(bi)weekly biz

My eyes dilated at the paper in front of me. I tried to control my breathing as I felt myself hyper-focusing on the crinkle at the top of the page. This is an imminent disaster. Why did I let him pass the paper to me? I should’ve just gotten it myself. There’s something so beautiful about a flat, perfect sheet of paper - why would anyone want to ruin it? Honestly, the assignment is barely worth doing if the paper is wrinkled. I attempt to refocus on the teacher’s lecture (something about poetry?) but there’s no use. The crease controls me.

I still can't begin to understand how people manage to function off of 2-3 hours of sleep every night. And yet, everyone seems to be doing it? There's no doubt that we've turned it into some crazy competition. I'm already prepared to walk in tomorrow and hear the following conversation: "oh my godddddd. i literally stayed up until midnight to finish that blog post." "that means you basically got 6 hours of sleep. ugh you're so luckyyyyy. i stayed up till 3." So, not only are we invalidating others' problems, but we are also creating a culture that encourages others to make unhealthy choices for bragging rights. It's not the only thing we do it for either: "you wrote your ap seminar paper three days before it was due? i did mine the literal day it was due." "i can't believe you drive 50 in a 45. like you gotta drive 65 at least!" This isn't to say that I'm not guilty of the exact same things, but I'm sta...

walking into room 214 for the first time, i remember picking the seat in the corner, right by the door. i was given a poem to read and annotate on the first day of school, and i remember going home and telling my mom that i was most definitely going to fail ap lang. looking back i probably severely overreacted, but the only way i made it through was because of the writers and people who supported me. i cannot thank you enough. i am deeply indebted to the writers that guided me on this journey. sarah vowell for teaching me, for the first time, that professional writing does not always have to be formal in the partly cloudy patriot. david foster wallace for reminding me to stay optimistic in this is water and for boosting my ego over my veganism in consider the lobster. maxine hong kingston for highlighting the use of storytelling to convey a deeper meaning in the woman warrior. f. scott fitzgerald for introducing me to a million new perspectives on the american dream and our country...

Think about your very first-ever non-fiction book. Perhaps it was in elementary school - an informational book about frogs, probably 10 times more photographs than words. Think about how you may have felt - the awe of looking at something so real, something that felt like it was coming straight off the page. Now imagine that book without the pictures. Just a few words lie sparsely on the page. Not the same impact, right? Think about the first time you had to assemble something - maybe a Lego set or a piece of furniture. Most manuals have a few pictures to help you figure it out. And sometimes, you may have to refer to a YouTube video to figure it out. Would you have been equally as successful without the photos and videos that guided you? Imagine a phone without a camera roll. A TikTok without a feed. A scrapbook without photos.  Photos and videos are parts of our lives in so many ways. Imagining a world without photos seems so dreary and devoid of the vivid memories and emotions t...

Today, environmentally conscious behavior is becoming incorporated into consumerism culture. Everywhere we turn we see "The Best Vegan Diet!" or "Buy This Free Trade, Vegan, Sustainably Sourced, Dye Free Sweater - Only $899!" It has become a trend, a subgroup of "Woke" culture, an attempt to seem "with the times" and relevant.  Corporations have created eco-friendly seeming contributions, but continue to prove time and time again that they do not care about the actual issue of the climate crisis, rather, they are out to seem "good" to consumers. Starbucks released a new strawless lid to reduce its plastic usage, which included more plastic than the old lid and straw combined. This proves that Starbucks was not actually interested in the health and safety of this planet but rather in its skyrocketing sales.  Activism for the conservation movement reached its peak when I was in 7th grade, in 2019. Greta Thunberg and other young, relevant ...

Prompt 7: A Letter From the Future Today CNN announced that the bottom third of Florida has officially gone underwater. I guess I'm not in shock because they've been predicting this for the past few decades due to the rising global temperatures and sea levels. They are predicting that air will be unbreathable in the next 40 years. I suppose I'm more disappointed in the past generations that destroyed our environment past a point of no return, with no care for the generation that actually has to live through this. You burned fossil fuels in almost all of your daily activities leading to the destruction of the natural world. Despite the many warnings you received from experts about the harmful nature of your behaviors, you refused to change them. You continued to eat meat and drink milk despite being aware of its negative impacts on the environment. You simply brushed off these issues, labeling them as “later-issues.” Perhaps it’s because you had no care for those of us that ...

Arya and I decided to team up for this one - this is for you, Sara :) Essentially the premise of this blog is to call you out on your many politically incorrect statements (maybe we should make a Google doc for you instead of Mrs. Valentino).  I know Arya is discussing your obsession with drawing your friends as monkeys, so I'll talk a bit about using an Indian accent to comfort those around you. The other day when Ivana was stressed you were somehow supportive, hilarious, and definitely politically incorrect in your attempt to console her. I'm not quite sure how you managed to do it, but I need to take some notes. It's not to say that I don't appreciate the way you speak. You always manage to lighten up a room with your presence and funny comments. When you say "politically incorrect" things - it somehow makes the conversation better and keeps it lighthearted. Thank you for that :) I'm glad we ended up in the same English class because I would never have ...