Mini Golfing gone wrong

One time I was hanging out with some friends and we decided to go mini golfing. It was pretty hot that day, but nonetheless, we were determined to go. We had a specific order we would hit in. It was Tommy, Elizabeth, Me, and David. We were on hole 8 or 9 out of this 18 hole adventure when it happened. To set the scene this hole had a bridge thing with a stream that went under it. The stream was connected to this fountain. Anyway, so I after I hit the ball I went after it to go see where it went, but my friend Dave hit his ball right as I got there. Not wanting to get in the way of his shot I took a couple steps back to get out of the way. Unfortunately, I have the balance of a Jenga Tower. One foot caught me after another until SPLASH. I had landed in the fountain. Everyone else was in shock. They didn't say anything for fear that I would be upset. But once I realized what had happened, all I could do was laugh. How funny would it be to tell the story of how I fell into a water fountain while mini golfing? I got out and we continued playing, my clothes dripping with water. At one point David said to me "I don't know how you're laughing, cause I would have been mortified." But I guess my philosophy is it be like that sometimes.

Sports

Sports have become a cultural center over the past 50-100 years. What began as small organizations of people competing against each other for fun has become a multibillion-dollar business that continues to grow. Just over fifty years ago people were playing basketball with a peach basket and football gear consisted of a worn down pair of cleats and leather helmet. The grass fields were lit by car lights and the only fans were people walking through the neighborhood. As sports rapidly gained prominence there exclusiveness and value grew. There is a multitude of documentaries which walk through the absurdly overburdened life of a kid with dreams of playing in the NBA. These kids, some starting in 1st and 2nd grade, compete against each other year round. The high school season is their offseason as they play against smaller, and less skilled kids. By the time the kids actually reach high school they have already talked with several college coaches and have large shoe corporations knocking at their door. If they are able to get through their high school careers without performing poorly or injuring themselves then they might play at the D1 level in a system which is built against them (that's a whole other conversation). Still, a shockingly small percentage of these kids end up as professionals. This is just the process for basketball and it is similar for the other major sports. What began as a simple game of throwing a ball in a basket or getting the ball across a line has expanded to encompass and dominate someone's entire life.

A Society Based On Partying?

Every year, the high school parents come together to throw an event for juniors and seniors known as "HD" or Holiday Dance, which is usually held in the top of the Hop theater and is a semi-formal event. Generally people go as dates with one another (although not required), whether as friends or otherwise. A social person myself, I think the event is a great annual tradition meant to bring grades together. Yet, what about the kids that aren't as extroverted? Is the pressure to ask or find a date societies way of forcing kids to socialize? I can understand how it might ostracize certain types of people, and create a separation in status, even though that's the opposite goal for this event. I'm not saying to just stop doing the event, but just to encourage anyone to go to have a fun time with their friends. I think it's sad that sometimes kids don't attend it at least once, even if only for a short time. I think it's incredibly important for those that may be shy to open up or have some fun with friends in a social setting, so they won't have trouble interacting with others for a job or other things. We all know that a large percentage of jobs requires us to be able to interact and network with others, so I think that something as simple as a dance helps build confidence that will be needed later on in life.

SnapMap?

Something that I’ve been thinking about recently is this thing called SnapMap. SnapMap is a feature on Snapchat where you can see the location of anyone you’re friends with that allows you to see their location. I would say at first glance it seems innocuous, but it’s not. The fact that you can see where people are every time they get onto snapchat is pretty terrifying. Once I was talking to a friend and he mentioned how he thought that there was a sleepover happening that night with a group of people. When I asked how he knew this he said that he looked on SnapMap and saw this group of people at this person's house late in the night. That’s genuinely terrifying that your friends could know where you are at any time. It literally brings stalking to a new level. I know of someone else that watch his ex and a friend of his on a date and live-texted me about everywhere they went. I’ve never turned on SnapMap because I do not want people to know where I am at all times. I wish I understood the purpose of it, but alas, I believe it is just a tool to advance cyberstalking.

Homemade

There's something about homemade Chex-Mix that easily surpasses the store bought brand. The sweet and salty mix of the brown sugar and Rice Chex cereal explodes in your mouth and the occasional peanut keeps it interesting. It seems that every bite is different and the natural freshness makes it have a satisfying crunch. It is so easily made, only taking about 15 minutes, and it can act as a snack for the entire week. This store bought Chex-Mix is just way to salty and quickly becomes overbearing in its flavors. After a few bites you need a big glass of water because you feel your lips starting to crack. At the end of the day it is not worth the convenience to buy it from the store, it's better to just make at home.

The Starosta Bowl

Each year for Thanksgiving, we have traveled to Falmouth, Massachusetts to be with my grandparents and cousins. Usually almost everyone (with one or two exceptions) is able to make it annually for the dinner and football game. Most families that do Thanksgiving football play by two-hand touch rules  naturally, but when the Starosta family started playing in 1993 (this year being the 25th anniversary), we decided to be a little extra. Shirts developed into full on jerseys, and there became a silver bowl with engraved names and dates in order to remember the "MVP" of the game each time. Although some years have been more popular in terms of attendance, there has always been enough for two teams to enjoy some friendly competition. The morning after Thanksgiving we always gather at my grandparents, and then walk down the road together to a field to play, and then come back and eat sandwiches from the same shop every year. It's a very basic tradition, but it brings the family together in the last couple hours that we're with each other, and has been one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving break for a long time.

School Spirit

When things such as Halloween or Quidditch happen I am reminded of a constant hypocrisy that exists within the Hanover High School staff. So often I hear complaints from staff about the lack of school spirit from the students, yet I see many staff members completely ignoring their own complaints. During Quidditch, only one staff member who was not required to be there showed up just to watch simply because he had never seen it before. He had a blast and even volunteered to be a snitch. During Halloween, a time which is often seen as an opportunity to show school spirit, yet about one out of every ten staff members have maybe attempted to dress up. Some departments go hard and have a theme which is fantastic, but even within that, there are teachers who ignore that and wear normal clothes. I love going hard for spirit days, but often feel that it’s not taken seriously when staff members completely ignore the event. I think in order to make the school more unified there should be more commitment from those who want it.