Cole

Happiness Poem

2008-06-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Happiness is love.
The touch of my boyfriend's hand on mine,
in that moment nothing else matters.
The laughs shared between my sister and I,
nobody else will ever understand.
The way that my mom has been not only a mom,
but a best friend as well.
Acting like a child again with my best friend,
foregetting all our worries and just having fun.
Lying on the floor with my cousin,
doing nothing but laughing at everything.
Holidays and family get togethers,
being surrounded by people who care about eachother.
Nothing in the world can take the place of the happiness
that comes from love.
Love is happiness, and happiness is love.

2008-05-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

Since there had actually been a telescreen in that room all along, the thought police probably heard Winston and Julia mention something about O'Brien, so I think he is going to end up being put into prison too. I think that the three of them will be put into a forced labor camp and they will try to organize a rebellion with the other prisoners because they are going to be surrounded by people who are also against the party as well. I do not think that they are going to be succesful in their rebellion though in the end.

Genetic engineering

2008-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Sience is bringing to us so many new and great opportunities. Genetic engineering is one of these new opportunities, but not eveyone believes that it is very great. The topic of genetic engineering has brought much conflict to our society. Where should we draw the line? I believe that if we could eliminate diseases and sicknesses then we should do that. When we begin to use this opportunity for cosmetic reasons, rather than medical reasons, then it has gone too far.
There are some positive medical ways that genetic engineering can be used in our society. Using this to eliminate certain sicknesses is a great opportunity for our society. The embryos can be screened for sickness such as cystic fibrosis or if it has a risk of cancer. This could potentially keep many people from having cancer or other serious sicknesses. Why bring someone into the world knowing that they are going to have cystic fibrosis, or have a good chance of having cancer. If the child is going to have a sickness they may not even live inside the mother, or they will be very sick when they come out and may not even live for long. It would be better to stop the embryo from becoming a child if we know it is not going to be healthy.
Genetic engineering also allows couples to have babies who are not able to have them on their own. Everybody should b e able to have their own child. Genetic engineering makes that possible. Having a child is probaby on of the most amazing experiences a person will go through, and genetic engineering allows anyone to be able to experience that.
Although there are some very positive things about genetic engineering, the society needs to think about how far is too far. It is good to use genetic engineering for medical reasons, but when society begins using to for cosmetic reason then we have gone too far. If a couple is trying to bring a child into the world, they should only be worrying about having a healthy child. They should not be worrying about what their child is going to look like. If everyone could choose what their child looked like, it would just lead to more than that. They would then start wanting to choose their skills are how smart they are. If sociey puts no limits to genetic engineering, then it could have very bad results. There would probably end up being no competition in society. There would be no strive for people to better themselves because they would already be perfect. They would be created with perfect good looks and talent and they would never strive for anything better. People would end up being pretty much the same. Society may even end up being like Brave New World. People would have no freedom to think what they want or to be what they want to be. Our society would be so boring.
Genetic engineering can provide us with great help in our society, but there needs to be a limit put on what we can do with it. Once we start using it to make our babies good looking, or using it for any cosmetic reasons, we probably are not going to stop there and it will get out of control. Genetic engineering is good for our society if it is limited strictly to medical uses only.

2008-02-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

I believe

2008-02-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

I believe that one thing that most girls do not do these days is appreciate themselves. Society places so much emphasis on being beautiful and skinny and appealing to guys. The society that we live in puts a lot of pressure on girls to be what we view as sexy. Most teenage girls feel that they need to make themselves appealing to men. Girls are brought up with this idea that they need to always be good looking to others. We try so hard to please guys, and look good for other people, that we do not appreciate ourselves for who we are at all. Sometimes, we can’t see our true beauty because we feel like we are never going to be good enough no matter what we do. I believe that if you can appreciate yourself, than it will be easier for others to appreciate you.
I used to feel like I always needed to try so hard to impress guys. I had to wear makeup to look good and stay thin so that I would be appealing to guys. I couldn’t really appreciate the person that I was because I worried too much about trying to impress others. If a guy did not like me, I felt terrible. I felt like I needed to try harder to make them like me. Of course all girls want to look good and be appealing to others, but that is not all that matters. What matters the most is what you think of yourself. If you want to lose weight, lose it so that you feel good about yourself, not so that you will be appealing to others. Dress in a way that you feel you look nice. If you want somebody to appreciate the person that you really are, you need to have confidence in being yourself. You need to have an understanding of who you are. Know your beliefs and your morals. If you know who you are, and you appreciate yourself just the way you are, then others will be more likely to appreciate you for who you are.
I never fully understood this until I met my boyfriend Dylan. He is the first guy I met who really makes me feel like I do not have to try to impress him. I showed up on our first date with the goal of just being myself, and trying to be confident in myself. I was not going to try hard to make him like me. I thought, “I am a nice, fun girl, and if he doesn’t like me the way that I am, then he is not worth it.” It turned out, he liked me a lot when I was just being myself. I did not have to try at all to be someone I am not, we just had a great time together. I appreciated, and had confidence in just being myself, and in return, Dylan appreciated me for who I truly was. Just recently, Dylan said something to me that really made me realize that we don’t always have to try hard to make others appreciate us. He came over when I was helping my mom clean. I was just a mess. I hadn’t even showered, my hair was gross, I had no makeup on, and I was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. That night, he told me that I was so beautiful. I felt amazing when he said that to me. I was not trying in anyway to look good for him, but I was still beautiful to him.
No matter how hard you try to impress somebody, if you cannot appreciate yourself just the way that you are, it is going to be hard for others to appreciate you and respect you the way that you are. To appreciate yourself, you need to have confidence in being yourself. You need to know who you are, know your morals, your beliefs and your values. If you know who you are, and you can be confident in being that person, then others will appreciate you just the same.

Rules to Have a Good Date

2008-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest stressers for teenagers in America is dating. Just about every teenager is going to experience the stress, and excitement of a date. In this essay I am going to explain some ways that you can make the dating experience a good one. For this, we are just going to assume that it is your first date, because they are always the toughest. Once you actually get to know the person, dates are not nearly as stressful.
First things first. You want to have some ideas in mind of what you could possibly do on the date, before you ask the person. You don't have to come up with exactly what you are going to do, but having some ideas in mind helps to avoid the awkwardness of asking the person, and then not having any idea of what you are going to do. If you do not have any ideas in mind, you will most likely end up making yourself look pretty awkward because usually the person you are asking is going to expect you to at least have some ideas. Note: Movie theatre is not a good idea, at least for a first date. If you want to get to know the person, which you most likely do, sitting in a dark theatre not talking at all is not the way to do it.
Now, when you ask the person, you tell them some of your ideas. You want to give them options, because this way you can both discuss together what you would like to do, and find something that you both would enjoy equally. This way, if you guys do not have too much chemistry, at least you both will enjoy what you are doing.
You want to have money(yes, even if you are a girl). Just because you are a girl does not mean the guy has to pay. If you are asking the other person on the date, you want to be prepared to pay. Most of the time, the person who asks is the person who pays. Now, we can pretty much bet that the guy is going to offer to pay, so you should just split so that he can feel like he is at least contributing a little bit.
Do not show up late for the date. This will most likely make the person feel that you are not very interested in them. This will not be a good start of the date, which means it is likely that there will not be a good ending either.
The most important thing to remember while you are on the date is to be yourself. If you cannot be yourself around the person, there is no point in going on the date. You do not want to try too hard to make the person like you. A few little things you want to remember: Do not put on too much perfume/cologne. A small amount is fine, but do not think that a lot of perfume/cologne will make them like you more, it may just choke them. Some people think it is great to bring along a friend on the date. This is not a good idea. It will just make the other person feel awkward; they are not on this date to date your friend. Do not take over the conversation by talking about yourself too much. Give the other person a chance to talk, and that way you will get a chance to learn some things about the person. Also, compliments are nice, but too many compliments can just make a person feel awkward, especially if you do not know them well. Think about how you feel when someone gives you a compliment who you do not know well. One or two might make the person feel good, but an abundance of compliments may make them feel uneasy. Then they will not be able to really tell whether you are giving them a true compliment, or if you are just trying to butter them up.
Another very important thing to remember is to listen to everything that the other person is saying. You want to be able to respond to things that they are saying so that they know you are listening and know you are interested in them. It won't seem like you are very interested in the person if you do not listen and respond to what they are saying. That will not make them feel important, but you want to make them feel like they are important to you. Flirting is nice, but too much of it can make you seem too desperate. It will seem like you are trying too hard. You will know while you are on the date when the time is appropriate to flirt, and as the night goes on maybe you could flirt a little more if the date is going well to let the other person know you are very interested in them. Make eye contact with the person while you, or the other person, is talking. This lets them know you are listening, and can also sometimes be a good way to flirt, but it is not an obnoxious flirting. It just lets them know that you are interested in them.
Now, probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that you were happy before you met this person and before you went on this date, so if things do not work out on the date it is not the end of your world. There are going to be many other chances to go on dates with other people. If you follow these rules of dating and the date still does not work out, it is nothing you did, you guys just were not meant to be.

2007-12-31T07:02:00.001-08:00

This was an interesting article. For the most part, I did agree with a lot of it. The one part that i want to talk about is the banning of the book. I do not think there is reallly any reason for this book to be banned. After reading it, I saw the signifigance of it. I do not think that Holden is exactly a bad role model for kids. I think in a way he shows readers how it is bad to be the way he is. He did not exactly have a great life, so it is not like the book portrays his behavior as the good way to be. Everything in the book had a meaning to it. All of the profanity was not added in just to be there. There was a signifigance to it. For example, the writing on the walls that he tries to cover up. This is showing how he wants to preserve the innocence of children and protect them from seeing that. I know that I see that all the time written all over in public.
I like the part in the reading where it says that Holden seems almost not like a character, but a real person. It is true. The way that he speaks in the book, it seems like he is really speaking to you and for me that had a good effect on me while reading it. I think this is a good book for teenagers to read because most teens probably have at least a little part of Holden in them.

Color Poem

2007-12-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

I am yellow like the sun. A bright sunny day can almost always make me happy.
I am white like the snow, so peaceful as it lightly floats to the ground.
I am blue like my best friend's eyes. I know she will always be loyal to me, as will I to her.
I am black like the night sky. It will always be a mystery what is really out there.
I am orange like my brother's popsicle stick. He has all the energy in the world.
I am red like my boyfriend's favorite sweatshirt. He gives me strength even at my weakest points.
But most of all, I am brown.
People normally do not like the color brown; it is considered an ugly color.
But I think it is a wonderful color.
It is a simple color, but it brings so much comfort to my life.
My mom has beautiful brown hair,
and everytime I am with her, I feel comforted.
The trees are brown,
and I am so lucky to live in an area with so much nature.
When my mom makes brownies,
our house seems so welcoming.
My baseball mit is brown,
and that brings my dad and I closer together.
Hot cholcolate on a snow day;
that is one of the best feelings ever.
Brown is a very important color;
it makes up a big part of my life.

Softball

2007-12-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Fathers are busy people. They always have something going on, wether it be going to work, doing work around the house, or even just watching that important baseball game on tv. I know this first hand because my dad is just about always busy doing something. Luckily though, we both share a passion for softball. No matter how busy he may be, he always finds time for softball.
Playing softball is a great chance for me to spend quality time with my dad. Enjoying softball is one thing that we both have in common. He took me to Modells to get my softball mitt. We looked at many different mitts. Some were too hard, or too big, or just too expensive. Finally, after looking at a lot of different mitts, we found the perfect one. It was a wilson mitt. It was very flexible and soft, unlike many of the others that I had tried out. It was made out of leather, so it smelled so good. It fit me perfectly; not too big and not too tight. I had finally found the perfect mitt for me, but what really made that day special was that it was a special time for just my dad and I.
My dad taught me how to make my mitt a little more comfortable for me. We put leather softener on it and then we put a softball inside of the mitt and put it underneath my mattress. I did not know a lot of the rules of the game, so my dad helped me learn them a little bit before I started. My dad would always help me practice throwing, and catching, and batting, even though at the time he had a really bad shoulder.
When the season started, my dad came to just about every one of my games. I could tell that it made him proud that I was playing softball, although I was not all that good when I first started. My dad and I have always been pretty close, but softball is just one thing that brings us closer together. Everytime I put on that mitt and I head out to centerfield, I think about how this mitt inspires me to make my dad proud.

Book Review

2007-11-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is a story of struggletosurvive in poverty. Jeannette Walls was the daughter of Rex and Rose Mary. She also had two sisters and a brother. Rex and Rose Mary's way of living ruined her childhood, but I think that it helped her in the long run to become a stronger person. Jeannette pretty much had to fend for herself as a child because her father was a drunk and her mother did not want the responsiblity of caring for a family. When her father was sober, though, he did teach them a lot about a number of different things, but mostly he brought out their imagination. They never really stayed in one place, they were always moving around. The kids all had to deal with bullies at school and people looking down upon them because they did not have nice clothes, and they could not always take showers. Rex and Mary Walls did not care what others thought of them. They enjoyed living the way that they were. They tried to teach their kids to ignore people who looked down on them and not let it bother them, but I could tell that Jeannette and the rest of the kids really did want a better life.
They finally find the will, and the money, to leave their old life, and start a new one for themselves. The Walls kids all looked after one another and always stuck together. They truly cared about each other very much. Although Jeannette's parents did not give her a great life as a child, she talks about them in the story with such affection, and she does make it hard at times for the reader to hate her father or her mother for what they did.
I really love this story. I was hooked from the first page. It kept me guessing at what great adventure they were going to go on next throughout the whole book. At times, it was hard to believe that all of the events in the story truly did happen. I really like how the story was told all in the child's voice. It is much more effective that way because it makes the reader be able to really feel what Jeannette was feeling as a kid. The story also gives the reader a great sence of the setting.
I liked the kids, but I did not like Rex and Mary. Rex was just a drunken jerk most of the time who was, for the most part, the reason for the problems that the family had. When he was sober, he did inspire the kids to use their imagination, and he taught them a lot, but when he was drunk, which was most of the time, he was just destructive. The kids had to care for themselves. They needed to find ways be obtain food and to get clothes and money. They stuck together and got through it though. Having a strong opinion of the characters in the book makes it more interesting to read.
This was just an amazing book, and the whole time I was reading it I never wanted to put it down. It just really makes you feel like you are in the story, and it gives the reader a great understanding of what the Walls children had to go through.

Quote

2007-11-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

"Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue; it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright."

This quote is saying that poverty makes a person shameful and if a person is in poverty, they cannot have any pride in themselves or stand strong. This quote is wrong about the family in The Glass Castle. They are extremely poor, but they choose to be this way. Their mother has a teaching degree so she could go get a job teaching, but she chooses not to. Their father is a very knowledgeable man and if he put his mind to something, I am sure that he could achieve it. Although I think they are capable of doing a lot, they choose to live the way they do. The do not follow the 'normal' rules of society. Their dad does not usually get regular jobs, and even if he does, he does not keep them for long. He thinks that one day they are going to strike gold, but it is not working out well, and they are living in bad poverty. Although they are living in terrible conditions, it does not bring down their spirits. They stay positive in just about every situation, no matter how bad things get. They always find a way to get eachoher through tough times. They stand up strong for what they believe in, no matter what other people think of them. For example, when Rex takes the kids to the zoo, and they go over the gate and pet the tiger. People think they are crazy and think that is wrong, but he does not care what they think. Their parents do not care if others think they are bad parents; they are raising their kids the way they think is the right way.
None of the people in this family have been deprived of their spirits. Their father may be a drunken jerk most of the time, but I do not believe that this is because they are poor. I believe that they are poor because of his drinking and the way that he wants to live his life. So this family is an example of how poverty does not bring down all of a persons spirits and virtues. This family has their own virtues, which they stick to, no matter what others think. This family is pretty much in poverty because they choose to be, so I think they are happier living the way they are than they would be living by the 'normal' rules.