Choice Blog: It's Hockey Season!

This year, I was even more excited for the start of the hockey season than usual.  This is because I am very excited about the Sabres new lineup and aquired players.  They are looking good this year, and will hopefully make it far this year.  I am also incredibly excited for the return of my favorite player, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, after a tough injury last season.  This, to me, was even more depressing then it should have been because I was at that game.  My Dad and I went all the way to Pittsburgh to see the Sabres play the Penguins, and I was really looking forward to seeing my two favorite teams play each other.  We were really lucky, and were able to get seats just five rows above the ice!  The game started, and the Sabres scored two goals right off the bat.  It was looking good, and I was really happy that I got to see Malkin play in person.  As the game began to get interesting, Evgeni Malkin rushed forward with the puck toward Buffalo's net.  He passed it to another player, and as he was circling around, he got checked into the boards right in front of our seats by Tyler Myers.    I legitimately almost cried, which would have been really embarrassing.  That hit tore his ACL and MCL, taking him out for the rest of the season.  This year, though, he is back and better than ever.  He trained hard in the off-season to get him back to the level where he once was, and will definitely be a key member of the team this year.  My Dad and I are hoping to go to another one of these games again this year, and hopefully the outcome will turn out better than last year's.  Both teams are looking great, and I'm definitely looking forward to following them the rest of their seasons.

A.P. Literature and Composition

When most people think of an advanced placement course, they think of a lot of tough, strenuous work in a subject that they have no interest in.  Although there is a lot of work and some things are a bit difficult, I find the A.P. class that I am taking now, Literature and Composition, to be my most enjoyable class this year so far.  I love reading and thinking about what I read, and we do a lot of that in this class.  However, at first, I was really worried that I would not enjoy this class.  This was due to the fact that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was our summer reading assignment.  The book seemed long at first, and was difficult to read and interpret.  The characters bothered me, and overall, it just wasn't a very enjoyable read.  Although the book wasn't my favorite, I really liked writing the journal that went along with it, and it made the experience a little better.  It helped with the interpretation of the novel, and I got more out of it than I thought I would.  The first novel that we actually read in class, however, is now one of my favorite books.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was terrific and very different from the other novel.  I liked how we talked about it in class, and dissected it to find the deeper meaning of things.  The novels that we have yet to read also seem very interesting, and I am really excited to read those.  I also really like the Socratic Seminars that we have.  They are a great way to hear different viewpoints about the novel and to ask questions that I may have about what I read.  I love reading and talking about what I read, and think that this class allows me to do this.  I'm glad that I have it every day.

Future Plans!

After high school, I would definitely like to go to college.  As of right now, I am applying to Boston University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Canisius.  These are my top three schools.  I want to apply to a SUNY school too, but I am not sure as of now which one I will be applying to.  The one that I thought I would want to apply to I did not like when I went to visit it.  It was in too rural of a neighborhood for me.  In college, wherever I end up going, I would like to double major in Political Science and International Relations if possible.  These are two topics that I really find really interesting, and I think that they would complement each other nicely.  While working towards my degree in International Relations, I would like to either concentrate in relations with France or an Eastern European nation such as Russia.  I am leaning more toward concentrating in Eastern European Studies, however, because there is more of a need for a greater understanding of the language and culture of these nations than that of France at this time due to the amount of people continuing on their knowledge of the language.  After college, my plans are to go to law school.  I think that I would really enjoy this and in the long run, it would be worth it.  From there, I would like to get a job working with an organization or company that spans or deals with several nations.  It would be really interesting to negotiate contracts for the workers of the company in relations to not only the rules of the United States but of the other country as well.  This would be my dream job, and I think that I would really enjoy this career path if I stick to my original plans for after college. 

Sonsie in Boston, MA

Although far away, one of my favorite restaurants is Sonsie Grill in Boston, Massachusetts.  The atmosphere is great, and the food is fantastic.  Every time I go to Boston, I try to convince someone to go here with me for lunch and then go shopping.  It is located right on Newbury Street in the downtown Boston area.  This area is part of the Back Bay of Boston, and is really pretty to walk around because of all the old buildings and architecture.  One of the reasons that I like this restaurant so much is because the whole front of the restaurant made up of floor-length windows that open up completely in the summertime.  It's really a cool and interesting setup.  The tables in the front are all little cafe tables that all face these windows.  On a busy Saturday afternoon, it is really fun to go get lunch or coffee and just watch what is going on outside.  The food is also fantastic.  The menus change often, and although the menus are different, the food always tastes good and is of great quality.  My favorite thing to order while I am there is one of the flat-bread pizzas.  No matter which one I order, they are always delicious.  Last time, I got a Southwestern style pizza, and it was so nice and fresh.  I can tell that all of the ingredients that go into what are order are always fresh and of the best quality.  The service here is also great.  The first time I went here, I was with my cousin, Lauren, who I was visiting for the weekend.  We went shopping and then ate at this restaurant.  It was such a fun time, and whenever I think of this restaurant now, I look back upon all the fun times I had with her.  Boston is one of my favorite cities, and when I go, Sonsie restaurant is a must to go to.  I highly recommend it to anyone going to visit the Boston area.

The Best Packed Lunch

Without a doubt, the best packed lunch that I bring to school is a pita pocket with an apple, carrots and hummus, and a container of tabouli.  Of course, this lunch is made the night before as it can sometimes be very involved.  Often times, my mom also has to help me because I have not mastered the art of pita pocket making.  The tabouli is usually made ahead of time by my mom, who usually just keeps some in the refrigerator because it's a good, quick lunch to have on hand.  It's also one of my favorite foods.  Usually, tomatoes and feta cheese are added to it along with the normal spices, which is really good.  In the pita pocket, I usually put pepper jack cheese, Italian dressing, and some sort of green such as sprouts.  Sometimes if we have avocados, I put some of that into a pita pocket with sprouts and some salt instead of my normal favorite.  I never put lunch meat into a pita because I don't like lunch meat.  Thinking of how it sits in my locker all day with only an icepack to keep it fresh really freaks me out, and that's all I think about when I eat it during lunch.  I don't like the way that it looks either.  An apple and some carrots with hummus are usually added along with the rest of the lunch to complete it.  However, during advisement, I usually eat the apple as a snack.  Some people might not like this lunch because it is too healthy, but I love to eat organic, fresh fruits and vegetables.  They give me the energy to get through the school day, the sport that I am playing at that time, and all of my homework after.  It's definitely a great treat to be able to have this for lunch every once in a while!

10/4/11 On the Topic of Bullying...

Bullying is a completely unnecessary act and should not be tolerated in any form.  It is a tragedy that some kids have to put up with this in their lives.  No one should be treated poorly because they are different from the rest or share different beliefs.  It is not right.  Being different from one another is what makes us human, and it is hypocritical of another to ridicule this aspect.  Hearing Jamey Rodemeyer's story about how he was bullied is heartbreaking and angering.  This tragedy should not have happened, and it is sad to see just how cruel some people can be.  It makes me angry that some people can be so ignorant and narrow-minded.  Seeing this now as a local issue instead of at a national level is also very eye-opening.  Living in a small town, we are shielded for the most part of this issue.  To see it happen in the Buffalo area on this scale, it shows the majority of us how bad it really is.  Treating others the way you would like to be treated is key here, and it seems as though many people have forgotten this.  It is not right for a person to make fun of and bully someone else and then think that there are no repercussions to their actions.  People need to be able to think more about their actions, and it is sad that they aren't.  In order to spread awareness of this issue, schools should implement a program.  They should begin to educate kids and students at a young age about bullying in order to stop it from happening in the future.  In high school, the programs should continue.  Someone should be available for teens to talk to about their problems and concerns.  Nobody should have to go through what Jamey did.