Category: BlockTwo

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French Music

I have been listening to a lot of French music recently and let me tell you, it’s a bop.  A lot of it sounds really sad but I kind of love that about it, when I’m procrastinating, coloring or just chillin’ it’s some great background music.  I don’t have any idea what anyone is saying though.  Makes me really wish I knew at least some French.  One of my friends has been taking French at school for over four years and when I showed her the songs she could actually understand some of it!  She really wants to learn French fluently which is such an awesome opportunity.

When I went to Greece this last summer to a camp there they listening to a lot of French music.  Actually the modern Greeks have taken a lot of words from the French language for more modern and new things like the word bow tie.  For example, the word for bow tie.  In French it’s nœud papillon, while in Greek it’s παπιγιόν (papigion).  Papillon actually means butterfly while nœud means knot or bow so it literally means bow butterfly or butterfly bow if you think of how languages often switch the set up of sentences especially when compared to English.  

Back to French music, it all has a very similar sound to it.  Almost mellow and something you would hear in Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters.  It’s almost like runway fashion.  I can just imagine some model walking down the runway to some French music wearing Vogue, Gucci or so many other high end brands.  French music is really good so everyone who reads this: go listen to some.  I am warning you though, there is a certain mood for French music. 

Kristina Arabatzis

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BUJO

Bullet Journaling is a habit I’ve been in the process of trying to pick up for a while now.  The aesthetic fonts, being able to set up your planner to exactly your needs and the usage of my stationary addiction have been some of the shining beacons on my journey to creating my very own bullet journal.  A habit I have sadly gone in an doubt of is planning my day every morning. I would think of all the tasks I have to do, even write them all down, and set times for when they had to be done. Although I rarely would stick to the original plan it gave me an idea of what my goals of that day were.  I’m hoping that if I stick to bullet journaling I can lead a more organized life, figure out when I need to get things done and just live a less stressful life because I’m kind of a mess right now.  

Actually saying I’m a mess is an understatement.  I’m struggling to decide what I want to do.  I mean I’m in AP call but do I even want to do anything with math anymore?  I actually made a list once of all the careers I’m interested in and one out of ten was a math and science related job.  I feel like this goal I’ve had my whole life was only because 

  1. My dads and engineer
  2. I would be making a lot of money 
  3. Only four years of college
  4. It seemed like a stable option 

But in reality I would be wasting my life away at something I don’t even know if I want to do.  Ugh. 

While at other times I’ve been so set on engineering.  I mean an architect designs the building but engineers have to make it happen.  They have to make sure the plumbing, electricity, that it stands and so much more of a building before anyone can set the foundation.  

Went a little off topic there…

Bullet Journaling is something that may sound stupid to some but I’m hoping that something like that will help me to organize my life and figure out what works best for me. 

Kristina Arabatzis

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Fears

I find the fact that everyone’s fears are different quite amusing. How one day a person could go from fearless to fearful, in an instant, over something they didn’t even know existed prior to whatever awful experienced caused those feelings. I’m not sure anyone truly understands why we fear what we do, except for the person with those fears. Though judging sometimes can be the easy route, no one truly has any right, for fear is in everyone. There will always be people out there, who find the fact that you can’t get over the fear possessed within you, insane. There will always people out there that simply don’t understand why.  Up until about last week, I never really could find my fear. Sure, I didn’t like bugs, and I didn’t find clowns all that funny, but I never felt the trembling fear I had heard about in stories. Never felt so scared that I was simply paralyzed with fear. Of course that all changed the very first time I ate outside in Florida, when suddenly I was surrounded by birds. Each one starring with deathly black eyes, ready to pounce at any second, within an instance every bone in my body began to shake. Not only was I fearful of them being even remotely close to me, but also if they were to attack, one could get stuck in my hair, peck my eye out, kill me, WHO KNOWS. The worst part of all though, was that once I realized this fear, I had hidden within me, I think the birds did too. More and more I would notice them swarming near my general vicinity waiting to pounce at any second, knowing they didn’t have to do much to get me up out of my chair and moving in the opposite direction. I can’t truly explain why I fear birds the way I do. I can’t fully comprehend how cute photographed creatures can morph into monsters when within the surroundings of my person. All I really know is my fear, birds, and just like the birds that fear is not going away anytime soon.

Eve Holbrook

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Nicole Cyr

It is scary how this generation— generally speaking—values materialistic items and wealth more than things that actually matter.

For example, there is this brand: Supreme. By now, most people have caught onto the fact of how STUPID it is and how much it is exploiting kids and teens into spending money on meaningless stuff. A lot of money. $100 for an axe. $500 for a sweatshirt. That sweatshirt better be paying my car insurance if it’s worth that much. What 13 year old needs and axe? Or a crow bar? Yes, Supreme sold crow bars too. And they sold out at a concerning speed. People get so hyped about the exclusivity of this stupid, (and honestly genius) brand, that they would stop at nothing, to be a part of it, and own something with Supreme on it, even if it was a brick. Yes, they sold bricks too. You can find them on eBay for $1000.

What does this say about our generation? How easily can we be fooled to follow trends as stupid as Supreme, just to be considered more cool because you could afford to buy a $500 hoodie. What does that say about the people that look up to those people, based solely on the fact that they can afford an overpriced hoodie. Are we that shallow? I understand that the majority of the people being exploited are younger and don’t exactly have a good understanding of the concept of money yet, but what happens when all the people who are aware of this issue are gone. Who’s going to teach future generations of this if this is our foundation?

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The Hidden Gem of Olomouc

Welcome back! Today I invite you to sit down for a few minutes and listen to the next sparkling gem of information I have come to share. Today, we are focusing on Olomouc, Czech Republic, the home of another good friend of mine whom I met over the summer.

My Czech friend takes a lot of pride in her city. Olomouc has a long, beautiful past that shows on every building and in every square. Because of the lack of tourists, it is a hidden jewel, full of history and pride that has yet to be discovered by the rest of the world.

Olomouc is a city of about 100,000 people, situated in the heart of eastern Czech Republic. With cultural importance dating back over a thousand years to the Kingdom of Bohemia, Olomouc certainly has it’s fair share of history. An important city in Moravia, the neighboring kingdom to Bohemia, Olomouc was visited by several members of Bohemian royalty, and, as I would like to focus on here, hosted young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family for two months in 1767.

At eleven years old, Mozart and his family traveled to Olomouc hoping to avoid the smallpox epidemic that had overtaken their home of Vienna. Unfortunately, during their stay at a local hotel, Mozart was overcome by smallpox anyway, and was sick for a part of their time in Olomouc. Despite this unfortunate turn of events, however, child Mozart likely still composed his Symphony No. 6 in F major here as he recovered, which marks Olomouc as a significant location in the timeline of Mozart’s incredible musical journey.

Today, the building in which the Mozart family stayed still stands, a testament to the history preserved in the city’s architecture. Among countless historical events and cultural sites to explore in Olomouc, the stay of Mozart is simply another well-kept secret that is makes up this beautiful town. And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to add pictures after my visit (which is still in the hypothetical stage at the moment). Until then, ahoj!

Olivia

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The Chelyabinsk Meteorite

Attention to all readers: I have an announcement! Due to the fact that I am horribly behind on blog posts and I have an overwhelming amount of love for my friends and their diverse backgrounds, I have decided to make a series. While talking to my friends throughout the day and avidly dodging any thoughts about said missing blog posts, I realized that, while I know basic facts about their home cities or countries, I really don’t have any knowledge beyond the superficial. So I did some research. And, after reading and delving into the rich histories and cultures I was such a stranger to, I had a revelation: what if I was to spread my newfound wealth of information on the blog, killing two birds with one stone?

And so, here we are.

I’d like to start by saying that, while I would rather admit that I worked tirelessly on this research dedicating hour upon hour, leaving no stone unturned, that is simply not true. In fact, for this first installment of whatever this series turns out to be, I chose the first stone I found: the Chelyabinsk meteorite (side note: ‘no stone unturned’ might not have been the best turn of phrase to use in this context, but I’m very excited about the stone/meteorite pun, so it will stay).

My closest Russian friend lives in Chelyabinsk, a city of over one million residents that sits directly east of the Ural Mountains and north of Kazakhstan. Chelyabinsk, like all of the cities I researched, has amazing history. For this post, however, I wanted to focus on one specific topic, and the meteorite seemed like the perfect choice.

The Chelyabinsk meteorite hit Russia on February 15, 2013. It was the largest to hit the earth since 1908, and much more damaging to urban life, seeing as the previous collision hit in the heart of Siberia. Over 1,500 people were treated for non-fatal injuries, most due to shattered glass from windows. The resulting shock wave was powerful enough to be felt in five other Russian cities nearby, and scientists concluded that at one point the asteroid was brighter than the sun. Brighter than the sun! The rock itself fragmented upon entering the atmosphere, but large chunks still rained down around the area, the largest hitting a lake.

Besides the obvious fact that a meteorite striking your friend’s hometown is ridiculously exciting, I thought this was pretty amazing because I actually remember seeing a story on the news when it happened. If I did my math correctly (no promises), I was eleven at the time. Understandably, for an eleven year old, a big hunk of space rock hitting the earth is crazy enough. And honestly, it still is, but the fact that I’m now friends with a kid from halfway across the world who actually experienced it boggles my mind even more.

After learning all of this, I’m eager to write more and learn more. That doesn’t happen a lot. So, until next time, До свида́ния!

Olivia

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That Fantastic Fuzzy Feeling

person holding round smiling emoji board photo
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

My blogpost is quite late. Also, I am still recovering from a miserable sickness. Though I usually have a desire to practice writing on this blog, today it felt like just another chore to get done.

HOWEVER, you can imagine my surprise when I saw me, yes me, staring back from the screen! But there I was. In the portrait, I am crafted from rich ink, colored with the harvested vision of deep oceans and twilight skies. I am supported by what seems to be mere lines, but lo, these are the foundations on which I walk the tumbled earth, so my two-dimensional body can face all adversary. My arm is raised in greeting to welcome my allies. I am weaponized with a towering smile, the most powerful weapon in the war that is life. Also, my hair is fabulous!

I was so excited to read Shoutout to Hannah that I almost read it too fast. I had to read the first sentance twice! With confidence, I can declare this essay was the best compliment of my writing I have ever received! It gave me, what I would like to call, that fantastic fuzzy feeling; a mixture of joy, gratefulness, warmth, and…..AAAH! (“AAAH,” is an emotion that cannot be described without a vocal onomatopoeia.) It makes me never want to stop writing!

HOWEVER, there is a problem! (Gasp!)

For an unknown reason, WordPress is glitching. Everything works fine, but it is glitching just enough that I cannot find any of the author’s names! I do not know who wrote the blogpost! 

And so the blog has become shrouded in mystery. The author, I can assume, is a woman. She is a maiden cloaked in kindness, hidden behind the fairy lights of her computer screen. With grace and poise, she dances from phrase to phrase; diction is her dancefloor, and we are all merely her audience. Her lips are sealed with a smile, imprisoning her benevolent secret.

Whoever you are, you goddess of good-deed, I thank thee! May you never cease your wordly spells!

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Shoutout to Hannah

image.jpgHi Hannah, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve decided to write my blog post on your behalf this week. I admire your writing techniques and abilities; the style of all your blog posts is just so stunning. The voice you create is animated and whimsical and, quite frankly, perfect. I have no idea how you can write in a way as amazing as you do, but I have a few ideas based on your old blogposts.

Here is where I was planning to insert an one of my attempts of creating a similar voice to that of Hannah’s, but after several failed attempts, I’ve decided that I’m not going to use any of them. Although every short piece I wrote did have a voice, the voice was nothing like Hannah’s. I’m not sure how to explain the difference between my voice and Hannah’s voice, I just know that there are differences present; by just reading one of Hannah’s posts and then one of mine, our voices are clearly not the same. 

Because I not only botched my attempts of recreating your voice, I also botched what I envisioned my blog post to be, I’m going to explain what my intended purpose was. My intention was to showcase your skills, and really bring to life just how great they are. I wanted to use my own writing with your voice intertwined within my writing with my voice to really show the difference and show the different effect we have on other people. Although I wasn’t able to achieve my original goals, I was able to prove how powerful your writing is. Hannah your writing makes me feel exactly what you were feeling when you wrote the piece, even if I’ve never experienced the same thing. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU DO IT. I don’t want to call your writing skills, but they seriously are; I’m pretty much convinced that matching your writing is impossible for anyone that isn’t you. But if I’m being honest,  I’ve come to terms with the fact that my writing will never be able to match the level of yours; your writing is fantastic and I never want you to change it (I just want you to write more so I can read more). 

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Sleep Deprivation

Eve Holbrook

I never thought sleep would be one of the needs in which I desired most in life. I never thought I would be the person who could only get through the day with continuous amounts of energy drinks and coffee. Even as a child I thought staying up til 7:30 was far to late for my little mind to even fathom. Then as I aged life got harder, and the hours in which my body managed to keep the mind inhabiting it, awake, grew longer. Instead of going to bed at 7:30, endless hours of homework managed to stretch the hour to 11:00, at the earliest. The strenuous classes in which my days are filled with, have managed to excerpt every ounce of energy from my body. What’s left (if any) is used up, to solve tantrums and fights over swing sets from the 50 or more children I meet eyes with face to face every day. By the end of the day only droplets remain and have to be ringed out, to complete the last tasks I can manage to accomplish before the sunrises. Little things like laundry, and a clean room, fall lower and lower on the to-do list for each week, until eventually the week goes by and still these simple tasks have yet to be completed.I hope that as life goes on, I somehow will find away to make the day go by easier. I hope that one day, all my energy will not be wasted over simple tasks which in the grand scheme of things will go unnoticed. In my dreams I picture a world in which the hours of sleep comes in bulging amounts and the days of enormous bags stretching under the eyes disappear. I know in reality my dreams are far off, for the direction I’m heading life only will be getting harder. So instead I have come up with the goal of getting more energy, I’m not sure how yet but maybe someday my goal will be accomplished.

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Trojans To States

Cole Paulin
AP Language and Composition
Mrs. Durkee
14 February 2019
The Thornton Academy Trojans will win yet another football State Title in 2019. Many say that they lost too much skill, but those people haven’t looked at the magnitude of talent from both the junior and sophomore classes.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Trojans are going to have a strong, potent group. While the loss of Anthony Bracomonte will be greatly felt, the remaining four studded skill players will be able to pull through and make big plays. The Trojans wield two of the best running backs in the state, Isaac Ofielu and Julien Bailey-Cottle, and an all conference wide receiver in Payton Jones. On the line, the upcoming junior class is stellar. While the Trojans might not be a big play team, they will have the strength and size to demoralize a team quarter after quarter. Not only will their aggression and punishing attitudes break down opposing teams, the luxury of playing one way will keep them fresh unlike other teams. TA has always been known to rarely start players on both sides of the ball and as a result, the offense and defense never get tired.

 
What will really make the difference in the playoffs is their stout defense. Their talent does not only come from size, strength, and skill, but also their unparalleled tenacity. Fans can find linebackers and defensive lineman going absolutely nuts after any and every good play. In the secondary, hard hitting safeties and lightning fast cornerback will punish any throwing team. The average weight of their ginormous defensive line is about 260 pounds and their hard hitting linebackers average 225 pounds. With the size that they possess, they will be one of the largest defenses in the state.

 
Some teams have great talent and no chemistry, some have no talent, but rarely does a team have outstanding talent coupled with a palpable team chemistry. Everybody in their tight knit group believes in one another and is willing to put their bodies on the line every play. The 2019 State Title is for the Trojans to take.

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