Friday, October 28, 2011

Disappointment Is A State Of Mind

      We've all felt it before. That drop of your stomach when you get a less than desirable grade on a math test or the sinking of your heart when you get cut from the sport you practiced hours upon hours for. Disappointment is never a good or satisfying feeling. Sometimes, a day can have so much disappointment riddled within it, you have to end it with feeling just a little sorry for yourself. Some people prefer to just set their expectations as low as possible in order to avoid the dreadful feeling that disappointment brings on. It's one thing when something really awful happens; it hurts and can certainly ruin your day. However, I find it's worse when you really have your hopes set upon something; you've been wishing and dreaming about it for weeks, months, maybe even years, and then it just falls apart. How can someone really resist feeling sorry for themselves when something like this happens?
      Over the past couple of days, I just received some news that was...let's say less than thrilling. I had my hopes and fantasies pinned on something for years. It was all set to go, and it was going to happen in just less than a month; my friends and I had been counting down the days for the past six months. Then yesterday, a big piece of it just fell apart. Upon seeing this, my first reaction was just...distraught. It's something silly, and something that no one else can really understand, but it was important to me. So I did what I always do: whine and moan, complain and fuss. It's an awful thing to do, but it's just how I get out my frustration. Then today, I was in the car with my parents. We were blasting Lady Gaga music, I had Jamba Juice in my hand and a smile on my face, and I had a revelation. Why was I feeling so sorry for myself? I honestly had to ask myself this question over and over again until I realized the answer. Disappointment is truly just a state of mind. Sure I could sulk and feel sorry for myself and spend the next month complaining about how my plans didn't work our perfectly, or I could just stop feeling sorry for myself, and get psyched about all of the things to come.
     It's time we stopped our sluggish stupor of self-pity and focuse on the wonderful things that are happening all around us and the even better things to come. There's no use in spending even a minute wallowing in what "could have been". If you can't change it, then don't waste a worry upon it. Maybe give yourself 5 solid seconds of self-pity. For one second, moan that it's not fair. The second second, reflect on how amazing those plans could have been. The third second, lament how whoever standing in the way of getting what you want is a stupid face. The fourth second, shed a silent tear. And then the fifth second, slap yourself and move on with your life.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Living Breathing Technology

      What is it with mankind's desire for control? Since the beginning of humanity men controlled one another, asserting dominance due to gender, race, wealth, and brute strength. The more resources a man controls, the more powerful he is, therefore the more worthy of a human being he is. That is how life has always been. For hundreds of years, the white race asserted their dominance over others by enslaving anyone with different colored skin. We were always looking for convenience, and how we could get others to do the work that we ourselves are too lazy to do. Now slavery has been abolished for over a hundred years, and yet yesterday at approximately 8 A.M., we just got a step closer to personal slaves. All of this time, society has just been working its way back to having others do their work for them. Yesterday, millions worldwide stood in freezing cold lines wrapped around phone carrier storefronts in order to purchase the latest and greatest in technology: the iPhone 4s.
    Originally, I was not extremely interested in getting this phone. It just didn't seem like it was that dramatically different from the iPhone 4 which I already possessed. That was, until I met Siri. One of the most highly anticipated improvements of the iPhone 4s is the voice command system. It was said to supposedly make it easier to send texts, surf the web, and place calls hands free. I was skeptical at first, but when my entire family was talking to their Siri's (the voice control system) all morning over breakfast, I knew that this wasn't just a new convenience. Siri is not only programmed to send texts and place calls that you ask her to, but she is also programmed to answer math questions, give you updated weather forecasts, etc. This makes surfing the web all the more personal. Siri will answer questions with remarks such as "I am only here to serve you." She is the embodiment of modern technology, and we have programmed her to be as close to a slave as is legal in this country.
    How much is too much? Is technology taking over our lives when we're talking to an automated phone voice all day? A voice programmed to do and say anything you tell it to do. No doubt the technology is still flawed, and of course, Siri is not a human being. But somehow, commanding technology to do as we say through our voices scares me a little bit. All of this time over these years since slavery has been abolished, mankind has just been trying their very hardest to revert back to having someone under their command to do whatever they say whenever they say it, and now these Siri programs have gotten us that much closer. Now I am not going to deny it, Siri is seriously cool. I'm very impressed with how well the voice recognition software works and how much she can really do. However, it makes me just a bit frightened for the future, and what's to come. Is it true what they've said for years; that technology will become so smart that eventually, instead of us controlling it, it will control us as a species? Who's to say?

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Fright Night

      A normal Friday night of babysitting alone. It's late, the kids are asleep, all is calm and quiet. Doors and windows locked and secure. A rustling wind sends a whistle echoing throughout the house. You're being the responsible teenager you are and doing your weekend's homework while waiting for the kids' parents to come home, when all of a sudden the house's phone rings. Just in case it's the parents or an emergency, you answer it, thinking to yourself that you hope it didn't wake the kids. "Hello?" you say. No answer. "Hello?" No answer. "This isn't funny you know, come on, cut it out." All you hear is silence, a sudden heavy breath, and the line goes dead. You presume it's just some stupid teenager playing a prank, and go on to continue with your homework.
    The phone rings again, making you jump. This time, you answer with, "Hey, I don't know who this is, but you've got to stop this, I've got kids trying to sleep upstairs." And then a reply, "Are you sure? When was the last time you checked on them?" and with that you slam the phone down. Every hair on you body stands on edge as you inch your way up the never ending staircase, and down the hall to the kids bedroom. One step at a time, each creak of the floorboard sending another wave of fear through your body. Your hand reaches for the door knob, but you can't quite bring yourself to twist it, not wanting to know what's on the other side.
    Is that pretty accurate? Isn't that loosely the story line to every scary movie ever made? Though of course, I can't really be one to judge, because I had not seen a true horror movie that was intended to scare the pants off of any viewer until tonight. My friends decided that enough was enough, and it was time for me, at age sixteen, to finally see my first scary movie. One girl decided we were all to watch one of her favorites, The Haunting In Connecticut, based off of a true story, just to make it even scarier. Now, you must understand, I don't do very well with scary, so I wasn't particularly looking forward to this. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat; one of those people that freaks out at every noise when left home alone. And I've got to say, if I was watching that movie alone, I would have no doubt been about ready to cry and surely suffered from nightmares for weeks. However, when sitting in my dark basement, making fun of every flaw and fake tear of the movie, I found myself laughing through the whole thing.
    However, during some of the scarier parts, and the laughing ceased, an odd silence fell over us all. We all knew it was fake, just actors doing their jobs. But....what is it about a horror movie - as unrealistic as it is - that just has this power over its viewers. The power to make your breath catch in your throat and your blood run cold with the suspense. As the disturbing music rises, and the main character is about to find out what's behind the mysterious door  in the basement, you can't help yourself but feel your stomach lurch as the door bursts open as the music reaches its climax.
    I will forever be one of those people that tries their best to find the humor in scary movies. Pointing out how the heroine wakes up in the middle of the night with perfect makeup and hair. Making fun of how the fake blood was a weird magenta color. However, I can't deny that tonight's frightful flick had a certain control over my senses at times. And with that, I retire. It is time for me to sleep...however, I'm not exactly sure what my dreams will bring.

"She never sleeps...."

Friday, October 7, 2011

Into The Next Dimension

       Does any one else remember when 3D movies were almost unheard of? Back in the day when the most high tech 3D out there was the Muppets 3D ride in Disney World. In a time when your 3D glasses were flimsy cardboard with red and blue plastic for lenses. Nowadays, it's commonplace, almost expected, that the newest anticipated movie is released in 3D. Nothing profound or extraordinary can be released in just plain old 2D. No, no, we must reach towards the next dimension. A dimension in which you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. Like pirates are fighting right in front of your face and their swords are coming right at you. A dimension beyond the normality of flat figures on a screen.
      I'll be the first to admit, that around two years ago, when just about everything was coming out in "3D", I was not a fan. First of all, they would charge an extra two dollars to see it in "3D", when really, there were almost NO noticeable 3D effects. Second of all...the glasses hurt my nose...regardless, I was against it. However, this all changed with the release of Avatar. That was the first movie I saw with this "so-called 3D" in which I actually noticed the effects. I felt like the characters were right there with me and that I was right in the middle of Pandora...wondering why my skin wasn't blue like theirs. Within the last year or so, 3D effects have gotten so incredible, I can't even believe it. Prime example: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
      I was not ready for another Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Let's be honest, the first was incredible beyond belief...the second...ehh. The third...sleeping less than half way through. Then there was the fourth, I was not expecting great things. Wow, was I proved wrong. However, I'm not sure how impressed I was with the movie compared to how impressed I was with the 3D effects. When Jack Sparrow was hacking through the jungle, I honestly felt like it was right in front of me. I felt so close I thought I could almost smell the saltwater in the air. This is all why when The Lion King was re-released in theaters as a 3D movie these past few weeks, I naturally HAD to see it! I wasn't sure what to expect. It was an old movie, how easy would that really be to re-master into 3D....I was blown away. When Rafiki lifted Simba proudly into the sky for all of Pride Rock to see, I thought I could reach out and pull that cuddly lion cub right into my arms.
      My parents asked me: "Why would you want to see The Lion King in theaters? We have the DVD right here!" But honestly, seeing it in 3D was an entirely different experience. I'm not sure what it is, but once the glasses come on and the figures begin to pop out at you all over the place, you somehow just get lost in it all. It's much easier to be fully engaged, all senses focused on what you're watching, and you enter the wonderful world of the third dimension.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

When Happy Haunts Materialize

      We've all waited a long time. It's been a dreary summer full of excruciatingly hot days, bug infested nights, and more sunny days than I care to tolerate. Finally, it's here, fall is in the air at last! This is just the perfect season, and is a close second to winter for my favorite season of the year. The weather is finally cooling off, forcing me to break out the sweaters and long sleeved shirts. No longer are the days of wearing shorts every day, they are to be packed up and kissed goodbye until next summer. No longer do I crave the raspberries and strawberries of the summer season, but crisp apples and pumpkin flavored everything. Leaves of the trees have already just begun to be shed from their branches. Soon, the ground will be littered with leaves of all different oranges, reds, and yellows.
      Now that October is here, I've settled into my school schedule, now comfortable with my daily routine. Also, with the first day of October, comes the Halloween festivities, rearing their scary heads once again. The pumpkin patches advertising corn mazes and camel rides, with the tantalizing smell of kettle corn in the air. The bright orange fregetable (fruit/vegetable) colors the entrance to all grocery stores. Costume stores are being opened all over, advertising disguises for all ages. Starting at babies that are forced into pumpkin suits that force even the most cynical person in the world to crack a smile. Then Disney Princesses and Mario characters are the cool costumes for the younger kids. Middle schoolers all want to dress like the latest pop star. Then, the section of costume stores that cracks me up the most, the adult woman's section. Offering selections such as the Native American princess we all know and love: "Pocahottie" or the well respected "Strip Search Officer Tara U. Clothesoff". Yes...that's an actual costume.
       But if I had to pick one element of Fall that I just love more than anything, it has to be the smells. When you think of summer, what do you smell? Sweat? Spring? All I can think of is allergies. Winter? You can't smell anything because you're probably sick with a cold. But just the thought of Fall consumes my nose with the tempting scents of salty kettle corn, sweet pumpkin, and spiced apple cider. Everything twinged with a hint of cinnamon. Like I mentioned earlier, a beautiful thing about Fall, is that you can get pumpkin flavored anything. And I mean anything. I'm a big believer in the fact that pumpkin just makes everything taste better. Think about it....pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice lattes (which I've never had, but I've heard they're to die for), pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice bars, the list just goes on and on!
     I think I would describe Fall as the most pleasing season for the senses. The temperature is comfortable to your sense of touch. Everything tastes and smells incredible. Everywhere you look is beautiful and colorful. The crunch under your feet with every step gives you the feel that fall is really here. I really do adore this season, and I am so looking forward to the months to come. My favorite half of the year is upon us, and I want to make it a good one. When school gets stressful, or I get frustrated with anything going on in my life, I can just take a deep breath, and remind myself it's fall. Close my eyes, let the images of falling leaves and colorful pumpkins fill my mind. Imagine being surrounded with the scents of one of my favorite times of the year, and I am ready to face whatever is ahead of me. 'Tis the season to break out the sweaters, pumpkins, ghosts and witches, scary stories, cinnamon, costumes, and take time to play in the leaves.