Sleeping In

Two extra hours of sleep can make a world of difference. Instead of feeling groggy and disoriented like I usually do when I first wake up, today I was full of energy. I was actually excited about coming to school.

Which raises the question, why don't we start school at 10 everyday? Coincidentally, we discussed this yesterday in my psychology class. There are some American high schools that have adjusted their schedules so their day starts later everyday. At first thought this would seem like a great idea, considering how most students consistently come in to school without enough sleep. But if students began waking up later everyday, what's to stop them from staying up even later? The plan to give students more time to sleep could then backfire, causing students to go to bed even later than they do already.

I guess we'll just have to keep getting up at 7 for now, and continue hoping and wishing and praying for those 2 hour delays.

Shuffle

I couldn't decide what to listen to on my drive home from wrestling practice yesterday, so I put my Ipod on shuffle. After skipping through a few songs that I just wasn't in the mood for, and a few more songs that probably shouldn't even be on my Ipod, I came across a winner. The song was Loser by Beck. Loser is an alternative hit from the 1993, and if you don't know the song, I highly suggest checking it out. Anyway, I would've never been able to find a song out of the six thousand something on my Ipod that was able to capture my mood better than Beck could last night if it wasn't for shuffle.

Some people may dismiss the Ipod's shuffle function as lethargic, and consider the people who use it to be too lazy to choose a specific song. However, shuffle is much more than that. In good times, the shuffle function represents absolute fun-loving spontaneity, because you never know what tune could come up next. And when you're feeling a bit more despondent, shuffle provides hope that the next song will be a little better than the one you're listening to now.

No matter what mood you're in, shuffle is always a good choice.

Tuesdays

It's a widely accepted opinion that Mondays and Wednesdays are the dreariest days of the week, but I disagree. In my experience, Tuesday is the toughest day to swallow.

Think about it. Monday means the start of a new school week, and with it all the possibilities in the world. Who knows what unexpected adventures a new week could contain? Maybe this week you'll ace a test, make a new friend, hear a good joke, or see a good movie. But in reality, nothing exciting like this happens until at least Wednesday or Thursday, because the beginning of a school week means the end of the weekend, and that's just too depressing. However, when Wednesday rolls around, the end is in sight. Now people start loosening up and having a good time.

But in between all of Monday's dreams for new adventures and Wednesday's fun, there sits Tuesday, poor little Tuesday, without even any good shows on TV (House is not worth watching).

But don't worry! The weekend is right around the corner, and after that starts a new week, but we're looking a little too far ahead. It is still Tuesday after all.

Winter Sports

Today is the first day of winer sports practices. This includes wreslting, basketball, swimming, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting. It's just an all-around exciting time. Everyone is going into practice today with their own hopes, dreams, and expectations for the coming season.

I will be beginning my last wrestling season a little less than three hours from now. After a second place finish at the state tournament last year, we're setting our sights even higher for this season. Our team is expecting nothing less than to be state champions, and we're willing to put in the work to get there.

So this afternoon, all of Central Mountain's winter athletes will start a new season with their own goals. Good luck everyone.

Fun

Kids are always complaining about school. I hear my peers comparing our high school to a prison, and claiming they can't wait to get out. School is either too boring or too hard. It's too strict and too routine. They lay the blame on teachers, principles, coaches, the school board, or other kids. Students are always ready to complain and blame others, but they're rarely willing to do anything about it.

These students need to spend a little less time whining, and try some introspection. It's up to the students themselves to make their high school years memorable. No one else can do it for them. And if kids are enthusiastic enough about having a good time, nothing can stop them.

So go out and make some fun instead of waiting for fun to come and find you.