What are you Craving, and can it Affect you?

Let’s start with a craving, kids, all the way to pregnant ladies have, craving chocolate. If you find yourself always raiding your pantry for the brown bars, you may struggle with depression, and try to let your anger go buy munching away on the sweet-stuff, according to a study done by the American Chemical Society. Consuming chocolate leads to extra “feel-good chemicals,” to be scientific, serotonin and dopamine. Chocolate also has lots of magnesium and theobromine, which tend to be stress relievers and relax your muscles. So next time you feel snacky, think twice about what you choose.

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/truth-about-chocolates-why-do-some-bars-melt-and-some-dont-771709

Are your dreams filled with sweets and soda pops? If they are, you need to spend more time in your dreams according to research done by the Mayo Clinic. People who slept around 1-3 hours, had consumed 550 calories the next day! Mind you, these calories were not steak and veggies, rather, scientists say that people use sugar as an easy wake-up, for instance, a donut to start the day. Turns out that interacting so much sugar, causes you to be more tried over time, sleep on that.

Are you super thirsty after running the mile, or just always wanting water?

If you're always wanting to gulp down water, it could signal an issue like diabetes.

Excessive thirst and urination are one of the earliest warning signs that your insulin levels are out of whack, according to the Mayo Clinic. Extra sugar builds up in your blood, causing your kidneys to go crazy, to get the job done. When they can’t work fast enough, you pee it out which causes you to be thirsty once more.

https://www.sparkletts.com/bottled-water-quality

If you ever find yourself craving any food in general, it is often mistaken for hunger, but what's your body really trying to say? As I stated in the last paragraph, dehydration is when your lacking water- but thirst is actually the last resort for dehydration. "We often misinterpret the signals our body is giving us," says Newhouse. "As a society, we are chronically dehydrated. The next time you reach for something sweet or salty try quelling the craving with a tall glass of water. You may be surprised at the result.” this proves that maybe a bottle of water isn’t the first thing to bring on a desert trek.

So after hearing all of these strange craving and their explanations, we can conclude that you should think twice before shopping hungry. ;)

The Importance of Choices

The Importance of Choices

      Every day you make choices that will shape you and who you will become. It may be big, it may be small, it may be good, it may be bad, but every decision you make changes how you get up the next day. In my life, being a young athletic boy, the most imported choices I have to make, in the near future, is about what I do after school. I have played piano for as long as I can remember and I absolutely adore it. If I continue I could become the best rock n' roller there has ever been. If I stop I could spend more time focusing on sports. 

     Athletics are also a big part of who I am. At the moment, I play soccer, but that might change. I have three sports that I could play. One choice is soccer (which I already do), one possibility of sport                                                                                                                                                                                       is rowing, and the final possibility is running. Will I always be SoccerDude9000 or will I become RowingMaster14? My oldest brother, 18, played soccer until he was about 16, until he started running and was very good at it. One of the things that got him into a good school was how he ran. But what would have happened if he had sticked with soccer? Would he be a professional soccer player? Would he be at a community college a block away from our house? God only knows. My other brother, 16, is a rower. He is absolutely amazing at rowing and is getting many invitations from colleges. If he did not row? Would he be a celebrity or a barista?

      What should you do when you have a hard decision? How do you know what is right and what is wrong? This is an impossible question to answer because no one has ever made the right choice for every dilemma. Nevertheless, what has always given me a lead is my gut. It is not always right but it gives me a good idea. I can promise that you will not always be right and that is what helps shape who you are. 

The Story Of Flamin' Hot Cheetos

What do I think is one of the best things in the world? Eating a Flaming Hot Cheeto. If you have never eaten one before, you should consider it. Not only are normal Cheetos delicious, but flaming hot cheetos have a memorable taste you will never forget. When you put one in your mouth you will NEVER go back to eating a normal Cheeto ever again. So many people in the world love flaming hot cheetos, they are just a part of their life. People just can’t get enough of these things, including me. There are even Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Bagels, Flamin’ Hot Mac n’ Cheetos, hot Cheetos Crispy Treats, Cheeto-Rito’s, etc. There is even a rap song about Flaming Hot Cheetos. 
They will make your fingers red with their flavor, and when you lick it off it will make you feel amazing. The reason I prefer them over regular cheetos, or other snacks, is that these have a different flavor I just can’t get enough of. In my opinion, one of the coolest facts about Flaming Hot Cheetos, is the story of how they were invented. The man who invented them was Richard Montañez, and he worked as a janitor at Frito Lay. Then one day as Montañez was shadowing a salesman, he realized none of the Frito Lay products have a hot and spicy taste, so he grabbed some chilli powder. He was able to get some cheetos without the cheese coating, because of a broken machine at the factory. He took the cheetos home and dusted them off with some of his chilli powder, and from then on it took some hard work but Flaming Hot Cheetos were born. If you want to read more about their story click here. Even though they are spicy, they are one of the best things in the whole world, so we should all appreciate them, and the hard work it took to create them.

Matters of My Self

I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I have also gone to church since I was about 6 weeks old. The Christian religion has had a huge impact on my life and how I see my every day.
The definition of Christianity can be said through a verse in the bible, and that verse is John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but shall have everlasting life. That is the true definition of what it means to believe in God. By believing in God, you also believe in his son, Jesus, my holy savior, who was crucified and then died on the cross for us, so that we could all have an everlasting life.
My personal experience from being a christian has probably been the best part of my life so far. The reason that I say this, is because I know that every second of the day, I am loved by God and I love him for that. Some of the best things that have come along from being a Christian are from the way that I treat people, the ways that they treat me, going to my Church, and all around appreciating life for what it is and how God has given me the amazing gift of the world. Now people sometimes ask me "Why are you so nice?" and the answer is simple, it is because of my faith in God. Everything that I read in my bible and that I hear from my pastor has always been how God loves all of us, and that he is always looking out for us. Whenever I am at Church, I always get this feeling of great love and joy in my heart and a sense of purpose and meaning. It always has an impact on my day, no matter what type of day it is. Some of the lessons that my pastor teaches me about are how God wants us to live our lives and how we should live them (and the truth is, if we followed all of God's rules, we would never hear of things like anger, war, lying, fighting, STIs, etc.). I have tried to follow God's rules and to be honest, I am a work in progress at them.

Some of the benefits of being a Christian have really turned out well; mostly on the outcomes of my actions, and seeing life the best way that it can be. Most of the benefits have been from my church and from my friends at church. The benefits of going to church have been that I get to learn about God, I get to learn about him with friends, and that I get to love all people just the way that they are. Some small and not really important benefits from going to church have been that each time I go there, we play games right before we get into the lessons. Another small and fun benefit from going to church has been that they give out free donuts! Beside from those small benefits, the most important ones have been the ones that came before those.

I hope that all of these things about Christianity have inspired you to maybe look into asking deeper questions. In fact being a Christian is so simple, it is a matter of the heart. All you have to do to become a Christian is say I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that through him, I have eternal life. And just like that you can become a Christian! That isn't so bad is it? Now you can officially call yourself a Christian with that one easy step!

In case of bad times
You can still use your faith to get you through tough times, faith never makes life easy it makes life possible.
As is says in Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God Works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

March Madness and the Culture Around It

March Madness 

It’s march 7th. For most people, this date doesn’t mean anything, but for me, it means that the best time of the year is less then a week away. The selection show for the 2018 NCAA bracket comes out on Sunday. The 68 team field will be revealed and immediately after, thousands of brackets will be made to try to predict the games and the upsets. Most people will fail, but it’s still fun for everyone.

This tournament is special because there is room for cinderella stories. For instance in the NBA playoffs, there’s no room for that because of the 7 game series. I’m sure that Middle Tennessee State, a college of about 22 thousand students, couldn’t beat Michigan State in a 7 game series, but it only takes one game and they did that in 2016, knocked off the #2 seeded Spartans, 90-81. This is what makes March Madness great. I had never even heard of Middle Tennessee State, but for that 2 hour period, I was a huge Blue Raiders fan.

The upsets aren’t the only good thing about this tournament. It’s also just the culture. Last year, tons of the people in my class got computers and at any spare time in the day, we would have our eyes trained to the games. And everyone was super engaged and hyped. I pride myself on following college basketball all year, but honestly, it doesn’t matter that much. Anyone can enjoy march madness. Last year, Harrison won our ESPN Tounerment Challenge. I 100% know more about college basketball then him, but it didn’t end up matter which I actually like, even though it hurts a hardcore fan.

Another great thing about march madness is all the teams that haven’t been there before and are just getting their first experience for them and their fans. You have your Duke, your, Kansas, your Kentucky, your North Carolina and sure, those teams are cool to watch with multiple NBA prospects, but I think the more entertaining games are the first timers. 2 years ago, I remember watching a first round matchup between Kentucky, a team that has been to the tournament 57 times and won 8 championships, and Stony Brook. It was Stony Brook’s first time in March Madness. With about 30 seconds left in the game and Kentucky up by 25, the Stony Brook fans begin to chant “Let’s go Seawolves”. They knew they weren’t going to win, but they didn't care. They were just happy to be there.
Part of the reason I like March Madness is that they play basketball. I
think basketball is the best sport to watch on TV. If March Madness was

34 games of baseball, I wouldn’t like it as much. Now that’s not a knock on baseball, I love that sport, but basketball is more entertaining on TV. Also, I love playing basketball. I remember when I was 3, I would play basketball at 24 Hour Fitness and it was super fun. My team was called the Layups, even though we couldn’t even make them. Basketball is just fun to play and watch, there’s not much else to say.

Even though March Madness is amazing every year, this year it is surrounded with controversy. In the fall, a report came out about many colleges paying high school athletes so they would come to their school, which is illegal in the NCAA. This lead to repercussions for major schools, such as Louisville, who lost their Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino and was stripped from their 2013 National Championship. Also, the projected #1 overall pick in this years NBA draft, Deandre Ayton from Arizona was reportedly paid $100,000 to play for Arizona. Now this scandal won’t have a huge effect on this year's tournament, but it could in the future. Even with these dark clouds above this year and the years to come, I’m sure it will still be just as awesome.

Family now vs family then

How is being a younger sibling different from being an older sibling? How does our lifestyle as children in the modern world differentiate from children who lived during the industrial revolution? For starters I have an older brother, as well as an younger cousin. In my family, my role has always been the youngest. While my family may treat each other as equals, being the youngest came with favorable assets. Some examples are asking for help with homework, as well as having the freedom to ask for a hand, or engaging in activities almost whenever desired. Although there are many good qualities about being the youngest, there are some bad qualities as well. One example includes being the last to know certain events that occur in which are too somber, therefore that I am “not old enough to handle it.” Despite the possibility of this being a valid concern, it can be infuriating knowing that everybody else knew before you did. You can feel mad as well as shocked at the same time, for the reason being, knowing that everybody else was living in the truth while you were in the dust, clueless.

While it is one experience being younger, it is another to be presented the responsibilities of being an older cousin. Having a two year old cousin has influenced quite an extensive change in my life. I feel as though my title has been passed on. I may be one of the youngest, but no longer the youngest of them all. When I was first informed of my baby cousin, my world turned upside down. The reality of there being someone in my family that I am older than opens my eyes to a new chapter of the book of responsibilities. Even though I may only see my cousin twice a year, before I see him I always go through what to do while around him. My list includes, his favorite games, keeping a smile on my face, as well as not being afraid to use the overly excited tone of voice people always use when entertaining a baby. Clearly from my previous statement you can conclude that I am usually not the best with kids. I simply do not know how to entertain them as well as how to soothe their cries. After a few visits to see my cousin, I feel that I have settled down into the role of older cousin. This includes entertaining whenever possible, having a positive face when in his presence, as well as not being afraid to own the fact that I am more experienced than he his, and when he is old enough, pass on advice. Now that I have filled you in on my perspective of being older versus younger, let’s discuss the lives of children who lived during the industrial revolution.

Children who lived during the industrial revolution worked hard, long hours. The children who worked in the factories worked 12-14 hours with short breaks in between. With much large and dangerous equipment in the factories, children were prone to many accidents including injuries and death. Wages were along the same line of injustice. Children would only receive around 3 pence (0.0415 usd) or less everyday. Some factory owners would even get away with not paying them at all. The adults that oversaw the children's work neglected their safety, as well as punished them in a cruel way. The cause of punishments was often from taking unscheduled breaks and being late to work. Some examples of punishment included tying a heavy weight to the person’s neck and telling them to the walk up and down each section of the factory for other children to see. This would generally cause neck and back damage for the child. Another form of punishment were beatings.

Although there were many people who benefited from child labor, there were many people who were determined to abolish it. The first act was in 1833 when the Factory Act was passed by Parliament, in which lowered working hours for children. Additionally, children were required to go to school for no less than 2 hours a day. A major part of this act was when the Parliament sent government officials to oversee the changes. Overtime when activists continued to work towards ending child labor, the United States government created the Children’s Bureau to monitor child labor.

When these children came home from work they did not have the time to have quality interactions with their family. In fact all members of the family would work and not have time to talk with one another. Comparing this to my life now has such a tremendous difference. Now school is half the day, and the other parts of the day are filled with extracurricular activities. Also I have much time in the evening to interact with my family after school. When I imagine what relationships families had during the industrial revolution, I think of weak bonds that rely on blood connections. Parents wanted their children working for the money, and had not supported their child. I know that parents did not all think this way. I also wonder what type of experiences both younger and older siblings had, and how different their experience was compared to my own.

In the end we as children in the 21st century are so lucky to go to schools that care about our education, as well as live with families that care about us. Although this may not apply to everyone, I know that are lives have definitely changed for the better compared to the times of harsh child labor.

All in all, be grateful for what you have, not what you don’t. Don’t see the glass as half empty, but half full.

Youngest VS Oldest VS Middle Child

I was inspired by this book I read in 3rd grade

Being the middle child, I found myself stranded in a limbo. At the median of all subjects and activities. The youngest, my sister lauren, gets aid, the oldest, my brother Noah, knows it thoroughly or does well and there's me at the center with neither much knowledge or help. For example, at a crowded concert, the youngest gets lifted up for a view. My brother rises up with his immense height and I’m left at the bottom staring at the backs of those around me. Even if my parents decided to 

grant my wish and help me, it just wouldn’t work. You can’t half help someone and you don't want to overload. In this scenario, the aid is lifting the other up. But being nearly 100 pounds, I don’t see anyone doing that. And even if the helper had been going to the gym for the past 3 years and does succeed in giving you the view you had been wanting. Your parent will in the end lead you to your doom. Going back to what I said earlier, you can’t half help and don’t want to overload. Overloading will send your child up, sending him into the clouds for the ultimate view, but don’t celebrate. The next thing you know, your father is tipping over, sending you and himself into the crowd knocking everyone over in a domino effect. Ruining the musicians surfing. Or your parent attempts to “half help” and is crouched down on the Cement trying to find the most comfortable position, but then loses balance while shifting and…. You know the story. But looking at the benefits of the youngest and oldest, it may not always seem great. Yes, the youngest is helped and given attention, but is actually babied. The constantly optimistic mother may be quite annoying and will close certain doors in an attempt to “protect you”. The older may be great at everything, but is forced to and is given too much responsibility. Not reaching the standards of your parents can lead to a load of scolding. Sometimes balance is best, but truly this only happens at a certain age, ranging from 5 to 11 years old. Everyone was babied, lectured, given help, had overwhelming expectations and has been finally able to watch their favorite band, The Beatles rocking out. But in the end, I would choose to be oldest and finally get revenge on my brother.

How my brothers shaped who I am today

I have always been a girl who loves fashion, shoes, and hair and I haven't been hiding it. I used to run around in tutus and sneak into my moms closet to try her shoes on. Growing up with two older brothers though, has changed me tons. I still love fashion and hair, but I've become so competetive, that everything has some type of happy balance. I'm basically the definition of the best of both worlds. Keeping that in mind, let's continue on. I remember being about 5 and my two older brothers were best friends. I would look out my window and see my two older brothers playing soccer and shooting goals on each other. I had just got these new gorgeous gold earrings, and I loved them so much, however I really wanted to hangout with my brothers. I walked outside and asked my brothers if I could play with them, and they hastily said: “yes, but you’re in goal.” Let me just tell you, my brothers are legitimate soccer players. Imagine a little curly headed girl, wearing a pink dress with flowers on it, standing in a soccer goal with two huge middle schoolers kicking soccer balls at her and just like you'd imagine, it didn't go too well. Eventually, my brother kicked a soccer ball at my head, causing one of my beautiful new earrings to fall into the grass. I searched for hours, with no help from my brothers at all, and never found them. Don’t get me wrong, I love having older brothers. I know they are always there to help me, but sometimes I wish I had a sister. How my brothers shaped who I am today.

I also happen to be the youngest sibling, and hear nonstop from my brothers “you got this before me,” or “you have everything so easy because you’re the youngest.” Right now, my brothers are both in high school, while I’m in middle school. I miss out on tons of family movie sessions, because “the movie’s too mature for me.” It’s kind of hard for me still to feel like I’m not part of the family because I miss out on stuff because I’m too young to do something. As I’ve gotten older, it’s become easier for me to fit in. One of my brothers is going to college soon, so lately it’s been easier because it’s all sinking in for him that he’s leaving in less than 6 months. Being a younger sister is hard, but it’s ok because I’ve learned how to get the most out of it, and right now, it’s ok. I love my brothers so much, and I think I’ve really become a better person because of being the youngest. For me, having older brothers made me the tough girl I am today. Without them constantly pulling my curly hair, I never would’ve learned to be fiesty and fight back. I’m a super competitive person, but I also love to go shopping and sleep all day. My brothers have made me the fiesty, lazy, insane, girly, and loving person I am today.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/189362359308167776/

Birthdays Traditions Around The World

People celebrate birthdays in many different ways. Traditionally, you may think that everyone has a birthday cake topped with flaming candles. But not everyone has the same traditions. So many places around the world have unique and amazing ways to celebrate.

One of the main ways that people celebrate is by food. In most cultures, food is used as a way to bring people together.

For example, in South Korea most people make a seaweed soup to serve with breakfast. Mothers also eat this soup after childbirth because it is full of nutrients.

In Russia, most families make personalized pies with the person's name. The pies can be sweet or savory, it is up to the person who’s birthday it is.

In China, they eat noodles on your birthday. This tradition represents how long you will live. Traditionally, the noodles are served in broth with a fried egg, but each family has their own way to celebrate longevity.

In Australia, they make a fairy bread. It is a buttered bread with frosting and sprinkles.

In the Netherlands, they make taarties and pancakes to celebrate birthdays. Taarties are Dutch tartes filled with fruit, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

In Sweden, they make a princess cake on your birthday. Princess cakes have layers of marzipan and whipped cream ,covered in green fondant. Marzipan is sweet almond paste.

In Ghana, they make a spicy yam and egg mash called Oto. It is traditionally made in a huge pot and fried in palm oil, infused with onions. It is served for breakfast.

In Mexico you get the well known Arroz con Leche on your birthday. Arroz con Leche is a cinnamon rice pudding that is served warm on birthdays.

These are only a few of the many colorful and flavorful ways people celebrate birthdays around the world. Some other cool birthday traditions are:

In Argentina, they pull your ear the amount of years you have been alive, instead of spanking wich is a tradition for a lot of American families. This tradition is for friends and family of all ages. It is considered bad luck to wish people a happy birthday in advance in Argentina, along with many other places around the world. Another birthday tradition is throw eggs, flour, and polenta at the birthday person when they get to school or work.

In Norway, they have a birthday song like ours in America. The birthday song has a dance to go with it and if you are in school you can choose a friend in your class to do the dance with you.

In Russia, they have a birthday song, but they also have a tradition called the “clothesline tradition.” The clothesline tradition is were people put up a clothesline with small gifts for children and adults at the party.

In Germany, they share a lot of the same birthday traditions as we do, along with not having to do chores, or homework. If you are a single man that is older than thirty, you have to get garbage thrown at you while sweeping stairs.

Most children in Ecuador have two birthdays. On the day that they were born they get a card. Oon the day that the saint that they were named after was born they have a full celebration.

In Vietnam, everyone celebrates their birthdays on the same day. This day is called Tet. Tet is known as the beginning of the New Year. On Tet, children get money from their parents and relatives.

In India, children get to wear new clothes. Another birthday tradition of India is to show respect to your parents. One way people do this is by touching the parents feet.

In Holland, they have what are known as Crown Years. Crown years are years where you get a big celebration with gifts and food. The Crown Years are 5, 10, 15, 20 and, 21.

We can conclude that not everyone celebrates birthdays the same way. From sweet treats to respecting your parents, there are many unique birthday traditions around the world.

Sources:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/136530-11-cool-birthday-traditions-from-around-the-world

https://team.org/blog/birthday-traditions-around-the-world/

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Snakes: Are They Scary?

About a year ago, I got a pet corn snake. I had previous experience with reptiles, such as my crested gecko, but I had never had a snake. I always loved snakes. They were stereotyped and adorable, and I was finally going to be the proud owner of a baby corn snake! I chose a beautiful Amel Motley corn, bought him, and put him into his fifteen-gallon terrarium. Four days later, I tried to hold him. The snake was a little longer than a pencil, but he was determined to kill me and all that I held dear. His pebble sized head whipped around, terrifying both me and my little sister. We returned him to the pet store, deeply scarred. After reading up a bit more about corn snakes, we discovered that he had been a bit to young and overly head shy, which means that he is afraid of things getting close to his head, and that the simple action of holding him had been absolutely terrifying. Not all snakes are head shy, sort of like how not all people have arachnophobia. I wasn't giving up. I still believed that all of the snake stereotypes were false, and I was determined to prove it.

So, three months ago, I went back to the store where I bought the now labeled “devil snake.” I had spent hours studying corn snakes, reading blogs and articles and pet store websites. I was thoroughly prepared. Me and my mom were browsing the store, looking at all of the adorable reptiles, when I walked by the corn snake display. They were so cute, so tiny, so innocent, with their adorable flicking tongues and huge, deep eyes. I walked up to the cashier and asked if I could hold one. She walked over the the snakes and pulled out a long lavender stripe corn, saying “This one is really sweet. He’s been here for two and a half years. We tried to sell him at the reptile expo over the weekend, but everyone wants the babies. They want to grow with their snakes.”

This was absurd to me. Corn snakes can grow to be up to five feet long and thirty years old, and this snake was one foot and three years old! He was also really sweet, coiling around my arm and staring at me with dark, intelligent eyes. We still had all of the supplies from the previous corn snake, so, after much begging and convincing, my mom let me buy him. I named him Cinna.

Now, Cinna lives happily in my bedroom. He never hisses, and he lets me hold him almost every day. He has never made any moves to attack or harm anyone, and he loves new people. He shatters all stereotypes ever put on snakes. When a snake attempts to harm you, that usually means it is terrified of you or defending something special to itself.

I would totally recommend pet corn snakes, and other snakes in general. Of course, you must be prepared to feed your new friend dead mice, but they are worth it. Every corn snake owner can agree with me. They may be the easiest pet to care for, because they only need to eat once a week. Corn snakes have also been bred to be very diverse in color, from charcoal corns to candy cane corns and everything in between. You can find corns in yellow, green, purple, white, or any other color or pattern. I hope that this begins to scratch the ice between you and snakes, and that maybe you begin to consider meeting a corn snake!

Football.

I think I’m drawn to the sport because of the physical demand, the teamwork, and honestly the hitting. Football players are some of the greatest athletes out there. Football makes you push your limits because in football you have to be fast, Strong, Agile, and in great shape. If you’re not in good shape you will not only succeed but you will have a much greater chance of getting injured.

It may sound bad or savage but it’s true that part of the reason I like football is because there is hitting in it. I don’t know really why I like it but I do. I think football is a healthy way for kids to get out there aggression this isn’t to say that I would be hitting people I see on the street but it is a good outlet for me and others.

To me a football team is like a machine because when you play every person has to do there job for the team to succeed. Because of this as well as the fact that you are actually protecting each other I think that a football team becomes family even if you don’t like someone or they don’t like you when you step on the field you are brothers.

I started playing football in second grade.It was only flag I had no idea of how football works. I only knew the name of one position and I was certain the right way to catch the ball was with your chest. Really the only thing I knew about it was I wanted to play and I wanted to be good. I had played basketball and t- ball before this and I was pretty good at catching but I was also a big kid so they put me at tight end. I caught two touchdowns that season.

The next season I was playing with a lot of kids that were a year older than me and initially I didn't start on either side of the ball. I worked hard that season because I really cared and wanted to succeed. Part way through the season I took someones spot on offensive line and eventually on defense. That was my last time not starting on offense or defense.

From third grade onward I have always played offensive and defensive line but I am I am switching to play more linebacker and tight end. Whatever position I am playing I will always adore football.

My Two Sides

My Two Sides

My father, was born in Pakistan, and moved to America 25 years ago. My Mother grew up in a relatively unknown town in Idaho called Bonners Ferry. She grew up Mennonite, but left the Church. My Dad grew up Muslim, but he also left that religion.

They met in Joplin,Missouri, and got married. Then three years later, they had me. This blog post, is about how I act differently in the company of my different families.

When I travel to Atlanta, every year, I sit inside, and eat Pakistani food, and talk. We talk about a lot of stuff, ranging from religion, (which usually involves heated discussions) to politics. I get given a lot of Pakistani dessert, and get really unhealthy, for the time that I’m there. I really love going to Atlanta, except for one thing. Now that I’m not a little kid anymore, they have started trying to convert me. It gets really awkward, because I am an Atheist, and they are always asking me what I believe.

When I go to Idaho, I run around in the woods with my dog, and hunt deer with my uncle. There is a huge mountain just outside my Grandparents house, and climbing up on one of the old broken down log trucks, the view is breathtaking. When I am not in the woods, I am either reading in the comfie playing with my cousins in the huge back yard, and hope not to get another nail in my foot. they have a lot of rusted nails out there, and it really hurts when you get one stuck in your foot. I love going to Idaho, but I can expect everyone to have heard of me, like I am a legend or something. Random people, that I don’t know will ask me if I am “Laurel’s son”. They assume correctly who I am, because at that moment, I am probably the only non-white person in Bonners Ferry. One time, I was in town with my uncle, and his kids, when I see this kid my age ( I later learned that he was exactly my age), walk by me, and then slowly rotate, and look me up and down. First he looked at my shoes, and when he was looking at my face, his eyes went down again. This went on for nearly a minute, until I was about to ask him what he wanted, but then he turned around and left.

This was the only time where I have experienced any unkindness in Bonners, and other than those weird moments when people who I have never met know me, I enjoy being there immensely.

My two families are very different, and I act differently around them, but I am both of the ways I act.

History of VR and Effects on the Future

Virtual Reality is a three dimensional computer-generated simulation, usually used with a headset and hand controls. It is still a new development, and it is very primitive compared to technology like in the book Ready Player One. Some of its problems include not being able to simulate movement well, bad graphics, and clunky controllers. But many people believe virtual reality has world changing potential.

The first virtual reality was technically the Viewfinder, originally made in 1939. However, it would be decades before the world would be introduced to the VR we know today. Lots of companies had toyed with VR like the Nintendo Virtual Boy, but none of them really took off. But then in 2010, the prototype for the Oculus Rift was created, and in 2016 the HTC VIVE was released commercially.

If progress on VR continues like it has been for the past couple years, it looks like virtual reality could be around for a long time. VR has only been used for a little while, but still many companies are trying their hand at it. Even in 2016, there were more than 200 companies working on VR.

One major problem with virtual reality is that it is very expensive. While that’s true, if people keep showing interest in VR we can expect the prices to drop drastically in the next few years. Another problem is that we have no idea what having a screen an inch from your face for extended periods of time will do to your brain and eyes. If VR is going to be a big deal, people are going to need to research the health hazards more.

Virtual reality has a ton of potential to do great things for the world. One example is education. With VR kids in a classroom could just strap on their headsets and actually see the Egyptian Pyramids and Mount Rushmore. It could also be used for kids with limited mobility, so they could have a class from their own home. It could also be used as a way to plan trips. You could actually see where you want to go before you make any decisions.

I think virtual reality has a lot of potential to do great things, but I also know the challenges people will have to overcome if they want to make any of those things a reality that isn’t just virtual. If the same amount of work that’s put into VR today is used in the future, most of the problems I mentioned will probably be resolved in the next decade or two.