Category: BlockOne

  “How are you?” asks a polite acquaintance.

       The answer is tired. Tired like always.

       “Good,” you reply with a smile, because, no matter how much it pretends to be, tired is not the right word. This feeling won’t be cured by a full night’s rest.

       Fatigued would be more accurate, medically. In some classes you struggle to keep your eyes open even though you got 8 hours of sleep the night before. Talking, walking, and working drains energy you didn’t think you had. Your good days are the equivalent of your younger self’s worst. You can’t remember what it feels like to wake up with more energy than you had the night before.

        A common side effect of mental and physical illnesses, fatigue has followed you like a shadow since your diagnosis. The meds that control your symptoms only heighten the feeling. Around you, the world moves at a speed too fast for your struggling mind and body to keep up.

      Eventually, you come across someone with the same illness, and the same side effects. Something that you’ve never considered comes to mind after you finish the conversation. In your battle against your fatigue and your illness as a whole, you are not alone.

       The next day, when someone asks you how you are, you smile. Though you’re tired, it’s genuine. In spite of the fatigue, you woke up this morning. You saw your family, and will be surrounded by friends for much of your day. You are tired, exhausted, fatigued: but you are alive. You know that there are others fighting with you. “Good,” you respond, and you mean it.

Some may argue that the our high school years are some of the most defining years in our lives. For many of high schoolers, we are looking to the future wondering where to go, and what we are supposed to do with our lives. While many adults consider the social and educational aspects of high school to be less significant as our lives progress, but at this point in time high school can be causing us the most stress both socially and academically.

For many of us we think that if we don’t receive good grades, we won’t get into a good university, therefore no decent job and that all equals an undesirable life. This is simply not true, however we often times have our perspective out of focus. So how can we deal with what seems to be an overwhelming amount of stress?

Many students will find themselves procrastinating, stretching themselves to thin or getting into physically bad habits like biting their nails. However, none of these things bring any solution to the table or relieve our stress.

Instead we should look to practicing several effective tactics. The first being our mindset. Although we should be striving to achieve our personal best, we must remember that it is just a grade and not the end of the world. A score or our popularity should not define who we are as people. The next tactic is that motion equals emotion. As soon as we focus in on the important tasks of the day we can eliminate procrastination and the build up of stress. As soon as we start working, instant relief is allowed to seep through us.

With these couple of simple tools, we can equip ourselves with what we need to achieve our best in school, while still enjoying living our lives. This is not to say that high school will be easy, but hopefully with a new mindset we can believe that we have what it takes to take on the challenge and ace it!

In an unimaginably trying series of weeks, we have finally made it to February vacation.  The span of time between our return from Christmas break and now appears trivial when confined within the black and white squares of our calendars.  The reality of life between that grid, however, is packed with assignments, anxieties, and the absolute longing for a spare minute of time.  Thus I cannot help but be thankful for the reprieve.

A week seems much longer when there is no schedule to follow.  Sleeping squanders hours with an efficiency we have no hope of seeing on school days, but waiting for the next opportunity to close our eyes is a painful endeavor.  Like a zombie, we drift from the fridge, to the pantry, and to the couch.  The waltz repeats itself despite the consistent reassurance that there is still nothing to eat.  It’s a paradox that befuddles many teens, their eyes scouring the fully stocked shelves, as they are unable to comprehend how so much food could fail to satiate their appetite.

While a whole day can be dedicated to this dance, the perpetrator is most often pulled from its grasp by a sense of duty, a compelling need to do something.  Possessed by a need to feel useful and productive in their life, he or she may begin brainstorming a purpose.  In this search for fulfillment, most often we are affronted by the realization that it may require work.  And as people are apt to do when told they must work, we procrastinate.

Three hours and an unerring sense of uselessness later, we fall onto our beds and into unconsciousness.  The privilege to relax is one vacation allows us to abuse easily.  It is up to the user to decide whether that’s a good or bad thing.

I believe that social connections, including close relationships, are one of the main keys to a satisfying life. Since my best friend and I have a busy schedule that does not give us a block together, we have not been able to see each other on a daily basis. Recently, I was glad to help her bake for a club, although I was a bit nervous to tell her that I was prone to creating catastrophes in the kitchen. My best friend, one of the most warm-hearted people I have ever known, laughed it off and assured me that it would be fun.

As a matter of fact, new opportunities can bring a lot of enriching experiences.

It was my willingness to learn that made the experience pleasant. I wrote a mental note of all the random tips that my best friend, or my cooking and baking master, has passed on to me. Firstly, sweet treats can take in a little bit of salt – some “discomfort” is not always a bad thing. Secondly, brown sugar and honey can create a glazing sauce used in cooking – think outside of the box. Thirdly, flour is best left airy as one scoops it up, while brown sugar should be scooped out as dense as possible – variety is the spice of life. Lastly, my best friend advised me to use my muscles as I rolled the rolling pin – put a reasonable amount of effort into the things you do in order to attain efficiency.

The baking process ended with the story of how chocolate chip cookies came to life. Chocolate chip cookies were invented in the Toll House Inn (Whitman, MA) in 1938 by accident. As the cook of the Inn ran out of chocolate to bake, she cut a block of Néstle chocolate into pieces and added it to the mixture, hoping that she could still serve chocolate cookies to her guests. With that, here is my last piece of reflection: some of the best things in life arrive unexpectedly, and letting them be a part of your journey can be more rewarding than you ever expect.

The first thing to make clear is that toxic masculinity does not refer to all masculinity. It refers to the ideals held by and for men that say they can’t cry, can’t be sensitive, can’t show affection with one another, and can’t do things that have been labeled as feminine (which apparently included basic skin care but that is neither here nor there). Toxic masculinity also enforces the oppression and degradation of women, with the only way promoted to truly be masculine involving the domination of women. Toxic masculinity and its expectation are damaging on all sides, and its something we should take on and find solutions to. You can be strong and cry, you can be tough and hug your friend, you can be manly and wash your damn face, all at the same time.

The tangible example of the concept of toxic masculinity is the most recent Gilette commercial and unfortunately, expected backlash from men. The ad demonstrated men calling out catcallers for their remarks and behavior, supporting women that spoke of sexual assault, pulling their sons from fights, being their for their children. Its message revolved around the statement “The best men can be.” It was a campaign that exposed toxic and sexist societal aspects and how men had the capability of being good and intervening.

However, despite the ad saying nothing of the sort, men all around jumped on it and accused it of villainizing them, going as far as to boycott the product. This reaction only highlights the culture that Gilette pointed out. The idea that men cannot be depicted as trying to fix behavior that has been taught by society without it being concluded that men are awful is part of the problem. Society has taught us that men are not responsible for their actions, they’re just “boys being boys,” and that showing what seems to be basic decency is frowned upon. Maybe it’s time we take a moment to realize the things society has taught its men, and what we can do to make it so they can act like people without fearing the infringement of perceived masculinity.

 

Steve Prefontaine was an American distance runner born on January 25, 1951. He set American records in seven different track events from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. At the young age of 24, he was tragically killed in an automobile accident near his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. However, Prefontaine would leave behind a legendary legacy, and he is still a prominent figure 40 years later.

Steve Prefontaine attended Marshfield High School in the fall of 1965 and joined the Cross Country team coached by Walter McClure Sr, who ran at the University of Oregon. In high school, Prefontaine was a star. In his junior year, he went undefeated in the cross country season and won a state title. In his senior year, he went undefeated once again and won two more state titles in the mile and the two mile. This success drew interest from many colleges, and Prefontaine ended up being recruited by around 40 different colleges. He ended up staying in-state and attending the University of Oregon, despite being pursued heavily by Villanova.

At Oregon, Prefontaine’s success continued, as he won four 5,000 meter titles in track three times in a row. He was a very aggressive runner, and would insist on going out hard and holding a lead for the entire race instead of saving it for the last lap. In 1970, Steve Prefontaine’s success on the track earned him national attention, and at age 19, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He also earned an endorsement with a small company at the time, Nike.

Nike was once called Blue-Ribbon Sports, and was co-founded by Bill Bowerman, who was also Steve Prefontaine’s coach at the University of Oregon. With Prefontaine’s endorsement, the Nike brand skyrocketed, and merchandise was eventually sold worldwide. Prefontaine became the first face of the Nike brand, which provides clothing articles and shoes for many people around the world. Without Prefontaine, Nike may have never reached the success it currently has in the present day.

As we are in the heart of mother nature’s frigid winter, it only seems appropriate to discuss the matter of school delays and cancellations. Which one is it to be and why? While I’m sure the children, of all ages, at home would undoubtedly opt for the snow day, adults have many more variables that play into their decision.

For many adults and faculty members, especially the principle, making these kinds of important decisions can be difficult. There are many factors that play into the decision, plus the chance that you could make the wrong decision and possibly risk the lives of families.

So what does one look at to make this decision? Firstly, there are the variables of the school. Each school is different, and a private school may cancel were a public school doesn’t, because each has a different student base and commute. For private schools families can be commuting from a ways, while in a public school generally most of the students live fairly close by. However, this is not the only characteristic calculated into this equation. There is the factor of the students age. For many making this winters decision, they may be apprehensive to have school if their are inexperienced drivers coming from afar, or if there are toddlers in the car. The decision not only involves internal aspects, but variables from the outside. There is always the chance that roads are not clear, or a car accident might have greatly disrupted the traffic.
At the end of the day, the decision is not only up the the school, but to the parents as well. It is everyone’s goal to stay safe in this weather, and looking to these factor is only a piece of the dilema. The decision is yours and whatever is safe and is in your comfort zone is usually the best and right choice.

       In the days leading up to the end of America’s temporary government reopening, Republican lawmakers have negotiated with Democrats to create a deal that may put a stop to Friday’s shutdown. On Monday, February 11, congressional negotiators came to a tentative agreement: democrats would be willing to provide $1.375 billion for border barriers, including 55 miles of new fencing.

       Though it’s a far cry from President Trump’s estimated budget of more than $15 billion, lawmakers hope that the deal will be enough to avoid the shutdown, which is set to begin on Friday, February 15. The first part of the shutdown, which lasted 35 days and was the longest in U.S. history, left most government employees without paychecks and damaged dependent businesses.

         Despite the deal’s promise, it has not yet been signed into legislation, passed by Congress, or signed by President Trump. According to the New York Times, Sean Hannity, conservative political commentator, called the negotiation a “garbage compromise.” However, lawmakers seem to have hope. Regarding the agreement, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey states, “Some may be happy, some may not be happy… We did the best we could.” (chicagotribune.com).

         President Trump, who has been unrelenting in his effort to receive full funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, has yet to release a statement regarding whether or not he supports the negotiation. Ultimately, whether or not the deal is passed by Friday now lies in the hands of Congress and the president.

       

Animals are constantly being subjected to torture on a day-to-day basis by humans who have no capacity to understand the actual pain these animals are going through. Some of this torture may be visible such as violence towards animals; whereas, other forms of torture may come in the form of neglect and abandonment in which animals are forced to live in conditions against their will. For example, many marine parks across the world force animals into conditions in which they are denied their needs. They are forced to live in open, tanks and swim around in circles. day after day which causes them to become miserable and lonely. Furthermore, millions of animals are experimented on daily; they are torn apart from their families and forced to live in cold, barren cages where they are subjected to painful and torturous experiments and sometimes even killed in the process. Although these actions are horrendous, many humans simply disregard the fact that animals have feelings.

However, science has shown that animals experience similar feelings to humans and just like us, they have a spectrum of emotions ranging from happiness to sadness. Therefore, animals should be given rights that take into consideration their feelings and emotions. How would you feel if you were an animal that was constantly being exploited every day by ignorant humans who gave no regards to your feelings?

As an owner of pets, I have witnessed the many emotions animals portray. My dog makes whining noises whenever his tail is stepped on to indicate he feels pain. He also starts barking whenever I hug someone; this is attributed to the fact that he was experiencing jealousy. With this evidence in mind, how could we treat these animals that have feelings like us with such contempt? Shouldn’t their rights be considered as well?

We need to make a change in order to give animals the rights they deserve to have. Just like humans, animals deserve to be free from pain, suffering and torture. We can work together to extend our empathy towards animals. We can start by maintaining humane conditions for animals to live in. We humans have the power to make a change. Animals do not have the power to say no so we have to say no for them. Together, we can strive to improve the rights of our fellow creatures.

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With the end of my junior year indoor track season coming to a close, I thought I’d reflect back on it. It was awful! It began with the first meet, jumping 2 feet behind and a whole second slower than my personal bests. The feeling of defeat came in early. A few days after this meet I came to the conclusion that it was the beginning and I’d eventually work up to where I was last year. I was wrong. As the season progressed, my performances were stagnant. With barely any improvement, I was sent into confusion, but mostly frustration. I was putting in the work and receiving nothing. I was stuck. In response I immediately started to go to the gym more than I have before. Started the season with 3 days a week, I moved up to 5 days a week if not then any day I could. It was tiring and left me with no time for homework, let alone free time.

This made an impact, small but noticeable. I put more work in and the results slowly began to show. Of course, it all started to click at the end of the season. Yesterday was our first championship meet and our team won the whole meet, yet my personal results were anything but close to placing. Although, my technique and performances were the best they have been all season, I fouled more than half of my jumps. Oddly, I wasn’t too upset. I knew I had jumped well, just my mark on the board was off. All though I didn’t receive the junior season I’d hope for, I still have outdoor to not suck.