I am a Jack, but oh if I could be The Joker- Blog # 22 Fictional Characters

I would be the Joker

Why?

 Because he’s The Joker.

He whimsically blows up hospitals, terrorizes Gotham, and asks the same questions over and over again. Why so serious? And Do you wanna know how I got these scars?

But why? Why does he do what he does? Why is he obsessed with a grown man that dresses up like a bat? Partially because he want too, and partially because he needs to.

Every villain needs to be able to kill and steal his way to the top, the joker villians with style though.  Whether he’s burning a pile of money with a rat accountant on it, or doing an awesome magic trick (I still don’t know where that pencil with) the Joker is ruthlessly cool about it. His ability to do whatever he wants without moral or legal repercussions is admirable at least, but what drives him? What makes him so mad.

Although never specifically specified, the Joker’s backstory is one of tragedy. He lost a wife and child; he failed as a comedian; and he failed a heist, which left him a mutilated monster. To make it worse his life literally goes down the drain in a matter of hours, 24 to be exact. After so much tragedy any normal human would snap just as he did right? That’s what the joker aims to prove when he terrorizes batman and Gotham. He even succeeds at eventually making the bat snap to some degree or other. But The Joker is nothing without Batman, and he knows it. He often idolizes batman for “completing” him. To the Joker, Batman is his pair. He embodies chaos and mayhem while batman embodies order and Justice. They are a perfect for each other in the way that Batman can’t kill the Joker out of cold blood because it would put him above the law, and the Joker can’t kill The Batman because “He is just too much fun.”

In the end I wouldn’t want to be the Joker for all the stuff I have written above, I would want to be the Joker because it would be fun. This is why anybody should want to be the joker and it’s why the Joker wants to be the Joker. There is no rhyme or reason behind what he does so why should there be any rhyme or reason to who he is? 

Fictional Character- Chelsea Southworth

Let me preface by saying this is an extremely difficult choice, and said choice could easily changes in a week or two.


If I could be any fictional character, I would be Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Rightful Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.

Reason number one is the insanely long list of awesome titles.

But really, though, Dany is an amazing character. She was born to rule (princess, last of her bloodline, married to a warlord-king...yeah, it was inevitable), but is determined that as a queen she will be loved and respected rather than hated and feared. Her ruthlessness, cunning, and battle prowess are rivaled only by her compassion, determination, and sincerity. This girl walked into her husband's funeral pyre and walked out without a burn in sight but with three baby dragons clinging to her like she was their mother. This girl freed a slave army and killed the masters on principle- and the army still follows her willingly, the people calling mhysa (mother) to her as she passes. This girl is planning to fly across the Narrow Sea, take down the Usurper king that holds her throne, and rule the Seven Kingdoms as is her right.

And did I mention that this girl is 14?

Right Now- Chelsea Southworth

At this very moment, a girl is becoming smaller. Whether quieting her voice because only bossy women speak loudly, keeping her views to herself because only bitchy women have opinions, or literally becoming smaller, starving and shrinking her body because only skinny women are attractive, she is turning herself into something less than what she is meant to be. This girl is realizing that society couldn't care less about her mind; if she doesn't have that perfect body- the one that doesn't exist outside of photoshopped magazine pages- then she is worthless. This girl turns on the TV and sees bikini-clad models eating hamburgers on the beach in between shows where there are more nonhuman speaking characters than there are women. This girl goes to the movie theater and sees a strong, confident hero driving the story and saving his beautiful damsel in distress. This girl looks anywhere and sees that she is not enough, nor will she ever be.

This girl could be one of the 78% who are unhappy with their bodies by age 17.

This girl could be one of the 65% of US females that suffer from an eating disorder.

Because she believes she is not valuable, this girl could be the 1 in 4 who experiences teen dating violence or the 1 in 4 who is abused by a partner in their lifetime.

Because of rape culture and societal conditioning, this girl could be the 1 in 6 who survives rape or attempted rape by a man who thinks it's an okay thing to.

Because of the society we live in, this girl could take her own life because she thinks is not enough.

#22 Fictional Character Haley Longworth

If I could be any fictional character, I would be Hermoine Granger. As long as I can remember I have been a fan of the Harry Potter series, and have always admired Hermoine. She was able to befriend the best people at Hogwarts and keep Harry and Ron in line, she was a very talented witch, she was brave, studious, pretty, and the girl who played her is awesome too! No matter what she always stood by Ron and Harry no matter how dangerous or frightening, and you could always count on her to figure out the solution to any problem. One of my favorite parts of the series is in the Dealthly Hallows when her and Harry travel to so many remote places and have to find the horcruxes. Those moments were so spontaneous and unpredictable! Overall, Hermoine is the awesome fictional character that I would want to be because of her many characteristics.

Assignment 23: Perfect Playlist Karl Werner

Playlist for Chilling and Reflecting on Your Life Solemnly and Bit Sadly

Song #1) I Miss You by Blink-182
Blink-182 is one of my all time favorite bands. This song, in my opinion, is their greatest work. This song is very abstract and each listener can interpret it in their own way. Its lyrics and its tune is remorseful, mourning, and melancholy. It relaxes and saddens the listener. Its lines are also out of the box and paint interesting images in your head. You can fit them to almost anything troubling you've been through in life.

Song #2) Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
This song is one of the best songs in the Shrek movie series. Which is saying something, as all the songs in those movies are great. This song is similar to I Miss You in that its lyrics can apply to anyone and anything and that it is calming in a sad sort of way. It causes you to sadly reflect on your life.

Song #3) Man on the Moon by Kid Cudi
This song switches it up a bit and gives the playlist a more urban and hip-hoppy vibe. It calms you and depresses you at the same time (aka all of Cudder's songs). This song gives the playlist a bit of a different flavor while also bringing about sad self-reflection.

Song #4) Fix You by Coldplay
This song is on the list because it is one of Coldplay's best songs to me. It is simple buy powerful. It is sad and revolves around shortcomings and sufferings of someone, but it isn't completely depressing. It continues on with the slow and introspective theme of the playlist, but brings the mood up a bit.

Song #5) Marching On by OneRepublic
This song ends the playlist because its musical tone is similar to the other songs on this playlist and also OneRepublic is spectacular. However, this song is more upbeat and its lyrics are uplifting and meaningful. After all these depressing songs, this song lifts you up and brings your self-reflection and chilling to a positive and upbeat ending while delivering catchy lines and an enjoyable tune.

Right Now- Jasa Harris

At this moment, somewhere in the universe someone is trying to extreme coupon and they’re probably failing. They’re sitting somewhere in front of the TV just watching in awe as someone else is getting 500 dollars’ worth of groceries and toiletries for like 5 dollars, and they’re trying to find the right coupons on the internet, in their newspaper, just everywhere. They’re trying to figure out when certain stores have double coupon day and when certain items are on sale. They don’t realize how much time actually goes into extreme couponing because it looks so easy. Then they finally decide to actually go to the store and see how well they’ve been doing and end up spending like 100 dollars for a 110 dollars’ worth of stuff.  And finally after a while they just get tired of all the work that goes into extreme couponing and take a break. Also they get annoyed at the fact that all of the extreme couponers spend at least 6 hours in one store- that is ridiculous. 

Assignment 22 Fictional Character-Zac Byrd

I would be Scooby Doo! Why else? He’s a talking dog that finds himself in the most dangerous situations.  And then wiggles himself out of those situations every time, helping to catch a criminal along the way.  He travels the world in a van with his friends without having to pay for anything.  He gets to eat as much as he wants and stays in great shape.  He has an owner who loves to be with him and has had him since he was a pup.  He has gotten to meet the Harlem globetrotters and has won many prizes like build your own roller coaster contests.  He has fun wherever he goes and even though he gets into bad situations he has friends to help him through.  It would be really fun to be Scooby because he’s such a ladies dog and has a very successful life.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

Out of all of the books, all of the movies, and all of the television shows you have watched, consider your favorite characters. Then, answer the following:

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 23th at 11:59 pm

Right now- Hans Stromberg

At this moment, somewhere in the universe the university of Kentucky basketball team is crying themselves to sleep. After a 20 point whooping at Florida the cats are asking themselves where they went wrong. What happened to the perfect season these young guns were supposed to have? Now, with 9 losses they are thinking of what could of been. What if they pulled out a victory against Michigan State early in the season, would that confidence fuel the cats into a flawless season? Anyway, back to reality, the cats now have to go back to the state of Florida to play the SEC tournament, looking at potential rematches with teams that they lost twice to. (Arkansas and Florida) The sweet taste of redemption and payback must drive this young team as they practice this week. These youngbloods have to have a short memory and need to stay out of social media this week. Haters gonna hate, the state of Kentucky doesn't take well to bad basketball. I still believe in the chances of this team reaching the final four, the question is do they believe. If they don't believe, an early exit is inevitable in the NCAA tournament this march. As the tears are reaching the pillow and the cats get some sleep i sure hope they are going to dream of lifting that SEC championship trophy and cutting down the nets.

( Shout out to Eastern Kentucky for winning their conference tournament and punching their ticket to the big dance.)

How to watch golf on tv. -Hans Stromberg

I have many hours of experience on this subject so no one can refute any of my findings mostly on the basis that no on watches golf on tv anyway. Being the only golfer in 2nd hour, i owe it to the SPORT to give it some justice. There is a a whole golf channel (channel 972 with TWC in HD) which makes it possible to optimize golf watching. In reality, golf tournaments are only played on thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday so it is important to make the most of the precious time you really have. On thursday and friday everyone is positioning themselves for the weekend so this is when you take your time to turn on golf channel and do your homework. Golf is the perfect blend, it is just distracting enough to look up when the shot happens and since most of the sport is walking around doing nothing, you can use this time to do your homework, this creates perfect harmony between your homework and golf watching. Also,  an inevitable part of the golf watching process is sleep. As exciting as i try to make golf sound to the uneducated golfing world (cough, all of the academy minus any golfers... So David) golf on tv will put you to sleep better than nyquil. Its important that you sleep through most of the "action", but paramount that you wake up for the last 30 minutes to watch the end, espically on the weekends. This way one can maximize sleep while also getting a small dose of golf on tv and getting to watch who wins the tournament.

Now that you have been educated, go put this knowledge to action, for homework everyone should use the techniques listed above and watch the Honda Classic this weekend, on monday i require at least ONE person from Logsdon's 2nd hour class to report to me who won the tournamrnt.

Assignment 22- Fictional Character Fictional Life Karl Werner

If I could be any fictional character in any fictional universe, I would have to be Harry Potter. The Harry Potter novels were the epitome of my childhood. I read those books more times than I can count. My first midnight premiere was for a Harry Potter book. I love the wizard universe. The magic, the mysticism, the Quidditch, the creatures, and the friendships. I also admire Harry for his bravery, daring, ability to play Seeker, the guts to get with his best friend's sister, and his drive. I want to go to Fred and George's prank shop achingly. Plus, bruh is guaranteed a great spot in the afterlife, so that never hurts. I'm just tired of being a muggle. I want to go to Ollivander's and try a butterbeer. No, I have not been to Harry Potter world but I plan to remedy that. I look forward to my visit there, but wish I could be Harry so that world would be a reality, not just a vacation.

Will Atkins-Fictional Character, Fictional Life-22

I'm glad that I'm doing this blog way before its due date so I can be the first one to say that the fictional character I would most like to be is the oh-so-popular BARNEY STINSON. Mr. Legend-Dairy himself is a stud of character that is on the show, How I Met Your Mother. Barney is a womanizing character who you often see living the high life of good-looking girls, expensive tastes, and awesome suits. Whether it's his catch phrase, "SUIT UP!" or he's walking out the door of a one night stand, Barney is being awesome. He is being awesome 24/7, and that's why he's the fictional character I would most like to be. All of these aforementioned references to the show are why I would like to be Barney Stinson. I want to suit up. I want to have a Japanese 300-inch television. I want to be...

BARNEY STINSON

How To Jania Stevenson

How to make a shirt
Have you ever wanted to make your own original clothing? Well I can show you how you can easily make a shirt of your own for close to no money at all. First you have to go buy a cheap, plain shirt from Wal-Mart or something because you obviously can't go sew the shirt yourself. Then go buy some T-shirt transfer paper. Load the paper into your printer and find an image from the internet that you want to put on your shirt. Print the image out and put it face down on your shirt. Iron it on and there you have it! A beautiful shirt of your own creation!

Sydney Smith (Blog #20)

How to Read the Bible (cover to cover)

1. Take lots of notes. Take the notes in your Bible, in a notebook, on your phone... Really, anywhere. As long as you have to notes. Underline as many things as possible. Highlight. Use pens. Get every piece of information that you learn down so that you can come back to it someday. 

2. Don't start at the beginning. If you start in Genesis, chances are, you'll be okay for a while. But once you get to Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy... You'll be ready to give up. I suggest starting off with some New Testament or Psalms. They are much easier to understand and thus easier to read.

3. Look up info in other places. Ask your pastor. Ask your parents. Google it. Get a study Bible. Look in other parts of the Bible that mention the same thing. Purchase a concordance. Whatever you do, don't just give up if you don't understand something. Seek the information. Pray about it. Make sure you understand what you need to get from the passage.

Blog #20 How to: Erin Holbrook

How to watch a kid:

Kids are crazy. They drive us crazy. But no matter what, someone has to take care of them. It always sounds easy, but in reality it can be pretty hard just trying to keep them alive. You turn your back for one second and suddenly the kid is trying to stick a metal key into a power socket. So here's how you keep kids 10 & under out of trouble without loosing your mind.

1.) Make sure they are fed and rested. This means feeding them healthy food and wearing them out before nap time. Whether kids are tired or on a junk food high, the result is the same: they turn into Tasmanian devils.
2.) Put them in time-out liberally. Not that I'm advocating excessive punishment, but young children need to know where their limits are. Plus, oftentimes a child that is escalating responds well to a few minutes of quiet time and behaves much better afterwards.
3.) Redirect. Kids are stubborn. If they are obsessing over doing a certain thing one way, or are escalating due to a certain activity, it is always a good idea to redirect their energy somewhere else. (i.e. "instead of climbing on the furniture, do you want to see some stickers?")
4.) Interact. Kids don't get worn out playing by themselves, coloring, or watching tv. They need you to play with them, even if all that means is sitting on the floor and building a lego tower.
5.) Keep a close eye on them. Maybe its just my experience, but kids have a knack for getting into trouble. They jump off of things, stick random objects into other random objects, and have minimal understanding of the dangers of the street. You can't childproof the entire planet. While you don't have to hover, you should keep a general eye out.

How To: SCUBA (Alex Reese)

So you want to go SCUBA diving? Well, you're going to need a couple of things. You'll need a BCD, octo, regulator, alternate regulator, fins, snorkel, mask, tank, weights, and a buddy. The fun part is, you're still nowhere near ready. You need to go get certified at your local PADI certified dive shop! Lucky for you there's one right near the mall. Once you pick a destination to dive and have arrived, you'll want to assemble all of your gear and most importantly, turn on your air. Now that you've got all that, you're ready to go diving! You can pretty much just walk into the water at certain locations, but others you'll have to jump off a boat. Now for the most important step, go enjoy the wildlife and scenery. Anything from sunken ships to my hopes and dreams could be down there. Once you're ready to come up, you might want to learn how surface. Slowly ascend, making sure to wait for an extra long period at along around 15 feet. After that just go on up and hope the boat didn't decide to leave you because you give terrible tips.

Sydney Smith (Blog #19)

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to become a Christian. I heard this from various people in my life all throughout my childhood, and every time I heard it, it impacted me significantly. Each time I went to church, each time I talked with my family and parents and grandparents about it, each time I watched Veggie Tales, each time I read my Bible- it was all leading up to my decision to accept Jesus into my heart when I was about 6 years old. I would say that this was the best advice I ever got because it has turned out so well. I am very glad that I listened to the people who told me this, because it was a very good decision. Many people make this decision all the time, which is awesome. It is a very special time and a very special decision, and I am glad that I got the advice that I did, which was to make the decision, go through with it, and become a Christian. It was an excellent decision in my opinion.

Sydney Smith (Blog #18)

Before I finish high school:

-get all A's

-get into GSP

-read all the way through the Bible

-get into college

-spend quality time with my family

-go to a Catholic mass

-experience lots of good music

-learn an instrument

-get a job

Before I finish college:

-get a degree

-join a sorority

-go to med school

-find my future husband

-get involved in politics

-study abroad

-make lots of friends

-figure out what I want to do with my life

-find a church to go to for the rest of my life

-learn to ride horses

-become friends with a professor

-have an awesome roommate

-go on international mission trips

-get a job

Before I die:

-get married

-have children

-travel the world

-become a surgeon

-go on mission trips

-raise my children

-become a politician

-help lots of people

-experience lots of music

-make lots of friends

-go skydiving

-go snow skiing

-go to the Olympics

-start my own charity

-tell people what I think

Plastics Jania Stevenson

Fourth grade was probably the worst school year I've ever had. I had a first year teacher, who was awful by the way, and I'm almost positive they put every child with behavioral issues in my class on purpose. One girl stabbed me in the leg multiple times with a pen, this other kid started a game where everyone in the class threw freshly sharpened pencils at each other ( This got me stabbed again), and then this one girl decided she absolutely hated one of the guys in our class, so she beat the crap out of him. Even though all these kids were terrible, their craziness made our teacher furious, which was hilarious. I loved seeing the look on her face after somebody did something stupid, so I decided I wanted to join in on the fun and be one of the reasons why my teacher got mad. That was a terrible decision, because I got sent to SAFE more times than I can count. One time I got into so much trouble my mom had to come to the school and give me a little talking to. It was during that talk that she told me that instead of doing what I was doing, I should try to "be a leader, not a follower". It took me a few more SAFE visits to finally figure out that she was right. Being a follower was super fun, but it wasn't getting me anywhere. I needed to step up and finally be the leader I was supposed to be. It's been seven years since that talk, and to this day I still try to be a leader and not follow whatever everyone else is doing.

Will Atkins-21-Right Now

Right now, somewhere in the universe someone is doing something that will completely change their lives without them even knowing they're doing this life changing activity. That may sound vague, but it's true. Somewhere someone is reading a book that will help them decide on their career path. Somewhere someone is meeting the love of their life. Somewhere someone is bringing a new life into the world (to put it delicately). Maybe, someone somewhere is writing a blog for an english assignment that will change the way the way he/she thinks about life or does something else that is life changing. That's the beautiful thing about life. We all hope for that moment, and you probably won't even know the gravity of that moment until years later. Right now, I guarantee you, at least one (possibly many) high school boys are trying to think of a cute way to ask a small crush of theirs to prom, thinking it's harmless. Little do they know that their, "small crush," is going to be their future, their everything.

Somewhere in the Universe Jonathon Humphries

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe is the key. It’s not the key to a door, unless that door leads to understanding, and it’s not a key to a lock, unless that lock is ignorance. The key isn’t singular in a location, unless you count everywhere as a single location, and it isn’t real in the sense that it exists. To explain, every action is the result of another action; Nothing will continue to be nothing and every change must come from change its self. This is how our universe functions on scales grand to minute. In better understanding these mechanisms we can deduce that everything happens for a reason. Not the spiritual “bad things happen for good reasons” bull, but merely because they have to. The universe acts and is most accurately through math (even if we have a nasty habit of approximating everything). As surely as 1+1 = 2, the universe obeys constant laws and functions as an oversized equation. As bleak as this seems, because it reduces every thing down to cold hard numbers and facts, it is the key to everything. If we knew everything there was to know about everything, then we could predict, without error, anything. We could see into the future with clarity and describe the past and present without a second guess. This key, as I stated above, doesn’t exist though. This is an unfortunate by product of the fact that we live in this universe. We are part of the equation, and we have swum too long in ignorance for us to clear the muddied waters of our pond. This is why we approximate; this is why we will never know everything about everything, or even everything about something. This is why we remained shackled by ignorance and lock out from understanding. The fact that we live in a universe with a key keeps us from ever wielding it for our betterment.

Sorry for the Crushing Mr. Logsdon- A How To by Jonathon Humphries

            Although not as popular as flappy bird or as addicting as clash of clans, candy crush is an entertaining and habit forming game.            When the need to “crush” arises during your daily dose of English you may feel the need to refrain so that you may listen and pay attention. Well I’m here to help you overcome this urge to forgo candy crush in attempt to read and write “gooder” English.

How to play candy crush in English class

1.     You must have 3 basic things in order to play Candy Crush in class. You will need a device capable running candy crush, the app candy crush, and most importantly, an English class. Once you have gotten these three things, you are 1 step close to achieving your goal.

2.     Next you need to play candy crush. You should start off with level one and work your way up from there.

-It will start out fun and fast paced, but just wait until you’re hooked and the levels start looking like a helish candy land.

3.     Eventually, once you have become sufficiently addicted to candy crush, you will find it hard to not play for extended periods of time. One of these periods may be your English class and if this is the case play on my friend. Don’t deny yourself the urge to crush in the name of expanding your reading and writing capacities. Crush and crush until you get tired of those infernal multi-colored candies, which will, inevitably, make you want to throw your phone against a wall. Crush to your hearts content because your English teacher doesn’t care (well yeah he kinda does… but you’re paying some attention right?) and because you know you’ll never reach the end. There will always be the next level, always more candy to crush, and always more English that you can avoid learning. That is until you’re told to put away your phone by your teacher who has had enough of your insolent crushing.

-       To avoid any liability, I do not condone the playing of games while in English class. I am not to blame for any phones confiscated by your English teacher while trying to play Candy Crush. This “how to” is merely a reflection of my skills and should not be carried out under any circumstances

End note- If everyone is on their phones playing then Mister Logsdon WILL ban them… so PLEASE don’t ruin English class for me. Oh and to Mister Logsdon, sorry for my habitual crushing.

Assignment 21: Right Now

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe...

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 9th at 11:59 pm

Will Atkins-20-How to

Hi! My name is Will Atkins! How are you today? I'm so glad you decided to tune into us today! Today, We'll be discussing....

HOW TO NOT GIVE A CRAP

Step 1: Give a crap.
While some may find this step counterproductive, through my research it can be shown that one cannot fully not give a crap without first comprehending the pain, suffering, and overall stupidity of giving a crap. Not giving a crap does not mean don't care about your grades. That is never the message. It's what people say about those grades that you should not give a crap about. I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten back a math test with anywhere from a 99 to a 92 (An "A") and had my parents not congratulate me but instead ask me, "so what'd you miss?" My thoughts before I started giving a crap? I better study more so I can seek their unachievable approval. This step is necessary for full ability of not giving a crap.

Step 2: Don't give a crap
This step can also be referred to as the, "in-one-ear-out-the-other," technique. Your peers don't like the way you dress? Nod to humor them and go to your happy place. You want to know mine? It's sitting at my computer watching How I Met Your Mother or playing Xbox. Being dead serious. An acquaintance of mine talked to me last week saying, "Hey Will do you remember the time when Alex made fun of your tie?" I didn't remember. Apparently he made the comment a few weeks before. I think I was playing Madden in my head.

Will Atkins-18-Bucket and Buckets

Before I finish high school I want one thing and everything. I want to continue to develop my friendships to the point that I stay connected to my friends for the rest of our lives. I honestly hope I have a class with my best man right now. I hope that he will tell stories of us clowning around as high school juniors. I hope that my future-child's godfather tells my kid about life through stories of me in my high school youth.

The number one thing I want to do in college before I graduate is this: start the end of my life. Some of you may see that as a boring goal, but I find it exhilarating. While I don't plan on finding my dream girl in college I do plan on getting a job or getting into a graduate school that will allow me to grow as a person, let me move up in the world, and keep me, my future wife, and our future children more than comfortable.

Before I die. Wow. Thinking down the road here.

Whenever I think about this I remember a story I heard when I was in the third grade.

"A teacher walked up to me and said, 'What do you want to be when your grow up?' I said happy. She said, 'I don't think you understand the question.' I said, 'I don't think you understand life'"


So that is what I want to be when I grow up. Some might say that they want to skydive or bungee jump. Some might say that they want to start and raise a family. Yet none of that matters to me. I don't care if I have kids or find my dream girl, but if I am happy. Who cares, right?

How to- Cassie Adams

How to paint your nails 

1. Pick the perfect color. Now, I know this may seem to you a daunting task. Nail polish literally comes in every color imaginable. Not only that, you also must take into consideration the glitter and textured nail polishes and nail-art designs. Should you pick the nice shade of coral or go with the salmon? Don't panic. When in doubt, I've found that a dark gray/black works nicely. Keep it simple. 

2. Next, you must remove ALL polish currently on your nails. Don't even think about painting over the chipped remnants of your light pink manicure with a dark blue hoping that it will cover it up. It won't. Trust me.

3. Before you even think about opening the bottle of nail polish, or even nail polish remover, ensure that you are a safe distance away from any and every object that you mother might scold you for staining. I've made this mistake a number of times. (Just so you know, nail polish remover does not do nice things to a stained and finished wooden side table.) 

4. Now that you're in a safe location, you can open the bottle. Believe it or not, this can at times be the most difficult step. If you're anything like me, you're favorite color is most likely caked and glued shut by dried polish, so this may take a little effort. 

5. All this prep work and we have only just gotten to the main point. Begin painting the center of your nail and extend outwards. As hard as you try not to, you WILL get nail polish on the skin around your nail. It's simply inevitable. 

6. Wait for the first coat of polish to dry. This step is the most commonly disregarded of them all. Do NOT try to immediately paint on another coat. Do NOT get on your phone. Do not move. Don't even think about moving. Because the second that you do, you will mess up a nail and ruin all of your hard work. 

7. When you do disregard the previous step, as I so often do, you're going to end up with clumpy nail polish that refuses to dry and/or nails with chips and steaks. In which case, proceed to step 8. 

8. Give up and take it off. There is nothing left for you now. Admit defeat, and pray for better luck next time. 

Will Atkins-19-Plastics

I will admit, I had trouble thinking of a single piece of advice I had heard. I had an even more difficult time thinking of my single most important piece of advice that has managed to stick. I did however come up with one.

Stop giving a sh*t. That was the advice I actually got from myself midway through last semester. You may call me arrogant, but frankly I'm going to stick to my own advice. It came to me as a small epiphany as I began thinking about the number of people in our academy class who don't like me. I can't for the life of me remember what I was doing when I thought of this idea, but I remember thinking about a name someone had called me not long before this realization. I remember thinking, "should I continue to be nice to her even though she has been everything but to me?"

And then it hit me. Stop caring. You don't want to be nice to me? fine. Cause if I continue to care and worry? I'm going to become miserable, and miserable people never win. So I'm done worrying now, and to quote the GREAT 2 Chainz, "I ain't worried 'bout nothin'"

Zach Wolfe #20

How to get away with not doing your math homework:
1. Take really good notes whenever your class starts a new chapter
2. put numbers next to each problem to make it look like homework
3. Each day, renumber the paper(s) so that it appears you did the correct problems
4. When the teacher walks around to check, flash each page so that they can see the writing but they don't try to check its accuracy
5. Ace the test by paying attention in class and using your above average math ability so that your teacher believes that it makes sense that you would've done your homework
6. Repeat for the next chapter

Of course I've never done this, but I know seniors who have due to their senoritis and not wanting to do homework.

Zach Wolfe #19

One of my greatest loves is sports, specifically soccer. I once heard "represent the name on the front of the jersey, and people will know the name on the back." I have realized this to be true in the past few year. Firstly, I recognized the truth of that quote when playing for Henry Clay during my Freshman year. I scored a number of exciting free kick goals which caught the attention of varsity head coach Bernardi. He remembered my name and talked to me throughout the rest of the year, even after the soccer season was over. He used to ask me about my club season in the spring and how I was doing. In my sophomore season, I got the opportunity to play on the varsity team as an underclass man. Another example is how I play for my club team, Commonwealth SC. In my five seasons there, we've won four tournaments and one league title. I've been the top scorer four times in those five seasons and team captain twice. As a result, when we got a new coach and a new club director this year, they both already knew who I was before I met them; remembering me by my unique last name of Wolfe. Knowing that my favorite quote is true. It makes me play my hardest and give full effort every time I step on the field. I have been able to be a member of both high school and club teams that have had very successful seasons, and it makes me enjoy playing soccer even more. 

Zach Wolfe #18

1. Before high school ends, I want to win a state title in soccer. Next year Henry Clay will have a good chance with 9 of our 11 starters returning as well as possessing strong talent through our bench. Over 80% of the team will be back and everyone will be upper class men so we will all have post season experience. 

2. Before college ends I want to maintain over a 3.5 GPA. This would be higher than my high school GPA and if I really applied myself, I feel like I could accomplish this. It will make it easier to find a job after college as well, and give me a better chance to be accepted into graduate school if I so choose. 

3. Before I die I want to go skydiving. It seems very thrilling and I hope it can help me overcome my extreme fear of heights. Being a tall guy, not many people understand why I'm afraid of heights because I'm "used to being high off the ground".  Haha funny joke, but heights are my biggest fear. They make me dizzy and my balance is thrown off. Jumping out of a plane from thousands of feet could either help me overcome this fear or just make it worse. 

Assignment 21 Right Now Karl Werner

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe...Michael Bay is finishing up the new transformers film. This film, without a doubt, will be awful. Michael Bay's understanding of plot and character development is on par with my comprehension of particle physics. Explosions are not plot twists. Gargantuan, identical robots hissing and firing in a maelstrom of violence does not equal a story. However, this new movie is to include the Dinobots. And I freaking love the Dinobots. Grimlock is the greatest robot of all time bar none. He turns into a MFING T-REX AHHHHHH. Plus, new villains from older generations of transformers are primed to make a comeback (UNICRON MY BOY). I shouldn't be typing things like this my junior year of high school but whatever life is short. You might as well spend it watching massive machines morph into massive machine dinosaurs are wreak havoc. And eat sour patch kids while doing so.

Plastics- Hans Stromberg

My momma always told me, "be polite, Hans, it will get you where you want to go." I never really thought anything about it at the time because I was so young and naïve. Even though I didn't think about it, I unconsciously was polite anyway just because that was what I was taught to do as a kid. My mom always told me to say please when requesting anything and to always say thank you when something was done for me. As I go through life I notice less and less people saying these magic words, "please" and "thank you". I always think to myself, if only they remembered what their mother told them about manners, I would be thinking just a little bit better of that person. You never know what that little token of appreciation and politeness will get you, so you might as well do it anyway.  I believe that this life lesson has made me a better person and separates me from other people. Some people say that the little things in life make the biggest difference so that is why I always remember what my mutti taught me.

Buckets- Hans Stromberg

1. For high school my number one goal is to win state in golf. This goal may seem a little ambitious but completely possible. We have all the talent we need to win, all we have to do is put it together has one team each time we compete in a tournament. For this feat to be made possile i will have improve as an individual to make the team better while pushing my teammates to do the same.
2. Before i finish college, i want to visit Europe. Speifically, Germany and Sweden. My heritage is in these countries and i feel like i actually need to visit these countries to see what they are all about. I want to visit my relatives in sweden, i want to get to know a different culture other than those in the united states. Also, in Germany i want to visit where the Berlin Wall used to stand. The Berlin wall  was a historic site for all the world to see and when it fell, a historic moment in time. I also really want to have an authentic wiener schnitzel in Germany just to see how amazing they really are.
3. Before i die i must play golf at all the historic and memorable golf courses in the world. I have to go play at St. Andrews in scotland where the home of  golf is. I also can't die before i play at Augusta National golf course. Whether it is actually playing in the Masters or just getting a chance to play. I also want to visit two other scenic golf courses, TPC sawgrass and pebble peach. Both offer scenic views and great challenges to any golfer.

Buckets and Buckets: Lucy Wan

1. The number one thing I want to do in high school is maintain good grades and get into a college of my choice. I want to major in hospital administration (which probably seems completely unlike me, but I like it) and I hope to go to a college that can give me the best opportunities to succeed in the field.

2. Before I finish college, I would like to study abroad. A lot of people probably have said the same thing, but I think immersion into an entirely new culture is a unique and rewarding experience. Outside of college, there may not be as many opportunities for me to uproot from the U.S. and move to a different country, so I would like to have the experience before college ends. I've always wanted to travel to Europe and expose myself to the rich and vastly different cultures there.

3. As for before I finish living, I have an entire bucket list written out and growing. This list started in 7th grade and I have added on to it ever since. It includes such gems as:

• Running through a field of flowers in slow motion
• Learn to play the bagpipes
• Have a lightsaber duel (checked off and completed)

You can see the 7th grade mentality there. Nowadays my goals are more simple and certainly more central to my future.

• Adopt/foster children
• Start my own business (haven't quite decided what yet)
• Be happy on my own terms

Oh and for fun:

• Go skydiving   

Bucket List: Alex Reese

High School: Before I finish high school, I'd like to get a job. I applied for a job at the ice center, but the manager turned me down because I couldn't be worked certain hours because I am not 18 yet. Keep in mind that he employs my fellow minor and works him absurd hours. Needless to say, I was unhappy. I just want to get a job because I never seem to have enough money and feel I could really use the experience. I think it might also help me better appreciate the hard work people in minimum wage jobs do.

College: Assuming any college even wants me, I'd like to study abroad. Travelling is one of my favorite things to do, and nothing would make me happier than spending a year in Germany or a semester in Belize. I was born in Guam and apparently went to a lot of cool places when I was very little. I've always felt like I've been robbed because I can't remember Hawaii, Japan, or even Guam. I like to think this is where I get my affinity for travel. I even enjoy airplanes despite my fear of heights.

Before Kicking The Bucket: One of my number one goals in life is to meet my musical idol Armin van Buuren. He is an EDM artist who makes primarily trance and is easily the best DJ in the world (Dj Mag's yearly poll of top 100 DJs has seen him as #1 five times).

Assignment 19: Alexander Reese

You do you. Honestly, it started out as kind of a joke, but it might be tattoo material for me now. I think of myself as somewhat of a shy person, so naturally I act different around my various groups of friends. But when I really think about it, are people really my friends I have to act different around? I need to be myself, not what others want me to be. It's also a great reminder to not try and make someone a person they just aren't. You do you has helped me through some tougher times as well, reminding me me that I can't please everyone and don't need to. I just had my girlfriend dump me, saying she didn't like labels and whatnot and just didn't see us as being much more than friends. My first thought as this terrible text reached me was something along the lines of "Please not again." but then I realized something. I couldn't expect her to continue in a relationship she wasn't comfortable with, that just wasn't her. Even though it might upset me, I was getting to put my motto into practice.

Plastics Blog 19 Jonathon D Humphries

As “uncool” and uptight as my parents are, they give some pretty good advice. Granted, most of it is the same old parental worrying crap like “Drive safely” and “Stop fighting with your sister” but, some where in all that worrying is some genuine gems of advice. My two favorite sayings from my parents have lead me to think of life in a more enlightened way, so without further adieu let me share their sage advice with you.

“The key to happiness is low expectations and being prepared” – My dad

            My dad’s usual tid-bits of advice are latently condescending commands such as “It would be very mature of you to walk honey (our dog which he insisted we get)” but this piece of advice, although not too original, has shaped how I view the world. This saying has put a lot of things in perspective for me; if I’m bummed about flunking a vocab quiz I didn’t study for, at least I know why I’m sad. Essentially this advice is an instruction manual on how to be happy. It says even if you work hard, and are prepared for anything, don’t aim too high otherwise you might be disappointed.

“There is no cure for stupid”- My mom

There really isn’t. Every day you have a chance of running into someone who is genuinely stupid, and there is nothing you can do to help them. You can tell someone they are wrong, and even show them how they are wrong, but the idiots of the world will go on completely oblivious to the error of their ways. If you ever run into a stupid person all you can do is agree with them (you don’t have to, its just that disagreeing with them will just exacerbate their stupidity) and move on. Now I’m not saying that we should let stupid people rule the world, what I’m saying is to pick your battles. Sure I would never yield to an idiot on decisions that matters, but if push comes to shove and you’re throwing down with some idiot over which movie is better, Twilight or Pulp fictions, then just let it go. Some people genuinely are idiots, and because of my mom, I know that there is nothing I can do for them. I can try and try and try but, bless their heart, they will still do the stupid things that stupid people do regardless.