dreaming and make it a reality! Lastly, I think it if I had enough money left, I would open my own restaurant with my mom. We both love to cook, so we could both work there. It would be a fun job, and I would love the satisfaction of it!

Three Wishes!

If I was to have three wishes, my very first wish would be for Amber, Madeline, and I to buy our matching tee shirts from Vistaprint. I was listening to Pandora in Online Publishing one day and an ad for Vistaprint came on, exclaiming that “it’s not a party unless someone is wearing a two dollar tee shirt!” Madeline and I immediately went to their website to see if we could buy these “$2 tee shirts”. We got Amber in on our plan, and decided to make our own shirts that have a car with a guitar on top, with “Madelaurber” written above it. It’s all of our names combined, with a pretty spiffy picture that we all loved! With my next two wishes, I would use one of them wishing that my best friend and I had our own cottage in Crystal Beach. It would just be so much more freeing and convenient if we had a place to call our own and we could do whatever we wanted with it. There was one for rent a few years ago, and it was right on the path to the beach. It was so cool because the front yard was sand! It was small and relatively cheap, so it would be perfect for me and my best friend. We would also be able to invite our other friends that we usually share a cottage with! I wish that we were able to rent that perfect cottage. Lastly, I wish that I had a better sense of direction. I recently realized that when I drive alone without anyone telling me which roads to take, I pretty much have no idea where I’m going once I get out of Alden. It would be nice to not have to call people and have them tell me where to go or rely on a GPS.

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.

What is my favorite music genre? That question is almost impossible to answer. I listen to almost every genre of music that there is, and I usually have a favorite artist from each genre. If I had to choose, I would say my absolute favorite genre of music is Alternative Rock. I like music from the nineties and stuff like that as well. For example, some of my favorite bands from this genre are Third Eye Blind, Oasis, The Tragically Hip, Counting Crows, Coldplay, and Smashing Pumpkins. The Tragically Hip are actually my favorite band ever. I listen to all of their music, both new and old, and they’ve been putting out music since the late eighties. Similarly, I love the Indie Rock genre and bands like Band of Horses, Bon Iver, and MGMT. Another genre that I like to listen to is rap. I love Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Sam Adams, Drake, and Kanye West. I’ve been listening to this genre the most lately. It always just puts me in a good mood and it’s good to drive to and work out to. Then there are some bands/artists that I love but I don’t necessarily like the whole genre; there’s The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Sublime, Tom Petty, stuff like that. What I want to listen to at a certain time really just depends on my mood. My taste in music is very diverse, but I love it. For example, my Pandora stations consist of Pink Floyd, Kenny Chesney, Nicki Minaj, Wonderwall by Oasis (which just so happens to be my favorite song ever), Cherub Rock by Smashing Pumpkins, Bon Iver, Frank Sinatra, Mac Miller, Sam Adams, Lil Wayne, and Jack’s Mannequin Radio to name a few. So I guess you could say that I don’t have a favorite genre of music, I just have favorite artists, and I just like what I like!

Get some popcorn, it's movie time.

It’s hard to pick just a few, by I would have to say my three favorite movies are, in order, The Devil Wears Prada, Aquamarine, and Bend It like Beckham. The Devil Wears Prada is hilarious, and it deals with fashion and I like that a lot also. I first saw it at a sleepover with my friend at like three in the morning on a movie channel. I didn’t really remember much from the movie because I was so tired and half watching it at the time, so I rented it a few days later and watched it by myself. I immediately fell in love with it, and now I can probably recite every word of it to you. Aquamarine is also one of my very favorite movies. It is based on a book, and I read the book when I was really young and way before the movie was made. When the movie came out I was in seventh grade, and I watched it every day. I knew I would love it because I had already loved the book. Yes, it’s a cheesy love story, but there are many reasons why I love it. It came out when I was in seventh grade, and my best friend moved away when I was in seventh grade. The movie also deals with a girl who moves away from her best friend, and we related to that obviously. We would always quote the movie to each other when we were dealing with a similar problem that they had to go through.  Lastly, there’s Bend It like Beckham. It’s about an Indian girl living in England who wants to play soccer professionally, but her parents and strict Hindu culture won’t allow her to. I think I like this movie so much because I play soccer, and I have actually always been interested in other cultures. It’s a pretty good mix, I think. My favorite movies involve fashion, mermaids, and soccer.

You'll always be my Summer Sister.

My favorite book should come as no surprise. My favorite book is Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. Summer Sisters is one of her only adult novels. It’s a story about two young girls Caitlin and Victoria (or Vix for short), who are total opposites but become best friends and spend every summer together in Martha’s Vineyard. As they grow up, they begin dating two boys, who are also best friends. On Victoria’s seventeenth birthday at the beach, Caitlin betrays Vix by kissing her boyfriend. After that, things begin to fall apart. Vix leaves the cottage that she stayed in with Caitlin and her family, and Caitlin begins dating Vix’s old boyfriend. VIx’s autistic brother also dies, and she has to go home to see to that. They begin to grow further apart when Vix goes to Harvard and gets an education and Caitlin makes a living on odd jobs and travels the world. After years of not seeing each other and barely talking, Caitlin calls Vix up and invites her to her wedding, to the man that Vix had been in love with for ten years. She agrees to go and to also be a bridesmaid, but it’s incredibly difficult. Years pass, and Caitlin has a child but her marriage falls apart. Vix visits Caitlin in Italy, and they have a heart to heart about their pasts together. They reveal that no matter how many boys, arguments, or miles are between them, they will always be best friends (and it makes me cry every time). Caitlin ends up dying and Vix takes care of her daughter, appropriately named Summer. My explanation of it makes it sound unbelievably corny and cliché, but I can guarantee you that it’s not. It’s a great book, and it’s been my favorite ever since eight grade. It also has a special place in my heart because it is almost an exact story of me and my best friend, minus the marriage and children and such. We spend every summer together in a cottage at Crystal Beach, and we are literally like “summer sisters”. Both of us have only brothers, so this story is very relatable to me. It’s an impeccable story that will make you laugh and cry, but you’ll be glad you read it if you choose to do so!

Giving thanks.

I absolutely love the holidays. Thanksgiving, in my opinion, is the perfect way to kick off the season. When I arrive home from school on the Wednesday before thanksgiving, I can thoroughly relax because I know I will be surrounded by my family during the weekend. We have two thanksgiving celebrations, because we go to dinner at my Aunts house and my Grandmothers. The first day, My Dad, Mom, Joe, and I go to my Aunts house and celebrate with my Dads side of the family. My Dad is the youngest of seven children, so we have a giant thanksgiving dinner when we get together with them. Being that he has four sisters, the gathering is at a different Aunts house every year, and sometimes it’s even at ours. I adore going to my other Aunts houses, because they live in North Buffalo and the surrounding areas, and I enjoy spending my time out there. It’s lovely spending the day in a warm, toasty, house that smells like delicious food; all while being surrounded by my numerous cousins that I can chat with for hours. My Dad and his siblings are almost one hundred percent polish, so we have perogies with our traditional turkey and such. Our festivities usually start around two in the afternoon, and we don’t ordinarily leave until eight or nine o’ clock at night. I also always make sure we come home with leftovers like mashed potatoes (because they are one of my favorite foods) and of course pie. That same weekend, we have a second thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmother’s house. It’s a much smaller house and a much smaller family, but just as enjoyable. To celebrate my Mom’s side of the family, we have thanksgiving with my Great Grandma and Grandmother, my Aunt, two Uncles, and cousins. Both of my Grandma’s are exceptional bakers, so I think that is the part of that meal that I look forward to the most. Both celebrations of Thanksgiving are a perfect way to spend the weekend and it really does make me thankful for all that I have!

Baby, you're a firework!

My favorite holiday isn’t one that many people typically think of when you mention holidays. I consider the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, to be my favorite holiday. I don’t think many people even consider it a holiday, but I don’t see why not! The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday because it’s pretty much the only holiday during my favorite season, which is summer. I’m out of school, which means I’m able to enjoy my July Fourth to the fullest because I have nothing stressing me out in the back of my mind. I love the carefree vibe you get on the Fourth of July. Within my family and group of friends, we have a huge cookout party with a breathtaking fireworks display at the end of the night. A couple years, I’ve even spent my Fourth of July in my favorite place in the world, Crystal Beach! It’s the most amazing feeling in the world to sit on the beach just as the sun is going down with your best friends watching fireworks over the lake. After the fireworks, we usually stay on the beach and either play in the waves or throw around a football. Also, one of my personal favorite things about Independence Day is the sparklers that everyone gets during fireworks! They are so simple, but I think you would probably be lying if you said you didn’t get excited when you had a sparkler in your hand. You can write words in the air with them, and they’re just fun to watch! In addition, the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday because it’s nice to be able to enjoy the nice summer weather while being together with family and friends. One of the things I like to do at July Fourth parties is swim in the pool, or lay by it and work on my tan. From my point of view, if there’s a holiday where you can relax on the beach, catch up with friends and family, and watch fireworks, why wouldn’t it be your favorite?!

My tough decisions about soccer.

While the summer before my senior year was still young, it was time for me to start conditioning and training for soccer season, like I usually do. But as the start of the season got closer and closer, I felt an unusual feeling. In the back of my mind, every time I would think about the upcoming season, I would get a feeling of dread and even anxiety. At first, I planned on doing soccer as usual despite these feelings. It was almost as if I felt like I had no other choice; that it was my only option because it’s what I had done my whole life. But then I realized I did have a choice, and I wasn’t being “forced” to do it like I felt. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE soccer. I’ve played since I was seven years old. It’s just the stress of doing a fall sport and balancing all of my new schoolwork has always been somewhat of a struggle for me, and I didn’t really want to deal with it my senior year. Also, there is always inevitable drama on any sports team, with soccer being no exception. I’m not blaming anyone and I know it’s bound to happen, but I was kind of over that aspect of it. Similarly, it was a very young team this year, and it seems as if the younger players are preferred. Regardless of all the small issues that bothered me about doing soccer, the decision was purely my own. I did what I felt was best for me! It was indeed a very difficult decision, and I may or may not have even shed a tear over it. Also, when my friends found out that I wasn’t playing soccer in the fall, they were shocked. And when the season started, I was a little upset. However, to make up for it, I am playing in an Indoor league at Sahlen’s Sports Center. I’m very excited to get back into the game I love!!

College Bound

Unlike some people my age, I know exactly what I want to do with my life after High school. Ever since eighth grade, I’ve known I wanted to be a paralegal. I originally wanted to be a lawyer, but now I think that the Paralegal Studies field is much more fitting for me. I plan on attending Hilbert College in Hamburg, NY to fulfill these aspirations. I want to go there because they have one of the most established and recognized paralegal programs in Western New York. I also want to attend Hilbert because it is a smaller school, and close enough to home where I can visit my family and friends frequently. I plan on getting a Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies. Another career option I am looking into is court stenography, which is like record keeping for the court system. Job outlook and placement is great for both fields, so I am hoping to get a job right out of college. They also make good amounts of money, so I will hopefully be financially sound. I want to get an apartment in Buffalo, and share it with my best friend. We've planned on getting an apartment and sharing it since we were in middle school, and I think it would be really fun and fulfilling. It would be a great way to get a taste of freedom while learning to stand on my own without help from my family. Thinking even further into the future after high school and even college, I would like to stay and live in Buffalo. I would also like to be able to buy a cottage in Crystal Beach so I can continue to spend my summers there, and share that with my future family. But for right now, I think I just need to focus on getting into my number one college, and getting a job so I can have beaucoup d’argent!

We're running a newspaper here!

My favorite class so far is a class that I’m taking this year. I would have to say that my favorite class so far is Online Publishing with Mr. Currin. There are loads of reasons why Online Publishing is my preferred class this year. I did not pick this as my favorite class just because I’m writing this blog for Online Publishing, either. I genuinely like this class a lot! Every odd day, I look forward to fourth block because Online Publishing is a great way to end the day. We are like a “newsroom” as Mr. Currin calls it, and it’s a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere in room 109. I like the fact that we get to express our opinions in the class. And I also LOVE how we get to incorporate our likes and preferences in everything we do, and get to write and blog about things that actually interest me (which ultimately leads to better writing. Win-win situation!). Another plus about Online Publishing is that we sometimes have casual Friday’s! These are great because some people bring in delicious treats for us to eat and it makes writing blogs and articles just a little more enjoyable. One of the very best parts of the class is that the people in the class and the things we do as a class are just so entertaining. Everyone gets along, and contributes to group discussions whether they are serious or amusing. Mr. Currin can turn anything into something funny, and that’s really refreshing when you’re having a bad day. Online Publishing is just a fantastic and superb course to be involved in, and I’m glad I am a part of it! It’s a break from the regular classes that I have to take every day. No lectures, no notes, just improving my writing skills while having a great 80 minutes!

Teach by example.

If I had to choose, I would say that a teacher that has impacted me in a positive way in my high school career is Mr. Cayea. Last year, in my junior year, I had Mr. Cayea for Psychology and Sociology. I was very interested in the material of the classes in general, and having Mr. Cayea as a teacher for them made them just that much more enjoyable. I think that Mr. Cayea has impacted me so much because he doesn’t just teach the required topics for that class, but also teaches valuable lessons and information that everyone can use all throughout their life. Mr. Cayea is big on being a good person to everyone and having good morals. He would try to drill those values and views into our heads during class and give us the foundation to leave Alden High School with a good character and ready to better the “real world”. He essentially taught me life lessons that I will help me succeed while I’m on my own and make me a better person. I admire how well he handles tough situations, and he instills that into his students. Teaching three subjects all at the same time is quite the task, but he rarely complains. He also always puts one hundred percent into everything he does, even if he is having a really crappy day, and he is inspirational to me in that aspect as well. Mr. Cayea is a very down to earth person on top of it all. He relates his lessons to his personal life and things he has been through in life. This makes the material easier to learn and remember, and you get to know him on a personal, approachable, level. Needless to say, Mr. Cayea has inspired me to just go with the flow, take life as it comes, and make the best out of it.

South Coast is where it's at.

My favorite restaurant would definitely have to be South Coast Cookhouse in Crystal Beach, Ontario in Canada. It’s called “south coast” because Crystal Beach is the most southern part of Canada on Lake Erie, and many people refer to it as such. I love it so much because the restaurant is literally two minutes from the beach and about a seven minute bike ride from our cottage. It’s located just beyond the water behind other shops and attractions right off of the beach. Me and my best friend g go there so often during our times in Crystal Beach, that the waitresses recognize us, and give us our favorite window spot. I’ve been there for lunch and dinner, and I absolutely love their menu. They have authentic Canadian dishes like Poutine, and things you can only get in Crystal Beach like Loganberry to drink and Great Lakes Company beer, which is brewed and bottled locally. My favorite dish that I’ve gotten from there would have to be either the Poutine I mentioned before, or the chicken quesadilla. The Poutine comes on a huge plate, too big for one person to finish on their own even if they were starving. The chicken quesadilla is also very big, and it’s the best taste of Mexican cuisine I think I’ve ever had. The restaurant itself has the old Crystal Beach “antique” feel to it, because the town of Crystal Beach was founded in 1899. The service there is excellent, and you can stay as long as you like and just relax and chat after your dinner. It’s a great choice if you want to have a nice lunch after a long day at the beach, or if you want to have a wonderful but reasonably priced dinner before a night out on the town. The atmosphere is lovely and makes you feel so relaxed and comfortable.

Moms pack the best lunches!

One of the best packed lunches that I brought to school was last year during the soccer season. The night before, I had a 7:30 p.m. soccer game at Tonawanda. I usually make my own lunches, but my mom knew that I was going to be getting home very late and I would have to do homework, let alone pack a lunch for the next day. My mom was already in bed when I arrived home at around 10:00, but my dad informed me that I had a lunch packed for me the next day. I was relieved that my mom had packed a lunch for me, but I was also nervous because I hadn’t told her what I wanted and I didn’t know what she would give me without any guidance or advice. So I packed the lunch in my bag the next morning and took it to advisement with me, because I had advisement lunch. I always eat in my advisement room, which is Mr. Larrabee’s, with my friends. So I unwrapped the tin foil of my sandwich, and was ecstatic with what I saw. It was one of my favorite meals! My mom had made me a chicken wrap, with lettuce, ranch sauce, and avocado! She had cooked the chicken the night before just for me. It wasn’t even dry, and the wrap had the perfect ranch to avocado ratio. This lunch was so great because I wasn’t even expecting it. I was thinking that I was going to have to buy the same old stuff that they have in the cafeteria. My friends in advisement even commented on how awesome the lunch was. I know it was a spectacular lunch also because it sticks out in my mind. When I read the blog prompt, I already knew I was going to write about this!

"Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime."

With the suicide of local teen Jamey Rodemeyer, the topic of cyber bullying, and more prevalently, the bullying of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students at high school, has become an even bigger issue for many people across the nation. The story of Jamey in particular personally sickens me. What bothers me the most I think is how relentless the bullies were towards Jamey, and how they still are. How would someone be able to live with themselves knowing they told another individual to kill themselves, and they actually did? What is even more vile is the fact that the group of students who were tormenting and bullying Jamey did not stop the rude and hurtful comments after he was dead. They continued to write on his Facebook wall saying that they were glad he was dead. What makes this situation even more horribly shocking and repulsive is that the same students also targeted Jamey’s sister at her homecoming dance chanting Jamey’s name and taunting her when a Lady Gaga song was played. How could those people have the nerve to do that? There is talk of trying to get a legislation passed that would make Cyber bullying a crime punishable by jail time. The proposed law would make anyone found responsible for another person taking their own life guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to up to fifteen years in prison even for a minor. I think that fifteen years may be too harsh if the accused is a minor, but jail time should definitely be the punishment for hate crimes over the internet. It comes down to the fact that the people that bully others, especially over the internet, contributed to the death of another and they deserve to be punished just like any other regular murderer. The death of Jamey is truly heartbreaking and it’s a shame that it takes a tragedy like this to bring an issue to light.

The Tragically Hip and more!

For my choice blog, since I had no other good ideas, I decided to write about my favorite bands. My favorite band ever, more than all the others, is The Tragically Hip. They’re a Canadian rock band, so I don’t know of many other people that have heard of them. My dad is the main reason I started listening to them, because they are also his favorite band. I have really early memories of just chilling with my dad while he listened to Tragically Hip songs, and I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember. Similarly, my dad and I share other favorite bands. We have such similar tastes in music, we share and iPod. For real. When mine is dead or broken, I use his iPod on road trips or when I work out. We recommend songs to each other and learn about new music that the other happens to be listening to at the moment. He introduced me to Third Eye Blind a couple years ago (which became another one of my favorite bands), and I recently introduced my dad to Foster the People. He ended up loving them! My brother and I also love a lot of the same music! We have this thing we do where we both go through our iTunes and tell each other our favorite songs at the moment. It sounds really strange, but I think it’s fun; maybe it’s one of those “you have to be there to understand it” things. But it’s definitely a fun time. He got me to like some of his favorite bands, like Sublime, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters. Oppositely, I got him interested in bands like Band of Horses and Drake. I think that’s why my taste in music is so vast. I get all these bands that I now love from my family, and I also have my own taste in music.

Intense Kan Jam in Canada

A great moment in my life, though it may seem trivial to some people, was in the summer of two thousand and eleven in Crystal Beach when I slotted it in a game of Kan Jam for the first time. This is an achievement not to be underappreciated or underrated! For anyone who had seen my play Kan Jam previous to that night, would have agreed with me saying that I was terrible. Just awful. My Frisbee throws either hit the cottage or nearby cars rather than going anywhere near the can. My best friend and partner would literally get mad at me because I was so bad. This night, we were playing her father and his friend, who were undefeated, and it was getting intense. They were antagonizing us and trying to get us to choke and lose the game. This must have subconsciously motivated me, because after that, my game significantly improved! I miraculously started to throw the Frisbee where ever my friend wanted it to go. Thanks to my valiant efforts, we were able to come back from a huge deficit and tie the game!!! It was turning into a nail biter. At this point, people had gathered on the sidelines to see how the game would end up. My friend’s brother watched anxiously, and our friends couldn’t believe what they were actually witnessing. Also, my friend’s dad and his friend were beginning to get worried. They also couldn’t believe that we had come back and were about to beat them! That’s when it happened. I let go of the Frisbee and it soared flawlessly through the air to the can. I was expecting it to hit the side, but what it did was even better. It sailed into the slot, and won us the game! I was ecstatic. Not only was it my first slot in Kan Jam ever, but it had won us a very important game, and that’s why such a small achievement is a great moment in my life. And if you learn anything from this blog post, it should be that Kan Jam is taken very seriously in Crystal Beach.

Sweet Summertime

Oh my. My favorite season, which just so happens to be summer, is something I could talk about forever. There is so much I could say to try and express my love for the beautiful months of June, July, and August. Ever since I was a little girl, summer has always been my favorite season of the year. My mom has things that I brought home from kindergarten that had pictures of the beach on them and stories why I loved summer. I’m so lucky (in my opinion) because my uncle is the President of Bay Beach Club in Crystal Beach, Ontario. Therefore, my childhood summers were spent at Crystal Beach in Canada. That’s why I think I have such a love for Canada and the beach embedded in my soul and it’s a part of me. So ever since then, I’ve gone to Crystal Beach every summer with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. Crystal Beach to me is the epitome of summer. And even as I grew older, I continued to go to the very same beach, and I started going with my best friend and her family for weeks at a time. We get the same cottage and hang out with the same people every year. It’s like my summers in Crystal Beach are like their own little lifetime that’s separate from reality. The days are a blur of swimming to the pier and lying in the sand, and the nights are just as fun as the days, with bonfires, hide and seek, and bike rides to the beach. So that’s why I consider summer as my favorite season. Crystal Beach technically isn’t my whole summer, but it might as well be. I spend scattered weeks there through July and August, and as soon as someone asks me what I did over the summer, I can gush about Crystal Beach for hours!

Facebookin'!

It seems like people either love or hate Facebook. I do have a Facebook and I use it, but it’s not like a second nature to me like it is to some people. Yes, I do check it as soon as I get on the computer, but I’m not on it for hours at a time. I thought about deactivating it because it seems like I spend a lot of time on it sometimes, and sometimes I just think like “What’s even the point of this?”, but I do use it for some useful things. I use it to keep in touch with my older cousins that I don’t get to see all the time, and also with family that lives out of state like in California and Michigan. It’s also nice because I feel more “in the loop” by reading things on my News Feed, from family and also from people at school as well. The list of positives, some of them I’ve already mentioned, is quite large. It’s entertaining, informative, and useful. Not only is it useful for keeping in touch with your friends and family, but it can also be used to keep up with homework assignments and projects from your teachers, if they choose to use it that way.  It’s also convenient. You can access Facebook from almost anywhere nowadays. However, there are definitely just as many negatives associated with Facebook. It’s so time consuming, and sometimes you can spend hours at a time on Facebook before you even realize how much time has really gone by. And if you are like me, you might frequently find yourself checking your Facebook during homework, and taking little “breaks” that turn into thirty minutes at a time on The Book.  It also becomes an issue when people use it to bully people over Facebook. There are always going to be extreme negatives along with extreme positives with anything you do, so it’s totally personal opinion on the whole Facebook topic, I think.

What I feel comfortable writing about

When it comes to writing, or almost anything in my life, I will feel comfortable about it as long as I have some kind of connection to it. Literally everything I do has a purpose and a reason behind it, even if it’s just a small connection. I’m an Aquarius, and that’s just what I do! So as far as writing and things that interest me, the list is pretty large. My interest inventory consists of summertime, basically any beach (although Crystal Beach in Ontario is my favorite), Canada, Buffalo and Chicago hockey teams, fashion, healthy living/lifestyle, and definitely music. I listen to literally every genre of music, but my favorites are alternative, rock, and nineties music. I love The Tragically Hip, Third Eye Blind, and Oasis. Some of my favorite artists from other genres are Jack’s Mannequin, Kanye West, Kenny Chesney, but there are many more! I could write about my love for Canada and specifically Crystal Beach endlessly. It is my favorite place in the entire world, and I have so many good memories and connotations in my mind. As far as the other things I listed, they are just big parts of my life that I enjoy and would feel comfortable expressing. 

Fifth grade and why it was the best

Out of all the thirteen years I have attended Alden Central Schools, I think that fifth grade has been my favorite. My teacher was Mrs. Ciezki, and there are countless reasons why that year of schooling was my favorite. I think I enjoyed fifth grade so much because it was my last year of Intermediate school and I was comfortable with my surroundings. It was like my “senior year” of Intermediate school. My three best friends were also in that class, which made it incredibly fun! I think it was fate that we all ended up in that class together, but the rest of the class probably wasn’t happy about it because we caused quite the scene on a daily basis. I remember the last day of fourth grade when we all found out that we were going to be in the same fifth grade class, we ran down the hall screaming and hugged each other. It was all one big celebration after that. Even when we had to do some pretty intense work, we found a way to make it enjoyable and amusing. Mrs. Ciezki was super laid back about everything too, and she liked us. This allowed us to somehow be able to do our homework in the halls every day, and run errands for her during class. I think that this year of school was my favorite not only because I got to have fun with my best friends in school every day, but also because it was like a bonding experience where I got to form strong bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime. It was the start of one of the biggest aspects of my life, which are my closest friends. That year in Mrs. Ciezki’s class, we built rockets, had parties for pretty much any holiday we could think of, ordered food from John and Mary’s on Fridays, and even hatched chickens. For years after that, my friends and I even went to Mrs. Ciezki’s room after school to visit and reminisce. Fifth grade is the year of school that I will never forget.

School Year Accomplishments!

In my senior year of high school, I am hoping to accomplish a lot of things. I am hoping to be successful in the college level courses that I am taking this year, as well as the other classes and electives I am signed up for. After I graduate high school, I want to become a paralegal and attend Hilbert College, so I took classes that will help me get as much knowledge and experience as I can get before college in that area. To help myself get further, I and taking Law in Society and Social Studies Honors. Both of those classes deal with topics and information that a paralegal would want to know, so I am going to try my very best to be as successful as possible in those classes. I want to get as much credit and knowledge as I can before I leave for college. Also, I did not do my usual sport of soccer this year. Therefore, I am hoping to fill that void and do a winter or spring sport that I have never done before. In doing this, I want to step out of my comfort zone, meet some new people, learn a new skill, and enjoy my afterschool time as well as a good portion of my senior year. It would be a great accomplishment for me to try something new and succeed at it. Also this school year, I think it would be a nice accomplishment if I branched out and made an effort to be more outgoing and talk to more people than I usually do! It would make other people that are possibly new to the school or the area feel more welcome and at ease in the new environment, and I think it would be interesting and rewarding for me as well! I’m very excited to see what my senior year has in store for me.

Summer 2011

My past summer was one of the most eventful and entertaining summers that I have had so far. Since it was my last summer of high school, I wanted to break out of my usual boring ways and have a fun and productive few months. I did however come across some obstacles. My yearlong job search has been unsuccessful, so my options of what to do were limited. Luckily, I had made some money babysitting and my parents were nice enough to lend me money for various things, as long as I make sure to pay them back. With their generous money donations, I was able to begin my summer activities. In July, I went to one of my best friend's house warming party, because she just moved to Hamburg. I went to Hamburg beach with her several times this summer. An interesting day in July was when I went to the Buffalo Sabres prospect camp in Niagara. I like watching hockey and supporting local teams, so my friend didn't have to ask me twice to go. I also attended a few concert this summer, but my favorite was by far the concert and the Buffalo Harbor where I was able to see my favorite band, The Tragically Hip. Watching the sunset over the water with my family and friends was definitely one of the highlights of my summer, and I will always remember that beautiful night. Moving into August, my festivities continued. At the end of the month, I took my yearly trip to Crystal Beach in Canada with my best friend. We go every year to the same cottage and stay with her parents and their friends. Crystal Beach is my favorite place in the entire world, and it's always the best part of my summer! Arriving home from Canada marks the end of my summer, and I can look back and say that I made the best out of it.