Plastics-Maya Creamer

       My grandmother, who I call Nana, is the person I turn to when I have a problem. She's had many experiences in her life, and I think that qualifies her to give some really good advice. I can't really remember one specific piece of advice she has given me, but most of her suggestions involve listening to your heart, or "going with your gut". She reminds me to pause before making a big decision, and really listen to what my body is telling me to do; according to her, you have to make the choice that feels right to you at the time. I am a very indecisive person, and I always worry that I'm going to make the wrong decision, so this advice has really helped me. When I'm contemplating a decision, I stop for a second (or a few minutes, a few hours, etc.), and really try to tune in to what my body is telling me. I always come to a decision, and I rarely regret the choice I've made after the fact. This advice also applies to past decisions; I've made some decisions in the past that I wish I had made differently, but when I mention this to my Nana, she assures me that "it was the right decision for me at the time." This reminds me to not dwell on my past decisions; what's done is done, and everything will turn out alright.

Buckets and Buckets - Kevin LaZur

What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish high school?

I would simply like to be able to move on to a college I'm happy with. This is number one; it's what I'm doing with my life after high school. It's where I'm going to start living life for myself once I've left this place that focuses on following instructions in order to make progress. But really, I don't know what I'm going to do when life isn't being spoonfed to me. That's why I've decided i'll just go to college and see what happens.

What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish college?

I would like to have made a decent amount of money playing music. This limits the amount of time I need to spend working, and it's a much more enjoyable way of making money. I feel like it would also be good for me to know that I'm doing something productive with my free time spent playing music.
 
What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish living?

All I ask is that I die as a martyr for the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Horray for Hollywood - Kevin LaZur

Watchmen (4.5 stars)

I was impressed by what the movie did as an adaption of the graphic novel. The graphic effects are perfect, and capture the action of a comic book. There are a good amount of slowmo shots and much detailed violence. There are times when I questioned whether or not a violent scene should have been shown, but I loved the vividness in those scenes. Zach Snyder's directing isn't all about violence; I can still remember the dismal cityscapes shown throughout this movie. His portrayal of a dystopian New York City gave me the feeling that although it was set in a very different world, it possessed some quality that rooted it in realism.

The story of course grabbed my attention and kept it the entire time, and this is a considerably long movie. The acting and portrayal of Rorschach and The Comedian were amazing. I love when a delusional character is done right, and that's exactly what Rorschach is. The Comedian, a morally twisted character, kept me second-guessing what I would put past him. These guys and many other stellar characters are all tied up in the same mystery, and the movie did a great job of showing the mystery through the extreme perspective of the characters.

Plastics - Kevin LaZur

"There's a certain admiration, or perhaps envy, of people who don't say much because they have an aura of mystery to them, as you don't know what they're thinking. But that's kind of weird, because for all you know they're just thinking about underpants." - Levni Yilmaz

Levni Yilmaz probably considers himself an artist, but I consider him to be a youtuber in charge of the channel AgentXPQ. This quote, in the video " MUTE/NUMB Tales Of Mere Existence" effects how I think about impressions. By saying that the strong/silent type could just be thinking about underpants, he is presenting the idea that people don't always come off as who they really are. Some people may seem more impressive or likeable than who they really are, and others may seem less so. What I have taken from this quote is that you have no way of knowing. I can never conclude what kind of person someone else is like because I'm not in their head. I only know myself.

Plastics - Amelia Caldwell

The best piece of advice I have been given was to "always be yourself, and don't stray from the path you are on to check out another." My mom told me this when I was very young, and periodically through middle school she would mention it again. The last time she told me this was as I was getting out of the car my first day of freshman year. I did not know anyone except for the few I went to SCAPA with and those I met at Academy Summer Boot Camp. She wanted me to know that I will find a "group" just by being myself. I took her advice and met so many people. After the first day I hadn't found my "group" yet, but throughout the first couple of days I was welcomed into a group of people who had gone to middle school together. I had found the people I have spent my mornings with since freshman year and will continue to spend mornings together until the last day senior year. Although a few have left and few have joined us, I found my "group" by being myself. I followed my mom's advice, and I am extremely happy I did.

Assignment 18: Buckets and Buckets - Matthew Logsdon

I was asked to respond to this one too --

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish high school?

Well I've finished school but somehow I'm still here.  I'd say in the next 18 months I'd like to have maintained my exercise regime and whittled away my 210 down to 175.  I'm currently hovering between 185 and 190 depending on the day, how much I've exercised and how poorly I've eaten.  I haven't seen 190 in at least 10 years so I'm already pretty pleased with how things are going.  In fact tonight I ran 6 miles- a first.  Ultimately I need to stay focused, allow myself to fail from time to time, and be ever mindful of the success I've experienced.  

But I also want to go to my first Gen Con.  Next August will be the first time this NERD - Gasitc experience will happen before school starts so I'm making plans to attend.  The problem is that it's pricey so I've got to start saving NOW! Tru-Dungeon here I come.  Don't Judge me!

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish college?

Let's see - we're looking at the end of 5 years.  My kids will be 16 and 13.  I want to take my family to Europe.  I want to see the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.  I want to make sure that I've soaked them up 'cause I'll only have 2 and 5 years left with them.  Then they're gone.  

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish living?

I want to live past retirement.  I want to visit SPACE.  I want to walk my daughters down the isle.  I want be married and see my 50th wedding anniversary.  I want to see my grandchildren.  I want the financial freedom to be a blessing to my children and grandchildren.  I want them to want to be near me.  I want to die with grace and dignity.  I want to have mattered.

Plastics- brandon castillo

 I just finished the book "Unbroken" about Louie Zamperini and I think that this book is the advice that could change my life. It is the most amazing story that I have ever read and that is real. Although, there it would be next to impossible to survive the tragedies that Louie endured, he taught so many lessons through them all. The first would be to stop complaining about small things like forgetting a water bottle at home or an argument with a friend. Physically, he went through hell and back, with the constant beatings in the POW camps and the lack of nutrition. I no longer have any need to be obsessed with every little detail of health because I know my body can do so much more than what is thought to be possible. Next, is the lesson of trusting God. If you read the book, you can feel that there is something or someone watching over Louie throughout this. This could be through the angelic songs that played to him during the time in his raft or some of the guards and cooks that helped him through the hardest of times, they were his guardian angels in essence. It showed me that God provides if you pray enough for it. This goes into the other advice of living into Christ. Before Louie found him, he was a drunkard about to lose his house and wife but then Billy Graham was able to show him God's perfection and the sheer awesome of God. He then continued to stay married to his wife and live his life "happily ever after". Through this book, I have learned so many new things and what I feel like are pieces of advice that the author has given us through the story of Louie Zamperini.

Plastics - Emily Salamanca

              "Sometimes when people ask you a question of whether or not they should do something, all they really want is to be reinforced to do that thing." That was the general direction of the advice, if it can even be considered advice. I read it when I was about 7 or 8 in a Reader's Digest Magazine. It had never occurred to me before. An example of this is when a friend comes up to ask me whether they should skip school the next day because of a big test or quiz and they already were feelings bad, or whether they should just tough it out and stick through it. Although it would benefit me if my friend did come to school, I understand that they probably just want to have someone else justify their need for a mental health (or even physical health) day off. This piece of advice has changed my life because I stopped dolling out advice that was unnecessary and didn't support what my friend really wanted. Similarly, another piece of advice I received from the same article (God bless it...) was that when a person is sad or angry or filled with intense feeling, it is their time to talk not yours. If a friend is happy because they scored really well on a test, let them be full of themselves. Let them cry and scream and jump and yell. And finally, the other piece of advice was just to generally shut up. Stop saying superfluous comments and just be direct and kind. Still working on that.

Hooray for Hollywood- Eliza Jane Schaeffer

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/944417231/

Assignment 19: plastics

Most of the advice we receive in our lives is unsolicited and quite frankly inane.  However, every once in a while we get a real gem and changes our trajectory.  What is the one piece of advice given to you that has stuck?  Explain its effect.


Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, February 1st at 11:59 pm

Buckets and Buckets! Madye Moore

High School Bucket List:

• Maintain my GPA 
• Do well on my AP Tests
• Improve my ACT and SAT Scores
• Spend time with my family and friends
• Go on a trip with friends before we graduate

The top thing on this list for me is to spend time with my family and friends. This is the most important thing to me (not because grades and getting into college isn't, because it definitely is) because I don't have that much time until I'm going to be off at college, and once I'm gone I won't have the time to spend with the people that I love like I do now, and if I don't take advantage of it now I will most definitely regret it later.

College Bucket List:

• Major in something that I actually enjoy doing
• Meet a lot of new people
• Maintain my grades and GPA
• Do well in all of my classes 
• Develop good relationships with my professors
• Have Fun, Enjoy it while it lasts 

The top thing for me on this list is to major in something that I actually enjoy doing. This is the most important thing to me from this list because what you major in kind of determines the rest of your life, and although at the moment it may seem like we should just major in something that will provide us with financial advantages, I think being happy is more important, and who knows, maybe what you love doing will provide you with those advantages anyways, then you'd get the best of both worlds.

Life Bucket List:

• Get Married
• Have a family
• Travel all around the world
• Create life-long memories with people I love
• End up at a job that makes me happy

The top priority for me on this list to definitely to have a family. I don't know what it is, but I love the idea of having a husband and having kids running all over the place, that to me is my ultimate life goal. I can't wait to give my kids what my parents gave to me, and create so many memories along the way  with the people I love.

Buckets and buckets- James Jones

High school bucket list-
-maintain/improve my current GPA
-do well on all of my AP tests
-straight A's senior year
-improve Act and Sat Scores
-build a car with my dad
-get a job
     Though all of these things are important to me for my priority I have to pick building a car with my dad. I have helped my dad build a few cars for his friends/customers and if you like cars it's a fun thing to do. And the pay off is riding in a fast car which can be both very exciting and terrifying. I would love to build one with my dad for ourselves, so we would have a constant reminder of that accomplishment in the garage, and a lot of fun on weekends.
College bucket list-
-get a degree
-take a class I have a lot of interest in
-learn to play a new instrument
-maintain contact with high school friends
     My priority for this list is to take a class I have a lot of interest in, too often people take only the classes that are required, I want to take at least one class that I think would be genuinely fun.
Life bucket list-
-get a job I legitimately enjoy
-have a family
-travel, a lot
-make others happy
-be happy
     My priority for this list is to be happy, because no matter what it takes or what I've achieved at that point in time, it doesn't really matter as long as I'm legitimately happy.

Hooray for Hollywood- Isabelle Rinker

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/910047361/ratings

Buckets and buckets- Tapan Darji

1. High School:

• Get straight A's my Junior and Senior year.
• Get into a good college.
• Have a successful mentoring project.
• Get a 4 or 5 on all my AP exams.
• Get a perfect or near perfect ACT and/or SAT score.
• Get good scholarships.

The number one thing on my list is getting straight A's because it will help me get into a good college which is my second most important goal. It will also help me get scholarships.

2. College:

• Get an undergraduate degree.
• Get accepted into medical school.
• Play on a college sports team.
• Play violin for the college I go to.
• Graduate debt free.

Getting a degree is the most important thing to me because without a degree I won't get a good high paying job. 

3. Life:

• Get to play soccer or cricket professionally.
• Coach a sports team
• Travel around the world.
• Keep a stable job.
• Have a successful career.
• Taking care of my parents.
• Get married and have a family.

Having a stable job is my top priority because without a stable job I won't be able to complete the other things on my list.

Buckets and Buckets-Maya Creamer

High School Bucket List
- Maintain my straight A's all the way through senior year
- Get a 3 or higher on all my AP tests
- Qualify for National Merit
- Get accepted to a good college
- Help rebuild my youth group's membership
- Complete a successful mentoring project
- Make new friends from different areas of my life

My top priority on this list is to maintain my straight A's all the way through high school. I enjoy school and take pride in being a hard-working student, and while I know that grades aren't everything, I have set a standard for myself during the first 2 1/2 years of high school that I would like to uphold. If I can accomplish this, I will feel extremely proud of myself.

College Bucket List
- Get a degree in whatever field I decide to go into
- Take up a new activity, sport, etc.
- Study abroad
- Make lifelong friends
- Be in at least one play/musical/stage production
- Play violin in my college's orchestra

My top priority on this list is to take up a new sport or activity. College is a time to discover new interests, and I want to take full advantage of it. Getting involved in something new is also a great way to make friends that you might not have ever met, and who you share a common interest with.

Life Bucket List
- Fall in love 
- Have or adopt kids
- Visit all 50 states
- Travel around the world
- Pursue a career that makes me happy
- Watch every episode of a television series
- Do something to change someone's life
- Make a friend from each of the 50 states
- Adopt a dog and/or a cat
- Write an entire novel, even if I never publish it

 My priority on this list is definitely to have or adopt kids. I love kids, and I think it would be extremely rewarding to be a mother, and to know that I've shaped someone's life. I also think that I would be able to learn so much from my kids; they would remind me to find joy in the little things in life, and to not take myself too seriously.

Buckets and Buckets - Emily Salamanca

Welcome to your first blog prompt for 2015! Yay!

A bucket list is a list of everything you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket. That doesn't mean you can't have such a list for specific aspects of your life as well.

To begin the year, generate your own bucket lists - one for high school, one for college, and one for life. Then, write about the priority on each list.

High School 

-take all of my AP tests

-get my score up on the ACT

-get my score up on the SAT

-get all As

-take AP Euro and AP Art History next year

-control my anxiety better

-learn to drive alone

-get a summer job

-live up to my older siblings

My number one would probably be just to control my anxiety better. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, so maybe that will help a little to know that I am a little sick. Still, I want to be able to have fun in school without worrying whether I will be able to make it through the day without crying. I'm so lame and I know that, but I just want to be able to live freely again. This connects easily with learning how to drive and graduating (which I didn't put on there, but the next question implies that I will reach that stage in life.) I think that putting things like test goals up on here is just setting yourself up for misery and failure. If you are looking for a 36 on the ACT and a 5 on all AP tests, then you are sacrificing so much time and money and emotional energy on fixated numbers. There is no way I would want to be around this kind of person. It's unhealthy.

College

-take a semester or two abroad

-take a class that I want to take and not just one that is required

-decorate my dorm

-stay in touch with high school friends

-continue working at summer camp

-get an internship

-redo my closet

My number one would be to take a semester or two abroad. I want to learn languages. I want to know other cultures. I think, as of right now, I want to go into linguistics and so I think I should be able to travel with a major in that degree. I am excited even thinking about getting away from here and wherever I choose to go.

Death

-have a family

-live in a city

-never give up my odd sense of fashion

-be happy

I think my biggest one would be to have a family. I really like the idea being like my mother. She's so sweet and caring and I admire her so much. Thus, it seems so simple now, but the happiest thing for me would be to have a loving family. 

Hooray for Hollywood! Emily Salamanca

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/950118966/ratings

Buckets and buckets- brandon castillo

High School bucket list:
Go to a cabin with my friends
Go to a Ravens-Steelers game with Henry
2:02 800m time
Know that I can go through college debt-free
Cement foundation of knowledge in creationism
Get closer to God and people around me

My number one thing is that I want to get closer to God and everyone around me. There's a saying that the only that you can't bring anything to heaven with you and I want to get as close as possible to as many people as possible so I can stay friends or in touch with them after high school.

College bucket list:
Get a degree in whatever I want to do
Go to a NCAA tournament game (if my college is competing in it)
Make new friends
Get something free because I won a race (in one you can get free chickfila for a year... free chickfila... for a year)

My number one thing is that I  want to make new friends and connect with new people in the community.

General Life goals:
Make a family
Get married
Go to Notre Dame's football stadium
Travel abroad
Get a stable job
Retire in peace

I want to get married and have a family the most I guess, I think it'd be fun and an honor to be a dad and husband.

Hooray for Hollywood-Maya Creamer

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/968522759/ratings

Hooray for Hollywood - Amelia Caldwell

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_woods_2014/reviews/?page=2&type=user

Hooray for Hollywood- James Jones

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/968512205/

Buckets and Buckets - Amelia Caldwell

Bucket List before end of high school:
-Travel out of the country
-Go to NYC with my family
-Ride a horse
-Learn to play an instrument
The top priority of this bucket list is to go to NYC with my family. My parents have gone together, I went with my 8th grade class, and my brother has never gone. So I would love to be able to have that experience before I leave high school

Bucket List for before end of college:
-Study abroad
-Be a part of a production
-Talk to people I would not ordinarily talk to
The most important bullet point for me is to be in a production. I am very involved in the arts and I want to continue this in college even though I will not be majoring in an art form.

Bucket List in general:
-Travel to all 50 states
-See a ballet performed by the Moscow Ballet
-Run a marathon
-Travel to at least 10 countries
-Be chosen as volunteer to decorate the White House for Christmas
I believe traveling to all 50 states has top priority. I think that if you are going to live in a country, you should travel and see as much of the country as you possibly can.

Isabelle Rinker- Buckets and Buckets

High School Bucket List:

-maintain my GPA

-get into my dream college

-inspire my EAP mentee

-maintain my wonderful circle of friends

-take advantage of more opportunities at my dance studio

-attend youth group and mass every Sunday

-work out for at least an hour every day

-promote the importance of health and fitness in my community

-be successful with my senior mentoring project

My number one priority on my high school bucket list is to inspire my EAP mentee. As a member of the program, I hope by completing the tasks on this list, I can inspire my mentee to set goals for herself.

College Bucket List:

-become a member of the dance team at whichever school I attend

-maintain a high GPA

-be involved in campus political activism

-maintain a new circle of friends

-(while keeping in touch with my high school friends)

-major in Nursing and minor in Spanish

-study abroad

-graduate with honors

-become a parishoner of my college's Catholic Newman Center

-volunteer with Special Olympics and other charities that enrich the lives of people with special needs

My number one priority on my high school bucket list is to continue volunteering for charities that better the lives of people with special needs, like my brother, William.

General life goals:

-travel the world and experience new cultures

-become an R.N.

-go on medical mission trips as a nurse

-continue to share my passion for the arts

-maintain a healthy and active lifestyle

-start a family of my own

-keep in touch with my dad, who has been like a best friend to me throughout my life

-live in New York City, at least for a while

-have a diverse group of friends

The most important thing on my list is to travel the world and experience new cultures. The most important thing in life is to learn to live amongst others, even if they are different from yourself.

Eliza Jane Schaeffer- Buckets and Buckets

Here are my bucket lists! Now that I look at them on paper, I can see that they scream overachiever. As members of this great big acadafamily, please reserve judgement. 

Bucket List for High school:

-Get all A's

-National Merit

-find time to read at least 2 books every month

-36 on ACT

-organize a city-wide event of some sort

-get a student on the superintendent search committee

-get into my top choice college

-5:30 mile

-11:45 2 mile

-19:30 5k

-grow Young Republicans into a club with a steady 20 members

-be teen

The top item on this bucket list is find time to read two books each month. I know that if I don't have time to read, I'm stretching myself too thin and need to take a step back. 

College Bucket List:

-go on a backpacking trip

-intern in Washington

-join/start Young Republicans 

-do research in psychology and write a thesis

-study in Spain

-run a marathon

-join a sorority

-go to graduate school

-get all A's

-be friends with all my professors

The top item on this bucket list is of do research in psychology and write a thesis. I've wanted to do research ever since I was little. 

General life goals:

-become fluent in Spanish

-change someone's life for the better

-Peace Corps 

-Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail

-be an old lady jogger

-after I retire, bake a lot and sell my baked goods to raise money for charity

-do something with science/psychology then go into politics then do something with journalism/writing

-have babies and dress them in J. Crew's baby line

-be nice to everyone I meet

The top item on this bucket list is to change someone's life for the better. If that is the only thing I manage to accomplish in life, I will die happy. 

Brandon castillo- hooray for hollywood

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/913497152/
I picked the second one!

Assignment 18: Buckets and Buckets

Welcome to your first blog prompt for 2015! Yay!

A bucket list is a list of everything you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket. That doesn't mean you can't have such a list for specific aspects of your life as well.

To begin the year, generate your own bucket lists - one for high school, one for college, and one for life. Then, write about the priority on each list.

1. What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish high school?
2. What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish college?
3. What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish living?

(This blog is inspired by Axel Liimatta - former academy teacher - my friend and former colleague that inspires me to live every day more fully)

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, January 18th  at 11:59 pm