what's gone down.

in cronological order:

• school lock-down
• boys basketball
• ACT
• TWIRP

Ok, now I know what you are thinking.  SCHOOL LOCKDOWN!? TELL ME EVERY DETAIL.  And I wish I could, but for the sake of my safety, I probably shouldn't say much.  All I will say is even though you might think that no one is paying attention to your Twitter account, people do, and they take it seriously.  It effects everyone.

Way to go DV boys!!! We played Dell Rapids on Friday night.  The Dell's boys are supposed to be #1 in the state.  We kept up with their score the whole night (aka I was jumping, screaming, and cheering.. kinda lost my voice). At the last minute of the game, we pulled away and beat them by 8! 60-68.  Best game of my life.



For the past monthish I have been preparing for the test of my life.  I got up at 6:30 in the morning, and left at 7:15.  So I am driving along, heading towards West High, and up creeps the 7:30 morning train.  Awesome.  Luckly, my friend Ben Cork, was caught with me. 



With the train, we were still on time to the dreaded test.  We sat and strained our minds from 8:30 to 1pm. 

To top it all off, what do I do?  I go to a dance.  Remember this?  Yeah, the dance was tonight.

 

We started our date off with pictures at my house, followed by dinner at Iron Hill at the mall.  We had to wait 45 minutes for a table, so we walked around trying to pass the time. 

I have to say, the food was terrific!  Then headed to get fro-yo at peachwave.  The dance was from 9-11. (It was entertaining, but I am getting bored with this post, so I will talk more details later this week).

xoxoxoxoxo

What is real?

What is true, and what’s not?  This generation is growing up with technology in their hands. It has only been a couple of years of prime social networking, yet most high school students have managed to be a part of at least one network.  Some high school students sit for hours creeping on friends and waiting for exciting information to pop up.

“I am constantly on Twitter; I tweet all day,” said Kylee Meier (14).  “[If I deleted my Twitter account] I would suffer from withdrawals.”

Phones, computers, iPods; these electronics assist students express themselves through social media.  Facebook and Twitter are the most common of the social media sites. These sites allow anyone to constantly change their statuses via phones, upload pictures and scroll through information posted by friends.

What does “Facebook Official” actually mean?  Some people suppose that if the relationship isn’t posted on Facebook, it’s not official.  Others are the more traditional type; believing that relationships can be sustained without the whole social media community’s knowledge. 

“You are letting your entire social network contacts know your personal business when you post that you are in a relationship,” said Jennifer Havlik a reading teacher. 

I decided to test this theory, to see what kind of reaction I would get if I changed my relationship status.  Hesitantly, I navigated through the confusing layout of Facebook and changed my relationship status from “single” to “in a relationship”.  Within a mere ten minutes, I had responses.  I was flooded with texts and questions in my inbox from distanced family and friends who were trying to get the inside scoop.  Unfortunately, I had no exciting news, but what I realized is that I had no idea that so many people are constantly watching and waiting for something exciting to pop up on their news feed.  It almost scares me that so many people see every move I make on Facebook. 

“I think as a society we become more desensitized and more unsocial because of social networks.  Because people aren’t even face to face, not even calls. It’s just texts and writing on peoples’ walls,” said Havlik.

This proposes another problem teachers face at Dakota Valley is students are turning final drafted papers that are written in short hand, or “texting language”. 

“It is destroying the whole concept of capitalization.  People are getting more comfortable talking online.  Their grammar skills are not used, and some students will turn in assignments similar to what they would say over Facebook.  It complicates things when I want a developed, thought-out paragraph.  It is a skill that is being lost,” said English teacher, Kim Bacon. 

With all of these technological gadgets today, it is easy to get lost in the excitement of it all.  However, think about how our generation is going to be remembered.  Don’t make us be thought of as the generation who sat on the computer and didn’t know how to write a sentence in correct form.  If we can only express ourselves over texts and instant messages, then what is our children’s generation going to be like? What will we teach them?

alert.

Went to the basketball game today. Popcorn machine went mad, resulting in the fire alarm going off.  The entire crowd and teams were rushed out of the building into the cold. We stood for 20 minutes outside waiting for the signal to come back in.  I slightly enjoyed watching my fellow peers freeze. It was entertaining.

yep. that is my brother's face.

Pretty sure half of the people are on their phones "tweeting" about this experience. 

funniest part of the night:

these kids were in the shower when the alarm went off. Abby (left) came outside in a towel. 

what a beautiful day.

we're not scared.

(its a quote from one of my favorite children's books: We're Going on a Bear Hunt.)

I'm doing this thing called the egg project.  I have to make them stand out with lighting and backgrounds.  I really liked how some of them turned out.   

This one was not taken outside, but I really like the contrast and the tone of the picture.  

in review

I couldn't stop thinking about this book all day! I just wanted to go home, curl up in my hammock, and step into my fantasy world in Catching Fire.  Here is my book review for the school newspaper.

The first book of The Hunger Games series starts with a girl named Katniss Everdeen.  She lives in the 12^th District of Panem.  Panem is the new United States (after an uprising, the United States falls and the new country Panem forms.)  Panem is extremely dictatorship, with the Capitol having all the power. 

Katniss is tough, hardworking, and determined to keep her family alive.   Katniss lives with her mother and younger sister, Prim.  After her father died in a mine accident, Katniss hunts in the woods with her best friend, Gale, so she can feed her family.  She is a fantastic archer, and Gale is handy with traps.   Together, they make an incredible team. 

                Every year the Capital of Panem hosts the Hunger Games.  It is an event that requires every district to provide one girl and boy between the ages of 12 to 18 to fight to the death in the Hunger Games arena.  The fight between the teenagers is broadcasted live throughout the whole country, and is mandatory that every citizen watches their friends, or sometimes family kill and be killed.  The games are a way to entertain the Capitol citizens, and at the same time, it keeps the Districts from starting an uprising. 

                When the dreaded day comes around to draw names of the tributes, Katniss is soothing her sister reassuring that her name will not be drawn.  However, Prim’s name is called.  Katniss knows that if Prim goes to the games, she will never see her again.  Katniss spontaneously cries out that she will volunteer to take her sister’s place.  After the emotional moments of Prim being pried off of Katniss by Gale, the boy’s name is called.  His name is Peeta Mellark. 

                After the train ride to the Capital, Katniss and Peeta are trained along with the other twenty-two teenagers who were chosen.  They are prettied up, fed well, and treated like celebrities.  After a week of intense preparation for their soon-to-be deaths, the kids are thrown into the arena; eight are killed brutally in the first twenty minutes.

The games continue on with twists and surprises that are difficult to describe unless you have already read The Hunger Games.  I strongly suggest this trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.  It is a book out of the normality of typical futuristic novels. I must warn, it can get pretty graphic in the descriptions of how some of the tributes die, but by the time they die, you want them to anyways. 

 I loved The Hunger Games.  It has something for everyone; action, romance, and entertainment for any age, gender, or personality. I gave up a few nights of sleep just to see what would happen next.  It took me off guard; I had no idea what to expect next.  Its plot is wonderfully creative with results that never crossed my mind.  The movie comes out March 23, 2012, I can guarantee that I will be there school night or not.  I give these series 6 out of 5 stars.  Yes, it is that good.

wishing

I love people who can play the guitar.  I idolize them for the patience of learning, the pain of sore fingertips after a long day of practicing, but mostly for sticking with it.  They definately will benefit from their time put in.

4u2laugh

currently trying to memorize 200 of the 600 muscles right now.

I mustashe:)

ill shave my thoughts for later.

if you dont understand this, you aren't my friend.