Lennart Juan Olma

Dear Lenny,

Even though you don't know I have a blog and probably will never read this, I still want to write it. I miss you more than you will ever know. I miss your laugh, your ukelele, your skinny jeans. Whenever I am driving in my car alone, I always start to think about the times you and I would belt out to Blink 182 all the way home from wherever we were at. I remember how we would always be rushing to make curfew and we always had the most impeccable timing. Then we went through our 90210 phase where we would stay up late watching the full season one of the show in my room. You introduced me to the show Heroes too haha. I still think that show is a little out there:)

I remember when you poked a hole through your cup at McDonalds and a sweet tea river began to pour all over the table. I'll never forget how funny that was. I loved family gatherings when you were here because they were never awkward. You fit right in with our family and would laugh and joke around with everyone as if you had been a family member for years. We definitely considered you family, and we still do. I miss you so much and hope Germany is treating you well. You are like the cool brother I never had:) Let's face it, Nathan and Luke can be pretty lame sometimes haha jk. But seriously, you were like a brother to me last year and I miss all the times we spent together.

There are so many memories we had together and I don't regret anything that happened. I want you to know I am always here for you and I hope to see you in Hagen soon:)

Love,
Gabs

I MISS EUROPE :(

Right now I am thinking.
Dreaming.
Hoping.
Wishing.
I'm on a boat. A small watercraft, nothing elaborate.
I'm in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Tranquil, cerulean, tepid.
I jump in the water, thrusting my body freely
into the vast depths.
My worries dissolving, flying away
like the bird I wish I could be.
The majestic seagull, hovering above.
Seeing all. Knowing all.
Experiencing life through a perspective I can only dream of.
And suddenly, I'm struggling. I can't breathe.
Legs aching, arms flapping vigorously as I try, try, and try
to keep my head above water.
The worries are returning.
They're piling, one upon the other.
Startled. Anxious. Perplexed.
What is happening?
The walls are crumbling. The cracks are expanding.
I can't stop it. I can't stop the walls from closing in,
from breaking into a million little pieces.
I'm alone. I need help. I need a sign.
Hope.
Trust.
Aid.
Something.
Anything.
Just when I think
I'm defeated.
That the waters have overcome me.
That I've failed.
Fresh air floods my nostrils.
I can breathe again.
I can trust again.
I can love again.
The sea, wonderous in its beauty,
its vitality, its calming attributes.
I am a canvas.
I can be painted and crafted to my liking.
I have realized that I am capable of monumental feats.
Strong enough to escape misfortunes unscatched,
Intentions clear, good, defined
........

Enjoy my ridiculous poem/terribly-cliched scenario thingy? Comment if your thoughts matter. (which, they do in my eyes)

I'm not really sure what to blog about today. I think I have some kind of writer's block. So, for today I am just going to share some of my favorite quotes.

I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special -Julia Roberts
Our life's a stage, a comedy: either learn to play and take it lightly, or bear its troubles patiently.-Palladas
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.
It is said that the desire for knowledge lost us the Eden of the past, but whether that is true or not it will certainly give us the Eden of the future.
The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.-Bible
Inspiration is limitless.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Women are the real architects of society.-Harriet Beecher Stowe
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.-Eleanor Roosevelt
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.
Robert F. Kennedy
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.-Martin Luther King Jr.
I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.-Abraham Lincoln
As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.-William Shakespeare 
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.-William Shakespeare
 Expectation is the root of all heartache.-William Shakespeare

Enjoy.

????????????

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are people okay with being oblivious to what is right in front of them? Why do people put their wants ahead of the needs of others? When did people decide that money was the most important thing to obtain in one lifetime? Why do people idolize those who waste their days getting high or drunk, instead of making the best out of the one life they have? Why does someone get so close to you, and then decide that you're not what they want anymore? Why can't people be honest with each other, even when the truth hurts? Why isn't love ever enough for anybody? Why do some people get off on making fun of others? Why do people think they are better than another? Why don't people realize that we are all on this earth trying to make our way, and everyone needs a shoulder to lean on? When did it become everyones' dream to bitch and complain and get in ridiculous fights on a reality tv show? Why doesn't anyone aspire to make a difference? Why don't people care anymore? Why don't people take a chance, take a risk? So many questions, not many answers...

Trust

Today in English class, one of my peers said something that made a lot of sense to me. We were discussing the book Johnny Got His Gun. In the book, the main character is trapped within the confines of his own thoughts and can't escape because he has no limbs, no eyes, no mouth, just a torso. He starts recollecting memories from his past and one that he explains very vividly is when his best friend stole the apple of his eye, to throw out a cliche. My peer said something along these lines: A person needs to spend time with another for a long time to really know who the person is. Anyone can put their best qualities out there for an elongated amount of time, but the more a person gets to know about another the better the relationship. If you blindly trust another and only recognize that outer shell of their persona, then the other person has the upper hand and is more likely to hurt you in the end. I thought this made so much sense. People can easily deceive others. It takes a strong, intelligent person to know who they can trust and who they should probably be hesitant around. Just food for thought I guess.

"Cogito ergo sum"

Today I was thinking. I was thinking about a ton of things. College. Careers. Faith. Ice cream. Love. Life in general really. I was thinking about a movie that I watched a couple months ago and a concept that it introduced to me. The movie 500 Days of Summer is really quite boring and uneventful, however, the storyline develops this run-of-the-mill romance that just pulls heart strings as much as it makes a person want to sleep. Although it wasn't the greatest movie ever made, because let's face it, that title goes to any Adam Sandler movie, it did teach me this concept. Most days are ordinary, nothing spectacular occurs between work and school to bedtime. But there are days that stand out in everyones' lives. The day you got your first bike, the day you met your soulmate, the day you started a family, the day you got your dream job. I thought that was so interesting because I feel the same way most days. Sometimes I feel like I go through the motions every day: going to class, doing my homework, running, eating dinner, going to bed. It becomes so mundane and frankly, a tad monotonous. Then I think about it, and realize that I go through these things each day to make the day that something amazing happens seem so much more special.

Well, I think that's all I've got for tonight...

Senioritis

Well, honestly, I wouldn't say I have a severe case of senioritis yet, however, the symptoms are rapidly approaching. Sometimes, EVERYTHING about high school bugs me. For example, fluorescent lights, bells dictating my every move, meaningless homework assigned just to get some points in the gradebook. Is this what our educational system has come to? Trickery and clever utilization of lighting to keep students' focus, a strict emphasis on getting to class on time, and the trading in of genuine knowledge for short-term memorization? To say the least, Horace Mann would be appalled. He, among other "common-school reformers," pushed for public schooling with the belief that it "could create good citizens, unite society, and prevent crime and poverty." From my years in high school, I cannot whole-heartedly agree that the desired involved citizen is being molded to unite any society within the hollow walls.
Too many of my peers refuse to put forth any kind of effort when it comes to schoolwork, and this irks me. Knowledge is the one thing that sets many people apart from others when it comes to career opportunites and other things that are pertinent to survival in our society. While good social skills are important, it also helps to take the cirriculum in classes seriously, no matter how pointless they may seem at the time. I feel that educators have caved into lazy whims and lessened the workload to please the students.
Ok, enough of my pessimistic ranting. There are some good things about high school too. I've made really good friends along the way and have enjoyed playing sports. I loved the swim team and have just completed my senior season. I've realized how much I'm really going to miss all the people I met through swim clubs and cross country, and school functions. Well, I'm blogged out for the night. To be continued...

This post if for you KATIE!!

So, remember when we met in sixth grade? And we were both little chubsters! The funny thing was that we sat at what would be considered the "popular" table didn't we? I remember making those hilarious videos such as our safari one, our workout video, and our gangsta one was the best fo sho. We went through that phase where we loved the movie Step Up and Channing Tatum of course! I was Skinny and you were Phat. Wow, we were ridiculous! We used to eat allllllll the time too! I definetly miss that! Let's have an eating party where we will bake lots of delicious pastries and just eat and watch Get Him to the Greek. I love that movie by the way. Gosh, I know we have soooo many memories where those came from but I thought I would dedicate a post to my one and only follower haha:)

The Superbowl

So, I have never "blogged" before so I'm just going to have some fun with this first post. I am sitting here, pretending to watch the Superbowl and I've realized a lot of things about society. Big corporations pay millions and trillions of dollars to advertise their products for thirty seconds. Don't get me wrong, I know this is necessary to entice consumers and coerce them into purchasing their product, no matter how valuble or vital it is to survival. The thing that blows my mind is that people actually buy products based on the commercials. I feel like people should research what their buying instead of putting all their trust into a company made up of people who only want your money.
Also, athletes get paid way too much for their profession. I understand that their careers are shorter due to age limitations and risk of injury, however, that is why I believe an athlete should only be in the draft if they have completed college with a degree in some other area. Unrealistic, I know. But seriously, who NEEDS 785,000,000 dollars?? No one. I'm the optimist who believes that if we allocated the money to other things such as welfare programs to benefit the needy, hunger could be reduced and more people would have homes.
Heavy topics for my first blog, but I love to rant.