Hello there! Welcome to “For the Creeper in Alaska”, a blog created soley for my English assignments. The blog title refers to a little joke we have among us students, so no worries if the allusion goes right over your head (though if it does, maybe you are a creeper…) Feel free to explore, and maybe even drop a comment here or there. Although an assignment, sometimes it’s nice to know your work is appreciated, and a review or comment would make my day. Until next time!
Rachel
Religion. A word that sparks so much debate, so much history, so much controversy. Today, as I was logging in to my Yahoo! account, I lazily notice an article called “HS team forfeits due to religion”. Puzzled to what part of what religion prevents a team from playing a simple game, I clicked it.
Turns out, a Jewish tradition called “The Fast of Esther” prevents Jews from eating or more importantly, drinking water until sundown. In any sport, especially basketball, playing an hour long game without water probably wouldn’t be the best idea. This problem, a game scheduled for the afternoon, would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve been easily resolved by a simple delay in the game. If the committee just pushed the game back a few hours, the sun would be down and everything would be grand. Instead the committee stated that they were on a schedule and a change in time for the game is impossible, ultimately forcing the first Jewish team to qualify for the Washington state tournament to forfeit.
I truly believe that this hiccup could’ve been avoided. I mean, three or four hours is simply not a big deal. There was no game scheduled immediately after involving any of the two teams, and the outcome of the game didn’t need to be known at a certain time or anything like that. In addition, the Jewish team even offered to pay the additional expenses of playing at a different time.
It brings a question into play. Should exceptions be made for religion? If the exception doesn’t affect in a detrimental way, I believe it should. Even though everyone has different religions and different beliefs, all of them should be respected. Frankly, a time change of three or four hours doesn’t really matter. I understand that there should be a separation between church and state, but you have to wonder…if the religion asking for an exception was the officials’ religion, would they make an exception? How much do personal preferences come into play in decision making?
21 Posts and Counting!
Everyone has probably heard about the Kate and Jon Gosselin controversy. Indeed, the news of the big family had grown into such a common and popular headliner, that I barely pay it mind anymore. However, something caught my eye as I was checking my mail. As part of the Yahoo! News lineup, hidden in the corner under “Kurt Cobain’s daughter’s singing debut!”, was an article about a kid from a reality television show called “Nineteen Kids and Counting”.
I have to wonder about these reality shows that follow families around and basically make a show about their lives. I personally have never seen the shows, and watching someone’s life on television doesn’t sound so appealing to me. Who cares if little Mary is going to school tomorrow? Or if Tommy just said his first word? I mean, they’re not even your kids! You don’t know them personally, nor is there anything special about them; other than the fact they are one of what seems like a million kids. I swear, the parents are trying to outdo each other with the number of kids they have.
I read this article about the kids of the show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”, which recently was cancelled due to the divorce of Jon and Kate. Kate says that her kids miss the cameramen and ask where they are. I’m sorry, but that just sounds really wrong. I definitely feel like these parents, these baby-breeders, like Octomom (14 kids), the Gosselins (8), and the Duggars (19), have their kids, just for the fame. They expose their kids and basically sacrifice them to the media, robbing them from a normal childhood. They seem like they don’t even consider the safety and future of their ki
ds. It’s great that you have sextets and all, but what happens when all six of them go to college? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? Apparently, their answer is to earn as much money as they can by basically selling our kids. “Look! Aren’t our babies so cute!? Take a picture! There’s six of them!”
The pursuit of fame has spiked an increase in these multiple babies. Recently, there has been a lot of circulation and buzz about the wonderment of sextets or octets. I really wonder in amazement how the kids of these reality television shows will turn out to be like. Never fear, I’m sure in about 17 or so years, there will be specials all around the media about, “The [insert family name here]’s: All Grown Up!” I wonder if they will be as selfish as their parents are.
Image Credit: http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/jon-and-kate-plus-8-scandal.jpg
Bi-Race Equals Bye Race?
Taking my obsession to a whole new level, I have found what the bible and Harry Potter have in common. They both have the idea of pure blood. Of course, in the Slytherin house, they see purity of the blood as a sense of domination and use it as a right to look down on other half bloods or muggles. In the bible, Abraham asks his servant to find Isaac a wife among his kindred.
Why is keeping the bloodline pure so important? To answer this question, I take a look at modern society, where biracial couples don’t cause anyone to blink an eye. At first, my confusion mounted. What’s wrong with bloodlines mixing? I think it shows an evolution in the thinking of Americans, who would have been repulsed with having a black, yellow, or brown person in their white world less than a hundred years ago. But upon closer inspection, I realize that my peers reflect the problem.
I know many mixes of people. Half- Asian. Half-Jew. Half-Mexican. Half-Catholic. Half-Armenian. You name it, I probably know someone that fits the criteria. The one thing that most of them have in common, besides being a mix of races, is the loss of heritage. Somehow, through the rumble and bumble of it all, the children of these biracial couples, rather than absorbing two different cultures, end up absorbing neither. Most of the cultures in the world require full-attention, for example, the Jewish tradition requires studying for what, three or five years? Rarely does one parent step back and allow their child to fully absorb their spouse’s culture. If I marry someone of a different culture, will my Chinese traditions be reflected in my grandchildren’s children or their children? Will they know the language or celebrate the holidays? What will happen in a few more decades if the loss of heritage continues? In a few thousand years, will America even have other cultures or will we just be known as Americans?
I still believe mixing bloodlines is not a crime and in fact, a normal thing to do, but I understand the fear some people may have that the only way to preserve their culture or heritage is to keep the line pure.
At first, I couldn’t think of any outside reading that I could reflect on or write something about. I decided to look through my mom’s magazines and HOPEFULLY find something inspirational. As I’m flipping though “Better Homes and Gardening”, I come across this article on growing up. Interested in the idea and drawing from the inspiration of my old Chicken Soup for the whatever Soul books, I decided to write a creative piece on growing up. I hope you enjoy it…
Strangers.
Julie and Molly. Molly and Julie. Our two names used to be spoken as one word. Best friends for life. The day our moms met at a rush party in college sparked a bond that seemed impossible to break. They stayed close throughout their whole life and nearly cried with joy when they realized that they were going to raise their two little girls together. Julie and I potty-trained together, spoke our first words to each other, and supported each other through the rough jungle of elementary school. I remember the simpler days, when we would sit in the park and just people-watch. Or when we were twelve and felt like such rebels for watching PG-13 movies. Or when we baked cookies and skipped around our neighborhood passing them out.
In middle school, things began to change. The culprit? Boys, boys, boys. It happened slowly but surely. When we would go to the mall, it wouldn’t be to watch any new movies; it would be to check out the makeup counter at Sephora. We didn’t go out to eat fast food anymore, because “the calories, Molly! The calories!”. She spent HOURS straightening her hair for a lame school-sponsored social gathering. I went along with it. Best friends not only take, but they must give to, and I didn’t mind giving this little bit. But soon, whatever I said earned a, “That’s SOOO immature, Molly” and a laugh from the ‘popular’ girls we used to make fun of. She would cancel to hang out with her new beau of the month and when we did spend time together, it was always, “Jason this and Mike that”. Hanging out with her became a chore, not a reward.
Julie and I don’t talk to each other anymore. We pass by each other in the halls every day. Her, with her friends, me with mine. We continue walking. No hesitation. No pause. No acknowledgement of the friendship that lasted thirteen years. I barely think of it anymore. My mom sometimes ask, “Where’s Julie?” and I allow myself to remember the girl I used to know. My ex-best friend. My ex-confidante. I wish her nothing but the best. Unfortunately, her best didn’t include me, and I’m okay with that, because truthfully, my best didn’t include her. People change. And every person changed affects someone else, who affects someone else, who affects someone else. Life is unavoidable. Life is unforgiving. But most importantly, life goes on.
Somewhere, God is Laughing
Before I start my wonderful reflection on the Bible, I would like to start by saying I am not reading this from a religious point of view at all. Although Catholic is written as my official religion, truthfully, my family thinks religion is unnecessary. Yeah, we’re THOSE Catholics, the ones gossiped on by the old ladies. We don’t go to church, never read the Bible (until now), and don’t have a single religious artifact in our house. I have nothing against religion, nor am I for it. I am Switzerland. However, I do love books and stories, and I am approaching this reading as simply that, a book.
I would describe God, in the bible, as a pretty manipulative and selfish guy. He creates all this great stuff, basically our world as we know it, and then he adds this one tiny little unnecessary detail. You can’t eat from the tree of knowledge. THEN WHY DOES IT EXIST!? What is the point of having a forbidden tree? Sure, it tells good from evil, but since man doesn’t have that power, only God does, why does it make its home on man’s domain? But waaaaiiiiiitttttt, there’s a catch! Not only is the tree forbidden, but it just so happens to be right in the middle of Eden. What a coincidence!
God created everything. Meaning, he created snake, man, and every emotion, every feeling that comes with them, right? Did he have to make snake “crafty” (Gen. 3.1)? Did he have to make woman gullible and naïve? Sure, he has no control over his creations once they are unleashed, but he has control in the making of them. You don’t see me installing my phone with a ‘hate’ application. Furthermore, he specifically says, and I quote, “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gen. 2.17). Last I heard, Adam and Eve didn’t die. Adam, in fact, lived 930 years. God never planned to kill man and woman. In fact, he just clothed them and made them work to survive. They can’t live the carefree life that God has.
God never intended humankind to live in Eden forever. He created man for the benefit of no one but himself. If I read the book as just another book, I would guess he created man because he was bored one day, after creating man, he realized that maybe he created man to be too close to his divine power and needed some way to make man beneath him once more. He succeeded, and ironically, we forever glorify him.
In a Seaman-like Way: The Perfect Visual Aid to Your Personality
When Lyra’s seaman friend, Jerry, and she are conversing about the settlement of daemons, he remarks that when her daemon settles, she will know what kind of person she is. She questions, “But suppose your daemon settles into a shape you don’t like?” to which Jerry answers, “Well, then, you’re discontented, en’t you?” (Pullman 167)
Lyra fears the unknown of adulthood. She loves having the freedom and ability to change her personality and her daemon’s form to fit her surroundings. Lyra’s mind not only clings to the ability to shape shift, but worries that Pan’s final form, the one that reflects their personality and soul, would be revealed to be unfavorable. Like Harry Potter, Lyra suffers from her internal conflict of self realization. Stemmed from her unusual childhood, Lyra obtains the ability to adapt to her current situation. This ability prevents her from figuring out and creating her independence as most children do as they cross the threshold from adolescence to adulthood.
People are born a certain way. Obviously, their surroundings and peers affect their personalities greatly, but a person born shy will probably remain shy. No good will come out of tooting your own horn. Face it. Maybe you will not discover the cure for cancer or star in millions of movies, but you are who you are. Embrace it. Everybody knows life is short. Why waste the time one has on this earth unhappy? One must learn to not only like, but love the form one’s daemon settles into, because that is you. A daemon not only represents your personality visually, but it extends from your very soul. Discontentment will not help anybody.
Proposition: Fear of the unknown will cause uncertainty in life, but one should never allow it to hinder your ability to live.
Always the Victim: Memoirs of a Middle-Aged High School Basketball Star
Some people find it funny how one event can change a whole person’s life. I think differently. It is messed up what one event can do to a person full of possibilities, a person full of life, a person like me. Ten years ago, the world was my oyster and I played the role of the pearl. I laugh at my naivety. I love how the world makes you its king just to usurp you when the next big thing arrives. I am embarrassed at how cliché I was. Let me let you in on a secret. Being the high school basketball captain with the head cheerleader girlfriend means NOTHING. All it does is set your hopes and dreams higher for a harder fall. Speaking of falls, I find it hilarious how my fall ruined my basketball career. Har-de-har-har, see how hard I am laughing? I was set for life ten years ago. My full ride to Duke was going to lead me directly to the NBA. They called me the next MJ. MJ stands for Michael Jordan, by the way, not Jackson. I guess I have more in common with Michael Jackson nowadays. Actually, I should not degrade Michael to my level. A has-been is better than a never-was. Michael did not get in a car with a drunk driver. Michael did not blindly run a red light. Michael did not have extensive surgery on his spinal cord. Michael is not paralyzed from the waist down. Granted, the guy died, but is a guy who waits for death any better? Sometimes, I wish life would just give me a break and let me go.
Stay on the Sunny Side, Always on the Sunny Side: The Secret to Beating Evil
When Harry Potter worries that the emotional connection between Lord Voldemort and him may cause him to become evil, his godfather, Sirius Black, tells him, “…We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” (Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix)Harry then understands that the emotion he has been feeling does not make him a bad person; it just means he embodies a good person, who bad things have happened to.
Website: Official Harry Potter Website
Video Clip: Trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The universal concept of good vs. evil has been around for centuries and has been discussed and debated over and over again, yet nobody explains it better than Sirius Black. Finding a purely evil person is just as impossible as finding a purely good person. Even the nicest, purest, and best person in the world has done at least one bad thing or at least thought of one bad thing in their whole existence. Spiderman 3 brings the battle of good vs. evil from within Peter Parker to take on a whole different being. At first, he is tempted to give in to the bad in him, but overall the good side wins out overall.
When criminals say that they were forced to do something because it is in their nature or someone threatened them, their lies strike a nerve. Nobody is forcing them to do anything. Nobody is born bad or good. Everybody is created with an equal amount of good and evil. When someone does something bad or unkind, the evil side grows and the good side shrinks. Similarly, when someone does a kind deed or brings someone happiness, the good side grows and the evil side shrinks. It all depends on which one you let prosper. Although things might influence one’s choice, it does not matter if who they are wants to be good. Thinking about bad things does not mean anything, doing bad things is when people start to judge. Are you a good person who sometimes does bad things or are you a bad person who sometimes does good things?
Proposition: Morality and immorality exists in every single person and both sides are used in a person’s life; the side that is used more frequently defines who you are.
Miserable at Best: From Good to Bad to Worse
She walked into the bar desultorily and unenthusiastically. Her shuffle into the barstool caused the staff to look around with questioning eyes. Katie was a regular, but she usually came in with a saunter, a smile, and five of her closest friends. They almost could not recognize the girl in front of them with red eyes and tears of black mascara running down her face. As she downed drink after drink, staring aimlessly in front of her, the stout bartender glanced at the copious amounts of shot glasses in front of her and finally cut her off as the bar reached its final hour. The house band had finished their set and was in the process of packing their vast equipment when the lead singer glanced at his band mates and gestured at the piano, then at Katie, and back again. The band understood, and willing to help the girl who bought them all a round with a smile and a bawdy joke, discreetly picked up their instruments to begin the familiar notes of the Mayday Parade song.
Katie, don’t cry, I know
You’re trying your hardest
And the hardest part is letting go
Of the nights we shared
Ocala is calling and you know it’s haunting
But compared to your eyes, nothing shines quite as bright
And when we look to the sky, it’s not mine, but I want it so
Let’s not pretend like you’re alone tonight
(I know he’s there and)
You’re probably hanging out and making eyes
(While across the room he stares)
I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor
And ask my girl to dance, she’ll say yes
Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the night’s previous events. They had broken up a month ago blaming their fights and opposite personalities as the cause. She had heard her first love will be hardest to forget, but she honestly thought he was the one. She cherished their fights, saved their moments, and just flat out loved him.
Because these words were never easier for me to say
Or her to second guess
But I guess
That I can live without you but
Without you I’ll be miserable at best
You’re all that I hoped to find
In every single way
And everything I would give
Is everything you couldn’t take
Cause nothing feels like home, you’re a thousand miles away
And the hardest part of living
Is just taking breaths to stay
Cause I know I’m good for something
I just haven’t found it yet
And I need it
So, let’s not pretend like you’re alone tonight
(I know he’s there and)
You’re probably hanging out and making eyes
(While across the room he stares)
I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor
And ask my girl to dance, she’ll say yes
He had flown a thousand miles for her only to see her with another guy. It was her first date since their break up and the evening had seemed off to her from the beginning. She will never forget the moment she looked up at the window of the expensive restaurant and saw him standing there with disdain in his eyes and a bouquet of white lilies thrown to the ground. She had chased after him after he left, trying to pacify him with no luck. He had remained obstinate and, with cold eyes, left. Five hours later and she arrives at her current predicament.
Because these words were never easier for me to say
Or her to second guess
But I guess
That I can live without you but
Without you I’ll be miserable at best
Ladada ladada ladadaoh ohhh
And this will be the first time in a week
That I’ll talk to you
And I can’t speak
It’s been three whole days since I’ve had sleep
Cause I dream of his lips on your cheek
And I got the point that I should leave you alone
But we both know that I’m not that strong
And I miss the lips that made me fly
So, let’s not pretend like you’re alone tonight
(I know he’s there and)
You’re probably hanging out and making eyes
(While across the room he stares)
I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor
And ask my girl to dance, she’ll say yes
Because these words were never easier for me to say
Or her to second guess
But I guess
That I can live without you but
Without you I’ll be miserable
And I can live without you but
Without you I’ll be miserable
And I can live without you but
Oh, without you I’ll be miserable at best…
As the song ended, she shook her head and staggered out the door. They were wrong; it was the other way around. Without him, she can only be miserable at best.
Song Credits: Miserable at Best – Mayday Parade
For the Creeper in Alaska 
