Monday, November 7, 2011

11/7/11

Finally, we have a blog with a topic of our choice. It has been a long time since I have come back to my fellow followers and I just want to say that if feels good to be back. In case you were wondering, I am doing great. Life has been so good and there is just too much for me to tell all of you guys. But I will try and fit in as much as I possibly can for all of you guys.

To begin with, this year I am now a senior. I can’t even believe it. It feels as if just yesterday I
was a freshman and starting my first blog. But it has been 4 years since I have started this world-known blog. As for my senior year, so far it has been better than I have ever thought. We just had our senior assembly to vote for senior class superlatives, class song, flower, colors modo, ect. As for our song, it is an awful song and is very cliché. Our song that won is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. Honestly, it is a good song, I love it, but it is not a class song. It is something too cliché. Our flower is the teal rose, which is not even real, and our colors are teal, black and gold although it really should be red, white, and blue. But on a better note, I might be winning the “best all-around” senior superlative. So I am pretty excited about that. Hopefully I
get it. A lot of people voted for me.

The NFL season has started and is has been awesome to say the least. The Patriots are having an alright season at the moment. They are sitting at 5-3 with two straight losses to the Steelers and the Giants. It was a rough 2 weeks. But deep down, I know they will get it together and finish the season a top the AFC East one again and advance to the playoffs. Only difference is that this time, they are going to the Superbowl and are going to win it all.

This school year, I have made a lot of new friends. Considering that a large part of my friends last year were seniors, I was forced this year to go out and make new friends that were in my grade. It in the long run was a good choice considering that I have lost contact with some of my friends that went off to college. I still keep in touch with the ones that matter. But as for my new friends, they are great. I can honestly say that as the group of friends that I have this year, is better than the group of friends that I had last year. Last year, I was one of 2 juniors in our group and at times, it was awkward. But now, we are all seniors and get along. Although I am still making friends with juniors. That is the lowest I will go . No FRESHMAN. NO SOPHMORES.

So it has been great catching up with you guys. I hope that I can stay in touch more throughout the year with the “topic of your choice” blog. Stay Classy Blogger!

Monday, October 31, 2011

10/31/11

This article is about the ways to study and which method is more effective. Throghout the article, there are multiple ways of how students in all different levels of schools study. It points out that the "all-nighter" is actually a very bad idea considering the fact that you lack sleep and pulling the "all-nighter" actually results in lower grades. Along with the types of studying, you also get to see some the numbers from research that show how effective or ineffective some the studying habits are. Some may actually surprise you in how effective they are. Some methods that you would never see as helpful, actually are.

Once I leave high school I expect my studying habits to become very imporatnt to me. As of right now, I don't study a whole lot. Depending on the class and how well I think I know the material says if I study or not. But once I leave high school and go to college, I fully expect to study like never before. Since I would like to do well in college, I know that I will have to study sometimes even if it means sacrificing a few good times with my friends or missing out on other things. Because if I don't do well in college, (1) my parents would not be happy with me, and (2), how can I be taken seriously in the real world if I didn't do well in college?

Like I said before, depending on if I think I know the material or not alters whether I study or not. But when I study, I usually look over my notes and the key points that the teacher has made to us up until the test. Nothing else more than that. Because I know that if I took it in my notes, and I was paying attention to the teachers, then I should be able to pass the test/quizzes that are thrown my way.

Students are encouraged to study by their grades. If students take the time to study, then their grade will show it. Simply just turning in your classwork will not get you the grade that you want. You must pass the tests and quizzes and the only way to do that is by studying. If you study, you get a good grade on the tests, and if you get a good grade on the tests, than you get the grade that you want in the class, It is a simple science.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

10/25/11

In a general sense, this article is about college. But it goes into much more detail. For the most part it talks about the expenses of college. How some students don't make the right decision in college and end up not being able to graduate. So while the article talks about that, it goes into more depth to help you choose the right college so that you can succeed later on in life after you graduate. Like the article says, people like to hear that they have a 90% chance of succeeding rather than a 10% chance of losing.

Colleges are going "postive" with their advertising because people throughout society are starting to realzie that college is somewhat of a rip off. It is way too expensive and for the money that you pay, it is not worth it. There is no guarentee that you will pass or that you will ultimately succeed later on in life. But if the colleges advertised more positivly, than maybe it would sway people and they will get more applicants.

Though some colleges may benefit you down the road, right now, they are too expensive. You would have to take out student loans and then end up having to pay them back in the future. And that could put you in debt with the amount of money that is costs to go to college. I know that I want to go to Boston College. But it costs over $50,000 a year for students who are coming from out of state. Though it will benefit me down that road, it is way too expensive and down the road, I will probably be in debt.

Students are encouraged to do research on colleges to find out which ones are most suitable for them. Just because you like their football team, or school colors does not mean that they are the right place for you. If you do research, you may find a college that will benefit you just as much as the other but at a much cheaper price. Students are encouraged not to make rational decisions when it comes to colleges.

As for me, I plan on becoming a sports of movie agent. So, I must research the schools in the state that will help me the most. Eventually, if I want to persue this career, I will have to go to law school and I have to see, what college has the best law school so that I can become the agent that I would like to be in the future.

Monday, October 17, 2011

10/17/11

Article 1

The first article that I chose might come as a surprise for some. It deals with the fact that the Boston Red Sox owner, John Henry, actually was opposed to signing big time free agent Carl Crawford this past off season. After signing Crawford, the all-star left fielder had a more than disappointing season. On Friday, the Red Sox owner came out and spoke to the media, being the Crawford situation as a main point in the press conference. Henry said that he was actually opposed to signing Crawford due to the fact the the Sox already had plenty of left handed hitting. Henry went on to say that that aspect of the game is not his to deal with . That is up to now former General Manager, Theo Epstein. Continuing on, Henry said that the Crawford signing was not a PR move and neither was the Adrian Gonzalez signing. This could be in the heat of the moment but I highly doubt that. With all the money that the Sox have spent in the last two years, totaling up to nearly $400 million on 3 players, you can see that the owner John Henry would be upset at the fact that the team has not made the playoffs in two straight years, a troubling sight for an owner. With GM Epstein gone, I took this as a "I told you so" type of thing. Saying that he (John Henry) knew what he was talking about in the sense that the Crawford signing was a bad idea. It will be interesting to see how the Crawford signing plays out in the next 6 years of his $142 million dollar contract.

Article 2
Yesterday after the great game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions, the intensity was still not over. After a tremendous game that had the 49ers coming out on top 25-19, not the players, but the two head coaches of the two teams got into it with one another. After time had run out in the 4th quarter, giving San Fran the win, 49ers head coah, Jim Hardbough was pumped. So happy that his team had beat the undefeated Lions that he was jumping up and down from excitement. As the two coaches went to shake one anothers hand in the middle of the field, the 49ers coach was still on his winning high. Instead to just nicely shaking the hand of the Lions head coach, he jumped, slapped his hand, while yelling. Almost gloating in a way to the Lions that they are no longer undefeated. After that scene, the 49ers coach went jogging into the lockeroom as any other coach would. Out of no where came the Lions head coach, purposly running into him and bring up his concerns. As the coaches started talking, it quickly escalated to arguing and then it got physical. The two coaches and some players had to be restrained. Since the incident, the NFL has released a statement that they will review the actions of each coach and then take it from threre. I expect a fine for each coach, proabably a little bit heftier one the the 49ers coach considering his actions started all this.

Monday, March 7, 2011

It has been a while since we have had a blog topic of our choice and if you have been following my blog, I would just like to take this time and apologize for the fact that my blogs have been very boring the past few weeks. If you would like to contact someone with a complaint on this matter, feel free to email Mr. Alves. You can find his email on the Volusia County Schools website. He is the Sports Marketing teacher here at Pine Ridge. He just give us a blog topic on McDonalds that came out probably 3 years ago and he just keeps using them over and over again each and every year. So please, if you really love this blog and want to read more about me talking about things that you really want to hear about things that matter instead of reading about the release of the Big Mac. This is just my take on things. If you guys like hearing about the evolution of the McDonalds salad, then that is fine. But I know for a fact that a good percentage of the people who read this blog don’t want to hear about boring things like that. They want to hear about the good stuff in life and enjoy a Big Mac (that has been out for years now) while they read my blog.

BREAKING NEWS: Justin Theiler (SCRUBS) has a toupee. Now this has been a speculation since freshman year, but now we can confirm that it is in fact true and he is bald under the fake hair. How do we know this you ask? We have no evidence what so ever but we do know that a lot of other people think the same thing that we do. In fact, I think the only person who does not think that Scrubs has a toupee, is the man himself. He is in denial about it, which is understandable. We all know that there is no chance in the world that he will come out and just say that he has a toupee, but we all can wish for that day. But to be logical, we all know that it will never happen. We all love Justin Theiler with a passion and wish him the best in this tough time. This is kind of awkward since he doesn’t know that everyone and their mother know, but we wish him the best during this time. I don’t know how the false hair does not move but it does. It is some crazy stuff.

In other news, I feel like I must tell you guys this. As you know, Lil Wayne is going on tour and will stopping but the Orlando area for a show Now at first, I had complete intentions on going to the show and having a blast with an arena full of black people and my 3 white friends. But recently I went to a Pitbull show at Universal’s Mardi Gras and after experiencing that, I came to the conclusion that the Lil Wayne concert was probably not the best place for me that this time in my life. I do really want to go but I have to face the fact in that it would not be a good place for me. I just don’t belong in that type of atmosphere. In simpler terms, it is not my “cup of tea.” I would just like to wish everyone who is going a great time and to be safe. There could be some dangerous things going on and I don’t want you guys getting involved in that.

Thank you very much for reading this blog. I don’t know if or when we will have another free topic but I will try to not bore you next week when I talk about how to cut a lawn.

Monday, February 28, 2011

2/28

Article 1
The first article is about the school lunch food. The school lunch system is for the lack of a better word, horrible. Some kids in Matanzas are just getting French fries for lunch some days with a juice, milk, or soda. But this all could be changing. The government, not only in Florida, has made new standards for the way that school lunch is served and what they must serve. Things such as French Fries could be totally vanished from your school’s cafeteria. This whole plan with the school lunch was an Obama administration idea. One of his goals is to prevent childhood obesity. That is one of the “changes” that he wanted to make but that is for another subject. The fact is, that schools lunches are going to path to get healthier and better for your son/daughter.

Article 2
The Stetson Hatters baseball team has started the season 5-0 and clinched the fifth win against Maine. The starting pitcher for Stetson was Lindsey Caughel. He pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing only 1 run of four hits while striking out an astonishing eight batters. This Stetson won the game and now will host Maine tonight and then again on Thursday with both games starting at six-thirty. This is one of the best starts that Stetson has had in a while and are playing outstanding baseball. When the Hatters clinched their fifth win, it was a long hard battle and was a very intense pitching battle with Stetson eventually coming out on top. Hopefully Stetson can keep up the good work. We will just have to wait and see.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

2/22/11

The first article is about Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron. There are some rumors going around that the Red Sox might trade the veteran outfielder for a cheaper option or a younger, fourth outfielder. On the first day of spring training, Cameron was asked his thoughts on the possibility of him leaving Boston after just one year. Cameron came out and said that he does not want to leave. He doesn't want to go to a worse team and have the same role that he has there in Boston. Cameron went on to say that Boston has treated him right and that he doesn't want to miss out the chance to win a championship with the new look Red Sox. The Red Sox have aquired two All Stars in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. Cameron wants to stay in Boston, have a good year, and hopefully, win a championship with the team. Rumors have been floating around on the possibility of Cameron being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks who have not had a good season in years. When asked about the possibility of him going to Arizona, Cameron responded with,"Why would I want to go there and have the same role that I have here in Boston?" Basically, Cameron is saying that he doesn't want to go to a bad team, such as Arizona, and do the same exact thing that he had been doing in Boston. Who knows what will happen the Cameron. He knows that baseball is a business and sometimes you have to do what you have to do to win.

Last night at about 11 o'clock at night a blockbuster trade was done in the NBA. The highlight of the trade was Carmelo Anthony. Melo, had been looking to get out of Denver since the start of the season. Melo knew that his chances of winning a championship in Denver were slim and he really wanted to go. For the past couple weeks, rumors have been flying around of Melo going to the Nets, then the Lakers, and now a deal has been done. But it is not with either of those two teams. Melo was dealt to the New York Knicks last night. Along with Melo going to New York is Denver teammate Chauncey Billups. Melo and Billups will be teaming up with the new Knick in Amare Stodimare. Billups is way past his prime but with those 3 teaming up, teams in the east have a reason to be concerned. In my opinion, I don't think this was a good deal on the Knicks part. After this trade, they now have no one to back up Melo, Amare, or Billups which could cause for a problem. These players might get tired quickly and it could affect their play. We will jsut have to wait and see how the Knicks turn out to be in a few months and possibly, see them in the playoffs?