So Many Choices..

There are so many choice in life today. It’s good to have choices, but not all of them are good. Like choice blogs for instance. Most people complain about them, so it makes us all wonder why Mr. Currin makes us have FIVE choice blogs in a matter of a week. Some of us see three hundred words about the holidays, after high school plans or favorite movies as a challenge. But once it’s the option to write about absolutely anything is thrown at you, it’s practically the challenge of a lifetime. Come on Mr. Currin, I’m sure you can think of amazing ideas that all of us would love to write about. Why not take a poll on different topics for us to write about or even get help from all of the editors in the office? Even though all of us in the office are profession journalists, it’s hard for us to come up with numerous topics to write about with a two week deadline on all of our stories. It’s easy (for most of us) to get an article typed, edited and submitted in two weeks. With four or five blogs thrown on top of the article, it’s not so easy. To make the situation sound ten times harder, he has cut down the amount of time we have to get our article submitted! It’s been cut down from five classes to four! By the time this blog was written, Mr. Currin was somewhat understand of the situation he put his employees in by reducing the number of choice blogs this week from five to three due to the deadline we have been given. I thank you for this Mr. Currin, but I’m sure your employees would be so much happier if you gave us topics instead of a choice. Thank you! (:

Happy Shoppings!

Tons of people take part in the festivities of Black Friday. It’s got to the point that reports call it a contact sport. Just last year, someone in a Buffalo But have you ever stopped to think about what it’s really all about? It dates back to the 19th century. People saw it as the official start of the holiday shopping season. Department stores, like Macy’s, held parades as a way to jump start advertise their holiday sales. But why is it ‘black?’ In the stock market, being “in the black” means that they are making profit, whereas red means profit is going down. But originally, the term was used to describe the entrance of the holiday shopping season. People tend to set their minds on different items in the store that usually have only a limited quantity. Due to the quantity, lines form outside the stores hours before the doors even open. The lines usually wrap halfway around the store before it’s time to open. Some stores allow a certain number of customers in every twenty seconds to try to avoid trampling and danger. People get very physical when it comes to getting the low priced items. In recently occasions, people have been killed from being ran over by others. Despite the sale items, it’s sad to believe that so many people in our society would rather get a cheap item than run someone over to death. Other than deaths, people often fight while waiting in line, even when they are promised what they want. This year, some of the vicious shoppers were armed with pepper spray and tasers. Since it’s preparing for the holiday season, it should be happy, right? Well that’s not always how it’s taken. Therefore, some people take the comfort of doing Cyber Monday shopping, which is always the Monday after Black Friday. Instead of going out to shop, they do it right at home from their computer. You choose your ways of shopping but no matter which way you choose, Happy Shoppings!

Now Showing!

Like books, it’s hard to limit myself to only three favorite movies since there are so many great ones out there. Since they’ve came out, I’ve been a really big fan of the Twilight Saga books and movies. Every movie seems to get more interesting once a love interest comes into play. The whole series is about Bella, the main character, being torn between two completely opposite guys. When she moved to Forks, Washington to live with her father, the mysterious kid around school caught her attention. Not only is he a dreamy guy that every girl in the school has a secret crush on, but he is hiding a couple secrets. What is more weird, being able to read every one's mind or being a vampire? Edward confesses both of these to Bella. As if that’s weird enough, a friend she has had since she was little turns out to be a werewolf. Throughout the saga, Bella’s heart is drawn to both mythical creatures, who don’t get along because of their rare forms. Another of my favorite movies is The Hangover. I know that a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon for this movie. I didn’t see it until this past summer, mostly because I was forced to watch it. It’s an amazing movie due to its storyline being all over the place and it’s constant quotable lines. Lastly, I love the movie Never Back Down. I was never a fan of UFC fighting, nor did I understand it. After this movie, I was still never a fan of watching Tapout or any different style of fighting, but now I have a better understanding of it. I understand all the different rules of the sport and how hard it actually is. Coming from someone who had no idea what any of what UFC was, it’s a great movie!

The Holiday Seasons

Any holiday that has a table full of food is my favorite. But my favorite family gathering is either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Both holidays are very hectic in my house. Everyone is up early on Thanksgiving, usually helping my parents to prepare for dinner. It’s always been a tradition to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Me and my sister’s are always glued in front of the television that morning, flipping to other parade channels during commercials. In the early afternoon, everyone is trying to squeeze into the bathroom, getting ready for dinner. I usually go with my dad to pick up my grandma; she comes over for every holiday. Not long after we arrive back home, we are all seated at the kitchen table, ready for all the food to be served. My favorite part of the meal is mashed potatoes, so my mom always makes a huge bowl. For dessert, which we don’t usually have until later in the day due to our huge intake of food during dinner, my mom fills the table with a numerous amount of pies. Every year, she makes delicious homemade apple, sweet potato and pumpkin pies. My grandma adds to the table with either a chocolate or peanut butter pie. The day ends with us all watching movies for the rest of the night, preparing for the early morning ahead of us the next day.  Christmas is also one of my favorite since it is a day filled of family. Last Christmas was different for my family, since I spent it in the emergency room. Usually, me and my sisters wake up early to make my parents coffee, turn of the Christmas lights throughout the house, turn on the Christmas music then wake up my parents to open gifts. This all happens around six in the morning. After gifts are open, we try relaxing a little while my mom makes breakfast. We are all rushed to get ready to go to the cemetery to see my grandma that passes away fifteen years ago. Afterwards, we go the my grandpa’s house and have lunch at his house with some of my aunts, uncles and cousins. When we leave, we pick up my grandma to come over to our house for dinner. My mom usually makes ham while the rest of us lounge around the house, talking, playing with any new gifts and watching a Christmas movie. Since it is such a hectic day, my mom allows us to eat dinner where ever we choose. Christmas and Thanksgiving are favorites of mine since I’m surrounded by my awesome family and amazing food!

Country Must Be Country Wide

Being from Alden, which some of us see as “Small Town USA,” I feel slightly obligated to be a big country fan. When I was little, my parents always listened rock then slowly progressed country music into their likings while we lived in Florida. I was always attached to my parents, so what they liked and did pretty much stuck on me (except for the rock music.) While growing up, my choice of music has constantly changed. One day, I can be rocking out to Lady Gaga then the next, I can rap every line to a Lil Wayne song. At the end of everyday, my iPod is blasting the lines to a great Tim McGraw or Toby Keith song. I haven’t been to any other concerts other than country. I know that no matter what the music genre, concert goers are going to get rowdy, but they aren’t that bad at country concerts in my mind. Back in 2008 though, two country artists, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, were arrested after a concert in Buffalo. They were charged with assaulting a police officer, but it was originally said that they stole a police officer’s horse. I like country music because I don’t just think it’s a musical genre, it’s more of a way of life. Living in the country really brings people together. Within the Buffalo area, we have two big country concerts every year. In the begining of June, the local country station puts on a concert, usually containing four or five different artists. The concert is always called The Taste of Country. It takes place at Coca Cola Field in downtown Buffalo. The other concert is known Jammin’ The Valley. It’s more than a concert though. The festivities take place every year during Fourth of July weekend in Varysburg. The concerts are two days, with different artists performing each night. It’s also a place for camping, with the weekend being closed by a giant fireworks display.

Mysteries, Romance and Real Life Issues

I feel like such a nerd by saying this, but I love books way too much to label one as my favorite. Recently, I’ve been reading the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I’m only on the third book of the series, but it is also a television show, so I already have a heads-up of what to expect. It’s about four girls who lost one of their best friends, Alison, a few years back. After her death, they all went their separate ways, bringing their friendship to an end. Recently, they have all been receiving texts, emails, and IMs from someone who goes by A. Suspense is constantly built up, causing readers to constantly think who Alison’s killer, who appears to be A, really is. Clues are always swaying back and forth between numerous characters, so you never know who really did it until the end of the eighth and final book. Another series that I’m really interested in is the Twilight Saga. All my friends were reading the books, wanting me to read what the hype was all about. Once starting the series, I found myself completely hooked to them. The main character is being drawn between two love interests; a werewolf and a vampire, who are also each other’s enemies. A book that I recently tumbled upon and fell in love with his Sarah Palin’s daughter’s book. Bristol Palin, along with an assisting author wrote a biography about her life since her mom entered the political spotlight. Since her mom stepped into the governor position in Alaska, then eventually was the Republican vice-president nominee, Bristol has gone through different television shows, the birth of her son and her constant on and off relationship with the father of her son. The book shows how much someone can grow as a person.

Thanksgiving Festivities

Thanksgiving traditions in my family have been all over the place the past few years. Last year, we were driving down to Florida on Thanksgiving Day to help my sister move. We didn’t arrive there until around eleven that night. Since we were all tired from an extremely long drive, it was too late for dinner to be made, unless it was frozen foods, since that is what we resorted to. But this year, we are getting back into our traditions. Everyone is always up bright an early, helping my parents out with cooking all the food for dinner. Oddly, we all name our turkey early in the morning before he goes in the oven to start cooking. Once the clock strikes nine, me and my sisters are glued to the television, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. During commercials, we switch the channel to other parade coverage to see watch the different performers. We usually eat dinner in the early afternoon. The table is filled with the usuals; turkey, corn, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce. Like most people, every stays at the table until their stomach is filled to its fullest capacity. My mom won’t allow me and my sisters leave the kitchen without helping clean up. Afterwards, the family is all together in the living room, generally watching our first Christmas movie of the season. Once our stomachs are all settled, my mom sets the table up with numerous different pies. She always makes homemade apple, sweet potato and pumpkin pie. Also, my grandma makes either a chocolate or peanut butter pie. The ends comes to an end rather early though. The next morning, me and my sisters are up around 2 AM, putting on our winter coats, gloves and boots, to go wait in line to start our Black Friday shopping!