Thornton Academy – AP Language 2018-2019

This happens to everyone, or at least, everyone who owns and actively watches a television. You find the perfect show. It has everything you want in a series. You stay caught up, watching every episode, or you just binge watch it all on Netflix. Either way, you are addicted. You can’t get enough of this show. It’s like it can do no wrong. It might just be the greatest show of all time. And then….

 

You find yourself enjoying your show less and less. What once made you sit on the edge of your seat with suspense, or die of laughter, or even shed a few tears, now can barely get a reaction out of you. It’s just not the same. The episodes that were the best part of your day now feel like a chore. You feel required to watch a show that is not as good as it once was because you are in too deep. You can’t stop now.
This happens with many TV shows, with the most recent one being Game of Thrones (a show that I have not seen a single episode of). The show starts strong, and has you hooked. But, eventually, the writers and producers run out of ideas, and the show begins to become lackluster because of the lack of new ideas to keep the show going. This happens with successful shows like Game of Thrones, comedies like Family Guy, and even ongoing programs that never end, like the WWE. It’s impossible to have endless ideas, and when a show keeps going on and on, worrying more about money than the fans, the product will eventually deteriorate. It is inevitable. No matter how much of a sour taste it leaves in the fans’ mouths, this will continue to happen to everyone’s favorite shows, and there’s nothing they can do about it.

For much of the youth the thought of juggling all the tasks and responsibilities asked of them seems an unmanageable feat, that ends with inevitable worry, sleepless nights, and stress. This is simply not the case. With the right discipline and plan, the stress of life can cease to burden you.

However, in order to create a plan and be highly disciplined it first starts with the organ behind your eyes. Your brain has more power than any human being could possibly comprehend. Studies have shown that your brain doesn’t know truth from a lie. You might argue with the that, however take a second to think about it. It becomes logical correct? Looking at a daily example may be helpful to demonstrate this point. Within a high school day, how many people claim they are stupid, after they have received a poor grade. This statement isn’t actually true, however their thinking greatly affects both their mindset and performance.

So the initial step is to make sure that your mind is set to as an outlet of positivity. It is important to remember to set yourself up for success, this will make your goal a lot more achievable. Then it up to you to devise a plan that will enable you to accomplish all the tasks that are needing to be completed. This could be a rough outline for the typical day, or something you come on with each evening before the following day arrives. Remember that the things needed to be finished on that day should be made top priority.

Once this is complete it is your new responsibility to hold yourself accountable for accomplishing this plan. Some people may have difficulty doing this. Maintaining that positive mentality and having a close friend holding you accountable can help with this struggle. With time this new lifestyle will evolve into the norm. By clearing the hundreds of things clouding your brain and setting a path to your goals, life’s burdens will ease. Who knows you may find yourself living your best, easiest, and yet most fulfilling life.

I haven’t touched it in 3 years. It’s been sitting in my closet, disassembled in its case, doing nothing but collecting dust as the days bleed into weeks, which turn to months, and eventually years.

 

I used to play it back in middle school, and I actually wasn’t too bad. I rarely ever practiced outside of class, but I still wasn’t too bad. I don’t even remember if I enjoyed playing it. I just did it. I wasn’t the best at it, and I wasn’t the worst. I didn’t love playing it, but I didn’t hate it either. It was just something I did.

 

I didn’t start playing because I had an interest in music. I simply started because my friends were doing it, and someone said we got ice cream at the end of the year after our concert. Yes, I said concert. I used to be a band kid. I played the clarinet from fifth grade until the end of eighth grade year. Why the clarinet, you ask? Well, I’ve also asked myself the same question. It’s not like the clarinet is the most important instrument in the band. I suppose the best reasoning I can think of is because it’s the instrument that Squidward plays in Spongebob.

 

It still sits in my closet, untouched, holding the memories of past concerts, with slightly chipped reeds, and a broken cleaning tool. The instrument is dirty, and the noise is choppy and rough after years of neglect. I don’t know what made me do it. I don’t know what finally inspired me, but this weekend, I grabbed the case from the back of my closet, assembled the instrument, and with the chipped reed, and worn down keys, I started to play.

Flooding, tornados, heavy rain, and thunderstorms have plagued the southern and midwestern United States since early this week, prompting several emergency evacuations and rescues. Many of the afflicted areas were hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and additional storms earlier this year.

    On Tuesday afternoon, the Houston metro area experienced heavy flash flooding due to heavy rains. The water and damage rendered some roads impassable, causing school closings and the need for water rescues. Similarly, flooding in Oklahoma City resulted in many vehicles becoming trapped by rising waters early Wednesday.

      Additionally, at least 12 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma and Texas on Tuesday, and severe storms hit more of the south on Wednesday. According to Accuweather, the weather pattern is expected to move away from the High Plains and towards the more densely populated lower Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley.

    As of Thursday morning, 37,000 businesses and homes in Texas have been left without power. One death has been reported from the flooding, adding an additional victim to the 42 total who have been killed from flooding in 2019. Other families have narrowly escaped severe injuries, including a woman who was rescued from underneath a collapsed roof in Yukon, Oklahoma (about 17 miles west of Oklahoma City.)

     As the storms continue to wreak havoc, forecasters predict flooding of the Mississippi River to last through the month of May and into June, leaving communities weary of the weather to come.

Peer pressure. It can almost be guaranteed that every American teen has heard or been warned about it. This doesn’t exclude me, however upon first hearing about it I did not give it a second thought. That was until I moved to a new school. Bigger and more intimidating, and as I hardly knew anyone well, I was desperate to make friends. I can only speak from my personal experiences, however in my desperation I stood in the way of making natural friendships form.

I tried everything to get people to like me, however struggled with staying true to myself. It was the want of having someone to talk to, however, as I would soon learn, making friends with people by doing the normal, doesn’t make for the friendship I needed. It was after this realization, that understood how horribly wrong I was. Although it can be very difficult to feel lonely, know that friendship comes with time. Having gone through peer pressure myself, don’t give in to it and lose yourself, nothing is worth that. At the end of the day there is always a friend in the crowd that you can find.

To end I will say that I did find my group. Although new to me I’m so excited to have them as my friends. They know the true me and think that is the best version. They push me to be better, while supporting me and what I believe in. Nobody should default to peer pressure, because there is a pot of gold waiting for those who stay true to themselves.

With the many recent advances in technology, life is becoming easier for humans because of the new technology that is at their disposal. However, many people who grew up without the technology that is around today tend to believe that because of the technology available to them, the younger generation has it easy. I can’t even visit my grandparents without hearing one of them go on about how life was so much harder for them. This can even be said about my parents. However, just because the younger generation has technology does not mean their life is easy.

 

While older generations did not have the technology that we have today, there are still some aspects in their lives that were easier than what the younger generation has today. A huge example of this is with student loans. Today, college is so expensive that students are working for years to pay off their loans. This was not the case for older generations, who had it ‘so much harder.’

 

Another thing that the older generation had easier was that they didn’t have climate catastrophe looming over their heads. The younger generation can’t go a day without hearing about how in a couple of years we will be facing climate catastrophe, and we, the young people, will be the ones who have to try and fix it because the older generation has spent so much time neglecting it.
Now, I am not saying that one generation has life easier or more difficult than the other, however, the younger generation should not be ignored because their life is easy. The younger generation is the future, and the sooner the older generation in power can realize that, the better.

My favorite pen is running out and I’m kind of bummed about it. It’s a really nice pen the writes smooth and has a very fine rip, but it won’t last for much longer, and that makes me sad.

My planner looks very neat, nice and organized, even though it has both purple and blue ink, which you would think would look messy, but it actually doesn’t look too bad.

No one ever comes to the library for tutoring, and it feels like a waste of my time. Oh well.

My cutout of Kevin Bacon looks very nice against the coral color of my phone. I’m glad he’s there. It’s silly, but funny, and I like him a lot.

My whole body aches. I’m also very tired. I’ve been working really hard and haven’t given myself much of a break. I should probably do that. Maybe tomorrow.

I’m over school. What I really want to do is go to the beach for a few hours and just walk on the sand with my bare feet, or maybe just sit in a friend’s car at night and talk for awhile. Instead, I have to wake up early and come here.

I’m not as nervous for my AP exams as I thought I would be, and I think that’s a good thing. The only thing I’m dreading is how early in the morning I need to be ready to go.

I keep thinking about how my favorite pen is running out and I keep getting upset about it.

My sneakers are falling apart. I should probably get new ones. They’re dirty too.

I’ve been in a weird mood lately. People have been annoying me just by being present, and I’m not sure what that’s all about.

I’ve been feeling like I’m floating, not grounded in where I am or what I’m doing. I hope it passes soon.

Although not everywhere, I have personally discovered a disturbing amount of negativity on social media. Like with most things there are usually two sides of the coin, however from what I have seen this scale is largely tipped in favor of the down side.

Now this is not to say that I am not an advocate or lover of the technology and all the internet that comes with it. In fact I believe it to be one of the greatest innovations out there, opening our eyes to all sorts of possibilities while, keeping the public up to date. However, often times our human imperfections get in the way. Cyber bullying, inappropriate content, and self deprecation have also been sourced across the internet. This is what sparked me to start my own blog.

In addition to improving my writing skills, I felt as though a blog could be one of my contributions to this world. Everyone has many valuable things to offer and the power of positive writing, I thought could be one of mine.

The site is called Unicorns are Real, revolving around my experiences as an ambitious, young equestrian. While geared towards my sports community I actively incorporate the lessons I take away from each of my encounters with the highs and lows of daily life. A positive outlet and a constantly available source, I have high hopes that it could put positivity back on our screens and start to straighten out the balance of the internet.

On Monday night, with a game winning goal from Phil Tarling, Cape Elizabeth earned an 8-7 win in an overtime thriller against the defending state champions, Thornton Academy.

    The game was a back and forth battle, even suffering from a lightning delay. Both offenses shined, and with a Thornton goal with 3.6 seconds remaining, the game was sent to overtime, where Cape Elizabeth picked up the victory.

    In the first period, with a goal by senior, CJ Lebreck, Thornton took a 1-0 lead. However, lightning caused the game that started last Friday had to be postponed to Monday.

    The game was resumed with 59 seconds remaining in the first period. Both offenses showed off their firepower in the second period, as Cape sophomore, Archie McEvoy, scored two goals, while juniors Colby Bolduc and Sammy Edborg scored goals for Thornton Academy to give the Trojans a 3-2 lead at halftime.

Cape Elizabeth freshman, Colin Campbell tied the game, Thornton was quick to retake the lead, with goals from seniors Thomas Levasseur and Gavin Tanis to make the score 5-3. However, the Capers fought back, with goals from Devon Lathrop and Nick Martin to even the score.

With a set of traded goals, the game went into the fourth period tied 6-6. Nick Martin scored an unassisted goal to give Cape a 7-6 lead. But, in the final seconds of the game, Gavin Tanis scored with 3.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime at 7 apiece.

With a faceoff victory by Lathrop, senior Phil Tarling scored the game winning goal to humble the defending state champions. Cape Elizabeth wins 8-7 in overtime.