Au Revoir

Au Revoir



I never thought this day would come but it has officially arrived. It’s my ninetieth blog! It’s hard to believe that I have written 90 blogs over the course of the year. I remember thinking at the beginning of the year, how am I ever going to come up with enough topics. At that time we were only supposed to write 30 for the end of the trimester. Now six months or so later those 30 blogs have developed into a grand total of 90.



No matter how much I despise blogging I think it did help me in my writing. Since we were to write 30 blogs each term I had to practice writing at least once a week. As the weeks went by I began to see my own mistakes and correct them. I also developed my sentences more and was able to develop my blogs more than we I first started writing in the fall.



As I state before I didn’t know how I could come up with enough blog topics. This provides to be challenging in the beginning because I couldn’t develop my ideas into more than a couple of sentences, or I would be rambling on about who knows what. Then when second and third term came around, I became a pro at finding random topics to write about. I found that I like writing my opinions on topics that we don’t normally discuss in class. Some topics can be fun to write about and some I can’t wait till the 300 word count comes up on the computer screen.



As much as it has help me become a better writer, I didn’t really enjoy it. It’s not that it was boring; writing is just not for me. It’s like having to swim ten miles when you normally run. It’s tough. Some people continue to blog but that isn’t the case for me. So this is goodbye blog, good bye readers.

Cat Power

I believe in the power of having a cat. This cat can be independent or needy, big or small, furry or bald, but it’s the idea of owning one that affects your life.

I found this to be true when my family got our cat, Piper. She is going to be 11 years old but still acts like the kitten she was when we got her ten years ago. Cats are, I believe, humans but in animal form. They are unpredictable. One day they will sleep all day, the next your cant get them to stop running around the house sounding like a herd of elephants. They don’t depend on other people in order to survive like a dog. Nobody needs to keep them entertained while you are on vacation or take them for walks. Cats keep themselves occupied by starring out the window all day or investigating a box.

I can always count on Piper being there for me. Whenever I stayed home from school because I was sick, she would always snuggle next to me on the couch. On days when I come home from school and no one is home, I open the door to find Piper waiting on the steps, greeting me, since no one else is there to do it. Then she will follow me around to keep me company in the quiet house. Piper always puts a smile on my face from the random positions that I catch her in. Who knew that sleeping on your back with one leg sticking up in the air would be comfortable? Or when she was younger she would jump up on our stair railing (which is not very wide) and walk on it like she was practicing her gymnastic moves. I can always count on Piper making my day better.

As the years have gone by I can see how Piper has made an impact on my life. This is why I am proud to say I am a cat person.

(337)

Advantageous of Seniors Graduating

I could sit here and write a sappy blog on all the things I am going to miss when the seniors are gone but I don’t want to cry while writing it. Instead I will write a blog about all the positive things that will happen now that the seniors are gone. 

More parking spaces will be open! Now that the seniors will be gone there will be a lot more parking spaces that are open. As long as the sophomore’s don’t think their cool and get to them first. As a person who doesn’t have a zero hour and never really gets ready in time to have a good parking spot I have spent basically the whole year walking all the way from the end of the parking lot. I am not complaining, the walk was nice on a warm day, but it’s nice to also have a close parking spot especially when you are running late.

The lunch line will be shorter. No more will there be the regular seniors budging in line in front of you to get lunch before you even though you waited in line. I not saying that nobody else does it but seniors gone there is one less person in front of you in line.

The biggest plus with the seniors leaving is that the hallways will be less crowded! I hate going through the foyer, especially between 3 and 4 hour, because it’s always so crowded. With the senior’s big group in front of the bench and then the annoying freshmen group, there is no room for people to walk. You are constantly bumping into people and then the rude person in the back of the pack trying to be funning and push their friend but instead causing people to run into each other. With at least 300 people gone, there will be more space to move around and I don’t have to awkwardly make my way around. 

Even though there are a lot of positive things that come out with the seniors graduating I will miss them. Just think, this is probably one of the last times you will see some of them. Whatever they end up doing with their life, I wish them good luck!

(379)

Filthy Lavatories

Recently in the last Cougar Advisory Council we had to complete a survey on a list of things at Kennedy. We had to grade our teachers, write the best and worst things about the council meetings and things we can improve around the school. The things we can improve around the school are what I really want to focus on. The first thing that came to mind was not the parking but the bathrooms.

Everybody has to go to the bathroom at some point during the day. You would think that they would be kept clean since everybody visits them. But no, they are the most disgusting thing at Kennedy, at least the girls are. The sinks especially get to me. They are supposed to be were you get the germs off your hands but every time I use them I feel like I am only get dirtier just by looking at them. There is makeup spilled in the sinks making questionable marks. Hair is cling to the drain, which really grosses me out. Paper towels are lying in the sink all wet and nasty looking. Overall it just plain nasty.  We can blame the janitors solely some of it is our fault to, or more specific those who don’t clean up after themselves. If you have to wear makeup, put it on at home. Don’t have time you say, well get up an extra 5 minutes. Aren’t allowed, don’t wear it. Simple as that. Then we have the people who leave their hair everywhere. I know we sometimes have hair malfunctions and must redo are hair during the day, but straightening it in the bathroom? Go home and do it, you’re not at a salon or your home.

Again the bathrooms at school are public, not your bathroom at home. Clean up after yourself, you are in a public place. When I look at the sinks in the bathroom I often wonder if they are making a mess here, I wonder what their bathrooms at home look like. Even the house as a whole. I think ill pass next time you offer me over.

(357)

Miley? Really?

From late elementary school to middle school, I use to look up to Miley Cyrus, or also known as Hannah Montana. I loved to watch her show on Disney Channel, it really was one of the few that I liked even though it didn’t have great acting. Then when Miley decided to end the show and her career went downhill for there.  Hannah Montana appealed to the younger girls, like my age back then, but to Miley it wasn’t enough. She wanted to expand her audience and by doing that she had to quite the show.  This was a bad move.

She didn’t gradually try to appeal to the older crowd which probably hurt her most. The first second she was still Hannah Montana and then the next she was only wearing a leotard, trying to be the new Beyoncé. Then she was caught smoking something out of a bong at a friend’s house. I don’t if she knew that if she was trying to appeal to a more mature crowd, drugs don’t have to have a factoring in the situation. This eventually died down and Miley went on tour over in Europe because “America wasn’t giving her much love.” I don’t blame America because who wants to see a singer who appealed to so many little kids try to act too old for her age in only a piece of cloth.  Now that her tour is over and nobody is paying attention to her, she has to find some way into the spot light. What does she do, she comes pant less to some award show. I would understand if it was lady gaga or some other singer that has dressed like that since they were famous. But Miley?, a girl that is 20 years old if even that. She is only wearing a suit jacket that looks like it barely covers her butt. The first question that popped in my head was “how in the world is she going to sit down without exposing her butt” and “how can she move with such a short outfit”. Let me tell, that this jacket wasn’t made to wear without pants.

The ways Miley try’s to shine are not moments that people should remember her by. She can try to go away from the younger audience but she should have done it slowly. It takes time for people to unattached the kids singer for the person. For a family in the music business she should have known that. The way she tries to get attention now is by making her look bad. Again not something we want to remember about Miley.

(441)

Annotated Bibliography "The Help"

Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. New York: Amy Einhorn, 2009. Print. (pg. 524/524)

The last book I chose to read for this class was “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. I saw the movie in March and have wanted to read the book for quite sometime. Unfortunately the book was on a 10 day check out and I knew no matter how great it was I probably would not finish it in time with my busy schedule. Finally one day as I was roaming the library for a book I discovered that “The Help” was off the limited check out list and got the book. Since I saw the movie and thought it was amazing, I was a little skeptical on how the book could live up to it. But, like always, the book was way better than the movie.  In the first couple of pages I was instantly hooked and could not put it down. Every time I had free time in school or at home I would read the book. I knew how the story progressed because of watching the movie but as I continued reading I discovered parts left out of the film which made the book all the more interesting. 

The book takes place in Jackson, Mississippi around the early 60’s. Every couple of chapters the writer, Kathryn Stockett, switches between the three main characters, Minnie, Abileen and Skeeter, to tell their part in the story. This was not confusing at all because the chapter’s title reveals when it is switching characters. Since the story takes place in the south, there are sentences with southern words and accents. This was most noticeable with the maids, Minnie and Abileen. They had very little education, when they spoke it was not always proper grammar. For example when Abileen says “I guess he know he done lost this one before it even started.” or Minnie saying “Them peaches from Mexico.”  Over all, though, these southern sentences were not that challenging and easierto  pick up what they were trying to say. The book wasn’t an easy read but it thought I would be more challenging than it really was. This could be because I enjoyed it so much. 

If anybody ever needed a book to read I would highly recommend “The Help”. I would advise you that if you didn’t see the movie and want to, to watch the movie first. I feel if I read the book first, I would have been disappointed with how it turned out. I have to say though that “The Help” both the book and movie are on my top 5 of favorite book and movie list.
(445)

Drive-Thru Etiquette (Part Four)

8. My biggest pet peeve is when people come through and complain. I know it can be frustrating when it seems you are paying more for a little cone but I have NO control. I am a seventeen year old, who is working there to save money for college. I have no control over prices. Or, complain how we don’t take certain coupons. Again I have no control, I am not the owner. This was especially prominate when we had the buy one blizzard get a mini for 50 cents. On TV and adds in the paper it said you can get any size blizzard for 50 cents but the Linn county Dairy Queens decided only a mini for that price. People keep on saying we should advertise something that we don’t follow through. We don’t have control over what is advertise and we had signs up all around the building say the mini was  50 cents, yet people still could not read.  Another complaints we get a lot is on our grill closing time. The grill closes when the dining room closes which is a half hour before drive-thru. We have people come through the line saying well you should open up your grill or it should be open till you close all the way. One person came through like maybe a minute after we closed grill, trying to order a hamburger. When I proceed to tell him that our grill was close he yelled at me saying that it wasn’t 9:30 and he was going to call corporate. Complaining gets you nowhere and only makes both the costumer and the employee mad. All it doesn’t is create awkward situations. So please, complain to someone who cares. 

As long as you follow my tips on how to get through a drive-thru, you probably won’t have any problems. And  both you (the costumer) and the employee will leave happy.