A Note to Freshman: Don't Trust Your Counselors

There are a lot of things the school counselors don't tell you. Whether it is to torture us for their own amusement or out of complete disregard, I am honestly unsure. However, it is finally clear to me that just because they schedule you for something, doesn't mean its mandatory, or even wise. For example: foreign language. We need two years to graduate. And that is it. To all the freshmen overachievers, I caution to never do more than you absolutely have to in foreign language unless it is your life's passion. It does not get better, and the fiestas are only for the lower leveled classes. Our counselors subtly suggest that one will never get accepted to college without four years of foreign language, and it is a lie construed to fill up the Spanish and French AP classes. Or a mechanism of torture. Another ridiculous class is physics. Yes, colleges like that credit, but unless you plan on being a physicist, this class is a waste of your time. If its your life dream, you are a strange person. If you're normal, then relax and bypass physics. Physical science will get you the credit and will allow you to focus on your AP courses. You know, the classes you actually care about. Whether it's gym or APLang, save yourself the hassle. Use common sense (and my words of wisdom) before you become the counselors' toy.

Sex!!!

I've been watching and reading 'A Game of Thrones' and have noticed a strange and notable difference: the amount of sex. True the books are not completely G rated, but the mentions of sex are more allusions than explicit text (somewhat like the 'scarlet letter's' "and then they looked at eachother...". The television series used their license of creativity and made the story quite explicit and embarrassing to watch. A magazine I read said to make "boring, yet vital scenes" more "interesting", they strip the characters so the audience will pay attention.
I was surprised at first, but I suppose our culture has come to this ill fate. Two minutes of characters talking with their clothes on, and their blood in their bodies, and suddenly we can't seem to focus. It's a sad fate, but inevitable. Our culture is focused on big explosions and raunchy sex, and we have been numbed. In fact, if you're reading this, you were likely attracted by the title, and are deeply disappointed that I tricked you. I don't believe we can rewind or stop this attraction as a nation, and it saddens me a little to see our massive loss of innocence.

Going Fast when you're feeling Slow

Lately the pressure has been mounting upon us juniors to strain and strive for high GPA's, to franticly frisk our textbooks for information for our finals, to search high and low for the perfect college, to join clubs to impress colleges, but to stay focused on school to impress colleges. Lately, it has become too much to deal with. These things are important for sure, we need an education to get a job, and a job to live, but that kind of life is hardly worth the fight. We AP students lose track of time; only yesterday we drifted into our first AP class, and one day, if we are not careful, will wake up and realized we wasted away in the pages of our Barron's review book. We need to remember every once and a while to put the book down, roll the kinks out of our shoulders, lie back on the couch, and relax.

Being smarter doesn't make one happier. Sure it can make one richer and eventually happier, but we will be old men and women when we are stable enough to be rich. Life is short and we should enjoy life as it is now. APUS is for the past, scholarships are for the future, life is right now. Whether you enjoy playing soccer, or curling up with a book, be sure to spend a few minutes every day living. 

More than cats and dogs

Dogs are mans best friend, and cats are... well they're fine pets as well. They are such great pets, that nearly the entire world owns one or the other. And that's boring.  Every average joe has a golden retriever to pick up a tennis ball, or a chihuahua to nap in their laps, but how many of your friends own a pet owl? A hawk? How about a chinchilla? I've never considered myself a "normal" person, and if I were to have a pet, it would have to be as random and eccentric as its owner.
I didn't always desire a pet that could, as my mother says, "poke your eyes out". In fact, I was desperate to have a cat to curl up with. The only problem -- I am deathly allergic to animals with fur. Just walking into a house with dander in the air was enough to cripple me. It was my kryptonite, and I wanted nothing more than to snuggle with that kryptonite. After many sad attempts at curing my allergies by tolerate or die techniques, I gave up on ever owning a pet. That is, until I learned there was more to pet owning that the traditional feline and canine.
Yes, there are more than hairless cats and naked mole rats in my future! Hedgehogs, though a bit more dangerous than cats and less social than dogs, are actually fond of scratching and petting of their quills (which they can relax, unlike porcupines). Homing pigeons come in a variety of colors, and can be trained to fly to a destination. Chinchillas are high maintenance, but are very clean and resemble Pigmy Puffs from the Harry Potter books. The downside to these more exotic pets is that they are not as domesticated as the more traditional pet, and can be dangerous or agressive. Strangely, the threat of having "my eyes poked out" not only failed to deter me, they made me even more interested in them. A strange girl needs a strange companion!