Fall Frenzy

  As I write this snow is falling outside of my window.  I can't wait to go outside in the morning and see how wonderful my campus is going to look.  I wanted to share some photos that my friend and I took one afternoon in the early fall.  Looking back on the fall is always one of my favorite things because I can always remember how the air starts to change and the leaves fall from all the trees.  These were taken by the stream on our campus.

    I really enjoyed taking these photos and I think that some of them turned out quite well.

What are some of your favorite memories from the fall?

Hamlet

    I apologize for the boring topic today.  But I have some fun things planned for the near future so don't you worry.
   It's the school year again which means I tell you about the books I've been reading in class.  One of the first books we've read this year is Hamlet. Yes, the great play.  Personally I have some problems with the book, none of which have to do with the fact that it's written in old English.  If you take a look at the text you'll learn that Hamlet is 30 years old. For that time period he's middled aged and he's still in school, unmarried, and throwing hissy fits.  Hamlet should have a prefrontal cortex that is fully developed.  This would mean that he is capable of making decisions.  Yet throughout the entire play that is exactly what he struggles with.  If Hamlet is 30 then, in conventional thinking of the time he should be married, and yet he won't make a commitment to Ophelia.  His actions just don't make sense considering how he should be much more mature then he actually is. I simply don't think that there is any sense behind what happens in the text.
    Hamlet can't even b described as a tragic hero.  He is instead an anti-hero.  Someone who tires to be heroic but ultimately fails due to their fatal flaw, however, unlike a tragic hero who learns of their fatal flaw, an anti-hero never does.  This is how Hamlet is, he simply doesn't learn from his own mistakes about himself.  Instead of learning he simply fails and wonders why everything is happening to him.  It is the realization of ones flaws that truly makes someone a tragic hero.
   Because of these two things Hamlet lacks the climax that readers are used to seeing, this work leaves the reader hanging with the sense that something else should have happened in the story to complete it. This was what really turned me off of Hamlet, there is no resolution, but rather unfulfilled deaths.  This book was also awful to write an essay on, however I do think it was difficult because of the views that I have.  I wanted to write a review of how odd some of the details were but I couldn't.  I also think that my views may have helped with the analyzation that I did with the text.  But then again it may not have.
  Have any of you read Hamlet? What are your opinions on it?

My Story: Concussions

   I've been in the concussion club; three times in the past year.  I thought it was important to talk about them.  Much of the concussion research has been more recent and has caused changes in many athletic programs so they are safer.  I thought I would share some of my experience with them, just so you all have some more information.
    A concussion has many effects besides what might be conventionally known.  Yes, I have headaches everyday still, even though I got my last concussion over a month ago.  I was out of school for three weeks, which has left me in a position where I'm very behind on my schoolwork.  It's going to be a very long process for me to be able to get up to speed with all of my classes, especially since I've decided to do the IB Diploma.  If my problems persist I may have to drop the diploma.  Because this was my third in a year, I'm no longer allowed to play sports.  As a senior I was looking forward to playing soccer for my school one last year.  That's no longer a possibility for me and it's something that disappoints me greatly.  The last consequence that may not be known to everyone is the emotional toll that concussions take on you.  This is something that I have had particular problems with.  Whenever I'm concussed I've noticed that my emotions are much less balanced then they normally are, as someone who already deals with anxiety, it causes many problems.  For instance, its much easier to make me cry now than it normally is.  I also get frustrated more.  This is because of the emotionally imbalance but also because of my feelings towards being concussed and not being able to work at my full capacity.
    A concussion never goes away.  It's a brain injury and those, in some amount, never go away.  Which means that I might be dealing with these problems for the rest of my life.  It's something that I'll just have to adjust to and live with, there's nothing I can do about it.
    However, the only good thing to come out of this was that it really showed me that people cared.  I got tweets and texts from my friends telling me they missed me and asking when I was coming back to school.  I got a care package from one of my dorm parents with notes from everyone from the dorm.  These things were really something that helped me get through some of the feelings of hurt that I wasn't  at school experiencing all the things I should have been.
     Overall, I just want this to be a warning to you all to try and be safe with what you do to yourself.  No one wants a concussion, they aren't pleasant at all.  If you play sports, just be as safe as you can, you can never prevent anything from happening but you can takes steps that help.  But I also just wanted you all to see more about what it's like, just to have some more information so that you have another point of view.
   Stay happy and healthy!!!      

Let's Talk Sports

   I know that from everything on this blog I seem like a pretty girly-girl, which is kinda true.  I do however, love watching professional sports; in fact I think my mom is getting me ice hockey tickets for Christmas this year.  One sport I absolutely adore is football, no not soccer, but gold old American Football. Don't get me wrong, soccer is amazing and I love playing and watching it.  But I'm much different when I'm watching football.

    I get so rilled up...yes the kind of rilled up where I'm yelling at the TV to people that can't hear me.  I'll jeer at the other teams and get annoyed when bad calls are made.  This is especially true for the teams that I don't like.  When I say that I don't like them, it's pretty serious.  There is a different level of dislike for these teams, sure not as bad as other things, but still bad.  I grew up in Western Pa, so of course I'm a Steelers fan.  Yes, I know they aren't doing well this year but I can't help but love them.  I do have a soft spot for the Bears though.  On the other end of the spectrum are the teams I would never root for.  These are basically as follows, The Patriots, the Cowboys, the Jets, the Ravens (especially them), Notre Dame, and The Ohio State.  It may seem like a lot but there are plenty of teams out there.
    I think that I really like football because I just grew up with it.  My school's team was pretty good, Penn State is just a way of life where I live.  That means that we always watched them.  Of course there was professional football with my favorites!  All day Sunday, once on Monday and Thursday.  There's really not much else you could ask for.  It's a cultural thing, everyone just loves football where I'm from.

   There are somethings that do upset me about football right now.One is that most of the teams I like kinda suck right now.  But another thing is how they're taking away everything that makes football what it is.  Please keep the running game strong.  Passing every play is boring and it won't always work.  If you have a strong running game you can easily get short yardage.  I also think that while the rules needed to be made more strict so that people don't get hurt, that at this point it's turing into something it shouldn't.  We're paying these people millions of dollars to play a game that's slowly turning into flag football.  I just don't think it's the right thing to do.  That being said, once again I understand it's for the players' safety but I do think at some point it might be a bit too much.

   Either way I'm still in love with the sport.  What sports do you love to watch?

Every Day Make-Up

   Yes, I had to bring it up.  I wear make-up to school everyday or when I'm going out (not if I'm just going to the grocery store but if I'm going to dinner or something such as that).  Most of the time I use the same products, a eye-liner, a liquid eye-liner, mascara, a cover-up, and a powder; I'll wear a foundation depending on how my skin is looking.  I use drug store make-up for every day since it's much less expensive

The powder I use is the Maybelline Fit Me! line.

I use this for my water line, although I don't go all the way across.  I only go about half way.
This is the Rimmel Water Proof Black

I use the Rimmel Glam'Eyes for my top lash line.  I usually go for a cat eye for just a smaller flick outwards.

I absolutely LOVE the Covergirl mascaras.  I use the green for my bottom lashes and the top two for my top lashes.  I use the purple before the orange and I find that it makes my lashes look amazing; people sometimes ask if I'm wearing fake eye-lashes.

The cover-up I use is also Rimmel.  Can you find a pattern?  I just use this for any very noticeable flaws on my skin.

     With my make-up I like to have a bolder eye while keeping the skin quite natural.  I also really love the retro style and try to incorporate that into my make-up.  Like I said earlier, I don't always wear make-up but I think it can really help complete an outfit and make it stand out.

   I think it's important to mention that while make-up is fun and you can do so many things with it, you're all beautiful without it as well.  There's not a necessity to wear it, but it's just something some people enjoy.   

    What kind of make-up do you all like to sport?

It's a Good Thing I Like Potatoes

     I love potatoes, there I said it.  I don't really care if that's super strange cause I think they're just amazing.  When my mom told me about a potato festival, I couldn't not agree to go.  Are you kidding me? There's no way  was going to miss the best thing on the planet.  Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.  Potato products were everywhere and the amount of people there was amazing.  So I decided to snap some quick pictures.

Yes, I know that Penn State glasses aren't potatoes, but I couldn't resist.  The same goes for the courthouse, I thought it was beautiful.  I'm also loving the last picture of my mom and all our potato products.

What About Today?

     I know I don't post what I'm wearing a lot.  But I thought maybe every once and awhile I could.  I know I'm not to great with the pictures, but I hope to get better at it soon.  It's getting closer to fall meaning that while it's pretty chilly in the morning, in the afternoon it does tend to warm up a good deal.  This means one thing, layering.  I love to layer with sweaters and cardigans, which is what I did today.

Cardigan: Thrifted       Top: Charlotte Ruse       Shorts: oops I forgot         Shoes: Decided not to wear them

     I thought that the cardigan really added a much needed pop of color.  And since it's autumn I thought a red would be perfect.

     I absolutely love high-waisted things and end up wearing them a lot.  I think they suit me though.  I also was really liking how well my make-up turned out today, by my camera was being funky so I decided just to take a selfie, judge me.  Since it was beautiful outside I thought I would take pictures up by our fire pit of the rest of my outfit though.  Where do you guys like to hang out this time of year?

Sunny Afternoons

     It's approaching October, which means that the weather is starting to get cooler and the leaves are slowly changing into those mesmerizing colors.  Since I'm home for a short while I thought it would be nice to take an afternoon walk through the woods and enjoy the perfect weather.  So my dog, Ingrid, sorta kept me

        I always love going for a stroll during this time of year, and I couldn't not share it.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.Where do you guys like to go for walks?

Autumn Leaves

   After my Top Ten music edition it shouldn't come as surprise that I would use an Ed Sheeran song as the title for my post.  With my school year coming so soon, and all of my packing still needing to be done, I thought it would be nice to talk about on of my favorite thing. Autumn.  Basically every thing about this season makes me happy, the colors, clothes, food, coffee, hot chocolate, carving pumpkins, the corn.  I don't think I need to go on anymore.
   I think that the chill of the air excites me.  Knowing that the leaves are going to change into the beautiful shades of yellow, red, and purple.  It makes me happy to be able to wear my sweaters and my tall socks, in the colors to match the trees.  Seeing my breath when I go outside, reminds me that winter is soon coming but that I must enjoy the season that surrounds me.  I love sitting on the bricks at my school and watching kids play four square while geese fly over our heads.  I'm perfectly content sitting with a book in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, while leaves gather around where I sit.
    When I was younger, fall meant my allergies acting up.  It meant seeing my brother leaving for school.  It meant that there was yard work to be done.  But as I grew up fall's meaning changed for me. Now it means the orange of the pumpkin pie that my mom makes.  Now I get excited because after I come home from school for the break, I get to see my brother come home too.
     Now, the fall brings exciting times with my friends when we take walks in the woods and carve pumpkins together.  Autumn reminds me that it's football season and that hockey it close behind.  There's excitement in seeing the high school team play, no matter how bad they are.
    So basically, bring me a beanie and a sweater because I can't wait for autumn to start.