Social Media

I wouldn't say I use social media that much. I check Facebook a few times a times a day for about five minutes. I would say Pintrest is my biggest time sucker when it comes to social media. I am guilty of spending ours scrolling through Pintrest. I check Instagram every few days on my parents phone. I think I could definitely live without social media. One of the items on the list that I am making (you can read about the here) is to media fast for a month. By media I mean TV, movies, social media, and blogs. 

Do you think you could live without social media?

A Poem

For the dreamers dreaming of a different world this poem is for you.
For all the skeptics, the misfits,
for everybody out there who is wandering,
this is for you.

We're the ones who cannot be hushed.
We are with gypsy in are blood.
We're the ones with appetite for adventure.
We are the ones with are head in the clouds. 
We are the dreamers dreaming of a different world.

My dream...

I was hungry, but I wasn't hungry. I kept walking. The change in my wallet jingled at my side. There a surprising amount of traffic, I think there was even more lanes. "How odd" I thought. I just kept walking. A tiny black smart car was one of the many cars parked along the street. A man wearing cargo pants and a black wife beater was ducked in the passenger side with a big gone. I swallowed.

I veered off the sidewalk to a path that ran parallel to the sidewalk, I didn't remember the path being there. I kept walking. I followed path a ways until there were trees blocking the street. That’s when I noticed a brick building right next to me. It looked like how I pictured a community college. There were 5 girls in the front doing yoga.

I kept walking until I came to a tiny street lined with restaurants. I stopped at one to eat lunch. The one I stopped at was decorated in pistachio green. There were only a few booth and it was setup like a Five Guys. I quickly learned that the people who owned it were the same people who owned my favorite pizza place when I was 5 (and lived in southern Indiana, a hour and a half from where I thought I was). My two best friends from Indiana were there to. My one friend’s best friend’s parents owned the restaurant.

I took a forever to order, I finally ordered some chocolate thing. After I finished my chocolate thing I ordered a cucumber hummus sandwich, which is a sandwich, but instead of bread there is cucumber halves. I ate my sandwich at my booth and my old friends showed up. We talked. Fore some reason I didn't find it odd that they were there.

Then I woke up.

The Winter that Never Ended

I don't think I have ever been so anxious for summer. I have never been the kind of person that hates one season, or absolutely loves another, but I am really tired of this winter. I saw this quote and couldn't agree more. 

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ”

― John Ruskin

However, you don't know how bad I want to wear flip flops and shorts. What do you think about this freezing weather? 

Harper Lee

My needs are simple: paper, pen, and privacy.

-Harper Lee

Harper Lee wrote one of the most read American Literature novels ever. To Kill a Mockingbird is assigned by more high school teachers than almost any other book. Over 10,000 copies are still sold every year. To kill a Mockingbird is a classic that captures life in a small southern town.

Childhood

“Get off of him!” Nelle screamed, “Get off!”. Though she was only seven years old, Nelle Harper Lee pulled the older boys off of her best friend and next door neighbor, Truman Capote. He was covered in sand, and crying. “Come on,” she pulled him to his feet. The older boys had been playing a rough game of ‘Hot Grease’ in the sand-bed of the Monroe County Elementary School playground in Monroeville, Alabama. Truman had decided to join the game in hopes of getting some attention. The boys had him on the ground in seconds. That’s when Nelle had to come to his rescue. Little Nelle Harper Lee was a “fearsome stomach-puncher, foot-stomper and hair-puller, who ‘could talk mean like a boy’” (Shields 2).

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 to A.C. and Frances Lee. Nelle’s father, A. C. Lee was a self-taught lawyer, and her mother “bought cotton, which was a polite way of saying nothing” (Lee 1).  Nelle was given the name of her maternal grandmother, Ellen, spelled backwards. She went by Nelle, but because people mispronounced her name for Nellie she published To Kill a Mockingbird under her middle name. She was the youngest of four children, Alice (1911), Frances Louise (1916), and Edwin (1920). “It might have felt to Nelle like she had been born into a family of grown ups” (Madden 30).

Nelle Harper Lee had a good childhood overall. She spent her days playing with Truman and listening to her brother Edwins stories. However in 1932 Truman moved to New York with his mother and new stepfather. He visited in the summers.

A Writer’s Life for Me

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 149)

Nelle had a passion for writing from a young age. When she was old enough to write her father gave her and Truman a black Underwood No. 5 typewriter. Nelle preferred making up stories and telling them. Truman, however convinced her to write them down, as that is what real writers do.

Nelle’s father and her sister Alice were both lawyers, so it made sense for Nelle to follow in their footsteps. While attending the University of Alabama, Nelle joined the campus newspaper. She wrote a column entitled “Caustic Comment”.  She later became the editor of the college humor magazine. In a 1947 interview for the campus paper Nelle said that she intended to spend her future as a lawyer in her home town of Monroeville. When asked about her writing aspirations she said “I shall probably write a book some day. They all do” (The Crimson White 1).

In the summer of 1948 Nelle was an exchange student at Oxford University. She fell in love with England. When she returned for her last year of law school, she realized that her heart did not want to be a lawyer. “She knew she wouldn’t be happy hanging a sign up on the law office building that said A. C. Lee and Daughters” (Madden 92). At 23 Nelle quit law school and moved to New York to become a writer. Her family did not approve.

Nelle worked at a publishing company and a bookstore to pay for her tiny apartment. The pay wasn’t enough to live in New York, so in 1950 she got a job working for British Overseas Air Corporation as a reference clerk. “She lived frugally, saving every penny for rent, groceries, cigarettes, pencils, paper, and typewriter ribbon” (Madden 100).

On June 2, 1951, Nelle’s mother died in a hospital in Selma. The Lee family was hurt, but not nearly as sad as they were six weeks later when they got the news of  her brother Edwin’s death. The loss of Nelle’s mother had been painful, but it had been coming for a while. Edwin’s death was devastating. “After these terrible losses, she began writing fragments of what would later become To Kill a Mockingbird, and the loving way she created the character of Jem was perhaps a way of keeping a little part of her brother with her” (Madden 101).

After eight years of living in New York, Nelle was finally ready to submit her short stories to a literary agent. The agent liked one of her stories, but suggested she write a novel. After her meeting with the agent she started working on a novel, but it was a struggle to keep a full time job and write. However on Christmas morning 1957, she received a tremendous gift. Her friends, Michael and Joy Brown, had recently come into some money. They gave her enough money to live on for a year so she could pursue her writing.

After many title changes and thoughts of quitting, Nelle was two-years into her first novel when it happened. She couldn’t take anymore. “It felt as if she’d been living in the tiny cold-water flat forever. She couldn't see the end of her book and could hardly stand to look at it another second” (Madden 108). In a panic, she threw her entire manuscript out the window into the snow. Realizing what she had done, she ran outside to save it. It was then that she decided that she had to finish the book for her agent, the Browns, her editor, her English teacher, and Truman who had encouraged her to write since they were kids. In the late spring of 1959 Nelle turned in her final draft. To Kill a Mockingbird was to be published in July of the following year.

To Kill a Mockingbird

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 103)

When July of 1960 rolled around, Nelle had no idea what was coming to her. Her editor warned her not to be disappointed. To Kill a Mockingbird  might only sell 2,000 only copies, which was average for a first book. However, it hit the New YOrk best seller list and stayed there for 88 weeks. By September it was selling over 10,000 copies a week. “[Nelle] was immediately swept up in a wave of unexpected publicity” (Madden 1). She tried to answer all of her fan mail, but when she received 68 letters in one day she gave up.

Nelle never published a second novel. She tried and she got close, but when she was about to finish her agent died. It was he who told her to write a novel in the first place. Only four years later, her editor and close friend passed away. With both of them gone she didn’t have the passion to finish. “Nelle’s major support beams in both her personal and writing life had vanished” (Madden 166)

Although Nelle has claimed that To Kill a Mockingbird is not autobiographical there are some major similarities between her life and Scouts. Like Nelle, Scout lives in a small Alabama town. Scout is an independent, and outspoken lady like Nelle. Alice Lee once said that her little sister “isn’t much of a conformist” (Shields 2), neither is Scout. Atticus and Nelle’s father, A. C. are very similar. Nelle’s father defended black men in cases similar to that of Tom Robinson. The primary female figures in both Scout and Nelle’s lives were their black nannies. Scout’s mother died when she was two, and Nelle’s mother preferred spending her time on the crossword in the paper than with her children.

Nelle Harper Lee is now 87 years old, but her book is still loved by many. In 2006 British librarians ranked To Kill a Mockingbird No. 1 on the list of books to read before you die. To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic that captures the story of life through a child’s eyes.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper, 2010. Print.

Shields, Charles J. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee. New York: Henry Holt and,

2008. Print.

"To Kill a Mockingbird." The Big Read. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.

To Kill a Mockingbird. Dir. Robert Mulligan. By Horton Foote. Perf. Gregory Peck, Mary

Badham, and Phillip Alford. Universal-International, 1962. DVD.

Namaste

yo·ga (ˈyōgə) n.

1. a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.

Yoga is an ancient exercise that has been around for thousands of years. This old exercise is now taking over the 21st century. Teens and people everywhere are hooked on yoga. Yoga is a form of exercise and meditation that lets you feel great inside and out.

History

It is believed that yoga was created by sages as a pre meditation ritual in India over 5,000 years ago. The sages found that it was hard to sit still while meditating. They came up with a series of exercises to strengthen their bodies before meditating their minds. The sages studied the movements of birds and animals. You may have noticed that many yoga poses are animal related, such as the downward dog or crow pose. “When they combined these movements with breathing exercises, they found that they could sit longer and focus their minds more easily” (Schwartz 6).

Yoga was handed down from generation to generation until a sage named Patanjali wrote The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in 200 BC. The book is composed of 196 sayings that explain what yoga is. “Because Patanjali was the first person to present these teachings in an organized way, he is considered the founder of  yoga” (Schwartz 25).

Although yoga is over 5,000 years old, it didn’t reach the West until the 1800s when Britain took control of India. While in India the British officers learned yoga. When they first showed the exercise to the Europeans they made fun of them, but when they realized it worked Europe fell in love with yoga. It wasn’t until 1893 that yoga hit North America. Swami Vivekananda brought the stretching exercise to our country while on a tour of the United States. However, yoga was not a common exercise in the U. S. until the 1960s.

Benefits

Yoga has many physical and mental benefits. Not surprisingly yoga improves flexibility. Yoga can strengthen your heart as well as your bones. If you're a swimmer or a singer, yoga is great for you because it increases lung capacity. World champion free-diver Francisco Ferreras can hold his breath for eight minutes thanks to yoga. (Schwartz 19)

Yoga also improves your skin; by improving blood circulation your skin is left looking healthier and more radiant. The headstand pose is great for glowing skin. Although it can be difficult, this inverted pose causes blood to flow and flushes fresh nutrients and oxygen to the face.

Yoga has many mental benefits also. Two of the most popular reasons for doing yoga are to relax and reduce stress. Yoga helps to relieve places stress by relaxing tight muscles. Yoga is also great for sleep. There are many yoga routines to help you wind down. When you visualize a pose, it stimulates your imagination and creativity.

Are you Ready for Yoga?

By now you might be be thinking, I want to try but… There are many misconceptions about yoga. One misconception is that you have to be Hindu. Yoga started as a Hindu practice, but modern yoga is not connected to religion. Yoga is not a religion and you do not have to belong to a particular religion to do yoga. You can worship a light bulb and still do yoga. Another misconception of yoga is that you have to be flexible in order to do it. “that's a little bit like thinking that you need to be able to play tennis in order to take tennis lessons” (Lee 1). You will become flexible after doing yoga.

The last misconception that I am going to address is that you have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga. I am a vegetarian and do yoga, but it is not necessary. “The first principle of yoga philosophy is ahimsa, which means non harming to self and others. Some people interpret this to include not eating animal products.” (Lee 1). Some yogis are vegetarian, but many are not. The choice is up to you.

Yoga does not require a lot  supplies. It is helpful to have a yoga mat, but it is not mandatory. You can find yoga mats at about any discount department stores such as Meijer and Target; as well as fitness and yoga supply stores. I got mine at Meijer for twenty dollars. Yoga mats come in a variety of colors and designs.

The best clothes for yoga are a pair of sweatpants; leggings, or shorts; and a form fitting t-shirt. You can find clothes specifically designed for yoga at most discount department, clothing or fitness stores. Lululemon and Sweaty Betty have quality yoga attire, but can be very pricey. The average pair of yoga pants at Lululemon cost $90, with some pants going up to $108. Target offers more affordable yoga attire, but you will probably be able to find something in your closet that would work fine. Besides a mat you really don't need anything else for yoga.

Yoga is a great exercise that has physical and mental benefits. I know I am glad I tried yoga and I hope this will motivate you to try it also. Yoga is simple and fun!

Works Cited

Adrienne. "101 Benefits of Yoga–The Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Benefits of a Consistent Yoga Practice." YOGADRIENNE. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://yogadrienne.com/101-benefits-of-yoga>.

Lee, Cyndi. "Yoga Frequently Asked Questions." Yoga Journal. Active Interest Media, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

McCall, Timothy. "Count on Yoga: 38 Ways Yoga Keeps You Fit." Yoga Journal. Active Interest Media, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

Schwartz, Ellen. I Love Yoga: A Guide for Kids and Teens. Toronto: Tundra, 2003. Print.

A Gap Year

No, a gap year is not a year when you only wear clothes from Gap. A gap year is a year in between high school and college that you spend doing whatever it is you want. Some kids travel, others volunteer, and some take internships. Gap years have been very common in Europe for a long time. Gap years allow people to grow up in a way, and to figure out what it is they want to do.

Benefits of a gap year

There are countless benefits of a gap year. Students and their parents agree that they are far more mature, confident, and much more self reliant after their gap year. Many schools promote gap years. Princeton has recently launched a gap program. They wish to have 10% of their freshmen take a gap year. A mother said that her daughter “learned to live independently, she basically grew up” (Smith 1) during her gap year.

Students who have taken on gap programs outside their comfort zones reported that they were much more confident at the end of the year. Nicola Rentschler took on a program rehabbing wild penguins in South Africa. Nicola had never been an animal person, but she wanted to push herself and see what she could do. “You have to like, wrangle them, you have to hold them. They bite and they claw. You'd be surprised how many ways they can actually hurt you” (Smith 1). Whatever it is you choose to do during your gap year you will definitely take something great away from it.

Options for a gap year

There are many different things you can do during your gap year. Some people see the world, others volunteer in third world countries, some people take internships. There are tons of programs to help you get the most out of your gap year. Many people who take gap years spend the first few months working  and then they go on to do whatever it is they are to do. James Clark, a recently graduated high school student, decided to take a gap year, “I’ll never have time to do whatever you want, and so I knew that I had to seize this opportunity.” (Smith 1). The possibilities are endless.

Volunteering

Many people spend their gap year volunteering. There are a number of programs to help you spend your gap year giving back. City Year is a volunteer program (part of Americorps) that helps kids in schools with high dropout rates succeed. The program “unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service to keep students in school and on track to graduation” (Smith 1). City Year volunteers work with and tutor children in grades kindergarten through 9th. The program has a number of locations all over the country. City Year is a very competitive program. Their Columbus, Ohio location only accepts 38 students. The program is very cost friendly. You receive a small living stipend, and are given $5,500 for education fees at the end of your service year.

Travel

Traveling is also a very popular activity to do during your gap year. Although it can be very expensive it can be well worth it. There are many programs that offer traveling activities. First Abroad is a program that offers many different trips and gap year programs to a number of countries. Global Citizen Year is another non-profit travel program for students interested in taking a gap year. Of course, you don’t have to travel with a program. Planning your own trip can be much less expensive.

Internships    

A very popular activity to do on your gap year is to get an internship.

Internships are great because they help you to determine if you want to spend the rest of your life doing whatever it is you're doing. You can take an internship here in the U. S. or you can even take an internship abroad. Dynamy is a gap year program that offers internships in a variety of fields. First Abroad is a program I have mentioned before that offers many different options for a gap year including internships abroad.

Preparation for a gap year  

A gap year is a great idea, but requires some preparation. You might be wondering by now, how you would go about getting into college. Most colleges suggest that you apply before graduating from high school and then request a deferral if you are accepted to the college. They will almost always grant the request. “When a student defers, you have to reapply for aid the following year” (Chatzky 1). Some scholarships allow you to wait a year, but many do not. You must remember that if you got a scholarship before you can probably get it again.

Some gap programs are hard to get into, and require preparation prior to your senior year. It is best to start improving your application as soon as possible. These programs like to see extracurricular activities and good grades on your application. They really want to see that you put in effort and care about your education.

Gap years can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. Some organizations, like Americorps, pay you. However, some programs like Thinking Beyond Borders cost up to $30,000 for two semesters. As I said, many people spend the first few months of their gap year working to save up for their plans. In the long run gap years can save you money, “If a gap year clarifies what a student is going to do in college, it pays back in college because you’re saving tuition money for the time a student may have spent clarifying their major” (Kern 1).

Whether you spend your gap year backpacking in South Africa or teaching English in Costa Rica you are sure to enjoy your year. Gap years are becoming more and more popular for a reason, they are a great idea. Who knows,  a gap year may be perfect for you.

Works Cited

Chatzky, Jean. "If Your Kid Wants to Find Himself, Just Say Yes."CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 01 Dec. 2005. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2005/12/01/8362044/>.

Kern, Rebecca. "7 Questions to Ask When Considering a Gap Year." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 19 May 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/right-school/timeline/articles/2010/05/19/7-questions-to-ask-when-considering-a-gap-year>.

Smith, Tovia. "Students See World During 'Gap Year'" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 21 Jan.  

           2014. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92528052>.

"USA Gap Year Fairs | Programs." USA Gap Year Fairs | Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usagapyearfairs.org/programs>.

Eternal Youth

"$2 for eternal youth! It is your last chance to buy your ticket!" shouted the man on TV. Everybody had been talking about the lottery. $2 for a ticket that could when you a flask of liquid that was supped to keep you from growing old and dying. It seemed silly to me, living forever that is. But my opinion didn't matter, thankfully. Today was the last day to buy your tickets. My dad had already bought 20, it was all we could afford. I told him that he was wasting his money, but he didn't listen. The winner was to be announced tomorrow.

I rolled out of bed. My clock read 6:30. Nobody should be up now. I was the early bird in the family, when I wanted to be. I stumbled into the kitchen. My whole family was crowded around the table. "What are you doing up?" I asked. It was very unusual for anyone, except maybe my mom to be up this early."

"We couldn't sleep." replied my older sister Marissa. "We can't wait to find out who one."

 I rolled my eyes. "Are you excepting us to win?" 

"You never know." she said. The clock ticked on until 11:30. They were supposed to announce the results at noon. We crowded around the TV. "And the winner is Sarah Jones from Austin, Texas." shouted the man on the TV. I look of disappointment spread over my family's face. Did they really think they were going to win. 

It had been a week since Sarah Jones had won. Besides winning the "eternal youth" she was to be flown in to New York, so we could watch her drink the flask live. Again seemed kind of silly to me. My family gathered around the TV for a second time. However, a little less enthusiastically.

Sarah Jones walked on to the stage. A man in a navy suit her the flask. She took it from him and with a big smile drank it. She just stood there for a moment. Then, as if a gust of wind hit her she fell down. Sarah Jones was dead.

Books vs. Movies

I love books and I love movies to. I love being the first one to a movie theater. Getting my choice of the seats, with no one to judge me as I run up and down the isles picking my seat (my mother says I am easily amused). I almost love going to the movies as much as I love curling up with a good book. Books they leave more to the imagination than movies. My mom is a Librarian, so I guess I was destined to love books. It is rare when I don't have book at my house, or a audio book in the car (I know I am a total nerd). If I had to choose between movies and books I don't know what I would say. I love them both.

What do you think?

A Gap Year

Hi, so I recently wrote a 3-page paper for my literature class on taking a gap year. This is the short and sweet version. You can view the full paper here.

A Gap Year 

No, a gap year is not a year when you only wear clothes from Gap. A gap year is a year in between high school and college that you spend doing whatever it is you want. Some kids travel, others volunteer, and some take internships. Gap years have been very common in Europe for a long time. Gap years allow people to grow up in a way, and to figure out what it is they want to do.

There are many different things you can do during your gap year. Some people see the world, others volunteer, some people take internships. There are tons of programs to help you get the most out of your gap year. Many people spend their gap year volunteering. City Year is a volunteer program (part of Americorps) that helps kids in schools with high dropout rates succeed. Traveling is also a very popular activity to do during your gap year. Although it can be very expensive it can be well worth it. There are many programs that offer traveling activities. Of course, you don’t have to travel with a program. Planning your own trip can be much less expensive. A very popular activity to do on your gap year is to get an internship. Internships are great because they help you to determine if you want to spend the rest of your life doing whatever it is you're doing.

There are countless benefits of a gap year. Students and their parents agree that they are far more mature, confident, and much more self reliant after their gap year. Whatever it is you choose to do during your gap year you will definitely take something great away from it.

A gap year is a great idea, but requires some preparation. If you are going to take a gap year you will want to apply to college before graduating from high school and then request a deferral. They will almost always grant the request. Gap years can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. Some organizations, like Americorps, pay you. However, some programs like Thinking Beyond Borders cost up to $30,000 for two semesters. Many people spend the first few months of their gap year working to save up for their plans.

Whether you spend your gap year backpacking in South Africa or teaching English in Costa Rica you are sure to enjoy your year. Gap years are becoming more and more popular for a reason, they are a great idea. Who knows,  a gap year may be perfect for you.