8-Nigel R: A Core Memory that Changed Me

                 There are many “core memories” which led me to becoming the person I am today. There is one in particular that was an event that changed me. The event that changed me was my last fight.

  When I was little between the ages of about 5-9 I got in a few fights with my cousins and one at school. However the one at school was one that changed me. When I was in 4th grade I went to school one morning and I was already exhausted because I had barely gotten any sleep the night before. In the morning our school used to walk around the track before school and while I was walking this kid in the same grade as me came up to me and started pushing me. He pushed me twice before I told him to stop, I had told him to stop 3 times until I pushed him back. When I pushed him back he pushed me into a wall then we fought after that.

After the fight we both got suspended. That day was the first and last time I had gotten in trouble like that at school. After this fight I realized that violence isn’t always the answer. I realized that in this situation I could’ve just walked away and been the bigger person so that all of this could’ve been avoided.  I knew I had changed when a similar situation happened later in the year, someone had started pushing me and I simply walked away. I had avoided an unnecessary fight that didn’t need to happen. Ever since this happened I have not been in another fight.

                             Word Count:274

8-Preston K: Art of making money

 

One core memory I would like to share is the first Friday working at my job with Noe and Jordan. Waking up at 5:50 and rushing and yelling at my sister to floor it on the freeway so I wasn't late and could get some cash is how i started that day. Even though I showed up 7 minutes early I want the one who was late that day it was Jordan. Me and Noe walked out of the break room with huge smiles on our face because our dumb behinds though it was going to be our first pay day of the summer… not knowing we had to work 2 weeks first. Not even 5 steps out of the break room we turn to the entrance of the factory and just see Jordan standing there with these huge black glasses and just started dying. We were laughing so hard Jan the boss came out looking for us to yell at us, but we slipped away fast enough and she got caught up with another worker slacking.

Because it was Friday, we got to take control of the speaker in the yard, and you already know all three of us were yelling to rock music and Bruno mars as we lifted and pushed the steel all day just cracking jokes and goofing around. Our Lunch came and Noe pulled a 5 dollar bill out of his pocket and we all gave each other that “you know what time it is look '' and tossed our , and pliers to the side and ran to the vending machine. When i tell you that was the best can of brisk tea I mean it, it was so rewarding after all the yelling and working we were doing.

Coming to the end of the day the best part of the day came. When had just finished our last 10 Minute break of the day and had 2 hours and 30 minutes left. We spent the first our slinging “It was a good day” and “Metalica one” just bumping and playing the air guitar and drums when noes dad comes through on the golf cart of the yard. Mind you both of the bosses have just left and it's just me, Jordan and his dad, so I had the bright idea to ask Noes dad “YO let me whip the golf cart” and you know what, He said yes. All three of us ran to the cart each taking turns whipping and drifting the cart. Noe almost crashed into a forklift, Jordan hit a pole and I almost flipped the cart. It was the best day i had at my job I'll never forget the amount of smiles that came that day as we earned money for singing and driving a golf cart. I mean working. 

8 - Ashley M : Feminist Icon

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has left her mark on this world , as many consider her to be a feminist icon due to her work of fighting for eqaul rights for women.From starting all the way from the bottom to climbing her way to the top of being the second female to sit at the Supreme justice.

Ginsberg attended Cornell university in which she graduated top of her class , but then later studied law at harvard. Although having these degrees on hand , she was still systematically discriminated against due to her gender when being rejected from numerous jobs or even getting paid less. She then became the first female tenured professor in 1972 for teaching at Rutgers and Columbia , but that was just the start of her trail. As she later co-founded the Women's rights project at ACLU. More opportunities were handed to her and Ginsburg continued to make it to the top as she soon was appointed to the supreme court by Bill Clinton.

While being the supreme justice she fought and believed in women's rights , workers rights , and separation of church and state leading to her gaining many awards. One of them being the American Bar Associations Thurgood Marshall award for her work and contributions for gender equality and civil rights. People loved her for her honesty and for breaking barriers to try and bring more justice to this world. Even with difficulties being presented to her such as being diagnosed with colon and pancreatic cancer , she kept her head high and continued to work to bring in more equal rights. Putting others and fixing the world first rather than herself.

Although she was known for being the second female supreme justice that's barely hitting the surface from everything she has done. From all the work , contributions and time she has spent to make this world a better place. She will always be remembered and known for all her sacrifices and especially for keeping her head high during difficult times.

8- Ethan R - perspective: a worlds new lense

  Every single person sees through a different set of lenses. Some have seen beauties and some have seen tragedies. With every experience it shapes our view on the world and gives us our distinct perspectives. With so many different perspective always gives a 360 view of the whole world, but due to hatred of every kind were never going to be able to fully open our eyes to whole perspective.

So may controversies and hatred have taken place due to selfishness and too much ppride. We throw away our humananitys greatest gift of empathy just so we can preach and scream about our own perspective and damn every other one that does allign with it. Genmocides, and hate crimes have all occured because of ones national or self pride but imagine what couldve been if they wouldve taken their heads out of the dirt.

If people would just take a quick second and see the other side of the spectrum of the conflict it would avert so many controtroversies would cease to exist. They just need to be able to take a reflecvtion second breather then communicate, because with oout communication the world will just run it into the ground. There will be no growth, and all it will be is call to action repeatedly with failing outcomes. There would be no lesson at the end of the story, and only the same damning result, the fall of humanity. And with all of those tragedies, the communication of our perspectives will not passed along and our society will beign to decline

Persepectives are the spectrum of every experience youve made and shapes your view on the world.

8- Samantha A: Making Memories through Polaroid

 A core memory I’d like to share would be a fairly new one that I’ll always remember. It happened just last Wednesday when Yara and I went to Panera and then bought a polaroid and took pictures. Last Wednesday, we decided to go to lunch to initially do the extra credit “how to fall in love with anyone” questions (as friends). Not only did we go to Panera for the sole purpose of doing the assignment, but we also seemed to enjoy each other’s company and wanted to hang out. I consider this to be a core memory, because of how much fun we had mainly after lunch. Yara has been telling me how she wants to create a scrapbook of polaroid pictures over this summer from her upcoming Mexico trip, and so after Panera, we went to Best Buy to find a polaroid. We found the cutest light pink polaroid, and film to go with it. As soon as we bought it, we were both so ecstatic to open up the film and start taking pictures. As excited as we were to start taking the pictures we had some trouble getting to that point. At first we didn’t seem to know which way the batteries would go into the polaroid, and we even lost a battery for a minute. I find this maybe pointless part of the memory to be actually extremely funny and notable, because when I look back on the memory, the fact that we couldn’t figure out such a simple camera is just very funny to me. 

Once we figured out how to put the batteries + film in, we then sat in my car for a good 30 minutes, maybe even an hour  listening to music and taking pictures laughing and admiring each picture that came out of the polaroid. We even went through almost a whole pack of film, leaving two left, because we both wanted to keep pictures for ourselves. I personally love polaroids, and I even own one, so I think when you buy a polaroid it’s so important that your first polaroid tells a story and makes you remember the background of that picture. I hope that for Yara when she looks back at the pictures we took she can successfully say “that was the day I bought my camera, with Sammy.” This core simple memory is something that just in the past week, I’ve been thinking about and remembering how much fun we had.

Word Count: 413  

   

8- Khaleah AbdulRahim: Candyland🍭

 

Growing up I loved being competitive when it came to games and sports. I was an active participant. Of course at the time with me being a kid I only really enjoyed the game when I was in the upper hand or winning. To be honest you could have even called me a poor sport at the time. Eventually I grew out of that phase and was able to control my emotions and be a good sport. 

One game however I am always really good at. The game Candyland made in 1948 by a retired teacher Eleanor Abbott, was inspired by the children in the San Diego hospital. In 1947 at the age of 36 Eleanor contracted polio. Polio is a life threatening disease that spreads from person to person which infects body parts causing paralysis.

While in the hospital there were numerous children with the same disease. While being in quarantine she decided to get creative and create a fun game for the other children to enjoy. 

The purpose of the game is to travel through a candy forest going through obstacles such as a gumdrop mountain, a molasses swap, and a peanut brittle house and make it to the candy kingdom. The initial intention of the game was to encourage imagination versus competition. 

Personally growing up in a competitive household, whoever made it to the end was declared the “winner.”  My family and I tend to make our own spins on well known games such as uno, monopoly, and other games we play on family game nights.

During the years after World War 2 the US economy was thriving due to the baby boom era. Left and right parents were buying toys for their children.

 With the Candyland game being so popular in the hospital Abbott made the decision to pitch her idea to a toy manufacturer by the name of Milton Bradley. 

The game was a hit and quickly became the company's highest selling board game.

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8-Jenna Kellis: My Inner Rage Towards Monopoly

I have been playing Monopoly with my family for as long as I can remember, and I can confidently say that I now despise it more than any other board game. I don’t think I have ever won a game of Monopoly against my family, maybe that’s why I have such negative feelings towards the game now that I’m older. Even when I was little and I would secretly steal money from the bank while I was playing “banker” I would still never win. Mainly this was because my brother would buy all the properties and build houses and hotels on them, so whenever I would roll I would land on something he owned and I would be forced to pay him a fortune, ultimately causing me to lose all the money I had illegally obtained in the first place. Our parents would sit back and laugh while we yelled across the kitchen table at each other because he insisted on collecting his rent and I refused to pay. It got even worse when I was around eight and we bought Disney World Monopoly, and my family bought all of the fun rides before I even passed go. Most recently, we were playing an intense game of Game of Thrones Monopoly, and my brother somehow owned all of Westeros before I even blinked an eye. I don’t normally consider myself a very competitive person, but Monopoly changes me. It’s probably due to the years of rage I have built up from seeing my brother collect his properties while I slowly went bankrupt. When I was little, I blamed my misfortune in Monopoly on the fact that I was the youngest in my family, and therefore I was inherently disadvantaged. Now that I’m older, however, I can finally admit that I’m just really bad at it. Word count: 305

8- Yara Martinez : The Burgundy Dress

Blog #8- The Burgundy Dress 

One of the happiest memories that comes to mind is my 17th birthday that just recently passed in December (Yes i'm a sagittarius). For my 17th birthday my mom bought us plane tickets to Mexico which tie into a completely different story but she got all of our family together and threw me a party for my birthday.

 It was the most special thing anyone has ever done for me. I didn’t get to have a quinceanera which is known as a big tradition in Mexican families so she tried to recreate that in some way. Although it was 2 years later it still meant a lot to me. 

Everyone pitched in with something my aunt Tina provided the food which consisted of very delicious tacos as well with other different types of foods, my mom bought me my burgundy dress which was long and hugged my body in all the right places, both of my brothers pitched in money for the band and dj and so on. Everyone contributed which made it even more special. I was so appreciative of everything I received. 

Usually with big parties the day can become very stressful with last minute preparations and making sure everything is perfect for the guests but my aunts and uncles made sure everything was perfect and more importantly that I was happy. The happiest moment of the day had to be when the DJ played a specific song me and my mom chose and we danced in the middle of the stage just the both of us. Me and my mom have had a rocky relationship in the past but in that moment I was able to thank her for being a great mother and doing all of this for me. 

The day was overall so amazing. The food was great, the weather was thankfully cooperating and it was not windy nor super hot which I was very grateful for. That day I danced until I couldn't anymore, until I had literal blisters on my feet for days but it was all worth it in the end. There is so much more I could say about this day but what I realized was that beautiful things happen when family comes together. Before my party, some of my uncles were fighting and there was just a lot of drama overall but we all came together in the end and enjoyed the day which was very special to me and will always hold a place in my heart. 

Word Count: 418

 

7- Mariza Avalos: Imagine the Feeling Coffee Tables

  

     I believe it’s in myself to have the least imaginative brain possible. My brother can create intricate worlds out of barely any building blocks, my sister makes the most descriptive stories from looking at a flower, and my dad can create his whole future with the flash of an idea. But for me,  I always find myself in complete chaos if I’m asked to use my imagination. So when I skim through the blog portions and prepare myself to write, I always ignore the “Are you more like.” It makes me cringe, even five seconds into thinking about the most simple things: swings, slides, doors, windows, and my brain decides to collapse. However, this week I saw the word coffee and in the most biased way possible my mind immediately thought “that’s you.” To which I felt quite offended that my mind immediately jumped to that conclusion even though I’ve lowered my once obsessively high intake of coffee. Nevertheless, I thought it could be a perfect opportunity for me to attempt  to step outside of my comfort zone and make the most of what my mind will give me.

    Coffee tables are an important addition to a home; they are made to complement any space which has a lounge set. In this way, I’d like to think of them as a more welcoming place for people to feel relaxed. Coffee can be warm and cold, but either way, it always gives off a comforting feeling and a good start to the day. Likewise, I think the essence of a coffee table stands out as a comforting presence to people as well. Just as coffee can start a good morning, a coffee table can start a good conversation.  If a coffee table is a space that invites people to feel comfortable and encourages them to partake in conversations then it’s what I would inspire to be.

    In a sense, coffee tables have more of a correlation to friendship, while dinner tables are associated with family. To me, it’s not necessarily that I value one over the other, but I’ve always felt more comfortable around my friends rather than my family. Family can challenge you in negative ways while friends can challenge you in positive ways. 

    For dinner tables, I’ve always thought of them as a more uptight space. When I was younger, the most annoying and uncomfortable core feeling I will always remember is being confined to the dinner table. Having the routine of never leaving the table until all food is eaten or all homework is done. Or, the common feeling of watching my mom and dad glued to the dinner table, managing home bills after far after my bedtime. Dinner tables create a feeling of distress to me. They often create a dreadful, nerve-wracking vibe to it which is why I'm partially biased towards steering away from them. 

    Although this is subjective, I believe dinner tables are for uptight serious situations and coffee tables are for relaxed comforting situations. So tying this back to which one I’m more like, or what I'd aspire to be like. Although it’s a matter of preference, and it’s arguable that a balance of both is perfectly suitable. I find myself gravitating more towards a coffee table simply because it’s an essence I would want to motivate me through life. Rather than a series of distress that dinner tables bring, I would rather be motivated by welcoming challenges or experiences that bring me a sense of joy and comfort which I think a coffee table embodies.

Word Count: 594

7-Nigel R: Traits Passed Down from Generations

Most people act or look like their parents. This is very common for people especially since there are phrases like, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Personally I think I have a lot in common with my parents but I also have some things that are different from them.

 I get my smile and eyebrows from my mom. Almost everyone points this out and she does too.  Another thing I get from her is that she's smart. We both always got good grades in school and always were good at figuring things out like puzzles or riddles. Something that I didn’t get from her is my height. She is 5’4 while I’m around 6’1 or 6’2. 

Some things I get from my dad are my height, humor, and athleticism. My dad and I are almost the same height as he is 6’2 and I’m right under him. A lot of people say I was lucky I got his height which is funny but also kind of true. Both my friends and my dad's friends say that we are pretty funny  so I’m happy I got that from him. I also get my athleticism  from him. He used to play Basketball in high school and college and I do now. When he was young he could jump really high which I definitely got from him. A way we are different is that he is more extroverted than I am. I’m a lot quieter when people first meet me than he is.

Some things I get from both of them is my personality and my work ethic. There’s a lot of personality traits that I have in common with both of them. They both also work really hard and I work really hard too. Some things I don’t have in common with either of them is that I like different foods from them and I have different hobbies like reading and playing video games. I’m glad I got some of the traits I did from them however, I’m also glad I got some of my own to make me more unique.

            Word Count: 351

7-AshleyM: Connected but different

 Through my genetics, I have both of my parents combined to become me. Their ethnicity , race , health conditions and even getting some of their characteristics within me. As I’m their child and have spent all of my life with them I have developed many things they do , yet I still remain different from them.

From my mom , I’ve gained her short temper, dedication, and admiration for small details. My mom has always had a short temper a side you don’t want to know of. I know of it and shortly even gained it. As with my whole life I have experienced it . I wouldn’t consider it one of my pro’s, but I don’t complain as maybe it will become useful. My mother has dedication, setting her mind to something and shortly accomplishing it , no matter the difficulty. I admire it , knowing the experiences she has gone through and that she still goes with to this day. A dedication that’s unstoppable, that I grew with. She also admires any small details , such as her garden when they grow the smallest detail or even start dying off slowly. Details that no one really cares about , yet are the ones she admires the most. 

From my Father I have gained his math skills, out of tune singing , and comedic jokes. My dad before coming to the U.S. was a math teacher for some time. Some would say that the math teachers of our school are strict, but I’ve dealt with my father being my math mentor ( I’ve known worse). With him wanting extreme and precise lines and perfect graphs, yet it helped me deal with the teachers I’ve had. I’ve also gained his horrible and out of tune singing , although he loves to show it off. Singing anytime there’s a karaoke or even in the car. I think it’s just because it’s part of his comedic jokes. As one time singing “who’s lovin’ you” from the Jackson 5 , the iconic part that goes “ I,I,I,I should have..” he starts pretending to cry and yell. It’s something that always cheers me up , the way he jokes. 

I’ve gained many things from my parents, as I’m always connected with them with by blood , genetics, or just the time I’ve spent and still am spending with them. It’s how I’m the same with them , but I’m different in many ways. Such as gaining my dads math skills yet hating math. I’m just my own person with sprinkles of some of my parents characteristics.

7 - Janessa H: On Top Of The World

On Top of The World

Joy is being told I can do anything, is being told I got this. Joy is being hyped up by my friends or people I barely know, boosting my confidence. Joy is the look I get when my parents are proud of me, the smiles on their faces and that spark in their eyes. My Joy comes from the simple positive things in life from getting a good grade to the way my significant other looks at me and appreciates me. My imagination strives for that encouragement and it strives for that warm feeling you get when you know you did good.

I wish my life and my mind, my thoughts could be swallowed by joy where all my heart felt was pure joy and love. I wish I could laugh instead of cry, love instead of hate, trust instead of being so closed off. Joy is the natural drug that engulfs my body, keeps my blood flowing and keeps my heart beating, but when that stops it feels like I stop, a slow motion roller coaster ride I want to get off. I want to be outside and dance in the rain. That's what I really crave, I crave that adrenaline instead of laying in bed staring at that same corner of my wall like I’m expecting something to happen. 

I rather smile a true genuine smile instead of pretending like everything is okay sometimes, I want that joy to make me truly feel alright. I want to feel on top of the world, my world.

7 - Diego B: What is Reason and Why it is Ambiguous

What is reason? What causes reason?: These were the questions which I considered before writing this argument. I feel that asking whether or not everything happens for a reason implies a larger question regarding the definition of reason. A reason is anything that causes something to occur, like a reason that two and one equal three, or a reason that Earth orbits around the sun. Those are all logical, certain reasons, but what about a reason to declare war, a reason to elect a Senator, or a reason to purchase a gift? Those are all based on opinions, so do we determine our definition of reason based upon fact or all causes of something, whether true or disputed? If the former were true, we can conclude that all universal events could be predetermined based upon logic and mathematical formulas, which would imply that everything happens for a reason. Personal reasons exist outside of logic, however, so are all opinions predetermined to imply that every opinion happens for a reason? I feel as though no personal event or opinion can happen with reason; you cannot predict with certainty what a person might feel regarding a certain subject. You can predict what two times four is, however, so a logical occurrence can happen with reason. To answer the question of whether everything happens without reason, in short, would be redefining the definition of reason altogether. The larger question to ask, in my opinion, is what reason means to you. If all were to happen without reason, then what would life be but irrational? If all were to happen with reason, then what would life be but rational? The question, therefore, is not whether everything occurs with or without reason, but whether your life occurs with or without reason. You can be the judge of that. (303 words)

7-Raymond L- Plastic Easter Eggs

 Easter, a time of year where kids wake up in the morning and it seems just like it would be Christmas or even their birthday. Where the Easter Bunny lays plastic eggs all over the house, the front lawn, and even in the backyard. Filled with goodies, candy, money, and even little toys. 

Every kid waited for the day that Easter would come, Easter Sunday. The little plastic eggs that were supposedly hidden by the Easter Bunny, brings lots of memories to many children. All the fun they had and it made them realize that being a kid is so fun. Now when the children grow up it isn’t so much fun seeing the little plastic eggs laying around but they look back at the memories they had.

All children get excited when Easter day comes around, they get to spend time with their families, get to go egg hunting for treats, and most of the time the parents don’t care much about what you do. Little plastic Easter eggs bring so much joy into every kid's life and they are just plastic eggs that hold things in them. 

Although you may not see it in the eggs, because it is kind of hard to see the importance of them. Each egg has a memory and meaning inside of it that will forever and always be in the mind of once a little kid. Plastic Easter eggs always bring so much fun when Easter Sunday comes along and everyone enjoys it. 

Word Count:252

7- Jenna K: An Act of Pure Kindness

The month leading up to my sixteenth birthday will always remain one of my most treasured memories because of the immeasurable kindness and love my three best friends showed me. My birthday isn’t until December, but throughout most of the year leading up to it, my friends had been hinting that they had something big planned for when I turned sixteen. I had no idea what to expect and I will always remember the complete shock and surprise I felt when I finally discovered what they had been planning for so long. One day in late November, my mom took me out of the house for a “mother-daughter day” and I was completely oblivious to any suspicious activity. When I got home from the day with my mom, I walked upstairs to find that the entire area around the outside of my room was covered in balloons and there was a “Happy Birthday” sign hanging from my door frame (with a picture of the one and only Harry Styles hanging from the middle of it, of course). As I approached my bedroom door I saw that there was a piece of paper taped to it which explained that my friends had come over while I was gone and planted 31 gifts all around my house for me to open every day of December. In my room (which they had also decorated for Christmas while I was gone) there was a box with envelopes labeled 1-31, and each one had a note from one of my friends explaining the significance of the gift they’d gotten me and a hint as to where in my house I could find that day’s gift. Every day they requested that I take a video of myself reading the clue, searching for the gift, and eventually opening it. It was clear that each of my friends had put so much thought and care into every single gift they gave me, and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about how much time and effort they put into this surprise. To this day, over a year later, I still have the box with all the clues and notes they left for me, and the Happy Birthday sign hangs on my wall year round. Every day when I look at the sign I am reminded of Alexis, Christina, and Ashlee’s pure selflessness and kindness when they turned what should’ve been just one day into an entire month of celebration. Their incredible act of generosity made me feel so loved and appreciated and it’s a memory that I will hold onto and reflect on for many years to come. Word count: 440

7- Preston K: the good days

 

Weither it be a place, person, Physical object, or action, they can all mean or symbolize joy. Joy isn't as much as an action as it is a feeling. Like feeling the light breeze on a summer day while you kick back and enjoy the company of friends or family, Or the feeling of finally accomplishing a task you set for yourself.

Joy to me had for the longest time been such a dull word carrying no feeling or meaning behind it, but after getting to experience high school both ups and downs I see joy from a different perspective. 

Freshman year trying out and playing football. At the time it wasn't something I would say I necessarily enjoyed but I for sure took pride and happiness in the sport.  Always doing as the coach said, trying to be the best athlete could take the time, energy, drive, and effort and pouring it all into Football. After the season ended, I felt disappointed, not joy. It left a bitter taste in my mouth for football overall after that knowing I put forward so much of myself and never seeing any progress or reward

Looking back now I say That period of my life brought me joy. I got the chance to experience the sport for what it was. Looking back thought me that not everything you feel or interpret from a period of time, place, or thing is what it seems, and you may get so caught up in the moment that you forget to sit back and take in what is really happening.

  My grandpa told me “You don't relies you're living in the good days until the good days are over ''. Not ever wanting to pass up knowing I'm living in the good days instead of reminiscing on them, I no longer take small things for granite and try to look at everything from a different angle so I can find the true joy in the situation.

 My two best friends are people I say without a doubt bring me true joy. From the random moments of laughter to the Painfully annoying stupidity that we share together, and honestly, they changed my definition on joy whether that's a good thing or not I have yet to decide    

7-Khaleah A: The Queen of Soul

Aretha Louise Franklin was an American artist, songwriter and singer, and civil rights, activist. She's referred to as the “Queen of Soul.” Born in March 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. She explored her passion for music while growing up in the Bethel Baptist Church where her father Clarence LaVaughn Franklin was the minister. She was recognized for her sermons and worked with Columbia Records at 18.  

It took some time but she eventually explored Atlantic Records in 1966. Where she so call “found herself.” Where she makes a lot of her popular work such as “Respect”, “A Natural Woman” and “Amazing Grace”.

After a few years,, Franklin decided to expand her gift and signed with Arista Records in 1779, where she began to work in the film industry. Starting with the film “The Blues Brothers”. On the reunite of 2 brothers with the motivation to save an orphanage where they grew up in.

Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on the Billboard charts. Where it led her to be placed ninth twice in the Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Arethas music was and still is admired by millions of people today. After her passing in 2018, Queen Elizabeth the second gave her honor by assigning her band to play her song “Respect”.

Throughout her life, she gave birth to 4 children. She enjoyed being around family, singing, and being an ardent supporter of civil and women’s rights. She motivated and influenced other artists to express a soulful passion into their music and would inspire millions worldwide. Recently in 2020 was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. 

261 words

7- Yara A: California Gurls

 Blog #5- California Gurls 

 “YOU CAN TRAVEL THE WORLD”

 A core memory I would like to share is when during lunch Me, Preston, Kristina, and Taylor plus a couple other people decided to go on a drive. It all started when we were having a conversation during APUSH about how they all had gone on a drive and I commented on how fun it seemed and it all started from there. 

The drive was absolutely exhilarating to say the least. The windows were rolled down, songs like “California Gurls”,“Tokyo Drift”, and “Party In The U.S.A'' were on full blast while we sang along with our terrible singing but at that moment it didn't matter, we were simply just having fun. Preston was getting mad because he said we were going to blow out his speakers with how loud we had the music but eventually ended up singing along with us. The wind was messing up our hair in the most uncontrollable way. By the time we got back my hair looked like I hadn't brushed it in weeks.

 The feeling of being surrounded by positive and friendly energy is absolutely indescribable. It was as if at that moment nothing else mattered. There was no stress, just simply the amazing feeling of having fun. 

The reason that I wanted to write about this in this week's blog post is because this “core memory”  was a healthy reminder to me that it is okay to have fun and to let go sometimes. 

I find myself most of the time being consumed with homework and going to work, feeling like I have no time for myself and to just have fun and relax. At times it feels like a continuous cycle and this event signified that life isn’t always about working, that having fun is okay and that it is not something that I or anyone else should feel guilty about. It reminded me that I'm only going to be young once and while it is important to prioritize my goals and stay on top of things, I am also allowed to have fun and enjoy life. 

Word Count: 350

7- Ethan R- Our Building Blocks

  The whole world can change with just the flap of a butterfly's wings. Every single choice and decision you make shapes you into being the person you are and will become. I believe every single thing that happens for a reason so that it shapes our history, and teaches us lessons for the future. 

Things have to happen for a reason, not necessarily that there's someone watching from above commanding everything to happen, but everything happens because it has too, it causes a timeline of events that are  staple events. It creates our history and from our history we learn and create our future. If things didn't happen for a reason then why have we been given the capacity to make mistakes? We make our mistakes while time is young so we can learn and take a path towards greatness.

In my life things have happened that I have regretted and loved and every single one of them shaped me.whether good or bad i had experiences that are now a part of my history, every single decision had either a reward or consequence. Either to push me to excel in that field or completely avoid it. If life was supposed to be by chance how could we grow. Our choices may outweigh whether good or bad so you need to have a balance in order to excel.Every single one of us has had our this was meant to be a moment whether in love, friendship academics, or personal we've all had our one out of body experience that is now a core memory.

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7- Samantha A: Why Learning an Instrument is Life Changing

Music is truly a gift to humans. Hearing it and playing it can create a sense of bliss and euphoria for the human brain. In a Ted Talk titled “How playing an Instrument Benefits your Brain”, it talks exactly about the effects instruments have on us, listening to them and mainly playing them. 

At first it discusses what exactly happens in our brains when we play music. Playing music is even considered the equivalent to doing a work out, as it is literally working out your brain and strengthening each area of your brain. The areas that are strengthened in particular are your visual, auditory, and motor. When playing it is described as “fireworks” going off in your brain, because of how much thinking and activity you are doing. 

Playing music isn’t impossible and anyone can do it if they apply themselves, but it definitely is a craft and understanding that you need to have in order to succeed with it. I remember receiving piano lessons as a child, and learning a few songs. It didn’t take me one time, but instead multiple to get down even a simple song, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”  I still own a keyboard to this day, and recently started teaching myself how to play a Taylor Swift song through youtube. It hasn't been the easiest thing, but I can feel the strong effects it’s been putting on me over the past few weeks. I am a firm believer that anything is possible if we apply ourselves to it, and so learning an instrument is a perfect example of that. 

The Ted Talk even discussed how enhanced our brains become due to learning an instrument and how different music is from any other art studied. When we are playing music we think of it as a fun hobby/passion of ours that is for enjoyment, little do we know though how much our brain is really benefiting from it. I think everyone should try some sort of instrument at least once in their lifetime, because the effects are truly positive and will be recognized. 

 

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7- Katrina Smith: When we started hiding candy in hard shelled vessels: The origination of Plastic Easter Eggs

    

    Waking up on a Sunday morning and walking out in your pajamas to do an Easter egg hunt is a memory that many religious and non religious Americans share. Plenty wonder where the tradition of hunting for plastic eggs filled with sweet treats originated from. Even million dollar companies like Home Depot host annual Easter egg hunts for young children to participate in. When did plastic Easter eggs become a common household item? 

    Assuming most of us are familiar with the history of Easter, the egg is a representation of new life and new beginnings- like the resurrection. This is why eggs are involved with the holiday in the first place, why many families paint and do chalk art on store bought poultry. There is plenty more history on the involvement of eggs in Easter, but when did single-use colorful plastic eggs become the norm?

A father-son inventor duo, Erwin and Donald Weder, from Illinois had a stroke of brilliance when they created the hinged plastic easter egg in 1978. This new connected Easter egg made clean up for families after Easter egg hunts much easier, for they didn't have to search for two separate halves of the egg. Not much else is known about who the real inventor is for the first prototype of plastic easter eggs, and there is much speculation about who the first person was to patent the design. 

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