Not cool.

I think something's gone terribly wrong with my laptop :(. I can connect to the internet, but nothing, no pages whatsoever, will display. I've tried several things, restoration, connecting to someone else's wi-fi, fooling around with the security options; nothing will work. So I will head out to the Verizon store tomorrow to see if they know anything I can do, but I'm assuming not. I have a hunch that it's a virus, and I will most likely have to send my baby back to the Lenovo store and be sent a new one. Gee am I glad I paid the extra to have the accidental damage warrrenty.

I'll be trying to get myself back up to speed with comments, and everyone's new posts-- but this home computer we have takes forever, and I don't want to steal it from my mom too often. So this might be a semi-dead week for me, but I'll keep you guys updated :). Thanks for reading!

A little scrambled.

Well, I promised Wednesday posts, so here it is.

It'll be short and sweet, because it's past midnight, and I'm ready to hit the pillow.
I was way too overloaded tonight. I had one study hall to actually do my work, and I was only able to get a bit done because I couldn't focus. Then I spent my last studyhall in the physics room preparing for tomorrow's test, but we didn't get through everything. Then I had soccer practice until 4:15 or so, I rushed to pick up John and bring him back to the school to leave for our Answers Please match. During the first round I usually do my homework, since we play the second one. But this time we wandered into a classroom to wait, and a team invited us to play "just for fun", which took up all of my homework time, and they crushed us anyways. As you can guess I didn't get anything done the next round, which was ours, and I actually got home around 9:15. I completed my essay for English and my review sheet for math, but I never really was able to study for the physics or math tests tomorrow. And I have an english vocab sheet. Ughhhh :/ , overwhelmed.

I'm currently #2 in my class though, so that's exciting. I just hope it lasts for more than a couple of weeks. I think things will be better once I have more time after the soccer season's over. Our last league game is tomorrow, then come the sectionals. So I possibly only have two games left. It's weird to think of it being the last time I'll ever play soccer on this team. Or ever, most likely, unless it's just goofing off.

I'll catch up with blogs and such later, I'm exhausted. Sorry this has been more of a short rant than a real post, but I'm trying.

So let's end it with some current events! :P
Have you guys heard about the whole recreation of Edgar Allan Poe's funeral? Interesting stuff. I can't believe only 10 people attended his original funeral.. Oh, even better, how about the flock of sheep that spontaneously combusted in Jordan?

Apparently, there was an underground gas leak under a field, which the flock just so happened to wander over. Locals were setting fire to dry gas, and the sparks travelled to that area, igniting the methane, blowing up the sheep. I can't even imagine how paralyzed and confused the shepard must've felt, standing there watching as his entire herd of sheep set fire before his eyes. That definitely has to be one of those unforgettable "Huh." moments.

ps. I'm still thinking about the whole purpose to life thing, so if any of you want to share yours, or what you feel you're meant to do, go for it :).

I think mine can be summed up with to love, to learn, and to write. If I continue to do those three things throughout my life, and the little subcategories that go with them(such as travelling, experiencing new things), I will be happy. Those things go hand in hand to me.

Happy Sunday

Right now via webcam :P

Good Evening folks,

So I am actually holding true to my word and posting on a Sunday, woohoo! As you can see I have my Cumberland Farms hot beverage in hand, supplying the necessary caffine for me to complete hopefully half of the things I need to accomplish before I turn out the lights. It's a kooky mixture. A fourth of chai, maybe a sixth of french vanilla, a little white chocolate caramel, and a splash of pumpkin spice. That's what I love about mixing your own, it tastes a little different each time.
This weekend was enjoyable. I spent a majority of it working, but that's okay, I like paychecks. Plus work is nice, as I've mentioned before, the atmosphere at Ralph is wonderful. It's clean and crisp, and I certainly don't mind having an excuse to dress up. Trousers and chinos are comfy :). And I bought two new oxfords, a white one and the yellow one in the picture above, love 'em. Aside from working, I did have a little fun as well. I spent all of last night immersed in conversation with Julie, Tom, and Jared. Just sitting around the kitchen table, pondering about life. We have some deep conversations, let me tell you. I mean, we seriously get into it, haha. It's amusing I'm sure. So, inspired from our talk, I'll ask you guys what is the purpose of life?

Back in the day, I'm speaking neandrathal times, the objective of our lives was to survive. Catch our food, create weapons to defend ourselves, construct a simple shelter, live. Now we don't have to "survive" most of the time. If we aren't able to take care of ourselves, someone will most likely step in to our rescue. So now that we've made it past the survival barrier, what is our mission? Is it to find a job, a career, to make tons of money? Is it to find love, get married, raise a family? Or maybe, some of us just want to make an impact on the way other people think. Personally, I think it varies for the indivudual. The sad part is that some of us never discover our purpose, living life day by day, a blur of repetition. They work at shitty jobs they have no passion for, climb into bed each night with someone whose soul they don't understand, the only connection bonding them being their children. They feel flustered, they boil. But hey, isn't that the way everyone else is living? I think these people, the ones who ignore what they truly want inside for money, or social status, or just because it's all that they know-- need to re-think what they are doing. Life is far too short to spend miserably. We cannot be happy all of the time, there are periods when we need to do something to help us reach what will make us happy, such as a part time job to pay for college. Or an awkward conversation to salvage a friendship. It's only when we give up on happiness that we have a problem. When we decide to work that job we despise for the rest of our lives, when we hang on to someone we don't love just because it's easier. It's when we shut off our impulses and live by the clock.

Ahem, alright, I'm done being all philosophical and such. Thanks to those who critiqued my article. After reading through it, I realize it's not my best. I was a little nervous writing it, since the person who will be reading it and deciding if it makes it in the paper, is a Pulitzer Prize winner, and I have quite a bit of respect for his opinion. Another thing about writing to me, is that once you publish something, your name is attached to it forever. If I write something for the newspaper, I want it to be a near perfect representation of my thoughts, I don't want to bullshit my way through it, or say what I think the public wants to hear. I am not going to write something a certain way to ensure it's published. I don't know, it's just the way I am :P, I want my words to be as true as I can make them. So because of that, I'm going to revise what I wrote before, maybe even change the whole thesis, make it stronger. I might write it on self image, which is kind of like the original, but a little smoother, a little more put together. Whatever I write, I want to focus on society's behavior, because that's what I feel our downfall is, as a species, we are undeniably self absorbed. Myself included. I fill up my tank with gas, I drive all over the place, polluting the air that other species breath. But hey, I want a car, so too bad. That's humanity, and it's a true, but sad thing. Sometimes I wish we were still primitive, atleast to an extent. I wish we could take a magic eraser and wipe out everything that harms anything else. We could keep the good stuff, warm knitted sweaters, instruments, and books. We could find entertainment in the company of eachother, trade for the things we needed, and live as a little clan of woodlyn creatures. Basically, I wish we were elves, haha. I know things are only going to become more advanced, and more convenient for people, but I just hope, for the sake of our future, that we can use what we create to do good, rather than slip into complete self absorbtion, complete greed. I don't believe in communism, I am not some anti government rebel. I realize it is far too late to undo all that we have done, I just question what is going to happen to us, and where we will go from here. The first step is recognization. If we all, as a whole, realize that we're headed downhill, then we all, as a whole, can work together to pull ourselves out of this mess. Oh, I just remembered I started this paragraph off by saying I was done being philosophical. Well, I unintentionally lied, whoops :P.

I apologize if this made little sense, I just type what I think, and it jumbles out.

Status Shmatus.

I read an article in our local newspaper inviting highschool and college students to write in about relevant issues in today's society. And of course, I simply could not resist adding my two cents to the mix. So this is what I plan to submit, feel free to give your critique or share your opinion on the issue, or any other issue you feel needs to be recognized.


One of the greatest plagues to society today is the high regard given to social status and materialism. Many people have forgotten what it truly means to be alive. We expel all of our efforts into achieving financial success to raise our status and allow us to feel as though we are well off. But what does this mean exactly? Everyone wants to be able to meet their needs, to own a home, afford their groceries, have a car to drive to work. Somewhere along line however, these sensible wants shift into higher gears, based on the standards of others. Our home is not as nice as the neighbors, the other children have brand names on their snacks at lunch, our car is not equipped with the latest comfort features. Then we splurge, we hand over more than is stowed in our pockets in order to satisfy our desire to fit the mold.
We want to be American, we want to live the dream. In most cases, our dreams do not consist of disappointment, of settling for less than the best. We take pleasure in believing that we can have anything that we want, so long as we pay the price. The United States is primarily a mixed market economy, driven by profit. So consequently, consumers are motivated to buy. The more we are capable of affording, the more we appear to have, and the more successful we seem. If we think we have less than the people around us, then life is not fair. Something went wrong, or the other person simply has luck on their side. This is our dilemma, discovering a way to enjoy what we have already worked hard to attain. This is not to say we should always settle, never strive for the things that matter to us. Just maybe, from time to time, it would be in our best interest to move a step back and take a good look at what it is we are trying so hard to obtain. When did these tangible objects or positions of status become such significant factors in human life? Honestly, it is rather disheartening. The simple things are losing their appreciation little by little. People get so caught up in the currents of working and spending that eventually, it may be all that they know.
We tend to take moments for granted, losing fragments of time we can never have back.
Are our lives truly so busy that we cannot make the time? Time is a constant variable, ticking along at its steady pace. We cannot rightfully use it as a scapegoat for why we do not indulge in the things that bring us happiness. All we must do is find a way to organize it, forcing us to choose our priorities. Of course it is not reasonable or realistic to always choose the fun option. Work must be done, but like most things, there is a balance to be struck. If we ignore the role of status, instead focusing on what makes us feel alive, while working to the point where we can live comfortably, we might just find ourselves to be a little less overwhelmed. Another crucial part of life slowly slipping out of existence is the quest for knowledge. Obviously there are scientists, engineers, inventors, plenty of experts geared towards figuring things out. But what about learning on an individual scale for personal fulfillment? Our minds exist for a purpose, to be exercised and used. In conclusion, there are many components needed for our society to function suitably. We do need a stable economy, we need producers and consumers. However, these consumers should recognize the need for balance. Lost in the cycle of buying and selling, people miss out on healthy relationships with one another and themselves.

Organization Station

Alright, it's time I buckle down.
Things have been continually hectic for me from the first day of school, and I feel like I need to pull myself together. This year cannot be a meaningless blur of homework and obligations. Sure, I'll keep doing what needs to be done, but I can still have my fun :), and keep my blogging alive while I'm at it too.

So here's what's going to happen;
* I will post something every Wednesday and Sunday.
I hope to post more frequently than that-- but I'm promising both of these days.

* I will finally finish that article I began for the newspaper. It will be submitted no later than Friday evening.

* Physics labs will all be written up for class Monday morning.

So yes, expect to hear from me atleast both of those days, and hopefully more. I would sit here and write forever tonight, but it's already past midnight, and I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow. I will catch up with everyone eventually, I promise :).

Wow, look, a pulse!

Alas, I have risen out of my coma.
Call me busy, lazy, unmotivated, dead, all of those would be correct. I have just been overwhelmed with work and things, making it rather hard for me to find time to do the things I enjoy, such as blogging. I would give you some huge, super epic post, but I have nothing super epic to tell you :P. Sorry, sorry. Alot of my time has been spent at school, practice, and games. And lately, weekends at Ralph. I really do enjoy the job. Honestly, I've never been the most organized person, I keep a decent room, but my bookcase it a clutter, my drawers are a combonation of folded and tossed, and I often neglect dusting. At Ralph Lauren, perfection is expected. So I have had to get myself used to folding, and folding with precision. Noticing when a shelf or rack is not straightened up to par, and paying acute attention to the customers. It's been challenging, but I feel like I'm adjusting. I've made friends with a couple of co-workers, and discovered a great hidden deli across the street, where my employee lanyard earns me a 30% discount.. score :). But I do like my new job, and the enviornment I work in. It's cool being in such a style centered setting. You tend to forget about class, when you in well.. class, haha. You wear your jeans and your tshirts, and forget the elegancy. I like seeing little old ladies come in, who still know how to dress well. It's not just for the older generations either, I see some stylish girls come in, the kind where you wish you could have their look, but you know it wouldn't be the
same on anyone else.



Anyways, enough about that. Things feel as thoug they are calming down (aside from SATs this weekend, but we'll just ignore that..) I am spending more time by myself lately, and whether or not that is a better or worse thing, we'll have to see. We can't afford to pay Tom to work here anymore, so I've lost that time, it's really disappointing. He was always nice to just chill with, and if anything was bothering me that day, you could be sure it was fixed by the time he went home. It's kind of lonely now, but that's life and the curves it throws at you, and I will deal. It's just that I can already feel what it's going to be like to miss people, and it's a rather saddening thought.

Current want; I would really like to go apple picking.
Current jam; Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson