Q4.

                There are and have been a lot of people on earth. In fact, that number is in the high billions. Few of them have achieved fame, but even fewer of them have achieved the status of iconic. So what does it mean to be an icon, and how does one earn that status?

                According to dictionary.com, an icon is something or someone that is regarded as a symbol of something else. I think of an icon as someone who changed society in one way or another. To me, an icon does not necessarily have to be a good role model. He or she just has to remind me of something they did or stand for. Take Nelson Mandela for example. This man spent 27 years of his life in a South African prison because of his beliefs about human rights. Now go type “human rights” into Google. I guarantee that you will find either a picture or article about him. Next type in “space exploration” and you will find something about Lance Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin. Why? Because they were the very first people to set foot on the moon. The moon is 238,900 miles away from Earth. Before July 16, 1969, people would have thought you were crazy if you said that we would put a person on the moon. These men helped change the way society thinks about space travel.

                An icon is not some over-rated celebrity who starts a dumb trend on Facebook or goes out and wears an outfit made out of meat because she wants attention (or is just into that kind of stuff). No, a person becomes iconic through hard work and action. Is it safe to say that anybody can be an icon? No; but who knows, maybe you or me could become one. 

Q2.

                This summer will be an excellent summer. I haven’t made any specific plans yet, but I’ve been thinking about what I might want to do all school year long. The first thing I think I’ll do is just lay around by my pool. We are currently putting in stamp concrete where a flower bed used to be, so there will be more places to sit. I think it will look really nice when it’s all done. I probably will invite my friends to come hang out with me too. Then, in the end of June the carnival is coming to town. I go there with my friends every year. The best part about it is that I live in the village, so I can just walk there and back whenever I fell like it. Also, they have fried dough. That has to be my favorite fair food. The few things that I don’t like about the carnival are that the workers smell like B.O and regret and I always blow all of my money there. So, to replenish my personal funds I’m going to continue working with my dad on roofs. It’s not a bad job at all. In fact it’s extremely easy. I just have to do what they tell me to and I get paid for it. With some of the money that I’ve already earned doing roofs, I’m going to buy myself a Darien Lake season pass. In the summer I spend a lot of time there, so it is a good purchase. The only other thing I can think of is the beginning of the football season. I’m excited to play football again. This season will be good because I won’t be freshman on the team, and I’m bigger than most of the 8^th graders who are moving up. It’s going to be an awesome summer.  

Q1.

                Whelp… I’m out of ideas for choice blogs. So here’s a picture of Jack Nicholson on a banana.

 

 This picture of him appears to be from the scene in The Shining when he uses an ax to break down the door between him and his wife and says “Here’s Johnny”. Why anyone would ever think to put a picture of Jack Nicholson on a piece of fruit is beyond me. I don’t understand how one would even do such a thing, for that matter. It seems like the banana would just get smooched. Unless, maybe it was done with one of those fake tattoos you can buy at the dollar store. However, the picture indicates that this person may have used a safety pin to get the picture on there. If that is the case, wouldn’t that rule out the possibility of it being a fake tattoo? This truly is an art form. It must take some level of skill to be able to take a picture and somehow get it onto a tropical fruit. This should be in a museum somewhere. If I had to critique it however, I would say that it would be rather difficult to determine who this is a picture of, without the other picture next to it. If I were to look at the banana alone, it would look more like a sleep deprived trucker with a beard and mustache than Jack Nicholson. Which, in and of its self is quite cool. Another problem with it is that you would have to eat it or it would spoil. It seems like a waste of time to make something that just goes bad in a week or so, like ice sculptures. However, this is probably something I would buy, but for the right price.

Q3.

                What is the best book I’ve ever read in an English class? That’s easy. The best book I’ve ever read in English class was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I read it in Mr. Cox’s class last year in 8^th grade. The Outsiders is a novel set in the late 60’s in Oklahoma. It is about a Greaser named Ponyboy who lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop, and hangs around with other Greasers. They enjoy going out at night and drinking, smoking, partying, and especially fighting their rivals, the Socs. Just to clarify, Greasers are the people from the poor side of town who wear leather jackets and have long, greasy hair. Socs are the opposite of that. They are from upper class families, drive nice cars, wear nice cloths and have short, neat hair. The whole point of this book is to describe the division between the two social classes at that time.

                What I liked the most about the book were the characters. They were all similar in many ways. They did the same things, they went to the same places and they all had similar backgrounds. Yet they were each distinguished and unique. For example, Johnny was describes as a scared puppy, while Two- Bit Mathews was always making jokes and having a good time. I also like that it was suspenseful. When Johnny killed Bob, it made me want to read more to figure out if they what they would do or where they would go. At some points it was hard to stop reading it.

                The most interesting thing about, this book in my opinion, was that S.E. Hinton was only 15 when she wrote it! Not only is it amazing that it got published, but it went on to win awards and they even made a movie out of it.

                   

P5.

                I was watching the National Geographic Channel when a commercial came on. This commercial was advertising the National Geographic Magazine, which is actually a very cool magazine. My sisters used to get them, and I’ve started to read them. That’s not my point though. My point is that in this commercial I happened to notice that there was a flock of ostriches on the cover. I never thought too deeply about ostriches before, but this time I did. They are really ridiculous animals if you think about it. They have fat bodies, useless wings, long legs and even longer necks. What good does that do them? They can’t fly. They only run around on their goonish legs and make some awful squawking noise. I’ve never heard anybody say that they wanted to be an ostrich before. I don’t even think ostriches want to be ostriches.

                If I were to die suddenly and be reincarnated into an animal, there is one that I would not mind being. That animal, my friends, is a grizzly bear. The only word that I can use to describe one is… majestic. Do you know why I would be a grizzly bear? Because nobody messes with a grizzly bear. How many woodland animals have you ever seen try to take down a grizzly? Not Many? Right, because a grizzly bear would tear it apart. These creatures have been known to take down fully grow bison! You can’t get much more hardcore than that. Some of the only things that can kill a grizzly bear are other grizzly bears and people… with guns. If an ostrich ever approached one of these majestic beasts, it would not live to squawk another day. In conclusion, ostriches are no better than chickens, and grizzly bears are amazing, killing machines.

P4.

                Do you want to know what really drives me crazy and fills me with rage? When I open a bag of potato chips, only to find that the bag is like half empty, that is just the worst. No, it is not half full, and if you think so, you’re wrong.

Today after school I walked up to the gas station that is around the corner from my house because I was hungry and wanted a bag of chips. When I got to the store, I walked down the chip isle, and gazed upon the wide variety of potato chips. There was Barbeque, Sour Cream and Onion, Cheddar, you name it, and it was on that shelf. I scanned the whole isle, and then I found it: a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips. This was not just any old bag of Salt and Vinegar chips though; this was the last bag of Salt and Vinegar chips. If I was still writing my Acts of Kindness blogs, this story probably would have ended right then and there with me giving them away or something, but I didn’t, and this is not how my story ends. I snatched the bag, went to the counter and paid a whopping $4.09, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that I had my chips. I walked all the way home, went out by my pool, turned on the radio, and pulled on the top of the bag. I looked into the bag, and to my dismay, I found that half of the bag was empty. Why does this always happen? Is it really just because the chip settled to the bottom? No, it is because Lays is a truly evil company. So don’t look down upon me when I eat an entire bag of chips, because really, I only ate half a bag of chips.   

P3.

                I do not know much about teaching, but if I had to give Ms. Chryzanowski some advice, it would be to have a short memory. What I mean is do not hold a grudge against your students. Kids tend to do a lot of stupid and irresponsible things. It is best to forgive and forget, that way they don’t hate you and write mean blogs about you, like Ben Hoy did in the beginning of the year. It will make both your and your students’ lives a lot easier. Another tip is to try to keep your class as interesting as possible because it will keep your students interested. The more interested your students are, the more they will learn.

                I think that if you can do that, you are an ideal teacher. I also think an ideal teacher doesn’t give a lot of homework. I don’t mean to sound cliché, but I’m a busy guy. I have other things to do with my spare time that doesn’t involve homework. An ideal teacher doesn’t assign two choice blogs in a single blog group either, but hey, nobody’s perfect. Lastly, I think a good teacher is always able to set time aside to help out his or her students.

                If I could say something to Ms. Chryzanowski, it would be that I enjoyed seeing around school and working with you in class. I think you will make an awesome teacher. On an unrelated note, your dog is really weird. What is it like half Labrador and half Weiner Dog? What do you even call it? A Weinador? A Labra Weiner? I’m not sure how I feel about that combination. Anyway, it was cool seeing you as a student teacher, and I wish you the best of luck in the future. 

P2.

                I didn’t think it would come so fast, but it is already May. It seems like I say it every year, but this year really did fly by. In September, one of my blogs for Blog Group A was about what I would like to accomplish this year. In that blog, I said that my goals are to make honor roll every quarter, earn a starting position in football, and join a few clubs. Were any of these goals met?

                Well, my first goal, to make honor roll all four quarters, was not a complete failure. However it wasn’t a success. I missed honor roll by less than two points for both the first and second quarters. Then I made it for the third quarter with two points to spare. The way I see it, if I can make it again this quarter, I’ll be batting .500. Not too shabby. My second goal, to earn a starting position in football, did not go exactly as I planned either. I really did work hard to get the spot, but it never happened. I did get a spot on goal line defense, where I made several good plays. Is it really a starting position though? That’s debatable. Anyway, my third goal, to join a club, ended up just like my other goals. I was interested in joining Science Olympiad, so I went to the first few meetings. However, I learned that it would conflict with my swimming schedule. So, I decided that it was not the club for me.

                It may seem like this was a total waste of a year, but I accomplished things that I did not originally set out to do. For example, during swimming I went to ECIC’s for the 100 meter Breaststroke. It was there that I beat my best time for that event. I also received my varsity letter because I was on the Varsity swim team. Lastly, I made more friends and have had a lot of good times since I wrote that blog.

So, did I meet the goals I set in September? Kinda.

P1.

                I don’t think I watch more or less television than the average person. I watch the most TV when I get home from school. On most days I come home at around 4:30 or 5:00, sit down, turn on the TV and start my homework. I don’t pay much attention to the TV when I do my homework though. It’s really just on to break the silence. After I finish my homework, I watch Comedy Central for a while. On weekdays they always play It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Futurama, South Park, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. My favorite shows they play are definitely The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. It’s hard to tell which one is better. The correspondents on The Daily Show are quite funny, but I like the persona of a bigoted ultra-conservative that Stephen Colbert has fabricated. My favorite episode of The Daily Show was the one where Jon Stewart told Bill O’Reilly to go do something that cannot be mentioned in this blog, with the backup of an entire choir.

                On an average day, I would say that I watch about three to four hours of television. This is not very surprising, given the fact that there are six televisions in my house. There is one in my basement, one in my living room, one in my other living room, and one in each of the three bedrooms. Three of the six TVs are flat screens. We recently upgraded from those old box TVs. The day we switched TVs, I discovered what I was really missing. The picture on the new ones is so much better.

                Some positives associated with watching TV are that it is a good way to gain new information and it is a good way to relax. Also, if you watch enough of The History Channel, you will be an excellent haggler. There are often more negatives associated with watching TV. One of those is that if you watch it too much, you may be distracted from schoolwork or your social life. Also, watching shows like Honey Boo Boo will probably kill most of your brain cells. I saw one episode and instantly felt stupider.

O1.

                http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/us/massachusetts-fcc-ortiz/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

I got this article from www.cnn.com. It is called ‘Ortiz of Boston Red Sox tosses F- word, FCC doesn’t complain’. This article is about a pregame speech given to the fans watching the Red Sox- Royals game by David Ortiz, just days after the explosions. Ortiz was quoted as saying, "We want to thank you Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, the whole police department, for the great job that they did this past week. This is our f***ing city. And nobody's going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong”. Normally, the FCC would be all over this incident, issuing fines. However, the chairman of the FCC, Julius Genachowski, decided that, given the circumstances, to let this one go.

                Personally, I think that it is extremely cool that David Ortiz was able to drop the F- bomb on national television. I would pay a lot of money for that opportunity. Also, I am very glad that the FCC did not decide to fine him for his colorful language. I found his speech to be totally appropriate and actually quite inspiring. What happened at the Boston Marathon was a horrible tragedy that shocked everybody. If his use that kind of language gave reassurance to the people who were affected by this, then that is fine. I think sometimes people (and the FCC) are too squeamish when it comes to vulgarity. This is why I’m glad they stretched their rules and allowed his use of the F-word to pass without any trouble.

On a related note: I just want to say that because of the events of this past week, I have a whole new respect for Boston and the people who inhabit it. With that said, I am not now, nor was I ever a fan of the Boston Red Sox or the Patriots. 

O3.

                The other day, I watched Django Unchained for the first time. I have to say, it was one of the best new movies I’ve seen in a while. I chose to watch it because it is a Quentin Tarantino movie, and I am a fan of his movies. Some of my favorite movies that were directed by him are Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds .

                Django Unchained is a Spaghetti Western about a freed slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter to save his enslaved wife from an awful plantation. The movie is set in the south in 1858. The two men find themselves in Texas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, taking lives at each stop.

                My favorite part of the movie was the scene where a local mob chased after the protagonists for killing three white plantation workers. This was a five minute scene in which the members of the mob laid down the ground rules before capturing them. What started as a simple speech given by the leader turned into a huge argument amongst the whole mob, regarding the size of the eyeholes on the white bags they wore over their heads. I thought it was funny because of what they said, and because they wasted at least five minutes arguing over something so stupid when they should have been chasing Django and Dr. Schultz (the German bounty hunter). I’m also a bit curious about that scene. For some reason, Jonah Hill was one of the men in the mob. He got about four lines all together and didn’t play a significant role in the movie. He was just kind of there for no reason. I thought it was weird. Anyway, I liked this scene because it brought a little bit of light to a rather dark movie.

                I’m glad I invested 2 hours and 45 minutes into watching this movie. It took the classic western and gave it a more modern spin (and more violence). That is why I will forever be a fan of Django Unchained. 

O4.

My mother is a very nice lady. There, my obligations for this blog have been fulfilled. Just kidding, I will keep writing about my mother. Could you imagine if I changed the subject completely? That would be outrageous. Oh dear… 300 is a lot of words. A LOT of words. Where to start? Where to start?

My mother’s first name is Anne. She has four children, including me. I can say with fair certainty that I am her favorite child. My mom is a part time bus aid for the school. She really loves her job. She likes it because she gets to work with kids. This is something that she is especially good at. I guess she has had a lot of experience with me, my brother and my sisters. She says that being a bus aid is the best job she has ever had. Another thing my mom is great at is cooking. I like it when she makes ribs, Shepard’s pie, macaroni and cheese, and steak. Yet my favorite thing she makes is apple pie. The crust is always crispy and delicious. She uses just about every kind of apples imaginable; Granny Smiths, Macintoshes, Courtland apples, you name it. It’s pretty cool when she skins the apples because she cuts off the skin in one piece. Unfortunately, she only makes it on holidays and birthdays.

My mom is a pretty great person, but I wish there was one thing she would stop doing. I wish she would stop mixing the Pepsi with the Diet Pepsi. Sometimes when we have both, there might be half of a bottle of the diet and about a quarter bottle of the regular and she will just dump one into the other! Who does that? Really, I want to know! Then she tries to tell me that it’s all the same. No it isn’t. Diet Pepsi is the worst drink ever. Even though she is not perfect, I love my mamma very much… now you know that.

O2.

I agree with this article completely. Going to college really is one of the best investments a person can make. More and more jobs are requiring a higher education, and even if it isn’t mandatory, it still could be the difference between getting the job and being turned down.

As far as college educations go, my family is pretty divided. My mother did not attend, while my father went to a two year trade school. Like my mom, my sister, Sarah, did not go to college. However, my other sister, Maggie, will be graduating from Niagara University this May. She went to school to become a teacher. As for my brother, he plans on going to college right after he graduates from high school.

So what will I do? I think that when I graduate, I will also go to college. I want to go because it will help me get a well-paying job. Also, my grandma really wants me to go. If there’s anything you should know about my family it is that my grandma has leverage over almost everything. If Gramma wants something to happen, it’s going to happen. That’s fine with me though because a college education is something I’ve always wanted to pursue.  Yet I have not decided what I would like to go for. I am thinking about going for something related to engineering, but I also find foreign affairs interesting. I’m not thinking about being an ambassador or anything. I would try to be something like a foreign affairs analyst. I have even less of an idea about where I would like to go to school. From what my sister tells me, Niagara University is pretty nice, but I don’t know what they offer. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m glad I’m only a freshman, because I have a lot of thinking to do about my future.     

O5.

                It is hard to describe the process that goes into writing an article. It’s not always the same and there aren’t a lot of distinguished steps that I take when writing an article. I guess the whole process begins on the first day of the week that nothing is due. My first job of the week is to think of an article topic and send it in to… you? Mr. Currin? I don’t know who I’m addressing this to, but that’s not the point. The point is that I think this is definitely the most difficult part of the process. Why it is so difficult to find a topic is because nothing really happens here. And if something does happen, I have to be the first person out of twenty-something to claim that idea. That means I have to be creative enough to think of a topic that is somewhat Alden related and that nobody has thought of. This brings me to my first and only step: procrastinate. Every time I turn in an article I tell myself ‘Ok, Matt, you devilish S.O.B, next time you’re going to think of a topic early in the week’. Yet, when it comes time to think of a topic I think to myself, ‘Screw it. That’s future Matt’s problem’. (And yes I do sometimes think in the 3^rd person). When it gets dangerously close to the deadline for our articles I hastily think of a topic. Once I actually know what I’m writing about, the rest of this process is quite easy. Normally, I will make either a rough draft or do some sort of research on my topic the night before its due date. Then in class I will read over those notes, start typing, make adjustments, have Phil look it over, think of a corny title and upload it with two minutes to spare. When it’s all said and done I pat myself on the back as I look forward to starting this vicious cycle of procrastination and regret that I let myself procrastinate so much, all over again.

N5.

                It has come to my attention that Ben Hoy has accused me of being a liar and a fraud in one of his recent blogs. Ben said that I offered to give him my pen after the Canisius field trip and at the last moment pulled it away and said “just kidding”. THAT is not what happened… at least not exactly. Here’s how it really happened:

                It was cloudy day, there was a little snow on the ground, and if I recall correctly, it was quite chilly outside. I was sitting on the bus next to Ben as we headed back to the school. On our way back we stopped at McDonald’s. It was there that I noticed that Ben was looking quite bummed out. I soon discovered that he was upset because he lost his souvenir pen, so, like the good person I am, I offered to give him mine. This was a sincere offer that Ben declined. He did so by saying that my pen was ugly and that it would be below him to accept such a stupid looking pen. I was extremely offended by his remark, but, I kept my composure. When we got back to the school I got off of the bus, turned to Ben and said “I’m still going to write about this for my Act of Kindness blog.”

                Now, I know I’m no saint. Sure I sometimes forget to flush after using the toilet and every once in a while I put my nephew’s toys where he can’t reach them because it’s funny to watch him get frustrated, but don’t we all. I will admit that I am guilty of that, but “detective” Ben Hoy, “Alden’s Private eye”, as he refers to himself, is guilty of something much more serious; racial profiling. In his blog Ben said “Also his name is Hussein. How suspicious is that?” What? I must be a bad guy because he thinks my middle name is Hussein? It looks like we’ve got a crooked cop in our mitts. In fact, the legitimacy of his whole one man crime solving operation is questionable. The other day I asked to see his badge, but it was nowhere to be found. Why couldn’t he find it? Because it doesn’t exist.

                This, Ben AbuakkabarmohammadFareedZakaria Hoy, is not over yet, not by a long shot. I will have my revenge.

N1.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t5#/video/showbiz/2013/03/28/sbt-kardashian-baby-doll-dress.hln

Well, I found this story on Cnn.com. The story is called “WHAT is Kim Kardashian wearing?” Apparently it is about some ridiculous thing that Kim Kardashian wore that, based on the link above, may have something to do with a baby doll dress or something. I honestly don’t know. I didn’t even watch the video. I picked it because I was reading through the headlines on Cnn.com’s home page and I saw this and I thought ‘who the f-... er… uh heck cares?’  Seriously why is this on a news website? First of all, Kim Kardashian is not a good person. On the list of people/ beings that are not good, she is right up there, only behind Satan, Joseph Stalin and Ben Hoy. I don’t think she should get all of the publicity she gets either. She should not have this video made about her, let alone her own TV show. Whatever weird stuff Kim Kardashian wants to do with a baby doll dress is her business, not mine. I feel like my life has not at all been enriched by gaining this knowledge. 

N2.

As far as the topic of Google Glasses goes, I could care less about them. They seem pretty cool, but I wouldn’t ever use them. It seems like they would get in the way more than they actually help. I wear regular glasses which can get really annoying, and I actually need them. Unlike my regular glasses, Google Glasses are unnecessary. When I read about them online, the article advertised that you can instantly record something just by saying a simple command. This will almost never help me. Sure, if something totally amazing happened I could catch it on camera, but I would probably never watch it again. Another problem I have with them is that they are expensive. Apparently the first models to come to stores will be sold for $1500. I don’t have that much money, and even if I did I’d spend it on something more useful. Even though I’ll never buy a pair, some of the features are kind of cool and innovative. One feature that I like is the voice command. If you want to know something all you have to do is ask your glasses. I never thought that might be a way to find things out. It is also cool that Google Glasses can translate other languages for you. So if you are in another country and a local person talks to you in a different language, you’ll know what he or she is saying. But how do you talk back to them if they don’t have Google Glasses? That seems like a big flaw in the idea of having a translation feature, but it is still cool. All in all they are interesting, but I can’t imagine myself wearing Google Glasses in the future. It just seems like I have too many other devices that do the same things and cost less.

N3.

                Now that we are getting closer and closer to spring, the weather is getting nicer out. Well, at least it should be getting nicer out. Seriously, it is snowing out more near the end of March than it has all winter. What’s up with that? Anyway, now is about the time that I usually start to work. I guess I don’t technically have a job because I am not employed “on the books” at a place of business. I work with my dad on roofs for money. During the school year I work on the weekends, and during the summer I do it whenever my dad needs me to. On the days that I have to work, my brother and I are woken up and about 7 o’clock in the morning. The first thing we do is help him load equipment onto his truck. Then we meet up with every else who we work with and go to the house that we will be working on. My first job of the day is to help them tear off the old roof. This is my favorite part of the job. To tear off the whole roof takes about two hours, depending on the size of it. Once that is done, I climb down and start to carry up materials. These items include rolls of felt, bundles of shingles, bundles of starters, nails, etc. After that I have to start cleaning up the old shingles. It’s the easiest job in the world. It involves filling an old garbage can or wheelbarrow and either dragging or wheeling it into the dumpster. Although it is easy, it is the absolute worst part. First of all it takes forever. There are little pieces that get everywhere; in their plants, trees, and it’s my job to pick it all up. Second, there’s always debris falling from the sky and landing right where I have to work. Sometimes that falling debris hits me, and instead of apologizing the guys on the roof laugh at me. Even though we are probably breaking safety and child labor laws, it is a very good job and I enjoy doing it.  

N2.

                Spring is a pretty good time of the year, I suppose. It is a lot better than winter, but not as good as fall, and certainly not as good as summer. What I think is the worst part of spring is the beginning of the season. It technically starts on March 20^th, but the weather doesn’t begin to get nice until the end of April. Before then it snows for a few days, then it is nice out again. There are also times when it just rains for days on end. However, there are a lot of good things about spring. Spring is when you realize that you are, at last, in the final stretch of the school year. Another positive aspect of spring is that the days get longer. During winter it seems like it is 9 o’clock at night, when it is really only five o’clock. This increase in daylight gives me more energy and I don’t feel so lethargic. I also like doing track in the spring because all of my friends do it and it gives me a chance to spend more time outside. The end of spring, May and early June, is my favorite time of the season. It finally becomes t-shirt and shorts weather. Also, by then we are really nearing the end of the school year. When we stop learning new material in school and prepare for final exams is my favorite part of the year. However, this always seems to be the slowest part of the year because I’m anticipating summer, but it just won’t come fast enough. Lastly, Easter is in spring. This is my third favorite holiday behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. All in all, spring is a rather good time of the year and I am happy that it is almost upon us.              

H1.

                Picture this: It’s December 22^nd and the apocalypse did come, not as a result of natural disasters or asteroids, but because of a virus that turned the previously living into the undead. All most overnight most of the world’s population had turned into rabid zombies, what would be the safest place to go to?

                A lot of people think that if the zombie apocalypse ever were to happen, the safest place to go would be to the nearest mall. It makes sense. There are plenty of supplies at the mall. Food, water, clothing and possibly weapons can be found, but that is as much a liability as it is an asset. In the event of a crisis such as this, looting will be rampant because people would be willing to do whatever it takes to keep themselves and their families safe. The mall would be one of the first targets. This could be very dangerous to anyone inside of the mall. Another flaw is that there are too many entrances to the building. If the doors are not barricaded properly, zombies or attackers will easily infiltrate the mall. Lastly, it would be easy to become trapped in the mall. Over time supplies will dwindle and you will be forced to leave, but this may not be possible. It is entirely possible that a large hoard of the living dead will be waiting on the outside of the mall. This would make it nearly impossible for any supplies or people to enter or exit.

                If I was in that scenario I would try to find an abandoned airport. The airport is similar to the mall because it has essential supplies like food, water and medical equipment, but for many reasons it is a better option. First, it offers more protection. Most airports are surrounded by high fences that will be useful in keeping out zombies. Also there is a ton of fuel that could last for months. Lastly there are many vehicles that will greatly help you if the airport gets overrun or drained of resources. That is why if the zombies ever come, you will find me at an airport. 

H3.

                For this blog I will not write about how I would change the world, not because I cannot handle it, but because I don’t know what I would do. The world that we live in is far too complex for me to know exactly what to change and how I would do it. Instead, I will wright a choice blog.

                A couple months ago I saw Red Dawn for the first time. It was the 1984 version with Patrick Swayze. For the past couple of years my uncle had been trying to convince me to watch it, saying that it is a “great” movie. Finally I gave in and saw it. It was not a great movie; in fact it was one of the worst movies I’ve seen in quite some time. The whole premise of it was kind of stupid. I get that it was made in the height of the Cold War and many people feared war with the Soviet Union, but I don’t understand why the Russian army would send paratroopers to attack a high school that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. When you think of Colorado, what do you think of? Wait… let me rephrase that. When you think of Colorado in 1984 what do you think of? Not much comes to mind when I think of it. There is no major strategic value of invading Colorado. Aside from that, there were what, less than 10 kids who managed to flee to the woods? What are the chances of that group, made up of inexperienced teenagers who were led by one guy who actually knows what he’s doing, infiltrating an enemy stronghold and causing significant damage with minimal loss of life? According to the writers of the movie, they had a good chance of doing so, but according to logic, reasoning and the fact that they were up against the well trained Soviets, they most likely wouldn’t have stood a chance. I haven’t seen the new version yet, but it looks just awful. Come on, Josh Peck is in it, the fact that he was Josh from the show Drake and Josh lowers his street credit quite a bit. 

H2.

                For this blog I was given the opportunity to interview a member of the Bulldog. The person I interviewed was Lauren Kocher. Although I sit only a few seats away from her in online publishing, I did not know very much about her. During the interview I asked about her family, her interests and her personal preferences.

 To start I asked how old she was, when her birthday is and what grade she is in. I learned that she is a 17 year old junior whose birthday is on December 21^St. Since Christmas is so close I asked what she would like to get the most. Like many other people she would like to receive a car, but doesn’t think it will happen any time soon. Her favorite time of year is her birthday and Christmas, which are only four days apart. She loves warm, sunny beaches, which is why she said Hawaii would be her preferred destination if she could go anywhere. I also learned that her favorite color is pink. She also “looooooooooves” sparkles and sequins. I’m not exaggerating, she actually wrote it with ten o’s in the e-mail. Lastly, I asked her to describe her family. Two words she used to describe her family were “crazy” and “unique”. She even went as far as to say “There is no one like us!”. Lauren is very close with her family and they enjoy being with each other.

This interview was a great chance for me to get to know more about Lauren, and hopefully for her to learn more about me.