April 29-May 5 (missing)

I think what draws people to graffiti those places is that they want to catch your attention on the graffiti not necessarily what is truly beautiful. I mean some graffiti is beautiful and is very cool looking but it truly takes away the peacefulness of something so beautiful. I think it also could be a way for someone to be noticed, to feel like they belong. Something else that can definitely trigger someone to graffiti is that they think that they are adding to the beauty that that place already has. Sometimes that is not always the case. But I guess it is kind of like leaving your mark somewhere. I will tell you this it definitely does stand out. I hate the fact that some people do it, but sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Graffiti is a beautiful art that is for sure but it doesn't need to be shown on natural beauty.

April 22-28 Blog Post (missing)

I think what people could look at weird or strange in our culture especially with food is how big everything is. I mean America has like the most massive portions of everything. From drinks down to the size of some fries. You can never escape getting something small. I know that some foreigners are completely shocked when they go to a fast food restaurant and order a large. A large to them is pretty much what our smalls are. It is kinda crazy, yet kind of disgusting how giant you can make a meal. Then again to some people it is not a problem. Even working in a restaurant people cannot believe how big the portions are there. You could definitely make yourself sick. Something else that I think that could be looked at as strange is our dumb measurement system. I do not understand why we can't be like every where else and just have the same measurements and what not. It is so confusing when you have to convert things, not to mention it is very time consuming. My mind seriously is blank right now and there is absolutely nothing else I can think of that is strange or unacceptable.

The Importance of Being Earnest (Earnestness & Seriousness)

Cassi Mecham

Mr. Gowans

LA 12

4/8/2013

Earnestness and Seriousness

Being earnest means that you are showing depth and sincerity of feeling. By having the trait of being earnest it means that you as a person are serious about everything that you do and how you feel. You go about things by what you feel inside yourself and you put full effort into it. To some this trait can be admirable and to some it may not be. It can be a very good thing to have as a trait, because if you are passionate enough about something go about it with earnestness. You put how you feel into your actions are you are completely serious about them. Some people are exceedingly good with that, while others are not. To go about things being earnest is something that could either help you or ruin you.

In the book the Importance of Being Earnest, it shows so much earnestness and seriousness. The characters have their own ways of showing each trait in a good way or a bad way. Earnestness is an admirable trait because it is something you feel deep inside yourself and you know that it is something that you are very passionate about. “Miss Fairfax ever since I have met you, I have admired you more than any other girl” (Wilde 18). To mean this screams earnestness. Jack is so passionate about marrying Gwendolen, and he goes about it in so many wonderful ways. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for her. “Darling you don’t know how happy you have made me” (Wilde 19) This also makes earnestness admirable because happiness truly is the key to everything. Without being earnest how could you be happy? Earnestness is what gives you true feeling about something.

Ways that I think that it can be viewed as a less admirable trait is how you go about things. Because I know there are times where you really just can’t put your whole entire heart into something and end up coming out with nothing. For an example going into every single relationship you have with earnestness is not always a good idea, because when you are so young you need to keep your options open. You cannot just abuse the true feeling of earnestness. When things are supposed to go about in a somewhat non serious fashion it makes things not as good as they should be. Because it would give you no fun in anything. If you get ahead of your heart it might leave you in places that you definitely do not want to be. I do not wish that on anyone. All that I can say is that there are times where you need to hold back and make sure you know exactly what you are doing.

Earnestness and Seriousness are two very similar yet different words. “Seriousness - requiring much thought or work” (Merriam - Webster). Seriousness is giving a very long thought process about something. “Earnestness - an intense and serious mental state” (Merriam - Webster). Earnestness is going about something you feel in a serious manner. These words can be used to go about the same things. They share some of the same intentions and can potentially mean the same thing. Because if you are being earnest you are being serious. Someone who is serious about getting a college education is also earnest because they are working toward that goal and wanting to achieve it. Also someone who is completely serious about running a marathon they earnestly train because of how badly they want to do they best they can in their race. This is what makes these words so similar they share some of the same qualities.

To contrast these two words to me they share the same thing but yet they are so different, being earnest means being serious but being serious does not always mean you are being earnest. “To be earnest means you are taking a step further than being just serious” (Allyson Mecham). This I believe is very true. You can’t be serious and be earnest. Earnest takes all seriousness to the next level because it puts your feelings and your heart into everything and you mean everything you do and say. There are times you can be serious but you don’t have full meaning behind it. You aren’t doing it for a good cause. Because when you earnestly go about something every part of you means it. There is no way that you can cheat yourself because a person who has the quality of being seriously earnest about something is better off than someone who is just serious about something. “You will of course understand that for the future there is to be no communication of any kind between you and Miss Fairfax” (Wilde 26). Lady Bracknell was being absolutely serious about what she was saying but it turns out she wasn’t earnest about it because she ended up letting Miss Fairfax have her way and be with Mr. Worthing. Throughout this play people are serious and people are earnest. It can be a very good thing but at times it can always be a bad thing. Knowing the difference between these words makes these characters stand out so much more in this book.

Works Cited

“Earnestness” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 15 April 2013

“Seriousness” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 15 April 2013

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Simon & Schuster paperback edition. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. Print.

Advice (April 15 - 21)

The times in my opinion that it is wise for a friend to give advice when they and you both know that you are getting yourself into a big mess. Like when they legitimately know that you need help then by all means they can help you with anything in the world. The times I think that friends should just listen is when they do not know anything about the situation you are going through or what has happened. It drives me insane when a friend will not listen to you AT ALL but expect you to listen and be there for them through everything. In reality sometimes all you need is for someone to listen too. Not to make judgments or make you feel so low. 

It helps a lot when you really need someone and they are just there to listen to you and let you spill your thoughts and your heart. Some friends need to learn how to do that. Pretending to listen just does not cut it what so ever. Because when tragedy hits you, you need someone. When a friend tries to give you advice about something they have never gone through is just plain ridiculous to me. No one should have a say in what you should do if they have never experienced it.

Struggling Financially (April 8-14)

If I was struggling my whole life financially and I won the million dollar lottery I do not know if I would give to charity. I think if I did give to any it would be something to help out kids in orphanages or something like that. Possibly even helping the homeless. Even though it would be a miracle for me to have all that money I would still feel the need to do what I can to help out someone else. But all in all I think I would help out my parents as well. Definitely help out people who mean the most. I know that isn't giving to a charity but it would be something that would mean a whole lot to me. To see my parents debt free and happy.

Winning the lottery would be such an awesome thing. I mean there would be so many amazing things that I could do to help out myself. Get me through college and achieve my dreams and goals. Cause not every has the chance to pretty much pay everything down for school. Most people struggle with it and I think personally that's what my main focus would be. I want to go to college and get a degree more than anything. I don't want to be stuck doing some dumb job that will never get me anywhere.

If Someone You Loved Was Seriously Injured or Killed (April 2-7)

If someone that I loved was was seriously injured or killed by a texting driver it would completely change me life. I would never EVER think about texting and driving ever again. I mean I don't do it now, but I have done it before. It is such a distracting thing and it's not worth it to text and risk getting hurt or killing yourself, or someone else. People don't really understand how big of an impact it can have on your life or someone else's. It breaks my heart when I see people on the freeway doing it and they are swerving and it DOESN'T stop them.

To me my life and the others around me is way to important to risk losing. I mean when you are the driver and you pull out your phone, YOU are responsible for the people in your car. To make a stupid mistake to ruin someone's life it just not worth it to me. I would be devastated if something like that happened to me, because it is something that you can't take back no matter what. I would never want to go through it or watch someone I love go through it. People need to be more smart and stop driving like idiots. It may seem like you can check your phone for just a second but in the long run it really is NOT a good idea.

One Quarter of the Year Remains (March 11-17)

Well I cannot believe that it is already to the last term of my high school career. I feel nervous and afraid for where I am going in my life after this. But the rights and responsibilities are incredible. Everything that we do from our freshman year all the way to our senior determines if we graduate or not. We need to make sure that we get all the credits we need and that we are in the right classes. There is no reason for us to NOT get enough credits to finish high school. Not to mention high school graduation determines where we go after this. It is so important for all of us.

We as seniors are responsible to make sure that we are ready to graduate and leave this high school. No one else can complete things for us. It is all on our shoulders, whether we are ready for it or not. No matter what we do at the end of this year it could count against us for count with us. We are responsible for our grades and for all of our work. This year is what we have been working for, and we should be ready to take on the world and all the other things that come in our direction.

Success In Highschool (March 4th-10th)

Advice that I would give to the freshman about being successful in high school would definitely to help them understand that their grades really do matter. Like it may not seem that they do but it's a whole different story. They determine scholarships for college and everything like that. Sometimes I wish when I was a freshman and sophomore I would have tried just a LITTLE harder so I would have a better all over GPA. Also grades depend on whether you participate in sports or student council. You need to have decent grades to do these things. If they are something that you really love to do then it should be a piece of cake to keep your grades up so you can continue having a good time.

For social the advice I have is to pick good friends. Be around people who continue to lift you up and put you down in any way. It is definitely not worth it to feel like you have no friends because you get in with the wrong crowd. I say just keep your head up and be friends with those who are nice to you and who are there for you through thick and thin. Those friends are the ones who you will continue to talk to the rest of your life. I don't know I just think that if you fall through with the wrong friends you can find yourself in a place that you really do not want to be in.

Black Box of your Life (Feb. 25-March 3)

If I had a black box of my life, I think I would put only the things that matter the most to me in it. Photographs would probably fill my box to the brim. Because pictures tell a thousand stories and everyone loves looking at them. I would include pictures of everywhere I have been and all the people I am close with. It would also be nice to write the date and everything down so I would know exactly how old I was during that time. To me pictures are just like seeing your memories in a small piece of paper and I really enjoy looking at them. 

Another thing I think would be good for my black box would be little key chains, or small stuffed animals, maybe even something to do with my love and passion for music. I would just want to include every possible thing that I love and enjoy so people would know exactly who I was. I bet my box would be gigantic because I have so much freaking stuff that would just be good to use in it. Also I don't think I would want it to be black, I would choose like purple or yellow so it would stand out!

Favorite Quote (Feb 18th-24th)

“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the quote that has shaped my life. You see Stephen Chbosky is full of extreme amounts of inspiration. Everything that he does is very touching. This quote gives me hope and has helped me take care of the things that I need to in order to succeed. Way to many times we wonder why we are the person we are. Little do we know we are meant to be this person that is hiding deep down inside of us.

We need to embrace who we are and what we have. No matter if it isn't the greatest out there, we can sure make it end up that way. That is what this quote tells me. I do not need to sit around here and wait for something to change. I am the only thing that can bring that change to pass, even if it is very hard I have the power to do it. Even if I do not agree with what happens at first I can be okay with it because no matter what I am strong and I can make a difference. I can be the best I can be.

Less Fast Food (Fed. 11th-17th)

I think what we need to do to encourage less fast food, is to start showing kids when they are younger how good healthy food is. I mean to many parents rely on just going out to eat because it is fast and an easy clean up. But really when you take the time to cook a great healthy sit down meal that has all food groups an is good for you, your whole entire family will enjoy it. Not only does fast food make you gain more weight it makes you crave soda. I mean soda is okay to have every once in a while but not all the time. I think we should just use fast food as a very rare choice to eat.

Personally I am not the type of person who likes to go out to eat all the time. I would rather stay home and cook something from scratch that has loads of veggies. As for fruit I like to include that more into my breakfast because I can eat it with granola, or just by itself. Also it's good to encourage fruit and vegetables as a good way to snack. Even if it's not really something you enjoy to snack on just keep trying different kinds an maybe you will like it. Fast food restaurants are seriously taking over and encouraging people to eat there always. We need to have the self control and not always give in to it.

Rehabilitation of Criminals (Feb. 4-10)

            In my opinion I think that it does work to an extent, because those people who are serving time for drug use then yes it does. Giving them punishment first and then gradually bringing them to a better place in the jail works for some men. But I say that they still serve the same as there were going to be if they are good then can then start their path to a full recovery. Because this summer I actually had the oppurtunity to speak with 5 people at the Utah State Prison.                       

          The 5 people who talked to use were doing punishment along with rehabilitation which was working surprisingly very well for those men. A lot of them got teary when they were talking about what they did and why they were there. Because they knew it was stupid, but yet they didn’t fight the time they were serving. All of them said they deserved every bit of the punishment they had. So therefore both of them together can work very well, it all just depends on if the prisoner is willing to cooperate with the program. Because they could fix themselves if they really wanted too. It still won’t take away their past but it might brighten up their future .

Presidential Superpower (Jan. 28-Feb. 3)

            The superpower that would be most useful for the president probably would probably be to read people’s minds. Because you would find out so many things by doing that. All those people who work in the house, you would know exactly what they were thinking. They wouldn’t be able to pull something sneaky on you and keep things from you. You could bring up things that they were thinking even if they are bad or good. Not to mention you would know exactly how to fix and help the things that people need most.

            You could go in and help the country get back on their feet. Everything could be fixed, you could stop the crime rates, increasing homeless rate, and the very low income people. I think it would be cery effective to be able to read minds because you would know exactly what to do all the time. Those kids who are struggling with money for college and education, you could go in and help them as well. You could also not let the other people you work with spend money on programs and solutions that do absolutely nothing. You would be able to fix all of the money problems we have.

For the Love of Makeup (Concept Essay)

Cassi Mecham
Mr. Gowans
LA 12
1/15/2013

For the Love of Makeup

            Isn’t it kind of insane that so many women, teenagers, and young girls wear makeup? It grabs so much attention from every single age group of girls. It’s sometimes hard to come across someone who actually doesn’t wear any makeup. There are some people who wear the right amount and some people that just go completely over the top. It can be a fun, beautiful looking art or it can be a cakey, messy, and just way too much kind of art. You know when you walk down the street you see some women who literally just need to chill out on how much they put on. Some ladies just go way over the top and put so much on to the point that you get freaked out! It is everywhere we go, and we get dragged into purchasing it. Even if it’s expensive it always seems like we just NEED to have it. All of the different products and colors and brands is what makes it that much more interesting. Girls just really like to see what different, cool, amazing, beautiful looks they can come up with. Technically women don’t really need makeup because we are all beautiful without it. Women need to realize that the makeup choices we have today are not to fix our imperfections but, to just add a little something extra to how beautiful we already are.
            Cosmetics have been around for the longest time. They were even popular in the ancient world. Yes, that might be hard to believe, but women back then wanted to have more self confidence too. Surprisingly, they did a lot of the same things we do. They removed unwanted hair, which is a really common thing this day and age. They also used blush, colored in their eyebrows, used eyeshadow, and highlighted their faces. It really is kind of crazy that even as far back as the ancient world, girls still wanted to look more beautiful and impress others. It was like it is today. They did pretty much exactly what we do with makeup. When they used it they called it a self-adornment. They didn’t use it to try to cut out imperfections, they used it to add color to their face or to their clothing. They didn’t want everything to be so plain, which is actually kind of interesting. The whole point, to them, was just to add a pop of color not a whole new face. To put more emphasis on a beautiful structure they already had. Self-adornment, which means to add color or decoration, is they focused on. These women wanted to improve themselves by bettering their self adornments. For them it was kind of something extra to add when there were very special events so they could attract people to get to know them.
            Now to get further into this discussion. As we all know every young girl wants to be beautiful and look just like the older women they see. I mean cosmetics even attract elementary age kids and pre-teens. All girls just feel that need to be glamourous. Everywhere they go there are always makeup in advertisements in magazines, websites, and in stores. From magazines, online websites, and stores. It is something that is very accessible even to someone as young as these girls who don’t particularly need to wear make up. It targets every age group because of how extremely fascinating it is. What i’m really trying to say is makeup says that age doesn’t matter. Any girl should be able to wear it whenever they would like to. Although older girls and women tend to pull it off better, you’re welcome to it if you honestly want it that bad. Something that is a disadvantage of these young girls using makeup is that it kind of takes away the little kid or younger girl that they are. It implies that they are ready to look grown up. In most cases parents don’t think that that is necessary just yet. Makeup is a wonderful thing, but we need to be a little careful on how much we use it.
            Do you think makeup really makes somebody more attractive? Well that is what most women think. That is why we take hours upon hours getting ready every single day. You see some ladies with a lot of makeup and think they are just trying to cover up their “unattractive” faces. What they are doing is trying to give a positive outlook upon the world. Being positive has a very great effect on people, so if the makeup helps with that attitude then so be it. Girls don’t want others to see their bad skin or dark circles. The way it seems is that it is used somewhat as a mask, to help present themselves better when they are around a lot of people or just going out. All women want to feel like they belong. Makeup gives them more confidence and positive outlook on themselves and they aren’t afraid to show their faces to anyone. A woman's level of confidence literally shoots up as soon as she get that makeup on their face. It makes women feel very pretty! That is probably the most important thing. If girls love makeup so much and want to wear a lot then hey we should let them. Really you can’t help it, it is a definite need for a woman to have. Honestly, if it makes girls feel better to have it and to wear it then that’s all that really matters.
            Makeup is here to help women add something extra to the already beautiful faces they have. As you can see, no matter the age or ethnicity makeup is a necessity. That is absolutely a fact. Women throughout life on earth have used makeup. Maybe not all types but at least some form of it. I bet if those ladies who lived a long time ago got to come into the world right now and walk into a MAC, Sephora, or Ulta store they would die. Makeup is a huge industry and targets everybody. It can change someone's appearance or simply add something extra. There will always be makeup and women will always have the chance to experiment and use any products they would like. I guess what I’m trying to say is girls love makeup. We don’t have to be taught or shown how to love it and use it. It is just a natural thing to us. We all love the day we get to wear makeup for the first time and experience how fun it is. There is just so much about it that girls love. From the brand, color, how much shimmer, if it’s a matte color, if it’s smooth, nice packaging, it doesn’t matter. We love everything about it. It is something that stands out to all girls of all ages, races, and skin types. It’s just something that attracts women and all that they do. No matter how far back makeup actually goes, it is all kind of the same, and shows how similar women still are today

Works Cited

Fieldman George, Hussey Trevor, Robertson Julia. “Who Wears Cosmetics? Individual Differences…” Individual Differences Research 6.1 (2008): 38-56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2013.

Judar, Nina. "Beauty, Simplified." Good Housekeeping 253.1 (2012): 49-51. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2013

Labovitz, Gail. “Even Your Mother and Your Mother’s Mother: Rabbinic Literature On Women’s  Usage of Cosmetics.” Nashi: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies and Gender Issues 23     (2012): 12-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2013.

“Mommy, did you borrow my blush?” Consumer Reports 66.10 (2001): 9. Academic Search
            Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2013

Stonehenge or The Great Wall of China (Jan 21-27)

Personally I would actually love to go to Stonehenge. I love the UK and think the people from there have the most lovely accents. Plus it looks so pretty and green. Not to mention the Stonehenge has always kind of fascinated me in ways. I think it is because my dad has seen some of those things when he went to Ireland. It would be really cool to see something so old and be able to take pictures of it and actually tell people that you have been there. Also you can spend time with all the lovely people from England, Britain, and Scotland. You wouldn't have to worry about not knowing a different language as well. You would be able to communicate with them no problem.

Also being able to be at Stonehenge would kind of just take you back, and help you picture where it came from and everything that could have happened there. You could think about all the people that were standing in that exact same spot thinking about the same thing. It would just be a fascinating experience and definitely a once in a life time opportunity to be there. Because it's and all expense paid trip and you wouldn't have to spend a fortune.

Hollywood vs Rover (Jan 14-20)

As a society the reason why we care so much more about Hollywood then Rover is because of all the attention the stars get. Like everyone thinks that all of the famous actors, actresses, bands, talk show hosts are just the absolute best people that exist on this planet. I mean yes without them we would have no movies, TV shows, or music. But our society should really be concerned about what scientists have been discovering out there in space. Maybe it's because people are embarrassed to actually like and learn about things outside of this world. But it's just not as much fame as Hollywood happens to be.

Everyone knows that if a famous person would be on the next rocket to the space station, or out studying and helping with the mars expedition people would be all over the whole thing. Which in my case is sort of ridiculous. People who find things out about Mars and what it is like there should get so much more credit then they do right now. Because to me it is them who will change the world and hopefully open up more opportunities for us. Not the people in Hollywood, they just entertain us. Curiosity Rover is on it's way to more discoveries.

Working Out (Weekly Post 15)

This week I have learned how good it feels to exercise. Let me start off with this, I absolutely hate working out like I just think it sucks! But this week I have forced myself to start this 30 day workout. So far it has actually been pretty good! I have actually felt a ton better! I haven't been staying up all hours of the night anymore. My body is able to crash at a decent hour and I get a ton of sleep and sleep really good as well. So if you want to end up just literally feeling a lot better day to day. Workout, because guaranteed you won't want to give up on it! You will have motivation to push through the whole entire thing!

I didn't think it was going to be possible for me to actually stick to it and still be doing it. Because I actually tried to do this same workout about 2 months ago and I quit because it was pissing me off and I hated it with a freaking passion. Well I still hate it with a passion but, I refuse to give up! I have to finish with flying colors! Plus it's my new years resolution to be fit! Even though that's always my resolution but who cares! You don't know how good something could be until you give it a try. That's why I started working out again. To look better and to feel better.

Living In Suspense (Weekly Post 14)

This week I learned the true meaning of living in suspense for about 3 minutes I kid you not. As you may have known I went to Justin Bieber on the 5th with Jill. Holy freaking crap, I felt like I was going to punch somebody after waiting an hour for the Bieb to get on stage. We waited on hour after Carley Rae Jepson for Justin to get on the stage. Once all those lights shut off all 22,000 girls including myself started screaming! I felt like my ear drums were going to burst. I was literally going deaf for about 2 minutes.

When those long 3 minutes FINALLY went by the screen at the top of the stage split in half and there he was. Sliding on the ceiling with huge giant angel wings. It was incredible. Oh you know that once his feet touched the stage everybody went wild! The girl next to me was bawling her eyes out, I wanted to through about 15 punches in her direction. I mean honestly why would you cry? It does absolutely NOTHING for you.