My Earliest Memory by Emma Cerra

When thinking back to my earliest memory, I wonder why I remembered it. It’s a really odd memory, hazy to the point where I feel like it could’ve been some weird dream I had some while ago and made my brain assume that it was a memory (if that makes sense). My first memory I know is from before I was five, since it involves me being in preschool— before kindergarten. I remember being nervous, so I’m guessing it was my absolute first day there or the first day coming back from summer. Anyways, I remember climbing these stairs and reaching some sort of cubby hallway. My mom put away my little bag for me, and a girl with black hair came up to me with a paper plate that had banana slices on it; each slice was stabbed with a toothpick to grab. She offered me one. I said no. I don’t like bananas. That’s all I remember about it.

Shower Thoughts by Nick Furnari

          Inspiration and creativity are the rarest elements on Earth, especially in today's day in age. There is nothing new under the sun. Although, anything can start with just one idea, one idea to build off of and grow. Therefore I have made a list of shower thoughts that can hopefully inspire you and me to think more creatively now, and in the future. If you haven't heard of them before, shower thoughts are just like cool and odd thoughts that get you thinking, I thought that it could be a way to get some creative juices flowing, the gateway to great ideas. I will be able to return to this list if I ever need an idea for a writing prompt, a video, or just something new, and hopefully you can too. So without further ado, here is my list of as many shower thoughts that I could find, or think of that could, with luck, inspire some ideas. Enjoy.

1. "Darkness defines the light" The stars can't shine without darkness. It is only the darkness that gives the light its value. Everyone experiences darkness, but it is the darkness that makes light a reality.

2. "Earth is purgatory/limbo" Everybody has heard of Heaven, the perfect utopia beyond the clouds, and Hell, the fiery pit of torment far below. But what about purgatory? Some people don't believe in purgatory and some people aren't religious nevertheless, what if purgatory is Earth? The mortal life, testing you to achieve your final destination. The perfect middle between heaven and hell. Each is given one chance, a life with highs and lows, and forced to maneuver through it in order to determine your place after...

3. "2 villains attacking 1 hero is bullying, but 2 heroes attacking 1 villain is teamwork" This thought really got me thinking about perspective, and how there are two sides to every story. This also supports why we root for the bad guys if they are the ones we follow and understand. For example in the show, Breaking Bad, Walter White is a criminal and yet we are rooting for him the whole time as he is the character that the show focuses on. It is so easy to get caught up in the side you are being shown and hard to look at the situation in the full picture some times.

4. "At some point in time, someone must have been wrongly accused by poisoning a royal, because of a food tester with allergies." I just saw this, and I thought this could be a really interesting idea for a creative writing prompt.

5. "Being an adult is when your friends come over and you hang out in the living room rather than your bedroom." This reminded me that adults are just big kids, they are the same as us and we have more relatable experiences then we think. They were in our position once, and we will be in their's in the future.

6. "The brain named itself." I though this was a cool fact, and I wanted to share it. I don't know if this could help to inspire an idea but I thought it was cool nonetheless. Maybe this thought can get you thinking more about our own brains, how our intelligence is the biggest factor separating us from other animals. Our higher level emotions, and functions, created moral standards for society, and made mankind prosper above all other living things.

7. "What if the brain is a parasite controlling our bodies." The previous thought made me think of this one, I believe this concept has the potential to be the focus of a science fiction novel or film. What do you think?

8. If the gradual erosion of telomeres could be prevented, is eternal life a possibility?" You need to know a little bit about biology for this one, but this could be another cool concept for science fiction.

There are plenty of other shower thoughts out there, hopefully you can use them to get inspired to start something new, build off an idea, or use them as a concept for a prompt. I hope these thoughts got your creative juices flowing and if you have any shower thoughts of your own, please comment! I'd love to read them.

Apparition by Ula Bitinaitis

Apparition by Ula Bitinaitis

I was baffled by how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was birthed from a ghost story contest. My friends and I wanted to do the same. Me, taking it too seriously, had ideas floating around for a while. This is the culmination of what I came up with. (I think I can consider myself the winner because no one else made one. Hah!)

An apparition had come to my vision. It was as if my slow breaths and stirring senses of balance had galvanized the underworld.

The graveyard was quiet, and the sky was stained a velvet blue, dim and gray, the moon forgot to collect it when escaping the morning. I didn’t recall my purpose for coming. It wasn’t necessary; we often use our dreamlike trances as excuses for following the flow, a sickly slow river that we stick our hands, our bodies in, floating with dark murk, the water’s edge cupping our lazy bodies. But I would’ve liked to see someone; this graveyard is cold, and I longed to sit still in the water.

Its entirety was white, a violent, reflective white, a foe against any cream or milk. Its feet were planted on the dirt, and its color was reflective on the gritty dirt, endlessly stamped with the soles of grieving loved ones, the soil that drank the remains of the dead. It, she, looked through me, and I could feel my veins rushing; no longer did I make myself move, for if I breathed, I was sure the last of my soul would be carried in the vapor of the cold air. If it were anyone else, I would strain to look closer, but I was no life worthy of shifting in her presence.

Just as the thought came to my mind, it moved, and when it did, it was slow and methodical, lacking the life of water but holding her logic. She had long, straight hair, and it mimicked her when she strode, lifeless and rhythmic.

My hair is different, I noticed. It is curly, black and thick, and it coils lively down my chest and back. I’m known for it, the corkscrew ringlets that shifted along with me in my dreamy, drunken balance, a common conversation starter among strangers. But ghosts prefer to touch; in an instant, her white hand lifted, taking part of my hair in her delicate fingers. She stared blankly, and I felt my scalp raise, exhilarated by the wraith’s interest as if I was somehow worthy to be acknowledged by such an entity, and I knew then that she was my god. The lock pooled in her hand, a puddle of ink against her violently white skin, and I feared she would stain herself. I wondered if I should stop her. She shifted her fingers against it in her palm, and I was vexed by how close her hand was to my freezing skin. Was this divine intervention? A punishment, or reward for my life’s fulfillment? I can’t remember yesterday, last year, this moment, and I’m okay with it. Dreamy states always seem to hold the most vivid, real experiences, ones that lacked any truth. I wonder if all servants long to kiss their master’s shoes.

She bent over to my neck, and I felt her eyelashes press on my soft chin, my nerves spasming underneath in response to her touch, My cold cheeks bloomed red flowers. She had no breath, and she instead emitted an aura akin to the stone's frost in winter, the feeling of the first downpour of rain, the moment before a glass shatters, a cold finger against the film of an eye. She stopped when my mind became blank with euphoria. I felt guilty. I shouldn't be moving. My blood didn’t deserve to flow in her presence.

And thus, quickly, thin lips parted to reveal the touch of jagged teeth. As if the yard had been struck by lightning, I saw nothing but white, slick hotness began flooding below my chin, and I hadn’t noticed I hit the ground. Bury me here, or bury me in a creek where I can lie, the water that cupped my skin, because the kiss of the paranormal can’t burn there, and I would love to try again, to relive her touch, but a cold fire is setting me aflame. Is it a privilege to see the face of your predator? I've seen the spasms a mouse reacts with before resting to the venom of the snake, its glossy eyes aching to see it’s killer, why did I ache to see her, her unhinged jaw and stained fangs? I looked around for her, the side of my face scratched with gritty dirt, thawing as red flowers revived the lifeless earth, carrying my black hair down its stream, my eyes spasming. A smile broke on my lips; how lovely can it be when you're left alone with your thoughts.

Game Review: Overwatch By: Zachary Merold

In case you couldn't tell from some of my other blog posts, I am quite interested in video games and greatly enjoy playing them in my free time. One of the games I think I have had the most fun playing is Overwatch. For those who don't know, which is probably most of you, Overwatch is a first person shooter in which games are played in three different main forms: taking control of a certain area and defending it, moving and defending a payload, and then a combination of the two where once the area has been captured the payload is released. The games are played 6 vs 6 and team compositions generally consist of two healer/support heroes, two tank heroes, and two heroes responsible for damage output. This game can be played competitively or casually and there are many fun alternative game modes and maps to play as well. The game itself doesn't have many story modes to play, but their is a lot of lore surrounding the characters. In order to get the best experience playing this game, you really have to have a friend fighting alongside you too share the fun. While this game used to be pretty well balanced in terms of no one hero was too powerful, now I am simply frustrated with the Overwatch developers refusal to fix old heroes and moving on to release new ones. For example, the newest hero, Baptiste, has an ability called Immortality Field, in which he throws out this little drone that has an area of effect preventing teammates from taking damage once they drop to a certain percentage of their total health. So if someone were to deal 300 damage to an enemy player with 200 health while they were in this Immortality Field, that person would not be able to be killed until either leaving the field or until the drone creating the field was destroyed. I with the Overwatch team would find some way to balance this ability because Baptiste otherwise is a great support hero with some other great capabilities. 
This is an image of the Baptiste deploying his Immortality Field with a couple teammates to protect them from the explosive tire heading their way (which would normally be able to eliminate all three of the shown heroes).

My First Job By: Lauren Matus

My 1st Day

For the past couple of months, I have been contemplating applying for a job. Will I have the time? Will any of the places even respond back to my applications? These were the questions racing through my head as I thought about having a job. After many long talks with my family and friends, I finally decided that this would be a good experience. I created my own resume and started applying to various places like Panera, Sparta Theater, and Starbucks. I was full of excitement, but also nervous that I wouldn't hear anything back. A week passed and nothing. Two weeks passed and nothing. Three weeks passed, and I still heard nothing. Doubt started to fill my head, but I kept checking my email every day to see if there would ever be a change. A month passed and that's when I got a call. It was the manager from Starbucks and I was ecstatic. This was what I had been waiting for. She asked if I was still interested in the position (which of course I was), and then she started asking me a series of questions from "Why do you want to work at Starbucks?",  "What kind of extracurricular activities do you take part in?", and "What days would you be able to work?". A week later I had an interview with the manager from one of the other Starbucks stores. I prepared for the interview like crazy. I looked up potential interview questions and wrote down how I would answer them, I memorized their mission statement, and even made a quizlet with their 100+ drinks from the menu on it! I also made a color-coded schedule of the days and times I'd be able to work for.
It came time for the interview and I wanted to dress to impress so I wore my blazer with my dressy pants, flats, and my hair pulled back. The whole car ride there I had my study guide in front of me and I had my mom ask me questions and I would answer them as if I was actually having the interview then and there. As soon as I got there my mom wished me good luck and I slowly walked in, my hands trembling. I walked up to one of the employees (at Starbucks they call them "partners"). The partner offered me a drink and I got my favorite, caramel frappuccino with extra caramel (of course). I waited until the manager was finished with the previous interview and by the time he came up to me, my frappuccino was gone. Long story short, the interview went so well! I was expecting for me to studder or have trouble answering some of the questions, but it was exactly like I practiced it. I walked out of the store jumping with joy (literally). When I got to the car with my mom, I couldn't believe what just happened. Everything was happening so fast, but I couldn't be happier.
As of May 10th, 2019 I started my first day at Starbucks. My first day consisted of the manager and I sitting down and going through all the essential information from tax forms to learning about Starbucks values. From there, the next two days, were hours and hours of computer training. It had simulations of what it's like making drinks, lots of videos, and practice games. Once this training was finished, I started to actually work "on the field" where over the course of several days, up until now,  I learned and am still learning how to make some of the drinks, how to work the register and drive-through, along with tasks that need to be done constantly such as brewing a new batch of coffee every 8 minutes and how to clean the cafe after the store is closed. The other partners have made this whole experience of me transitioning into a new environment so much easier! They are always willing to help me whether it's typing in an order for a customer or teaching me something I haven't learned yet. This whole process is a continuing journey as I am still learning and getting accustomed to everything. I've been here for exactly three weeks, as of today, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Dreamland by Maddie DiMarco

Where do you go when you're not quite dead?

Where do you go when you're tucked and swaddled in your bed?

What happens to you when your eyes fall closed,

When your face goes blank and you're in sleep's throes?

When your body falls still but your mind doesn't cease,

What illusions are you spinning to put yourself at ease?

Or maybe your head breeds blood instead of a sunrise,

Something wicked to haunt the shadows behind closed eyes?

They're supposed to make sense, but what do they mean?

How do you decipher the plots of your dreams?

They're half-written stories and incoherent notes,

A marked path to the mind but a sinking boat

I'd like to learn the reasons behind what my dreams compose

I want to understand what they're trying to say, what they know

They're not real, not really, though that's not how it seems,

Because the true mind springs to life in land of dreams

A Busy Year - by Liam Rust

This year has been the busiest of my whole school career. Here's some of the things I have done:

FALL DRAMA

Ah, yes, the fall drama. One of my favorite parts of the year. It's a commitment. You practice almost every day after school, and it can be tiring at times. But, you bond with the cast, making friends along the way, and you get to perform a great play at the end of it. This year, it was an older play called You Can't Take it With You. I was Grandpa -  funny and sarcastic, yet wise. It was a great time, and I'm already excited for the next one (though I don't even know what it is yet).

SPRING MUSICAL

A picture taken at one of the performances of Willy Wonka. Left is me, right is Claire Riley, playing Charlie Bucket.

The other acting I did this year, the spring musical. It's a bigger commitment, with songs and dances to memorize. But, just as with the fall drama, you make friends, and you just have a great time along the way. This year, we performed Willy Wonka. I was Mr. Bucket, father of Charlie Bucket. Come to think of it, a lot of my roles are dads... I think I'm being typecasted. Anyways, that's besides the point. Another fun production!

CHOIRS

A picture I took from on stage at Carnegie Hall.

I've lumped these ones together because there are so many. I'm in the Men's Choir, Freshman Select, Shacappella, and Honors Choir, and we've done a lot this year. Besides the winter and spring concerts, Shacappella has done numerous other performances, such as at the Northern Highlands Acappella Festival, and also at a competition in Roxbury. The Honors Choir has also been doing stuff. The most notable one has been Carnegie Hall, where we performed just this past weekend. It was amazing, to say the least. We got to work with professionals, and seeing Carnegie Hall itself is just... I don't have the words for it.

MORE CHOIRS

Oh, I also auditioned for and got accepted into the County Choir and Region Choir groups, which were more difficult because there are less rehearsals, but a blast. And, I got accepted into the All State Choir, so I will have more to do next year!

These are just the performing things that I can remember. I mean, this year has been so busy I can't even remember most of the stuff I did. On top of all this, this year has had some of the biggest workloads in regards to schoolwork I've ever had. Lots of late nights finishing work (though most of the time it's just my own fault due to my chronic procrastination, but shhhhhhh we don't need to talk about that). It's been exhausting, doing all of this, but I love it. I hope to do even more next year. Who needs sleep, anyways?