That wasn't too bad, was it? Looking back on it, there might have been days we had 3 tests; mornings we had to wake up at 5 am for practice; nights spent writing essays or labs. At those times, we couldn't conceive 4 more years of this, 3 more years, 1 more years, before we reached today. As we started on this long journey, the future sometimes seemed long and impossible. Now, we can see that we have more strength in us than we ever thought, the strength to work diligently for 4 years, and those long nights aren't remembered by the tearful breakdowns or empty cans of Red Bull so much as for the A's we earned.
Well today, we look forward onto life, and it seems very daunting indeed. There will be longs days, mornings that come too early, nights that last too long. In those times, remember today. Remember how you can now look back on the challenges of the past and smile, and look forward to the day you can do the same for those problems that, at the time, will seem just as intimidating as yesterdays problems once looked. Keep in mind your "graduation day" for whatever it is for you in life but remember, that place isn't guaranteed. There will be plenty of tears and Red Bulls along the way.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
Blog of Awesome
Have you ever had to write in English class, and everyone else is click-clacking away on their keyboards, but you can't think of anything? With each passing moment, you fall further behind the students that finding ideas, that are quickly finishing, and that are outpacing you (cumulative). You sit back in your chair with your thoughts scrambling frantically. There are always memes like this topic on Reddit about things that just work and are awesome, but now that you have to think of one your mind draws a blank. Why is it so hard to write, to think, to begin even(periodic)? Everyone else obviously has thought of something. You realize that you've spent too much time thinking about the situation, but what if the situation is also the solution? Isn't that something awesome when you finally think of a great idea? You quickly write, and as you write, you realize that you weren't the only one stuck. The student next to you has a blank screen, but not you! You've found something to write about, and that thing is awesome.
AWESOME!
You know the sea of cars. The only breaks are the lines between the waves you drive up and down. The clock that had seemed so far away from the time you're now 5 minutes past still ticks forward, and still you can't find a break anywhere. Three rows over you see the red of brake lights, the kind that accompanies the pulling out of a parking spot, so you race over. However, you aren't fast enough, and some newcomer slides into the spot. Hopelessness fills you. You pull out your phone to text that you can't make it. At this point, its better to make some excuse than to be late to an event this important. You hate to lie, fib, or deceive (parallel infinitives). However, you don't want them to think that you think that it isn't important. Its much preferable if they think that you were stuck in traffic, that you ran out of gas, or that there was some other unavoidable occurance (clauses).
You see, while glancing up to consider what excuses you haven't used lately, the absence shines across the parking lot. You hear symphonies play beautiful music in your ears. You breathe in the air of victory and breathe out a sigh of relief. You feel the car dancing, dodging, and weaving(parallel gerund) itself across the lot and into the parking spot.
AWESOME!
AWESOME!
You know the sea of cars. The only breaks are the lines between the waves you drive up and down. The clock that had seemed so far away from the time you're now 5 minutes past still ticks forward, and still you can't find a break anywhere. Three rows over you see the red of brake lights, the kind that accompanies the pulling out of a parking spot, so you race over. However, you aren't fast enough, and some newcomer slides into the spot. Hopelessness fills you. You pull out your phone to text that you can't make it. At this point, its better to make some excuse than to be late to an event this important. You hate to lie, fib, or deceive (parallel infinitives). However, you don't want them to think that you think that it isn't important. Its much preferable if they think that you were stuck in traffic, that you ran out of gas, or that there was some other unavoidable occurance (clauses).
You see, while glancing up to consider what excuses you haven't used lately, the absence shines across the parking lot. You hear symphonies play beautiful music in your ears. You breathe in the air of victory and breathe out a sigh of relief. You feel the car dancing, dodging, and weaving(parallel gerund) itself across the lot and into the parking spot.
AWESOME!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Revised Draft
The other day, I noticed a common misconception(Introducer).Men, surprisingly, have just as many feelings as women , although we rarely share them(Interrupter). This derives from what the wise Mr. Hill once said about how men and women handle problems differently. He cautioned that often when women talk about problems they are simply venting, and they do not want the problem to be solved. As a result of ancient stereotypes in western culture about men being required to be the silent and manly type, men don't share as much(Introducer). On the other hand, men want to fix problems. They talk for the purpose of a goal, so men won’t talk about their feelings unless doing so to address a serious issue that needs to be solved. This goes for all men in your life, such as you boy friend, brother, and father (Lister).
We might hardly ever share these feelings with women, but women should make sure to understand that it is very important when we do share them. If a woman says that her feelings have been hurt, this could mean anything from a misinterpreted comment about her clothes to an actual relationship problem while for the guys it is far more likely to be the latter. Men don't talk about trivial emotions, so pay close attention when they talk about feelings (Linker). In order for a man to talk about his feelings, there must be a legitimate problem that needs to be addressed. Broken nails, bad nails, and celebrity break-ups do not constitute real problems for men (Lister).
Ladies, the point of this is not to make you change how you act towards the fellas. They, the men in your life, are not going to want to talk about their feelings with you unless they’re ready, so don’t use the fact that they have emotions as an excuse to pry them out(Interrupter). The point of this was to give some background information, so the next time you think that a man doesn't care as much because he doesn't react as much try to remember that boys will be boys. They have feelings too, yet are less likely to share them (Linker). Please note that this is not saying that females never have anything important to say. If anything, guys don't say enough things of importance (Introducer).
One Man's Perspective
Men have just as many feelings as women , although we rarely share them. This derives from
what the wise Mr. Hill once said about how men and women handle problems
differently. He cautioned that often when women talk about problems they are
simply venting, and they do not want the problem to be solved. On the other
hand, men want to fix problems. They talk for the purpose of a goal, so men
won’t talk about their feelings unless doing so to address a serious issue that
needs to be solved.
We might hardly ever share these feelings with women, but
women should make sure to understand that it is very important when we do share
them. If a woman says that her feelings have been hurt, this could mean anything from a misinterpreted comment about her clothes to an actual relationship problem while for the guys it is far more likely to be the latter. In order for a man
to talk about his feelings, there must be a legitimate problem that needs to be
addressed.
Ladies, the point of this is not to make you change how you
act towards the fellas. They are not going to want to talk about their feelings
with you unless they’re ready, so don’t use the fact that they have emotions as
an excuse to pry them out. The point of this was to give some background
information, so the next time you think that a man doesn't care as much because
he doesn't react as much try to remember that boys will be boys. Please note that this is not saying that females never have anything important to say.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Revised version
Dear Mrs Obama,
If you would re-evaluate some of your health initiatives that have been implemented in schools the past few years, then you will see that while most are beneficial to all students some place the health of some above the rights of others.
An example is the healthier lunch initiatives. It is reasonable to remove foods and drinks that are overly sugary, overly fattening, or have too many calories. However, other foods that aren't necessarily "healthy", are being removed as well, and these foods should stay in schools. For these foods that are "mild junk foods", if a child becomes obese as a result of these foods it shouldn't be the schools to blame for serving them, but it is the fault of the student for choosing to eat those foods. The parents, responsible for raising their kids, would be to blame(cumulative). Their priority being education and safety, schools should not have to worry about the perceived health problems (periodic). Also, if absolutely none of these sweet foods are available, then the same children who are susceptible to obesity will eat even more of them at home. Therefore, taking such extreme measures to remove foods that shouldn't be removed is not minimizing health risks, and in some cases compounding them. Also, many kids who are able to make healthy choices for themselves are being punished because of others' choices. Being able to make wise decisions, they can have access to "junk foods" without overindulging (periodic). There is a small 16 year old boy in Saline, a town in southern Michigan. He has been getting Sun-Chips practically before remembrance (so since he was 14). The boy always made healthy decisions, and was by no means in danger of becoming over-weight. But now, as a result of your extremist initiatives, now he is left to settle for a smaller bag of Sun-Chips that also contains pretzels.
That small boy is me. My classmates and I have watched as more snacks have been removed from schools simply because they have too many calories. Longing we have each day for a small, reasonable unhealthy snack (inverted). Calories, being dependent on a number of factors, are no definitive measure of healthiness or not(cumulative). Large bags of natural fruit snacks have disappeared because they have many calories, but now diet-sodas are freely available in our cafeteria. The purpose of your campaign is to increase health, so it would make sense to target foods and drinks, like diet soda, that are legitimately harmful to kids, than to go on a witch hut of foods have such a number of calories. Poorly aimed are your efforts, targeting the wrong sources of obesity (inverted).
Sincerely yours, from the kid who wants his bag of Garden Salsa Sun-Chips,
Matt Lougheed
Sentence Length Challenge CUMULATIVE / PERIODIC
Cumulative- The hobbit traveled to Mordor, leaving the Shire, adventuring with his friends, meeting various species, befriending a creature named Golem, being stabbed by a sword, loosing his friend and mentor to death only to have him be reincarnated, almost being eaten by a large spider, crossing rivers and fields, destroying the one ring to control all of Middle Earth, after his uncle's 111th birthday party. (64)
Periodic- Playing tennis at a tournament, partying with his awesome friends, watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix for eight hours straight, playing the fun video game Destiny, modeling in a photo shoot, going to Speedway twice to buy a succulent slushy, eating half of a delicious apple pie, Matt procrastinated this project until Sunday unlike most of my classmates probably did. (62)
If you would re-evaluate some of your health initiatives that have been implemented in schools the past few years, then you will see that while most are beneficial to all students some place the health of some above the rights of others.
An example is the healthier lunch initiatives. It is reasonable to remove foods and drinks that are overly sugary, overly fattening, or have too many calories. However, other foods that aren't necessarily "healthy", are being removed as well, and these foods should stay in schools. For these foods that are "mild junk foods", if a child becomes obese as a result of these foods it shouldn't be the schools to blame for serving them, but it is the fault of the student for choosing to eat those foods. The parents, responsible for raising their kids, would be to blame(cumulative). Their priority being education and safety, schools should not have to worry about the perceived health problems (periodic). Also, if absolutely none of these sweet foods are available, then the same children who are susceptible to obesity will eat even more of them at home. Therefore, taking such extreme measures to remove foods that shouldn't be removed is not minimizing health risks, and in some cases compounding them. Also, many kids who are able to make healthy choices for themselves are being punished because of others' choices. Being able to make wise decisions, they can have access to "junk foods" without overindulging (periodic). There is a small 16 year old boy in Saline, a town in southern Michigan. He has been getting Sun-Chips practically before remembrance (so since he was 14). The boy always made healthy decisions, and was by no means in danger of becoming over-weight. But now, as a result of your extremist initiatives, now he is left to settle for a smaller bag of Sun-Chips that also contains pretzels.
That small boy is me. My classmates and I have watched as more snacks have been removed from schools simply because they have too many calories. Longing we have each day for a small, reasonable unhealthy snack (inverted). Calories, being dependent on a number of factors, are no definitive measure of healthiness or not(cumulative). Large bags of natural fruit snacks have disappeared because they have many calories, but now diet-sodas are freely available in our cafeteria. The purpose of your campaign is to increase health, so it would make sense to target foods and drinks, like diet soda, that are legitimately harmful to kids, than to go on a witch hut of foods have such a number of calories. Poorly aimed are your efforts, targeting the wrong sources of obesity (inverted).
Sincerely yours, from the kid who wants his bag of Garden Salsa Sun-Chips,
Matt Lougheed
Sentence Length Challenge CUMULATIVE / PERIODIC
Cumulative- The hobbit traveled to Mordor, leaving the Shire, adventuring with his friends, meeting various species, befriending a creature named Golem, being stabbed by a sword, loosing his friend and mentor to death only to have him be reincarnated, almost being eaten by a large spider, crossing rivers and fields, destroying the one ring to control all of Middle Earth, after his uncle's 111th birthday party. (64)
Periodic- Playing tennis at a tournament, partying with his awesome friends, watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix for eight hours straight, playing the fun video game Destiny, modeling in a photo shoot, going to Speedway twice to buy a succulent slushy, eating half of a delicious apple pie, Matt procrastinated this project until Sunday unlike most of my classmates probably did. (62)
Passionate Plea
Dear Mrs Obama,
If you would re-evaluate some of your health initiatives that have been implemented in schools the past few years, then you will see that while most are beneficial to all students some place the health of some above the rights of others.
An example is the healthier lunch initiatives. It is reasonable to remove foods and drinks that are overly sugary, overly fattening, or have too many calories. However, other foods that aren't necessarily "healthy", are being removed as well, and these foods should stay in schools. For these foods that are "mild junk foods", if a child becomes obese as a result of these foods it shouldn't be the schools to blame for serving them, but it is the fault of the student for choosing to eat those foods. Also, if absolutely none of these sweet foods are available, then the same children who are susceptable to obesity will eat even more of them at home. Therefore, taking such extreme measures to remove foods that shouldn't be removed is not minimizing health risks, and in some cases compounding them. Also, many kids who are able to make healthy choices for themselves are being punished because of others' choices. There is a small 16 year old boy in Saline, A town in southern Michigan. He has been getting Sun-Chips practically before remembrence (so since he was 14). The boy always made healthy decisions, and was by no means in danger of becoming over-weight. But now, as a result of your extremist initiatives, now he is left to settle for a smaller bag of Sun-Chips that also contains pretzels.
That small boy is me. My classmates and I have watched as more snacks have been removed from schools simply because they have too many calories. Calories are no definitive measure of healthiness or not. Large bags of natural fruit snacks have disappeared because they have many calories, but now diet-sodas are freely available in our cafeteria. The purpose of your campaign is to increase health, so it would make sense to target foods and drinks, like diet soda, that are legitimately harmful to kids, than to go on a witch hut of foods have such a number of calories.
Sincerely yours from the kid who wants his bag of Garden Salsa Sun-Chips,
Matt Lougheed
If you would re-evaluate some of your health initiatives that have been implemented in schools the past few years, then you will see that while most are beneficial to all students some place the health of some above the rights of others.
An example is the healthier lunch initiatives. It is reasonable to remove foods and drinks that are overly sugary, overly fattening, or have too many calories. However, other foods that aren't necessarily "healthy", are being removed as well, and these foods should stay in schools. For these foods that are "mild junk foods", if a child becomes obese as a result of these foods it shouldn't be the schools to blame for serving them, but it is the fault of the student for choosing to eat those foods. Also, if absolutely none of these sweet foods are available, then the same children who are susceptable to obesity will eat even more of them at home. Therefore, taking such extreme measures to remove foods that shouldn't be removed is not minimizing health risks, and in some cases compounding them. Also, many kids who are able to make healthy choices for themselves are being punished because of others' choices. There is a small 16 year old boy in Saline, A town in southern Michigan. He has been getting Sun-Chips practically before remembrence (so since he was 14). The boy always made healthy decisions, and was by no means in danger of becoming over-weight. But now, as a result of your extremist initiatives, now he is left to settle for a smaller bag of Sun-Chips that also contains pretzels.
That small boy is me. My classmates and I have watched as more snacks have been removed from schools simply because they have too many calories. Calories are no definitive measure of healthiness or not. Large bags of natural fruit snacks have disappeared because they have many calories, but now diet-sodas are freely available in our cafeteria. The purpose of your campaign is to increase health, so it would make sense to target foods and drinks, like diet soda, that are legitimately harmful to kids, than to go on a witch hut of foods have such a number of calories.
Sincerely yours from the kid who wants his bag of Garden Salsa Sun-Chips,
Matt Lougheed
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Style Day 1- Revision
Revision
Too often I used complex sentences, and used the same structure for them. I even used the same subordinating conjunction. Other than that, I think that I used a good variety of sentences.
Who hasn't dreamed of creating their own world, or
being able to read and change the minds of others CP? How about being an
international criminal mastermind pulling off the greatest heist of all time S?
Inception ties the fantasies of anyone who loves a good action movie into a
mind-bending, action packed thriller. S
The story is of Dom Cobb, who uses military
technology to perform corporate espionage in the one place that everyone thinks
is safe, safer even than Fort Knox: their minds CPX. Cobb is on the run from the
American government S. Then he is
approached by a powerful Japanese business man with an offer Cobb can't refuse C. The business man will use his connections to have Cobb's charges dropped, if he and his team can pull off the impossible act of inception CP. To pull of inception, Cobb has to devise a
strategy to plant an idea in the mind of for a change instead of merely stealing one S. The change seams simple enough, but Cobb
and his team have to dive deep into the mind of Fischer, facing unexpected
enemies from both Fischer’s mind as well as their own CPX.
Inception is the pinnacle of science fiction and
action, and it achieves this by merging the best of both into one of the best movies of all time CP. The
movie pulls viewers in with its beautiful cinematography S. It is directed and
produced by Christopher Nolan, the director of the immensely popular Dark
Knight trilogy S. He brought his experience to this movie, and though the results are
shots that are extremely dark and dramatic, they are also hauntingly beautiful CPX. But
what keeps audiences on their seats is the plot that keeps viewers guessing
what will come next, and it always catches the audience by surprise CPX. Together,
both the directing and the story create a movie that is entertaining to watch
many times X.
The movie is also helped by the talented actors S. Even though Leonardo DiCaprio has never won an Oscar, he is one of the greatest modern actors X. This action movie's cast is not usual, because it does not revolve around any single talented actor X. DeCaprio plays a spectacular character, but it is not his usual charismatic man CP. This leads to a protagonist who is more relate able to viewers S. They are able to connect with him because of ____, so they in turn become more invested emotionally into the movie CPX. The movie is a much richer experience as a result of the actors S.
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