Texting

A habit I find hard to break is texting. Ever since I was twelve years old, I've owned a cellular device and constantly used it. Over the years, the amount that my fingers run over the smooth buttons each month has increased drastically. The excitement I, and many of my friends, get when receiving a text message is indescribable. When I wake up early in the morning, even as early as 2 o’clock, and discover that the bright red light is flashing indicating that I have a text, I gain a feeling of curiosity and elation. It sounds pathetic, but having someone to converse with a lot of the time is enlightening. For me, sitting at home alone is beyond boring, but when you have someone to talk to, time goes by quicker, and maybe you will have interesting conversations and learn things about someone that you never knew before. Communication is an important aspect in life, and texting is just another way of doing it. Texting has become so addicting for many of us, that we always have our phones in our hands, waiting for that soft vibrate. Teachers get very angry. We come to school to learn and prepare ourselves for the real world and what’s in store for our lives, and the majority of us can’t focus because our eyes are drawn to our phones. I understand why teachers and administrators get so frustrated with us, but the truth is, if our phones are in our possession, we can’t help holding them and looking at them. Although I love my phone dearly, I’m glad there will be a policy next year regarding having phones in class. I’m also glad I am graduating so I won’t have to obey that terrible yet necessary rule. Cell phone companies are just going to keep advancing their technology and the things that you can do on a wireless device. The youth are going to continue to get more and more attached to technology, and unfortunately the teachers aren’t going to be able to do anything about it in small measures.

"The Glass Castle"

In the book " The Glass Castle ", the quote "When mom got home that evening, she looked in the refrigerator and asked what happened to the margarine, we told her we ate it" really made me think. It made me realize that I (and the people I know) have it a lot better than a lot of people do.

When you are so poor and hungry that you have to eat margarine mixed with sugar to satisfy your hunger, you know something is wrong. I wouldn't be able to understand what this kind of living is like because my parents have always provided for me and I can definitely say this for all of my friends as well. At times, people I know complain about the littlest things and make it seem like they have it so bad. I'm sure they're not the only one's who do that which shows that we don't realize how others don't have homes, and often can't eat for days, or even weeks at a time. We don't grasp the concept that to survive, some people have to dig through garbage bins to get their food for the week and don't have the luxury of showering everyday. Some of us assume that everybody has a good life like we do; getting pampered and not having to work until we graduate high school. Reading this book really makes you think about how many people are dying of hunger, with no place to live and have no hope. Sometimes at school you will hear people say "I'm dying of hunger". Well think of the unfortunate people who never get to eat fresh meals or get the delight of going out to restaurants to eat whatever they desire. At times, many of us take the lives we have for granted, and "The Glass Castle" makes us think more about how lucky we are.

Superpowers

If I could have any superpower in the world, it would be to read people's minds. I would like to have this superpower because it would allow me to be able to see what people actually think about things, and I would know their feelings at all times. I would want this superpower over any other superpower because it would be interesting to see who is truthful in life, and who lies about certain things to make them feel better about themselves. I would love to know how others actually feel about me and my friends, and who lies to my face to make me feel better or make themselves look better. Having the ability to see what other people are thinking would make life a lot more interesting to say the least. Although it could cause other problems, it could solve some as well.

Book Review

The novel "Crank" written by Ellen Hopkins is a very interesting, revealing book about a 17 year old girl named Kristina who is a well behaved, smart and honest girl who goes to visit her absent father in New Mexico for 2 weeks. She meets a boy who introduces her to drugs and sex and gets her hooked. She starts to live a double life and creates a girl named Bree who is the exact opposite of the real Kristina. Once she returns home, she remains Bree. She starts to make new, troubled friends who all have connections to drugs. She continues to do things lower and dirtier to make sure she gets her high. There's nothing too low for her now.

"Crank" is a very good novel, especially for teenage girls who want to read a true story about what drugs can do to you, and what guys can do to you. To read this book you must be mature enough. It has a 14 years and older rating but one still might not be mature enough to handle this heart-wrenching tale of a mother trying to save her daughter from the drug they call "the monster". "Crank" is an easy read which describes how much you can change and how desperate you may grow for drugs, and how your self respect goes down the drain.

I read this intense 537 page book in a matter of 3 days. This novel makes you realize that no matter how much you think that you won't turn to drugs and waste your life, one person can change that for you forever. Ellen Hopkins was telling the story of her own daughter in the book. "Crank is more than a drug, it's a way of life. You can turn your back, but you can never really walk away." Those words were spoken by Kristina Snow from the novel. Who is there to believe more other than somebody who has actually had the experience?

5 things I would grab if my house was about to burn down

If my house was about to burn down, and I could only take 5 things, I would take my two dogs, my bird, my blackberry and my laptop. I would take my dogs and my bird because you can replace clothes and other possessions, but you won't be able to replace your animals. You might be able to buy new ones but you will never find the same animals that you had before. Not having my 2 Jack Russells would be sad because they're both so cute and have funny personalities, it would be sad living without them. My bird is cute and even though I can't really play with him, I've had him for at least 10 years so it would be hard parting with him. I would never allow my animals to die because I wanted to keep a few of my favorite items of clothing, or some of my favorite seasons of tv shows. I would take my blackberry because I love it to death and I don't think my parents would buy me a new one afterwards because it was hard to convince them to get me one in the first place. I would need to keep my blackberry because I don't think I could live without texting and facebook mobile. I couldn't buy myself a new one either because I have no money. I would probably end up with a really ugly phone from 1990 if I left my phone to burn. I wouldn't bring the charger for my phone because I could buy another one later on. Lastly, I would take my laptop because I've only had it for around 2 months and I couldn't leave it knowing it would burn and I wouldn't get another one for a while. It would not be fun going to wherever I would live, now that my house has burnt down, and having no computer to go on, no facebook to go on except for on a 3 inch screen. The 5 things I would take with me if my house was about to burn down consist of animals and my most valued electronics.

My top 3 times of day to snowboard

Criteria

I'm choosing to judge my top three times to snowboard by temperature, texture of powder, excitement, and number of people on the runs.

My top three times of day to snowboard are morning, mid-afternoon, and night time. Snowboarding in the morning is the best because it's just the right temperature, and the rays of sun light shining through the trees. Another reason is if it has snowed the night before, the powder is fresh and has barely been touched. Snowboarding during the mid-afternoon is great also because most of the people who have gotten day passes have begun to leave, therefore less people are on the runs. Snowboarding at night is exciting and adventurous, and similarly to the mid-afternoon, there are very few people, most likely because of the danger it brings. Night boarding is also thrilling because it's dark, aside from the lights that are placed around the runs. These are my top 3 times of day to snowboard based on temperature, texture of powder, excitement and number of people on the runs.