Reflection

My Junior year was one of the most fun years of school I have ever had. My classes were generally interesting, and many a laughs were shared in them. My teachers were excellent this year which has not been the case in the past unfortunately. I really pushed myself hard to do well and this year will be the first in which i have gotten straight A's both semesters (hopefully). I never felt over worked during the year but I was definitely engaged all year. This year feels a lot longer and much more memorable than my other two years of high-school which i guess is a good thing. I'm excited to be finished with the year though and move on to the illustrious senior year (especially since  don't have to write a 10 page paper for english anymore). I became more involved in Henry Clay which is something I am surprised I liked. Joining EAP really broadened my horizons in terms school awareness. I hope to continue this trend next year by getting even more involved in eap as well as nhs. This is supposed to be the hardest year of High School so I'm glad I got it over with and I cannot wait to see what lies in store for me next year.

Not bad.

I started off Junior terrified of how difficult it would be. I had heard a lot of awful things about if being the hardest year of high school. You suddenly have a bunch of really hard AP classes and you're an upperclassman, so no funny business. To my surprise, it really hasn't been that bad. I've had a really good year and a lot of fun. I don't know whether it really isn't as bad as everyone says or if my situation just made it better for me specifically. I didn't have Mrs. Dewees, so that was a huge workload off of my back, and AP Calculus 2 was a dream of a class. Another thing that hits most people hard is going from one or two AP classes to three or four. Most Academy kids only had AP World last year, and this year most were upped to four. Personally, I took three AP classes last year and three this year. Because of that I was probably way more acclimated to the workload this year. I have hardly stressed all year and my grades have been as good as always. It's surprising to me.

Dat Reflection

Junior year has been a pretty swell time. As I was first coming back into school from the Summer of  2011, I only heard of the perils that junior year brought about, and how much awful, awful stress it was coupled with. But once I was settled in, I came to realize that the work load was something that I could deal with. The worst of it, I have to say, came in the form of AP Biology, in which I have spent the entire year thoroughly reading the 56 Chapter textbook around three chapters per week or two. Not even that, however, kept me from enjoying my free time, and I surprisingly was able to maintain a decent social life. Sure, every now and then I would reach points where I would have an emotional slump, but don't we all? It's better to look at down times as experiences from which you can learn more, and that's what I plan to do with everything junior year has thrown at me.

Barty Crouch... JUNIOR

Wow.  I can barely remember the first day of school this year.  I can hardly remember those 5 or 6 classmates that always leave in the first week because the workload sucks or something.

Really though, this year has been the best in education since 7th grade for me.  Freshman year and sophomore year were basically a blur of monotone schooling.  Nothing much happened.  But this year, so many things changed.  I actually have a schedule full of teachers I trust, can learn from, and genuinely like, instead of last year when two of my teachers made my day hell.  This year I got my drivers license, which opened so many windows of opportunities that senior year looks so much more appealing.

I also want to thank Mr. Logsdon for the chance to do these PSAs.  It's really given me a chance  to form new bonds with old friends and develop new skills for a future career in cinematography.  It's currently 2:15 am and I've been editing for 12 hours and waiting on the last 3 videos to upload to Youtube.  I've spent all of Friday and Saturday filming not only mine, but 6 other peoples' videos.  I've househopped 5 different times and spent all of Sunday at my computer, helping my friends with their projects.  I just love exercising my skills to the max and seeing the wonderful results.  I can't wait to do this kind of stuff next year for my mentoring project and TV/Radio!

bittersweet?

Oh my goodness, this year passed by so fast. The first day of junior year seems like yesterday. I remember when we all walked in Mr. Logsdon's room and could not keep our eyes off the wall, when Mrs. Dewees' fast talking, teaching, and "Calculus first!" mentality caught us off guard, when Mr. Pope talked about bubbles bursting and we could not help but be engaged to what he says, and when Mrs. Gill decided to spring a test on us on the first day of school. We've come a long way since dissections and Lentz's Star Wars obsession, but I wouldn't say we have changed much. I know I haven't. Our 2013 class is still the same, immature, and hilarious bunch. We've come closer in many ways, but it's sad to think the end is near! At the same time, however, I am super excited for senior year and for college after that. True, we've caught senioritis three years early, but I'm not just going to start slacking off (even more) just because we're at the top of the school and at the end of high school. I'm pumped for college but sad to leave Henry Clay. I will miss the people, not so much the food, the lines, the dirty bathrooms, the trash-filled sinks, and windowless rooms, but the teachers and my friends. I've found a family here. It's bittersweet to know it will all be over soon.

Junior Year

This entire year has gone by so quickly even faster than the last. I feel that high school has most definitely gone by the fastest. I am still unclear of what happened sophomore year and freshman year with them all blending together making me still feel like I am a sophomore instead of an upcoming senior. Its hard to believe there is only one more year of high school and after that everything will change drastically for all of us. Its hard to believe that we are only going to be able to stay here with this same group of people for one more short year.
This year though has been especially memorable though, I feel that I have been able to form more personal relationships with all of my teachers due to the maturity that all of us lacked as underclassmen. This year the teachers were more lenient of rules and seemed more like friends rather than a complete authority figure. Overall I am was very happy with my junior year in high school and I am excited for my classes next year.

Is This It?

Throughout my short lifetime, there have been a number of occurrences in which I have been fascinated by the way life has unfolded. This weekend was one of those times.

In the midst of completing the projects due Monday and volunteering for six hours, I was able to still find time to listen to music. This morning, while reclining in an armchair, I found myself contemplating about life – specifically junior year – while listening to Kid Cudi's station on Pandora. After going through my fondest memories of this year, I found myself asking, "Is this it?" And as fate would have it, the next song that started playing was "Someday" by The Strokes, which is off their album "Is this it?" I was so utterly awed by the coincidence that I truthfully believed it was by divine intervention (Really, how many similarities do Kid Cudi and The Strokes share?), and I used the vestige as an excuse to spend more time thinking about the past year.

I'm not one to deem a year as great or awful. I believe that every year is a learning experience, and that as long as you've gained new knowledge, your year was a success. Junior year was definitely a successful year.

Upon entering this year of school, I expected to barely make it through. I anticipated mountainous amounts of homework and multiple tests each week, topped off with preparation for standardized tests. I was surprised (pleasantly so) to find that most of the information I had received was hyperbole. Yes, junior year was a huge leap in regards to work, but it wasn't some unsurmountable task. I still made it through with a fair amount of success. I feel confident in my abilities as a student and I have learned that natural talent will only get you so far. Hard work and dedication are key for every aspect of life.

I find it very fortunate that English class required a good deal of writing this year. For the most part, the type of writing that Mr. Logsdon assigned us was outside my comfort zone. However, I believe that throughout the course of the year my skills as a writer have improved, which is something I am quite thankful for.

The biggest accomplishment of this year has been my growing maturity. I learned to come out of my shell more and as a result, I have been more active in clubs and have made more friends.

End of Junior Year.

In my opinion, it would be an understatement to say this year has gone by quickly. It is hard to believe that it has been nine months since we started our junior year. That being said, I could not be more excited to start summer vacation. I am mentally already finished with my classes (and have been for about two weeks). During the summer, I will not have have to worry about getting up early or completing homework with the exception of summer work.
Throughout junior year, I have really enjoyed all my classes. Although they sometimes got boring, for the most part I learned a lot and had fun. I really enjoyed my schedule because I had all of my harder classes in the morning so after lunch I was basically finished for the day. It was also a nice change to have more non-academy classes, giving me a chance to meet more students at Henry Clay. Even though parking on the hill stinks, I enjoyed having the freedom that came with my license. Next year, I'm sure I will experience a lot more changes, all amounting to a great senior year.

Untitled

Look, as far as I am concerned, I only exist in the present. Screw the past, and screw the future. The both of them can go and rot in Hell.

I don't scrapbook. Or take pictures. Or videotape. Or keep a journal. Or flip through year books or reminisce.

I don't keep a calendar. I don't plan ahead. I don't write down my homework assignments.

I just do what I do I do and I do it now.

And I guess that is how I'm considered impatient.

So, when you ask me, "How was your year?", I really have no damn clue.

What the Hell am I supposed to say? Good? Bad? In between? Formative? Worthwhile? An experience I'd never want to lose?

Hell, I ain't gonna say any of that. Because what the Hell is the point? I'm one egotistical, narcissistic jerk, but even I don't see the purpose in just talking about the way my past year has been. Because no matter what I say, I'm not changing what happened. Nor am I changing what will happen. No, I'm just wasting time, making what happened what could've happened. So it wasn't good. Or bad. Or everything or nothing.

Because it was much more than any of that. It was highs and lows. And just agonously boring at parts. It is even part of the present. And I am a part of everything I have ever experienced. So, in endeavoring to characterize the last year is in part characterizing a bit of myself (which would in effect make the last year be awesome). Which is impossible. I can't define what I am. I am me. Philip Barrett Block. I'm every word I've said. I'm every curse and compliment, lie and truth I have ever uttered. I'm every smile I've given someone, just as much as I am every tear I've made shed.

So, if I am indeed the present, and the present is part of the past, then I am the past. And I am typing away, doing homework, stressing, drowning in work, developing stomach ulcers, slowly dying and slowly living, drinking tea, and not moving and checking grades, and rambling, and waiting and savoring and suffering from exhaustion but nonetheless happy healthy and blessed in a home where everyone loves me with every thing I could ever want for ever and ever for several eternities and full of miserable contentment and a desperate hope that the morning will not come that these seconds and minutes and other periodic measures of time will just stop to pass by so that I am here forever and for no time at all left to move and play in this space that is mine for I never want to grow up as I am slowing growing up and it is frightening and exciting like a bloody lip with that metallic taste on your tongue and that stinging in your throat and those vibrations in your gut like you're hungry and tasting your meal before it gets into your mouth and there you are and here I am and we have successfully evade reason and thought for there is no time except this one so let us not reflect so that this moment may last forever and never die as does a bird or a fish or a deer when it flies or swims or skips out of the way of your view so that it is untitled as was this year of heaven and Hell for I know it could not have happened any other way nor will life happen any other way than it will if you don't believe than allow this to illustrate I dare you I implore you to look at a word and reflect on it and analyze and think and think and think but no matter what you thing or feel or infer or hypothesize you ain't gonna change a damn thing keep telling yourself that you will but you're not it'll never happen because no matter what it happens you can quit now or quit later and I'm never gonna quit I'm just gonna wait till my time in the present vanishes like the sun on the horizon and I have but no other choice than to make that horrible and irrevocable realization that every damn thing has come to some unknowable end.

Wait, I’m not a freshman anymore? Is this real life?!

Junior year, wow. It’s flown by so quickly. I still remember walking in on the first day as a freshman and being overwhelmed by the size of Henry Clay. This year was just like everybody warned me it would be like- extremely hard. Junior year was by far the toughest year of my schooling that I’ve had to endure. I took three AP classes and one of them was AP Chemistry, nuff said. The summer before this year, I went to the beach for two weeks and that was probably the biggest mistake of my life. The whole attitude while we were at the beach was completely carefree and we didn’t worry about anything. Well, all of that translated over to the school year. That on top of other things that happened during the school year made this year the hardest year I’ve ever experienced. If I had it to do over, I would definitely focus more on my schooling instead of thinking that nothing in life mattered. My attitude has cost me many things for my future. I’m not saying that I won’t have a future or be able to do all of the things I want to do with my life, but I just know that my choices have made the road to my goals a little bumpier than I would have liked. With all that said, I have realized to never take anything for granted because the good things in life can always be taken away.

Hopefully this won't get put in as a zero (a reflection on my Junior year)

Junior year has been alright.
Despite countless assignments and complications which have contributed stress to me, a person who when faced with stress is likely to shriek like a banshee in mating season, this year has been pretty good. I felt like a learned a lot of important information in my classes, developed a greater sense of community with my peers, and most importantly didn't spontaneously combust (yet). Now you may be asking yourself, "Well gee, how did the stress not beat this kid? He clearly can't take it." And I will tell you the answer: I have no idea. Admittedly, first semester was quite a bit more stressful than second semester. And I will attribute much of this to the transformative experience I had in the All-State Orchestra. I don't know what happened, but following my times there nothing could phase me. I thought it might have been something in the water, or maybe someone slipped me drugs which magically lasted for months, but whatever the reason, I was not the same person after returning. Reflecting on the things that have changed this year, math is now even more important to me than it was at the beginning of the year and music is an even more crucial element to my life. If I had to do it all over again I would probably sit in traffic until my inevitable death, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good year.

Junior year...it's been real.

I’ve actually written this blog 3 other times before this. I liked this start the best “Junior Year.... It’s been real.” Like everyone else has said, it was the hardest year academic year for me. It’s not because of all the homework (there was quite a bit sometimes) but it was more because of lack there of. I actually had to study outside of class. Whhaattt? That was pretty new to me. My second favorite line from another draft I wrote, “With only 3 days left, I reflect on this past year. . . on my successes, my failures, my mistakes, and most importantly the lessons I’ve learned.” I don’t think I failed at anything this year and that’s all I am going to reflect about it. I don’t really think I’ve taken big risks so that’s another topic on which I’m finished reflecting. I made some mistakes this year, but who didn’t? I learned from my mistakes this year and now I know who my friends are. Sure that is not the prettiest lesson since it meant losing friends but it was worthwhile because I gained new ones (yay Disney trip!) I really like talking about my successes, so here are a few. I got accepted into 3 summer programs. The first was UK’s youth researchers academy, the second was GSP, and the third was a 6 week summer program at MIT. I’ve chosen MIT because it’s much more impressive than GSP. I get to meet with the deans of Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Stanford, UChicago, and a few others which GSP could not promise. I also am basically promised admission to MIT and I have much higher odds of getting in to Harvard or any another school of my choosing than other applying students. Less excitingly, I was awarded the Centre Fellowship for Henry Clay which will award me a $14k scholarship minimum if I chose to attend. The year has been academically successful and I’m pretty happy about it. Now I’m more ready for college than ever and after the summer I’ll know for sure where I am applying. 

junior year... well dang.

this year has been quite an interesting year. i really cant believe it is already over, cuz it feels like its not nearly been a whole year already, but then again the older you get the faster time goes by. my successes this year were getting to go out and have a whole heck of a lot of fun. im hoping senior year will be just as good. the last few months have included warm weather, baseball, and plenty of late nights. however, its also very scary that i have felt less and less like doing any homework. senioritis is starting to kick in. there is even more evidence in the fact that i am still doing my final for english and now also have to rewrite my tv essay because my old computer crashed. along with the most important baseball game of the year being tomorow. isnt this just great. so that goes along with my biggest failure of the year, getting my first B in high school. in freaking anatomy too, of all classes. this just, well its awful. and im soo freaking out about everything it just feels like my brain is fried. ready for summer. lets go.

Another Year In the System

It seems almost surreal; I have finally reached the last year of the public education system. I can still remember riding the bus to elementary school complaining about having to sit in the front of the bus and now have reached a point in my life where everyone drives themselves and squabbles over parking spots. It seems as if we have learned very little since we first started in the education system; we kick, scream, and drag our feet as much now as we did then only now that kicking and screaming is typically accompanied with curses and insults. And now all of that arguing and disagreement is going to culminate in senior year. I admit that I have mixed feelings about next year; it is going to be strange to have a year in which I think about next year the entire time. Regardless of what happens in the future, I am happy to know that I am done with the most strenuous year of high school.

Reflection (If I'm already this sad for the end of junior year, I can only imagine what graduation will be like)

Of all the years in high school, I can say that, yes, junior year has been the best. It started off great; I got my braces off, became much closer to my best friends, and took classes that I love. First semester grades were good, and I was pleased with my standardized tests. Although the past few months have felt more stressful and much more demanding than any in my high school career, requiring me to juggle intensified school work, soccer three times a week at the least, and extracurricular activities requiring my leadership, taking a step back I realize that it is preparing me for not only senior year but also college; and this I greatly appreciate. I can also say that throughout this year I have matured. Maybe this is in part of my heightened independence since I got my license or the self-disciplinary actions to resist temptations when I need to study, but nonetheless I am appreciative. If I was asked which high school year I would re-live (mind you, not re-do), my answer would be "junior year" without a hesitation. And yes, I will be honest and say that this is heavily due to the social aspect. By junior year, kids know most of their peers and they narrow their social groups to those who are alike them intelligence-wise, morally, politically, socio-economically, and with similar goals in life. Sure, I might hang out with the same 50 kids over and over again, but I'm comfortable around them so there are no complaints. I prefer this way over changing friend groups every other week, which was not uncommon in elementary school (and for some this dead-line has been extended to...high school?..) This year I have also learned to be more tolerant and manage my stress. Whether its a foul-player on the other team tripping me to get the ball, a rude driver cutting me off, or an impatient friend, I have realized that there is no need to get worked up about little things such as these because they pass like leaves in the wind. Life really is too short, 17 years have gone by in a blink of an eye, so there is only room to enjoy it. I cant imagine the emotions I will feel when graduating high school because though most don't know it, almost every single individual in the Academy has had an impact on my life (the majority of them pleasant or constructive!) and even quite a few outside of the realms of our little bubble. Whether it is solely junior year, or a collection of instances that have just boomed back into my head this year (especially during my reflections due to the looming prospect of colleges) I have learned to appreciate what I have. I have a wonderful family, awesome friends and boyfriend, great opportunities handed to me each and every day, and even with the burden of stress there is not a single reason why I shouldn't be satisfied. Sure one could say, "well, silvia dont you wish you had REALLY began valuing your luck before this year?" but in truth, I think this is an appropriate time because it really solidifies my appreciation- i have seen plenty of instances that other people around me have suffered or simply experienced and that, added with the mental maturity that has formed, makes it all the more real to me. Honestly, I am really going to miss junior year, and although everyone always tells me that college will put high school to shame, so far I don't see a single reason why not to appreciate what I already have instead of wasting my present time waiting for the future. After all, the things I do now and learn today are going to shape that future. Bye-bye junior year, it's been awesome. *tear tear sniffle sniffle

Reflection

So somehow I have to summarize and reflect upon my entire junior English year... And I've no idea where to start.I suppose, when all else fails I shall start at the very beginning - I hear rumor that it's a very good place to start (Ohman I'm so funny). In all moderate amount of seriousness, I can't believe the year's over. Despite the fact that I'm really not into English, I've enjoyed the year. Not the rhetorical device bit, mind you. That took me WAY too long to figure out. But the other bits were good. Yeah...they were good. Especially satire. You would think that as someone who spends a good amount of time joking around and messing with other people I would understand that better, but I DEFINITELY thought Swift was serious about eating poor, abandoned children. And I was disgusted. Let's see...what else did we do...besides being the best hour class? Socratic seminars were cool. Aside from the fact that we had about one every other day and I got behind which sort of screwed me over, I very much enjoyed the discussion. It was alway well thought out and deep enough to be interesting, but not so deep as to make it hard to add your two cents. Yeah....that's 150 words, right? X)

So we have a blog due tonight. *sigh* Alright.

And here I was thinking we were done with blogs! Silly me. I've been told this is meant to be a reflection of our junior year. So, to start it off, I guess I should say that it was a hell of a lot better than sophomore year. At least, with the exception of February (an utterly abysmal month, but I can't quite remember why?) I'm saying this even after doing PSAs, and AP Testing, and AP Chem labs, and US History Final Activities. Academically, this has definitely been the most stressful year of my life, so my extracurricular experience must be damn good if it tipped the scale in the complete opposite direction. And I suppose it has. Ever since February (must say it again, crazily horrible month) my social life has improved dramatically. I've hung with friends more, formed better relationships. My band won two Battles of the Bands on two consecutive days, one of which took place at Lafayette, a school totally foreign to us. I'm having trouble describing how much fun I've had this year. Here's hoping senior year will be even better. I'll accept no alternative.

Reflection

Junior year has probably been the hardest year in my High School career, but also probably went by the fastest. Some of the best things that happened to me this year were getting my license and finally (!!!!!) learning how to drive stick. Going to Miami for spring break was also awesome because I was with my best friends for an entire week strait. Unfortunately, my grandfather got really sick this school year and one of my best friends moved to Miami (hence the trip). Overall though, I think it was a really good year. It definitely made me excited to go on to college and live with my friends!

EOCblog

Before my junior year started my dad told me it would be the fastest one of my entire life, how dare dad be right all the time. This was the most demanding year of school I have ever had and also the most defining. I discovered parts of myself that I had not known before; I discovered pretty much what I do and don't want to do in college, I discovered that I can actually make friends, and I discovered how to balance large school loads with everything else I enjoy doing. Some of my failures of this year are not making NHS and not lettering in anything because I am bad at planning. But I have had a few successes in the math and social field, and hopefully the student council field. I just hope being a senior is at least as fun as being a junior.

This summer will be busier than I want it to be. I will have my first desk job (at AAA), I will have to remember to do my mentoring thing, and have to shuffle family trips and seasonal jobs into the mix. I am telling myself that I will work very hard this summer and also spend a lot of time preparing for college and learning speak german, but my parents and I both know that isnt going to happen.

YOSO

Junior year... It seems like just yesterday I was trying desperately to avoid being crushed by the big scary seniors. Now, if a senior shoves me, I shove back. We've all grown, some more than others. It seems absurd that in less than three months, we'll start the college application process. We used to talk in terms of years left to decide, now we are thinking in terms of months, maybe a year at most. Junior year certainly was difficult, but not the absolute hell I heard it would be. The workload wasn't overwhelming most of the time, and I survived. We all did. All that's left to do is prepare for the next big journey in our life: college. In a year and four days, most of us will say goodbye to Lexington, to Kentucky, to each other, and start out on our own. It's a sad thought, but it is also an exciting one. A new adventure. Senior year is only days away, and I want to make it the best year yet. Junior year was fraught with drama and trials, but we survived it, and now we're moving on, growing up. As my friend says, "YOSO," or "You're only seniors once."

Just three more days...

It’s finally over. The year that was supposed to be the most stressful one of them all is done, and it went by so fast. I never reached my goal of getting straight A’s, which I view as a failure, but I still never made a C in a class, so that it my success. I made first chair twice in orchestra this year, but didn’t letter in tennis (which is poopy). And I have still maintained the same friendships and same great relationship, while also gaining new friends. I didn’t really take any risks this year, I’m too afraid for that.

This summer is going to be far from a break from school work. Five books must be read, a mentoring project must be half completed, and college visits, as well as getting my ACT score up, and (best of all) getting my wisdom teeth out two days after the ACT in June. Senior year is going to be a roller coaster, but I’m ready.

Reflection

After a year of cruising through classes and not having anything to worry about - my sophomore year - I was certainly hit with reality. Junior year went by so fast until May when everything seemed to go way too slow. I can’t believe there’s only 3 days of school left but at the same time, it just needs to hurry up and end! This year was full of up-and-downs for me and I am certainly a different person now than I was in August. For one, I’ve matured and finally learned a few life lessons here and there. Even though I wasn’t happy the whole year, I’m definitely proud of everything I’ve achieved and learned. Now that a stressful year is over, I am nervous for next year and all the new stress coming my way – college applications.

All in all, I’m happy that the year is almost over and all the more excited for summer break because I’m going to Europe for all of July (I’ll be in the motherland on July 4^th!). I can’t wait for the London Olympics even though I’m leaving a couple days before it begins. I’m also looking forward to working on my mentoring project because I get to work in the new pharmacy building at UK.

LAST POST EVER!

My Junior year has been as successful as any other year before it so I can't complain about my mistakes or failures.  I got through it, that's what counts.  But as my junior year ends, college seems to become an ever growing reality.  I was definitely forced to think about my future plans for college and prepare myself for the admission process.That brings me to my future goals and plans.  I wan to try and turn in my college applications early so that I have plenty of time to wok out any chinks in the process that might come its way.  I also want to maintain my grades for the rest of senior year and keep up my academic record.  As for plans, I can't wait for Calc. 3 at UK.  It's going to be so awesome to leave school after 3rd hour and then go to class at UK or, after the first semester, just go home.  I 'm also excited for my mentoring project as its centered around engineering.  I think I'll have a lot of fun working on that.  Well it looks like this is the last blog post so I guess I'll say goodbye Blogger and good luck to you.

Also Late: Somewhere

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, there is a baby being born. It's amazing, too, that I can say that with such certainty, because if I were to make that claim a century ago, I may not be right. But as of right now,  there are more births in one day than there are seconds. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that some countries don't have the same opportunities for proper family planning that we have here in America, but the reason that our births keep going up at an exponential rate is that we human beings have the incredible ability of increasing our species' carrying capacity. While there may be a limit on how much we can increase it, it seems that as of now, the rate of population growth isn't about to slow down anytime soon. Perhaps we will eventually hit that cap, but for now, we can only hope that every baby being born during every second will eventually grow up and continue to contribute to the success of the human race.

Late: 100 Years

Contrary to the popular view that we will be in some sort of post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, I have a a rather positive outlook on where the human race will end up in 100 years. At that point, it is a very real possibility that there will be a colony of humans on some other celestial body. With this advancement in place, our world(s) may look astonishingly different. Buildings will be even more architecturally creative than they are today, technology will allow for more efficient transportation, and culture itself may have a futuristic look and sound to it. Of course, there is always the possibility that by 2112, we will have grown tired of the futuristic style and have reverted back to an older, more "fashionable" one that doesn't sacrifice the advancements in technology. Regardless, whatever it will be will probably look nothing like it is today, partially due to the fact that certain things we do in our lives, such as going to theaters to see movies, going to school, and listening to music, may not even be common at that point. Only time will tell.

Fantastical Fights (So late)

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here. One cannot say Harry Potter is better than Lord of the Rings (or that Star Wars is better than Star Trek) because they are two different things. To say that one series is better than the other is to say that apples are better than oranges. The series are two different completely fantasies and stories. One does not have to like a series more than another series; one can like them both. These novels and movies are two series completely independent of one another. Similar to probability, the series are mutually exclusive. Liking Harry Potter does not have any effect on whether or not one will like Lord of the Rings.

These debates are only created between by fans to make petty arguments with one another. Can readers not like the books for what they are? Is it necessary to try to make a series "better" than another? Can I, a fan of both series, not appreciate the novels as two independent entities? 

Changes

There are tons of small things that I would change about our lovely school, but the most pressing matter seems to be the overpopulation that has developed in the past 5 years or so. This has become so much of a problem that portables are now used as classrooms for all of the overflow students. Not only are they unsightly, but they’re outside, small, and not a very nice classroom overall. It’s inconvenient for students to have to go outside, especially in the winter because the doors are then left open making the school cold. They are also placed in the parking lot, taking up space that could be used for parking, which is another problem at Henry Clay. Henry Clay is the oldest school building in Fayette County and our current building has reached its capacity. Additions need to be made to accommodate the increase in students and get rid of the unappealing portables.

Things I Carry

When people are away from home they find the need to carry something with them that connects them to their home, their family, and everything they love. This is especially important during war times as soldiers often need a reason to keep on fighting. Because I am in my home and constantly surrounded by those I love, I feel no need to constantly have any particular item on my person at all times. I have no particular attachment to my phone because most of the people I want to talk to, I see every day. I have objects that I probably interact with at some point every day but I really have a hard time developing an emotional attachment to any of my things, because I am so decisive about whether or not I actually need it. If it was acceptable, I would take my cat everywhere I went because I really never tire of being with her, but it is unfortunately frowned upon to have animals in some places.

Fantasical Fights

It is incredibly difficult to match these pairs of opponents together when they are incredibly similar in their characters, themes, and obstacles. Since I have read both Harry Potter and LOTR I am more prepared to discuss these epic plot lines. To begin, both protagonists are orphaned and raised by others; they are both placed with a great burden upon their shoulders. This is a burden they alone must bear and that causes them physical pain. They have a wise mentor that they love, a loyal but not as great best friend. They both have a strikingly apparent good vs. evil theme and have a clear task that they must accomplish before they can be victorious. On a more basic level, dark forests are apparent in both, along with giant spiders, bearded friends, ghosts, and weird creatures (Dobby and Sméagol). It is now blatantly obvious that neither of these series can be compared to the other because they are so similar and both accomplish the same thing. Their similarities make it almost inevitable that if you like one, then you will like the other.

It seems I've gotten my blog due dates confused...

When it comes to knowing nothing about famous movies, I seem to be THE guy to come to. I've not seen Forrest Gump, or Pulp Fiction, or any of the Godfathers, or Scarface, or any Rocky past the first one, or Up, or Avatar. More relevant to the prompt, I've not seen Harry Potter 4, 5, or 6, and I've only seen the first episodes of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (as in Episode I, not Episode IV). I haven't seen so much as a single episode of Star Trek. Indeed, I've received more than my share of criticism for my apparent lack of cultural knowledge. And I'll be honest, it is precisely because I haven't been trying. It's not that these franchise disputes are contrived; the same arguments can be found in the land of video gaming, from which I hail. The stakes I hold in gaming arguments (my confidence in my opinions) are similar to those of debating movie buffs. While I'm not directly involved in the discussions regarding these films, I understand their nature and periodic severity.