What Five Relationships Have Had the Greatest Impact on Your Life?

1.) Olivia  Taub. This girl is my other half. Have you ever wondered if there's someone, somewhere in the world who is basically a clone of you? I have, and it's kind of a weird thought, I know. If there was though, Liv (I almost never call her Olivia) would be my clone. We met at camp, and we immediately became great friends. It's awful that's she's my best friend and I only see her a couple times a year- but it's fantastic that we can still stay best friends. We are literally as close to the sam person as we could be- we love the same music, the same movies, we find the same guys attractive, we like all the same people, we dislike all the same people, we have the same sense of humor, we're both dancers, we have similar style and the list could go on for hours. The first time she came to my house, she immediately got along with my family And the first time I went to her house, her mom and I started talking right away. We're just so similar, that we fit right in with each others family. She's made me more comfortable with who I am, and I hope I've done the same for her.

2.) Maddy Berkowitz Cerasaeno. She is the strongest girl my age I know. Her family is far from ordinary- I know her from temple and camp, so she's Jewish. (She and Micah (the next person on the list) convinced me into going to camp so that right there changed who I am today.) Also, she adopted from China while her younger brother is adopted from Cambodia. And on top of all that, I recently went to the wedding of her two mothers. She has the most diverse family I've ever heard of, and I love them all to death. Maddy has taught me to appreciate how good I have it. Not that her family isn't amazing- because they are. But my family is an ordinary family and I never get made fun of because of them. Maddy gets so much ridiculous hate about her family that she doesn't deserve at all. And yet, she is till an incredibly supportive friend and I value her friendship so much. Our friend Ben always jokes around when he sees one of us alone. If he were to see Maddy alone, he would run up to her and say "Where's Julia? Is she okay?" because Maddy and I are inseparable once you get us together.

3.) Micah Cutler. If it weren't for Micah, all of my friends would be girls. He was my first guy friend, and her honestly taught me how to be friends with a guy. If it weren't for him I'd still be that awkward girl who's almost scared to talk to guys. Besides him helping me get over my irrational fear of boys, he's the boy version of me. His birthday is even a day after mine. We're both just so sarcastic and blunt when you get to know us. We're the kids who walk into confirmation classes at temple singing at the top of our lungs while he's giving me a piggy back ride- and no one's surprised. We have such a close friendship, that people often ask us if we are dating. We're not and I don't think I would ever date him- he's just such a great friend and I feel so comfortable around him. He's like a supportive big brother- even though I am older than him... even if it's only one day older.

Olivia, Micah and Maddy are my camp family. The three of them have gotten me through so much and I only wish they lived closer to me, and I saw them more often.

4.) Michelle Breton. She's just so much fun to be with. Shell (that's what I call her) is pretty much a part of my family. I've been friends with Shell since we were about four. She's the friend that we take on vacation, and the one who when she comes over she cooks for me. Everyone in my family calls her Shell, and if one of us were to call her by her full name, it would be answered with a gasp. She's so close with my entire family that she's like the sister I never had. Knowing that I have a family member outside of my family is pretty cool.

5.) Shauna McDonald. She's the girl who appreciates me weirdness. We're both kind of bizarre when you get to know us. We've been friend since we were four so we've had a long time to get to know each other. In some ways Shauna and I are very similar, but in other ways we're incredibly different. That's probably what I value most about our friendship- we appreciate and adore the weird quirks that the other has. It's a great feeling when someone is totally okay with who you are and you're completely comfortable with them. I'm used to that at camp and temple, but at home in Guilderland people honestly judge you so much. So to have a friend in Guilderland who doesn't judge me at all is so fantastic.

6.) Justine Ochs. I've know her since I was about four. She has always been one of my best friend- Justine and the two above her, Shauna and Michelle, are some of my best friends. We like to call ourselves the Fantastic Four. I would be a completely different person if I hadn't known Justine for my whole life. She's just one of those people who you always have fun with. She's also the friend that I argue with the most. We get in little fights about the most random things- but it never effects or relationship. I love that I know I'll always have her. She's taught me what it's like to worry about a friend which has made a huge impact on me. She's just such a fantastic person and I worry that she might make some bad decisions but I know she's much smarter than that. My friendship with her has made me a better friend to everyone.

Almost everything I said for Michelle, Shauna and Justine applies to the other two as well. They're some of my best friends, and we've shaped each other into the people we are today.

(I know it said five, but I couldn't take one of these amazing people off the list!)

T = TGI Fridays

My restaurant is TGI Fridays which is located in Stuyvesant Plaza. The last time I went there was Friday night after a performance of Hairspray!. It's a GP tradition to go to TGI Fridays after the Friday night show. When GP went, they were extremely accommodating for us, and tried to put as many of us near each other as they could. They also stayed open until about one a.m. when we were almost the last people there (there was still a few people at the bar though) which was really great of them. My table had a waiter named Spencer, and he was hysterical. We had a lot of fun with him, and I'm sure he enjoyed a table of girls swooning over him. Everyone at my table with starving from the performance so we all got the "3 for $12" deal. I personally got an appetizer of dumpling, a main course of chicken and pasta, and for dessert I got an big Oreo- but instead of cream in the middle it had vanilla ice cream. I also got a berry smoothie which was really good. All of the food was really great. After the tax and tip, I ended up paying $25 even for my meal which I don't think is bad at all. TGI Fridays has a really nice and chill atmosphere. It's not somewhere you go if you want to go somewhere fancy, but for a fun night out with friends it's fantastic.

The Books That Changed My Life

My favorite books would easily be the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I could go on for hours telling you what I love about the series; because there's honestly nothing I dislike about the series at all.
Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were my role models growing up, and I still admire them so much.
Harry's life is so far from the life of an average kid. He a wizard, he's famous, and he's a target to be murdered. Yet he manages to find so much in his life that's fantastic. He's determined and proactive as well. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns of the dementors from Azkaban that come to occupy and protect Hogwarts from Sirius Black. Harry knows that there's no way he'd be able to fight Voldemort, or at the time Sirius, with the dementors around. So Harry asks to learn how to fight of the dementors so he's able to defend himself. One last thing I admire about Harry is how loyal he is. He and his bests Ron and Hermione argue all the time- what friends don't? They always find their way back to each other though. The three of them are the definition of amazing friends.
I'll be honest, I've always wanted to be Hermione Granger. She is "the brightest young witch of her time" after all. Not only is she a genius, but she's always been herself. No matter how many times Hermione got picked on for being so smart, or for having Muggle parents, she always stayed true to herself. She's so proud of who she is, and I think we need more role models like Hermione Granger. Of course like Harry, she's so loyal to her friends. Hermione often acts as an intermediary for Harry and Ron when they argue. Hermione has this amazing ability to listen to both sides, not take any sides, and help Harry and Ron make up with each other. I just admire Hermione so much and I honestly wish that she wasn't a fictional character because like I said, Hermione is the perfect role model for girls.
The reason I connect with the Harry Potter series so much isn't because of the fantasy aspect; though I love that part. Harry Potter is so amazing because of the relationships in it. The relationships within families, students and teachers, enemies, and friends. Relationships are something everyone can connect to and the relationships in Harry Potter really click with me. The Harry Potter series are hands-down my favorite books.

Bucket List

1.) Float in the Dead Sea in Israel. Every single person I've talked to about their trip to Israel, has told me about the Dead Sea. The pictures I've seen of the Dead Sea are so cool- pictures of people floating in the water, reading a book. Everyone loves it, and it just sounds like such a cool experience.

2.) Get paid for a dance performance. I know I'm not going to be a professional dancer- I don't have a dancers body, and I don't have the extreme determination required to be a professional dancer. But I would love to have at least one performance that I got paid for- something like a half time show. I just think it'd be the coolest thing to get paid for something I love.

3.) Be a camp counselor at a sleep away camp. My counselor made a huge  impact on me this year. She taught be not to take everything people say to heart, but to always keeps other peoples emotions in mind. She never flat out said that, but that's what she taught me over the summer and it's really changed me for the better. To have to the same kind of impact on someone else would be the most incredible thing.

4.) Meet Daniel Radcliffe. If you don't know who he is, first; I'm disappointed. Second, he plays Harry Potter in the movies. I'm that nerdy girl who calls herself a "Potterhead" because of how important Harry Potter has been to me. When I'm upset, I honestly do go and read Harry Potter, and I feel like the books have taught me so many friendship lessons. SO you'd think I'd want to meet J.K. Rowling; and believe me, I do. The reason I want to meet Daniel Radcliffe more though is because he's the face I associate with Harry Potter. Not only that, but I'm a theatre nerd and he played the lead in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying for a while. He's just perfect to me. I don't know what I'd do if I actually met him. I'd probably cry.

5.) Ride and elephant. In my room, I have these three huge pictures on one wall. One is a picture of a water lily that I took. Another is a picture of me and my brothers. And that last, and my favorite, is a picture of an elephant that I took at a Zoo. I don't know why I love elephants so much, I just think the are the coolest animals. It would be a dream come true to ride an elephant.

6.) Own a business. I have no idea what I want to do in college, and even less of an idea about how I want to make a living once I'm a grown adult. I hate the idea of sitting in an office and doing nothing but paperwork- I can deal with some paperwork though. If I owned a small business, sure I'd have to do some paperwork, but there'd be so much more for to do since it would be my business.

7.) Go sky-diving. I love roller coasters, I love adventure course, I love high ropes courses, I love heights. Though I without fail get scared before I do any of those, I love the thrill. Sky-diving is the combination of all of those, and seems like the ultimate thrill.

8.) Become a confident solo singer. I've been singing in choir since the third grade, and I love being in musicals. I would love to be a lead in a musical one day, but as of right now I have no confidence in my voice. Once I find that confidence in my voice, maybe I could get a lead though and that would mean so much to me.

9.) Fall in love. I'm only a sophomore in high school, so it's no surprise I haven't been in love before. What could be a surprise though, is that I've never even had a boyfriend. I guess I'm kind of anxious about it, and I can't imagine growing up without falling in love.

10.) See every show on Broadway. I'm a theatre nerd. My list of shows that I want to see at the moment could go on forever, but right now Godspell is at the top of my list. I just love musical theatre so much, and I wish I had the opportunity to see every show there is because that would just be fantastic.

The Language of Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUV5r281XLY&feature=fvsr
^ link to the music video.

Lyrics to:
Milim by Harel Skaat

http://lyricstranslate.com
Hebrew Transliteration

Shuv ha’etsev kan, shuv hapachad kan
Vehasof nirkam bechaloni
Zgugit sduka veshuv shtika
Muteshet vezruka bedimyoni
Haor nirdam, dmaot shel dam sorfot li
bagaron
Yadit sruta, tikra shmuta
Cshe’ani shaer lach et hashir haacharon
Hesh’art li rak milim, miklat ben
hatslalim
Sfarim mesudarim, uven hachadarim
Hesh’art li rak milim, zer shel man’ulim
Elohim, hesh’art li rak milim
Kirot shotkim achshav uma lakacht keshebaracht?
Ken, ma lakacht? Bamilchama hazit ulay nitzacht
Uma nish’ar li kshe’alacht?
Hesh’art li rak milim, miklat ben
hatslalim
Sfarim mesudarim, uven hachadarim
Hesh’art li rak milim, zer shel man’ulim
Elohim, hesh’art li rak milim
Hesh’art li rak milim, miklat ben
hatslalim
Sfarim mesudarim, uven hachadarim
Hesh’art li rak milim, zer shel man’ulim
Elohim, hesh’art li rak milim
Vegam lakerach kar, ksheani
nizkar
Ech at hayom mulo, mueret
betsilo
Nishberet bishvilo, et hamilim shehesh’art li
At achshav omeret lo
Hesh’art li rak milim, miklat ben
hatslalim
Sfarim mesudarim, uven hachadarim
Hesh’art li rak milim, zer shel man’ulim
Elohim, hesh’art li rak milim
Sfarim mesudarim, uven hachadarim
Hesh’art li rak milim, zer shel man’ulim
Elohim, hesh’art li rak milim

English

Again, the sadness is here, again the fear is here
And the end is weaved in my window
A cracked glass and again silence
Exhausted and thrown, in my mind
The light is asleep and tears of blood
are burning in my throat
A scratched door handle, a falling ceiling
When I sing this last song to you
You left me only words,
a shelter in the shadows
Organized books and between the rooms
You lest me only words
a bouqe of locks
My God, you left me only words
The walls are silent now
and what did you take when you ran away,
yes, what did you take?
In this war you may have won
And what was left for me when you left?
You left me only words....
Even the ice gets cold when I remember
How today you are across from him
lit by his shadows
fall apart for him
the words you left me
you are now saying to him...
You left me only words.


Dear Michael,
Here's the story of us. Short and sweet. How we started with lies, and ended with lies. 
You bumped into me in the hallway one day. You would never watch where you were going, you're much too cool for that. You helped me pick up my books though, I was in shock. You started talking to me. You walked me to class. You told me you thought I was beautiful. I believed you. I was floating for the rest of the day.
I found you standing in the same spot where we bumped into each other the next day. You told me you hadn't been able to get me off your mind. I believed you.
That night you called me. I still don't know how you got my phone number, Michael. We talked on the phone for hours. Our first real conversation was perfect, that's how I'd like to remember you. During that conversation you told me you felt like you already knew me. You told me you wanted to get to know me better. I believed you.
Fast forward a month or two. We're dating, and we're happy. We were as close to inseparable as you can get, without being obsessive. I cared for you. You said you cared for me. I believed you.
On our four month anniversary, you told me you were going to pick me up and take me out to dinner. Instead, you took me back to your house where you had cooked an incredible meal for us, and rented Titanic. That day, you told me you loved me. Like an idiot, I believed you.
A few weeks later, you said you didn't feel that way about me anymore. I didn't- and still don't- understand how a feeling like that can just disappear that quickly. I may still love you, but I'm over you now. I've moved on. What I'm not over, is all the lies you told me. How can you love me one day, and not two weeks later? Everything you said, and I believed were lies. That hurt me, Michael.
If you take anything from the story of us, let it be the power of your words. Please, please, please- do not say anything you don't mean. Sure, it made me feel fantastic and loved at the time. But Michael, look at where we are now. I truly believed those words; that I now see you telling another girl. 
You left me with nothing but the memory of the lies you told me.
Sincerely,
Allison

Lucky Blog

For my tenth birthday, my Grammy Dee gave me a bracelet. It's an incredibly simple bracelet- it's a plain silver cuff with the word "Peace" engraved into it. It's simplicity is so beautiful, and I love this bracelet so much. I wear it every single day without fail. Occasionally I'll take it off for a few minutes at a time to polish it, and I really should bring it to a jeweler to get it reshaped. I've been wearing it so long, that it's pretty deformed now. The only times I ever take it off for more than a few minutes are for performances like musicals or my dance recitals. Even then though, I wear it all day leading up to the performance. It may seem weird that I take my lucky bracelet off for performances, but it's just that I'm not allowed to wear it during shows. It's always in the dressing room, in my bag though. I'm never far from it. 

In twelve days, I'll be turning sixteen. In twelve days, I will have been wearing this bracelet everyday for the past six years.

TU Tuesday- Crime

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Ark-police-say-sibling-shooting-not-accidental-3406357.php

http://www.cleveland.police.uk/young-people/The-Law.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_detention_center#Mental_Health

Can you arrest someone who is both mentally ill and young?

The article I read was about a little girl who is thought to have shot her younger brother. The girl is nine years old, and autistic. She had told everyone that two men broke in and shot her brother, but no evidence was found that someone had broken in. The police are starting to doubt that two men really did break in, and they're starting to think that the girl shot her brother and is lying about it. While I couldn't find information about New York state, in Cleveland you're not able to arrest someone under the age of ten. So while it's possible that the girl murdered her brother, right now there is nothing that the police can do about it. Once the little girl is old enough, she could be sent to a Juvenile Detention Center. Most detention centers provide mental health services. While many juvenile delinquents suffer from mental disorders, most of them are very different than autism. But the mental health services are provided, and someone like the little girl in the article could benefit from those services.

Creative Contest II

"I'm so creative, I think inside the box."

Scurples

8. You buy a scarf from a discount store as a gift for a friend who is very label conscious. You have an empty box from a trendy store. Do you repackage the scarf in the box and give it to your friend?

I might use the box, but purely because it's a box to put the scarf in. I would never intentionally lie to a friend about something that I find ridiculously stupid. I personally don't wear much clothing with a brand name on it. Why would I buy a shirt with a brand name on it, and then wear it? That's like paying to advertise for the company. Say a purse has a little brand symbol on it, that's fine. But I find being "label-concious" ridiculous because there is no reason for it- except to try to impress others with material items. I might possibly use the box, but if my friend gets excited about the name on the box I would tell her that it was the only box I could find and that gift is not from that store. It really shouldn't matter where you got it- if you like something, use it.

My Blog Idea

Write an apology to someone who means a lot to you, but keep the person anonymous.

I love seeing him perform. His voice melts me. His acting is fantastic. When he slicks back his hair for his character, you can actually see his face and I love it. He's incredibly talented, but his personality is better.
I've known him almost my whole life, but we just became friends this year. What amazes me about him is how comfortable he is with himself. To be honest, I used to think he was a freak. He was always just kind of different. This year, I decided to give him a chance. I wish I had done it sooner. He has become a great friend. I love absolutely talking to him. I look forward to the part of my day where I spend a solid forty minutes talking to him. Today we talked about movies the whole time. Sometimes we play Tetris. Once, he explained the difference between half-steps and whole-steps to me (we're both music kids, but he's much more informed in it).  He introduced me to my favorite band, and he talks me up when I'm not feeling confident. I admire him so much. Not only for his talent, but for how he's so comfortable with being a little different than other people, and how he makes sure everyone is comfortable around him. He's a person that really values others feelings, but doesn't let their opinions get to him. He's just such an incredible person and I wish I had the confidence to apologize for not giving him a chance earlier. I truly am sorry.

Revisions

Original Poem:

Dreams and New Shoes

Everyone tells you to follow your dreams. But what about their dreams?

What happened to the dreams they dreamt as a child? The dreams they dreamt wearing their red high top Converse.

Dreaming that one day, those Converse might change to high heels, or running shoes, or cleats, or even business loafers. Did the dreams come true?

Did the dreams die? What shoes are they wearing now?

I wonder what happens to past dreams. Dreams can't just disappear.

Dreams must go somewhere. Maybe, when I'm done with a dream

I'll give it to someone, someone who needs that dream.

Mimi Moriarty's Advice:

In Dreams and New Shoes, it was very clever to use a concrete image - shoes - to show time passing.  Unfortunately, you abandoned the tactic when you started asking questions.  I suggest you stay with the metaphor of shoes, and how people change when wearing different shoes.  Don't be a wonderer - be a story-teller!


Revised Poem:
Dreams and New Shoes

Everyone tells you to follow your dreams. 

What happened to the dreams they dreamt as a child? 

The dreams they dreamt wearing their red high top Converse.

Dreaming that one day, those Converse might change to high heels, or running shoes, or cleats, or even business loafers.

I have a pair of purple converse.

Maybe I'll end up with a pair of purple pumps.

My brother lives in his red ReZig sneakers.

He might get his own personalized pair of baseball cleats with red shoelaces, one day.

My mom wears tan leather wedges.

Did she have leather boots when she was a teenager?

Did she dream of growing out of them, and maturing to wedges?

Did my father wear moccasins, which magically transformed into loafers?

I'm dreaming of those purple pumps.

Walking into my office, standing tall.

I'm dreaming of being successful,

and putting my best foot forwards.

I liked the first poem a lot, which is why I submitted it. But I really think the revised version is cool. I scrapped most of the first poem to really go with the shoes idea. My favorite part of the revised version would be how I look at me and brother, but then our parents to and I start to think about where their shoes led them. The revised poem helped me get more into the idea of shoes representing growing up and I like that a lot.