Too Much Homework

Nobody likes it, but it has to be done. Many kids often find it difficult not because of the content, but rather the inconvenience it causes. While many kids our age often complain about the amount of homework that they receive, I do not think that I get much homework at all, and I am in all honors courses. Throughout my school career, it seems like the amount of homework decreases from year to year. While this may be true to some extent, I understand that it is entirely possible that others in my situation are experiencing the opposite, and that some of my observations are products of new work habits. For example, I do much more of my homework in school the morning it is due, and rarely study. Also, I seem to wait to the last minute to do everything, and have gotten into the habit of doing decent work fast, as opposed to great work slow. I guess I sort of limit myself in these ways, but these habits are hard to break. In other words, I am staying up until midnight doing this blog, but it's because I was watching the Giants game, not because I had too much homework. Many nights I simply do not have homework, and never spend more than an hour or two doing homework, and that is often more because of procrastination than length or difficulty. Now I must say, I think I actually get more homework on the weekend then during the week in some classes, or at least longer, harder homework. This is especially annoying because it is easily forgettable. On the Friday before the weekend I am often so busy thinking about the weekend that I overlook the homework, and forget to do it for monday. As far as homework trends go, I believe that homework is in the same place it has always been. It will always be a major part of school and learning, just as it always has been. Doing extra work outside of school has been proven time and time again to help the mind put the information into long term memory, and help people learn it. Too much homework is bad however, because people learn in different ways, so while homework is great for some, others learn in a more hands on approach, and therefore, schools have to be diverse. Personally, I find that it depends on the material. Often in math, homework is like a double edged sword. Sometimes it helps you make the problems almost routine, while other times, it only confusing you more than you already were. Other classes such as English are much different. Writing more can only make you a better writing, and reading is always beneficial as well. As you can see, I learn from homework, but I feel like the learning is often more significant in certain classes. As far as large projects, essays, etc. are concerned, I often wait until the last minute. This often results in me sacrificing quality as I explained before, but it rarely results in anything terrible. Perhaps the funniest example was when I made a video about Jekyll and Hyde in 8th grade. No one in my group had read the book when we were supposed to, and when it came time to film the video, we basically guessed, and used spark notes when we could. We got a 100 on the project, which our teacher praised to all her classes, and put on good morning central, but when it came time to take the test on the book, not one of us passed.

Comfort Foods

Let me start off by saying, that when I am stressed out, i try not to use food as a stress reliever. I find better results from listening to music, or exercising. However, there are certain foods that I often crave, favor during certain parts of the year, or prefer to eat at certain places. One food that I often crave is a good grilled cheese. Grilled Cheese has been one of my favorite meals since I was very young. As a kid, whenever I would go over my grandparents house, my grandpa would cook me a grilled cheese, and cut it up into four small triangles. Even today, he sometimes surprises me when I come over. It also doesn't hurt that a grilled cheese is one of the few things simple enough for me to make myself, and still enjoy it as much as a large meal. The rest is history. I have grilled cheese for lunch frequently (although never at school), and my mom frequently makes it for dinner. I even have grilled cheese while at fancy restraunts while on vacation. I will probably never get tired of grilled cheese. It will always remind me of my grandpa, and that's part of what makes it so good.
Another food that i would consider one of my comfort foods is a good macaroni and cheese. Unlike the grilled cheese, my enjoyment of macaroni and cheese cannot be associated with any specific situation, place, or time. Rather, my love for macaroni and cheese is simply something that seems to have always been. I can remember being a kid watching T.V. and seeing the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercials, and instantly craving it's taste. To me, macaroni and cheese is the perfect addition to any meal, whether it be a sophisticated steak, or a hot dog. It never feels out of place Macaroni and Cheese has always given me a certain comfortable, homey feeling that I can always enjoy.
The third, and last food that I get this feeling from are oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite kind of cookie. In fact, I do not really enjoy other types of cookies at all. As much as some may enjoy chocolate chip cookies, I think they are rather disgusting. My love for oatmeal cookies comes from a vacation to disney some years ago. We stayed at the Polynesian's conciere building, where you could simply grab food, whenever you wanted it, free. One of these foods that was always there, were oatmeal cookies. I must have eaten hundreds of them, and ever since I have practically been addicted to oatmeal cookies. Whenever my mom goes to the store, I tell her to pick up a box, and get two of them everyday at school.
These are my favorite foods. They represent a certain closeness to me, and I know I can eat them whenever I feel out of place, or whenever I want to remember a certain time.

Arguments Vs. Discourse

Arguing is to me, a defense mechanism as well an enjoyable activity. More primitive than a debate, argument is often very emotionally driven, and very personal. Although the purpose is the same, to prove a point, unlike debate, arguments have nearly no rules. That does not mean that all arguments are the same however, there are actually all different kinds of arguments. Some types of arguments are very respectful, while others seem to simply be a contest of who can scream the loudest. Something tells me the public greek arguments were not this type of argument. I believe that while arguments don't mean that people do not like each other, that is the reason why many people do get in arguments in the first place.

In the case of the person who loves the president and the person who despises him, this does not mean that they are enemies, they simply have disagreeing opinions. There may still be tons of places where they can find common ground or agree on.

Arguments get personal for many reasons. One of the main reasons is human nature. When you are arguing, what you are really trying to do is make someone else seem wrong, and the other person right. When you are doing this, especially when it is done unexpectedly, people often feel like they are being stepped on, and take it personally, starting a rivalry without even considering what the other person has to say in the first place. This is much different then when someone is expecting shots to be fired, such as in court. A big reason why people often get so fueled up in arguments, is that they simply feel very strongly about the cause, which is not necessarily bad. As long as it does not get violent, you should be as active as you can.

When it comes to arguments, there should be no rules set. If you are looking for a ruled argument, go have a structured debate. Arguments are arguments, they make you mad, and sometimes satisfied. Although the you and the person you are arguing with may never admit it, the argument forced you guys to look at a different angle, as you had to come up with a counterargument. When it comes to arguments leading to violence or war, there is not much you can do about that, not even rules can do that. War is something that will happen regardless of argument. After all, you don't think we went to Iraq because President Bush had an argument with Saddam Hussein, do you? No, we went to Iraq because we didn't like their policy, and treatment of civilians. The only way we could stop arguments from reaching that next level, and spinning out of control would be self restraint. Instead of flipping out when someone starts to challenge your beliefs, stay calm, and express your own belief in a more sophisticated manner. Besides, flipping out on someone usually just makes you look like the fool anyway.

Noticing Drivers' Behavior

When your a kid you don't really notice the way people drive, nor are you really concerned. A car to me always represented a sort of comfort, and feeling of safety. My parents would drive me around when I couldn't fall asleep as a baby, and I would instantly fall asleep. It was almost as if i was under some sort of illusion that everyone was a safe, or good driver. This all changed once I got my license.

After getting my license or permit really, I realized that driving wasn't so easy, and that there are are actually often more bad drivers than there are good ones. Suddenly I didn't feel so safe. Today, I actually pay more attention to the road, even when I am not driving. Even my own parents, I realized were pretty bad drivers.

One of the best places to see exactly what kind of drivers different people are, is the parkway. One of the most prominent types of drivers you find on the parkway are the traffic swervers. These kinds of people come in all different kinds of cars. Some drive in old honda civics, others in bmws. All I can think when I see these people, is that they must be in a real hurry. I always picture these as the same people who floor it when the light turns green, only to be stopped right next to me at the next light. What a waste of gas. These people are all different genders and ages, but they are usually under around 50.

The next type of driver you see on the parkway is the speed limiters. They go EXACTLY the speed limit at all times, no matter what is going on around them. While there is nothing really wrong with that, it can be annoying when everyone else on the parkway is going 70, and you get stuck behind the guy going 55. After all, they aren't going to pull all of you over. These people are usually in the middle lane, where it is the most annoying, and are many times older.

The third type of parkway driver is the person who can't stay in the lines. This person might be the one that worries me the most. They are typically the multitaskers, trying to write an email, text, call, put on makeup, search the back of the car, etc. All of this while driving upwards of 60 mph in a congested parkway. You see them swerving in and out of their lane. I quickly speed past these people to assure that I do not get slammed from the side while they're not paying attention. This can be anyone.

I do not believe that someones driving really reflects their personality, the same way I do not think that someones bike riding reflects their personality. Driving is a skill, some people are better then others. Sometimes even the most wild people can be cautious drivers, and some of the most uptight proper people can be reckless drivers. In fact this is often the case. When it comes to driving, hesitance is not always the best option, as you often have to make smart decisions fast. A lot of it has to do with the car you drive.

The closest thing to an accident I have ever been in, is bumping into someone at a red light when I had my permit. It was extremely early, and as I rubbed my eyes, I slightly let my foot off the brake, and tapped the person in front of me. Luckily he simply flipped me off, and nothing else happened. However, it scared me into being more careful early, and I am a better driver because of it. When it comes to driving, I don't want to be that tool swerving through traffic, nor do I want to be the turtle, I like to be somewhere in between. I like to make driving fun, but at the same time safe, and I have so far been successful.

Changing The Way Things Run

I think it is important and beneficial for all people to be concerned or at least skeptical of our government, and participate in our democracy the way it was intended. Personally, I find issue in many parts of today's government. First of all, although I am not old enough to really confirm this, it seems through what I read and hear about history, that today's government is less efficient, and less bold as it once was. The political landscape seems so divided, that nothing is of sufficient size is ever passed, and the things that do get passed are so dumbed down, and full of special interests that they do not produce any significant change.

Other things have changed as well, such as media, and public image. I believe that the public image of government has shifted from that more or less of respect, to distaste. It seems that in the past, while many were very vocal about their disapproval of the administrations policy, there was still a certain respect for your president. This change has a lot to do with the media, specifically during the Clinton administration.

Somewhere along the road, between the affair, the growing size of the internet, and 24 hour TV cable news, the media began to mock the government, and make personal attacks. This only continued, and grew during the Bush administration, and during the 2008 elections, Obama was accused of being muslim, a terrorist, etc. Even fellow, ELECTED politicians are beginning to act childish, such as Joe Wilson shouting "YOU LIE" on national TV during a joint session of congress. Besides, there is nothing wrong with being a muslim in America. This is not to say all politicians are like this, there are still many respectful, and intelligent people in Washington. One of those people is John McCain. He can frequently be seen on TV giving his support, and wishing the president luck, while many others are hoping that he fails. Additionally, he often decides not to comment on issues of which he is not very familiar with, or has not been briefed on. You can tell that he is there for the people, and not himself.

Although we constantly blame, and often rely on the government to solve all of our problems, many of our problems are problems we can solve as a society, and that is where I feel the real fault lies. There are frequent reports of things we can do, that will often solve our own problems, many of which you can simply look online for. For example "If everyone in the U.S. used energy efficient lighting, we could retire 90 medium sized power plants". However, how many people actually do that? The current recession was not the governments fault, it was our bad decisions that got us into this mess. Everyone from the big time executives, to the people who bought the house they couldn't afford. We should be taking responsibility, and doing whatever we can to fix this problem. What happened to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" This is something I do not expect to happen anything soon however. Many people are stubborn, ignorant, and borderline careless. I saw an ad in the paper today, it said "Lost Shotgun, please call if found". How do you lose a shotgun?

Litany Of Deep Questions

I'll start with one by the controversial Martin Heidegger, "Why is there something rather than nothing?". How could something have come from nothing? Has there always been something, and if there has, would that make it nothing? Why am I here? Why are we, as a human race, here? Why do people suffer? Why do some people succeed, and others who have put in just as much, if not more work often do not? Why do people love? Why do people hate? Why is life so short? Why do people steal? Why do people cheat? Why do people often look at the worst in things, instead of the best? Why can't life be simple? Why is getting into college so difficult? Why are people afraid to be themselves, and what benefits do lying or being shy have? Why can't people achieve world peace, and put their selfishness aside? Why are we so flawed, and not perfect? Why do people often need one person to rally around, instead of simply forming, and acting on their own beliefs? Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet? Do you have to know pain in order to know pleasure? What is the purpose of human emotions? What really is thought? Is there really a such thing as free will, or are our actions simply the cause of outside forces? Is the future of our lives and the future of everything around us really pre-determined? Do things really happen for a reason, or is life full of coincidence? Is there life after death? Are the "good" rewarded, and the "bad" punished? If the universe makes up everything, and it is expanding, where or what is it expanding to? Which emotion is stronger and more influential, anger or love? Why do we park in the driveway, and drive on the parkway? Are rules made to be broken, if not then why have the rules in the first place? Why don't people act before they think? Why do people argue about things they do not even know about? Why do some people stay the same their whole life, and others experiment or change constantly? Why does time seem to go by faster year after year? Why does the system of society, jobs schools etc. seem to ignore happiness and focus only on success? Is that what we really want? Is it better to compromise, or stand stern and strong? Why does the interaction between countries seem so similar to that of small children? Why do politicians or those running for public office often make promises they can't keep, and why do people believe them? Why do people often want to stick out, and fit in at the same time? Why can't most animals see color? How do we know there aren't other colors we cannot see, or that we are all seeing the same colors? Why is there jealousy? Why are there so many social standards involved in love? How did high school go by so fast?

Relationship with the phone

While it is not absolutely crucial for me to always have my phone with me, I do use it for a decent amount of time every day, and usually do have it in my pocket. Some people treat their phone like it is their baby. They never let it out of their sight, and need that constant connection with others. This is not restricted to kids either, adults can be just as bad (see: Crackberry). For whatever reason, I have never been one of these people. I often find myself annoyed by my phone on a busy day. I have been known to ignore texts, simply because I do not feel like texting, and like to keep conversations to the point. It sounds weird today, but I actually prefer to hear the voice of the person I'm talking to, and actually use my PHONE, or talk to someone in person. This can be applied to computers as well. I used to be a pretty active AIM and Myspace user, but those days are long gone. I deleted my AIM account about two years ago, and sign in to myspace only to listen to music. No matter where we are we could be connected to not just one, but hundreds of people at a time. I think this has changed the entire social structure that used to be present, and is especially disruptive in schools and workplaces, where they cannot keep up with technology, and the kids often know more about it then adults. With all this said, I do usually have my phone in my pocket. You never know who is going to call, or text you, and if it's something urgent then, well that's what I bought the phone for in the first place, or at least, that's why my mom bought it. At the end of the day the technology is useful, and I can barely imagine life without it. It is how teens now organize, and get together. A lot of people don't ever ring a doorbell anymore, and when they do, they usually texted that person not long before. I never call housephones, and most people don't even know my house number. If the phone system were to go down I think I would be able to manage, but it would be extremely awkward. Cell phones have become more than a luxury, they have become a necessity. People would not know what to do without them, but eventually they would adapt back. Perhaps it would be a good thing for us to be communicating face to face as opposed to over the phone. There are many kids today that hide behind their computers and phones, and you never hear them talk, but on the phone they never shut up. These people would be forced to become more social, and break their shells. Not to mention, we'd all save a lot of money.

Friends, In Number

I think that while having the one or more really close friends is essential, it is never a bad thing to have a multitude of "kind of" friends. Having friends, no matter how close they are, is only beneficial, and if they are not, then the friendship should probably be rethought.

With that said, having those extremely close, almost family like friends, is more important. They'll kick it with you when things are good, and keep you going when things get tough. You can go to them for advice, or just a way to vent, and they will always be there to listen and help. "Kind of" friends serve a different, but still important purpose. While they might not always go out of their way to do something for you, they can be relied on for simple things, and are simply fun to be around. Besides, current "kind of" friends could turn out being your best friends in the future, so you should never count them out.

I do not think that people who have more friends are happier than less, or vice versa. I've found that those with the less friends like having it that way, as could be said for those with more. It all depends on what type of person you are. What really matters is the core group of good friends that each group have. Without that core, neither group have anything. I think that when it comes to friendship and happiness, it does not necessarily matter how many friends you have, but how many enemies you have.

I think that many of those people who accumulate a lot of friends do it because they like to be the life of the party. They like the attention that they get, and they like being involved, and active. Some of it also happens naturally. Sometimes friends find them, and they just go with the flow. Personally, I like being surrounded by not just many people, but many different people. I feel like it evens me out, and keeps my mind open to many different ideas, and viewpoints. Sometimes people use it to fill a void of something they don't have. If someone is missing a father or father figure, they'll simply fill it with a vast amount of friends. At the same time, there are those who choose to have only a small amount of friends, consisting mostly of their closest friends. They take friendship differently. They are perfectly happy with the few that they have and that's fine. They probably put pretty much everything they have into those few, making it hard to have many more. Their friendships are very deep, personal, and real. I believe both groups need the attention, as everyone does, one group gets it from many, the other get the attention they need from only a few.

I find myself somewhere in the middle. Like I said, I like to keep my friendships diverse. My closest friends, have been there for me forever, and that's how I know they are my closest friends. It's been tested many times. I also try to meet and get to know many new people, and widen my friendships everyday, even though I realize that many of them will likely fade into the past. So far, it's worked great, as I'm sure it will in the future. I think I've found the perfect balance.

david dominguez