All of the Things You Said, Running Through My Head

A lot of things go through everyone's head. Whether they're good thoughts or bad, we have to live with them. Something very common in everyone's head would be the thought of re-doing something in their life. Either because they regret doing it, or just feel like they didn't do it right. Almost everyone wishes that they could change something they've done in their lives, and I can't blame them because I feel the same way too.

Out of everything that I've ever done in my sixteen years of life, I would have to say that the thing I would want to re-do the most would be a short time period of events that happened throughout seventh and eighth grade. Now, you may think that's a silly or petty thing to go back and re-do, but understand that everyone is different in what they regret in life.

During the end of my seventh grade year, I liked a boy very much, and so I decided to tell him that I liked him. That sounds pretty normal right? Wrong. The problem here was that the boy did not like me back, but instead lied to me that he did. I went on the whole summer thinking that this awesome boy liked me, and that was the first time that had really happened to me so I was ecstatic.  That was, right up until his cousin told me that it was all a fluke.

I was so upset that I could be so gullible, and how I could let myself get lied to so easily. Not to mention that I was already extremely self-conscious in seventh grade, so this whole "relationship" made my whole situation worse. Anyways, in eighth grade I texted him one night and he was really upset and so he apologized sincerely about the whole situation. At the time I could've really cared less because I was still upset with him, but I told him that everything was fine between us.

Little did I know that this would be the budding of our friendship. We talked everyday and every night for as long as we were able to text. It felt amazing to actually be getting to know this boy that I felt like meant so much to me. Immediately I starting really liking him, but once again something got in the way. He started taking a liking to one of the girls in the grade below us. She was similar to him in a few ways, but I thought she was just annoying. Suddenly all of our conversations were about her, and what he could do to impress her, or what he thought about her. The whole thing was just annoying and it made me kind of mad. Overtime I accepted it a little bit that I didn't have a chance with him, ever. That still didn't make me feel better though.

I can't remember too clearly what had happened between the two of them, but they had a harsh break-up and he was extremely upset about it. I tried really hard to make him feel better, and pick him up to put him back on his feet, and it worked. It worked significantly well, because now I was the girl who had been rebounded. I'll admit that to an extent I knew that I was on the rebound, but I didn't want to accept it. The feeling inside that I got from him being sweet and friendly and calling each other cutesy names was overwhelming, and I liked it.

We even discussed dating because we actually thought that we liked each other. Well, he thought that he liked me at least, because I knew that I liked him. The tricky part was that he refused to lose me again after the situation that had happened the first time between us. I honestly didn't know how to feel about the whole thing. Here I was practically waiting for him to make the move, and he wouldn't budge. But then again, it could ruin everything that I had fought so hard for.

What happens next? Something else comes in-between us. I guess I could've seen it coming because he had been acting differently towards me for a few days, and now there was another girl that he liked. I didn't like her at all. Not only because she was annoying, but because she wasn't a very nice person at all. They talked for a short time but they never tried anything together because she was supposed to be moving to a different school for high school.

One thing was different about this time though. I wasn't there for him this time, in any sort of sense. I had had it with the games that we would play. Honestly it was ridiculous for me to continuously sit around and wait for a boy who was never going to "come around" to liking me. I didn't text him, I didn't speak to him, and I didn't even talk to him during school.

Instead, I branched off and became a whole new different person. I liked new people and everything. During ninth grade we didn't really talk at all, but this year has been different. We're both in tenth grade now and we're really great friends. Honestly I didn't expect us to ever get to a point like this with everything that had happened between us. Surprisingly though, we're kind of still in the same exact situation.

Underneath all the wraps I still like him in some sense. But it's very different, it's almost as if I love him as a I would a brother. Honestly though, I think the only reason I feel that way is because I know I'll never have a chance with him. Either way: I'm still his best friend, and I'll always be there for him no matter what. That will always be what it comes down to, and he's one of the best friends that I've ever had.

Therefore, in a sense I guess I'm kind of glad that all of that stuff happened between us in the early years. Mainly because it got us to the point we're at now: friendship and peacefulness. However, even though they got me to where I am today I always look back and think about what would've happened if I wouldn't have made all of those decisions. Honestly, I have no idea.


                                                               ~Taylor

Quote me on that!

In today's blog, I am assigned to pick five quotes that apply to me. There are many quotes that I use in every day life. Things such as: "sucks to suck", or "life goes on". But the quotes I will be writing about today have a little more meaning than giving myself a laugh. These quotes are things that really apply to my life , and most likely other people my age. They're the quotes that lay the lessons on thick so that you get the "big picture" rather than a small image.

Without further a due, here are my quotes.

1. "You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."
-This quote is very easy to get. Often times, we get caught up in everything life throws at us and we end up breaking down and getting upset because we think we can't handle it. What it really is, is that we're giving up a little too easy. No one ever said life would be easy, did they?

2. "People are more what they hide that what they show."
-I think this is a very common thing in adolescents. A lot of people feel very self-conscious because of who they are and what they're like. So what they do is they change themselves and only show others what they want to see. In a way, this hurts who you really are underneath it all. I promise you that you're perfect just the way you are. Also always remember that those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter.

3. "The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too."
-I feel like this quote represents a number of people my age. Sometimes we end up liking someone so much that if they don't like us back we feel like we aren't good enough. Basically, our self-esteem takes a big hit. We need to remember that sometimes people aren't going to like you back, and that's just how life goes.


The final two quotes will be quotes that I've made up on my own. Not only do I have to make them up, but I can't have any help with making them up. So, let's get started.

4. "Nothing is infinite."
-This quote has a lot of meaning. We all focus on our looks and trying to be a certain way for everyone else. In all actuality, it won't matter anymore in a few years. You'll get older, you'll start a family, you'll make new friends, etc. Nothing will ever stay the same, ever.

5. "Don't doubt yourself."
-I actually use this quote quite a lot. Everyone has doubted themselves at least once in life when all you need to do is just believe in yourself to get through things.

~Taylor

Seven lessons learned

Today I am assigned to write about seven things that I wish someone would have told me before I was fifteen. Even though they are lessons that needed to be learned the hard way, it would've been easier to deal with them if we were warned about them beforehand.

Here are my seven things:


1. Don't over-promise and under-deliver
-I can't tell you how many times this rule has applied to me. So many times I have promised to do things because I thought I'd be able to, and then the ideas just fell through. Basically what you shouldn't do is take on too many things at once and then begin to slack off because you can't handle it. People will become disappointed with you and in turn you will be disappointed with yourself as well.

2. You don't need to be perfect for anyone
-This advice is definitely one of the most crucial things that you will ever need to learn in life. I know that not only myself, but also everyone else around me, has tried to make themselves perfect for everyone else. So many people try and buy the "perfect clothes", and the "perfect shoes", or the "perfect cars" just to impress everyone else. What everyone needs to realize, especially my age group and younger, is that you don't need to impress anyone at all. I still struggle with this problem now, but I think that if someone would've told me repeatedly that I was fine the way I was rather than not saying anything at all that it would've made the overall outcome a lot better.

3. Don't dwell on the past
-Everyone messes up in life. Mistakes are inevitable to get away from, trust me. Something new will happen everyday in life, so there's no need to try and dwell on what you've messed up on before. You just need to let it go and move on. That is truly the key to life.

4. Don't change for anyone
-When you're an adolescent, it's really hard to make everyone like you. One thing that people are guilty of, including me, is that they will change certain traits they have in order to make people like them. This is WRONG! You honestly don't need to change for anyone else because you're absolutely perfect the way you are. You might not think it now because you feel as if you desperately need to hang out with the "popular" people, but when you get older you'll realize that trying to change who you are was pointless.

5. Spend time with your family
-A lot of people will tell you this throughout your younger years and you might not listen to them. Yet, when you get older you'll realize that you really should've listened to them. You honestly never know how much time you get with a person. Therefore you should never take any time you get with them for granted.

6. Treat others as you wish to be treated
-I learned this lesson at a very early age. However, overtime there have been points in my life where I have violated this rule. You might think that calling someone stupid or ugly just once, or maybe even just jokingly saying it, won't hurt them at all. This is where you are very, very, VERY wrong. Think about how you would feel if someone said those things to you. It wouldn't make you feel very good would it? No, it wouldn't. So really try and think before you say things that could hurt someone else's feelings, because you can never take back what's already been said.

Finally, my last and most important lesson!

7. You cannot force feelings when they are unwanted
- This is by far the hardest lesson I've ever had to learn. The bottom line is that sometimes when you feel like you absolutely love a person, sometimes they aren't going to love you back in the same way. When you find out how they really feel, you'll cry about it, you'll be upset, and you'll probably feel like your whole world is ending because you feel hurt and betrayed by that person. However, this is only because you've forced your feelings on them when they didn't feel the same way. Basically the point I'm trying to make is that if someone isn't "into" you in the boyfriend/girlfriend aspect, then don't try and force those feelings on them because in the end you'll be the one who gets hurt. It's fine if someone doesn't love you back, and what's even better is knowing that that person isn't the only person out there for you.






                                                                ~Taylor

Seventeen

I sped down the stairs beside him. As if he wasn't going fast enough, he jumped off of the fourth step and stomped the concrete, giving him an even bigger advance ahead of me. Clearly he was overly-excited. It was my seventeenth birthday, and apparently he was the chauffeur to my "surprise". I finally caught up with him and we both opened the school doors at the same time. The cold December air hit us like a thick wall of ice. He slowed his stride now but took small breaks to look back and grin at me. He was one of my best friends, as he had been for four years. I would expect any other one of my friends to give me some kind of hint as to what the events of my birthday would be, but he wouldn't budge. I had asked the question over and over again, and I decided I'd try it once more "So are you gonna tell me where you're taking me?" Each time I asked it he gave me the same exact answer, "Nope." He turned to grin at me again and I cut my eyes at him, making his eyes light up and his smile get three times bigger. We checked both sides of the road and walked along the cross-walk at a steady pace. I had been parking in the lower parking lot for a year now and I still hadn't grown fond of the walk I had to take to and from my car everyday. But today was different, instead of walking to my car we were walking to Connor's.

His car was the third one down the row, and without a doubt one of the nicer ones. I walked straight towards the trunk and waited for him to unlock it. "Oh, we can't put our stuff in the trunk." he said. "Why?" It didn't make sense, he always puts his stuff in the trunk. "Because your birthday present is in there." A huge grin spread across his face. I walked around to the passenger side of the car and watched him as he jingled his keys around and then hit the button twice to unlock the door for me. He opened the door for me and helped me settle my bags in. When we were done he shut the door and went to his side of the car. As soon as he was in his seat, he cranked the car and blasted the heat. It was thirty-seven degrees outside and we were practically freezing. 

"Find something good on the radio," he said quietly. That was funny, usually he didn't like listening to music when he was driving because it gave him time to think without any interruptions. To make a compromise I turned the radio to 93.9 and Duran Duran was playing. Out of my peripheral vision I saw him nod his head in approval. He backed up slowly and then eased the car out of the gravel parking lot. Surprisingly, there wasn't much traffic to get through today so we made it up to the hill in a record time. 

The officer at the top of the hill stopped us. I reached for the nob on the radio and turned it down about three notches. I sat up in my seat and stared at him until he smiled and looked back at me. "What are you going to ask now?", he said jokingly. I grinned a little, "Can I have a hint?". He laughed and eased the car forward, "You know the answer to that," and that I did. Connor never gave me hints about anything. I rolled my eyes and looked away. "It's cheating if I give you a hint." He said it in such a sarcastic voice. I turned the radio back up and positioned myself so that I was looking out the window. The sky was grey and it looked depressing. Why did my birthday always have to be on a day when the weather looks depressing? My mind wandered to a million different topics until I was pulled back to reality by the sound of the turn signal. I looked over and realized he had turned his right turn signal on. Confusion spread over my face, and before I could even ask my own question he turned smoothly, and softly said "Your mom told me that you needed to go by the house first." "Oh," I sounded so awkward "well that's fine I guess." We both laughed at how sheepish my voice sounded. Duran Duran faded into a song by Lifehouse, "First Time". This was where the compromise came in, because we both liked this one. 

He adjusted his speed and broke the silence with a simple question, "So are you excited?" I laughed. I didn't quite know how to answer his question. One part of me wanted to say yes, and another part wanted to say no. I wasn't expecting some big party because I was only turning seventeen. My parents saved the big stuff for the big years. Instead of giving myself a headache with over-thinking it, I answered just as simply as he had asked, "I don't really know." He shook his head a laughed until his face turned red. "What?!" I asked. "You're seventeen, and you aren't excited?" "I'm excited about being seventeen, yes. But I'm not so thrilled at the thought of what awaits me," a million thoughts ran through my head. "Don't stress it. I promise it isn't bad." That was the reassurance I needed. 

He pulled into my driveway and parked right beside my car. I stepped out into the cold air again and took my stuff out of the backseat. We made our way to the porch and I searched for my keys. My cat was waiting for me as soon as I stepped inside. "Hey be-be!" Connor closed the door behind me and then followed me up to my room. Immediately I knew something was about to happen, because my door was closed. I turned to him and he was already smiling, "Open it" he said. I put my door on the handle and eased the door open. Nothing popped out, and nothing was different. I walked in and walked to the window to turn on my lamp. I sat my stuff in the floor and turned around. He was leaning up against the doorway looking right back at me, still smiling. That was when I realized there was a clothing bag laying across my bed. "I'm guessing that I have to wear whatever is in that bag?" "You are correct," he walked over to me and laid a small box on my bed "your mom told me to give you that before you started getting ready. You have an hour, so you should probably try to hurry. I'll wait downstairs." I nodded my head in approval. He walked off and shut the door behind him. Before he even got to the bottom of the stairs he called up to me "Oh yeah, Taylor," I walked to open the door and turned the light on so I could see him in the stairwell "your shoes are in the box at the end of the bed." "Oh, gotcha. Yeah that could have been a problem." "Nah, we would've found them eventually." He laughed and walked away, "Remember, only an hour!" I heard him open the fridge and I walked straight to my bathroom to plug my curling wand up. I left the light on and I walked back to my room. I honestly didn't know which gift to open up first. I started with the clothes. 

I unzipped the bag and it revealed a deep purple satin dress; it was beautiful. I took it out of the bag and held it up against my body while I looked in my mirror. The dress had a thick one shoulder strap, and a waist-line marker. It even had pockets. I slipped into the dress within minutes and wandered to the end of my bed to see what my shoes looked like. I opened the box to a pair of dark purple heels. They had small purple jewels all over them, and a platform under the toe. They fit perfectly, and I had come to the conclusion that I was in love. I had been so caught up in what I was wearing that I almost forgot about the box Paul gave me. I sat on my bed and opened the box. A note sat on top that read "To my beautiful daughter on her seventeenth birthday, I love you sweetheart!" I smiled and moved the note. A brand new infinity necklace and ring sat before me. This had to be, by far, the best day of my life I thought to myself. 

I looked at the clock and realized I only had twenty-three minutes left. I took off my shoes and rushed to the bathroom to curl my hair. It only took me fifteen minutes to curl my hair, and it looked absolutely perfect. I walked back to my room and put on my new necklace, ring, and shoes. I only glanced at myself in the mirror, and then I walked to the doorway. I had learned one too many times that heels were dangerous with my staircase, so immediately they came off. I rushed down the stairs and told him I was ready to go. Once everything was off I locked the door and walked back to the car. He unlocked the doors again and quickly opened mine for me since he got there before me. Then he walked to the trunk and pulled out a sparkly pink bag, that was my gift. I sat in the car and closed the door behind me. He pulled the door open and hastily sat down, quickly cranking the car to turn on the heat. I looked at him and he handed me the bag, "That's your birthday present from me. I hope you like it." I smiled, "Thank you." I opened the bag easily and pulled out a big clump of tissue paper. A small sparkly clutch laid at the bottom of the bag. I smiled again. "It matches!" He laughed at my amusement. "I know," he said "that's why I got it." 

We eased out of the driveway and headed up town. We didn't say anything until we passed through the second stoplight and turned onto the main road. We were heading towards Raleigh. He adjusted his speed to sixty and finally turned down the heat a bit. "So you never really answered my question," he said expecting an answer. "What question?" I asked in confusion. "Remember, I asked you if you were excited to be seventeen?" "Oh! That one! I remember that one," how could I not remember that one, it was the only question he had asked me all day "and I remember giving you an answer. I said I didn't know." He smiled a little because he knew I was being sarcastic. "Well did you ever come up with a real answer?" We both laughed. "Yes I did actually. I'm very excited to be seventeen. It kinda feels weird though, I feel old." He shook his head,"You're not old. You're definitely getting there though!" He turned to me and his face was lit up with redness and laughter.

Before I had time to laugh, it had already started. In an instant, it was if everything had stopped, and in the split second it took to happen, all I would ever know slipped through my fingers. Connor's body jolted forward and hit the steering wheel. Before the feelings could even register in my brain, I felt glass cutting in my skin and my body flinging forward. I laid on the hood and I could feel the warmth running down my side, it was blood. It was getting harder to breathe, and everything was blurry. Through my pain I tried to move and look for him. I looked up at him and tried calling his name and his body remained still. I could see his eyes, they were still open and looking my direction. He was completely lifeless. I whispered his name once and fell back to the position I was originally in. Another piece of glass had shoved its way into my stomach. I felt a tear move from my eye to the hood of the car and the dizziness took over as I gasped for breath. I moved slightly and closed my eyes while I cried my last tears and took what I knew were my last breaths. I looked up once more to see the grey skies, and then shut my eyes with a final hitched breath. Everything was quiet. 

                                                                 ~Taylor

My Chemical Romance- Conventional Weapons

My favorite band in the whole world is My Chemical Romance, and ever since their album "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" came out in 2010, I've been anticipating when a new album would come out.

As of now they're working on their fifth studio album called Conventional Weapons, and it is said to be possibly released as early as the summer of 2013.

This is especially exciting because they have already pre-released two songs from the album and I like both of them! It is also exciting to see how different this album will be. 

When Danger Days released in 2010, a lot of people got mad and upset because the bands' style had changed from a punk rock/emo scene to a more "deep" scene. The meaning of the lyrics hadn't changed, but the style they played them to had changed significantly. Personally, I loved Danger Days and I thought it was an awesome new change. Not only because Gerard (lead singer) had finally found his happy place while writing the new songs, but also because the songs had been imagined in a whole new way.

Overall, I'm extremely excited for the release of Conventional Weapons and I can't wait to hear how the sound style will change in the new songs they have.

                                                             -Taylor

The Verve~ Bittersweet Symphony

I really think that this song represents that life is sweet, yet very harsh. I think it also represents that you are you, yet from day to day you change yourself to be who everyone else wants you to be; but underneath it all you're still you. I think that the artist does do a really good job at representing this, although the song is a little difficult to decipher because it can mean a lot of different things. The song was most likely written to depict the struggle in everyday life. People try so hard to impress everyone else when all they need to be is themselves.

 I think the most important literary device in the song actually involves the name of the song. The very first line of the song says "'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony -- this life," and it's a metaphor. I think that it represents that in the end your life will be like a song that is sweet. But at the same time, I really believe that they used this metaphor to represent irony. The whole time the song is talking about how life is about being something you're not, and ironically in the end it's a "bittersweet" symphony. So the song is very ironic but also very powerful in what it represents.

You should always be yourself, and change for no one.



                                                                -Taylor

A Response to a Social Media Ilustration

Today I am writing about an illustration done by Pawel Kuczynski. In the image there is a naked baby with an army hat on winding up a dove, and off to the side you see small plastic army soldiers on the floor. 

When I first analyzed the picture, it didn't really make sense to me; it honestly looks like a baby simply playing with some of his toys. Once I dug deeper and really thought about it, here's what I got. 

We associate doves with an archetype of peace, and war as a sign of struggle or sadness. The fact that the baby is winding up a dove really sends a message that people are trying to force or create peace when it's kind of "unwanted" or hard to have. Another factor that really comes in would be that the picture was painted right after the Vietnam War, so it all kind of ties in together. We know that the whole time during the Vietnam war, and also before it, people wanted peace. So now what I'm thinking is that maybe the people are having to "wind" themselves up so that they can create peace because they aren't used to being peaceful in the first place. It also shows that maybe the young and naive are the ones who are trying to influence the whole "peace wave" on everyone else. However, I think the illustration could also mean that no matter how hard society tries, they can't be peaceful about anything even when the bad stuff is over.

I think the author really does a great job of portraying these themes. It may take a minute for you to receive the full idea  but once you get it, it's really easy to understand. I love how he uses the wind-up dove, because it really portrays the struggle in society, and that is to try and be peaceful.






                                                                        -Taylor

A free write (get the pun?)

Lately the topic of politics has been booming, and even though I'm "young" and "immature", I have a good idea of who the better choice would be for taking office. We have Obama-Biden for the Democratic party, and Romney-Ryan for the Republican party. In all honesty, I really try not to be biased when I hear each sides opinions and ideas for how America "should be", although sometimes I just can't help myself. Some of the ideas I hear from not only Romney and Obama, but also from the people around me are flat out ridiculous. One of the major concerns I have is with Amendment 1. Amendment 1 is basically a law that says same sex marriage is illegal, and it also cuts out a lot of rights that women have. First of all, why should same sex marriages be illegal? If two people really love each other, then why should they not be allowed to be together? They're just like everyone else honestly. You may think that "oh it's not right because they're both men/women!" But honestly, there's nothing different about a relationship like that compared to what is perceived as a "regular" relationship between a man and a woman. Passing a bill like Amendment 1 just goes to show how overboard Americans go with being judgmental. People need to realize that everyone is different, and that's just the way it is. I'm not quite sure if the abortion law was included in Amendment 1, but that is another thing I have a problem with. If you weren't aware, there are two sides; pro-choice, and pro-life. I am strongly pro-choice, and here's why. It's not because I want to "kill babies", or because I'm a "heartless person". I think that if a woman is not prepared to have a child, then SHE should have the choice of abortion. If you still aren't on the same page as me then think about these analogies. Say a sixteen year old girl is raped and she becomes pregnant. I don't know about you, but if it happened to me I wouldn't want to keep the child. Another thing, what if you are sexually active and are using protection, but the protection you're using fails and you aren't quite ready for a child? Whether you not be financially stable, or just not settled down enough abortion could be the option that saves you. Another analogy, what if you are sexually active and contract a disease, but you don't know you have it until you go to the doctor AFTER you have found out that you're pregnant? That would not be safe for neither the mother OR the child. If you have contracted the HIV virus and get pregnant then your child could be born blind. Another thing would be that sometimes having a kid at the wrong time would give the kid a horrible life, so why not have the option of abortion.  If you still aren't on the same page with me about how abortion isn't really that bad then I hope you have a really good argument to fight back with. Off of the subject of ideas and laws for America, let's discuss Obama's accomplishments while being in office. A lot of people like to say that Obama is making America worse and about every time I hear that I laugh in their face. The biggest thing that heats me up is the fact that they say he has put us in even more debt than we were already in. Okay, I'm going to try and keep my cool with explaining my feelings on this because I don't want to offend people, and if I already have then I apologize; so here we go. Let's say you miss....eight months of school, and you're in like tenth grade. When you come back to school, do you REALLY think you're going to be able to make up all that work in four months AND continue to go to school everyday and manage the work they give you each day? Not to mention extra-curricular things you may be involved in, or jobs. The answer is no, you would probably just sit in the floor and cry yourself to sleep because it's too much work. Well, it's the same thing with Obama. We're $14 trillion in debt I believe (give or take). Honestly four years isn't enough to get us out of that debt. I hate how people just think that with a snap of the finger the world will go back to normal! That's like saying that with a snap of the finger a dead person can come back to life; It just isn't going to happen. Most of the debt is from Bush (previous president). I honestly have no shame in saying that he was a bad president. I really think Obama is trying hard to pull us out of debt, and I think the job is promising if we just give him time to make it work. I'm going to move over to Romney now, who which the majority of people in my state will vote for. Overall, there are two big issues I have with Romney. One, is that he is racist. Before you try and say anything, think about it. He always wants to cut funding for Latinos, or Blacks, or some other race. In just about everything he does you can tell that he's racist; and if he isn't then he needs to realize that he implies it. Two, is that he is all for Amendment 1. I know I said that there were only two things, but there's actually three. The third would be that he is pro-life. I'm sure right now some of the people who were reading this in the beginning have either left, are very heated with me, or they're agreeing with Romney because they think he's right. I'll back off and realize that some of you may have been brought up to think that abortion is very wrong and that racism is okay. However, sometimes the only "evidence" people give is from the Bible. I'm sorry, and some people may get very offended by this, but I don't see the Bible as being evidence. The reason why is because it isn't statistical. I understand that religion plays a big part in peoples lives, and don't get me wrong, I believe in God, but I don't think the Bible is an excuse for why abortion is bad and racism is good. To back something up, you need statistics. Maybe you could say that abortion is bad because it causes 13% of the population to commit suicide. Even though that's a fake statistic, it could be arguable. Maybe I'm wrong, but it honestly seems like you'd have a better argument if you were in a debate and you had a whole list of statistics rather than just saying "well the Bible says it isn't right."

Now that my rant is over I shall part you and leave you to think. I am genuinely sorry if I have offended anyone, because I honestly didn't mean to. I just want the people who have opposite beliefs from me to read over what I just said and really think about it from my stand point. That is really all I ask. Also, if you didn't catch on from my argument, I am a strong Democrat and I pull for Obama. Anyways, until next time I bid you goodbye and goodnight!

                                                                -Taylor

My Top Ten - Bands/Artists

When you think of making a "top ten" list what comes to your mind? Music, bands, places to go, activities, foods, books; these are all things that come to my mind when a top ten list. 

Out of all the options I had, I'm choosing to do a top ten list on my favorite bands. It was a very hard decision considering that I absolutely love music and have very diverse taste in what I like to listen to; however, I made the decisions and here they are. 

10. The Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls are number ten. What can I say? They have countless amounts of songs that are so powerful. "Iris", "Name", "Black Balloon", "Broadway", etc, the list just continues. Their songs have so much meaning that when I listen to them I get cold chills, and that says a lot. Most of their songs are about love, and they really make you relate to how the person singing is feeling. Plus the songs are easy to get addicted to and sing along with.

9. Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses is number nine. In my mind, it's crazy how I put them at number nine simply because I had an obsession with them for so long. They have so many songs that mean so many different things. From "Patience" to "Welcome to the Jungle", they have it all. Their songs have such a big effect on me because they get through to me and get to my heart.

8. Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy is number eight. When I was about ten I had an obsession with F.O.B, mainly because I thought Pete was hot, but also because I was in love with their music. Their songs are so catchy and they always made me want to get up and dance when I'd listen to them. To this day I still love listening to their music because it puts me in a good mood and makes me feel like I'm a rock-star.

7. Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine is number seven. I really like that Florence (lead singer) has a completely natural voice. She is so different from all of the other mainstream artists today. She doesn't use auto-tune, and she writes all of her songs. Not to mention that she has an extremely beautiful voice. When I listen to their songs they give me cold chills because her voice breaks through and gets to you. Their songs are great to listen to anytime, whether you want to sit down and think or get up and dance.

6. Joan Jett

Joan Jett is number six. From the 70's until now, she has been probably the best example of showing girls that you can be whoever you want to be. Joan was originally in a band called the Runaways, and it was an all-girl band. However, in the 70's people didn't really approve of girls being "rock goddesses". The band only lasted for a few years and then they broke up. But instead of going out of the music business, Joan branched off and formed a new band (later to be known as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts). The band was rejected by over twenty-five record labels, so Joan decided to create her own. She made such a big difference in the rock industry and it inspires me to never stop trying to get to my goal no matter what blocks my way.

5. Panic! At The Disco

Panic! At The Disco is number five. Their feel good music puts me in a good mood every time I listen to them! In fact, their songs are so catchy that usually the first time I hear a song by them I immediately love it. They're definitely a band to listen to in order to brighten your day.

4. Nirvana

Nirvana was honestly hard to put as number four. At an early age, I was introduced to bands like Nirvana and others very similar because it was what my parents listened to. I never understood the lyrics to Nirvana's songs when I was little, but once I reached age fourteen I had an obsession with Nirvana. I find it amazing, but also sad, that Kurt (former lead singer) could express his feelings so well by writing about it. A lot of people thought I was weird because Kurt killed himself and they didn't understand how I could look up to a person like that. What those people didn't get is that Kurt was an amazing person who inspired me to basically not care what other people thought about me. He boosted my, and I'm sure many other teenagers', confidence.

3. Katy Perry

Katy Perry is number three on my list. What makes me love Katy so much is that even though numerous record companies wouldn't sign her a record deal, she never gave up on her dream. She accomplished her dream because she never gave up, and now she's an international pop star. Never give up on your dreams because one day they just might come true.

2. Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa comes in as a very close number two. She inspires me so much just to be myself, and she also stands up for things she believes in. She represents how strong a woman can be when she's herself and that's what makes her an idol of mine.

1. My Chemical Romance    

I chose My Chemical Romance as number one simply because of how big of an impact they've had on my life. When I listen to their music it really makes me feel better because I know I'm not the only one going through hard things in life. Their words speak to me in such a way that not many other bands can do. I can recall so many times where I've felt like I had been thrown in the dirt and when I turned on "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge", or "Danger Days" it made everything better. They are BY FAR my favorite band, and I'm pretty sure they will hold that position for a long time. Well, that concludes my top ten list of favorite bands/artists! I hope you enjoyed reading about the bands I love, and hopefully I gave you some variety to listen to. That's all for now!                                                         ~Taylor

A How-To on Curling Your Hair With a Curling Wand

People are always asking me how I curl my hair, what I use, and how I get it to hold it's shape. For this reason, today I will be teaching you how-to curl your hair using a Conair Curling Wand.

Here's What You'll Need:

• Your regular hair brush
• A curling wand (brand doesn't really matter, as long as it's a wand)
• Something to hold your hair back with
• Dry hair
• Any heat protect product for your hair (optional)
• Hairspray (optional)

Step one: Getting started

Plug your curling wand up and set the heat to the highest setting. Make sure you sit the curling wand down somewhere safe because it gets really hot (I use my sink).

Begin brushing your hair out thoroughly to insure that there are no knots anywhere. At this point you have an option, you can either spray heat protect in your hair or not. Most people will tell you that you need to because the heat can damage your hair, but in this tutorial I will not be using heat protect. However, if you would like to then all you would need to do is spray it in after you finish brushing your hair. Once your hair is smooth and knot free you can part it into two layers. The number of layers you have generally depends on how much hair you have; I have thick hair that's easy to curl so I only use two. Also, if you have thin hair then parting your hair in more layers would give your hair a more "full" effect.

Once you have the designated amount of hair parted, you'll want to pull it up and out of the way of the hair being curled first. Use a hair clip or band to keep the hair up.

Start with natural hair

Part your hair into layers

Step two: Curling the sides

Hold your hand a good distance away from the wand to make sure it's hot. To begin curling your hair, take a small section of hair from either side of your head and wrap it around the wand. It's usually easier to start in the front and work your way back as you go, but whatever is easiest for you to do should be fine. When doing this you'll want to make sure that you're curling your hair away from your face. Doing so will make your face look more open rather than closed off.

When you get done curling one of the sides you should start on the opposite side, leaving the back of your head for last.

Curl the first layer

Step three: Curling the back

Curling the back of your hair will be difficult at first but,  as the saying goes, with practice comes perfection. If you lean back and turn your head to the left you should be able to see the straight hairs you missed. You can curl them one of two ways, you can grab small sections while leaning to the side and curl them like the others, or you can stand in a regular position and run your fingers down your hair to find out where they are. You should avoid trying to curl large sections because they usually flatten the fastest and won't hold as well as the smaller curls.

When you have finished curling the first layer of your hair you can either move onto step four, or decide to use hairspray. On a regular basis when I curl my hair the bottom hairs lose curl EXTREMELY fast so I'm only going to spray my bottom layer of hair. Again, this is optional and you don't necessarily need to spray your hair at all.

Step four: Curling the second layer

As I said before, I only needed to part my hair into two layers so my second layer of hair will be the last one I curl. Don't freak out if you have more than two layers because you will curl each layer of hair generally the same way.

Let the next layer of hair to be curled down and run your fingers through it delicately to loosen any knots. After this process you can revert back to steps 2-5.

Step five: Dealing with bangs

Almost everyone in today's society has the whole side-bang look, and I am one of those people. A lot of people curl their bangs, or braid them, or pull them back, or just leave them the way they are.  Most of the time, I leave mine the way they are because it's a lot easier than trying to fix them because it can mess up your curls. However, everyone is different and you may do whatever you want to your hair.


Step six: Finishing touches

Now that your hair is beautiful and full of curls, I'll give you a styling tip. You know how sometimes your hair still looks lifeless even after you curl it, or you have thin hair and it just doesn't look good? Here is a very easy thing that you can try to make your hair look thick and full.

What you'll want to do is lean your head completely over and make sure all of your hair is flipped over. Now, put both of your hands at the nape of your neck and place your finger tips a few inches from your hairline on the back of your neck. From here all you need to do is kind of shake your hair around with your hands. By doing this, you're separating the curls a little and making them spread out around your head. Be sure not to do this to the frontal hair line of your head because it will mess up the curls. Flip your head back over and situate the curls the way you like them. You may spray hairspray or you can go without it. After doing this last process you are done! Congratulations on curling your hair successfully!

Back view

Side view

                                                           


                                            -Taylor

Review A Movie- Titanic

Titanic starts out as a movie about an old lady who had been on an "unsinkable" cruise ship. She tells a story about the ship, and a person who had made a huge impact on her life. There are two main characters in the story, the lady telling the story, whose name is Rose, and Jack. When she starts telling the story, this is basically how it goes. Rose is a girl who comes from a rich family, and she is engaged to a man named Cal. Jack is a poor boy who happened to win a ticket for the cruise while playing a game of poker. Since the two have very different lifestyles, it is "improper" for them to speak to each other. However, one night Rose gets upset and decides to hang over the side of the ship. Jack is the only one around to see this happening and tries to go over and talk her out of jumping. Jack eventually gets Rose back over the ledge, and from then on their love affair starts. They begin sneaking around to be with each other, and eventually Cal and Rose's mother start to catch on about their secret romance. To try and get Rose to keep her priorities straight, Cal gives her a huge blue diamond heart necklace, called "the heart of the ocean". However, Jack and Rose still continue to sneak around a see each other. In a tragic turn of events about halfway through the movie, the ship hits an iceberg. The lower levels of the ship begin to fill with water, causing the ship to start sinking. Fights begin to break out because there aren't enough small boats to hold everyone whose on the ship. Rose's mother tries many times to get Rose safely on a boat, but she chooses to stay with Jack instead. Jack and Rose continue stay together, even after the ship goes underwater. They find an abandoned door in the water and decide to use it to wait for help. Rose lays on the door while Jack stays in the water. Eventually everything gets quiet, and only one small ship comes back to save the remaining people that might be alive in the freezing water. Rose hears the man in the boat whistling and turns over to tell Jack. When Rose turns over, she can't get Jack to wake up and realizes that he has frozen to death in the freezing water. She tells Jack that she'll never let go, kisses him, and then lets go of him in the water and watches him sink away. She then swims to another frozen person and retrieves a whistle and proceeds to whistle to the boat for help. The boat comes back for her and a few other people and they are taken safely to another big ship that's going to America. She moves on with her life and eventually gets married and has kids. The movie comes to an end with Rose going to the end of the ship she's on and throwing the heart of the ocean into the water. The very last scene shows Rose in a bed, and then shows lots of pictures of things she had done in her younger years. In my opinion this resembles that Rose died warm in her bed and then shows everything that Jack told her she would do instead of dying when the ship sank in the freezing water. 

This image represents how opposites attract. I feel like this is the most important component in the movie because of how Rose and Jack were. They were completely from opposite ends of the spectrum, and If they hadn't been that way, then they wouldn't have fallen for each other.

In my opinion, this is a great love story. It shows how two completely different people can fall in love with each other and have a great relationship, even when no one else thinks they should be together. If I had to rate this movie on a scale of 1-10, I would give it an 8. I would give it an 8 because some things made me mad while I was watching the movie.

If I could make one change to the movie, it would be for Jack to get on the door with Rose. It makes me mad that he didn't get on the door with Rose when there was clearly enough room for him. However, even if this one part was changed, it would change the whole plot of the story and mess everything up. I think it would make a lot of people happy though, especially teenage girls.

                                                                              -Taylor

Politics

As we all know, election time is coming up. Many are once again pulling for Obama to win, however many are also leaning towards Romney. In a recent article, the word is that the race will remain very close. Visit article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-omalley-presidential-race-will-remain-tight-20120902,0,776241.story. Most people are worried that if they vote for Romney that the U.S. will return to the harsh republican policies that we had when Bush was in office. So while many people are disgruntled about how the economy is, they may still vote for Obama. The article also says that "more jobs were created in the private sector last year alone than in all eight years of George W. Bush". This means that Obama has benefited our economy despite the belief of some people. The rut we're in with the economy isn't exactly Obama's fault. While the economy hasn't improved much over the past four years, we can't help but notice that Bush was the one who set the basic foundation for all this to happen. O'Malley also reports that at the Republican Nation Convention some key points weren't brought up. There were no new ideas for the economy, or anything pertaining to Bush and Romney's tax returns. He predicts that they want to have bigger tax breaks. He was asked if he thought we were better off now than we were four years ago. He responded with the fact that that wasn't the debate of the election, the debate was if we are better off now than before Bush caused the economic collapse. 
As of my opinion on the subject, I stand as a strong democrat. I think that going back to Republican policies could lead to more damage with the economy. I also don't agree with the things Romney would change. I also think that more people are leaning towards Obama rather than Romney. So overall, I think that the better thing to do would be to vote for Obama. But I also think it will be a very close call in the 2012 election. 
                                                        -Taylor