Things to do on Spring Break

Spring break is design for students and adults to have a week off from school/work and to enjoy a nice relaxing vacation. Many people take this time to travel to Florida or some other place with nice weather. Not everyone is as fortunate to take a trip to another town and it can become depressing when your friends can’t stop talking about going to Florida or where ever they are going. With them away, you are stuck at home bored out of your mind. But look no further because I have come up with a list of things to do on spring break that are still relaxing.

1.       Head outside. Hopefully the weather is nice enough for your week off to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. There are plenty of things to do outside like take a walk in the park or around your neighborhood.

2.      Help you parents out with the gardening by planting some flowers to make your yard look nicer.

3.      Exercise. Start now to get in shape for the summer or change up your exercise routine. You have all the free time so you can’t say you’re too busy.

4.      Learn to play a new sport. Whether its soccer to tennis learning a new activity is always fun and interesting even though it can be a lot of hard work.

5.      Clean. I know this isn’t something you want to do on your vacation but by throwing things away and dusting can improve your mood knowing that you don’t have to do it when you are busy and it also makes your house nicer.

6.      Read. Even if you aren’t a regular reading, grab a book that looks interesting and sit down and enjoy it. If it’s nice outside, grab a chair and read in with the fresh air and if its rainy cuddle up under a blanket and get lost in the book.

7.       See a movie. If you go during the afternoons it is less crowded and cheaper. With the extra money you save you can splurge in the concession area with popcorn and candy. If there aren’t any good movies in the theater you can rent them instead.

8.      Play a game with the family.

9.      Go shopping. Spend a day at the mall and get some new summer clothes. Just make sure that you don’t spend all your money or you may have a lot of stress to deal with later.

As you can see there are plenty of things to do on spring break. So next time you complain about being bored review the list I have made for you.

Raising a Potato: From Seed to Harvest

In our backyard we have a small garden in which we try to grow things in the summer time. Usually what we grow are vegetables and sometimes flowers. This year we are going to plant our usual lettuce, green peppers and tomatoes but we are also going to try something new which is onions and potatoes. My mom and I didn’t have this planned out until we went to the grocery store and saw that they were selling onion and potato seeds. We have planted potato seeds before because my grandparents grew them but we have never done it ourselves. So we did some research on how to plant them and this is what I came up with according to wiki how:

1.       Pick out a potato seed or seeds.

2.       Prepare the soil. You can plant them in the ground or put them in a planter (preferably large pots). Make sure that your soil is weed-free as much as possible. To make the dirt more nutrient rich add compost or manure to it. 

3.       Plant the potato. Time you’re planting so that if falls a week or two before the last frost of the season. My mom said her grandpa always planted them during holy week. The cold nights will kill the potential pest and your potatoes will need more sunshine as the days get longer. Put your seed potatoes about an inch into the soil, and then put a small mound of dirt over them. Potatoes should be far enough apart that if they grow to normal size they will not run into each other. As the stems grow add soil to your mound because if your potatoes are exposed to the sun while still growing they will turn green and somewhat toxic.

4.       Care for your potatoes.  Water your potatoes regularly because it is necessary for their growth. Once a week is fine during the summer as long as it is thorough. If the leaves on the stem are wilting then it needs to be water more often but be careful not to over water it because you will end up with a black potato. If you see holes or yellowing of your potato’s leaves than you might have pest. Use pesticides or ask a local garden shop on how to remove them. 

5.       Harvest your potato. When it is near the first frost you can harvest your potatoes and eat them. For smaller potatoes you can pull up in about seven to eight weeks after they are planted. You will know that they are ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and wilt. 

Hopefully growing potatoes isn’t too hard. It may seem like a lot of work but compared to other plants it’s about the same. With a bit of luck I think anybody can grow potatoes and now that you know how nothing is stopping you.

(484)

How to do a Fish Tail Braid

Being a girl means there is an endless supply of different hairstyles you can do with your hair. Whether you have short, medium, long, curly or straight hair there are hairdos out there for you to experiment. One of my favorite styles to do is a braid. Now you ask me what kind of braid because there are many different types the French braid, waterfall braid, regular braid and a fish tail braid. Well I like them all but I am going to tell you how to do a fish tall braid.

The fish tail braid is one of the newest braids that I have learned how to do. I have saw people wearing them and always thought it was cool looking and so one day I just happen to StumbleUpon the idea. From the information I have read this is how you make a fish tail braid:

First you tie your hair in a low pony tail. I always think that if it’s off to one side of your head looks better than behind you back but that is just me.

Then you split the pony tail into two sections like this:

After that comes the trickier part of the braid. You have to pull a thin strand of hair from the outside of the first section. Pull this strand over the first section, and add it under the second section of hair on the outside. In other words the piece of hair has gone over the first section and under the second section of hair.

Then you do the same to the other side.  Pull a strand of hair out for the outside of the second section and weave it under the first section of hair.

Keep repeating these steps until you have reached the end of your hairs length.

Finish the braid off with a hair tie, ribbon, barrette or accessories you would like.

I did find some tips to make the braid look better

1.       The skinnier the strand you use the more sophisticated the braid will look. The down part in this is that it will take more time.

2.       Try to use the same amount of hair each time.

3.       It can be as neat or messy as you would like. If you want a firmer braid, wet hair works best.

4.       If your fish tail is to tight use your fingers to gently loosen the stands.

(http://www.wikihow.com/Fishtail-Braid)

Everyone Has Goals

Everybody should have goals in life and have ways to achieve these objectives. Without a set of goals, you could lose your confidence and motivation to be something you have always wanted. A personal goal I would like to achieve by the end of the year would be to improve my time in track. For the past two years I have mainly ran the 800 race in track. This year my goal would be to run an 800 at about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, taking off 10 seconds from my 800 time last year. This goal is important to me because I would like to see improvement in the things that I work hard at and love to do. When I achieve this goal I will feel real happy because I work hard during practice but I never get to see the results I would like to see.  This would be my personal best time so if I achieve this goal then maybe I could shoot to take off even more of my time. 

Like any goal you set you will have to make some sacrifices and overcome obstacles along the way. In practice I will have to train hard, meaning that I have to hit the recommended times when we do track workouts, even if I am tired. On the weekends I also have to run the workout that the coaches have planned. I will have to eat right and get plenty of sleep not only on nights before the meets but all the time so I can stay healthy. In order for my leg to remain healthy I will have to do the exercises that the physical therapists recommend to do every day. If I continue to do these exercises than hopefully I will not have to sit out another season like I had to do for the majority of last year. If my leg starts to hurt than I am going to have to tell someone before it becomes too severe of a problem. During the race I can’t get down when I see people passing me. One way I can overcome this is by focusing and making them my targets to catch up to and beat at the end of the race. I have to try my best all the time and not let a bad day get in the way of my goal. I can’t give up during the race even if I am tired and feel like quitting. I have to stay strong and think positive. Even if this means I have to repeat “I can do this” in my head the whole time I am running.  The main thing, though, is to make sure that I am enjoying myself because that will boost my confidence and my performance.

Learning from Foreign Exchange Students

Kennedy has always done a program for the Japanese exchange students to come to school for a two weeks. They usually stay with families who child is in Japanese or a Chinese class at school. We also provide yearlong foreign exchange students who are from other countries also but they don’t necessary have to stay with a family who child is attending that school. With their arrival, I am always shocked at how amazed they are at everything that we take for granted. 

For example one of the foreign exchange in my photography class said that they didn’t have these “fun” or art classes at her school. They were just the basic math, language arts, science and social studies. Here at Kennedy we are provided a variety of extra classes, ranging from wood tech. to ceramics. 

Another thing she told me was how they had to clean their school themselves. This might not be true to all schools in Japan because I am not sure if she went to a private one or not. But still, we are provided janitors to clean our bathrooms and sweep the floors. I never knew students had to do that until she told me about it.

Another thing we take for granted is driving. Most other countries will not allow you to get license until you are 18 years old of age. Here, we can start driving with a parent at 14 and then on our own when we are 16. This I take for granted every day because I drive to school and work without having to worry about taking a bus or have my parents drop me off.

Most schools in other countries also don’t have extra circular activities like sports. Usually they are part of a different organization that you have to sign up and not through the school. This makes me sad because this is where the school spirit is, kids attending games or clubs in their school colors. Since they don’t have these sports at their school, usually they are very eager at going out for a sport while they are staying and attending Kennedy. 

I think no matter what country you go to there will always will be small things that amaze you. For those who have grown up in that area, don’t think about it not being there. If I never would have met the foreign exchanges students I would have never have learned the different things they do in school whether it’s having a two hour lunch break or having to clean their school. They might be here for learning about how things are done here but we also learn from them.

"The Help"

The Help was an Oscar nominated movie that I have wanted to see since it first came out this past summer. Since it was my birthday last weekend, March 3^rd , and I didn’t have any homework or had to go to work, I decided to watch the movie with my family.



I was a little unsure of what to expect from the movie. I knew it had to be good because it was nominated for an Oscar but most of the movies nominated are never ones that I really my type; some tend to be on the more artsy side like The Artist. Even though the movie was really popular, I didn’t know what it was really about before I read the back of the DVD case. For those like me who don’t know the movie is about black maids/nannies in the south during the 1950s and the discrimination they face. One lady, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan who is a journalist comes up to them and wants to right down and publish what they face. The book, called The Help, was finally published causing some controversy in the town but also so good things too.

Throughout the whole movie I was really captivated in what was going on. I have always had a hard time watching certain movies because I get bored easy and start multitasking, but this movie was different. I didn’t know the actors or actresses in the movie but they were all very good, which is probably why two of them got nominated for best actresses and supporting actress (Octavia won best supporting actress).

The plot was well developed throughout the film with very little confusing spots. The scenes were well adaptive to the time period which took place in the 1950s. Also the costumes and the way they talked and acted were what you accepted at that time period. 

The only bad thing about the movie was the ending. It’s more of a personal opinion because it didn’t end the way I want or expected. But don’t let my opinion stop you from watching the movie. Even if I knew the ending beforehand I would still want to watch it. 

I would definitely recommend watching “The Help” for those who are looking for something to do on a rainy day. Who knew that an educational video could be so interesting?

Inspiration At Your Desk

Where does your inspiration spark? I always feel mine are spurred at the oddest times; usually places were there isn’t away for me to write these ideas down. My only hope is that I will remember this idea but by the time I have a chance to write it down usually it doesn’t have the same effect that inspired me in the first place. This always makes me mad because I had a perfectly brilliant idea in the first place but am unwilling to actually successfully fulfill it. For example when I was writing my synthesis essay last night I couldn’t come up with an opener. I decided to take a break so I went and took a shower. Upon in the shower I can up with a brilliant opener, or as great of an idea that I am capable of producing. When I was done and ready to go back and tackle the opener, I only had pieces of that brilliant idea. People say that you should always keep a journal with you to write down these thoughts buts it’s kind of hard to do when you’re in the shower. Paper doesn’t do well when wet. 

I want to know if there are ways that I can get inspired at the computer rather than these odd places. After doing some research, I found Forbes Magazine’s site had a list of 9 things that can get you inspired while working at your desk.

1.       Tidy Up Your Desk: get rid of all the unnecessary materials that would distract you and trade them with your favorite pen/pencil and notebook or other materials that you like.

2.       Improve Your View: We may not all have a window looking out to a gorgeous landscape but you can improve your view than staring at your normal white walls. One way to do this is to bring a calendar or photographs which will bring a pop of color to the area that you are so use to.

3.       Explore the Internet: this can be a little dangerous to do since it is easy to get side tracked but view your favorite sites like a blog or Pinterest. You might see something that can trigger you mind into coming up with an idea.

4.       Another View Point: Look at things from another view that you don’t necessary agree with, this may even change you opinion in the first place.

5.       Connect with a Celebrity: Find a famous role model and read their book, listen to their interviews or check their twitter. This may be on the stockerish side and I don’t really think this would work for me but it obviously works for others.  

6.       Humor Break: Going through the day without laughing can make the day seem a drag. So in order to change this take a 10 minute break and watch you favorite TV show or read something humors.

7.       Theme Song: Find a song that gets you motivated and play it throughout the day. This will get to stop procrastinating and encourage you to finish that assignment.

8.       Goals: Set goals for yourself in when you are going to finish this assignment. For example by 12:17 I will have finish this post.  This gets you motivated to complete the task at hand

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/02/13/9-ways-to-get-inspired-from-your-des

I hope these helpful tips that I have found will help you and others to get inspired at your desk rather than at a place where there is no paper to be found.