Family

Cheaper by the Dozen may be a funny adventure story about the lifestyle of a crazy family of 12 children, an irritable father, and a collected mother, but it is alos much, much more. The story itself was most likely written to illustrate the importance of family in the lives of all human beings. Family is a support system of people who love and care for one another. In a loving family, anyone can go to anyone else for help or support when one is approached with any problem whatsoever. Everything that was once difficult, becomes that much easier when family is there to fall back on. In Cheaper by the Dozen, the crazy family of 14 is held together by such an intense bond, that even the most insanely unpredictable disaster could never tear them apart. Although larger families are more chaotic, they are just as close as smaller families. Because larger families are just as tightly-knit as smaller families, they are stronger overall. Tearing apart any section of a large family, even a family of 14, would cause just as big of a problem as the loss of an only child from a family of 3. In fact, it may even cause more damage, because losing a member of a family of 14 would affect the other 13 members of the family just as powerfully.

In Cheaper by the Dozen there many times during which members of the Gilbreth famaily decide that they would rather have nothing to do with the rest of their family than deal with the chaos and irritation. However, after the specific family member breaks away from the clan, he or she return moments later in the story deciding that he or she needs the family, even if the family is driving him or her absolutely crazy. No matter how hard we all try to run away from our parents or our siblings, we will always need them in our lives. Family is one of the most essential apects in the world. From our family, our values are born, and we choose how we think, talk, walk, and appeal to others. Family is, essentially, the infrastructure on which each and every one of us builds our respective lives.

More Excitement by the Dozen

In Cheaper by the Dozen, Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey depict the significance of family in the lives of every human being. The book provides comic relief to family struggles and difficult times, yet imbues a sense of heartwarming peace in the heart of the reader who picks the book up for enjoyment. It's almost impossible to guess what could happen in a family with 12 kids. Many people assume that chaos would be immeinent. Such an assumption would be correct. But not many people would assume that the mother and father of the 12 children would be able to stand such a way of life. In fast, Cheaper by the Dozen recounts the love and importance of the family bond among the Gilbreths, even in their chaotic household. Mr. Gilbreth, even though he cannot stand the chaos, would never give up any of his sons or daughters for the world, no matter how much they irritate him.



When Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth got married, they knew they were in for a difficult time. Both spuses came into their relationship with a significant amount of baggage. Mrs. Gilbreth was ready, being a psychologist and an expert at taking care of young children, but Mr. Gilbreth was not as prepared for what was to come. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth now had 12 children to deal with, combined, thus the title Cheaper by the Dozen. Mr. Gilbreth is far more impatient, and is constantly found hooting and hollering at his children for misbehaving, while Mrs. Gilbreth has her moments, but is, for the most part, calm and collected, considering she is dealing with 12 children. Of which only a few are mature enough to take care of themselves, and more than half are obnoxious troublemakers. On top of their 12 kids, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth are forced to care for a trouble-making dog named Gunner and their children's equally boistrous friends. Needless to say, every day in the Gilbreth house is an adventure. Sometimes things get so crazy that the parents flip their respective switches, but these explosions of frustration simply add to the pragmatic nature of the story, and supply a strong taste of reality to readers.



Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (pgs. 1-152)

Don't Stress

Last week was one of the most stressful weeks of my life, and this week has promise to be a close runner-up. Over these couple of rough weeks, I have had trouble handling the stress tha has resulted from the numerous research papers, projects and finals I have been writing, working on and studying for respectively. Saturday morning I was forced to standby register for the SAT at Southside because I didn't realize that the next SAT isn't until October, until it was too late to register for last Saturday's SAT. At the time I felt like the world was coming to an abrupt halt because of all of the work that had led up to that moment of stress release. I couldn't stand all the pressure of performing well on the SAT after receiving a disappointing score on my physics final and stressing about several papers and projects all week long.

I now realize that there was no point for me to do all of that stressing. Stressing is largely superfluous, because it does not change the events that are set to occur. Stressing over a test doesn't make the test go away, just as stressing over turning in a good paper doesn't make you work more efficiently. Stress just slows us down. It causes everyone to perform worse than usual, and it ultimately guarantees unnecessary unhappiness for the time during which one is stressing.

Stressing is not only superfluous, it is damaging. Over the past couple of weeks I have stressed so much that I actually led myself into a kind of brief and shallow depression. Although I am certainly not in any psychological trouble, the stress which I allowed to control me during the time which I was writing my research paper, working on my projects, and studying for finals ate away at my happiness and caused me to think negative thoughts. Stress is what causes me to lose my confidence and my smile. I now realize that hard times would be so much easier if I could just control the stress which I experience, instead of letting it boss me around.

No matter how hard it gets, I'd have to say it's never worth stressing.

Never Give Up

In Positive Thinking Every Day, Norman Peale also discusses the importance of perseverance and willpower. He stands behind the motto "never give up" without budging throughout the writing. First of all, he says "never talk defeat" and he tells everybody to "use words like hope, belief, faith, and victory." Furthermore he tells us all to "cultivate willpower" in order to make it through all of the hard times that try to bring us down. Most importantly, Peale reminds us that a heart "warmed with the fires of enthusiasm" will never be shaken by "life's blows". Therefore, if everyone holds onto his or her will to carry out a happy and successful life by cultivating an enthusiasm to achieve, the world will have a much stronger foundation from which to evolve and flower.

"It's always too soon to quit!"

-Norman Vincent Peale

Peale wants everybody to know that giving up is never the right choice. Where there is a will, there is a way, and there is always a reason to have a will, or to persevere. The hard times only make us stronger. That's why we all have to struggle to mature and grow into adults. Just as breaking down muscles by lifting weights eventually rebuilds stronger, healthier muscles, fighting through life's many obstacles without giving up, while maintaining a positive outlook on life, guarantees a stronger and healthier adult life for all human beings. Peale tells us all to forget about giving up, because everything in life is worth fighting through in order to better oneself in the future that awaits everyone.

Positive Thinking Every Day- Norman Vincent Peale (pgs. 1-163)

Happiness Is What You Make It

In Positive Thinking Every Day, Norman Vincent Peale discusses the advantages to approaching life with a positive outlook. This book speaks to me in many ways due to the fact that I tend to look at the downsides far more than I look at the positives. By always looking at the negatives, I realize that I'm only ruining my chance at happiness. Norman Peale states that happiness is a choice or an approach, rather than an effect caused by the luck in life or good memories. Therefore, everyone makes his or her own happiness, or sadness. Sometimes, when I'm sad, I can recognize that it's my choice and my choice only to have that frown on my face. Consequently, it should be easier for me to turn my frown upside down, because I can make happiness my choice at all times. In every bad situation, I can look at the positives, instead of dwelling on the ifs, ands, and buts, or telling myself that I could be better off. Peale states that "our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate."

"Thoughts of a kind have a natural affinity.

While the negative thinker tends to draw back to

himself negative results, the positive thinker

activates the world around him positively."

-Norman Vincent Peale

The happy person is happy because he or she thinks positively and is capable of handling failure and defeat calmly and collectively. Sometimes, when someone hurts my feelings or shows me disrespect, I feel like the whole world is against me and I either lash out or go quiet. Maybe if we all followed Peale's advice, we'd all be able to smile at the people who try to get us down, because we know that we all have the power to be happy in every situation life presents to us.

Happiness is a state of mind.

You Can't Win If You Don't Take a Risk

Earlier in my entires I discussed the likeness of poker to life. After today, I would like to further that discussion, because I feel like I have some more key advice.

Today I folded a great hand because I was too afraid to take a risk. After folding, I realized how big my opportunity to had been, and how haunting my mistake would be. I still cannot let it go, even though it happened hours and hours ago. I could have taken my friend out of the game. Instead, he went on to win.

My preceding rant might seem random, until I implement it as a metaphor for life. Basically, in life, everyone has to take risks to get to where they are. When I folded my hand, I was too worried about the possibility of losing to imagine the benefits of calling the all in and taking the pot. This works the same way in my life, and the lives of many others. I did not take a risk that was presented to me, and now I feel sick to my stomach, despite the fact that I did not lose too much in the process. When I play for the Homestead soccer team, I never seem to play as well I as I do for my travel team. On Homestead, I am always so afraid to make a mistake that I am incapable of taking risks. This not only obliterates my confidence, but it stops me from succeeding and standing out. Instead of going out to the fields and playing my own game, I seem to worry too much about the possible downfalls of making a mistake or a bad pass. In poker, you can't win a hand if you never call the bets, and in soccer, you can't score a goal if you never shoot. I am trying to teach myself that there's no point in dwelling on your errors and playing timidly in order to prevent further mistakes. Nobody is perfect, therefore, everyone makes mistakes. If nobody ever took a chance, we would be nowhere near where we are today in every aspect of our society. I say, from now on, if I am dealt the hand, I should take the risk. Whether I have a solid hand in poker, or I have a solid skill set in soccer that I am unable to use due to my fear of failure, I need to make the best out of what is given to me. It's better to take all the risks and shake off the failures, then to take no risks at all, because, if you don't take any risks, you'll look back on your life and kick yourself for all the good things that could have come from the risks you could have taken. If you don't risk anything, you give yourself zero chance to succeed.

Making Mountains out of Molehills

So I just got back from my soccer tournament down in Columbus, Indiana, and for one reason or another my last post did not register on the day that I had entered it from my dad's laptop. Anyway, it's re-entered so I'm satisfied, and I hope my loyal subscribers can forgive me for postponing their main source of entertainment.

In this segment of "Getting Thematic" I'd like to discuss my third theme that I have selected from I Know What You Did Last Summer; the capability of a short moment of weakness to cause a massive downfall in one's life. This theme ties into the designated driver's accidental vehicular manslaughter of the strange man in the road. Had the driver been paying more attention, something of that magnitude would have been easily avoided. Because the driver was in a state of mental and physical disillusionment, being drunk and thinking about other things, he hit the man and may have drastically altered the lives of himself and his three friends. Such a small amount of time may have changed his entire life in an ineffable way. This goes for everyone. Everyone has done something stupid in their life, and some have been affected by this stupid action or decision. Before the fact, we all feel invincible. We go by a crash site on the highway and we say "that sucks for him, but what are the chances of that happening to me?" Well, technically, the chances are the same for everyone without putting drugs, alcohol, or disabilities in the picture. This is how Rodney Thompson died, in fact. He was looking down at his phone and he crashed. The slightest moment of weakness took Rodney's life and caused an emotional breakdown throughout the groups of his family and friends. In I Know What You Did Last Summer, the driver's bad choice in drinking too much at the party and getting caught up in the spirit of the late night car ride led to an event that has the potential of destroying the lives of four striving human beings.

Karma Police

Because I had already the first 150 pages of I Know What You Did Last Summer, I have decided that I should discuss more major themes in order to save some more reading for next week. Today I'd like to discuss the evidence of karma in the the story.

When the kids first encounter their problem, it's obvious that the problem will come back around full circle to be a pain in their sides. I do not quite no how, but anyone reading this book would be able to determine that their crashing into the man and secretly disposing his body without notifying the police foreshadows a dark future for the kids. I see their dishonesty as their downfall, because I, personally, believe in karma. Karma means that everyone will be even in the end. It means that one person's sinning in order to better themselves will eventually lead to a problem in their future that will put the person back where he or she started. It can also mean that someone's misfortune despite his or her good intentions will eventually be counteracted by a phase of luck. In this case, the four friends made an unlawful and immoral decision in throwing the dead man whom they had killed into the ocean without taking responsibility for their actions. Because, they did not take any responsibility for their actions, karma will most likely take care of their punishment for them. They were too afraid to turn themselves in, but they did not realize that karma is a force far stronger than the local police.

Karma ultimately defines the superfluity of dishonesty and cheating. If karma was a known force, everyone who cheated would end up prospering less than those who stick to virtue and morals. Having accepted the presence of karma, one would never cheat and lie, because one should know that one will suffer a punishment and harbor feelings of hopelessness equal to or worse than the feeling of satisfaction one attains from cheating or lying.

To Conform, or Not to Conform

In I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, a group of four friends is caught in a precarious quagmire (two etymology words in a row) when an ominous occurrence augurs a climactic catastrophe.

Four close friends are out partying late at night. After hanging around at the party, drinking, and talking to friends for a good amount of time, they decide to head back home. Unfortunately, the designated driver is drunk, and they find themselves in a sticky situation. Due to a lack of good judgement, they permit the drunk designated driver to operate the car. Upon making a sharp turn around a bend in the road, the driver finds himself in a collision with a person who had been standing in the way. Needless to say, the person is dead after the impact. The four friends get out of the car to investigate the corpse that had been breathing just moments ago. Two of the friends decide that it's best that they all cooperate and dispose of the body in the ocean. However, Julie, on of the friends with a different idea in mind, says that they should report the accident to the police to avoid conflict with karma and any future investigation that could be carried out to find the man whom they had killed. Julie argues her point for a while, until she surrenders to the majority and agrees to put the body in the trunk, from which it will later be deposited into the ocean. The four friends decide to make a pact to never tell anyone about what had happened that summer after the party. The incident gives a hint that it is a precedent for the unfolding of the plot and the suspense leading up to the climax.

The theme discussed in the first 150 pages of the novel is, most significantly, conformity. Sometimes it is better to conform, and other times, it is best to stand up for what you feel is right. When a problem persists, one must take a stand as a nonconformist, but if a problem is a mere peccadillo, there should be no necessity to take up arms. In this situation, Julie seems to have the morally correct idea of how to go about the accident in her head. She gives in to the group and allows her morally correct idea to fade into the background behind a plan that could lead to problems for the friends in the future. Although the book has not yet explained these future problems, I can only imagine they will result from the accidental murder of the strange man standing on the road late on that ominous summer night. Perhaps if Julie would have stood her ground and protected her moral principles with pride, the friends would be able to face their problems now. It seems like karma's payback becomes gradually worse the more we all put off our problems and dissemble our mistakes. Therefore, we should be nonconformists first.

I Know What You Did Last Summer- Lois Duncan (Fiction- pages 1-154)

Truth

Why is it so important that Dave Cullen gets the story straight for all of the skeptics of the Columbine shooting? It's because truth is one of the most important principles known to man. Even the smallest white lie can come back and stab someone in the back when he/she is at the end of his/her rope. Truth is vital specifically in relationships, but it needs to be valued at a constant level throughout every stage of life. If everyone was to go on thinking of the Columbine shooting in the way it was portrayed, we would all blindly believe that only crazy kids commit mass murders. The fact that Dylan and Eric were not noticeably mentally ill until the shooting is vital knowledge for making schools safer and always being ready for the worst. Therefore, truth is key not only in people-to-people relationships, but also when dealing with the facts.

Without truth we would all assume that only a select few kids are capable of carrying out such a violent act, when, in truth, every kid is capable of doing anything at any time, depending on the way they feel and the people whom they are influenced by. Dylan and Eric seemed like average high school kids, but their growing anger, which was dissembled from the view of others, led to their sudden decision to try something new at the expense of many children's developing lives. Consequently, Dave Cullen's clarification of the event and the many assumptions that people have about it is key in maintaining trust, and protecting schools that are capable of protecting themselves by preparing for the worst to happen at any moment in time.

Truth is vital everywhere: in the home, in fact, in fiction, in business, in love, and in friendship. It is the most substantial infrastructure in our world as far as maintaining stability and protecting against unfair or ill-advised assumptions.

Appearance vs. Reality

After finishing Personality Plus I decided it was time to pick Columbine back up so I could try to finish off what I had started. As I continued reading, I decided to look further into a specific theme that shared by a plethora of novels and short stories. Appearance vs. Reality ties into almost every single one of the books that I have been assigned to read this year for AP Literature. For the most part, it ties into fiction novels, but, because many things in life are not always what they seem, such a theme ties into nonfiction novels as well.

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet dissembles himself behind a mask of insanity, exiling himself from reality and his friends and family. Consequently, his appearance of insanity masks the reality of his intention, which is to avenge the "foul and unnatural" murder of his father, who was killed by Hamlet's "incestuous" uncle, Claudius. In the same sense, Dave Cullen makes sure to compare the appearance of the Columbine shooting to the reality of the event. As I have surely mentioned in earlier entries, Dave Cullen portrays the actual events of Columbine in his nonfiction novel, in order to clear up the common misinterpretation of the event. The common misconception that the two shooter were secluded and socially inept is shot down by the reality that the two boys were, in fact, slightly popular among their classmates. Both Eric and Dylan were described as popular and full of school spirit. Before the shooting, nobody who knew either of them would have been able to predict the ineffable occurrence. Furthermore, the appearance that the shooting lasted for a long time and was planned out to the last detail by the shooters is cleared up by the reality that the shooting lasted only minutes, and was thrown together by the shooters at the last minute. Finally, the most common misconception that both Eric and Dylan wore trench coats around school everyday and lived in a twilight zone is obliterated by Dave Cullen's evidence from a primary source stating that both boys were fairly down-to-Earth, despite Eric's slightly edgy personality.

In the end, it's always important that we do not make assumptions, because, if we do, the reality hits us and we either feel stupid, or disappointed. Appearance vs. reality is everywhere. We might as well just assume that what is, is not, and move on with our lives.

The flower in the picture is a columbine, so it isn't just a random picture. I just needed to clarify.

Columbine by Dave Cullen (Nonfiction- pgs. 112-223)

The Roots of Disappointment

This week, the theme for my once-a-week personal entry is disappointment. Most significantly I'd like to define it, and search for its source. Trust me, this entry will not disappoint, but do not hold your expectations too highly.

In my opinion, disappointment is the feeling we get after something we were anticipating to go a certain way, results differently from what we had expected. For example, athletes disappoint when they are expected to have a great season and they put up weak stats. In the same sense, businesses disappoint when they prove unworthy for investments.

Most significantly, the source of disappointment is expectation. I decided to blog about this specific topic because I'm known to expect something to go a certain way. Then, I'm more prone to become disappointed when it doesn't work out. If we accepted this as the truth, would disappointment be eliminated if we all lowered our expectations? While this may be true, I think disappointment can also result from regret. Regret results when a person looks back on his/her life and decides that he/she should have done something differently. Although lowering expectations may defend against expectation-rooted disappointment, one may be more disappointed later in life about the risks they did not take. Although this type disappointment is less common among other cases, it is far more serious, because we can all cheer ourselves up with a bowl of ice cream after our expectations are disappointed, but nobody can go back in time and take that risk that they were to afraid to take. Essentially, fear of disappointment may be worse than disappointment itself. We can all move on if our risks or expectations disappoint, but we cannot go back in time and take the chances that we were always too afraid to take.

Sometimes I try to lower my expectations in order to feel happier if things go right yet content even if things do not work out. Although this satisfies my immediate emotional needs, it simultaneously injures my aspirations to be successful and my ambitions to be the best that I can be. Life is short, so we all need to reach for the stars before our bodies are buried in the ground. We all need to have goals, and we should never let the fear of disappointment stand in the way. Things will almost never go exactly how I plan, so I should simply accept that. Disappointment is an important part of becoming a mature and upstanding adult. As we experience disappointment more and more, we learn to take it with a grain of salt, and we do our best to dream even when we feel defeated.

Putting the Pieces Together

So apparently my entry that i typed up and entered didn't go through. Oh well, here goes my best replication of the entry...

After finishing Personality Plus, I realized that I had learned more about myself and others. I had learned more about my friends and families, along with ways to better my own image, and my relationships with my friends and families. Personality Plus may seem like a far-fetched analysis of a general and wildly fantastic subject area (the human mind and thought process), but even if it is not entirely factual or statistically accurate, the book still serves as a vital tool for all those who read it and truly think about its contents. I feel like I have learned how to take my emotions, as a perfect melancholy, and turn them into more positive emotions that will make me more fun to be around. By knowing myself, not only with I be able to more easily harness my emotions, I'll be ready to learn more about others. Some people go through their entire lives trying to find themselves, but if we all just accept who we are from the beginning, imagine how much more time we'll have to enjoy ourselves and our company. Consequently, by knowing oneself, one will be able to appreciate the good things in life.

After learning more about myself, and my personality type, I'm ready to affect the lives of others in a more positive way. I'm now ready to take that step towards the likeness of an Aaron Kee; someone who changed the lives of others with his hugs and vibrant smiles. I feel ready to convert my negative emotions and insecurities into laughter and self-confidence. After getting through the storm, and seeing the Sun, I know it will only be up from here. I also know the type of person that I'm naturally inclined to fall for, in knowing my personality type, and the requirements of the many different types of personalities in every unique person.

I might feel like I know myself now, but I'm sure there will be more to learn every single day, because change is the only constant. At least, by knowing how I think and process emotions, it will be easier for me to pick up the subtle changes that do occur.

Opposites Attract

During this rough AP testing week, I didn't have time to choose a book to dive into, so i decided to take a look back into Personality Plus...

Initially I had looked into the perfect melancholy characteristics, but upon second glance I noticed the balancing effects of the relationships that form between two people at opposite ends of the spectrum. I noticed that the perfect melancholy, who is normally over-analyzing things or staying away from trouble, if balanced well by the popular sanguine, who is the life of the party and is always bubbling over with laughter. The more laid back and thoughtful mannerisms of the perfect melancholy are counteracted by the outgoing and impulsive mannerisms displayed by the popular sanguine. In this same regard, the popular sanguine's inability to show emotion is counterbalanced by the depth of emotions that the average perfect melancholy possesses.

For these reasons, the book reveals to us that opposites truly do attract. It is not only a saying, but it is psychologically proven. The characteristics of the average perfect melancholy are ideal to create a healthy and positive relationship with the average popular sanguine. As I read even further, I notice that there are even sections that tell the popular sanguine how to cheer the perfect melancholy up, in order for the healthy relationship to flourish.

This just goes to show that everything really is a give and take. In relationships, each person has something of equal value and importance to offer to the other. If this was not true, the relationship would most likely become one-sided, or entirely unhealthy.

Leave an Impact

I suppose I've been entering one personal entry a week, so I might as well continue the trend.

I didn't know Aaron Kee, but during this school week, I noticed how important he was to the students at Homestead. I heard all of the kids who talked about Aaron on the announcements, and I realized that Aaron Kee had a powerful impact on the lives of many different people. He touched people in a number of ways, all positive. I talked to a few people about his passing, and they mentioned how his hugs could always make them feel better, or about how his smile could always brighten their day.

After thinking about this for a while, and praying for his family and friends to whom he meant so much, I started to think about death in general. Next year is our year for the senior curse. We're all hoping that we can break the curse, but I started to really think about the possibility of one of my close friends dying, or even me dying. Have I affected the lives of others in a positive way? Have I left the impact that Aaron Kee left before he passed? If i died, would I be remembered?

This actually served as a form of motivation for me. Death is inevitable. Nobody can beat death, and nobody has the right to choose when someone dies, so it could happen at any time. Nobody is invincible. Consequently, I decided to make it my goal to benefit as many people as I could. Then, when it's my time, I can die happy, knowing that I won't be simply forgotten. If I have the opportunity to help someone, I'll always try to do just that. When I'm being pressured to make fun of someone, or to hurt someone else's feelings, I'll always do my best to resist peer pressure, in order to resist hurting others. Aaron Kee made himself memorable. While he was alive he brightened people's days, and comforted people who were upset.

We should all be motivated by Aaron Kee; motivated to live each day as a new chance to touch the lives of others. Every day is another opportunity for us to leave our mark on this Earth. Every day of our lives should be a legacy.

Every Man for Himself

In The Hunger Games, Panem is separated into 12 separate districts. One boy and one girl are selected from each district to participate in the annual Hunger Games. Only one of the 24 "tributes" get the chance to continue living his or her life. Katniss, a father-less 16 year old, volunteers to take the place of her younger sister, Prim, in the games. The games are televised for the enjoyment of the viewing public, as if it was some reality show. In our world, reality shows are anything but realistic, but, in this case, it actually is reality television, because the question of life or death is on the line for each competitor. Not only is Katniss's life on the line, she is also competing against a boy who claims to love her named Peeta Mellark. Peeta knows Katniss from school, and he had once saved he life by giving her bread when her family was on the verge of passing away from starvation.

Despite the critical assistance that Peeta had once provided to Katniss, she decides that Peeta is only saying that he loves her to gain support from the viewing audience, in order to better his position in the games. I suppose this is what happens to just about everyone when they are faced with conflict. When there's something on the line, and we're forced to compete for it, everyone with the same goal becomes an enemy. Even though Peeta had once saved Katniss's life, Katniss questions Peeta's trustworthiness, and decides that he is lying in order to attain his own selfish goals. It then becomes imminent that Peeta and Katniss will come face to face at some point in this novel, although I need to read further to find out.

I think that Katniss's distrusting of Peeta is wrong, but not surprising in the least. It's human nature to be competitive when there is something of importance at risk. The same goes for every athlete, a group of singers trying out for a solo, a kid trying to win the talent show, or even a boy trying to win over a girl. In sports, a team is unit of trust, but an opponent is an obvious enemy. When I step on the field to play soccer, I build resentment for the opposing team, even if they're my friends, in order to get myself pumped up. When I take a step off of the field, we're all just average kids who play soccer. When a boy tries to impress a girl, he tries to cut her off from any other possible suitors in order to better his chances of getting a date with her, even if those other suitors are his best friends. When it comes down to it, there are no friends in competition. In competition you trust no one, and you depend on no one. Unless you're on a team, it's every man for himself.

Reading: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (pgs. 3-148) popular fiction

Hold 'em or Fold 'em

Maybe this entry is random, but I just got extremely unlucky in poker, and I have to vent about it. Let's see if i can make a good analogy here.....

I guess I realized that life is a lot like a poker game. Every single choice you make is a bet, and everyone is dealt a certain amount of chips. What you choose to do with those chips that you're dealt is entirely up to you. This analogy applies to to many aspects of the human lifestyle and human emotions.

Let's talk about stocks for example. Buying stock is essentially the foundation of an economic poker game. If the future looks good for a company, maybe you'll want to throw your chips at it. The same goes for business transactions. Maybe your company is going strong and raking in the dough. That company would most likely be more comfortable throwing their chips in to better themselves. A company that is dealt a worse hand, that maybe has not been as successful, might be a little more hesitant to take a risk because luck might not be on their side.

Now let's take this image full circle, and let's wrap it around to love. Young kids like me may have no idea what love really means, but I could imagine that it's also like a poker game. I could imagine that if someone has a crush on somebody, they'd be far more likely to take a risk to be noticed by the person whom they like. Picture this. The person who has the crush gets noticed by the other after they throw some chips into the pot. Eventually, these two people become a couple after the boy (or at least usually the boy) goes all in. Then a new poker game starts, to symbolize the development of a relationship.

Both members of the pair continue to throw chips in, until it's just plain ill-advised to back out of the betting. Eventually, one of them pushes all in when they think that they're in love. However, the risk, just like the imminent risk of going all in in poker, is there, because the person hearing the words "I love you" may be too afraid to respond. Either way, if a relationship results in marriage, the couple shares the pot. Therefore, in a healthy relationship, everyone wins, and nobody goes home beating themselves up about folding that open-ended straight draw, or going all in on that pocket pair. I'm just a high school guy, and I'm not known as any romantic, but I could imagine that real love means both people have pocket rockets. This is the kind of love that a family shares.

Whether you're a stock owner, an aspiring businessman, or a lover, life is just a game of texas hold 'em. We've all been dealt our cards. The only thing left for us to do is to decide when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

Death Games

I am currently reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The book creates a strict nation known as Panem, in which one boy and one girl are chosen annually to participate in the annual hunger games. The hunger games, however, are not games at all, unless one considers a life or death struggle to be a playful joke. The main character, Katniss replaces her sister in the hunger games and is forced with an opportunity for fame and fortune, or a certain death. There is no gray area in the decision of the winner, and no gray area in the decision of what the cost of a loss is. The loser will be guaranteed death, while the winner will be guaranteed a new, more luxurious life. Ultimately, the two prizes are polar opposites.

The catch in the story that I noticed from the beginning is that an ultimate sacrifice must be made whether one wins or loses. If one wins, they have to take the life away from another, stealing a child from a loving father, mother, or both. Even after the victory, the winner would be forced to live for their own survival, becoming less worried about the lives and well-being of others. If they do not win, they pay the ultimate price, which, as stated before, is their own demise. Essentially, Katniss must make a choice to take the life of another away from his or her family and friends, in order to survive and better her own life. Either that, or she must find a way to escape the binds of her strict and violent society in order to escape the pressure of critical decision-making. Katniss has an infinite amount of decisions to make, and her decision has the capability to affect fellow Panem citizens.

Break Away

Personality Plus tells us that we fit into certain personality types based on certain traits that we share with people of the same personality type. Are we destined to fit into the personality type that matches us from birth, or do our choices and influences lead us in that direction? I had done so much pondering, concerning the part of the book I had read, yet there was still so much more to be contemplated. Do we choose whether we're optimistic or pessimistic, or are just made that way?

I believe that our choices are the things that make us positive or negative people. We can choose to either look at things with a glass half full, or half empty. However, I think Personality Plus places people into personality categories based on how prone they are to make certain decisions. For example, perfect melancholies are more prone to collapsing to pessimism, while popular sanguines are more prone to looking at the bright side. Therefore, the choices we make define our personality type. Consequently, we can choose who we are. Maybe I'll always be a perfect melancholy, and I'll always need an outlet for my emotions, but I can eliminate some of my weaknesses, in order to be a better me.

Each personality type is uniquely defined by certain advantages and certain flaws. Nobody can be perfect, but we can all strive be our best. Every characteristic of our respective personality types isn't set in stone. I believe we can all try to eliminate the flaws that are symptomatic to our personalities. By doing this, we won't be changing our personality type, according to the standards of Personality Plus, but we will be improving ourselves. If I try to be optimistic, it won't kill me, even though my personality type defines me as pessimistic. We'll always be the same at heart, but what matters is how hard we try to make ourselves better, both for the ones whom we love, and for the ones who love us.

Make it Work

After I was finished reading through Personality Plus, I decided that, if i could, I would try to change the way I act, in order to change my personality type. Because my perfect melancholy personality type labels me as pessimistic, emotional, and sensitive, I tried my hardest to hold in my emotions and just smile for a day. For the most part, the smiling made me feel happier, but by the end of the day I just didn't feel quite right. I decided that I had to vent about the things that had caused me problems earlier in the day. After venting to a friend or two, I felt better. Consequently, I came to the realization that I'll always need to express my emotions. Changing how I acted made me feel happier, but it was impossible for me to change who I am- a perfect melancholy. No matter how hard I try, I'll always have those emotions built up inside of me, and, in my opinion, it's best not to let them build up to a point where they can cause me problems. It's always best to let your emotions out before they come to a climax.

However, knowing that i was able to flip my frown upside down made me feel hopeful. People would tell me how my natural expression is gloomy and depressing. I never even realized it. Sometimes I feel happy, yet my expression still comes off sad. Maybe it's best to smile when you can, and let the emotions out when they're there. Letting emotions out doesn't mean crying, swearing, or hitting someone in the face. It simply means showing how you feel. When you love someone, you tell them. When you're upset about something, you vent about it and then forget that it ever happened. I, myself, have a serious problem with holding onto things. I can never let things go. When something's important to me and I mess it up, it stays with me for abnormally long periods of time; whether it concerns a relationship, or whether I'm just playing poker with my friends. Essentially, I can regret hurting someone else, or I can regret folding an ace-seven off suit. No matter what the case, I know that one thing I can change is my problem with holding onto things. I may not be able to change the fact that I'm a perfect melancholy, but at least I can change how I carry myself. I can change my gloomy expression to a smile, and even though I may not be cheery on the inside, my smile will rub off on others. Whether we're gloomy perfect melancholies, or happy go-lucky popular sanguines, we all make our own happiness by how we approach the day-to-day.

Reading- Personality Plus (pgs. 1-100)- Nonfiction

Personalities

Lately I've been reading a book that discusses the different personalities of the human being. According to this book, the three main types of personality types are powerful chloric, perfect melancholy, and popular sanguine. After reading through a section of the book, I decided to skip around and take the survey to place my self in a category for personality type.

After taking the survey I realized that my personality type was perfect melancholy, as my score for perfect melancholy was significantly higher than my score for the other two types. After finding out my personality type, I decided to skip to that section and read about it. Most of the discussion of the perfect melancholy personality type seemed to refer to a depressed and sentimental human being. It took me a while to accept it, but I now realize how much i can relate to the description for the perfect melancholy personality type. The main characteristics of a perfect melancholy human being were smart, conservative, pessimistic, insecure, sentimental, thoughtful, and perfectionist. I hate to apply the terms somber and insecure to my person, but I can't deny that those traits fit me fairly well.

I read through the other personality type descriptions and I proceeded to notice some of the traits of my friends and family members. I was able to place a few people into personality categories just for kicks. I read a section titled " How to Cheer up a Perfect Melancholy." At that point I did not want to have anything to do with some of the traits applicable to the perfect melancholy personality, but after reading through this specific section I saw how closely I could relate to it. Most of the examples listed were things that could actually cheer me up or make me smile. In the end, I accepted my personality type, but I was perplexed by a few things. First of all, it made no sense to me how every single person in the world could fit their personalities into each category so comfortably. I decided that there must be certain people who share many different traits from the three categories. I also found it horrifying how I could be negatively affecting others with my pessimistic outlook on life. It was somewhat of an epiphany for me. I knew then that I had to change, because it had never been my intention to put others down. Lastly, I was able to acknowledge that I shared similar traits with the other two personality types as well. As far as the popular sanguine type goes, I share the ability to joke around, and along with other people who belong to the powerful chloric type, I'm capable of organization.

Literally, I had read a light book about the study of the human mind and personality, but, technically, I had just experienced a complete volte-face in my thought process.

Living for the Weekend

Well I'm done writing about my book for now...so I guess I'll get personal? Basically all my life I've been living for the weekend, or any other fun events to come. Whenever I'm loaded with homework, I'm always ready to press fast forward and dive into the weekend. I was just sitting here thinking about how I wish that this week could be over so that Spring Break could arrive more quickly. But what if we really could fast-forward through the things that were less fun for us? Would that just be all jolly and fun, or would it be a major problem? Come to think of it, that would mean that I would probably be skipping through some major life-changing experiences. So maybe it isn't good to look so far ahead all the time. Rough times usually just make you stronger. All of those times when I'm loaded with homework, maybe it's best that I stop trying to look past the present. I started thinking about how much time in my life I'd be throwing away if I always just fast-forwarded through everything that was painful or seemingly superfluous. Every second of your life makes you exactly who you are today, so I say, live every moment of your life in the present, no matter how hard it is. Then maybe later when you're soaking up the Sun in Florida on Spring Break, victory will taste even sweeter knowing that you've made it past the obstacles.

Mass Effect

It's terrible how massive an effect a mass murder can have on a community. As i continued reading Columbine the reality hit me hard. A larger portion of the deaths occurred within the first 5 minutes of the shooting. Just 5 tiny minutes. So that's like me jumping in the shower and then getting out to find that my friends had been brutally murdered. All these people were just going to high school having an average day before Dylan and Eric, the shooters, decided to initiate their sadistic game. Dave Cullen does a phenomenal job of portraying the players and the victims in the story. He specifically mentions the names of those who were murdered, and indicates the emotions felt by their families and the ones who loved them. He illustrates the importance of those who were murdered to those who cared about them. Not only that, but he depicts the mourning of the loss of Eric and Dylan, the killers. Eric and Dylan had many friends at their large high school in Denver. Eric had always been worried about maintaining social status in the hierarchy of Columbine High. All of these friends of Eric and Dylan were shocked by the news that their friends had operated a mass murder in their own high school. The friends were both shocked, and afraid, because they knew that they would be suspects in the operation. Just for being friends with Eric and Dylan, they were at risk for being suspected in taking part in the conspiracy. Families were called by their children immediately after their safety was ensured, as the effect of the murder spread across Denver. While the shooting was taking place, the media tried to televise the happenings, and police and SWAT forces from across the community were sent in to stop the cataclysm. The event affected the community first, and then the rest of the nation.

The vituperative quickness of the event should make people think about how terrible it is to take life for granted. One minute you're living your daily life, and the next, it's all over for you. Even a simple 5 minutes can mean the difference between life and death. For this reason, we can never take a second of our lives for granted. I'm speaking for myself too. I've taken so many things for granted that it's hard for me to forgive myself sometimes. Maybe we get multiple chances at success in certain areas of life, but we only get one chance to live. And while we're living here, we might as well leave our mark on this Earth.

Columbine-Dave Cullen (Nonfiction) Pages 3-111

Change is the Only Constant

As I read further and further into Columbine, i feel more and more involved in the plot and the emotions associated with the story. The true story is so powerful. The author uses the two eventual school shooters, Eric and Dylan, as main characters, along with a member of the teaching staff, Mr. D. Before the shooting. The portrayal of Eric and Dylan as two average guys who attended school talent shows and athletic events, and were looking for a date to the prom adds power to the story. Here are two average kids who are searching for dates to their junior and senior prom, just like everyone else. Then, one day, Eric ends up killing the girl he had asked to prom. It's crazy to think about. They go to the football games just like everyone else in Columbine. Who would have ever guessed that Eric and Dylan would end up killing the others who attended the games. Who would have guessed that Eric and Dylan, who had maintained strong school spirits, and who had seemed to be normal in almost every sense of the word, would be the ones to take the lives of their co-students. The author, Dave Cullen, will be describing the relationship that Eric or Dylan had with one of the kids one moment, and in the next moment he'll allude to the fact that Eric and Dylan would end up killing that kid whom they had a seemingly healthy relationship with.

Change can happen so quickly. Actually, in a matter of a few seconds, our whole nation has just been changed. Just moments ago, the House passed the healthcare reform bill. The only thing that is truly constant in any place at any time in our crazy world is change. Change can be a school shooting, change can be a break-up, change can be a move, or change can be a healthcare reform, but no matter what form it comes in, change is always there.

Be on Your Toes

Well I'm supposed to write about the book I'm reading, so here it goes. I'm reading Columbine; a book that describes the Columbine school shooting that occured just years ago. The stereotypical depiction of the shooting is radically different from the way the book tells the story. I like how the author, Dave Cullen, tells the story of the shooting through the mouths of the kids who were affected by it. The use of child characters to portray the events that led up to the devastating shooting adds feeling the novel. He speaks through the lives and actions of average high school students who have no worries. They're all just high school students, going about their lives, and one day everything changes. One day they wake up and their lives are not at all like what they used to be. It was not just about the shooters, it was about the lives that were lost, and the families and friends who mourned for the loss. It was about the school; the community. It goes to show how crazy things can happy in the most normal of places.

(Here's my attempt at connecting the novel to everyday life) Imagine a couple of emotionally unstable students bringing guns to Homestead. We all think those types of things will never happen to us, but that's a bad way to think. We all believe that we're perfectly safe, so we kick back and relax. Everyone should be on their toes because crazy things could happen to anyone, at any time, in any place. The same goes for people who text or drink and drive, or have unprotected sex. Nobody is immune to the misfortunes of life. I'd say it's good to be optimistic, but it's bad to feel invincible. I thought about all of these things when I was reading. The portrayal of the shooting by Dave Cullen goes far deeper than the stereotypical story that everyone hears. It was not just about two psychotic kids who played violent video games and decided to reenact one of them in trench coats with rifles. I can't quite say that Cullen's depiction is refreshing because I would hate to associate such a happy and hopeful word with a tragic school shooting, but it really is good to hear the story the way it should be told; through the lives of the average kids who had their lives suddenly and drastically changed by the tragedy. It is my firm belief that none of us will ever be able to truly understand the magnitude of tragedy that can be associated with Columbine until we experience a tragedy of equal proportion in our own lives.