What a coincidence!

So lately I've been noticing someone showing up almost every place I go.  It seems like it doesn't matter where I go, this person will show up there too.  No matter what.  Now I cannot call this stalking... yet.  It is simply a coincidence, that seems to keep happening over and over.  A lot of you already know who this is.  For those of you who dont, it is Mr. Dykstra.
Let me just explain a few things.  First of all, his kids go to my house because my mother does daycare for them.  So it is a routine for him to go to my house each morning to drop his kids off, and then pick them up in the afternoons.  Recently I've been walking in the halls during class, and because everyone is usually in class, the halls are pretty much empty.  Except for when I turn the corner to see Dykstra walking down the hall.  It never fails.  He is always there.  There is also some classroom right next to my locker that he loves to walk in and out of frequently.  Now, lets recap.  Dykstra is at my house everyday, he passes me in the halls at least five times a day, and is constantly in a room right by my locker. The only days where I do not have to see him (no that seeing him is a bad thing..) are Saturday and Sunday.  But WAIT!  This last Sunday I was at church getting some hot chocolate before the service when I heard a familiar voice behing me.  I turned around shocked to see Dykstra standing in front of me.  So now he claims he has been going to my church for like five years, just about as long as I have been there; yet I have never seen him there before.
As you can see, he is everywhere.  I guess my only day that I go without seeing him now is Saturday. But I'm sure that'll change eventually too!   

America?

So everyone in Comp got this assignment to find two articles about America. One good, one bad.  Welll I looked for the articles when I was in the lab on Thursday and only found articles that talked bad about America. So I figured I would just write about the bad and find the good article this weekend at home.  I waited till now, Sunday, to find that "good" article and I can NOT find it!! I can find about a billion bad articles but not one, not even one, good one.  I typed into google "good things about america" and it gave me all these stupid articles that had titles like: one good thing about america is we know how to get drunk, or one good thing about america is girls are willing to take their clothes off for anyone. WHAT!? that is not what I was looking for at all! I'm getting really frustrated because I want to get this assignment done but it is obviously impossible to find anything.  I'm actually gettting really mad because seriously it should not be this hard.  Like I cant really name anything good about America right off the top of my head but there should be articles! I found one article that talked about how good Facebook is for America, because it like keeps us all connected or something, but I know that article wont fly with Dykstra. So I am still "stuck in the mud." I am wasting my time writing this blog instead of looking for an article but I seriously think I looked for about fifteen minutes and I read a few that I thought might be good but they were like two paragraphs long.  Stupid.  But I should probably get back to my search to find a good article before I waste anymore time.  But on the bright side, I just got my blog done for the week.  Too bad it wasnt positive (:    

Country Music

I remember back when I was in like 5th grade and people would always ask me what kind of music I listened to.  I never realized it was so "uncool" to listen to country.  It's what I had grown up around and I didnt think anything of it.  When I got into middle school I realized there was almost nobody who shared my taste in music.  I didnt really care.  It's not like I was going to change the kind of music that I listened to. But it seemed as if everyone had only bad things to say about country music.  Well I'm writing this blog to clear up the confusion. 
People have many ideas about country music.  Some are.. 1. its for hicks/hillbillies/whatever else you would like to call them.  2. they sing about farms and tractors and "stupid stuff" 3. its boring and it all sounds the same.  Well the truth is, country songs actually tell stories.  There is a meaning to every song.  Some songs are about tractors and farms but guess what, we live in Iowa..shouldnt we care about that kind of stuff? The songs arent all about one thing.  Relationships, revenge, God, war, working, drinking, anything else you can think of. You can actually understand what the lyrics are.  You can relate to almost every song, no matter who you are.  Some songs are fast, some slow, some both.  They definitely do not all sound the same. 
Recently, I have started listening to 106.9 or 106.1 just to see if I could stand listening to music other then country.  There are a few songs I really like and I listen to those stations much more often now but country will always be my favorite.
It seems like more people are listening to country now and the ones who actually give it a chance really enjoy it.  A couple of my friends started listening to country because I would always listen to it and now they love it.  I think if people just gave it a chance, they would realize what people say about it, is not true.     

School?

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to spring break. I’m not going anywhere or doing anything too special but I just cant wait to get out of school. This entire semester has taken a lifetime, and we are only half way through it!! The school day drags on and on and on. Each week is like a month and each month is like year.
The first semester went totally fine for me. I was completely focused, did all my work, never slacked off, and didn’t really have a problem with being at school. Well after we came back from winter break it has just gone downhill. It is not because of the new classes I have now. It is simply, well, school. I cant stand it anymore. And to make myself feel even better, I remind myself that I have another quarter plus another whole year.
The getting up so early, the homework, the studying, the teachers, the people you have to put up with at school. It is exhausting. I asked a couple teachers why they became teachers. Seriously, why would you want to come back to school. One teacher told me it is completely different when you’re a teacher. But I don’t see how? You still have to put up with the kids, do work, and deal with going to school everyday. The only good answer I found when asking this question was from Dykstra. He said we get summers off. Plain and simple (he also added he loves teaching literature but he has to say that).
Things that really bug me are days like today. The bomb threat. Really? We have to get our bags checked like we are all criminals and I’m surprised they let us leave for lunch. Last year we were on complete lockdown. It’s ridiculous. I realize they have to do it and its for our safety but for real, I don’t enjoy taking twenty minutes waiting in line just to get into the school.
School is just annoying me lately. I really am not sure how I am going to put up with it another year. After this year I’ll come back from summer break and be good for the first semester, then drag through the second. All I can say is, I hope college will be different.

Daycare!

So for those of you who do not know, my mother runs a home daycare.  She has taken care of kids her entire life and absolutely loves it.  My mom babysat her younger brothers all the time and was a nanny while she attended college.  When I was born, she switched to home daycare.  She had ten kids coming to our house everyday by the time I was three.  I remember waking up in the mornings and going downstairs to play with all my friends.  All the kids were about the same age.  Between the ages of 2-5 or something.  Anyway, this was a lot of fun.  I had tons of friends who I hung out with everyday and I got to spend all day with my mom! Sounds like the perfect life right? At that time, yes.
Now I got older, andexcitment faded away.  The kids were getting to be a few years younger than me and I had nothing in common with them.  Half of them couldnt even talk!  I still loved having my mother home everyday but the kids got annoying.  I woke up in the mornings, and of course, they would be there.  Sometimes I would wake up to crying, the smell of poopy diapers, screaming kids, or those toys that make annoying noises!  The kids that used to be fun to play with, were now an every day hassle.  Although I had school each day, my mornings and afternoons were spent around those children.
After we moved here, my mom changed her style and began taking care of school teachers kids so she could have summers to spend with her wonderful children.  This started when I was about 11.  I had no problem with this.  I had become much more mature, had a better attitude towards kids taking up my mother's time, and did not mind them as much.  Summers were fabulous because I never woke up to little rugrats around my house. 
Because my mother takes care of school teacher's kids, I have often had to deal with the parents of the kids as teachers.  Some people think this is weird, but not me.  Actually, every parent that is a high school teacher who has kids that come to my house, I have had a class with.  For some odd reason, they seem to be the classes I enjoy the most.
These days, when I wake up in the morning, the kids are usually not there yet.  I NEVER have to wake up to annoying kids and when I do see the children, they are either eating breakfast (usually for a second time), or playing quietly in my living room.  It's wonderful.  The kids talk to me while I eat breakfast and when I get home from school.  They are very entertaining and I have no problem with them coming to my house anymore.  In fact, I might miss them if they weren't there each day.

Looking back on the blog posts I have had so far, I've realized that all I have done is complain or talk bad about something.  For people who dont know me, they might begin to think I am a negative person..which is so not true.  I've decided to go back and say some nice things about everything I've blogged about so far. 
My first blog was about homework.  Now most wont disagree with what I said in that blog, but homework does help you remember what you learned that day.  The material sticks in your head the more you practice, and homework allows that to happen.  My second blog was about cheerleading.  Although I still believe it is not needed, they are always in a good mood and one of my best friends just so happens to be a cheerleader.  Sooo I cannot say anything bad about them..anymore.  My third blog was about making your bed.  Well, since that blog, my mother has not made my bed.  I still do not make it but I have realized and learned to appreciate how nice it is getting into a made bed at night.  My fourth blog was about detasseling.  The job has its ups and downs but it can be really fun and I got really close to certain people because of it.  My last blog was about Valentines Day.  It took me a while to figure out something positive to say.  The only thing I came up with is, if you love someone you should be able to show it.  Valentines Day is the perfect time to do it (even though you should do it every single day).
I'm not sure this shows that I can be positive but it is a start. This whole blogging thing got me thinking about what I dont really like and I decided to take advantage of it by complaining.  My future blogs will be more positive.  Unless something really ticked me off that I have to tell about.   

xoxo+throwup=valentines day :)

So there is this famous holiday coming up.  It's all about public displays of affection.  It's almost a contest between guys.  Like who can get their girlfriend the best gift.  You have people asking, "Will you be my Valentine?" and getting their sweetheart chocolate and balloons and roses!!  To make it ten times worse there is all those stupid commercials on TV about it.  Like "He went to Jared" or "Every kiss begins with k"  Then when you walk into stores and see heart shaped candies all over.  It's a waste of money and what about the people who are no longer in a relationship? Can you say depressing?  PDA makes me sick to begin with, but on Valentines Day you are with out a doubt going to see this.  EW!  I know a couple who broke up on V-Day! That's harsh.  Then there are people who break up right before and others who don't recieve gifts.  Either way, half the world will end up unhappy on that day.  Either because they are not in a relationship, their heart is broken, or they see everyone else happy.  Guys send their chicks flowers.  Well, flowers die.  According to Amanda Elsbury, that means your love will die someday too.  Alex Meyer says "I hate to see other people happier than me because it makes me angry."  There are many people in this world who are in relationships that do not celebrate this day (Dykstra is one of them).  Dykstra said people shouldn't celebrate Feb. 14.  This is one of the few things I agree with him on. 
On Valentines Day in elementary school, life was great.  We got candy from everyone in the class and had a party! I only cared about the candy we got at school and relationships did not matter to me.  Just as long as I got my candy, I was a happy camper.  Also, my parents would always get me some kind of cute container with chocolate in it.  Now, we get no candy at school and my parents don't get me any chocolate.  Basically, I've grown out of Valentines Day.  It is such a pointless holiday.

The Best Worst Job

Many people have never heard of corn detasseling.  Most of the time I would consider them lucky.  First, I'll just explain what it is.  You walk up and down rows of corn and pull out the tassels on the corn stalks.  Not that hard right?  Wrong.  You get on the bus at 7 in the morning for two weeks during the summer.  You rarely get a day off (you even work Saturday and Sunday).  Once you arrive at the corn field you file off the bus and get put into a row of corn.  Sometimes you are assigned 1 row. Sometimes you are assigned 6.  In the mornings, the corn is VERY VERY wet.  By the time you reach the other end of the field you are soaking wet from head to toe.  You go the rest of the morning this way wishing for dry clothes.  After lunch, well the sun is so hot you cannot stop sweating and you wish you were all wet again. 
Some days it's bad weather, and lucky us, we go to work anyway.  The mud sticks to your shoes which adds quite a few pounds making it hard to walk.  On top of that, you trip over rocks, your hands get sore, your feet ache from walking, but most of all you get a kick butt farmer's tan.
However, this terrible job can be fun.  You make a bunch of new friends and get to spend time with them everyday.  The leaders get cranky and making fun of them is always a good time.  They yell, and we can yell back.  There are many memories that are made.
Morgan Leider and I have been detasseling together for a couple years now.  We have become pretty close.  Last year however, we were doing a huge field that seemed to take all day.  They were assigning rows of 4 and 6.  Morgan decided she was never going to have a row of 6 and stuck me with it each time.  Of course she did this because she knew that was more work and those rows were terrible.  And then she had the nerve to tell me to hurry up!!!!  But I guess I have to give her a break considering she was attacked by a deer the year before.  Deer, skunks, ugly bugs, spiders, and other creatures are torchure during the day.  There are tons of other great stories to be told from the corn field but I will have to save those for another time. 
Although detasseling doesnt sound all that great, the memories that are made are well worth it.       

What's the point?

Every morning I get out of bed and get ready for school.  After I walk upstairs to eat breakfast I always know I can expect to hear those five annoying words from my mother.  "Did you make your bed?" My answer is always the same one.  No.  Then she gets mad because she has to make it just because everything has to be perfect in our house (or so she thinks).  Well considering it is my room and nobody goes in there during the day, I dont see why my bed has to be made.  Seriously, what's the point?  You wake up in the morning, crawl outta bed, and all you want to do is crawl back in.  Why waste your energy making your bed.  It not only wastes energy, but time as well.  It takes two precious minutes to make that thing when I could spend those two extra minutes in the shower or catching up on some sleep.  There was even some show about making your bed!  It said something about when you get up you shouldn't make your bed right away because you should let it air out for a while. So why not all day long? 
When you get ready to go to sleep at night, you just get back into bed and mess it all up again.  If you ask me, making your bed is just making more work for yourself.  It's a pointless chore. 
One day I decided to make life easier on my mother.  It was a saturday so I was in no hurry to get anywhere.  I had time to make my bed.  Well right as I finished (it took me forever because it had been so long since the last time I made my bed) she came down with the laundry basket and said she was going to be washing the sheets today so I didnt even need to make my bed.  After that, I gave up and have not made my bed since. 
Even though I never make my bed, each day I come home from school and somehow it has been made.  This is something I could live without.  If you ask me, my mother just loves working harder than she has to.  Nobody goes into my room except for the family and myself.  I don't care if my bed is made or not.  So why make it? My mother would tell you "because it looks better that way."  Well she must have forgotten that looks are not everything.

Just my opinion.

"A person who leads cheers and applause, especially at sporting events" is the definition of a cheerleader.  It was ruled out of being considered a sport in July 2010.  Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against cheerleaders as people or watching them compete.  However, cheerleaders at sporting events is completely pointless.  Whether someone agrees with this or not, lets look at what they do for the teams actually competing.  Who wins or loses? Not the cheerleaders.  Who scores points? Not the cheerleaders.  Who trains and practices everyday to get better? Not the cheerleaders.  Who helps win the game? Not the cheerleaders.  If this isn't enough to convince someone that cheerleaders at sporting events is pointless, let me continue.  Cheerleaders cheer on and support the team competing while they are off on the sidelines either jumping around or talking to their fellow cheerleaders.  If anything, this is only a distraction to the athletes competing.  A lot of times, cheerleaders do not even pay attention to what is going on in the game.  Now ask yourself what the fans do.  They sit up in the stands cheering on and yelling for their team.  To me, cheerleaders and fans are the same except for the fact that cheerleaders have these cute little uniforms they wear and stand apart from the others cheering on the team.  If you were to ask me, I will tell you no matter what that cheerleaders are not needed.  They are pointless and teams would win or lose with or without them there.  I do have respect for cheerleaders who compete in competitions though.  I realize it takes a lot of work to get a routine together and be able to compete the way they do.  The difference is, cheerleaders compete against other cheerleaders.  Which in my opinion, could be considered a sport.  The cheering that goes on at sporting events, well, anyone could do it.  If it were up to me, we would not have such cheerleaders.  The fans are enough support and they actually care about sport.  Many will agree, and many will disagree, but what I have just said is simply the truth. 

The Daily Hassle

There is one word that every high schooler dreads at the end of class. Homework.  We have just been in a class for an hour listening to the teacher go on about something nobody is interested in or we work on something that nobody wants to do but that is never enough because we have to go home later that night and do more work.  After seven classes each day, the work needed to do at home piles up.  Many students don't do their homework while others spend hours each night trying to get it done.  Something I'm sure teachers must not realize is that students do have lives other than just school.  Some have jobs, are in sports, or have other obligations.  School has taken up eight hours of our day and the last thing anyone wants to do is come home and think more about school.  Athletes have two hour practices each night so after they finally get home and eat supper it's around seven o'clock and they have two hours to get homework done before they will be ready for bed.  Students who work on weekdays often work from four to ten.  By the time they get home do you really think they are going to do homework instead of going to bed?  Teachers always tell students that school comes first.  Well duh! It takes up our entire day.  I wish they would understand that by the end of the day students are wiped out and sick of school.  The last thing we want to do is study or work more.  I understand that homework and studying is important for doing well but they get an hour of our day each day to teach us what we need to know.  If teachers want us to practice or prove we have learned something, have us do it in class.  If we need help, we can go in before or after school.  However not everyone needs that extra help.  I personally have at least two and half hours of homework each night.  That is on a good night.  Sometimes it will take me from when I get home from school at four till nine at night.  Only stopping for a a dinner break.  After three years of this I am fed up, sick, and tired of it!  I hate going home knowing I have more work to do.  Although homework will always be there and teachers will continue giving it each and everyday, I will never have a positive attitude towards it.