Texting Down a Bad Road

“Back in my day, we didn’t have cell phones.” I know I’m not the only one who has heard this same spiel from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and teachers. Of course, I have my comebacks and witty replies. However, believe it or not, there is logic to this saying.

“This is just a different generation,” some say, “with different needs.” Since when has texting been a need? It sure seems like a need, considering some teens (including me) text while they eat, talk, run, walk, sit, wait, play, work, test. Some students are risky enough to text while they drive. That’s where I draw the line. Texting is dangerous, especially while driving, and although we have been told countless times about the dangers of texting, we still fail to realize what makes it so hazardous.

Theoretically speaking, if I were a teen who texted while driving, my life and the lives of my family would immediately be put in jeopardy. For example, let’s just say my friend Gerti is throwing a sweet-sixteen at her house Saturday, and everyone’s going to be there. I’m invited! Her house is just minutes away.

Hopping in my car, I notice that I will be a few minutes late to Gerti’s, so I whip out my phone and open up a new, blank text document. As soon as I text in the casual “hey” I hit a tree and bam! I’m dead. True story.

Sure I laugh and poke fun about the dangers of texting while driving, but I really shouldn’t. If I were to pull a survey of Noblesville’s students asking whether or not they text while driving to and from school, the numbers would be outrageous. I don’t even need to mention those dozens of students who wouldn’t answer due to their guilt.

Not many students can recall the last time there has been a texting-while-driving accident at our school. Honestly, I can’t, but the longer we wait, the more we will be shocked when it actually comes.

Thousands of teen deaths occur each year from texting and driving. Students have been told this an innumerable amount of times, and yes, I admit it is getting very annoying. However, it’s true. This is not a fantasy land. We aren’t living in a television. These things really do happen.

What if a teen from Noblesville High School suffered an accident like this? Think of his or her family. Lastly, what about the person that this teenager was texting? Can one even envision the amount of pain and guilt he or she would feel afterwards? Don’t text while driving. The consequences will come, I guarantee it.

The springtime blues

It seems obvious that in the middle of such a happy-go-lucky time of year – when blossoms are blooming, couples are courting, and spring break is so, so close – no one should be in an eternal bad mood. However, I would beg to differ. Although I adore springtime and exchanging my winter coat and socks for a light jacket and flip-flops, this particular spring has me bitter. And I’m willing to bet I’m not alone on that.

By mid-October, I was convinced that the senioritis bug couldn’t bite me. I was already accepted to college, and my participation in class didn’t falter. I figured this must bode well for the rest of the year. Even after first semester finals, I was feelin’ good. I knew second semester would require more energy to focus, but I wasn’t worried.

And here we are, late March and still a solid two months from the finish line. Don’t worry, I’m still doing homework. I’m still participating in class discussions. I’m even managing to stay awake during long lectures…well, most of the time. But the truth is, my mind has checked out

I attended the very first orientation Anderson University (my future home) offered, and needless to say it was a catalyst. Instead of being fully present during pre-calc, I’m considering my class load for next year or the layout of my dorm room.

I will listen, I will respond, I will do what I am asked. But do I care as much as I did come spring time the past three years? Not nearly.

Although this mysterious disease mainly strikes students on the verge of graduation, I’ve observed that all students are affected in one way or another. The combination of spring break, prom, and sunny weather is a vicious cycle of distraction and lack of effort, yet for some reason we welcome it every spring.

Shouldn’t we have learned by now that “time flies when you’re having fun?” (Although the fun part is debatable.) Instead, we spend a majority of our school day glancing at the clock, counting down another day to the finish. I plead guilty to that. It just makes the time between now and May 27^th drag on and on.

I can’t promise that after I write this I’ll care any more than I do now, but I will make an attempt to focus on the present. As much as I crave the college environment, I might as well try to enjoy what’s left of high school. Hopefully, then, spring time will be as happy as it should be.

Surreal Alice in Wonderland novel surpasses the recent movie

Watching the old movie version of Alice in Wonderland as a kid, I was completely unaware of it being based on a book (or, more precisely, two books). When I did learn this, I put it on my “I-should-probably-read-this-sometime-but-will-likely-never-get-to-it” list. With the recent Alice movie and the Johnny Depp/Mad Hatter craze, I figured that now would probably be the best time to read it.

If you have seen the Disney version of the movie, or even the newer one, you’d be surprised at what they changed. Some of the events are left out, as always happens when literature is transposed to the big screen, and the movies are based on both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, instead of just the namesake novel.

Considering that Lewis Carroll, the author, was born in the early 19^th century, the dialect of the book was understandably old-fashioned. But I was pleasantly surprised—the book wasn’t hard to understand at all. The simplicity of the language lent a natural feel to the surreal setting and events of the novel, which reads feels like a waking illusion, with the perfectly sane, random scene-switching and crazily improbable characters that seem so normal in our own dreams.

The famous trip down the rabbit hole sparks off the story, and from that point on Alice is swept up in a figurative whirlwind of rapid shrinking and growing (whenever she eats something she drastically changes her size). She meets such eccentric characters as the Mock Turtle, who sings a melancholy song about Mock Turtle Soup, the Mad Hatter, who’s simply mad, and the Duchess, who beats her pig-baby for sneezing too much. The homicidal queen screams constantly for executions, and the hookah-smoking caterpillar offers his wise but vague advice. After making acquaintance with each character, Alice moves confusedly on to the next place, the next person.

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice steps through a mirror that dissolves like mist beneath her touch, entering a slightly darker world where she meets an entirely new set of circumstances. She starts off in the Garden of Talking Flowers, where she meets the Red Queen (an entirely different person from the aforementioned queen) and is directed as to where to go. She moves throughout “squares” like a chess board, and is told that she shall become a queen herself when she reaches the other side. The looking-glass insects of buttered and honeyed toast, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Humpty Dumpty, the Lion and the Unicorn, and a Knight are some of the new characters that appear in this story. The novel ends with a haunting and thought provoking poem that evokes a subtle sense of sadness.

This book isn’t for people who read books to get emotionally involved with the characters—there’s little to no actual character development. The novels are less about Alice herself than they are about what happens to her and who she meets in the mystical world of Wonderland. But if you’re into crazy and random events that compile into a novel that reads like a mixture between childhood dreams and nightmares, it’s perfect.

Artists like Andrew Ryan save the music scene

In a world where the likes of Lady Gaga rule the music charts, those of us who appreciate a little acoustic guitar once in a while could use some help. Pop artist Andrew Ryan lends a hand with his new EP Waiting for Paris.

I’m always a little skeptical when coming across new musicians. I like familiar things. But Ryan’s album is proof that change can be good.

The first track, “I’d Follow You,” was my favorite right away. It’s a simple love song. Although I would normally be a tad bit frightened at a man’s promise to “follow” me, Ryan does so sweetly, not stalker-ish-ly.

The next song, “Sugarlaced,” is just as full of romantic fervor as the first. He showcases his vocal ability and offers a nice break from the computerized harmonies we’re so used to today.

The short album is rounded out with “I’m Not In Love,” “Skip,” and “Paris.”

In all honesty, “I’m Not In Love” is nothing special compared to the rest of the album.

“Skip” is cute (I mean, who wouldn’t rather skip than walk, right?), but by this point the lovesick theme is getting repetitive.

“Paris” ends the EP on a positive note and gives listeners a vision of the city itself through a wistful song about chasing dreams.

I was intrigued enough after listening through Ryan’s CD that I YouTube-creeped some of his acoustic performances. The man’s got talent, even if his songs may sound like they belong as background music in a Starbucks.

Animal doesn’t live up to radio hype

To those who routinely wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy, Ke$ha is a common name. The new singer has recently been burning up the iTunes charts and playlists across the country. I’m not usually the type to listen to popular “radio music.” I’m honestly much more into pop bands whose music will never reach the mainstream. But admittedly, the second I heard Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK,” I knew I found a new favorite song even though I had no reason to like it. It was pretty generic sounding. It didn‘t relate to my life whatsoever. I guess music just works like that sometimes.

When I sat down with a copy of Animal for the first time, I had reservations, but I was pleasantly surprised by “Your Love Is My Drug.” It has an infectious beat and catchy lyrics like “TiK ToK,” but the songs don’t sound so similar as to be annoying.

By the time I made it all the way to “Stephen,” I was aching to pick up my iPod and drown out Ke$ha’s singing with some acoustic guitar and a voice that wasn’t quite so painful to listen to. My face did brighten slightly at the song title, though. I thought of Taylor Swift’s “Hey Stephen.” Ah, something familiar. But however pathetically predictable it may seem, the two songs can’t even be put in the same family. I was sorely disappointed. “Stephen” seemed rather boring and dry compared to Ke$ha’s other songs, and honestly, the lyrics were pretty disturbing. She may very well qualify as a stalker.

When I came across “Party At a Rich Dude’s House,” (gee, I wonder where she was when inspiration struck) I was tiring quickly of the mechanical music that seemed to be without emotion. It sounded to me as if it could have been written on a fast food napkin in five minutes. Everything on the album started to hopelessly mix together into a mess of predictable lyrics and synthesized background noise.

Songs like “Hungover” and “Animal” offer some salvation to the album. They’re both unique and more raw. The tempo slows down and listeners get a chance to hear Ke$ha’s real voice and feel the impact of lyrics that are about more than just partying.

I‘d like to say that “D.I.N.O.S.A.U.R.” shocked me with how creepy and repetitive the words are, but in all honesty I wasn’t surprised that it was thrown in with the other songs. It seemed to me that the songwriters got lazy halfway through and just stopped trying.

I had high hopes for Ke$ha, but I was disappointed in her debut CD. Although I still have a tendency to turn up “TiK ToK” when it comes on the radio, I think I’ll leave it at that. Sometimes less is more.

Image from www.tumblr.net.

Lovely Bones is strangely captivating

Upon picking up The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, I had good expectations. I had heard great things about the book, such as that it’s very captivating. I was not disappointed.
The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie Salmon. She was 14 years old when she
was murdered on December 6, 1976. She was murdered by Mr. Harvery, her next door
neighbor.
The whole novel is written from Susie’s point of view as she’s watching her
family and friends deal with her death from heaven. Mr. Harvery is very good at hiding
his tracks. However, Susie’s father knows deep down that he killed her. He has troubles
convincing the detective who’s working on her case of that. Susie’s body is never found,
just an elbow. After a good few weeks, she is assumed dead. After so many years of
never finding out who kills her, the detective gives up on her case.
One of the main points I liked about this book is that it captured my interest from
the very first sentence: “My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name: Susie. I was 14 when I was murdered on December 6, 1976”. From that very first sentence, I was hooked.
My interest was never really lost throughout the novel. It left me wanting to know what happens next. It’s very intriguing how the book is from Susie’s point of view. She alks about her heaven, and the people she meets in the afterlife.

There was this one part in the novel that I didn’t like. Susie gets to go into the body of Ruth, a girl she knew in school but never really talked to when she was alive. They switch places for a little while, and Ruth gets to see Susie’s heaven. I found this part very odd and kind of awkward to read.

All in all, The Lovely Bones is a very intriguing book. With a movie coming out that is based on this book, I recommend it for anyone looking for a good read over winter break. I also recommend checking out the movie.

Athletics and sports square off

In the seventh grade, I had the pleasure of devoting hours of my gym periods toward stoking a lifelong passion for what were deemed “lifetime sports,” those that guaranteed participation even as I grew older. Among these included bowling, ping pong, and shuffleboard.

A sprite, young thing now, as I age I won’t be able to keep up the running regime I currently put my body through. At that time, however, thanks to the seventh grade, I’ll be able to fall back on my shuffleboard skills. Timeless.

I’ve come a long way since my ping pong table days, now though. Upon enrolling in high school, I entered the world of varsity athletics. While they may also fall under the name of varsity sports, I’ve come to notice a distinct difference between sports and athletics.

While one seems defined as recreation or pastime, the other conjures up images of feats of physical prowess, requiring both skill and stamina. There’s a reason noblesvilleschools.com lists a tab “Athletics,” instead of “Sports.” Call it Sports and suddenly it might be time for me to dust off those seventh grade shuffleboard skills.

There is no denying it though, that whatever they are, sports or athletics, students are becoming more active. Take for example the current referendum appearing in public forums around town this past month. What I thought was just a little public service announcement by the athletic director interrupting our cross country banquet is much, much more. Included in the proposal for tax spending is a push to increase or enhance classroom space. This includes the NHSMC physical education and health class area, or wing if you will.

According to the numbers provided at these public forums, physical education enrollment at the Main Campus increased by nearly forty percent in between this school year and last. Forty percent. That’s 254 more students enrolled in P.E. classes—that’s including optional classes like Aerobics or Advanced Physical Conditioning—for first semester than last year. Compare that with 13. That’s how much the enrollment grew between the previous two years. I look at that and see just how many more students have decided to embrace an active lifestyle, and therefore how much more attention should be paid to increasing that classroom space as this trend continues.

I’m throwing around words like “referendum” and phrases like “active lifestyle.” Perhaps I’m beginning to sound like a little public service announcement. But I am, after all, blessed with the knowledge of lifetime sports skills, thanks to my middle school gym teachers. For that, and for learning the difference between athletics and sports, and the chance Noblesville is giving other students like me to learn the same, I am eternally grateful. Put that on the end of your tetherball rope and hit it.

Twilight fan mania

I never thought I would ever be interested in a story based off of fantasy characters like vampires and werewolves. That’s just not the kind of novels I’m into. But after I read the impressive, captivating words printed and bounded in the novels written by Stephanie Meyer, I thought my life would never be the same. I was so compelled by her stories and I truly felt like I was living through each sentence I read.

Although the books were about 500 pages each, I didn’t dare put them down. I lingered off of every word craving the next and finished all four books in less than a week.

When the trailer for the move Twilight first aired, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I mean hello, my favorite book saga was being made into a feature film that included some pretty decent looking guys if I do say so myself. So of course I was one of those crazed fans waiting in line for the midnight premiere when the movie finally made its big debut. I had all this excitement and angst built up, I twiddled in my seat unable to keep still.

When the movie was over, I didn’t know what to think. I was left with this overwhelming feeling of disappointment. I had all of these false hopes and high expectations for the film that it didn’t live up to at all. Stephanie Meyer’s words in her novels were so detailed and descriptive it painted this picture inside my mind that the movie failed to display. It didn’t do the books justice at all.

Not long after the movie came out did the media hype start to run wild. The whole Twilight saga became too commercialized. Everything was Twilight, from backpacks to T-shirts, to folders and even Barbie dolls. I was going mad trying to forget that lingering feeling of disappointment I had pushed to the side of my mind.

The media has created this whole debacle over the drama of the actors and actresses in the movie. They go on and on about the cast’s relationship status’s and the drama on set. I hear more about what Robert Pattinson is doing than my own friend. The gossip and non-stop babble have ruined the effect and the realness of the books for me.

I guess I should be more accepting when it comes to the other crazed twilight fans, since I was in fact one of them, but they get on my nerves. I honestly can’t stand hearing about the sequel, New Moon. Every time I hear about it I cringe a little more on the inside. I don’t want to be reminded of it.

As if it wasn’t enough that the movies spoiled my Twilight craze, all the hype had to go and ruin it completely. In my desperate attempts to forget about the movies, I admit I have read the Twilight books more than twice. And every time I do I rekindle my inner Twilight craze only to have it damaged again by the nonstop fervor.

Websites of the Week

For the Academic

www.wordnik.com

Struggling with that AP assignment? Want to know what “zeitgeist” means? Wordnik’s the place to go. It’s a sort of advanced dictionary. With a simple, one-click search, turn up definitions from multiple sources, excerpts from documents, Twitter posts, and even photos pertaining to the whatever you’re looking for.

For the Academic Time-waster

www.shorpy.com

Shorpy, named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner at the turn of the century, is a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high definition images taken between 1850 and 1950. Blow ‘em up as big as your screen and scan the photos for reflections in mirrors, signs in the background, and people standing in the background. It’s surprisingly entertaining.

For the Time-waster

www.digyourowngrave.com/mmeoww-plague-of-kittens-game

Your mouse controls the kitten catcher. Break the kitten’s fall and land them safely… or not. Point are awarded for bouncing kittens. Extra lives are awarded for saving kittens. Need I say more?

Please submit suggestions for the Streamline’s Websites of the Week by posting a comment or emailing the opinions editor, Hannah Davis, at davis.hannahc@gmail.com.

It’s cool to be cheap

Let’s face it: There’s a certain laid-back coolness to being cheap. Although I don’t claim to be cool, I am definitely cheap. Really cheap. Last week, I waltzed into the local Goodwill and bought a dress, two shirts, and a skirt for a grand total of $8.63. And I was proud of it. I specifically remember telling my dad when I was little that he couldn’t dress me in someone else’s old clothes, but after working two jobs for four years, I’ve come to recognize the real value of a dollar.

I went through a short phase where I regularly bought $50 jeans with heaps of tip money (once I even sprang for a bottle of Juicy Couture perfume), but I’ve since adjusted to dressing myself in bargain-bin jeans and t-shirts and so-called “man sweaters”. It’s easier, and apparently that’s what’s “in” right now. A like-minded friend provided insight. “The hippest of our generation strive to dress like hobos and grandparents,” he explained.

It’s a surprisingly practical trend. Students’ favorite stores are the cheapest, and the formerly embarrassing aisles of Goodwill have sprung to the top of the list, replacing more expensive stores like American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch.

For the first time in entirely too long, popular clothing is cheapskate-friendly. Fine by me. I’ll keep pinching my pennies for as long as possible.
This column can be viewed in the original context in the Sept. 22 issue of Current in Noblesville.

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