Blog post 21 - Daniel Brewer - in another place entirely

While I worked on my APUSH notecards and unit questions, eventually I came downstairs to eat something, when the screeching sound of the Fox Breaking News reared its ugly head:  

“BREAKING NEWS - UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS FROM TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM DETECTED, HEADED TOWARDS EARTH”

After processing the gravity of the statement, I first considered the Trumpian response, “FAKE NEWS!” but these thoughts were quickly dispelled when I realized the presence of a small circular logo in the corner of the video footage.  A small circle, with three spears.  I thought to myself “I thought they were just an urban legend, an internet hoax!” as the video footage of the Legionnaire rocket launch was played over the television screen.  The shot abruptly cut to still footage of the newly discovered planets in the background of an image of an alien rocket.  How they managed to get that picture… Well, I can imagine several methods, and they certainly have the funding necessary for it… Anyways, the reporter said that this rocket was headed to Earth.  Another rocket was already shot at Earth several millions of years ago, but Jupiter got in the way first.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

Out of all of the books, all of the movies, and all of the television shows you have watched, consider your favorite characters. Then, answer the following:

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 12th at 11:59 pm

March 26th is the last day to make up blogs 20-22

assignment 19- Alex Russell

One piece of advice that has stuck with me throughout my life is that when life gets tough you just have to persevere and keep on going. I know that this is pretty common advice and that everyone has probably heard this before. But it doesn't matter who you are, if you apply this advice to your life there is a very high chance that you will succeed. This advice applies to me in many ways. Now I'm not going to BS some big story on how my child hood has been super rough but there have been times when I've been down on myself just like every other kid or teenager out there. But no matter what if you put your mind to something and don't give up you will succeed. This is one piece of advice that really stuck out to me because if you apply it then you don't need much else. As long as you don't give up nothing can stop you.

Assignment 18-Alex Russell

Before I graduate High School the main thing on my Bucket List Is to travel to another country. Although I have been many places around the country, I have never been outside of the United States. I feel like this is an experience that I should have before i graduate. I would love to travel across the world and see different ways of life.

Before i graduate college i would like to try snowboarding. I have been skiing since i was little. I am actually going to Utah at the end of this week to go skiing with my family. Although i go skiing often i have always been nervous to try snowboarding. My brother has always gone snowboarding and it looks really cool.

Before i finish living i want to get married. I know it seems like kind of a lame thing to put on a bucket list but i would rather live with my best friend for my whole life than go skydiving or bungee jumping.

Assignment 17- Alex Russell

Cant figure out how to share the link so here is my review.

The rookie is one of my favorite movies. I watched it recently but i have seen it many times before and always find myself wanting to watch it again. It is a classic. In this movie Dennis Quaid is excellent as always and is probably the reason i like this movie so much. With the combination of drama and the occasional laugh it makes this movie perfect for just about any audience. Although i like sports and more specifically baseball, i feel this movie would be great for people who don't understand or don't care for sports. Instead its about a coach who reaches his dreams. This movie reminds me of my childhood dreams of becoming a professional baseball player and HITS close to HOME. This movie helped me realize that anything is possible no matter who doubts you. Thats why I would highly recommend this movie and i think it deserves a five star rating.

Assignment 17: Joshua Pe

I saw La La Land at the Fayette Mall Cinemark. It was just beautiful. From the colors and music to the cinematography and acting, every part of it was beautiful, and everything was also ethereal. The opening of the film is strong, with the quick shift of a mundane freeway to a lively and vibrant musical number. The saturated colors throughout the film give the setting of Los Angeles vividness. The music drives the story, giving it mood and also plot. “Another Day of Sun” creates an upbeat mood immediately contrasted by the grumpiness of the LA freeways. “A Lovely Night” shows the underlying chemistry between the two bickering stars. “Planetarium” unites the Mia and Sebastian as they fly in love and kiss. “Start a Fire” marks the change in trajectories between the two, as Sebastian finds success but also pain as he desecrates what he loves. “Audition” shows Mia’s complete development as she takes off on her own path. The ending of the movie is accompanied by “Epilogue.” After 5 years, Mia has found success, a husband, and a new life. Mia and Sebastian have a chance encounter after they split off, and “Epilogue” narrates a dream sequence of what could have been, and the final knowing glance between the two bursts the “La La Land” that they and the audience are in. The ending evokes a feeling of heartbreak, but also a feeling of happiness. The two realized their dreams, just not with each other. The movie as a whole feels fleeting. Everything was beautiful, if only it could have been held a little longer. The ending killed something in me, but it also left hope of something more.

Assignment 18: Joshua Pe

1. High school: Drop the rest of my fat. I’m not overweight or obese by any measure. Just slightly pudgy. I’d like to lose the rest of the body fat I have left by the end of high school. Ideally I’d lose it all sometime by fall of 2017.

2. College: Figure out some career path. I know my interests. In college I’d like to explore those different interests by taking up some jobs or internships. Hopefully I’ll have a better idea of what I’d like to do out of college by the end of it. I know that what I might want right now at the age of 16 will probably change by the time I’m done with college. But in general I’d like to figure out what I’m going to do with my life.

3. Life: Own a house and the land around it. I’ve lived with my mom for most of my life, and we’ve never lived in a house. We’ve always gone through different apartments. I’d like to have a solid piece of property under my control by the time I’m dead, preferable like 50 years before then so I can enjoy it

Assignment 19: Joshua Pe

Nearly every day from first grade to seventh, my dad would pick me up from school. He would ask me how my day went, what I learned, the usual. I always told him “good” and “stuff.” He’d keep reminding me to study well in school, and I’d say, “yeah, I got it, I understand.” And he always repeats these words: “Education is the tool to your success.”

Now my dad is a hard worker. He’s owned a Chinese fast-food restaurant for 20 years. His dad owned it before. He’s managed the place, taking inventory, ordering ingredients, paying the bills, hiring and training, and he’s also worked in the kitchen doing long hours, burning himself, cutting himself, smelling like chow mein and friend rice. He told me that he doesn’t want me to work 12 hours a day, every day, every week, every year in the kitchen. That’s why he always repeats those words.

He got a basic high school education; nothing more, nothing less. His younger brother, my uncle, went to UCLA, then to NYU, and now he’s teaching in Shanghai. His younger sister, my aunt, also went to UCLA and is working in a bakery to make things work. The both received a good education, but have ended up in different paths. My dad prefers if I do something more than bake breads and cake, so he always repeats that advice.

And I’ve followed it completely. I’ve put education first. In elementary school, when he picked me up, I did my best and was recognized by the teachers. In middle school, I did the same, even when I moved away from my dad and he couldn’t remind me all the time. Still in high school, I’ve strived to maintain a 4.0 and continue taking rigorous courses. And after I graduate high school, then go to college and get a degree, I’ll apply my education.

My dad texts me or calls me from time to time. Often he’ll be at work still, and I’ll be out of school. I can hear the sound of clashing pans and hot oil and fire in the background. He’ll ask me how life’s been since the last time he called, how school is. I tell him the same thing, and he repeats, “Education is the tool to your success.”

Assignment 19- Kalin Combs

The best advice I've ever been given is to "never give up," as cliche as that sounds. I've had to deal with a lot of crap in my life, and I'm only 16 years old. Emotionally, mentally, and physically, at one time or another, I've dealt with a lot. I'm ready to be out of high school and to move hours away from Lexington. I'm ready to start completely over somewhere far away. I'm ready to be an adult, and have a career, and get married, and finally feel comfortable with my life. With everything I've been through, I always look to the future. I'll never give up because I know the future is bright and I'll get there someday. I apply this motto to the smallest daily things, like difficult, never-ending homework assignments. I also apply it to bigger things, like when I'm feeling especially sad I have to remind myself to carry on, because one day all the things I'm worrying about will seem insignificant.

Assignment 19 Daniel Zhu

The one piece of advice that I've gotten that's really stuck with me is to never give up. My dad is constantly reminding me of this as he sees sports events in which teams make some insane comeback.  But on a personal level, when I struggle through life whether it be because of school, sports or anything, I always remind myself to never give up. Even if you're at your worst, you can only get better. I'd rather be 0/30 than 0/5 in three pointers in basketball because it shows that I never lost my confidence. Once you lose confidence in yourself, that is when people tend to struggle. When you're shooting 0%, things can only get better from there. I take this advice into school whether I'm struggling in a class that I need to constantly remind myself like you can do better and that it isn't the end of the world if I screw up a test. I really take this to heart because many people do give up after every possible thing is thrown their way and that's when people start to make bad decisions. The advice has just constantly reminded me to keep my head up and to look forward on what is to come.

Assignment 18 Daniel Zhu

There are so many things that I would love to do before kicking the bucket. Before high school ends, I want to be able to have one semester with straight A's. I still haven't done it. I've came really close a few times but I've never managed to fully tune in and accomplish it. I want to achieve this in order to make my parents proud and so that I can feel better about myself. Before college ends, I'd like to have a job and help pay possible debts due to college. I don't want my parents to bear all the financial costs and they deserve financial aid. It's my way of paying them back for all their caring and loving actions that I'm very thankful for. Before I die, I'd like to go skydiving. Skydiving is one activity I've always wanted to do. While it does seem rather dangerous, it'd be thrilling to be able to jump out of a plane and parachute to the ground below. I love rollercoasters and I love that feeling going down a tall hill. I bet the feeling free falling from thousands of feet is ten times that rollercoaster feeling. I can't wait till I'm of age and am able to go skydiving.

Assignment 18- Kalin Combs

This blog post is pretty easy for me, because I've been making bucket lists since I was like 8 years old.

High School:
-make friends
-stop caring what people think
-take care of my body: I'm really into health and nutrition, but I'm not the best at executing it. I even thought I wanted to be a personal trainer/nutritionist for a while my freshman year. I have my ups and downs with my eating, but I always try to eat somewhat healthy. I'm doing fairly well right now, and I've even been a vegetarian for about a week now!
-slay the ACT
-prom
-road trip with friends

College:
-take care of my body (no freshman 15!)
-graduate with honors
-do some sort of independent research project: I'm thinking of minoring in psychology, so I think doing psychological research would be really cool, because psychology is something that has always interested me and I've always wanted to learn more about it.
-travel abroad

Life:
-skydive
-eat an entire pizza by myself
-go surfing
-travel the world: I'm really into travel. I have a list of like 80 places in my phone that I want to visit someday, and that list grows every day. I love nature, animals, trying new foods, and I'm really obsessed with the mountains and foreign beaches. I really want to go to Greece, because the beaches are just beautiful there, and I love Greek food and culture. As far as travel within the United States, I really want to go on a road trip through western states like Oregon, Montana, Colorado, and Washington. The west is full of incredible national and state parks and beautiful animal life that I'd love to see.
-become a millionaire

Assignment 17- Kalin Combs

Rotten Tomatoes is being stupid and won't let me sign up so--

I saw Edge of Seventeen recently, and I give it a 4/5 stars. As someone on the edge of seventeen myself, I'd been wanting to see this movie ever since I first saw the trailer. It was pretty much everything I expected it to be--which was part of the reason I couldn't give it 5 stars. It was extremely predictable--the main character has a screwed up family life, and is constantly compared to her perfect older sibling. She has a falling out with her best friend and feels lost and alone for awhile, but they make up at the end. The guy she likes is a major f***boy and she ends up with the nerdy awkward guy who's been pursuing her the whole film. Basically, it was your typical teen movie. It was cute, and at times relatable. I think everyone has felt a little awkward at times and has wanted to change something about themselves, especially as a teenager. The ending was what I expected, but not as satisfying as I hoped. I knew she'd make up with her best friend and her brother, but I hoped they would show more than her just saying "have a great day" to the both of them. Overall, I really liked it, and would absolutely recommend it to a friend.

Assignment 17 Daniel Zhu

The two movies that I watched of category were scary movies. These two movies consisted of the Conjuring and Insidious. Both were incredibly scary and terrifying that I couldn't sleep at night. They were similar in aspects in which both were about ghosts. After watching both movies it completely changed my conception about ghosts. At first when I thought about ghosts, I thought it'd be stupid to believe in them. But now from a different perspective, with spirits haunting houses and stuffs completely freaks me out. The two movies were different in which in Insidious the child was being haunted because he traveled too far in his mind, but the Conjuring was the house in which a family moved into was haunted by evil spirits. Both movies even shared a couple of the same actors which made it that much better. I'm pretty sure the producer was the same for both movies. Both were incredible movies that kept me shrieking the whole time but nonetheless, they were very similar movies. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/976061499/ratings

Assignment 19 - Stephanie Bailey

“Don’t live your life for anybody but yourself.” – Momma Bailey. This was said to me during a time at which I ignored it as one of those cheesy sayings a mom is supposed to tell their child but freshman year, it rolled back around and hit hard. I used to be the people pleaser who wanted everyone to love her and think she has it all put together. I quickly learned, thanks to the cut-throat nature of high school social hierarchy, that I could no longer make everyone happy and attempting to do so was, in turn, making me miserable. My inability to be friends with everyone crushed me for a couple of months and I was in a really low place in life. It was at my lowest point that I remembered this piece of advice from my mom and I understood its true meaning for the first time in my life. I slowly got to a place where I was happy with myself and could start showing people who I really was and find friends through being myself and nobody else. I have finally found my friend group and I love where I am in life. Homework is, of course, always stressful but I work through it with the help of my new life-long friends and my new found self- confidence.

Assignment 18 - Stephanie Bailey

High School:

·         Get straight A’s

·         Go to prom at least once for the experience

·         Make at least one life-long friend

·         Get a good parking spot on the hill

·         Grow to a 3’6” level in my riding career – I am swiftly moving towards achieving this bucket list point because of the new horse I recently acquired. He is an experienced jumper that is going to take me to new heights, like he has already begun to do. I competed on him for the first time two weekends ago and we were the reserve Champions of the new division that I had never competed in before.

College:

·         Get accepted to Auburn Veterinary School

·         Graduate as an Equine Vet – My goal my entire life has been to become an equine vet because I can’t live life without horses and I have a passion for helping injured animals. I became nervous that I may not be able to handle it last year when I began to consider the path for the rest of my life. Right in the nick of time, my horse split his neck open and almost ruptured both his main artery and his esophagus. I was the one that had to care for it daily, which consisted of cleaning it out with my finger and fluid. I quickly learned that I would be just fine dealing with the blood or gore of it.

·         Maintain strong friendships from high school

·         Compete in a college level riding competition

·         Place in a national level equine competition

Life:

·         Ride horses my entire and never live without them

·         Become more involved with Safe Haven Equine Ministries

·         Get married to the person that I love

·         Become a successful equine vet

·         Teach lessons to kids as a side job – My dream job would be to live on a farm and teach lessons to kids every day. If that was all I did my entire life, I would be ecstatic. I love both kids and horses and have a passion for both so that would be the perfect job for me.

Assignment 17 - Stephanie Bailey

James Cameron directed two of my all-time favorite movies: The Titanic and Avatar. These films are both extremely different but they have a couple of subtle similarities. One movie is about the sinking of a big ship and the other is about a big blue alien race fighting for their planet. These obviously don’t seem like they would have any parallels but James Cameron threw a couple of the same aspects into these films without making the similarity too obvious. While the plots, at first glance, look nothing alike.  But when you look carefully they both have a romance with characters who come from completely different places and pasts. In the Titanic, Jack is a poor poker player who narrowly makes it onto the Titanic. Avatar is about a disabled human who has to fill in for his brother in a scientific breakthrough and help save a native race. These films are still far from predictable though because their endings are both very different and the overall motivation of the character’s conflict is much different. One is tortured by an iceberg while the other has militant humans after a new element killing mercilessly.  In conclusion, the Works of James Cameron may not be noticeably connected at first glance, but they have some hidden similarities that trademark them as his movies.

Assignment 20 - Victor Allison

How To Be Kind Of Good At Something

A wise source once told me "Sucking at something is the first step to becoming kinda good at something". I find this to be true, as in most cases, before one becomes kind of good at something, they suck at it. The first step in this process, however, is to find something that either you really want to be good at, or something that you enjoy practicing. If you really want to be good at something, then you will be driven to practice. If you really enjoy practicing something, then eventually you'll become kind of good at it, naturally. For this case I will use the example of playing a musical instrument. Philip and I were forced to take piano lessons before middle school, and we both despised the methodical way in which the lessons leeched away our free time. We made almost no progress and eventually quit. However, after realizing that one thing I took away from the lessons is the ability to read music, I have recently come to enjoy actually practicing of the piano. After watching many youtube videos and practicing almost frequently, I would even go so far as to say I have become kind of good at it. In reality, the process of becoming kind of good at something involves only one step: enjoy practicing it. With this simple checklist, you can become mediocre at any task. Guaranteed.

Assignment 17 - Victor Allison

Being a half-hearted fan of the somewhat sadistic visionary Quentin Tarantino, I found this movie to be spectacularly decent. This film, set in Wyoming and filmed in Colorado, did an alright job at keeping the viewer in mild suspense and had a fairly gripping plot. Its cast was excellent, and I regard the movie as one of the best westerns of recent years, yet I would have been more satisfied if the director had chosen to use a more scrambled up, nonlinear plot line which he usually does, and maybe less unnecessary executions, however exciting they may be. Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russel performed decently, the snowy setting was an interesting contrast from traditional spaghetti westerns, and the idea of a cabin full of killers that share little trust provides for a tense atmosphere that is similar to that of the film Into the White, in which 2 nazis and 2 British pilots are forced to spend a week in a cabin together in a snowstorm. However, with these redeeming qualities, the movie still did not nearly approach the pedestal that Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, or Inglorious Basterds sit upon. In conclusion: meh.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight

Assignment 19- Tom Polites

The piece of advice that sticks out most in my memory was not given directly to me, but given to George Bailey from the angel Clarence in the classic Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life. Clarence leaves a note to George which tells him "Remember George, no man is a failure who has friends". It's easy to get down on yourself after a poor athletic performance or a sub-par test score. I have certainly been disappointed in myself several times and in these times I wonder if I will ever be successful in the real world. But this quote helps remind me that a good life isn't only getting a good job and making a living. As long as you have friends and family who you care for, you will lead a complete life regardless of your successes or shortcomings. This quote helps me keep things in perspective. When stressed over a calc test or where I will attend college, I think of this classic piece of advice and realize that these problems aren't so important as long as I have my friends and family.

Assignment 18- Tom Polites

1. Obviously, the main goal for most people in high school is to succeed and get into a top tier university. While this is also at the top of my to do list for these four years, I'd rather elaborate on something more fun which is going on a senior spring break trip with my friends. Ideally, we would go to a destination such as Costa Rica, but I'd settle for a nice beach in Florida. It would be great to have a full week of the beach with my buds before we graduate and head down different paths.

2. While I'm sure I'll have a great time in college and have many adventures to tell my future children about, the main thing I want from college is a clear career path. At the moment, I have absolutely no idea which occupation I will service in the coming years, which to be honest is slightly terrifying. In college, the years that will help define who I will be for the rest of my life, I hope to discover something that makes me passionate and something I will be willing to dedicate the better part of the rest of my life towards.

3. Even if none of my other ambitions come to fruition, I will be satisfied as long as I start a family. Of course I want to visit places such as Greece and Rome before I die, and hopefully I do. But my ultimate goal is to have a wife and children. I will consider my life incomplete if I don't have my own family to care for, which is why it tops my bucket list.

Assignment 17- Tom Polites

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/976060371/

Calling this movie sad does not do it justice. After seeing this film new years day with my family, I walked out of the theatre considerably more depressed and hopeless than I was when I entered. If you're looking for a feel good movie that lifts you up, look elsewhere. You may be wondering, why have I given Manchester by the Sea four and a half stars if it saddened me so greatly? First of all, the acting was fantastic. Casey Affleck should win Best Actor for his emotional performance, and the other cast members were wonderful as well. The directing was another highlight, and made it an enjoyable movie to watch despite its tragic storyline. I've heard many people complain about the ending and how it doesn't end in the typical all's well ends well fashion. As much as I would have loved to have left the theatre with some sort of consolation for the 2 hours and seventeen minutes of tragedy I went through, a happier ending would have been inconsistent with the rest of the film. In my eyes, the main message of the film is that there are some things we can't move past, but we carry on doing the best we can. An ending where Affleck's character moves past the terrible incident that happened to him would not have been fitting for this type of movie.

Assignment 20 - Hunter Cole

If you have been reading some of my more recent posts, you know that I am good at snowboarding. This is going to be a tutorial on how to do a backflip off a jump on a snowboard. First you have to be pretty good at snowboarding, you should at least be able to do some black diamonds. You should also have some experience with jumping off of big jumps, you will need at least ten feet of air depending on how you launch. Lastly you will also need to know how to do a backflip. Practice off a diving board or your bed and watch some youtube videos for more tips. So you will want to be going about 20 miles per hour when you hit the jump. The you just jump when you board is about half way off the lip of the ramp and do a backflip. No need for any ollies, just do the flip and spot the landing. Whatever u do don't under commit. You may get a concussion or cut your nose like I did one time.

Assignment 19 - Hunter Cole

The best piece of advice that I have ever received was from my father, who told me to question everything. No matter what it is you should doubt it and think about it more. My father was a philosophy minor so he knows about this stuff. Most of the time we just talk about philosophical things during road trips. Other times we listen to Duran Duran. I love to question everything, I do it all the time. I am not sure that anything that can truly be correct or all good. That is what the advice is about. But when we are in the car driving to Utah or Colorado we always talk about that stuff. He stops like all the time for food at gas stations. It is pretty annoying. By the time we get there we have enough peanuts and big league chew to last us for the rest of the trip. When we get there we meet up with my cousins at their tricked out cabin and then we go to the mountain. It sucks that I live in Kentucky and don't have anywhere to shred except perfect north. That place has some of the diciest snow I have ever seen. It seriously sucks there. You can butter or carve unless it actually snowed, so I just chill at the terrain park most of the time. But what my father told me was to question everything, so that is why I never go there unless it is with friends.