And the Award Goes To...

     Theoretically, or imaginatively, let's create a character named Grace.  Grace is a member of the band program at her school which happens to be very large and prestigious.  She works moderately hard on her instrument and is a respectable and attentive student who is always eager to learn.  As her band director gets on the podium and starts to discuss summer camps for music, she instantly begins her wistful and hoping thoughts.  "I would love to go to a music camp!  I think it would help me become a better musician!"  She goes home, does her research and asks her parents who respond with a median "We really hope you can go, but maybe pick a cheaper one because these camps are very expensive" attitude.
     Grace returns to her band class the next day with a new perspective on music.  She goes home and practices for one hour instead of just thirty minutes because she wants to improve and make the best out of whatever band camp she goes to.  On the podium, her band director discusses scholarships.  This instantly gets Graces attention, and she is listening with a keen ear.  Once she gets home, she prints off the scholarship application and gets to work on her 200 word essay.  Now, this is no small feat for Grace because writing is not her forte like math and science.  In fact, she considered this essay hard and stressful because of it's value and importance.  After her parents help her proofread, she takes it to her English teacher so he can proofread it as well.  All of this effort goes into an essay that Grace considers to be the best essay she's ever written.  She is proud to put it in her band director's folder and cannot wait for the awards ceremony to see if she received the much needed scholarship.

     "Maybe if I get this scholarship, my parents will be more inclined to grant me permission to go to a nicer summer music camp.  I can only give so much money because I don't have a job considering my busy summer school schedule.  I really need this!"

     The Band Awards role around and Grace's anxiety is paralyzing.  She goes and sits with some of her friends from band, applauding as people around her win awards.  One boy gets her attention as he wins an award and scholarship for being an outstanding Freshman musician.  She expressed her congratulations and knew him as being someone in the upper Freshman band while she was in the lower one.  Then the portion of the Awards changes to the scholarships that Grace had applied for.  Her heart is racing, anxious to hear her name called.  They read through the list of names and one of them is the same name that received the outstanding Freshman musician.
     "That's awesome that he gets two scholarships!  His parents must be very proud," she thinks to herself as the last of the names are read off.  To her surprise, Grace's name was never uttered.  Everyone goes up to receive their generous $250 scholarships to their music camps, as well as the boy who won another scholarship for his camp as well.  Here Grace sits with zero scholarships while another boy sits with two.  Grace is scared her parents will be mad at her so she never brings up the camp again.  She loses interest in practicing alone over the summer and drops out of band the next year.  All of this is because of one boy who won two, while Grace won none.

     Are awards ceremonies worth it?  I think an award should be an internal accomplishment, not a public affair.  This story could easily happen after tonight, but let's hope that the person who won none has a strong soul, and let's hope that the person who won two knows how lucky he is.  


         

A Mexican Folklore (2)

     Abila wasn't as presumptuous in her social life and in fact, she was very content on being alone.  Abilia wasn't the type of girl anyone would think was a narcissistic and unstable human being.  Those who knew her well were quite aware of this situation, and were keeping it clandestine from the rest of the world.  This precipitous situation was soon going to elevate into a compelling mystery for the whole country of Mexico.
     Abila and her family woke up one Sunday morning, long before Abila's polemical and shadowed problem.  Abila was actually a normal, outgoing girl who was objective to the world around her.  She didn't care about her ludicrous living conditions and she didn't care about going to the United States.  She didn't know that this pernicious expedition was longed for by her parents.  On this Sunday morning, Abila's parents woke her up saying,"We're going to be free; wake up."  Abila did so without question although she had many.  The United States was only a 45 minute drive away, but to Abila it seemed like hours.  The fence she saw between her and the United States bothered her.  "Why can't we go over there?" she asked.  Her parents pushed off this inquisition and told her to get outside and stay behind the car as they examined the situation.  Almost instantly after her parents left the safety of the car, two gun shots boomed from above killing both of Abila's parents.  The event seemed to occur in slow motion, but as soon as Abila heard the shots, she sprinted as fast as she could.  Surprisingly, they did not shoot her, but her assumptions concluded that it's because of her child innocence.  As she ran she thought of the life that she used to have and the way it will soon be.  Little did she know that the bad things were just beginning.

A Mexican Folklore

     Diego wasn't the type of boy to stay isolated and separated from nature during the summer.  He was the type of boy who would claim the day exuberantly as his own property.  It's easily inferable that he was an optimistic and robust character of the town.  His compelling optimistic nature has crowned him the name "Fuerza" for his strong will.  Those who remember Diego will always know the ways in which he affected them, and their memories shall never deceive them.  Diego was a martyr for Mexicans in a time when the whole world was in arms about this polemical issue with them.  Diego's dead.

(The story shall be continued throughout time.  Pass it on, share the ideas because this Mexican Folk Tale has just begun)

The Long Stretch

     Just as soon as this glorious new lifestyle known as high school started, it is now coming to an abrupt and anticipated conclusion.  Unfortunately this high school lifestyle doesn't want to end without a big bang of stressers.  I have tests out the whazoo this week despite the imminent and impending finals that start this Friday.  Yes, Mr. Crump, I would love to be tested on Australia and then tested a day later on everything since January!  That's the way I roll.  No, that's the way no one rolls, but apparently the teachers don't care.  Meanwhile I have band concerts and marching band to juggle about along with an attempt to change classes for next year.  All is stressful in this long stretch, but if I work hard, the future should be more bright.  

 Hi, my name is Sam and I have enough time in my schedule to memorize music for marching band.  Well, if you don't count school and other band related things, I do have time, but sometimes I want to eat and sleep.  Those luxuries are nice.  

 To be honest, this song gives me a moment of peace in this hectic time.  It's a break from socializing and learning and it's just a time of bliss a tranquility.

 The mother bunny came back to take care of her babies.  This could be a sign of success during this strenuous week!

 You know you're studying for an Honors Biology final when you're room looks like this times about 10.

This is what's left after a long night of preparation for studying, rehearsal, and a nice family therapy appointment.  You know the world is right when you eat apples with peanut butter, documenting your day on a blog, hopefully improving your writing skills.  Wish me luck for this Long Stretch.

Nature's Tragedy

     Nature is a strong force that creates and ends life simultaneously.  When examining the evolution and history of this earth, especially with the creation of humans, it's easy to see the drastic change within ecological conditions.  What makes humans unique is that they alter their environment.  Let's look at this case involving a small nest of bunnies in the yard of a vicious greyhound.
     Early this morning before the teenagers awake, an innocent greyhound wanders outside with the intention of exploration and other dog-like activities.  She walks over to the nest of young bunnies that were just exposed yesterday and sees them wandering outside the nest, unaware of the giant monster that wants their innards.  Out of the corner of her keen eye, the greyhound sees the innocent bunnies and rushes over to them.  Surely they would hope that the muzzle upon her nose to prevent feces consumption would aid in her attack, but much to their dismay, it most likely made the massacre worse.  The mother witnessing this event describes the greyhound's head smashing and paw smacking as funny, which is the word she was soon criticized on.  The husband and father rushes out to stop and assess the carnage.  Of supposedly three rabbits, two are dead.  Upon later inspection by the late rising teenager, the third and final bunny is also dead and the nest is empty.  Upon even later inspection by the other late rising teenager, there is yet another bunny that is frantically hopping about its recently filled and destroyed nest.  Upon even later, and final inspection, there is a second frightened bunny hopping around its destroyed home.
     Surely nature had this in store for these poor bunnies, but humans are humans and they play with nature all the time, so why not try to fight off the evil aspects of nature's worldly plan?  We took in the bunnies and put them into a box with their nest materials.  We protected them from outside animals and hopefully from the ferocity of the greyhound.  As of now, they are hopefully resting and calming down and hoping for the return of their mother.

Magical, Musical Weekend

     The Fine Arts Festival is that one event that everyone in the musical community dreads and enjoys at a simultaneous moment.  Parents see it as a huge endeavor to get their children to the school on time and then find them afterwards.  For the students it's seen as just another, yet importantly conclusive concert.  Most parents just see their child's one performance, but for my parents, it's an entire day's event.  In total at this years Festival, my parents and grandparents watched five performances.  Luckily for me, I dropped from four performances to three, but Joe increased from one to two performances.  Despite the excessive time and effort commitment, this day of music and art is usually very enjoyable.  I thought that all of my performances were decent, and Joe's were also quite good.  

 There's nothing better than sitting and listening to good jazz while eating low quality and overpriced food.  It was actually quite a relaxing break to this hectic day.

 After being inside for hours, it was quite the relief to see the sunlight of the outdoor world.  Unfortunately this relief was short lived considering the heat instantly caused discomfort.

Even when we arrived at home the magic from the wondrous Fine Arts Festival continued!  As Dad and I were mowing our overgrown lawn, he found this small depression in the ground covered with fluff and filled with baby rabbits.  They were adorable, but sadly Mom didn't really approve of their choice in real estate, but she can't do anything about it.

Beautiful Evolution

From the lips of the brilliant man who truly discovered how the world works.  No matter what future discoveries induct, Darwin will always be the most beloved scientist to me.