Apruzzi Week 4 - The Start of Spring

    In recent times, as we all are aware, there has been an overwhelming amount of snow in PA and many other surrounding areas. Usually, I am quite pleased when it comes to snowstorms, blizzards, etc., but this year is a bit different for some reason. I don't recall experiencing as much snow and cold temperatures as there are currently. I absolutely despise the cold weather..but I love snow, so I guess you could say it isn't an efficient mindset. As February slowly dwindles down to its last days, March approaches us hopefully with ease. At that point, the season of Spring will hopefully make a strong appearance. 

    Last summer, I weirdly had an obsession with like ... plants and stuff, but I feel like it was so relaxing and something to look forward to every day to spend my time outside in the sun. I feel as though when Spring begins, my stress and anxiety levels will start to decrease to the sprouting of plant life. As of right now, walking outside and seeing dead trees, colorless plants, invisible grass, dirty snow, and a painful brisk breeze is not pleasing. I can not wait for the moment when plants start to sprout, and the color is brought back into the world, especially with how extreme many of the issues are in society. Overall, plants (corresponding with seasons ofcourse) have a large impact on my mental health, and I am just waiting for the moment I see the first flower bloom in my backyard. 

My Return to Snowboarding

     Yesterday, I went snowboarding for this first time since I was 11. Even back then, I was not by any means a pro. I had taken one singular, and that was it. I never returned again. Looking back, I wish that I had because after yesterday, I want to be able to enjoy this activity fairly regularly.

    Since I hadn't been snowboarding in 5 years, my brother and I (who hasn't snowboarded in that long either) took a lesson. It started out a little rough, but since we were only going down small hills, falling did not hurt at all. We learned all the basics: what stance we needed to have, how to turn, how to stop, etc. Then, we graduated to the bigger learning hill, which was steeper and had berms. I did pretty OK if I do say so myself. Sure, I might have gone over one of the berms unintentionally, but we're not going to focus on that. Instead, I like to focus on how I did not have as many wipe-outs as I had been expecting. Over a span of four hours, I only wiped out three times. To be honest, I don't think that sounds too bad. I definitely fell less than my brother did, at least.

    My worst wipe-out was technically not even my fault. There was a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, who was quite obviously a snowboarding beginner, just like me. However, she was just standing in the middle of the hill and not going down. So, I had to swerve sharply in order to avoid crashing into her. I, not being skilled enough to perform such a maneuver, ended up turning a little too much, and I went down. She did apologize, but to top it all off, she crashed into me just after. When she tried to continue down the hill, she was only sliding a little bit and very, very slowly. I was still on the ground though, and she ended up running into my sprawled figure. Thankfully, no one was hurt thanks to her aforementioned speed, but she ended up having to apologize again while continuing to slowly slide down the learning hill.

    Despite that one unfortunate experience, I enjoyed myself immensely. I can't wait to go back, and fortunately I won't have to wait long because we will be going back on Monday. I still wish that I had continued to snowboard after my very first lesson in 2016, but you know what they say: better late than never!

Henchy Week 4 - Choosing a Major

     Choosing a major is an inherently stressful choice.  It will affect what jobs we have access to, what friends we make, and what lives we live.  Putting this much pressure on a 16 year-old can be overwhelming; this is the situation I find myself in.

    There is a common debate in my household about what I should be going to college for.  Personally, I would love to go to college for a PhD in Physics (solid state and particle) and then try to work in academia as a researcher for NASA, a college, or some other government affiliated organization that gives me access to a particle lab.  Doing this, I would be researching some of the today's modern problems like solutions to optimizing industrial processes to reduce pollution or fabricating nanotechnology to enhance cyber security.

    Seems like the perfect job for someone who could sit and read physics papers all day, right?  However, there is a down side.  Unfortunately, most people who get a Physics degree do not end up doing research.  Instead, they usually get jobs as engineers or in some other side career.  Physics is crowded, and to have a career in research one has to be the best of the best.  If one does get a job in a research position where they can work on developing more efficient fuel cells for Elon Musk's next rocket launch, then yes, life is good, but most end up giving up and accepting other jobs.  Additionally, the pay for most research positions is not strong.  Usually, the pay is in a salary per year of about $100,000, which on the surface seems reasonable.  However, research positions often require close to 60-65 hours per week of work, so most physicists end up getting paid less than minimum wage if it is considered hourly.  Academia is tough.

    My parents, very aware of these statistics, do not really support me going into physics.  They would like me to become a doctor because, quite frankly, I could do it and it would make a lot of money.  However, I do not love chemistry; I find it boring and relatively unimportant.  Same goes for biology, and so here we have a crossroad.  It is very difficult to speak to my parents about this as they have their minds relatively set. 

    Personally, I would rather work for 65 hours a week doing something I love and making much less money than working 65 hours a week doing something I moderately like, but making more money than anyone could ever need (some doctors get paid around $400,000 a year, that is insanity).  I know everyone is different and some people would take the moderate job and money; I do not think there is anything wrong with that.  At the end of the day, we have to make money, but personally I would rather be really excited to go to work every day than come home to a massive house.

I assume several other people are going through the exact same thing, so if anyone has any suggestions or stories about these talks with their parents, let me know!

Current Particle Physics Model

    

Kane- Week 4 fitness

     This week, I've been thinking about what I should write in my blog post. I never came to a solid idea until tonight after a ride in my jeep.

    Tonight I had a very busy night, but I felt like something was missing. I wasn't able to work out tonight. For me, working out is not only a way to stay physically fit, but it is also a way to keep my mental health in check. I'm not a crazy gym rat, mostly because I work out at home, but I love the idea of fitness. From my diet to muscle building it's something I'm very interested in. I'm going to share some of my favorite workouts and food!

On Mondays, I usually do a full-body workout. These are heavy in cardio and strengthing each part of my body. I highlight legs, arms, and abs, but it can be different for everyone. 

On Tuesdays, I typically have competition cheerleading practice so I do a light abs workout during my 4th block study hall. This specific ab circuit is based on planks. It's quick and easy to complete. This is the perfect time to explain snacking for me. Between workouts, I usually make a protein shake. I'm allergic to whey protein so I use a plant-based protein. I blend the powder with ice, almond milk, peanut butter, and cacao nibs. This specific shake has 28 grams of protein and is a great way to fuel up. 

On Wednesdays, I usually do legs. I'm usually super sore after this. I do a session of unweighted and a session of weighted to provide variation. Lifting is something you have to be careful doing. You don't want to pull anything. 

On Thursdays, I usually take an off day. These days are good for rest, stretching, and icing injuries. I still focus on eating healthy and making good choices. Another favorite snack of mine is homemade popcorn. I use coconut oil, argan oil, and pink Himalayan salt to make a healthy snack for lounging around. 

On Fridays, I do the same full-body as mentioned before. 

On the weekends, I also have cheer practices that range from 2-4 hours long, so I usually don't do much besides keep up with my running. 

Thank you for reading! And I hope I inspired you to get up and get going!

My interest in track....

  In gymnastics I always had to run whether it was into a tumbling pass, to jump on the springboard for vault, or for conditioning but gymnastics was the sport I loved and I never thought I would find another. I was always pretty fast in gym class or the games and tournaments we had in intermediate school, but I still wasn’t that interested in running. The thing that did spark my interest in running was the instagram page FLOTRACK. They post from olympic track clips, to High School track clips, to college track clips, or even track clubs.

I loved seeing FLOTRACK'S posts, and I knew I wanted to run track and be good at track just like the people in those 60 second clips. One of my main track inspirations was Shelly-Ann FRASER-PRYCE. Her speed was immaculate, and her form was perfect. After finally getting the inspiration I needed, I signed up for track during my freshman year. I was so nervous since everyone always told me the first week of the season was called HELL WEEK for a reason, when really it was short and not that bad. Freshman year was short also, and with me being a freshman/newbie I never really got the chance to show my potential.

My first race of my sophomore season was at East Stroudsburg. I was extremely nervous. Everyone there looked like great runners, but I had to put my thoughts aside. I waited in line for my number badge and got in line for my heat. When my heat was up my heart started rocking back and forth until the announcer said set, and then I ran.

Tayi Week 4 - Arachnophobia

Insects are the creepiest creatures in the world. Their gross, hairy legs crawling up pretty much any surface just to sit there looking for prey with their eight eyes is just terrifying. I can sort of understand why some people just pick them up without hesitation, but the irrational few find bugs cute. CUTE? How can you find a bug cute? I get chills just thinking about bugs. Even butterflies are creepy without the wings.

Needless to say, I have a fear of bugs, but nothing compares to my overwhelming fear of arachnids. My arachnophobia is a lot worse than people would think because a lot of people are just simply afraid of spiders. At the beginning of my biology class during freshman year, we were assigned a project. The assignment was to take pictures of some random creatures you find in the wild and identify them. One day in the middle of that year I went to the bathroom, and to my surprise, was a spider the size of my palm was sitting on top of the door. I took a video of the spider, closed the door, and avoided that bathroom for the rest of the year. Seriously though, the next time I used that bathroom was in the middle of sophomore year.

It doesn't end there: I still had to identify that spider in the project. Obviously, I avoid anything spider-related, so I had no idea what kind of species it was. I avoided trying to identify it, but the deadline was soon so I had to do it. I googled “big spiders” and my heart instantly dropped and I closed out the tab. For some reason, Google thinks we want to see uber-magnified pictures of spiders when we use those search terms. Detailed pictures of each and every hair, eye, and fang right in your face. I instantly knew that I needed a different way to identify it. My parents already tease me enough about my extreme arachnophobia, so I definitely was not gonna ask them to do it. The final option I could exhaust was to ask the teacher. At school the next day, I walked up to Mrs. Roberts and asked her to identify the spider for me. She asked me why and my response was that I was too scared to identify it. That was embarrassing.

I’m sure you were expecting that I would finish this with some grandiose ending where I overcome my fear of spiders. However, I am not so resilient. To this day, I still jump in fear and exasperation whenever I see a spider in my room, in my bathroom, or anywhere they decide to reside.

White Week 4, great games to waste your time on while it's snowing

 White Week 4, great games to waste your time on while it's snowing 

White Week 4 -  Time Wasters

Reddit, the Chromebook won't let me go there so yeah

    

    Snow is the greatest thing to ever exist. You can eat it, look at it, or just appreciate it in all of its glory.  Some may tell you the snow is obstructive to daily functions but for a shut-in like me, I can find a magnitude of things to preoccupy me. (note) this excludes the overbearing amount of HW and housework I have to do on a regular basis. the things I'm talking about are way cooler than using the treadmill or baking cookies.  I'm if you haven't read up until this sentence, talking about games of course. And not the candy crush that old hobits use to pander until they croak. I believe that games serve as a great way to live in an escapist mindset or at least have some sort of enjoyment in your house besides binging. Diversity of games is also an important matter as the same game will result in boredom defeating the purpose. So in the next couple of minutes of your life, I will introduce you to an array of games that (are on sale for a reasonable price), and will make you kind of vibe out.  

https://ithrivegames.org/newsroom/blog/sea-of-thieves-anchored-in-positive-design/

   

    Diversity in game selection is important, I've been playing a lot of R6 and slowly losing my mind.  Its toxic community, tense atmosphere, and bugs have made it a pain to play.  In response, I've recently gotten my friends into one of the most fun games I've ever laid my hands on and I hope to do the same with you. Have you ever watched a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and asked yourself, YEAH that looks great, swinging, killing the likes? Then I'd say this game is up your alley.  Sea of Thieves (SOT) is a massive open-world game where you can basically do whatever you want.  Find treasure got it, fight skeletons got it, sail a ship got it, tussle with a Kracken got it. SOT has a canny ability to appeal to almost anyone as long as you find out what you want to do.  (note) the POTC soundtrack goes great when you play this game. I've found that the more the merrier when it comes to people and a pirate attitude (accent included) makes the game so much more fun.  I tend to run a galleon which is a massive warship in SOT and run with a crew of four bumping classics such as chief keef while blowing up other people's ships. If you have friends that are bored as well this is a great game to pick up and play. 

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1003-CUSA02557_00-FALLOUT4FULLGAME

    This next game is for the people out there who have no friends and plenty of time alone.  Fallout 4 is the best money I've spent on a game in years.  The game follows a vet (Ill refer to a man as that's what I played as) frozen in a vault below the surface to survive the nuclear wasteland that has claimed his past life. Before he was thawed his son was stolen from him and by a mysterious institution.  Without going further into detail I've personally owned this game for around 4 years and through every run, I've found new things to do.  There is an extensive world with many faces, personalities, etc, all backed by a fun progression/exploration system.  Like SOT you can do almost anything you want such as set up settlements or roam the outlands weary of radiation levels.  To accompany this game is a huge list of classical songs across a number of radio stations that all BANG. I unironically sing these in my chair and I think my parents think I'm some sort of maniac. And I've also found that even if you've done everything you definitely can still make the game fun. Mods are plentiful in F4 and can result in funny instances such as Tomas the tank engine with a mini-nuke launcher.  Reflecting back I definitely have a lot of memories from this game, and It's engaging to this day so pick it up if this sounds interesting.   

Nintendo e-shop, Chromebook issue again. 

    Finally, if life for you is hell (subjectively) this game literally throws you in it.  DOOM ETERNAL, is my favorite game of 2020, and I will collectively vouch for it as a god sent action-packed, rage-inducing, masterpiece.   You follow the DOOM SLAYER a mute soldier who is quite literally too angry to die.  His only desire is to kill demons and throughout the game makes it very apparent. The lore for a chimp like me is very hard to explain, but in simple terms, hell on earth DOOM SLAYER hates demons there are lots of them, doom slayer, in space now, and WOW is that god himself.  I LOVE to just turn off my brain and just casually massacre thousands of demons while bumpin the soundtrack.  (note) the soundtrack for DOOM is amazing, It a collection of heavy metal that gets the blood flowing, and I'm being very open that I run and lift to the music cause it's that great.  It's composed by Mick Gordon who is a legend for composing DOOM 2016 and Eternals soundtrack. The game has a huge replayability factor and will have you talking for hours about it (kind of like what I'm doing rn).  The DOOM SLAYER has a massive arsenal from swords, chainsaws, shotguns, to your bare hands.  This coupled with a mechanic the ques the music to your fighting makes for an unrelenting testosterone-filled adventure. I wholeheartedly back this game and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to de-stress because this is the best replacement for putting holes in drywall. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forza_Horizon_4

    There's a lot of games that I didn't mention above that I'll just list off and if they sound interesting check them out.  Id also rec, Brawhalla, CDW, Forza Horizon, Friday the 13th, kingdom Newlands, PVZ, RDRII, Nier: Automata, UNO, and MC or T. Basically as long as you aren't playing league of legends on the snow days you will have fun, but the games listed have helped keep me going while I'm locked up inside.  I'm also playing MW, R6 occasionally but fps games are getting stale for me, and as stated diversity will help knock out boredom.  If you have some cash lying around, pick up a game and try it, or not, it's your money.  I hope though you play something cause I just don't know how I could waste my time on anything other than binging Anime, or playing games.  

(note) all of these games are on a console/pc. 

 

Carnival 2021

        Your casually driving down the street on a warm February afternoon, you decide to roll your window down to cool down without the need for air conditioning.  As you drive into a neighborhood, you notice the roads are cutting through a mountain, creating a man made valley with two 20 feet walls of rock and dirt which are covered with layers of vibrant grass and flowers.  The glaring sun, colorful vegetation, and heavy foot traffic of locals wandering from family owned shop to family owned shop causes a pretty sight to enjoy.  As you slow down to enjoy the town that is teeming with life, you hear the sounds of giggling from above.  As you look up to search for the origin of the noise, you witness several children from four to fourteen all aiming at you with after balloons in their hands.  By the time you realize whats going on, a storm of balloons soak the outside of your car, the inside of your car, and you. The same walls covered in pretty vegetation provided the perfect cover for mischievous locals.   The only thing you can do is speed off as the locals had all the right to bombard you with balloons,  as they're partaking in a national holiday and one of the biggest parties in the world, its called Carnival.  

    Carnival is a holiday celebrated throughout all of Latin America, and its occurring February 16th this year.  Each country has their own unique twist on carnival, their own historical influences that are represented by traditions unique to the respective country, but at the heart of carnival, lies its catholic origin.  When Spaniard conquistadors concurred  Latin America, they brought their religion with them as well.  The Spaniards practiced a Catholic faith,and one tradition of Catholicism is lent.  Lent is a time in which Catholics sacrifice an aspect of their life in order to pay respect to the sacrifice made by Christ.  Before that period of sacrifice, comes carnival, a time in which all kinds of people indulge in life's gifts and let go.  Each Latin American country has their own tweak on the holiday for different traditional reasons, but mostly, Andes countries celebrate with delicious traditional food and sweets are sold at nearly every corner and the air is filled with their seductive scent, historic music blasting in parks and concert halls, performers lurk around every cross walk, and last but not least, an all out war of water balloons and water guns and silly spray.  Nobody is safe except for elderly citizens.  Some people are more spirited than others, so everyone must PARTY AT THEIR OWN RISK.  Among that chaos, lies the iconic parades.  Each parade has traditional roots unique to history of the region, weather that be indigenous or African traditions depends on the region of Latin America.  

Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Carnival in Cuenca, Ecuador

Rosynek Week 4 - Working

 

    I know that a lot of upperclassmen in high school have to work to pay for things that they want and to pay for their cars. The philosophy in my household is that if I use a car and I use all of the gas, I have to fill the tank up. My family has three vehicles: a truck, car, and SUV. My father uses his car, my mother her SUV, and I have adopted the truck. It's come to my attention that my truck takes $30-$35 to fill up. To pay for this, and my other activities during the week, I have to work. 

  With the new hybrid schedule, I'm able to make my schedule very flexible and I have the freedom to do my schoolwork when I please during the day. I go into school the days that I am scheduled, but every other day during the week, I work or I have my sports. Majority of the time: it is both. I will admit that I am blessed with the jobs that I have because they are not set hours and I work independently under amazing bosses and with great friends. I've learned so much working at different horse farms. 

    Currently, I work two different jobs. One is three days a week for about an hour, and the other is 3 mornings and 3 nights ranging from 3 hours to 6, depending on how much work there is to do. When Spring comes, I will be adding a third job that will be in the mornings. I like to keep myself busy. Even though they are "jobs," they are pretty peaceful and just require labor. 

    I think working is a crucial part of growing up. I've been able to learn how to save as well as spend (in a smart way). By paying for some things on my own with some of my parents' help, I can see how it will be when I'm out of the house and on my own. I also take pride in my work no matter what it is. By working hard, I can ensure that I will get to my goals and get what I want in the end. It's not all about the money; more about experiences and learning new skills. 

Vaughn Week 4 - Electric Vehicles

     In week 1 for our class blog, I discussed the topic of sustainability, and how some fashion companies are implementing a more eco-friendly type of leather. This week, I was researching other ways the earth can be a more sustainable place, and I stumbled upon an article about how Norway is number 1 in the world for electric vehicles. After reading the headline I had a lot of questions such as how did they do it, and why don't other countries do the same thing? 

Norway was able to do this by implementing several clever policies. Norway's government encouraged people to buy electric vehicles by giving owners a break from registration taxes, road tolls, value-added taxes, Co2 taxes, NOx taxes, and weight taxes. By 2001 electric vehicles were cheaper to own than gasoline-powered vehicles. 

However there still weren't a lot of electric vehicles in Norway in 2001, this was because of lack of production and lack of charging stations. Publicly financed companies helped fix the changing station issue, and by 2012 electric vehicles were 3% of the country's new car market, compared to the United States which is slightly below 2 percent in 2021. In Norway, electric cars now make up 10% of all cars on the road, and Norway plans on all new cars being electric in 2025. After more research, I also learned that some states in the US are also implementing some policies to encourage electric vehicles, such as New Jersey, California, Oregon, and Maryland. 

Overall, I think these policies are very smart and forward-thinking, and I'd love to see other countries take influence as the world needs to become a more sustainable place.

Electric Car Picture

Zhang Week 4 - Getting a Puppy!

 

        I've been asking my parents for a dog since I was a little kid, and this year, my dad became tired of hearing about it almost every day, and he finally relented and said we could get a puppy!

        My family decided to get a Shiba Inu. Don't worry, we're not getting one just for its cute looks! We've done a ton of research on the temperament of Shibas, and we think a Shiba will suit our family really well. That aside, I didn't expect the process of getting a puppy to be quick or easy, but I also didn't expect it to be so complicated. 

Since we have a specific breed in mind, it's important to get the puppy from a reputable breeder, because if the puppy is not purebred, it might have a lot of health issues in the future. My family found a Shiba breeder close to this area. The website seemed promising, and they also listed a bunch of certifications. So in January, we contacted them through email, and they sent us the line-up of available puppies. Strangely enough, they priced the puppies differently based on gender—$3000 for females and $3500 for males. At the time, we didn't think much of this. The available puppies weren't exactly what we were looking for, so we asked them when the next litter of puppies would be available. They told us they would be born in February. Throughout this process we also asked them a few questions about their Shibas regarding things like coat color, eating habits, etc. They never got back to us on these questions and that was the first thing that made my family a bit suspicious of this breeder.

        Within the first few days of this month, we contacted the breeder about the new litter. They sent us an email saying that they've raised the prices by $500 dollars, and also require a $500 dollar deposit IN CASH to claim a puppy. Needless to say, this was a big red flag. Even if the $500 dollar raise might be acceptable due to demands, the deposit was very suspicious. 

        My family decided to look for other breeders, and this time found an AKC certified one near Gettysburg. We had a lengthy conversation over the phone about adopting a Shiba puppy. The breeder said she's stopped breeding for now since COVID-19 might harm newborn pups, and told us to contact her again in April when she reopens business. She warned us that getting a puppy could be up to a 10-month process, and that the prices might rise due to vet costs. But, she also educated us on Shiba Inus and signs of a back-yard breeder. She said it's suspicious if a breeder prices puppies differently for fur color and gender. She also said to be wary of deposits and also look to see if the breeder is breeding other dogs besides Shibas. These were all things the first breeder had done, and we knew right away not to adopt a puppy from there. This new breeder seems to give a lot of care to the puppies, so we're planning on adopting from her business. I hope we can have an adorable puppy in the house by next year!

Elarousy week 4 : ancient architecture

  As an Egyptian, ancient Egyptian history fascinates me! It’s so interesting to think that Egypt was once one of the most powerful civilizations in the world, especially when one thinks of Egypt’s current state.but, anyway that is not the case here.

My fascination with their history is their advancement in so many fields such as: geometry,astronomy,medicine, and of course architecture.especially since they lived thousands of years ago and that there is a lot we do not know about them up to this day. 

But what intrigues me the most is their architecture and the fact that it was constructed and built using simple machines and tools. One of my favorite places is the karnak temple complex.there is a certain allure to the place. It served me as a source of many inspirations even though I only went there a couple of times (and it always managed to be extremely hot.) but, there is just something about being in a place that old,that just takes your breath away. You could almost see how it looked originally with all of its colors and beauty. And that is when the thought hits you, you are standing in the same place that these amazing people used to frequent and seeing the same things that they were seeing. you get to share the scorching sun’s heat on your back with some stranger though different millenniums. It's almost like traveling in time! Which is my favorite thing about ancient architecture 

"karnak temple . needpix.com"

Karve Week 4- My New Job

In the past couple of weeks, I started working at Moravian Hall Square as part of the Waitstaff. I applied in late January after talking to my parents about my plans for the summer and wanting to be able to pay for them myself. I chose to apply to Moravian Hall Square because I have a couple of friends that work there who have said good things. As I told more people that I was applying, I only heard good things about the place. I also thought that it would be a perfect fit for me because I enjoy looking after others and also want to be a waitress in college. After I submitted my application, I had a quick phone interview, which, coincidentally, ended up being on the same day as my mock interview for Junior Seminar. After that, I was scheduled for orientation and training, which I was very excited for. However, that was put to a halt when I was informed that I was exposed to COVID-19 and had to quarantine. Once I was finally free, I went in for my first day of training (2 weeks later than all of the new hires). I got a tour of the building, which is huge, and I still get lost, filled out paperwork, and then spent 2 hours straight on a company computer completing digital training. This training consisted of clicking through a powerpoint and then taking quizzes. Luckily, someone let me leave a little early. On my first real day of work, I learned how to roll silverware, take orders, get drinks and sides, and clean tables. Tonight, I have my fifth shift, and I'm really excited but still a little nervous. My biggest challenge is learning all of the resident's names, which are used on the order slips, but I'm slowly learning, and all of my coworkers are super helpful.

Moore Week 4 - Zoom Classes and Snow Days

 

Last week was the first time, probably for most of us, doing real online school using zoom. I’ve never actually had any zoom classes except for maybe one or two times in the past, so it was kind of the first time for me. It was certainly an adjustment to switch to the zoom classes, and in the beginning, I kind of liked it, but as the snow days dragged on it made me realize how much I enjoyed going to in-person classes. 

The zoom classes weren’t that bad, at least for me since I only had at most two a day, but I know that it was difficult for a lot of the younger students. I have a little sister who’s in sixth grade, and the intermediate school took a very different approach to the zoom classes than what we had at the high school. She goes to NAIS and they have a lot more classes fit into one day than we do. She had to attend a mandatory zoom, with their cameras on, for every single class, including the extra ones like library class or gym class. So she ended up sitting in front of her computer from about 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and then on top of that, she was still assigned even more homework to do after the zoom calls. Overall, she was very overwhelmed with the amount of schoolwork she had to do and it just was too much for a 12-year-old. I’m sure a lot of other kids were feeling the same way as her, especially since they aren’t used to doing that. 

I think that maybe the online zoom calls could be handled a little better in the future, especially if we’re going to be using them for snow days more frequently. I’m sure as time goes on we’ll get the hang of it, but I think it was a little tough for some of the younger kids at first.  

The week off however did make me realize how lucky we are to be able to attend school in person. Millions of kids across the world aren't able to go to school still, and they have to do these zoom classes every day. Even though going to school two days a week isn't exactly perfect, it's better and safer than the other options.

Link to photo

Vakiener Week 4: Adventures at the Zoo

     Ever since I was 2 years old I had a love of animals. My family didn't have a pet at the time but that didn't stop me from touching any animal that I waddled up too, or reading about animals in books with words that I did not quite understand always, but that made me happy nonetheless. With all of these wonderful things in mind and the fact that I loved animals so much you would assume that my family and I would have a wonderful first visit to the zoo. You however dear reader are mistaken.

    My first visit to the Philadelphia zoo occurred when I was 6 years old, but my love for animals then was as strong as it was when I was too and as strong as it is now. My family and I walked into the gates looking at all the things in the order that is now our tradition. Monkeys, small mammals, big cats, gibbons, etc. However, while all of the animals at the zoo interested me there was one that I was very excited to see, the cheetah. I am not sure why to this day I was so interested in the cheetah but it was my obsession with this animal that made the day miserable. 

At around lunchtime, I was sitting eating some chicken fingers waiting to see the cheetahs when my adolescent brain made the sudden realization, "I am not going to live forever. I am already 6! What if I die! I will never get to see a cheetah!." With that startling realization in my head, I ran away as fast as I could to go find the cheetahs without telling my parents. And of course, I was having the time of my life looking at all the wonderful animals trying to find the cheetahs while my parents were experiencing one of the first heart attacks I would give them in their lives. And while I don't remember exactly how long it took my parents are adamant that they found me after three hours of searching, directly in front of the cheetah exhibit. To this day my family and I still love going to the zoo. I just try to stay a bit closer nowadays.

Allen Week 4: My Culinary Origins

    I’ll start this blog off strong: I love food, not just as sustenance, but as art. My parents are very good when it comes to the culinary arts; my mother is great at baking and my father is very good at cooking. I like to think that their love and skill with food has passed down to me. I have seen countless cooking shows, I have refined my palate to detect some of the most minute flavors, and I can cook some very challenging dishes that others struggle to pull off. In other words, I like to think that I know my way around the kitchen, but things were not always this way for me. I used to have a strong hatred of the kitchen and did everything I could to stay away from it, but I always seemed to be drawn back to it for some strange reason.

    This strange reason arose during the beginning of my academic journey, in preschool. My preschool was, as far as I know, very similar to every other preschool. The main thing that we did as budding scholars was go to stations that were placed around the room. Every day, in the morning, the class would pick two little foam cut out shapes that corresponded to a station around the room and we would go to those two stations throughout the day. The green rectangle corresponded with the science station, the red triangle went with the math station, etc. There was one piece that I feared above all else, and that was the white hexagon, the stinking white hexagon that corresponded to the worst station in the entirety of the classroom, the kitchen.

    I hated the kitchen with a burning passion. I was a well-mannered 3 year old, but every time I got the kitchen, I would become very upset, distraught even, but I would suck it up and go stand in the kitchen so that I didn’t get in trouble. The worst part about it though was that I ALWAYS somehow got the white pentagon. The probability of this scenario is extremely low, a 1.87x10-62 probability (yes, I actually spent my time coming up with that calculations, would you expect anything less of me?), but somehow, I kept picking that stinking white pentagon. The kitchen was extremely boring, and my only comfort was that of a spring powered toaster. For some reason, the manufacturers of this toaster had made the springs way too powerful for a child’s play thing, so, naturally, I realized that I could use the toaster as an artillery piece that could reach anywhere in a 20 foot range, which was about half the room. Firing plastic toast at innocent 3 year-olds became my life away from home, until I graduated to kindergarten. I later found out (about a week ago) that my teachers had rigged the system so that I always got the kitchen. The morale of the story is: Sometimes life is rigged, so all you can do is play along. Find your toaster in life and make the best of it.

Young Me Cooking

Blackham Week 4 - Amblyopia

    Some of you may already know, but I was born with a condition called amblyopia or sometimes called lazy eye. It’s not a lazy eye as you might first think - when one eye drifts or droops - but rather, my left eye has significantly worse vision than my right eye. There are a few different causes of amblyopia, but for me, I was born with nearsightedness but only in my left eye. If I was nearsighted in both eyes, this could easily be fixed with prescription glasses. However, because my right eye had perfect vision, we never realized there was a problem. Over time, my brain started ignoring my left eye and would only use my good eye to see or read. Because of this, the connections between my eye and my brain never fully developed. If amblyopia is caught at a young age, it can be treated and completely corrected. Since we didn’t notice my vision problem until I was 5 or 6 years old, they could only do so much to fix it. When I was first tested, my left eye could only see the big “E” on the eye chart and nothing below that. For a few years, I had an eye patch that I had to wear over my right eye to force my left eye to focus. I hated my patch because I (obviously) couldn’t see with it on, but its purpose was to help develop the brain connections with my left eye. When I reached about age 9, my brain and eye had finished developing, so there wasn’t anything left we could do to improve my vision past that point. I have 20/20 vision in my right eye and 20/60 vision in my left - I can read about halfway through the eye chart. Together I have 20/20 or perfect vision. To be honest, it hardly bothers me anymore. My peripheral vision is a little weaker on the left side, but for the most part, my vision is normal unless I cover my good eye. 

    Because of the underlying cause of amblyopia, prescription glasses don’t do next to nothing to improve vision. I did recently get glasses, though. There’s a clear lens on the right side and a +2 prescription lens on the left, which just magnifies my view a little. While my glasses don’t really help my vision, the main reason I have them is as a protection for my good eye. If I were to lose the vision in my right eye, I would lose a lot of normal functioning. I wouldn’t be able to drive. I couldn’t read anything. I couldn’t text or type out a blog post on my computer. For example, if I close my good eye, I can’t read the words I’m currently typing. Because of the possible consequences, I'll do everything I can to protect my good eye from potential damage. 

Uelses Week 4 - Snowstorms

         This week I have decided to write about snowstorms. I thought this was fitting since we just had a big snowstorm last week, and we ended up having virtual classes. I remember waking up one morning last week, and the first thing I did was look outside my window. Even though I had already been anticipating the snow because of the forecasts and constant chatter about it, I was still a little surprised to see the green grass completely replaced by a thick sheet of glistening white snow. I was very glad that we were able to have a snow day, and I ended up sleeping in and then enjoying my day by relaxing.

            Personally, I'm not a huge fan of winter or the snow. The only time I enjoy the snow is around Christmastime, but after that passes, it starts to annoy me. I just don't enjoy cold weather at all, and I would much rather be tanning under the warm sun or walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. My birthday falls on January 23 which is pretty much the middle of winter. Coincidentally, on a lot of my birthdays in the past, there have been huge snowstorms. This was pretty annoying but thankfully there wasn't one this year.

               Even though I dislike the snow and the freezing cold, I did make some pretty fun memories in the snow as a young kid. I live on a hill, so when it used to snow, my neighbors and I would go sledding. We would make a long, twisty sledding path and take turns going down the hill. It was so fun, although we ended up crashing into trees or a shed from time to time. I also remember making snow angels and snowmen. My favorite part was when my mom used to bring hot chocolate out to my neighbors and I. So, even though I dislike the snow, it has given me some pretty amazing memories.

Ellis Week 4 - My Love for Fall

 

 

    

    With all of the snow that has come down over the past few weeks, I am really missing Fall. Whenever I am asked what my favorite season is, I take a lot into consideration because both happy and sad things happen in each one. In the Winter, there is Christmas and New Years which are so much fun, but that is also when finals week usually is. My birthday is in the Spring, but that's when the school year tends to drag out the longest. The Summer is obviously amazing, but it has annoying bugs and the feeling that your wasting your life if you don't do something every single day. 

    That leaves Fall... I have absolutely nothing bad to say about that month. The weather is perfect, there is the excitement of starting a new school year, and of course, Halloween. That honestly might be my favorite holiday because it is sort of the kickoff to all of the other ones and there are so many things to do in the month leading up. You can go the pumpkin patches, do a corn maze, go to a haunted house, etc. It's just all so much fun because you know it is only the beginning of an amazing few months full of holiday movies and seeing family. However, this year's Halloween was not as fun as usual because I ended up bawling my eyes out from work... but I guess that isn't surprising since it was still 2020. 

   I am actually kind of upset with how all of Fall played out last year. Usually my friends and I will do a lot of campfires, and we only did that once. We didn't go to any of the football games. I only went to the pumpkin patch once, and usually I like to go a lot haha. It was just sad. Everything that happened in those last few months felt so much like a fever dream it's insane. I understand why a lot of things were cancelled, and I did get to see my friends a few times, but overall I feel like it was a waste of a season which makes me really upset. It also makes me 10 times more excited for next Fall... hoping everything will be normal by then!

Post Week 4 - Bad Apple Skate Crew

     Kai (13) and Logan Vicari (10), are two young boys who recently started a new journey in their lives. A skateboarding company, Bad Apple Skateboards. Kai and Logan wanted to start a company where everyone could skate together despite their differences and just be themselves. Over the course of almost two years, the boys have created a group of people of all ages that are part of their team. Girls and boys from ages as young as 3 to grown adults have all supported their team. Bad Apple Skateboards hold skate competitions, skate for fun events, and much more. They offer skateboard decks with all kinds of designs, shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, and almost anything you could think of. You can find their merchandise in almost any small skate shop around the Lehigh Valley. The boys have been featured in podcasts, on small shows, and many shops and companies have sponsored them. One of their designs mimics the sign that's put up every year for the Nazareth Carnival. They did this because the Nazareth Skate Park is where their journey ultimately began. 

    Growing up, Kai was always more into skating that Logan was. From the time he was born he always had a skateboard with him. His father Robert Vicari skated in his younger years too, and passed it on to Kai. Ever since he was a young boy, Kai always has a natural talent, and skating came easy to him. He would skate in the backyard of his home, in parking lots, and anywhere he could find. Over his life he has gotten extremely good. Kai is super shy and seems quiet when you first meet him, but the more you get to know him, you come to know the caring, dare devil, outgoing boy he is. He has had some injuries and failures, but he never quit. He pushed through all the challenges, all of the mistakes, and all of the people telling him he wouldn't make it. All of these confrontations have helped shape him into the talented young boy he is now. 

    Logan has always tagged along with Kai on his trips to the skate park. Just like Robby passed his passion down to Kai, Kai has passed it down to Logan. Logan has been learning from Kai, and picking up on the way Kai skates. Similar to Kai, Logan is a caring boy who would do almost anything for anyone. Logan is super into the Japanese lifestyle and collects almost anything to do with it. He loves cartoons and is a super big sponge bob fan. 

    Logan and Kai are my younger brothers. Nothing makes me more proud, than being able to watch them grow and become the charming young men they are. Being able to see them turn their company from a thought into something real, has inspired me in so many ways. They have become something so much greater than I could ever be, and being able to say they're my little brothers, makes me the happiest big sister in the world. I hope one day I can accomplish something as great as they have. They truly are the most important thing to me.  

    

Voloshen Week 4- The Beach

    

    Over this past weekend, my friend and I went to Point Pleasant beach for the day. He drove while I navigated us with my phone and let me say this: I am TERRIBLE at navigating.  Our drive to the beach was about half an hour longer than it needed to be because we either missed exits or were in the wrong lane, which was completely my fault. I'm not sure why, but I've always had a hard time figuring out the timing of the google maps arrow and our car, so we would end up passing an exit because I thought it was farther down. Fortunately, my friend forgave me (a lot) and it wasn't too stressful since there wasn't a ton of traffic, but the drive home was EVEN WORSE which, again, was my fault. Not to mention there were a ton of toll booths. Since we didn't have an E-Zpass, we couldn't just drive through them so we had to make sure we were in a Cash lane. During our drive home, we were at a toll booth and we couldn't get into the correct lane so we ended up going through without paying. 

    Aside from the chaotic drive, it was a relaxing day that was very much needed. We walked along the shore, took pictures, ate lunch, and explored the surrounding town at our own leisurely pace. We even got ice cream at the Point Creamery and I highly recommend it. Obviously, the day would have been more enjoyable if we weren't so anxious about COVID (and if it was about 60 degrees warmer), but it was still an amazing day. It really made me realize how beneficial it can be to get out of my house and do something completely different. It also made me realize that if I ever have to drive somewhere and navigate by myself, I'd probably be better off not going. 

Febbo Week 4 - Reaching Goals

    I have never been the best student, but I have always worked my hardest and tried my best in school. Throughout, all the years I've been in school, I have found many things I struggle with and need extra help in. I was that kid who needed extra tutoring and help in reading, especially. For some reason, I struggled greatly with reading and comprehending then having to answer questions about the passage. My parents had to get me a tutor and I was also in extra help in school, with the reading specialist. As I got older, I learned my weaknesses and figured out how to work them out. Eventually, I turned my biggest weakness, in school, into one that was manageable and I could workaround.

    With that said, the other day I got a letter in the mail saying I am now a member of the National Honor Society. I filled out the application thinking I was just wasting my time because I would never actually get accepted, however, turns out I should not have doubted myself so much. 

     Even with everything I struggled with in school, I never gave up and always tried my hardest and it really paid off when I received that letter and it really showed me that if I put my mind to something I can accomplish it. I'm not saying all this to brag or show off, but I'm saying this to show that with hard work and determination, you can reach your goals and it will pay off in the long run.

Level Week 4 - Crazy month

     The end of January and beginning of February has been a whirlwind for me. To begin this never-ending snow has a crazy. I don't really remember us getting this much snow for a while. We got lucky enough to shovel 30+ inches of snow for days. I must say as soar as I was after shoveling for so long I was happy that we got this winter storm experience. Everyone staying home, just appreciating the beautiful white snow that surrounded us everywhere. I was happy for the first couple of days of the snow but now every time I check the weather I see snow every day of the week almost. I am over it and so is my snow machine. 

    The snow isn't the only thing that has made these couple of past days hectic. About a week ago we learned that my grandmother who lives in France was sick with the Coronavirus. When I first learned about the news I was super stressed because she is an 80-year-old woman who lives alone. She managed to give it to almost all of my family in France, my cousins got sick, aunts, uncles, my pregnant cousin's wife, her entire family, and a couple of family friends. Everyone is sick right now. 

    The hardest part of all of this has been not being able to see them or check in on them since we are the only ones who live in the United States. Luckily my aunt and uncle are both doctors and happen to live right across the street from my grandmother. They have been checking in on her every day, giving her medicine depending on what is hurting and how she is feeling. Throughout the week they say that she wasn't feeling better, so they got her a tank of oxygen so she was able to rest at home peacefully instead of the crappy french hospitals. After a couple of days, she started showing slow signs of improvement which made us all very happen. Now we are all just waiting for her to become healthy again. 

    To add to the mix of all of this, I have been working 15-20 hours a week at Subway. The past month has been very hectic to say the very least. I can slowly begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel which gives me hope and motivation to keep pushing through. I just really hope this corona stuff ends soon and that everyone stays safe.