Softball

With tryouts coming to an end, the softball team is anxious for our season to start. We have very high expectations for our team this year with the hope to be Middlesex League champs. Our infield consists of Courtney Lanfranchi pitching, Jill Mazure catching, Amber Eisenhauer at first, me at second, Christina Raso at short, and Haley Currie at third. The outfielders are currently working hard to earn starting positions. Our coach will be working with us for the next couple of weeks to be absolutely prepared for our big season. This is my last softball season, and I really hope that we can pull through and make it the most memorable season of my life.

School Schedule

The past three days we have come into school at 9:00 instead of 7:30. I felt so well rested getting two more hours of sleep, especially after a day of school and hours of practice. Today we went back to the regular schedule and I had to get up at 6 instead of 8. I just fell asleep in my last class because I'm so tired from the schedule change. During MCAS, the schedule was switched around so we had classes at different times of the day. I had my first period at 1:30 instead of the usual 7:35. I actually felt awake and energized in that class for the first time. I definitely think the schedule should rotate so that it's not the same thing every day. It was refreshing to have some variety in my day and have my classes at different times. I feel as though I'd be more productive and take in more information if the schedule was different.

Japan Earthquake

This video shows the disaster that recently struck Japan. After facing a tsunami and a devastating earthquake that is one of the worst in history, many Japenese have lost their homes. A tsunami occurs when huge waves hit and just keep going. We can see in the video how the water completely covers the land and knocked down buildings. There are many support systems developing to help the Japanese through this crisis. On the radio this morning I heard an add where you can text a number to donate $10 to causes helping Japan recover. I truly hope that the Japanese quickly rise above this disaster.

Weebly

The Weebly website is a simple way to make your own website. Their tutorial page shows the easy steps to creating, designing, and publisizing a website. They make the process very simple and clearly outline the steps you take to create the site. This website is really useful for people who are trying to spread the word about something like a new business or a cause they feel strongly about. The tutorial even offers a way to tweet about your new site to help spread your work to the public. Another feature they offer is "How to Add a Blog Page." I think this is a really helpful tool to have on a website because it allows people to communicate and voice their thoughts about the contents of the website. You can add pictures, banners, and more to really personalize your site and make it your own. Weebly is a great site that I would definitely use if I wanted to make my own website.

iPad 2

The iPad 2 has a new design and more features than the original iPad. It's much thinner, and has two cameras for taking pictures and using FaceTime. Apple's website offers information about their new product and the accessories that go with it. I think the new iPad is really incredible because it's so thin and you can do so much with it. At $499, students could purchase one in place of a laptop and save a lot of money. I personally would get frustrated typing on a touch screen, but the new iPad could definitely serve as a less expensive laptop. This product is really impressive and shows just how much technology is progressing.

Researching

Today we discussed different ways to research and technology has allowed us to get information so much quicker and easier. Instead of going to a library and thumbing through books and pages, we have the privilege of searching on the computer. As an example, we googled Martin Luther King Jr. as if we were researching to write a paper. The second link that came up on Google was a white supremacy website that was vulgar and offered no beneficial information about MLK. I was pretty shocked that a website like that even exists on the internet anymore. We also looked at Google Scholar which helps to make sure the websites you look at were written by educated people. This website really shows how technology has become such an important part of researching. I realized I'm really lucky to be in school in a time where information is very easy to get.

My First Celtics Game

On Thursday I went to my first Celtics game! We sat up in the balcony in the Garden and watched the Celts battle the Nets in a tight game. The Celtics came right out of the gates taking a huge lead in the first quarter, but the Nets slowly made their comeback. By the third quarter the Celtics were losing and made an awesome come back with the help of Allen doing what he does best: hitting 3's. Wearing my foot tall, bright green styrofoam hat, I was dancing, singing, and cheering as most Boston fans do. Unfortunately, the people in front of us were just sitting there in silence and giving us dirty looks when we got loud. I don't understand why anyone would pay money to go into Boston and watch the Celtics or any other team to just sit there looking miserable. The games are supposed to be fun, and you really have to make the best of it. Despite the dirty looks we got, we had a blast, and we left knowing we had a good time. We were just glad to be the people that other fans want to be around that will make you laugh and definitely have a good time with. As for the people in front of us, I think they simply wasted their money. They could have just watched the game on TV at home in silence in stead of bringing down the people around them. Luckily, the Celtics pulled off a win for my first game and I definitely made the best of the night!