So a few weeks ago in sociology we were talking about nature vs. nurture, and at first I thought it was pretty much half and half, but now I'm thinking otherwise....based on the movies we watched and the things we talked about, I really think it's a combination of the both but mostly nurture. A girl named Genie was abused by her father as a child and was locked in her room until about age 11. When she came out she didn't have any social abilities and resorted to doing things in almost an animal-like manner. Sure that's only one example, but that's so obvious right there!

On a much much smaller scale, I've had the chicken pox since thursday and have been held captive in my house. No going places. No seeing anyone. Basically no life. Usually only one of my parents has been home at a time over the past 5 days, so needless to say, I haven't been socializing very much besides a few phone calls. When one of my friends came over who had already had the chicken pox, she dropped off a movie but then we ended up talking for 20 minutes after and it put me in such a good mood just to talk to someone! It felt really weird, though, even though I had only been stuck at home for about 5 days so far! I think that also supports the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture debate- it shows how big of an impact people have on our lives and how much we need relationships to get by :)

This is a Game that Never Ends...

Ok so maybe I'm just not the destroying the world type, but I don't see the point of the game Risk. My dad and my brother have been at it for the past three days, and it's getting a bit old...ok REALLY old! I understand that it's just a game, but at the same time, it's a tedious game where you try to dominate the world. What happened to the idea of world peace? Now we play a game where a single person dominates everyone? ...seems kinda pointless and contradictory to me. Call me crazy, but I wanna see my brother and dad come out of the basement soon...and preferably before one of them rules over the entire world!

The Most Magical Place on Earth

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida with 2 of the GBN choirs. I had a blast, and the 5 days we were there were jam-packed with a bunch of activities ranging from going to a Disney lou-au to dining on the third floor of Planet Hollywood. During the day we had free time to go to any park we wanted, and at night we usually had an activity with the entire group. On the Sunday we were there, we even got to go to Sea World where I touched my first dolphin :) That was an experience I'll never forget, and it all happened in Orlando! The group of girls I walked around with made it to all the parks in Disney including Epcot, Animal Kingdom, MGM, and finally Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is, by far, the most magical of all the parks! Even just walking through the gates into the long streets of Disney makes you feel like you've entered into a whole new world where sadness is impossible. I was blown away by the intricate detail in every single building and table and ride at Disney. So much work goes into making it the happiest and most magical place on earth, and it definitely pays off. In the entire 5 days I was there, I only saw one child crying! And keep in mind, there are A LOT of kids at Disney! I had such a fun time there, and I'll never forget all the magic that was showered upon me when I first stepped into the happiest place on earth! :D

What to do Over Winter Break...

So the bell rings and we all rush out of school the minute it's over on the last day before winter break. Sure we're all super excited to get out, but for the people who are staying home over break, there's really no rush. I know for me, I had a bunch of plans for the first week of break, but by the second week I was sitting at home on the couch with nothing to do. But then it hit me- why not go listen to my favorite stand-up comedian, Demetri Martin? I can guarantee that in one of his 10 minute YouTube videos you will laugh at least once. He even brought a little life into one of our family parties! My mom and dad were trying to entertain a couple at our house who seemed as if we were the most boring dinner party people they had been with in their entire lives. My mom signaled to me across the table to go upstairs to get my iPod and speakers and she later told me to put some Demetri Martin on. In a matter of minutes, our guests were laughing histarically, with tears streaming out of their eyes they were laughing so hard! Obvously our idea to pump up the party was a success. So weather you're home alone with nothing to do or trying to entertain dull dinner party guests, Demetri will bring a giggle or two to you :)

What to do...

As many of the Glenbrook North health class students know, sex ed is now our new topic for the next couple weeks. The other day, our class had a guest speaker come into our class to talk to us about birth control, and how to prevent pregnancy and STDs. But there has been some controversial ideas about the teachers teaching us the lessons about preventind pregnancy. Although they do tell us that abstinence is the only 100% way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, are they saying it's ok to be having sex in high school? Are they saying it's ok to engage in an activity with another that is actually illegal when we're under the age of 18? But at the same time, maybe they are doing the right thing by trying to prevent bad things of happening when some people actually do these things. So which one is right? I'm still not even sure. I agree with both sides of the idea, but can't figure out a way to make both sides happy.

An example of where this actually occured was Jamie Lynn Spears. She got pregnant a while ago by her boyfriend and is now caring for her own child-- while she's still a teenager! So how did this happen? Is it from her not being well educated enough about birth control or is it from not being informed it was an illegal and wrong act when she's under the age of 18? There's no real telling the answer to that, but I think people should understand both sides- that sex is illegal when one or both partners are under the age of 18, and what birth control to use. Although one baby seemed like enough for Jamie Lynn, magazines say she is pregnant again, but not yet sure of what to do. It seems crazy to me that this could be happening to her again. But I guess it's all about choice, weather it was your choice to have a baby or not. Make sure you're informed before you do something!

Magic in a Word

What comes to your mind when I say the word, Twilight? An amazing book? Stephenie Meyer? A beautiful actor in the new hit movie? No matter what comes to mind, it's always something. Almost everyone, at least at school, has at least heard of this movie. Becoming the number 1 movie in America, a very popular movie among girls of all ages, this hit book and movie has swept the nation, and the main character, Edward Cullen, has become a household name. When I first began reading the book, even I couldn't put it down, and I'm not a big fan of reading! So what makes this book so unbelievably amazing?
Twilight is enriched with suspense in each compelling word. The end of each chapter is a cliffhanger that just falls into the next chapter, and this makes it almost impossible to put it down. This incredible suspense mixed in with romance, action, and the twist that the main character being a vampire brings to the story, makes up for a bestseller. Although I will admit, the book and movie are both pretty cheesy, but reading the book is not time wasted. I believe Stephenie Meyer does a great job of making the reader feel the same way as a character in her book, which compells the reader even more. Twilight, which used to simply be a word to describe the time of day around dusk and nightfall, now brings magic into the air when spoken, and gives us the hope to believe anything is possible.

Beauty- It's All Around Us

New technology is being created each and every day, and most of the time teenagers are getting so caught up in it that many other things are being left in the dust. Focus, for example- we can never be doing one thing at once because we're texting someone else, or IMing someone on the computer. Sometimes this makes it difficult to appreciate good and beautiful things in life. We're going by and seeing things but not actually looking. This is something that I started to think about this year, and especially after Mrs. Gallagher's story about her best friend from school when she was our age who died years later. She said that he had done everything 100%, and it made me realize that we really need to take in what we see, and appreciate it.
I've loved photography ever since I was little, and still love going out and taking pictures, but now I'm really loving it because I'm appreciating the beauty in everything I see. It's taken me a while to fully realize what I'm photographing, or actually see how beautiful it is. But now I think I finally get it. These pictures of flowers in this post I have taken at the Botanic Gardens, and even just walking there in the gorgeous gardens takes my breath away. Even if I never get a professional photography job or anything, I'll be happy if I touch a single person with the beauty of the things I'm photographing.
Nature is a gift to us in and of itself, and so often we take for granted even an old Oak tree we pass on the way to school, or the garden in the backyard that it seems like our parents will never stop adding to. But really, we should be admiring and taking care of the beautiful world we live in, and photography is a great way to share with people the beauty that is all around us.