Excuses: Leading You Down the Path of Failure

“Oh no! I got a C in math!” Once these words have been spoken, you are at a crossroads. Either you decide a C isn’t acceptable and give extra effort to overcome it, or you are mildly disappointed and continue life as normal. If you decided a C isn’t acceptable, then congratulations- you just prevented your grades from dropping down even lower. You maintain the standard that you are at and can sometimes raise that standard. If you merely shrug it off and make up an excuse for it, then you are digging yourself a hole that will get deeper quick. Why is this?

 

When you make up an excuse for a mistake you made or lack of effort you gave, you are telling yourself that it’s OK that you did this. At first, you feel rather guilty for your sub-par work, but you enjoy the feeling of being excused for half effort. Once you excuse yourself once, it only gets easier to do so again, until you are consistently giving half effort and making up excuses for it. Therefore, the standard of everything you do decreases. The same goes for lying too. The first lie makes you feel bad, but if you don’t fess up, then you feel as if you actually did the task.

 

The best way to not delve into the depths of sub-parness is to stay true to yourself. Hold yourself accountable, or ask a friend to. Do what you said you were going to do, and if you don’t, fess up. If you don’t do your best, go over your work again and do your best. If you don’t do this, then you deserve what you get.

 

In conclusion, staying true to yourself is more important than you would think.

Baseball: The Game with Something for Everyone

Baseball can truly be everyone’s favorite sport because there is something in the game for everyone. Whether you play the game, watch the game or play the trading card game of the game, you can find something you like in baseball.

 

 

For the people who are interested in history, baseball was invented in 1839, so there is a lot of history throughout the game’s past. Cooperstown, NY is the prime place for history, as it has the National Baseball Hall of Fame museum, the Baseball Wax Museum, and Doubleday Field, the birthplace of baseball. Furthermore, there are a wide variety of baseball gear that has been treasured throughout the years. For example, a piece of a player’s equipment is saved when they hit a milestone or season record (Babe Ruth’s 60th home run ball). You could spend countless hours researching the past of baseball.

 

The people that play the game love almost all of it, but they all have their favorite parts. You could love the rush of stealing a base, hitting a bomb, getting a hit, striking someone out, throwing someone out, or catching a fly ball. There are so many parts of the game to love, you must love something!

There is plenty of strategy involved with baseball as well. For example, you could study which pitches are thrown when and where. All pitchers have a strategy to try to make someone not hit the ball solid (or at all). Furthermore, coaches sometimes put a shift on (move positions from where they normally play to where the batter usually hits the ball). With a shift on, a would-be base hit could be fielded and have you thrown out! Sometimes coaches bring in a pinch hitter (different player off the bench to hit) because they would be better against the pitcher than the other player. All in all, there is a ton of strategy to think about during each game.

Even if you know practically nothing about the game, there is still plenty to do at the ballpark. Each MLB park has its own little unique things they do to make the experience more fun for the fans. Some parks have zip lines, arcade games, slides, and other fun activities to do during the game. In addition, baseball has no timeouts or halftime, so there is almost always action going on. Usually, in between innings, there is something happening on the field or jumbo tron (often) not baseball related. For example, there could be a hat mix-up game, mascot race or sing along. Furthermore, you are allowed to have lunch or dinner right at your seat at the park. If you are into the game, then you could receive a ball or meet one of the players!

In conclusion, baseball is an incredibly versatile game that everyone can enjoy.

Community Service: The Fuel for a Brighter Happiness

Sweet! A new weekend with plenty of time to do something! But what should I do?

If you happen to be in a position like this often, then you should strongly consider doing some community service.  Even though service doesn’t seem productive or have you end up with a clean house, it is a exquisite way to start a weekend. Nowadays, finding and scheduling community service is almost easier done than said. (Check this link to find service near you! http://www.createthegood.org/volunteer-search ) Not only is community service something to do to get out of the house, it creates a good feeling inside you. While doing service, you see the world through a different perspective, and you understand how lucky you are.

 

A weight of sorts lifts off your shoulders because you sacrificed your time for someone else’s well-being after completing service. Anything done afterwards (sleeping, watching TV, eating) feels earned because you just changed someone’s life (and maybe yours!). Go out and experience it today! Take a friend or a group of friends and help someone less fortunate than you. Many service jobs are fun and easy, and often there is plenty of time to socialize with your friends. All in all, service projects make you feel amazing, give you something to do, help you bond with friends, and change someone’s life for the better.

Trends: The Social World’s Ripple Effect

Another week, another trend. What’s this one about this time? Why do so many trends pop up? Never fear, your answer is right here. Trends are usually relatively pointless, loud, and over before you know it. They have been around for as long as anyone can remember. But why have there been so many trends throughout history?

Trends are associated with fire (because they burn bright and short), and their fuel is social interactions. Without people sharing what they found, know one would know about it. Something trends when many people think about a piece of media or activity or clothing the same way. For example, a video of a cute panda cub may go viral because everyone thinks the panda is cute. (Things go viral from feelings of: amusement, surprise, joy, pity, sadness, thinking something is cool, and anger.) Another reason is that many people look up to other people. They voice the opinions of their idols because they want to be like them. Celebrities can start or continue trends, and when they do, they add a truckload of wood to the fire. Because tons of people all around look up to celebrities and want to be like them, reenactments and replicas of what the celebrity did pop up everywhere(ex. fashion, Mannequin challenge).

 

Trends, like their beginnings, go abruptly. When celebs and popular students in school quit doing/wearing/quoting the certain thing, everyone does. It seems as if its over and nobody should do it again because these idols aren’t. When these idols stop doing something, it sends a silent message that this is bad now, and people stop doing it. That’s why people shame you if you bring back an old trend, because the idols “think its bad now”.  In conclusion, trends are a ripple effect of people trying to blend in or be like the people they look up to.

The Mental Battle: Comfort vs. Accomplishment

Ah, Monday morning. The time when either you win the day or the day wins you. In a split-second decision, you can change how your day will go. If you wake up early and run or walk or exercise, you’ll be well prepared for the week. Monday’ll never know what hit it. You’ll glide through the day feeling well and accomplished and start the week off right. Otherwise, you’ll slowly get out of bed, sit around, watch TV, and worry about the week. Monday will be ready to unleash the horrors of stress upon you. What makes these effects so drastic?

No one truly enjoys waking up early and exercising, but it is a fantastic way to start the day. You’ll have accomplished something you don’t enjoy right off the bat, and that makes you feel good about yourself. Its usually beautiful and brisk in the morning, and you’ll have a stunning sunrise to look forward to. The peaceful sounds of nature can help you to clear up your mind to focus on thinking up a plan for the week, or they can serenade you as you exercise. After a nice shower, you’ll be refreshed and ready for anything the day can throw at you. What could be worse than waking up early and running? All in all, exercising early is a great time to think, start the week, and lose weight!

If you decide to hit that snooze button a few more times, things could play out a lot worse. The extended time in bed would contribute to you being tired for the remainder of the day with your body wishing to be resting. This leads to drinking caffeine, which can be avoided. Without fresh oxygen and blood flow, your mind wouldn’t be as clear when exercising, so that thinking and planning your week would be more difficult. Before work, you’ll have accomplished nothing, and that makes the day and week seem more daunting. Without a clear plan and a daunting day ahead, you could stress-eat, which packs on pounds. Being stressed may have people enrage you quicker on the road, and road rage may ensue. All in all, sleeping in can cause many problems that could be avoided.

 

 

In conclusion, waking up early and exercising creates a more relaxed, efficient, ready-for-the-week, fit you!

Human Evolution: A Lost Cause

Because humans don’t have predators and aren’t fighting for survival,  it is almost improbable that humans as a species will ever evolve biologically. Evolution in the wild happens when an offspring is born with a unique trait that gives it an edge over the rest of its species. For example, a colony of mice migrate onto a new color sand. They blended in with the other color sand, but not this kind. Predators easily find and eat these mice until one is born different. It is the color of the new sand, and it blends in well. It survives and reproduces, making more mice that survive well. Soon the other color mice take over the colony. This could never happen to humans because (as I stated earlier) we don’t have predators or competition for food. Soon with new technology, though, we may be able to genetically modify ourselves to have other traits and abilities. In conclusion, biological evolution is and will be forever lost on our kind and maybe others as well.

How to Be a More Effective Pitcher

In baseball, many would say the most important player on the field is the pitcher. Because he is the one delivering the ball to the batter, I would agree. The most important goal of a pitcher is to mess up a hitter’s timing. Without good timing, a batter has almost no hope of getting a hit. Therefore, pitchers that don’t change speeds and location (to mess up a hitter’s timing) will not succeed often. There are only a few steps to become the best pitcher you can be (most involve practice!).

 

Step 1. Accuracy

Before we work on stunning off speed pitches, we should get down to the basics. To truly be an effective pitcher, the ball must go where you want it to go. This makes it more difficult for the batter when he is unable to predict where the ball will be around the strike zone. The best pitchers in baseball can throw the ball almost as hard as they can and have to ball end up where they were aiming. To work on accuracy, first have a friend, parent or coach catch for you. After warming up, You should stand a little ways away from your catcher (about 30-40 feet, depending on age) and pitch to them. This exercise is called a  flatground because one is pitching on flat ground. Throw about half speed fastballs (4 or 2 seam), and have your catcher hold their glove by each knee. Once you have hit the glove by the left knee 5 times, then move on to the right (vice versa). Practice this drill often for increased accuracy, and throw faster as you get more accurate.

 

Step 2. Pitch Selection

Every batter has that one pitch and spot they love to hit. To keep the batter off balance and less prepared for an accidental meatball, pitchers should have one or two off speed pitches. Check this link to see your options on different pitches to throw and how to hold them: http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_grips.htm   The best two off speed pitches to throw in my opinion are the circle change-up and 12-6 curveball. The goal of a change-up is having the batter think it is a fastball, but it is a lot slower. Throw a change-up exactly like a fastball, and your fingers on the ball will slow it down. The curveball is usually only used with two-strike counts, and often isn’t going be thrown for a strike. This is the best swing-and-miss pitch, but should only be used by people over 13-14. If thrown incorrectly (if wrist is snapped), it could badly injure a player. The curveball I throw is 12-6 (up to down). I throw my curveball by putting my index and middle fingers on the right seam, and throw it so my fingers are sideways. The ball rolls off my fingers, putting topspin on it, and I bring my arm down to my side. With off speed pitches, you could make a batter completely off balance if thrown well.

 

That’s basically it! Accuracy is key, and make sure to mix up your speeds and locations. Stay calm on the mound and have fun. You’re playing baseball, so have a good time!

 

 

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film. In the movie, Peter Parker is trying to survive through school, ask out his crush, make more friends, hide his identity, and protect/help innocents of his town. The movie brilliantly pictures all of Peter’s troubles, his mental battles over which should take priority over his time, and he made many quick decisions were that were questionable. I loved how Spider-Man: Homecoming revealed how Peter isn’t a machine; he’s a unlikely do-gooder, and he will save you in his own way. Peter matures throughout the movie, and I enjoyed how he became comfortable with his role in his life. All in all, I consider this movie to be an excellent one, and would strongly recommend to others.

Human’s Reign On Earth: When Will it End, and What Happens Next?

Earth. The only home humans have ever known, the only place humans have lived, and the only planet we will have destroyed. Intelligence. One thing all other inhabitants lack compared to us. With our intelligence we have created a gaping canyon in which we are different from other animals. Using our intelligence we have outsmarted predators and created luxurious lives for ourselves. Without predators, we are free to consume as many resources as we choose. We outsmarted nature, but can we outsmart extinction?

 

Many people’s lives have jobs, TV, cars, beds, drinks, food, clothes, homes, iPhones, tablets, computers, business flights, files, and movies. All of these resources are being created and used and trashed at an insane rate, and it will only get faster. As of today, there are around 7.52 billion people living on Earth. With a 1.11% growth rate this year, there are predicted to be 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. All of these people need (at the very least) food, water, and shelter. Humans are digging themselves a hole that’s getting dug quicker by the minute. Earth simply does not have resources for 10 billion people (and animals for that matter), and Earth will eventually become the largest landfill anyone’s ever seen.

 

The question is if humans can think of a way around our biggest problem. You see, the human population isn’t the only thing growing quickly. The technological world has made many major advances recently (the internet, cell phones, wifi, live video chat, etc.), and a solution to our problem might be possible. While the whole population is using resources (digging the hole), scientists are working on a solution (building a ladder). Because Earth will be trashed and will have all of its resources used up, traveling into space is the only possible solution. Unfortunately, humans haven’t very delved deep into space at all, and this brings many questions onto the table. NASA is currently working on sending an astronaut to Mars by 2030, and Mars could sustain life. This is definitely unlikely, but it is a possibility. The most probable life-sustaining planet is Proxima B, a planet about 4.2 life years away in the closest stellar neighborhood to our sun. With our current technology, we could reach there in a mere 54,400 years, and we’re not even sure if it could sustain life!

Our chances of survival may seem slim past the next hundred years, but we might make it through. Human ingenuity hasn’t failed us yet, and another major advance in transportation may happen. Without it, we wouldn’t be here. Without it,. we wouldn’t have this problem, but only time will tell who wins in this fight for life.

 

The Sun, my best frienemy

We all love the sun, even though we all have our different reasons. Without it, we wouldn’t be here. That being said, the sun is still at a constant war with my skin, and it’s a pretty one sided one at that. Even with my ally, sunscreen, I usually lose the battles. Whenever I do something outside with my friends, there is always a 5 min. delay before I can start. (at the pool) “Hey are you gonna get in?” “Wait, I gotta put some sunscreen on” (5 minutes later) “Are you done yet?” “Finishing up, did you put sunscreen on?” “Just a bit on my shoulders” After we leave the pool, my friend is slightly tanner than before, and I am as red as a tomato. I don’t appreciate how my friend can get away with almost none, and I am stuck applying over and over.  But it’s a small price to pay for a fun day at the pool.