Christmas Special

This week I am going to be doing a lot of blogging about my holiday I celebrate, Christmas. Sorry if you celebrate something different, but I will not be doing blogging over other holidays. I don't know them well and don't feel comfortable honestly trying to say I do. So, anyways, let's get started

Christmas time is one of the best times of the year. Without a question. For me, Christmas time really starts as soon as thanksgiving is over. Once I get back from visiting my family for Thanksgiving, and it turns into December, and snow begins to fall, it feels like Christmas. Somethings, like snow, family, food, just need to be there in order for it to feel like Christmas. I think that the main point of Christmas for me at least is that you get to do lots of thing you normally wouldn't do with your family.Think of all the Christmas traditions you have. Going to church on Christmas Eve. Singing Silent Night. Opening Presents. Meeting Family. Having dinner. Baking Cookies. Whatever you do. Think what this time of year would feel like with out those. Doesn't feel quite right does it? So, I argue, that it isn't just this time of year that is special, but the way we spend it with our families that do. Family is really important to me this kind of year, especially remembering those from my family who are no longer with us. Our family always gets together at our aunt's house and we have a big party for everyone to come and bring different things and just have a great time. I love Christmas, it is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. Just there is nothing else that compares to it for me. I get to do so many things with my family leading up to Christmas, and then as soon as it is over I have my birthday, then I go back to school and catch up with everyone that I had been missing for the past half of a month. Christmas break is going to be busy busy busy for me this year and I think I am just about ready for it. This is my last week before we are off for break and I am really looking forward to being able to sleep in, as well as I am ready for Christmas. Now if only there could be snow on the ground.

Entertainment Value of Snow

A lot of people don't even get to experience snow every year, but for those of us that do here in the midwest and out east, snow gets kind of a bad reputation. It is usually assosiated with being a hazard on the road and causing traffic delays, grounding flights, preventing you from getting to work on time. But, what about all the positives of snow? Have you ever thought to stop and appreciate it? I mean how many times have you gone outside and played in the snow over your lifetime? Hopefully a lot. And, if you have done that you would know that is super fun. You don't hate snow when you go sledding, do you? Or when you go skiing? Or make a snowman? Of course not. Because snow isn't that bad. You should stop and take some time this year to appreaciate the snow, and go out and build a fort, or snowman, or have a snowball fight! Do something fun with the snow this year instead of dredding it. I can't wait until we get snow on the ground, it is kind of sad seeing this time of year without snow. It really just doesn't feel like winter in Iowa without about a foot of snow. I am just making this post hoping we get snow soon, and if not within the next few days, at least we need it before Christmas. Christmas with out snow just doesn't seem right. Have you ever gone looking at Christmas lights without there being a fresh pile of white fluffy snow lining the rooftops and the ground? It just doesn't sound as appealing as it would if you have ever seen it with snow. Snow is really special and it somewhat magical. Ever thing about how no two snowflakes are the same? Well it is quite interesting, a single snowflake takes a path that no other snowflake before it has, and no one after it ever will. It is a trailblazer on a new adventure, making twists and turns that shape and mold it. Wind makes the decision and tells it where to go, and it creates something beautiful and unique, and then billions of these snowflakes line your driveway for you to shovel away ruthlessly.

Holiday Baking

Around the holidays my family always decides to make tons of cookies. My mom usually makes the most, but lately she has been teaching me to make some of the cookies and treats as well. We sometimes go up to MN and get togethor with our family and just bakje cookies for an entire day sometimes even an entire weekend. We usually end up making so many cookies that we actually just give over half of them away and then gorge on the remaining hundred dozen or so. These cookies aren't just fun because we get to eat the cookies, which don't get me wrong is really fun, but it is fun because we get to spend time with family and talk and get to know what is going on with eachother. These kinds of traditions are what makes winter so much fun for me. Getting to spend time with family and know that Christmas is on the way is one thing that makes me look forward to winter every year. As soon as summer is over I start waiting for winter to come, counting down the days that it will be until winter break where I will then go up to Minnesota and have a wonderful Christmas with my family. Family traditions are really important, not just baking, but other things too, like gift exchanges, going and seeing movies, staying in and making family dinners, whatever it is that you guys do, make sure you always set aside time to do it, even if it isn't that important to yourself, because it could be really important to your family that you do it for them. Just like my tradition, I don't love to bake, but I do love being able to spend time with my family, and I love getting a lot of cookies out of it.

Winter Fun Ideas

Hey everyone, even though there isn't any snow here I thought I would make a series of blogs about things that you can do only in the winter and why winter is the best season. Okay, so this first blog is all about fun things that are exclusive to winter.
#1 Sledding
Sledding is probably one of my favorite activities to do. Like ever. I really mean it though, sledding is so much fun and I hope all of you will take some time out of your winter to go and sled on a big hill. I will for sure when we get snow here finally.
#2 Skiing and Snowboarding
I have tons of fun going to ski with my friends in the winter even though i am actually terrible at skiing. Being good isn't what makes it fun though, it is just being surrounded by the white snow and being able to hang out with some awesome people and have an excuse to drink tons of hot chocolate.
#3 Snowball fights
If you haven't ever been in a snowball fight you are missing out on a big part of your life. Snowball fights are pretty much the only way I spent my childhood winters, but they got spot three because now that people actually are bigger you could get hurt by their snowballs :/
#4 Holidays
There isn't another season that has as many holidays as winter. I celebrate Christmas and have a great time every year with my family. I go to MN and have a blast seeing my cousins that I don't normally get to see.

Those are my top reasons for why winter is the best season, and I hope you guys have a snowier winter than I am having!

Woodworking

Today, I have another fun hobby for you to maybe explore. I have never personally done this, but none the less it is still very fun and rewarding. Woodworking is something that is going to take quite a bit to get into but the rewards can be great. People not only woodwork as a hobby but also as a job in some cases. People who
Really get into the hobby have shops where they woodwork. But for now I'm going to start off with the basics

So, the concept of woodworking is quite simple. You take wood, and craft it into anything. Really anything you want, a chair, a table, a bench, a sculpture, a toy, anything! But there is quite a bit more than that when you get into it. It is very intricate and requires an insane amount of precision. One mistake can cause you to have to trash the piece you are working on.

Selecting the wood is a big part of the process, you have to pick something that will have enough support for what you are trying to do and something that had the color you want. The wood selection takes quite a bit of time because there is simply so many types to choose from. But this part is much less time consuming than the other steps of this process.

The design is something that takes quite a bit of time and thought. You have to pick something you are about to dedicate tons of hours to so choose wisely.

So, all in all woodworking is really cool and a hobby I would eventually like to get into, but it is quite expensive and time consuming. Thanks for reading!

Cooking for Fun

Hey everyone,
Today I am going to be going over something that I have gotten into recently. I began baking over this summer and ever since I have loved it. Starting out is pretty easy because you can choose how difficult of things you want to make. I personally love making sweets, and make anything and everything. Recipes have a wide array of difficulty so no matter your experience, once you pick up the hobby you will be able to find something you can do. The best part about baking is not only do you get to do something fun, you get to eat afterwards. Also, lots of people compliment you no matter how hard it was to make as long as the food tastes good.
Starting off, cooking desserts is relatively easy and low stress because if you mess up, it's not like you just wasted money on a whole dinner, it was just for after. I make probably way too many desserts, but that allows me to bring them to people who will always appreciate the fact that you made something for them, even though they might not realize you just don't want to eat so many sweets.
Cooking dinner is something that can be both fun, and healthy. If you live alone, learning to cook your own dinners rather than having a take and bake pizza, going out to eat, or eating a frozen dinner, can help you start eating a more balanced diet. You get to choose from a much wider array of foods when you cook for yourself and that gives you more chances to be healthy. But, cooking isn't all about health. Once you get more skilled at cooking you are able to start eating delicious food that you made yourself that is cheaper than going out. It is quite a rewarding experience all in all. Self satisfaction + tasty food = Lots of happy nights in

So, if you are thinking about learning how to cook, either for yourself or as a hobby, check out some other sources on the internet so you are able to get off on the right track and start to make yourself treats, snacks, dinner, anything you want. Cooking will be able to let you have people over more often if you want to for fancy dinners, and also will let you have a better night in. But, don't think just because you learned how to cook you have to eat  every meal in.

👻 Emojis 👻

In the most recent update of IOS software on iPhones, there was an improvement to iMessage. There was the addition of tons of new Emojis 
Picture from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/here-are-new-emojis-available-ios-9-1-1519269


There are over 90 new Emojis that were released, most of the ones above are new, some have been around however.

Faces - There was the addition of a hurt face, with bandages around the head, a zipped shut face, a nerd face, a money face, and a detective face. Also some faces now include hands.

Clothing - There was no new clothing added, all of it had been there

Animals- The turkey is new, probably here for Thanksgiving, a unicorn, a scorpion, and a crab

Food- Had the addition of cheese, taco, burrito, wine, popcorn, the plate,

Weather - There was the addition of some new weather based Emojis, including a shooting star

Religious Structures - Various religious buildings were added

These emojis are nice to see and fun to have. Many of them won't be used quite often but some will be more of a success than others. Emojis are really cool and are fun to use when talking to friends. I myself have lots of contacts in my phone with Emojis in the name as a sort of run on joke between me and friends. Emojis are also great for helping express what you mean by a text, as text can be perceived various different ways depending on the mood of the person reading. Something like "We need to talk" could be perceived as there is a problem with out the addition of an Emoji, but with the addition of a happy faced emoji, the whole mood of the text is altered and makes the other person realize you want to talk to them more often, as you haven't talked as much as you would like. Make use of Emojis in your texts with friends, but make sure you don't use them with the wrong people. They do not belong in texts to your boss or other formal texts/emails!

Super Smash Bros

Today I'm going to talk about my favorite game to play. It was one of the first games I played and it is still my absolute favorite. Super smash bros throughout the years has been an amazing game to play. Whether you are alone or with friends it's a great way to alleviate boredom. I first started playing it on the Nintendo 64 when it was first released and have played every version of the game since. Smash 64, melee, brawl, and now for 3ds and wii u, the game has been one of the best throughout the years. It is a fighting game between characters  from multiple games, including pokemon, Pac-Man, Megaman, the iconic Mario, Sonic, and even Ryu from Street fighter. The idea of fighting with characters across many platforms is really cool. There are over 60 characters throughout all the games and still more in the works. There are so many ways to play the game too. People play for fun, and with friends, and then also there is a competitive scene where people play in tournaments and try to be the best. The game has had lots of success recently with the Wii u version of the game gaining popularity. More and more people have begun to change over from their old favorite version of the game to the Wii U version. This game has been one of my favorite throughout the years and it has always been there to alleviate my boredom. Smash Bros. Is having a great year and before the end of the year it will only get better, because soon there will be the release of more characters including Cloud from Final Fantasy. This game is truly unique, making you able to decide who the ultimate fighter is even if they used to not even be from the same console you could play the games on.

Mobile Games that Beat Being Bored

Hey everyone,
Ever been stuck somewhere with your phone thinking you have nothing to do and you're just so bored? I think everyone has. But, why is that? If you have a Smart Phone you have access to millions of games you could be playing while you're thinking you have nothing you can do. That's why today I am here to bring you guys some ideas for what to do when just stuck with your phone. We don't all have unlimited data to just constantly stream Netflix, and we don't always have a phone charger so we can play some huge game that drains your battery. These games will be able to be played for hours on end and will help you beat boredom.

Monkey City - This is a game that is based of the Bloons Tower Defense games that you could have played online sometime in the past decade. This game takes it a step further though and makes it very similar to Farmville or Clash of Clans, where you have to buy the monkeys that you need to conquer land around you. The game does take some battery, but it is very easy on your data and won't cause you to feel bored.

ZigZag - Zigzag is an arcade style game that is one of my favorites. You play by tapping your screen to change direction of a ball and try to keep it along a path. Seems simple right? But, as the title would indicate the path "zigzags" a lot, and continually gets faster the longer you survive. I know I've spent countless hours trying to get a highscore on this game, and I for sure recommend it.

AdVenture Capitalist! - This game is something that you probably can't play for that long of a time period, but will keep you entertained, and give you something to do sometimes. All you do is invest your money into different sources that will return you money continually. You can diversify and continue to build your empire. It is quite an addicting game in my opinion and one I would for sure recommend.

Smash Road: Wanted - Everyone has to have a good racing game on their phone. This one is by far my favorite and it is different than most. It is a police chase styled game where you drive around trying to build up the most amount of time evading cops, getting more cops to try to catch you, and collecting coins to buy new cars during it. The game doesn't take much battery, and is able to be played offline, so it is just a win win overall.

Video Games

Video games are a great way to beat boredom. The thing is about them, there are so many to choose from! How could you ever find one that you would like? There are shooting games, fighting games, adventure games, role playing games, racing games, and the list goes on. And not to mention, there are literally thousands if not closer to a million types of games under each genre.... So, the question is how do you find something you like? Well, start by picking the type of games you enjoy, then look for popular games in there. Then you try to find the game you most enjoy from there. Once you figured out a few you like, you need to start concerning yourself with the community of the game, and if the people playing it are people you want to associate yourself with. Sometimes the community for a game is really helpful and supportive and can help you and others play the game better/ learn more about it/ get more people into it. Other times you're going to find games with communities that are quite literally the opposite. There are some games that have very toxic communities and that can drive people away from the game.

The other thing I want to touch on in this post is about the stigma that goes with playing video games.  People for some reason think it is a bad thing that they play a certain game, or that they should be ashamed of the games they play. I think that is quite an odd concept to have thought of. Everyone has something they do with free time, so why does it matter if you do something you like to do ( game). I understand that many people don't want to be seen as "nerdy" but over hundreds of millions of people play video games. Also, people think that playing a game competitively is strange. I am very competitive in two different gaming communities, and now that you know that, would you have expected it? People aren't defined by what they do with their free time. So, the idea that gaming is something to be ashamed of, is crazy.

Can It Really Be True? [Walking Dead Spoilers Inside]

Spoiler warning, if you don't want to see spoilers for the fifth season of TWD, you should just close your eyes and scroll to another point on the page. Far far away from this part of the page. Are you gone yet? Please leave so I can start this blog. Alright Thanks.

Lots of us are wondering it. Few have accepted it. Many don't want to face what seems like the truth. Can Glenn be dead? Many of us saw the heartbreaking scene where he tried to save the life of another, and then was thrown from the roof of the van into a hoard of walkers. This probably caused about 90% of the viewers to go into shock, and probably more to cry. Glenn, the man we knew since the beginning scenes, appeared to die... How can this be happening you ask. Well, unfortunately I don't know. I really want to believe that he is still alive. There are many ideas floating around that he is still potentially alive, but there is a lot of doubt from most people who experienced the traumatic incident of watching the show live. Well here is the main theory that I have heard going around. The idea that when Glenn went to grab Nicholas, they both fell, with Nicholas landing on top of glenn. This would allow for that scene where we saw guys being torn out around Glenn to not have been from Glenn. This case, the already dead Nicholas would have acted quite literally as a meat shield for Glenn's body. This would hopefully allow Glenn to then crawl under the van and hide from the walkers. I have my own speculations about this, because it would be hard to crawl under the van after just hitting the ground with the weight of two grown men, then crawling under the van while there was a grown man on top of you, and then also many zombies holding that man down on top of that. This would be an incredible stretch in my opinion but it is still possible. Then the other questions that are raise is if Glenn really is stuck under that van, how long could he survive? He was already on a run, so it is not like he had much food or water left with him. I am having very strong doubts that Glenn could survive this. But, I believe. I really want to believe that Glenn, the guy I've known for years, is still alive. After all he's been through, the times he's come close to death. I don't want it to be over.

Learning How to Code

Learning how to understand and write your own programs is a really cool experience. The first program you make is really cool, but then you realize just how basic your code is, and then begins the arms race of continually trying to make the best program you can make. Every time you finish a program, you will want to play with it for so long, and then that leads to you wanting to improve it, and make it superior. Once you learn how to code there is nothing stopping you from making an amazing program. But, I'm going to break this apart into sections.

Beginners: Right away you will probably be working along side a tutorial, or guide book to help you learn how to program. The first things you make are very simple no matter the language you are learning. Usually they consist of inputting something and having some output come out such as "Hello World"
Once you begin to master these, you will learn how to string them together, and create various response depending on the input. Once you are able to string together the conditions and outputs, you have got yourself a pretty good understanding of the coding language. 

Intermediate: Now you understand how to code for lots of situations, and you're looking at compiling your knowledge into something big. Something really cool. This stage is going to allow you to do quite a few things with how much you know, such as making games, or programs with interfaces. This stage can really only be developed by practice making these programs. There will be errors, you will have to check your code tons of times, but after it's all finished you're going to have a pretty cool thing.

Advanced: Now you've gone ahead and made some of your own programs and even a game or two. There are tons of applications now for your knowledge. You can make websites, games, anything you put your mind to. And because of this, you're probably going to be able to look into going to college for Computer Science. These degrees will help you get a job that is going to pay well, be needed for a long time, and be doing something you love to do, coding. 

So, as you can see, coding is pretty cool. You can eventually get paid for the stuff you learn to do right now with it. Pretty good way to beat boredom, something fun and productive.

Reading

So here is something that's new, or not so new. Reading for enjoyment. Ha! What a good joke! Actually no, reading is a really good pass time to alleviate boredom. And the beautiful thing about is that there are just so freaking many books to choose from. Just hundreds of millions of books. And on top of that there is a book on practically everything so you have to be able to find something you like. The reason reading is such a good pass time is that not only can it improve your reading abilities for school, it is fun, can be done almost anytime, almost anywhere, and tons of people read. You can talk with others to see if they liked the book, about how they felt about a certain part or maybe some character in the book, and you can have reading circles or groups that can make reading more enjoyable. The whole thing is quite fun and you are actually able to read for however long you want thanks to the genius invention of the book mark. So, if you thought reading was awful, or an abomination, you should give it another shot. Try to pick up a book you are interested in,  sit down and read for a while. And if you get tired of it  try another book. That's what makes it so fun. Thanks for reading this and go to the library and find something you want.

Halloween Night Tips

Sorry I missed the big day guys!~ Here are some tips for you to have a blast any Halloween, and to stay safe. So going to start off with the safety things. Don't drink something you were handed by someone you don't know, especially if it was opened. You don't know what's in there, just common sense. Also, stay with people you trust at all times. Don't go off with someone you just met alone. That is a good way to wind up living a scary movie scene. Besides that, just don't be dumb. Really it's not worth it. Just be smart, okay?

Alright, now that that is over, I can talk about the fun things you guys can do tomorrow. So, the first thing I would recommend is to dress up, and then go Trick or Treating. I don't know how old you are as you are reading this but it is really fun. Not only do you get to meet people, get scared, hang out with your friends, but on top of all of that you get candy. So its like a win win. The next thing I recommend is going to a party. Halloween parties are my favorite, as you get to see some really cool costumes, hang out with some cool people, have food, eat way too much food, and then just have fun.  Halloween parties are the best honestly, and you should just try to have as much fun as you can while you're at one. Next, I really suggest that you go to a haunted house. People spend tons of time preparing and putting on these amazing haunted houses, so going there supports them and makes them feel good about what they do. Besides that, when they are put on right, haunted houses are scary. And being scared with your friends is what Halloween is truly all about. You should embrace it and be scared so much that you won't be able to fall asleep tomorrow night, and you will spend all of Halloween huddled in a ball, eating candy and talking to friends late into the night. But, more seriously, haunted houses are truly the bomb. I know I am going to one off the best ones in the Midwest, and I am pumped for it. I know some of the people putting it on, and they have been preparing for MONTHS. I mean they started in August to prepare for this one night at the end of October. How cool is that? I am so excited to see what they've put on and for all the people that they are going to terrify.

So, things you should take away from this blog; Have fun, be safe, and have a great Halloween.

Halloween Party Ideas

If you're planning a Halloween party, listen up. This is the best holiday of the year so your party needs to be amazing. Sorry if that's a lot of pressure, but you better make if the best you possibly can. Think its too much for you too handle? You're probably right, but you're going to try to put on the best party that any of your friends will go to. How are you going to accomplish this? With my help of course! So start off by reading these few tips, then get to work because you only have a few days before your party!

1) Food and drinks - Don't just put out a bag of chips and say you had food. That is unacceptable. You have to have snacks, candy, drinks, and pizza. No exceptions. For snacks, get something easy, whether it is just chips, pretzels, anything really. Candy you can obviously have the ones that you buy at the store, but you also want to make some sort of dessert on your own. There are tons of recepies that you can find online for cool things, but I'm not too good with that so you're on your own. Try to have like candy apples, or something shaped like a spider, or something that looks disgusting but is really just made of candy. Drinks are important as well. Pop and water are obvious, but also try to put out some sort of punch or special drink. Something they probably haven't had or won't have again. The idea is to be something different, just like the holiday itself. Pizza, I really only say this because I love pizza, but you should have something similar to it.

2) Music - Simply put, no one wants to show up to an awkward party. Put on some music to fill the awkward silences that are bound to happen at some point during the party. You should find some stuff that is for Halloween, and then the majority should be just fun, good music everyone enjoys listening to.

3) Decorations - Some cool ideas I've had for decorations include having a theme, like a graveyard theme, or a zombie theme, just something that you can apply to lots of places in your home. Then do something cool, that people won't expect. Go over the top! It's one of the best Halloweens you're going to have because it just happened to fall on a Saturday.

So, in conclusion, please just don't put on a lame party. For the sake of yourself and for the people who are taking the time to go to it, go big! Like REALLY BIG! Have fun with it! Scare people! Have a great Halloween and good luck with your parties everyone!

Costumes for this Halloween Weekend

Halloween is coming up as you guys know so next week I'm going to dedicate most of my blogging time to talk about things that you should do this Halloween. Some people say that this holiday is just for kids, and I disagree. This is probably one of my favorite holidays so I am going to go all out in describing what to do. Just think about it, this is the one time of the year where being scary is acceptable, all the other holidays aren't like that at all. So I say, don't go as a fairy. Go as some Zombie that was a king and is missing an eye or has an ax stuck in his head and is bleeding and oozing. Make your costume exciting. If you don't put much into your costume you won't have that much come out of it! I think that there are some good store bought costumes, but ultimately the best come from you. There are hundreds of millions of you going to be dressing up, and maybe what, a thousand people coming up with costume designs for the year? Probably not even that many. There are so many more ideas that you can think of to make fun and exciting than companies can produce, or can reasonably produce on a large enough scale where they would be able to mass produce it for a store. So if you haven't already started to spend some time on your costume, I say you should stop reading right here and get to work. Seriously! There are so many cool ideas you can find online and that you can interpret your own way to make it how you want it to be. The costume is going to be your first impression on people who see you this Saturday night so make sure you make your costume scary!

What To Do in the Car

Have you ever been stuck in a car thinking you wish you were somewhere else? Well that needs to come to an end! There are many things you can do in a car when you're bored. I am a firm believer that time spent in the car can be used productively and for fun. If you have homework like reading you can do that in the car, but also there are lots of things you can do to pass the time or even possibly entertain yourself. This obviously depends on how many people you have in your car, but here is a list of some things you can try to do.

Listen to a book on tape- Books on tape are really fun to listen to. They help you keep up to date with a book series you meant to read, they can help you remember what you just read, or even be a refresher on a previous books in a series when you're driving to go get the new one!

Listen to new music you haven't ever heard before - trying out new music can be fun sometimes because you can find something you truly enjoy listening to which is really fun to find out. I think that it is best to try this where you have internet connection and use some online radio such as Pandora or Spotify.

Listen to your favorite music - This will let you be able to sing along if you want to ( and if everyone else around you is okay with it) and can be a good thing to keep you from being tired.

Use you're phone ( if you're not driving) to play a game - There are tons of games you can play on your phone, like flappy bird, 2048, and so many that I couldn't even think of which ones I should name. The list goes on and on

Talk to each other ( probably not something you should do when you're alone) - Talking to each other helps everyone connect, helps everyone alleviate their boredom, and makes others feel important.

Count a certain object ( cars, trains, planes, fast food stores)
Watch a movie - This can be done in many different ways, whether on your phone, on a laptop, or built into your car. Pick something that both you and the driver can enjoy! They can't look but they sure can listen, so make sure it isn't something that is silent. Also depending on other situations ( people who don't want to listen), use headphones.

Being in the car can be quite boring. Trust me I would know. At least once a month I am in the car driving to my grandma's house, which is roughly 4 hours each week. Collectively I have spent thousands of hours in the car going places. The secret is to do something that you like to do.
There are many different things to do in a car. Just be creative!

Road Tripping

Piling in the car with some friends and just driving somewhere for the day is a great way to entertain yourself on a weekend. There are some things though that should be kept in mind to make it the most fun and keep it safe. People need to not distract the driver outside of normal conversation. Deep thinking questions pull the attention away from the act of driving, and can lead to crashing. Don't ask the driver to go look at something on your phone, or try to grab something from the center console. Let them do their job and keep everyone safe. When going on a trip everyone has a job, and everyone should do their job to keep the road trip moving efficiently.

The Driver - As the driver your job really is to just get people from point A to point B, in one piece preferably. You provide the car, you keep track of the necessary items for driving such as a tools to change a tire, information about the car, and when you need to get gas. Seriously though, just keep track of driving. Watch for idiots on the road, and focus on how to get around them with the least risk. You hold the lives of everyone else in the car in your hands. That should scare you if you aren't paying attention to the road. Sure you can talk to people, but when you need to, prioritize driving.

The Copilot - You might have been the person who just yelled "SHOTGUN!" first but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You have the second most important job when on a road trip. You have to make sure everyone is happy with the temperature, the music, and most importantly, provide directions and alert the driver when there are gas or food stops coming up. Yes, that's a lot to do, and you still have more. You have to make sure the driver doesn't fall asleep, so maintain a conversation that they are interested in, and regularly check if they are doing okay if you are out driving at night. If needed, you will help delegate who drives next.

The Backseaters - You guys have it easy, you just have to maintain conversation that keeps both the driver and your copilot entertained. One of you will be the snack grabber, and regulate passing around drinks and snacks to and from the front seat. If you are the only one in the back seat, you may not fall asleep until you are sure it is okay to do so, otherwise one of the backseaters needs to stay up to maintain the job while the others sleep. Sleeping is a privilege, so do not abuse your right to sleep. The only reason you can sleep without dying is the driver is keeping you safe. You have to respect that and make sure you repay them for doing so by being courteous when in their car. You have the most free time, so try to spark interesting conversations, and ask when people want to stop/eat etc.

Now, all of you, please provide money for gas, you should always be fair and split it evenly, to make sure it is both affordable and fair to everyone. Bringing pillows and snacks and drinks in the car is recommended depending on the length of the drive. Remember, words from our wise respected role model

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Yes, that was Miley Cyrus.

Learning an Instrument

If you find yourself wanting something to do with your time, something you can do no matter who or where you are, something you can do when you're young until you are old, I suggest you seek an instrument you want to learn. Learning an instrument is an amazing experience that can bring you thousands of hours of entertainment. Not only do you preoccupy yourself with something to do for as long as you want, you now have the power to entertain someone wherever you are. I learned to play the piano when I was 4, and I have been playing now for twelve years. I am now able to sit down and learn a song someone wants me to play in one sitting, and the joy I see it bring to people is amazing. The ability to make others happy from just playing an instrument is mind blowing. I feel like learning to play an instrument is the best use of your free time, as it is entertaining, rewarding, and something you can do your whole life. When you learn a song you've been trying to master for days, weeks, and sometimes even months, it is the best feeling in the world, then imagine something even greater, when you share it with others. When you learn an instrument, you practically are investing your time into making yourself and others happy, and the grant yourself the ability to become an entertainer. Many people know how to play an instrument and play as a hobby, so don't feel pressured to share your ability. I know lots of people who aren't open about sharing their music, which is perfectly fine. It is yours when you create it, and you don't have to let people know. It can be your own secret time-killing, stress-relieving, art form. Don't know what instrument to pick? Try some! Go to a music store and try and find something you can see yourself spending hours with day in and day out. I recommend the piano because it can make truly gorgeous sounds, but there are so many instruments to choose from that you shouldn't limit yourself to just one. I myself play the alto saxophone, the bassoon, the piano, and the drums. I don't have much free time anymore, but it is always great when I can get back to any of my instruments and just sit in a room and play for an hour or two.

Share Your Ideas

Making your own blog can be fun. Whether it is a written blog, a video diary, or something else , you can meet like minded people who think the same way as you I have my own blog here obviously and also a Youtube channel that I update regularly because simply put, it's really fun. I have met so many people who think similarly and will be kind to you. The Internet isn't always a good place, but if you make your own place and community of people you can at least control what happens slightly more than if you become a follower of other people or blogs. So in this blog, I want to address why you should do this, no matter who you are. Your ideas are important, you are important, and you should have your own group of people who look up to you and like hearing from you. If you have something you want to be heard, the best way to do it is just to post about it. Someone, somewhere, will eventually see what you wanted to share. It may not be a huge community of people watching you at first or reading your blogs, but eventually you can find people who will become important to you even though you have never even met them. Every time I get a comment from someone either on my blog or on my Youtube channel I take time out of my day to personally reply so they also feel like they are important. Commenting on other people's blogs is a great way to give them constructive criticism and show them that you appreciate their content. I make sure to comment on new channels on Youtube and blogs to try and motivate people to continue pursuing their passion of making content for people to see. Leaving feedback is the best way for them to see this. But, you must know the line between constructive and destructive. If you are too harsh on people you must remember that these are actual people you are talking to and just try to imagine being able to say something to them personally. If you don't think you would ever say it to someone's face I strongly suggest you don't post it on the internet. People, even though they are behind a computer screen still have feelings. Please make sure you realize this, I am going to emphasize it a lot to double check you have confirmed you understand this. So, please leave feedback for people, but make sure you are not being overly critical or mean.    I have people who regularly respond to my videos and I know them by their name, I have other ways to contact them to see how they are doing, and we've actually become decent friends. Without sharing my ideas on my Youtube channel or blog I wouldn't have met these people, and they would just be some other person occupying the Earth that I had never heard of even. Blogging is a great way to bring you together with like minded people and help you genuinely feel connected to people you might not even know.

The Season Premier of The Walking Dead

WARNING
SPOILERS
INSIDE

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On Sunday the latest season of TWD premiered and it was a very eventful episode. Now that the group has reached their safe haven, Alexandria, they have had struggles fitting in, and much more recently they have been able to prove their right to be there, showing how experienced they are when dealing with walkers. The group, mainly Rick,  believes it might be too late for some of the people in the town if they don't face the facts and realize they have to learn to deal with walkers. None of then have had to survive. This is the main point for why some people are so faithful to Rick, and the reason  some are so scared of him. He has become very accustomed to putting survival first over being kind. So, in the latest episode they all begin to follow Rick's plan to clear a nearby quarry of thousands of walkers. They have to make them all follow a herd led by a loud noise. Everything goes to plan until the last part of the episode. A huge loud siren begins to go off in the distance. This causes the hoard of zombies to move towards the town and one this size will destroy the town in a matter of no time. The remains, who is behind this. I have my theory but I know I am really excited for the next episode. It began very intense and I'm pumped for the season.

Things to Do When You're Bored

No one likes being bored. Simply put, it's boring. Being bored sucks. So, that is why I am going to help you not be bored. There are always tons of things you can do, even if it feels like you have nothing to do. Thanks to the power of the internet, there is always something to do. These things are some of the biggest time wasters that will make you forget about your boredom in no time.

#1 YouTube
Search anything you want to on YouTube. Literally anything you could imagine, there is someone who will make videos on it. It's really fascinating to go on YouTube and just see what some of the YouTube creators like to talk about. Also, if you're able to, start your own YouTube Channel! They are fun to manage and it is really exciting if you make a hit video. Another thing that you can do on YouTube is start watching hit videos from other countries. Some of them are really freaky, and weird, but it is a great way to waste your time. I recently decided to start looking at some videos from a pop artist in South Africa. Honestly it's one of the best things to do when you're bored.

#2 Video Games
There is a huge selection of video games to play, and always a huge fan base behind all the games. Whether you're home alone one night and play a single player game, or you're hanging with friends, video games can solve your boredom, and sometimes create a new problem known as addiction. There are tons of online games you can play for free such as Agar.Io which you can waste time on, or there are games that are more time consuming such as MMO games. Also console games are great, whether they are old classics or you have a next gen console, they are all great.

#3 Netflix
Netflix is probably one of the worlds biggest time wasters. For under 10$ a month, you can watch millions of hours worth of TV shows, documentaries, Movies, anime, and everything in between. Now, not every show is on Netflix of course, but chances are you will find something you would rather watch over going to sleep or doing your homework.

#4 Twitch
Twitch is a website where people live stream themselves playing or talking about video games. There is a streamer for almost every type of game, and if you're in the market, you just might find something you want to play. Twitch streams are interactive and fun, and a great overall way to waste your time.

These are just a few great time wasters, and I hope that this will help alleviate your boredom.

TV Shows that are Worth Your While

Every day there are thousands of shows played on TV. Which ones should you choose to watch? Well today I am here to hopefully make that decision not quite as hard. I'm going to share some of the shows I watch when I have free time and the ones I feel are worth watching live every week instead of waiting for them to come out online or on Netflix/Hulu/Etc. These will include my favorite shows and the ones that I watch every week I have the chance to.

The first show I recommend you start watching is Modern Family. Modern Family is a 30 minute show that is on Wednesday nights on ABC. It is one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen. The show is about a common day family, including many complex relationships, and the struggles they have to put up with. It is a comedy and incorporates lots of aspects of everyday life into their jokes. I would rate this probably a ten out of ten just because I can't remember a single episode I have not enjoyed watching of this show. I watch reruns and I still laugh every time I see it.

The next show I would recommend watching would be Outdoor Man. It is a show following the Baxter family, including Mike who is co founder of an outdoor equipment store. He has 3 daughters that range from highschool aged to out of college and they follow the family around. It is a comedy that, again, never fails to make me laugh. I watch this every Friday night it is on, no matter what my plans are for that night, I make sure I have time to watch it.

The Voice is another show I love to watch. It is a competition, where singers come in and try to get on a team from the 4 coaches,Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, or Blake Shelton. They then work with these coaches and the coaches try to have their team win the most competitions between each other, and they have a very competitive attitude with one another that makes the show fun and exciting.

My next favorite show would be The Middle. The Middle is a comedy about an average family in the Midwest. The Hecks, Mike and Frankie, have 3 children, Axel, Sue, and Brick. The show is a great heartwarming sitcom, that follows the family in their never ending struggles. The oldest, Axel, is a not-so-smart football player and a popular dude, the middle, Sue, is a sweet girl who tries to do everything but rarely succeeds, and the youngest is Brick, who is a socially awkward little kid who is infatuated with books and everything about them. Mike Heck works at a quarry and Frankie has gone from job to job. They always have a feel good ending to the show that makes you satisfied that you watched it.

My final recommendation for a great show to watch would be The Walking Dead. I, along with millions of others, absolutely love every minute of this show. It is a show that is in a scenario based off of a real life zombie apocalypse, but the idea of zombies had never been thought of before ( no Plants Vs Zombies or anything similar). This show is action packed with constant fear that someone will get eaten or attacked by a zombie. But, as the show goes on you learn that zombies aren't the only thing you have to be scared of coming up behind you... Other people are even more dangerous.

John F. Kennedy's Fall Play 2015 "Nice People"

Kennedy High school's Drama department is putting on it's fall play this weekend, having showings Thursday, October 1st, Friday, October 2nd, and Saturday October 3rd, as well as an additional showing Thursday, October 8th. The play itself was written by a former student of Kennedy High school, named Alyosha Robertson, who wrote the play, then submitted it to The University of Iowa, which had a workshop over it, and now Kennedy is putting on the show for the first time. Robertson plans on attending. The play is about a complicated relationship between multiple people who essentially just keep cheating on each other.  The play looks like it is going to be very funny, and I plan on going if at all possible. Plays normally aren't my type of thing I enjoy to go to, but this is a special circumstance because I know many of the people in the play, and it looks so comical that I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I missed out on this one. I will maybe do an update after I go and see the play to inform you all of my opinion on the play. I expect that there will only be positive reviews from this show and I also applaud the hard work of the people who put this together.

The Fear of the Walking Dead

Many of you out there are fans, or at least have heard of, the hit show The Walking Dead( will be referred to as TWD from here on out). The show has been going on for over five seasons now and is a great success and is something that I personally look forward to every single week. Earlier this year, the show "The Fear of the Walking Dead" (TFWD) was announced to be a sort of filler show in between seasons of TWD. This show got lots of fans hyped to have some sort of action-packed zombie thriller show to watch no matter what time of the year it was. I was extremely excited when I heard the announcement for the show and was planning on watching it regularly. The first week it aired this past summer, my family and I all sat down to watch it, since all of us have enjoyed TWD. We go out and got some food and then came home to watch it, and every single one of us was more interested in our food after about the first half of the show. The opener was slow, and overly complicated. The characters had a family relationship that was hard to figure out, and it made it difficult to keep track of who was who. The show started off in a time before the apocalypse which was a nice thing to see, but made it even more slow, without the impending threat of a walker coming up and eating a character from behind. The show also didn't do a very good job of explaining the relationships between some people, but that was improved upon in the next episode. In the second episode I continued to watch, hoping that it was just a slow start, and again, I found myself disinterested and more concerned with what was going on elsewhere. I finished watching it and found myself thoroughly disappointed that all this hype behind a show was falsely placed. It actually made me slightly less excited for the next season of TWD, but I know I will still watch it just because it has been so fantastic. I will leave you readers today with this, try something first before you believe the hype surrounding it. If I would have listened to this I would not have found myself wasting two hours on my couch watching this show.

The End of Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy has been a wildly successful and popular show for more than a decade. The show has had periods of attraction by multiple different viewing groups, mostly females, but the age groups have definitely shifted throughout the years. Originally the average viewing age was out of college, but much more recently it has become popular throughout high school aged kids. The show and writer, Shonda Rhimes, has done lots of things right to the show in the past, but recently in my opinion, has started the beginning of the end of this twelve year long series. The show has experienced lots of demographic changes in it's fan base, just because of how long it has been on, and I don't think it is possible to satisfy everyone who is watching the show. The series itself has faced issues just because of it's longevity, having seen characters die in the show because they had to pursue  other interests in their careers, or simply didn't want to work any longer. This has caused major uproars from fans who have witnessed the characters they have watched grow and develop, learn their secrets, and become part of their lives disappear. This is going to be happening to more and more characters as the show continues to survive, and eventually, Meredith Grey, will no longer be able to part of the show, and I believe this will bring about the end. I don't necessarily think that the end is a bad thing, yet more often than not I am very pleased by the ending of a good show. I feel it is more important to me that the show maintains its integrity as a solid show until the end than it is for it to stay on a year or two longer. This leads me to how I am feeling what has to happen with the Grey's Anatomy. I feel like the show is losing too many of the old iconic characters, and continuing it with a fresh set of people does not seem like the right approach. I hope that the Rhimes will keep the show being a fantastic show, and realize when it is time to bring the show to an end.

Recreational activities in Cedar Rapids

I often hear people complaining that there is nothing to do here in Cedar Rapids, and most of the time, I would have to agree. Most people who weren't born here don't have as tight of a connection to the city as those who do. People with family here often love it, as it is a nice city, and they have people who they know and like. People like my family though have found their way here through various means, don't know much about here or the people, and one thing I've noticed is not many people go out of their way to greet or get to know people who aren't from around Iowa. One of the things I feel like would make this city better is if there were more things for people to do with their spare time. I would love to go on bike ride. Around the city I can get place to place with the bike lane, but I mean I want to go somewhere and see something, not just use my bike to travel between work and home. I know lots of people use the bike lanes and I'm not saying they are bad, but what I am getting at is that I have very limited options of where to bike where it is safe. Yes there is a trail or two around here, but one brings you right along the river, which usually smells pungent and gross, and gives you a nice view of mount trash-more. Now I do not intend to be very harsh to the people who like the city just the way it is, I as well like Cedar Rapids, but I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement. One thing that I feel would be really nice here would be a water park, like we almost got not too many years ago. I feel like there would be more than enough people who want one to be able to go there and make use of it, but also I feel like that could be a source for tourism, which there is not much of in Cedar Rapids. Another thing I feel like would be great would be a football team that was in Cedar Rapids, which I don't see happening since everyone here already goes to the Hawkeye games every Saturday they play. Something else I feel like would give people more to do is just to have more off-leash dog parks, because this would be great for new people to the area to be able to meet people who are like themselves (enjoy outdoors/ dogs etc.). The dog park would be best if it was in a centralized location, and have different areas depending on dog size to prevent some of the bigger dogs from hurting the others. Overall, I do think there is a lack of things to do here, and that there could be improvement to CR if we got some more things that people who were born and raised here as well as people who are new to enjoy.

Professional Sports in Iowa

I feel like we need a professional sports team here in Iowa. Iowa fans are very competitive and truly die-hard fans of their team, but unfortunately we don't have a professional team for baseball, football, or basketball, the three most commonly watched sports teams. People here in Iowa, especially those who are fans of the University of Iowa football team, love to tailgate. It is almost as if it is a major part of the culture here around Eastern Iowa. Not saying that it isn't enjoyable to go see a Hawkeye or Cyclone game, but I feel like there would be a ton more excitement if there was a professional football or basketball team here that everyone could appreciate, instead of having Iowans split up into Packers, Bears, and Vikings fans, and other teams from various areas of the country, we would have a team that we would be able to take pride for and call our own. I know that professional sports teams require a ton of people to come out and support them every week so that they can be profitable, and I believe that is the the missing piece in our situation. Iowa isn't very populous and that is inhibiting us from being able to support a large scale stadium and team who can compete in with the big leagues in any sport. As much as I and anyone else wants to see a professional sport team come to Iowa, I feel like there won't be the possibility of one coming for quite a long time, since there isn't the population to have a large fan base that would buy season tickets, and spend money on merchandise and other things needed to keep the massive overhead of making a professional team profitable. Another issue I see occurring is that the people who have become extreme fans for the college teams here in Iowa may not sway their faith to their team and continue going to college games over the chance to go to a professional game, just because they have been doing it as a tradition for so long, and they connections and friends and family who all go to the college games as well, just like my family who have had season tickets before and would religiously go to Hawkeye football games that were at home, and participate in everything surrounding them. Sports are the cause of great friendships and almost as many enemies, but I feel like they are very important to most of us in Iowa and also even more people all around the country who have their own teams they love.  I do wish that some day Iowans will be united under at least one professional team, whether it's for football, basketball, or whatever sport it may be.

Jurassic World Review.

I recently watched Jurassic World, and I was somewhat disappointed in it. I will try to reveal why exactly without spoiling any part of the movie for anyone. So, this movie was the fourth in a series of movies, and they haven't had much of a connection relating to each other which was the first thing that disappointed me. The next part about the movie that was disappointing was that it didn't have a very detailed or well explained plot. This movie was packed with action and tons of excitement, but contained no real explanations as to why anything happened. This movie I feel is worth watching because it has amazing action scenes and has a nostalgic feel for those who have seen the others almost two decades prior to this movies release, but if you are someone, like me, who enjoys finding out the deeper meaning or purpose to a plot, this movie might not be the best choice for you. I feel like there could have been a better correlation between the characters in this movie and the previous, which would have made for some interesting plot development, but unfortunately the events in this movie and the past movies are unrelated, though they do recognize things that happened in the first movie (which I will not explain in hopes that I do not spoil anything at all). So, overall I still think this movie was pretty good, but I am for sure slightly disappointed that this movie wasn't as good as it had the potential to be after all the wait for another movie in the series. I would probably rate it a 6.5/10 just because there was so much more potential for the movie to be better that was not acted upon as it should have been.