I have to get back to my super-secret Halloween stuff (coughcoughhomeworkcough) but I just wanted to wish YOU an extra-happy and safe Halloween. I'll be posting pictures of this All Hallow's Eve very soon!
Also, all my love to the KLXVII crew...I know some of you are reading this. You guys are the best.
Now stop reading this and go get lots of candy.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Home of the Red and Blue
Senior year is, naturally, a year of lasts.
This past week was my last, and favorite, Homecoming Week.
I've always felt that Homecoming is one of the prime weeks of the school year. It's almost like Christmas. Everyone is just very jolly. I have to give a huge thumbs-up to O'Hara for an awesome Homecoming Week. Everything from a pep rally to a contest to be the mascot to Clash Day (look for pictures tomorrow) to Spirit Day was a blast.
I tried to take in as many of the Homecoming festivities as I could, this being
(sadly) my last chance to do so. After a lovely Homecoming Mass last night, a jovial student section crowded into the bleachers for a bonfire and then migrated into the cafeteria for the annual Homecoming Dance. I shuffle up a storm with my friends before retiring home for the night.
Unfortunately, I had to skip the football game this afternoon. (Way to go, Lions! a 60-24 win over Carroll does a student body good.) I'm leading a Kairos retreat this week and I have a lot (a lot, I mean a lot) to do. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to that. Until the future!
This past week was my last, and favorite, Homecoming Week.
I've always felt that Homecoming is one of the prime weeks of the school year. It's almost like Christmas. Everyone is just very jolly. I have to give a huge thumbs-up to O'Hara for an awesome Homecoming Week. Everything from a pep rally to a contest to be the mascot to Clash Day (look for pictures tomorrow) to Spirit Day was a blast.
I tried to take in as many of the Homecoming festivities as I could, this being
(sadly) my last chance to do so. After a lovely Homecoming Mass last night, a jovial student section crowded into the bleachers for a bonfire and then migrated into the cafeteria for the annual Homecoming Dance. I shuffle up a storm with my friends before retiring home for the night.
Unfortunately, I had to skip the football game this afternoon. (Way to go, Lions! a 60-24 win over Carroll does a student body good.) I'm leading a Kairos retreat this week and I have a lot (a lot, I mean a lot) to do. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to that. Until the future!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
I Shipped Up to Boston
Well, it's been a crazy two weeks.
I'll start at the beginning: My Kairos retreat was an awesome experience, and I really can't say much more than that except that I can't wait to go back as a leader in a few weeks!
When I got off the bus from Kairos, a few people gave me hearty congratulations. I was a bit confused until someone pointed out the sign in front of O'Hara - my name is on it! I was so thrilled to find out that I've been named a National Merit Commended Student! I'd like to thank the College Board, the O'Hara faculty, Mr. Jim Arnold for putting up the sign....ahem. Sorry. Back to business.
So yeah, enough of the self-serving stuff. I've been swamped with make-up work pretty much all week, but I've had quite a pleasant weekend so far.
My dad and I had a marathon 30-hour trip up to Boston for a college visit! We hopped on 3:15 flight to Boston Logan and haven't stopped since. Last night we ate some delicious clam chowder at Legal Sea Foods and then poked around Faneuil Hall and Long Wharf for a few hours. My favorite store was definitely Newbury Comics: we spent at least 20 minutes admiring The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human and an Awkward Family Photos calendar (and if you don't know what Awkward Family Photos are, you're welcome). After that, we stopped for ice cream at Emack & Bolio's before retiring to the hotel room to watch the Phillies blow it. (Too soon?)
After visiting the college which shall remain anonymous at this time, we headed back to Long Wharf for a final lunch, hopped on the T, and headed home.
Well, that does it for Boston (and my college visits). As application deadlines draw ever nearer, stay tuned for updates!
I'll start at the beginning: My Kairos retreat was an awesome experience, and I really can't say much more than that except that I can't wait to go back as a leader in a few weeks!
When I got off the bus from Kairos, a few people gave me hearty congratulations. I was a bit confused until someone pointed out the sign in front of O'Hara - my name is on it! I was so thrilled to find out that I've been named a National Merit Commended Student! I'd like to thank the College Board, the O'Hara faculty, Mr. Jim Arnold for putting up the sign....ahem. Sorry. Back to business.
So yeah, enough of the self-serving stuff. I've been swamped with make-up work pretty much all week, but I've had quite a pleasant weekend so far.
My dad and I had a marathon 30-hour trip up to Boston for a college visit! We hopped on 3:15 flight to Boston Logan and haven't stopped since. Last night we ate some delicious clam chowder at Legal Sea Foods and then poked around Faneuil Hall and Long Wharf for a few hours. My favorite store was definitely Newbury Comics: we spent at least 20 minutes admiring The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human and an Awkward Family Photos calendar (and if you don't know what Awkward Family Photos are, you're welcome). After that, we stopped for ice cream at Emack & Bolio's before retiring to the hotel room to watch the Phillies blow it. (Too soon?)
After visiting the college which shall remain anonymous at this time, we headed back to Long Wharf for a final lunch, hopped on the T, and headed home.
Well, that does it for Boston (and my college visits). As application deadlines draw ever nearer, stay tuned for updates!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Back In Uniform
So I'm finally back to school! I'm five days in and it seems like I'm getting back into the swing of things (finally). Already, I have a rather large whirlwind of projects, homework, activities, and assorted other responsibilities to tend to (not to mention finishing my college applications). That said, it's absolutely wonderful to be back! It's nice not to be bored to death anymore, even if it means I have nightly studying again.
Just as I'm re-fitting myself into the routine, I go breaking it. Typical. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be leaving for a top-secret four-day Kairos retreat. I'm excited! I'm nervous! I'm curious! I'm sure it will all turn out fine! I won't be able to divulge any details when I get back, but stop over again soon and see how the New Me is faring.
Just as I'm re-fitting myself into the routine, I go breaking it. Typical. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be leaving for a top-secret four-day Kairos retreat. I'm excited! I'm nervous! I'm curious! I'm sure it will all turn out fine! I won't be able to divulge any details when I get back, but stop over again soon and see how the New Me is faring.
Monday, September 19, 2011
First Day, Take 2
Never in my entire life have I been happier to get back to school.
My family and I did a little victory dance when we learned today that the teachers' strike was officially and finally over. It wasn't just a jig of relief (no more days to make up!) or a tango to celebrate the end of a fortnight of utter boredom (I tell you, I went through my entire DVD library and Netflix instant queue in about a week). I'm really glad the teachers and the Archdiocese reached an agreement.
Though I'll probably want to kick myself for saying this when I wake up at 6:00 AM tomorrow, I'm genuinely excited to get back to school. I want to see my friends and teachers, go to club meetings, get my college stuff ready to go, and even wear my uniform. Strangely, I find myself yearning for the routine of school after three full months of unstructured time.
Though I know senior year is going to be a different animal entirely, I can't wait to meet it head-on. And it seems like I'm finally on track.
My family and I did a little victory dance when we learned today that the teachers' strike was officially and finally over. It wasn't just a jig of relief (no more days to make up!) or a tango to celebrate the end of a fortnight of utter boredom (I tell you, I went through my entire DVD library and Netflix instant queue in about a week). I'm really glad the teachers and the Archdiocese reached an agreement.
Though I'll probably want to kick myself for saying this when I wake up at 6:00 AM tomorrow, I'm genuinely excited to get back to school. I want to see my friends and teachers, go to club meetings, get my college stuff ready to go, and even wear my uniform. Strangely, I find myself yearning for the routine of school after three full months of unstructured time.
Though I know senior year is going to be a different animal entirely, I can't wait to meet it head-on. And it seems like I'm finally on track.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
"Besides, the ones that love us never really leave us."
My recall of the day is foggy at best. Little did I know that on that sunny day, the trajectory of the life I might have known was changed forever. I was in my first week of second grade when the teacher sat everyone down and told us that there was a plane crash and that we shouldn't worry about it. Next thing I knew, my mom had rushed into the school, whisked my brother and me home, and held on to us for dear life. My dad was on a business trip in Eugene, Oregon, desperate to get home but stranded despite his best efforts.
September 11, 2001 radically altered everything about American life: Government, national security, journalism, pop culture, domestic, foreign, and ethnic relations, and perhaps most dramatically, national morale. It's strange to realize that my generation has been defined by the changes that 9/11 brought upon us. I don't remember a time when there weren't lockdown drills at school. I don't remember going to the airport without full-body scans. I don't remember a time when terrorism wasn't a credible threat to our nation's safety. Indeed, September 11th is a day marked by sacrifice - sacrificed lives, and sacrificed freedoms. We don't forget.
And yet - life marches on. Through pain, we cope. We worry, but we carry on. We don't forget those who gave everything; we carry them in our hearts each day.
Many people gathered at O'Hara this morning to celebrate a memorial Mass for those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack. As a member of the O'Hara choir, I was one of those people. Though I wasn't personally affected by 9/11 and can hardly even imagine the pain of those who were, I found something just and fitting about gathering and paying tribute to the heroes of September 11th. Today, we revived their memories - their lives, their choices, their families, and their sacrifices - in a special way.
We might not see them today, but they are still with us. We haven't forgotten them, and we won't.
September 11, 2001 radically altered everything about American life: Government, national security, journalism, pop culture, domestic, foreign, and ethnic relations, and perhaps most dramatically, national morale. It's strange to realize that my generation has been defined by the changes that 9/11 brought upon us. I don't remember a time when there weren't lockdown drills at school. I don't remember going to the airport without full-body scans. I don't remember a time when terrorism wasn't a credible threat to our nation's safety. Indeed, September 11th is a day marked by sacrifice - sacrificed lives, and sacrificed freedoms. We don't forget.
And yet - life marches on. Through pain, we cope. We worry, but we carry on. We don't forget those who gave everything; we carry them in our hearts each day.
Many people gathered at O'Hara this morning to celebrate a memorial Mass for those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack. As a member of the O'Hara choir, I was one of those people. Though I wasn't personally affected by 9/11 and can hardly even imagine the pain of those who were, I found something just and fitting about gathering and paying tribute to the heroes of September 11th. Today, we revived their memories - their lives, their choices, their families, and their sacrifices - in a special way.
We might not see them today, but they are still with us. We haven't forgotten them, and we won't.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The last day of summer...kind of
Today was the first day of my senior year.
Strangely, though, I wasn't at school, and you probably know why.
While I'm reserving comment on the teachers' strike, I'll say this: I squeezed one last lazy day out of summer vacation. Instead of hitting the books, I spent another day sleeping in, watching the raindrops, and reading The Hobbit (which I'm loving).
Tomorrow is when the real work begins: I'll wake up early again, I'll pack lunch again, and I'll study hard again. For the first time, I'll fill out college applications. (That wonderful process has already begun - you'll hear all about it soon enough, I'm sure.) But that's tomorrow, and as they say, why put off today what you can do tomorrow?
Strangely, though, I wasn't at school, and you probably know why.
While I'm reserving comment on the teachers' strike, I'll say this: I squeezed one last lazy day out of summer vacation. Instead of hitting the books, I spent another day sleeping in, watching the raindrops, and reading The Hobbit (which I'm loving).
Tomorrow is when the real work begins: I'll wake up early again, I'll pack lunch again, and I'll study hard again. For the first time, I'll fill out college applications. (That wonderful process has already begun - you'll hear all about it soon enough, I'm sure.) But that's tomorrow, and as they say, why put off today what you can do tomorrow?
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