So Far So Good

This week has been really good so far. On Monday, I went to a John Mayer concert. We  had floor seats on the sixth row. It was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. My mom and all of my friends are in love with him. We got home at midnight, but it was definitely worth the late night.

Things at school are beginning to look up. I made a 99 on my math test, a 95 on my biology test, and homework hasn't been so bad either. Soccer practice has been going smoothly, except for the fact that I hurt my hip while doing sprints and had to meet with our trainer today. She said that I am really tight and need to stretch at least three times a day. Our alumni soccer game is this Saturday and I plan on following her advice and stretching as much as I possibly can. The alumni game is very big at our school. It's always fun when the old players return to play our varsity soccer team. In the past, the alumni have won every year. I have a feeling this is the varsity's year for revenge!

Soccer Season

Soccer, sometimes I wonder why I even like it. It is a huge commitment, takes up all my time, and makes me feel as if I had consumed a whole bottle of Nyquil. Every day practice gets harder and harder and seems as if it lasts longer and longer. Practice is full of jogging, sprints, sweating, cramps, and blisters. It also means that I don't finish homework until late at night. The day after practice, my muscles are usually so sore that it takes me forever to get up the three flights of stairs to my advising class at school.

When I get tired and feel like giving up, I realize how unhappy and out of shape I would be without soccer. No matter how hard practices are, I must admit, I enjoy them. Winning a game is one of the best feelings in the world. Sweat, cramps, and blisters will heal eventually. As far as the tiredness factor goes, it makes it really easy to fall asleep at night.

Soccer isn't all about the game though. I have made many friends through soccer and have learned to respect my teamates and coaches (no matter how difficult they may be). Soccer has always been a major part of my life. I hope to never stop kicking around my black and white soccer ball.

The latest

Well, my teachers are finally letting up on my projects. In most of my classes, we have covered the first of our second semester lessons and we are having tests on the material. This week I have had a test almost everyday.

My extra curricular activities are also doing well. My photography club is going to have a very large turnout for one of our upcoming trips. My Crew team also has some events coming up, such as, I have an erg (Rowing machine) sprint competition coming up in a couple of weeks.

My birthday is coming up next week and I will finally be turning the big one five! In Florida you get your restricted drivers license when you turn 15. In order to get your license you must take numerous courses on safety. This weekend I plan to take some of the driving courses prior to my birthday, to get them out of the way. I also have some nice gifts coming, such as some new RAM for my computer from my Dad and one of the newest, coolest cell phones out from my Mom.

Hello Homework, See Ya Later Social Life

I'm only a few weeks into the second semester and I am loaded down with work! Added to that, soccer practice officially starts tomorrow. We will practice for two hours a day, five days a week. I am pretty sure that I will be saying goodbye to my social life for a while. The really bad part of this semester is the massive research paper on different works of art. Now don't get me wrong, I love art, but my topic is Spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem from the Arch of Titus. Yes, it is a mouthful. I guess the topic could be worse, but I don't see how.

On the bright side, I get my driving permit tomorrow! It will be a day of victory for myself and a day of horror for my parents. Something else to look forward to is Mardi Gras. There are only twenty nine days until Mardi Gras and our school will have a week long holiday. Unfortunately, that will be our last holiday until spring break in April. So until Mardi Gras arrives, I'll be hitting the books and dreaming of my favorite Mardi Gras treat... king cake!

How do you feel about Wednesdays?

In September, the University of Chicago announced that one of their application admissions essay topics was "How do you feel about Wednesdays?" Apparently, my history teacher caught on to the essay and announced that it would be extra credit to write an essay on how I felt about Wednesday.

Here is what I wrote:

Hump Day, is the most hectic day of the week for me. On Wednesdays I have Crew and my Youth Group.  Wednesday also happens to be the most pivotal part of the week. I have so many activities happening on Wednesday, that there is barely time for homework. Although I like all these activities, the stress of having homework on top of everything else makes this day undesirable.

Immediately after school I go to Crew practice. On Hump Day, we go to the lake we row at. During our visit to the lake, we use lot of equipment such as boats, oars, and rowing machines. As a result of taking out and putting away our gear, we use up a lot of time. When we get back to the school we must stretch to cool down our muscles and improve our flexibility. Then, we are allowed to leave. Normally, when we have practice at the school, we end around 5:30pm, but by the time we get back to our school on Wednesdays, it is around 6PM.

After I am picked up from school, we arrive back at home at 6:30PM where I have to eat, and do as much homework as possible before I leave to go to my “CCD” class at 7:15PM. Once I am there, I reunite with my friends that I have met by going to these youth groups. At our meetings, we sing, pray, and do fun activities. Unfortunately, the group session ends at 9:30PM.  This does not give me anytime to do homework because I must go to bed because I wake up at 5:30AM the next morning. Hump Day forces me to do homework during school hours.  Unless my teachers do not assign the regular amount of homework, there simply is not enough time during school hours to complete all of my assignments. This is why I will occasionally turn in incomplete homework.

Hump Day is the most pivotal part in the week. Wednesday can be either the beginning or end of any week, depending on what is going on that week. Depending on how you look at it, Friday can look far away or close, even if its only a two days away. Wednesday is furthermore a planning day. People are beginning to make plans for the weekend, and battle plans for the rest of the week.

As you can see, Hump Day is the most chaotic day of the week for me. I cannot miss practice or “CCD”, but I have to keep my homework average up. Luckily I will be receiving my confirmation in March so I will only be keeping this stressful schedule up for a few more months. As it stands, I feel that Wednesdays are the most stressful days for me. Keeping my homework up adds a lot of stress to my life, so if I turn in homework late on Thursday always remember, blame it on Wednesday!

So now you know how I feel about Wednesdays, how do you feel?

*Leave your feedback, and I'll respond

Semester 1, Week 1, Done

A very productive week I've had. Recently, I have been slammed by my professors with two projects. One project is a banner for my theology class for our school's "Saint Ignatius Week." The other is an essay I have to write for my English class. I wrote an essay comparing Digital Photography VS. Film Photography. I thought the essay was so good that I am going to try to get it published in a photography magazine!

Rowing started again this week and we are preparing for upcoming regattas in February. My coach made us do a grueling six kilometer test today on the rowing machines which will allow him to put together better boat lineups.

The student body president of my school had a meeting with all the club presidents, which was very productive. A few years ago the school took away the club's darkroom. As president of the club, I am organizing a meeting with the club moderators and principal to discuss how come the photography club doesn't have a darkroom or computers to work on.

Hopefully, all the projects and rowing practices will workout, through the last semester of ninth grade.

Its Those Crazy, Hectic, Stressful, Days of School

There is nothing like a stressful school week. This week has probably been one of the craziest weeks of school for me. First of all, I had soccer camp on Monday. It was only supposed to last from six until eight. I ended up getting home at nine. On Tuesday, in addition to soccer camp, I had so much homework that I was on the edge of having a complete breakdown. When soccer was over at eight, I went home, had dinner, took a shower, and was up until 11:45 doing homework. Tuesday night was definitely NO FUN! I have learned, from many treacherous hours of studying and homework, that high school isn't always fun. Even if the week has been brutal, the weekend is only going to get worse. I have to work on my research paper for history class, study for a biology test, and an art test. Just when I thought ninth grade was going swell... it suddenly turns into a huge hurricane of work.

Welcome, 2007, the best year yet

Well, another year has come and gone; and looking back I can’t complain about 2006. I ended my last year in middle school and with a pretty good GPA. I had an eventful summer and had my terrifying experience with a flying fish, which I mentioned in prior blogs. I started my ninth grade year in 2006 and am holding my GPA extremely close to that 4.0 mark! I have started many new things in my first semester of ninth grade such as becoming president of the Photography club and joining my school's up-and-coming Crew (rowing) team. I also have joined the Making It Count Student Advisory council and am the ninth grade blogger, all of which are a great addition to my college resume!

Today was my first day back at school after my Christmas break. During my break nothing really eventful happened. We basically relaxed at our house and we did no traveling. Most of the stress of last minute shopping is gone and Daddy Claus did bring me what I wanted this Christmas, one of the new gaming consoles.

Things are looking up for 2007!! This year I get my confirmation and drivers license.

THIS IS GOING TO BE MY BEST YEAR YET!

Back to the Real World

The Good News:  New York was so AMAZING. While there, we saw A Chorus Line, Hairspray, and The Vertical Hour. All three shows were great. My personal favorite was The Vertical Hour which was about a young American war correspondent turned teacher at Yale. She goes on a short vacation to England with her boyfriend and meets his father who changes her thoughts on politics, life, and love. The play starred Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy. After the show, I had the opportunity to meet Bill Nighy. For those of you who don't know who Bill Nighy is, you may know him as the horrible Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, an aging musician, Billy Mack, in Love Actually, and corrupt CEO in The Constant Gardner. I loved all the shopping in Chinatown and found it be be a VERY interesting experience. We also spent time in Central Park, visited the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, NBC studios, MOMA, and Times Square. We did some street eating (bagels and hotdogs) and ate at some great restaurants. New York was a great trip and one that I would like to repeat annually.

The Bad News: Tomorrow I head back to school where I have to face another semester of homework, studying, and even worse.... a term paper (cue scary music). Tonight I will pack up all my binders and books, which I may have to carry because only about three binders fit into my backpack. Once I get into bed, I probably won't sleep because I will be having nightmares about math class.........which is always very traumatizing.