Last Blog Post

This is my official last blog post. Like, after this I am done blogging for a while. It's sad, but it's also nice to be able to check one school year of blogging off of my to-do list, thus transferring it to the to-done list. So since this is my last blog post, and I have to fit at least 400 words into it, I'm going to take this time to reflect on the last nine months of blogging.

So perhaps I missed the purpose of the whole 'theme blog', in which we were supposed to choose a topic and only blog about that. For those of you who don't know, I chose music as my theme, because it was such an important part of my life. I began this blog during marching season, so all I was doing every day was conducting a marching band--in which case it totally makes sense why I would choose music. But after writing about music for a while it got boring, short attention span perhaps? Anyway, I began to write about whatever came to mind. And sometimes, that just so happened to be music, but other times I wrote about completely random things, like yoga pants, romance, books, and politics, just to name a few. At first it seemed really weird for me to be putting my thoughts out there for just anyone to read, but after a while I stopped caring what people thought. I have expressed my opinions and written about things I love and hate. People disagreed and commented, of course, but I think it's cool that I could just post whatever I wanted (without being rude or offensive, of course) and not care what people thought about it. It was just nice to get my thoughts out and put them somewhere. I'm definitely going to miss that aspect of blogging.

I think my blog sort of went from being a 'music' themed blog to being a 'complain about school and life' blog. At times, this was the only resource I had to vent to. And it did make me feel better, just to put my rants somewhere. It's been a hard year, especially school-wise, but in many ways it's also been the best year I've ever had. I've grown more in the past year than any other time in my life, and that's because I've learned to see the world differently and to look at things from a new perspective. I've prospered all year in music, and I've had the opportunity to share it with my family and friends as well as my blog-viewers (which includes my family and friends). But I think the most important thing that comes to mind when I think back on my blogging days is the way I felt every time I received a new blog view. It makes me feel special, to know that real people actually read my writing. It's been only nine months, and I have nearly 1,600 blog views. To a real, hot-shot blogger I'm sure 1,600 is nothing. But to me it means a lot, to know that my blog has been viewed 1,600 times.

It's amazing to think about how far I've come, and how far I still have to go. I have a whole entire year of high school ahead of me. I don't know yet where I'm going or who I want to be, all I know is that I love to write and I love music. It's so weird to think that in just a year from now, I will be graduating and I will know where I'm going to college and I will be planning my future. But I will still always be thinking of this blog, and how it allowed me to express myself, and how it helped define my junior year.

Perfect

It is impossible to be perfect. We try so hard to perfect our lives, yet we know we'll never reach perfection. We always want something more, and we always will. We try and buy the next big thing to perfect our lives, we try and rid ourselves of debt and worries. Yet they always come back to us, there is simply no such thing as a perfect life.

I am a perfectionist. I work so hard to make everything perfect, yet my life is far from perfect and it drives me crazy. I think that working hard and wanting so much will somehow make it happen, and it will thus improve my life that much more. But nobody has more disappointment in their life than a perfectionist, because it is so hard for us to appreciate imperfections.

I compare myself to others, simply because I can't help it. It's a subconscious thing--most the time I don't even realize I'm doing it--even though I know that it is the most harmful thing I can do to myself. The mind is a fragile place, and comparing yourself to others can destroy it. It causes a loss in self-confidence, a loss in faith, a loss in everything that is essential to flourish in an imperfect world. Perfectionists struggle with life, I know first hand. I struggle so much with accepting the fact that not everything is perfect. Not everything is going to go my way. Not everyone is going to make me happy, or make decisions in my favor. Not everyone is going to be there for me when I need them, it's just the way things are. Us perfectionists need to learn to accept the things that don't work well in life, the things that don't go our way, the things that we can't control.

We perfectionists are self-sufficient, or at least we like to think that. We say we don't need anyone, we are independent, because we like to think that we don't need anyone to get through. We strive to be perfect all on our own--anyone else might just get in the way of our goals. But in reality, we need others. We are just as weak as we are strong and though we may not admit it, we cannot make it through life on our own. We may like to always be right, or to always look at the downside of things. We may be a little pessimistic because not everything is perfect, but that doesn't mean we don't need people. We need support just as much as the next person.

The truth is, being a part of something bigger than ourselves is the closest thing to perfection we are ever going to get. One person cannot achieve perfection alone, but multiple people bound together can achieve as much as possible. Nobody's perfect, perfectionists perhaps being the least perfect of all. Truly, though perfection cannot be achieved by anyone, much less can be achieved alone.

Last Week of Blogging. Bittersweet?

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but yes, this is my last week of blogging. So like, after Sunday I will no longer be blogging each week. However, I hope to return to my blog every now and then just for fun. So don't stop reading, kiddos!

I'm sad about this--hopefully you are too. My blog has been an extreme part of my junior year, and most importantly it served as my venting tool when I had nothing else. It has also transformed me as a writer, because I was forced to write three times every week, which helped me grow both as a responsible person and a responsible writer. But most of all, I will miss feeling like a blogger, and being able to say "Hey, go check out my blog!" Yup.

But I'm also sort of glad that it's over. Being done with blogging sort of symbolizes the end of my junior year and the start of summer. I've been a blogger for nine months, and now it's time to take a break and start living life again, and not worry about documenting every minute of it.

So, I will be posting two or three more blogs, and then I will only post every now in then instead of weekly. I will miss it, and my awesome blog-readers, but it's all good :) Just wanted to take this time to say a quick goodbye!

You're Welcome.

Just Stuff

Okay, so I'm going to do one of those "random" posts--mostly because I can't really think of a specific topic to write about. So here's what's new.

Noodles and Company. Recently, I have become a huge fan of this semi-fast-food restaurant. I, being the picky eater that I am, can go there and order a nice bowl of mac n' cheese, and guess what! They don't look at you funny if you order mac n' cheese there! It's actually considered normal. Apparently, mac n' cheese is their best seller. Not to mention that it's absolutely delicious!

Just look at that! Image provided by Google Images.

Graduation. I'm not graduating this year (sigh) but sadly, most of my friends are. I've attended every graduation for the past three years. Why, you ask? Well 8th grade, my brother graduated. Ever since, I've had to play in the band and sing in the choir for graduation and sophomore year, my sister graduated. So I've been to a total of, wait for it, four graduations. And trust me, graduation ceremonies at my school take FOREVER. The other thing that sucks about graduation is that our band plays the same songs. And the choir sings the same songs. Year after year. Days of Glory, Battle Hymn, and of course the signature graduation song, Pomp and Circumstance. Yeah yeah, tradition and all, but can we please play at least one new song? Sigh. Not a chance.

Results. So I've talked extensively about show choir auditions, callbacks, etc. and so on. Well it's all over now, as we just finished dance auditions last week. Now the fun part (sarcasm, of course) is waiting. Waiting for the show choir/choir lists to be posted, as well as getting callbacks for our more elite groups, like jazz choir and chamber choir. Waiting has to be the worst part of the entire process, because you know that you've done all that you can do, and every single day someone is considering you for their group. Ughhhhhhhh.

Banquets. This week, we have both our choir and band banquets. The banquet is when we go and have a catered dinner (usually provided by HyVee) and then we get awards for doing things. Unfortunately, I didn't gain enough points to get a band letter this year, but I'm only ten points away. Extreme Ugh. But eh, I'll get over it. We also get rewarded for the different groups we participated it--like show choir combo, marching band, and for choir jazz choir, and show choir and stuff. It's actually not so bad. And we get to dress up, so I suppose that's a plus.

AP Tests. Okay, so I've also talked (Or rather, complained) extensively about AP classes/tests. Well, they're finally here, and actually half over. I had my first AP test on Friday (US History, get at me) and I thought it was completely easy. However, the test I have on Wednesday, which is for this class (AP Language and Composition) will not be quite so easy. I know this because we have done very little to prepare in class. I'm not worried about the essays, but the multiple choice, well, kill me now. Must I exclaim again--Ughhhhhhhh.

Illness. For the past week or so, I have been sick. It's been awful. I feel like I've spent more time during my junior year being sick rather than healthy. I really wish I had a stronger immune system. I can't sing, I've been hacking for days, and I ache all the time...must I ask, why me? Why now? I finish yet again with an Ughhhhhhhh.

Voice Recitals. I am now preparing for my second voice recital, in which I will be singing both a solo and a duet. Being sick and all, I showed up at my lesson this week, and yes, I was sent home. I couldn't sing a note--how embarrassing. However, I know my music and am fairly confident that I will do alright in the recital. And that's really all I can ask for. 

Weather. On a positive note, the weather has been absolutely fantastic. It's been in the perfect temperature range--low 70's and sunny. My boyfriend and I have spent quite a great deal of time at the park in the last few days, just enjoying the sunshine and each other's company.

And that, my friends, is all. Have a great week.

A Tribute to Moms

We've seen flowers and cards in stores, advertisements on TV, and our mom has reminded us every day for the past two weeks that yes, today is Mother's Day. Whether you ordered your mom a gift three months ago or picked it up at the store yesterday, any gift is meant to show your mom how much you love her and appreciate her. I mean seriously, without our moms we wouldn't be here. So give thanks to your mom, today and every day.

Image provided by Google Images.

Today, my mom and I went and got pedicures. Though a pedicure is just something simple, it was nice to spend some time with my mom. Later, we're having dinner with my grandparents, another nice family thing. After all, Mother's Day is not just for celebrating moms--it's for celebrating all the women in our life. In fact, being pro-women and all, women are simply amazing. Think about it: we can multi-task like no man can, we can do pretty much anything a man can do, only ten times better. And we can look good while doing it. What can you do?

Stop and think, what have our moms done for us? To start off, they gave birth to us. That in itself should be immensely rewarded. They changed our diapers and fed us when we needed to be fed. They held our hands we when crossed the street and supported us in everything we did, whether it was writing our name or playing a part in the school play. They taught us life skills, like communication and caring, all while being there for us when we needed a shoulder to cry on. They gave us money when we wanted to go to the movies or to the mall, and before we were 16, they drove us there with our friends. Though it may seem like all they ever do is get in the way, or stop us from doing what we want, it's true that mothers know best. All they want is to see us succeed, no matter what we do.

As we get older, and go on to college we begin to realize just how important our moms really are. We will no longer have someone to make us chicken noodle soup when we're sick or do our laundry when we're too tired to do it ourselves. We won't have anyone there to advise us in sticky situations, or make our favorite food when friends come over. Sure, we'll be growing and learning how to take care of ourselves and becoming independent, but there will always be that part of us that needs our mom, the amazing woman who led us, protected us, nurtured us, and cared for us through life for the past 18 years, and who will continue to do so forever.

The other side of the beautiful month of May

We are now well into the month of May, which means AP tests, finals, show choir results (from both last month's vocal auditions and this month's dance auditions), final concerts, drum major auditions, graduation, graduation parties, etc. and so on. May is perhaps the busiest month of the year. Though not nearly as busy as deep show choir season in the middle of February, it seems just as bad because of the changing attitudes. All I want right now is to be out of school and relaxing outside, but instead I have finals to study for, music to practice, AP tests to prepare for, plus work and my social life on the side. It's hectic, especially when it seems so much easier to spend an afternoon lounging in the backyard. Then, of course, the wasted time must be made up somehow, leading into late nights of AP U.S. History and physics. I'm not lazy, just completely unmotivated at this time of year. I'm searching to find something that will keep me going for just another month, but I'm so tired of school that it seems impossible to go for yet another day.

Image provided by Google Images.

Stress goes back to the "slower-paced life" debate--the argument that life would be much simpler at a slower pace. Time is simply a measurement of actions, and humans strive to accomplish the most in the shortest amount of time. If we slowed our pace of life, and got rid of the "right-here-right-now" attitude, it is not that we would live longer, but we certainly would live fuller. It's simply too impossible to cope with little sleep, rushing around, overscheduling, massive amounts of homework, while still having to maintain a healthy diet and fitness, healthy relationships, healthy grades, all while trying to get accepted into college and do our best at everything. If we just reduced the amount of things we had to do, we could still do things well, while sacrificing the impossible.

Image provided by Google Images.

So while we save the fiesta (Spanish for "party") for summer, we can still reduce our stress now by having a siesta (Spanish for "rest"). To me, sleep and staying healthy is more important than spending countless hours studying for tests. Yes, it is important to study, and yes, it would be much easier if we had more time on our hands. But that's the problem with our high-industrialized, high-maintenance, fast-paced society. We have too much to do and too little time to do it. So yes, we should study for those oh-so-important AP exams, but what we shouldn't do is overstudy. We shouldn't sacrifice schoolwork for sleep and health. I get on average 5-6 hours of sleep each night, which is about 3-4 hours less than what I should be getting. Am I happy with this? Absolutely not. Do I feel like a zombie most of the time? Why yes I do. My sleep patterns are not healthy at all, but why do I lack sleep so much? School. School, school, and more school.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need at least 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night, which is not even close to what I and most other teens actually get. I would say that I'm more on the extreme end, but I know others who get about the same amount of sleep as me each night too. Researchers say that if teens don't get as much sleep as their body needs, they suffer the ability to learn well and to concentrate, as well as memory loss. I certainly notice these symptoms in myself.

So at this point, when we sacrifice sleep for studying, working, and other school activities going on at this busy time of year, we tend to do worse on AP exams because we can't concentrate and focus anyway. So let's all do ourselves a favor, and just sleep a little.

Sundays.

It seems like every time Sunday night comes around, I have not gotten an ounce of homework done, I've not cleaned my room or done my laundry, I've not gotten a sufficient amount of sleep, and I have to work. Sigh, welcome to my life. Literally, I'm sitting here, scheduled to work in an hour, and my room is an absolute disaster. Piles of laundry sit sorted on the floor of my closet, unwashed, while piles of undone homework sit piled high on my desk, next to my laptop. My bed is unmade, my room unclean, everything out of order. And I have to return to school in 12 hours.

Not to mention that Sundays are the most depressing day of the week. It's the day that's made for homework and catching up on stuff, and then if you're like me and procrastinate until it ends up not getting done, it's even more depressing. Then, if you're also like me, you end up working until 11 PM on a Sunday night, when Mondays are hard enough without staying up late. It's like ugh, is there anything more than this?

I'll admit it, I'm depressed today. Perhaps because my weekend was much less than fulfilling, or perhaps my to-do list is longer today than it was on Friday. Either way, I have no motivation to do anything, yet I have so much to do. Ugh, sundays.

Glad You Came

Man, this song has been stuck in my head all day long.
So I had to post it, of course.

Lyrics:

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

I'm glad you came
So glad you came
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

And of course, the Glee version:

Cat Videos

We've all seen them, their arguable the best thing on the internet, and they're what we watch when we're bored. Yes, they are cat videos, and they're spreading around the globe like wildfire. I mean, what's funnier than a cat playing a keyboard, or a cat running on a treadmill? Or--my personal favorite--a cat barking, and then switching to meowing once he spots a human. This hilarious revelation, the cat video revelation, makes it necessary for me to share some of these videos with you.

Keyboard Cat

Treadmill Cats

 Barking Cat

Starbucksization

We've heard of the term 'McDonaldization', which refers to the number of McDonald's stores across the globe (also known as Americanization. Isn't it great to be known for a cheap, fast-food restaurant). Well now we have a new trend going, Starbucksization, the global spread of Starbucks Coffee stores.

Personally, I love Starbucks. Their gourmet drinks are completely worth the price, and my personal favorite is caramel hot chocolate with whipped cream. I've only actually had a coffee based drink twice, as I'm not a big fan of coffee, but from Starbucks it's actually quite decent. And the typical, warm coffee shop atmosphere gives off a nice jazzy vibe that no one can quite resist. My boyfriend and I spent a great deal of time at Starbucks this past winter. It got to the point where the employees at our local Starbucks knew us as a couple, and they knew our "usuals". They really took the time to make us feel welcome.

While Starbucks has great drinks, they also have a great rewards program. Christmas and my birthday are within a month away from each other, so I receive a great deal of Starbucks gift cards around that time of year. If you register your gift cards, Starbucks sends you a free drink on your birthday. They also have different levels of rewards: a welcome level, a green level, and a gold level. You earn stars every time you make a purchase with your gift card, and once you accumulate a certain number of stars, you move up a level and get better rewards. The welcome level is simply the drink on your birthday, while the green level gets you free syrup and soy milk in your drink, free refills, and a free drink if you buy coffee beans. I recently became a Starbucks "gold level" member, after being a "green level" member for a little over a year. For being a gold level member, I get my own Starbucks gold card. It even has my name on it. Every time I use that card at Starbucks, I earn more stars. With the gold card, you get the free drink on your birthday, all the benefits of green level, plus special limited time offers by email, the gold card, and a free drink every fifteen stars. Now that, my friends, is worth it.

April is Starbucks' Global Service month. They're raising $4 million to give to non-profit organizations in the U.S. With your Starbucks rewards cards, you can go online and vote to help choose how Starbucks distributes the $4 million. This way, the customers, who are the ones providing the funds, get some say in where the money goes. You can choose one of four options to send the money: Community Housing Initiatives, DonorsChoose.org (helps teachers and funds educational expenditures), Family Resources, or Opportunity Finance Network. Another good thing is that the voting is personalized by state, so the money goes to organizations right here in Iowa. Admit it, Starbucks is saving the world one blended coffee drink at a time.

Starbucks has over 5,500 coffee houses in 58 countries throughout the world. Even in the U.S., Starbucks is everywhere. Last summer, I went on a trip to Washington, D.C., and there was a Starbucks store in nearly every place we stopped. This is good--they're providing high-quality drinks to everyone everywhere. Starbucks is committed to adapting to the culture of their surroundings, and they understand that their success cannot just be flaunted, I guess you could say Starbucks is a modest coffee company.They believe it is their responsibility to respect the rights, reason, and lifestyle of the people they serve, it even says so in their mission statement. This company, based out of Seattle, Washington, is truly one of a kind.

So go to Starbucks. Get your rewards, your gourmet hot chocolate/latte/coffee. Relax. Enjoy your day. Starbucks wants you to.

Prom

Last night, my school held it's annual senior prom. I'm a junior, and I didn't get asked to go by a senior, and thus, I did not attend the senior prom. Curse my school for not having a junior prom, I guess? Anyway. For those of you who don't know what prom is (let's be honest, everyone knows what prom is), it's the one night of the year that seniors live for. People spend months (literally months) preparing for this one night. My question is, what's all the fuss about?

Teenagers spend hundreds, perhaps even close to a thousand dollars on just one night. A girl's prom dress typically ranges from $150-$600, but there are always the exceptions that are lower or higher. A tuxedo typically costs $80-$250 to rent, depending on where you go. Then there's the dance, which costs about $40-$80, and the dinner, about $40-$60 depending on where you go, and the after prom admission, about $15. Then there's the pictures, which are about $30-$50, and the flowers, probably around $30-$35 total. According to the Denver Post, the average cost of prom is $1,078, but in the Midwest it's much lower, at $696. Still, spending $700 on one night alone is to me, ridiculous. All of that money turns into a memory, hopefully a good one, but a memory that could just as easily be made spending much less.

Now, you ask, how do we save on prom? Everyone spends that much on prom, it's the thing to do. Not necessarily, though. The dress, of course, is all about personal opinion. It's all about how important having the right dress is, and how much you're willing to spend on it. When my sister went to prom, she spent almost nothing on her dress, because my grandma sewed it for her. So if you know somebody that can sew, by all means, get a dress customized specially for you. A tux is a different story of course, but you can always borrow one for low cost, or rent one at a low cost as well. Saving money on dinner is easy--have a fun candlelit dinner at home. If your parents are nice, they can cook and serve you, if not, you can just make your own dinner. You can eat your favorite foods and save money. Now, there's not much you can do about the price of tickets and pictures, but holding back on the clothes and dinner can certainly leave hundreds in your bank account.

Prom shouldn't be about spending money, it should be about making a great memory, as well as ending your senior year with a bang. Of course, it's worth it when you can skip school the Monday after prom (aka Senior Skip Day), but it really shouldn't be about who looked the best. Everyone can look good on prom night, without spending their entire life savings.

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The Modern Teenage Relationship

Relationships are like a game, and you and your partner are a team. You go through various stages of the game together, battling against people, school, and all other forms of obstacles that might arise. Once you've conquered all the obstacles and made it through, you've won the game.

The game starts off easy. You and your partner are all eyes for each other, and it seems that nothing can stand in your way. You pass simple obstacles, like dealing with parents and homework, in favor of decent options, like phone calls and movie dates. Each day you spend with your partner is equivalent to three times the number of days you wish you could spend with them. Luckily, your partner feels the same way, and you both go out of your way to see each other. You think every little thing that person does is cute: the way they tuck their hair behind their ears or the way they blush when talking about you. The way they leave an exact 15 percent tip on a dinner date or the way they like butter on their popcorn. Every little thing they do makes you like them even more. That's why this stage of the game is the easiest.

Stage Two. You're starting to get to know your partner better. You know what they like and dislike, you know their favorite movie and food and color. By this time, you're probably getting close to meeting each other's parents and/or families. You want nothing more than to impress his or her parents, than to be accepted by a family that's so different from yours. Their parents either love you, and everything is nice and grand, or they hate you, and that's a new obstacle you have to deal with. But if the latter is true, your partner typically stands by your side and defends you, rather than siding with his or her parents. If both your partner and their parents are against you for some reason, you lose the game at stage two.

Stage Three. Once you've gotten through meeting their parents, you've reached a new level in your relationship. You're at the point where your movie and ice cream dates get boring, and you start trying new things together. Perhaps you scope out all of the restaurants in town that neither of you have been to, and make a goal to try them all. Maybe you set aside one night a week for a few games of bowling. Perhaps you drive around to find new parks or places to enjoy the outdoors. Whatever it is, you find new ways of enjoying each other's company. You're no longer shy or nervous around the other. You start to have more in depth conversations, perhaps learning about the other's past or just learning more things about each other. This is perhaps the best stage in the game, because you feel close to the person without feeling smothered.

Stage Four. This is when things start to turn around. I'm not an expert, I don't know why relationships are this way. For whatever reason, the little things that person does that you once thought were cute start to become annoying. When they're calculating the exact 15 percent of a tip, you become impatient, slap a couple bucks on the table, and walk to the car, instead of oogling over the amazing math skills of your partner. This is the stage that separates the strong relationships from the weak, since weak relationships don't usually make it past this stage.

Stage Five. You've been with this person for a while, and you've spent a few holidays or maybe birthdays together. You feel as if you know everything there is to know about that person. Your date nights become less exciting, but you still like revisiting old memories. You know what's special for that person, and you're not afraid to go out of your way for them. But things are turning around, as you start to push each other aside. It becomes less of an issue to impress that person, because you feel as if you already have them for good. Suddenly things seem dull and boring, and every little thing becomes a big problem. You turn from optimistic about your relationship to pessimistic about your relationship. You're not afraid to get upset with that person and they will certainly get upset with you. This is when all the backbone of your relationship is revealed, and sometimes it's not all that stable.

I respect happily married couples. It's hard to find someone who cares about you, who is willing to go out of their way to make you happy, who you're willing to put up with for the rest of your life, and vice versa. A spouse is the one family member you get to choose, and then you're stuck with them for the rest of your life. So choose wisely, I suppose?

It's funny how things do and don't work out. Most teenage relationships last only months, they don't even make it to the one year mark. Of course, we've all heard of exceptions. If only we knew those exceptions' secrets. Then we would be golden.

Orange Leaf v. Coldstone

I remember going to Coldstone on a Friday night and waiting in a long line to get my delectable frozen treat. I remember watching the worker as they mixed in all of my favorites--brownies, sprinkles oreos...

Now, I'm on the other side of that experience. Working at Coldstone has been nothing but great. It's fun, you learn a lot, and you get free ice cream (Who doesn't love free ice cream?!). But ever since two Orange Leaf stores opened in my city, business has been seriously lacking. That is simply business, competition and all. But I've taken the time to scope out the competition, and though it's safe to say I'm biased, I would choose Coldstone over Orange Leaf any day, even if I didn't work at Coldstone.

First, there's the whole ice cream-yogurt debate. People say that yogurt is better for you, which may be true in some circumstances, but in frozen yogurt that is meant to look and taste like ice cream, many artificial creams, sweeteners, and dyes are added to thicken the yogurt, while ice cream is made from all natural dairy products. Coldstone also makes their own ice cream in every store, every morning. No shipments are made---there are no need for them. Everything is made fresh and made in-store.

Second, there's the physical appearance of the store. My theory is that this is Orange Leaf's go-getter technique, the reason they are so busy all the time. They have fun circular tables at all different heights, and some spinny chairs to go along with them. They also have orange and white couches and low tables with strange orange plastic chairs. Their lime green walls provide a sharp, fun contrast to the orange atmosphere. Every time I walk into Orange Leaf, my day feels happier. The bright colors are addictive to the human eye. Orange Leaf gives people a new, innovative feel. It feels like the ice cream store of the future, which is why so many people choose Orange Leaf over Coldstone. Coldstone is out and Orange Leaf is just sooooo in.

But how clean is Orange Leaf? Last time I went there, my feet stuck to the floor. As I walked around the room, choosing my various frozen yogurt flavors and candies, my feet stuck with every step. Like, is it really that hard to mop every once in a while. There were three employees working at the time, and all of them were simply standing behind the counter. So not only do the employees not have to make and serve ice cream to their customers, since Orange Leaf is a self-serve ice cream store, but they don't even keep the store clean while they're working.

At Coldstone, you will never find a sticky floor, or even a sticky table. We are simply not allowed to stand around, and we're not lazy enough to do so anyway. If we're not busy making creations for customers, we are cleaning. We clean the floors, the tables the chairs, the counters, the glass--you name it, it's clean. But unlike Orange Leaf, we scoop the fresh ice cream and add in the mix-ins ourselves, instead of our customers doing it. Which raises the question: which is more important, the ice cream or the service? Good thing Coldstone excels in both.

Finally, there's the cost. Yes, I admit, Orange Leaf is cheaper. And with today's economy, it makes sense why people go there. Orange Leaf charges 45 cents per ounces, ranging from about $3-7 total depending on how much ice cream you get. Coldstone prices vary depending on how many mix-ins you add, and range from about $4-8 total, but we also have 99 cent cones which are popular as well. But with Coldstone, you get plenty of ice cream for the total price you pay, and remember, it's not processed, but made right in the store.

So finally we weigh the pros and cons. Yes, Orange Leaf is about a dollar cheaper than what you would pay for the same amount of ice cream at Coldstone, but Coldstone has real ice cream with fresh mix-ins, and nothing artificial. Coldstone also has better service, as we go out of our way to help customers, and we keep our stores much cleaner. I think we all know the obvious choice.

Food.

When I first started dating my boyfriend, I warned him that I am the pickiest eater he will ever meet. He completely doubted me. "There's no way you're pickier than me," he said.

"Wanna bet?"

I was born with a curse. My entire life, I have been the pickiest eater ever. I will not eat most vegetables or fruit, I gag at the scent of peanut butter. I'm not the biggest fan of meat, except chicken. Yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk make my stomach turn. My theory is that it's not really the taste of food that scares me away (athough there are some foods that taste straight up terrible). I honestly think the scent and texture of foods play a bigger role in the decision of whether or not I will eat them. To me, those senses are a lot more profound than just taste.

I also cannot swallow a pill. Included in my theory is the idea that this is connected to the whole texture issue. My mom always says that it's "just in my mind" but it's also a physical thing--the pill simply will not go down. If I have to take a pill, I crush it up in applesauce.

Speaking of applesauce, I only like the cinnamon kind. I like apples, but I don't like the way you can taste the chunks of apples in the applesauce. Add a little cinnamon, and the problem seems much less prominent, as the chunks seem like cinnamon.

My diet consists mainly of noodles, along with other grains. I eat lots and lots (and lots) of mac n' cheese (healthy, I know). I like Italian sauces like cheese sauce and Alfredo sauce with my noodles, but I stay away from meat and red sauce. I also really like bread. Especially if there's cheese on it, but not Swiss cheese. I also enjoy eating bread sticks with my noodles.

I do not have OCD, but I always make sure my food is free of any toxins like chopped up onions or celery, lettuce or tomato. If this means picking them one by one out of my taco meat then so be it (speaking of tacos I like mine very specific--soft shell with only beef and cheese, as long as there is no spicy seasoning). I also make sure that no food on my plate comes in contact with another food. Combining foods is just a plain no-no.

I only eat one thing at a time, saving the best for last of course. However, I find this difficult at times because if I take too much food (or am served too much food) I will end up full before I even get to the best item. Because of this, I try to compare my hunger with the amount of food on my plate, and eat the largest percent of the best item (usually mac n' cheese).

You might think this is damaging to my health, and you're right. The only way to control my weight is by limiting what I eat, which isn't that much of a problem. But being as picky as I am really sucks sometimes. My diet does not consist of enough variety, and I'm really sick of lectures from my parents and my doctor. A bad diet, combined with very little sleep (which describes me) is not healthy at all.

My metabolism is what keeps me going. I'm not fat, but I'm not skinny either, and up until now my metabolism has kept me looking like a stick. Slowly but surely, my metabolism is beginning to slow down, which means slowly but surely I continue to gain weight.

I only wish there was something I could do to be healthy (besides adapting to new foods, of course). This curse really takes a toll on my life, because it's impossible to go out to eat without ordering the same thing every time (chicken strips, a cheese quesadilla, noodles). My parents get so fed up with me never eating what they cook for dinner. And as for my health, well, it's only downhill from here.

So I've proved my boyfriend wrong--I am the pickiest person he's ever met. But maybe that's not such a good thing after all.

Show Choir Auditions.

This past Wednesday, my school held its annual Show Choir Auditions. Despite what you may think, this is not really a fun process for anyone. Here's how the process works:

Step One: Pick a song and practice it (Some people choose to skip this step).
Step Two: Fill out an audition form, indicating which groups your are auditioning for, what voice part you sing, what your schedule is like, etc.
Step Three: Sign up for an audition slot. First come first served.
Step Four: Show up at your designated audition time. Then, walk into the choir room, sign your name, and DO NOT BY ANY MEANS talk.
Step Five: Sing your audition song that you may or may not have rehearsed.
Step Six: Walk out of the choir room and DO NOT BY ANY MEANS talk.
Step Seven: Wait.

Oh yeah, did I mention it's a blind audition? ;)

So as you can see, the actual process is quite simple. It takes about 25 seconds per person. The waiting is much harder--waiting for call back lists, waiting for dance auditions, waiting for (sigh) THE LIST. The list that either does or does not contain the very name in which your parents gave you when you were born. The list that changes your life for the next year or so. The list that determines whether you yourself will be in show choir.

This all might seem very dramatic--and it is. Hundreds (literally) of people don't make it into show choir each year. Sighhhh.

I guess all I can do now is wait.

What's with all these politics?

Over the past year, I have changed so much. When I look back to myself one year ago, I see a confused sophomore trying to fit in. I cared so much about my grades and being perfect; I didn't get any grades lower than an A my sophomore year, not even an A-. I began studying for AP tests in February (not exaggerating), when I haven't even started yet this year. But while a year ago I may have had perfect grades and attendance, I was on the golf team and I was okay with spending a Friday night alone (Okay, so I was sort of a nerd), I'm so much more sure of myself now. I've begun to scope out colleges to find the one that's right for me, and I'm starting to look toward the future instead of being stuck in the present. One thing that stands out from the others in an extreme way is the way I've changed, politically.

I've always known that I wanted to be a lawyer. To be honest, I love winning a good argument and well, social studies has always been my favorite class. But I've never really been interested in politics (I know, it seems weird since law and politics go together, but whatever). More recently, I have become much more interested in party politics as well as their history. I've done some research on both major political parties, and because I will be 18 in less than a year, I've begun to form my own opinions of both parties. According to the Gallup, most teens blindly follow their parents' political ideologies. This makes a lot of sense: if a child has more conservative parents, the child is likely to be a conservative adult, and the same goes for those with more liberal parents. But instead of following today's teen majorities, I decided to do my own research and form my own opinions on politics, instead of just agreeing with my parents.

What I found to be most influential in my decisions was not research, however. Everyone (well I assume everyone) knows that Republicans are generally much more conservative when it comes to domestic and foreign policy, yet they generally favor a larger military budget. Democrats, then, tend to favor a larger portion of the budget to go to domestic spending (I'm speaking in general terms, of course, everyone has their own reasons for being affiliated with one party or the other). So as I researched the current agendas as well as the history of both parties, I found lots of pros and cons of both parties. I chose non-biased sources, so none of them pushed me toward one side or the other. I decided in order to form my opinions I would need to observe and speak with members of both parties. I asked some of my more-educated peers questions about their political preferences and why or why not they did or did not choose one party over the other. Of course I received much of the same response: "I don't know, it's just what my parents are." Groan. Why can't people of my generation be independent of their parents? Sigh. What really influenced my decision, however, was not the opinions of my classmates.

I began to look around me. At the families of my friends, at the generalizations in America, at my own family, at the exceptions in America. My observations served as helpful examples of who I did or didn't want to be. Factual information simply informed me, it didn't allow me to form my own opinion. As with anything, I succeeded when I applied the information to my own life and my own world. And I have finally formed my own political opinions.

Clinton Attaché

Hosts of Show Choir Nationals, Clinton Attaché:

Protégé

My school's prep show choir, Protégé:

Nashville Part 2

Day 3: Winning
This was it. They day of the finals rounds. We went into this day four points behind Fairfield, just four points. We were determined to give the best show we had ever given, to keep up the image of Happiness Inc., America's Favorite Show Choir. It was a big responsibility we were handed, and we were willing to live up to the challenge. We loaded the buses, and everyone looked outstanding. We warmed up immediately when we arrived at the Opry, our performance was at 11:30 AM. After performing, and doing the best we'd ever done, we got the privilege to watch our hosts, Clinton Attaché. They were amazing. Finally, awards were announced. Our hearts were beating so fast, our palms were sweating. We wanted this so badly. They announced best band, and again it went to us. We also got the award for best overall affect, meaning that our show design was really well thought out. The award for best choreography went to Fairfield, meaning that the winner would be determined by whichever group had the best vocals. And that group just happened to be us


Tears flowed from my eyes as I realized that we were just crowned National Champions. Everyone was hugging each other, cheers and cries of joy filled the room. We all headed outside to receive our metals and Grand Champion trophy, and we got a million pictures taken of us. We screamed and laughed and cried and giggled and had never felt this way before. As we headed back to the bus, we beamed and smiled at everyone we passed by. We cheered on the bus, as we were told the the win was unanimous--every judge put us in first. We really are the best show choir in the nation--the favorite and the best.


That night, we celebrated. We joined the other show choirs at the Wildhorse Saloon, were we ate dinner, played pool, and line danced. We mingled and got to know people from other schools. One thing I really enjoyed were the students from the south and their deep southern accents. So adorable.


We headed back to the hotel and hung out for a while. We were sad that this was our last night in Nashville but we were also thrilled to go back home with a National Championship. 


Day 4: Goodbye Nashville
Day four didn't start out too well. I was woken at 1:30 AM by my roommates, telling me to pack my suitcase because we had to move rooms. I thought it was a dream, but then I realized that the floor was soaking wet, our hotel room was flooded. I asked what happened, as I had been asleep the entire time, and apparently the toilet got clogged and overflowed. Our hotel room was filled with water, and we were moved away from the show choir wing, to the 6th floor, on the opposite side of the hotel, at 1:00 AM. To make things even better, my roommates and I were moved into a handicap room. The beds were on the floor, the toilet was superpowered, and the closet was huge (not complaining about that one). When we finally got to bed, around 2:30, we were all exhausted. The next morning was even worse: being so far away from everybody else, it took forever to find the buses at the portico.


We left promptly at 7:00 AM, and within 2 hours we stopped at a McDonald's in Kentucky. These employees were again surprised, yet they were giddy when we informed them that we had just won Show Choir Nationals. We headed home but got caught in a traffic jam for nearly two hours, and by then, we were falling way behind schedule. To top it off, the air conditioning on the boys' bus broke, so we had to stop in Illinois to get them a new bus. Finally, we were on the home stretch. We didn't make any food stops, so we were all starving. When we FINALLY made it back to Cedar Rapids, an entire crowd of people were waiting to welcome us at school. They had huge signs and pizza and friends from all around. We were overjoyed; everyone loved us. We were practically celebrities in our town. Tonight (which is the night we arrived home), we were featured on two local news channels as well as top stories on news websites. What an honor, we think, to be National Champions. To have the opportunities and resources we have. We are so thankful.


And we're National Show Choir Champions.

Nashville Part 1

Why hello there! For those of you who didn't already know, I spent the last four days in Nashville, TN competing in show choir nationals with my school's show choir, Happiness Inc. The trip was a blast--a truly unforgettable experience.

Day One: Arrival
We loaded the buses at 2:15 AM (Yes, I said AM not PM) on Thursday. Everyone was tired--hair was uncombed, teeth were unbrushed, not a care in the world. We said goodbye to our parents, thanking them for waking up at such a vicious hour to drive us to school. After taking role and pulling out of the school parking lot, we assumed our sleeping positions. I personally chose the floor of the bus--it's much warmer and comfier than the seats (shocker). Around 7:15, daylight began to splash through the bus windows, waking us all. "Good morning, Princesses," our director greeted us. Us being on an all-girl bus, we were allowed to be spoken to that way.

We stopped at a McDonald's somewhere in Illinois, unannounced, uninvited. The employees nearly had a heart attack when they saw approximately 75 people running toward their restaurant. Once we were all finally served (it took about half an hour), we sat down to enjoy our egg McMuffins and CinnaMelts. Once back on the bus, some went back to sleep while others (like me) read a book or listened to their iPod. My goal of this trip was to finish Mad Women, a book I'm reading for AP Lang.

For lunch, we stopped at a mall in Kentucky. We were given an hour and a half to eat and shop, both of which we did. I had some pasta at a fast-food Italian restaurant, and a milkshake from Chick-Fil-A. Nothing too exciting happened at this mall. We got back on the bus around 1:00 PM and headed to Nashville. Around 2:30 we arrived at our destination: the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Hotel in Nashville, TN. Across from the hotel was the Opryland Mall, which just reopened after the floods last year. Diagonal to the hotel was the Grand Ole Opry theatre itself, the place where we would be performing in less than 24 hours.

The Opryland hotel was huge, as big as the Mall of America at least. There were thousands (literally thousands) of guest rooms and a tropical jungle-type-thing right in the hotel. A river ran through it, and there was also an island with shops and restaurants. It was all we needed--we could live in a magical place like that hotel forever. After an hour or so, we headed over to the Opry house to watch show choirs. We saw middle schools as well as women's choirs on Thursday night. We headed back to the hotel and a lot of us went and chilled in the hot tub (haha, a more accurate statement would be we cooked in the hot tub). We went to bed around 11:30--we had a big day ahead of us.

Day Two: Let's Show 'Em What We Got

After getting a good night's sleep and plenty to eat for breakfast, we headed over to the Opry House around 10:00 AM. We were scheduled to perform last that morning, at 1:30 PM. So for a couple of hours, we watched show choirs from all over the nation, including one from Fairfield, OH. We were awed at how fantastic some of the groups were, and each show we saw was unique and had a lot of good features. At 1:00, we headed to the warm up room. We were all hyped up, the nerves took over. Adrenaline began to rush as we stepped out onto the a world-famous stage, where people become stars all the time. Performing live at the Grand Ole Opry was like nothing I've ever experienced before. The feeling of doing something that so many famous people have done and so few non-famous people get to do was amazing. The classic barn backround was just behind the curtain of the band, the wood circle from the original Grand Ole Opry was placed right in the center of the stage, with dust from Hank William Jr.'s boots still on it. I looked out into the audience, and for a moment, I felt like a star. I felt like I was watching a live country music concert at home, on TV, where I have seen the Grand Ole Opry so many times.

Image provided by Google Images.

After performing, we got our pictures taken and then we headed back into the auditorium. We were surprised by lots of clapping and cheering--even a standing ovation. The crowd loved us. We went to take our seats for awards, anxious to know whether or not we made finals. As they began to announce awards, we found out that we won best band, and everyone cheered. Finally they announced the finalists--the tension built as they named five groups and none of them were us. One last chance, we thought. Luckily, the sixth name they called was Happiness, Inc.

After awards, we headed back to the hotel to explore. We had the entire rest of the day to do whatever, 7 hours of free time. My friends and I headed across the street to the Opryland Mall for some shopping. After grabbing a bite to eat, we spent an hour in the gigantic Forever 21, each of us buying clothes there. After that, we ate ice cream and headed back to the hotel. We joined the other show choir members for a while in the hot tub, and then we explored the hotel and took pictures. Finally, we headed to bed. We were all so psyched for finals--but we were then placed in second behind Fairfield. We were determined to fix whatever we could for finals and we hoped we could win Nationals.