Healthy

What with all the junk food, processed breads, sugars at every corner, and dairy galore its hard to eat healthy.  I also sit a lot when I watch movies or when I'm on the computer or even just doing homework.  Every time I try a new diet or some plan it fails, horribly.  I believe my problem was that I did not have that great of a "game plan".   So here it is, my new game plan! I'm cutting out A LOT of stuff, so it might sound a little crazy;
I believe that if I exercise everyday (except Sunday's) down at our local gym, don't eat unhealthy/unnatural foods such as bread products (unless labeled whole wheat and has VERY few ingredients), sugars, dairy products (soy milk does not count), junk food (fast food, pizza, candy, etc.), or carbonated drinks, don't watch TV or hang out on computers (unless necessary by school or this blog), and if I don't stay up passed 10 then i will feel healthier, have less acne (before the date on my prescribed topical medications which is 12 weeks) and keratin bumps, feel happier, and be able to think better before the end of my Junior Year (end of May 2011).
That is about 8 things i have to try to do everyday.  If I can change my health lifestyle in a year... I think i could probably do anything. I will also use this website to help be better preform this experiment http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vitamins-nutrition-chart.html

Smart

Each day I am faced with another thing to challenge my mental capabilities. A test in Math, a quiz in AP World History, or perhaps more fundamental homework for Honors Biology. Mmm... wonderful. Who am i to complain? I signed up (perhaps enlisted is the better word) for these classes. I was born into this country... the good ol' USA and i am truly proud of it but sometimes our governments ideas for education are a little beyond my comprehension and I am the one living it (along with the other millions of children and teens), everyday. I want to know truly the facts, no bias, no messed up charts.. just the plain and simple facts.

Here in Utah we hear a lot about the No Child Left Behind Act passed by former President George W. Bush. The Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills to be given to ALL students in certain grades, if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. The Act does not assert a national achievement standard; standards are set by each individual state. Many argue that local government had failed students, necessitating federal intervention to remedy issues like teachers teaching outside their areas of expertise, and complacency in the face of continually failing schools. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act) To me the NCLB has both good and bad points. Good: everyone is on the same level. Bad: Teachers or Parents often blamed for child's lack of responsibility or smarts. Entire classes held back to accommodate the needs of a child.

We (People of Utah) also have been hearing quite a bit about Chris Buttars' (Utah State Senator) plan to remove the 12th grade. Personally i think it would do more harm then good. It would add more stress on children an teens as they cram more education into less time. Recess and gym (activity levels) have been cut back significantly in a child's and teen's life since the beginning of the 1900's and making children and teens cram more into 11 grades than ever before (and believe me, we are cramming enough into 12) this causes sleep problems (late homework nights) which is clinically linked to weight and mental problems. But... the state does save money which is something we need right now in our current economy.

I both envy and despise (at different times of course) Japan and China's education systems. Children go to school 6 days a week from around 8 am and classes go on into the evenings. They are smart! With all the pressures of having the American Life or American Dream in America it's hard not to just want to go home, sit down with your burger from McDonald's, and watch a good episode of House or American Idol instead of doing homework. But this is America.. either you try or you don't... there is no in-between, be the best or be an amateur.

Dash Poem

How did you live your dash?

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934 -1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?