Life is SO Beautiful

Really it is. I just remembered that I had this blog and I thought I would give my thousands of readers (chuckle chuckle) a little window into my life!
Right now I am a SMT at Camp Shamineau. Now for those of you who aren't living in my little camp bubble: I am a junior counselor at a Christian summer camp. I am working on the camp's island so I am living without technology, time, real toilets, and electricity. I cook all of my meals over a fire that my campers and I build. I spend my days canoeing, swimming, bushwacking through the brush during night games, teaching kids about JESUS and growing closer to the Lord myself. It is amazing.
Every single week I get a new batch of campers, and just seeing their faces for the first time makes me want to scream with joy. Why? Because Shamineau changes lives. Maybe you don't believe it, but take a look at me. I'm a giant Jesus freak, and I owe it all to my counselor I had my first year as a camper in 2008. This camp is like a big bubble of awesomeness-- there is nowhere I have ever felt closer to Him, and campers feel it too. Every camper leaves changed in some way or another, and it is SO cool to watch them grow during the 6 short days we have together.

So yeah. I just wanted to blog a bit about that. Its almost August, I cannot believe it! This summer has flown by!

oh my goodness #nohashtagnecessary

Okay, Ruth is beyond stressed right now. So stressed that she is writing in third person and cannot type functional sentences so a list will follow. Be prepared for a dumping of all the stressful-ness.
1. Synchro music and suit designs need to be done now. Im not done.
2. I need to write my whole duet during spring break. Choreography can make or break the success of the whole season.
3. APUSH final
4. Im sitting at 93.8% in math right now, with one test yet to be entered and 2 more assignments.
5. I still need to pack for a 2 week vacation
6. I've hardly looked at college stuff
7. On top of all of this I have 5 or 6 hours of practice every single night.

But on the bright side, I chopped off all of my hair and The Hunger Games definitely did a wonderful job reflecting the book, AND I guess I am going to an island for 2 weeks of surfing and beaching and doing whatever I please, so life isn't terrible. Its just really hard.

Snow Day #Leapdaymiracle

I woke up this morning with 10 minutes to spare before I had to pick my neighbor up for late start. I proceeded to roll out of bed and put on an outfit  a sorry excuse for presentable school clothing. Basically I looked like a pile, and no, if you were wondering, my hair did not make me look any better, because generally, a frizzy poof doesn't look attractive. At least in my world. So I sleepy-eyed-squint my way down the hallway and all of a sudden my brother pops up from the stairs and goes, "Don't get ready for school, we have a snow day!"
YESSSSS. Straight back to bed I went (after putting on sweats first).

The rest of my snow day went as follows:
1. wake up and eat pancakes
2. Have a fort building contest with the entire neighborhood
3. Proceed to ruin these forts in the middle of a giant snowball fight (the girls lost, but who's surprised?)
4. Curl up in front of the fire with a home made vanilla latte and the Hunger Games
5. Spend the afternoon reading Mockingjay cover to cover
5.5 Have a mini freak out over just how smashingly amazing it was and steal my brother's copy of Catching Fire.
6. Blog about just how amazing this whole day really was

... and now it is approximately 8:04 pm and I have to study for a huge APUSH test, my chem test, and do my APUSH project. Typical. To make things worse, the Top Chef Finale is going live in 56 minutes. Time to get prioritizing.

God is Good #Hereallyis

Lately I have been really inspired by music. These songs especially:

Love Never Fails (Brandon Heath)
Times (Tenth Avenue North)
You're Beautiful (Phil Wickman)

They are so wonderful; every worship song seems to be a blessing, because music+worship is such a powerful combination. It absolutely breaks my heart to see people living without the Lord's deep, all-enveloping love, and joy. Life is so much more bearable with Him to lean on, and so much easier with His son as a perfect role-model.
My phone interview with Shamineau is on Thursday, and I am praying that I get hired back, because teaching kids and teens about God is the most rewarding job ever. I know I've already blogged about this, but its true. A letter from one of my campers is hanging on my bulletin board, and her words "You really helped me to grow in my faith," are there, screaming out encouragement every day, they are there pushing me to shoot some random stranger a smile, help an annoying person, or stand up for someone when they are being trashed behind their back.

Don't be afraid of living your life for God. He's got your back. Always. 

Who I Want to Be #eyestothefuture

WOAH. Okay, realization. My blog is my blog now, and there aren't ever going to be assignments on here again. Which means that only people who care are going to be reading this (well, aside from random creeps on the internet). So, I guess I'm going to start blogging about whats on my mind, which is a lot lately.

First things first, college. Wait, no. The future in general. My life. What in the world am I going to do? Here's the problemo: I kind of want to do everything. Unless it involves sitting behind a cubicle and doing mathematical calculation, which, I am convinced, would be Hell on earth. What I want to do is make a change, somehow, some way. Now back it up before you assume too much-- I don't want to be rich and famous and living a glamour-filled life; I want to impact the lives of others, whether it be one person or 500, I don't really care.
I want to be a teacher, study the history of the world, be a photo journalist, save whales in New Zealand, be a member of the Peace Corps, work in the advertising field, and be a missionary or youth pastor. 
Got any major suggestions?
Yeah, neither did my counselor. To wrap my mind around things here, I'm going to start posting on why I want to do some of these things. Maybe that will help!

At the end of the day, you just can't do it all.. #2013

Ok so signing up for senior classes. [insert semi-spazz here because its senior year already]
So much for the whole "senior slide" thing... the way my schedule is shaping up I am going to be pulling a "Senior Climb."
That sounded better in my head.
But honestly. I was planning on taking all of these fun classes next year, and now journalism is my only spare elective. hmpf, whatever.
I'm a tad bit bummed because I have to drop concert band. Right when I was actually starting to like playing the french horn. I just started this etude book called Kopprasch, and its getting difficult but the perfectionist side of me is SO addicted to practicing and getting them right. Plus, playing music for and hour and a half every day/ every other day is so refreshing. If you haven't done it, I would highly recommend it.
On the flip side, I'm taking the internship class, which I am pumped for. Three cheers for freedom and doing something that you like with people that are similar to you!

Block One: A Compare and Contrast Post #rewind

HELLLLO SEMESTER TWO.
I hate you already.
But really, you just can't blame me. All of my first semester classes not only had stellar teachers, but also amazingly bonded students. We were little families, and school was the most enjoyable it had ever been.
Until I walked into block one on January 30th. It was a cold, unfamiliar room with no cozy touches, witty posters, and definitely no awesome floor lamp. I sat at a desk with a nasty periodic table printed on it and my heart sank as we took notes on how to measure. The class was dead quiet, not even a whisper. I never thought I would admit to this but I found myself missing Max and Abrams showboating. I even miss the little 50 Essays book that I drudged around everywhere. To sum it up, I have post-semester depression.
If any of you are feeling the same (and I'm SURE you are), here are some pictures to nostalgia over.... if you don't mind the fact that I just turned nostalgia into a verb.

Cards and Graham creep hard. 

that ostrich...

A Deep, Dark Poem #notreally #graded

AP Composition and Language Reference Guide
Analysis
     Compare and Contrast: Summary and
     This will become your life
AP Test
     Intimidation
     Nine Point Scoring Guide
     Preparation for (see Power Writes, Finals)
Appeals
     Ethos
     Logos
     Pathos
     Never actually name these in a formal rhetorical analysis
Aristotle
Attitude
      Cardona's Reality Check
      Optimism is key
       You WILL fail sometimes
BLA (see Procrastination)
    Genius Group
     Freakonomics
     Outliers
Bitzer
     Exigence
     OMG what?!
     Never actually thoroughly annotate this, otherwise it'll take 45 minutes per page
     The Rhetorical Situation
Blogs
     Analysis Project
     Top-Visited Tabs
     Yeah, Write
     #Tallgirlproblems
Cardona (see Sarcasm)
     Cutest puppy award goes to
     Fellow Toms wearer
     She really DOES care about us
Confidence
     Don't believe your Honors Communications teacher's praise
     Shattered and Slowly rebuilt
Close Reading Journals
     I'm just going to pretend I know that word so I don't have to write it down...
     No appreciation for all of the work that went into them
Collaboration
     All Hail the Cardona, Facebook
     Google Docs
Emoticons
     Degrading
     Don't you dare ;) at me
     Sarc Mark, anyone?
Everything's an Argument
     Don't try to question it
     Unless its a quiz question on the "On Being a Cripple" quiz
Facebook (see Collaboration)
Finals
Free Writes
     Encouraged Journaling time
     Emotions
     Practice makes perfect
First Drafts
     Shitty
Grade Point Average
     Meet Real Life...
Hanson, Max
     Cardona v. Hanson, who will win this time?
     SMH
Humor (see Satire)
     Pathos
     Parody
     Who knew there was more to it than simply entertaining?
Onomatopoeia
Orwell
     Fresh Language (don't you dare write anything you've heard before)
Parallelism
     Do this, do that, and make sure to do the other thing
Power Writing
     Battle for the Fleur De Lis Stamp
     Sprint Practice
     Time Management Skills
Projects Galore
     Mixtape
     Speech Analysis
     Blog
     Visual Essay
Procrastination Nation (see BLA, Finals)
Picture Fridays
     Block one is looking fine
     Bonding
     Cheesy smiles
Quizzes
     C= Celebration
     They'll come back to haunt you
Revision
     Also known as "re-write a brand new piece"
     BFR
     Revise and Repeat, the life of
Rhetoric
     The foundation of Composition is
      Everywhere
Rhetorical Analysis
     Struggles
     "But Why?"
Readings
     My Printer's #1 Enemy
     Orwell
     50 Essays
Satire (see Cardona, Johnathan Swift)
Success
     Learning how to work for it
Summative
     The Devil's grading system
     NNNOOOOOOOOOO!!
     Get prioritizing
Swift, Johnathan (see Satire)
     Om Nom Nom
     Read Closely
Toulmin
     Claim, Reason, Warrant
     Wait, what's a warrant?
Visuals
     Animoto Works wonders
     Make an Argument
     The media isn't always truthful...
Voice
     If I can't imagine you reading it to me, its not good
     Unique
What Not to Do (see Procrastination Nation, Emoticons)
Writing
     How To
     Joy of
     Practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more.
Yay!
     Typical class reaction on essay grading day
ZzzZZZzzZZZz (see Onomatopoeia) 
     Do the readings after school or else

Pinterest #everydayblessings

Like every other student out there, I have saved a majority of my homework for today. Hence, I am sitting in a coffee shop with my laptop on and headphones in. I have SO MUCH to do, and I would be dying if it weren't for Pinterest. Its my reward for finishing something, and since its a site filled with pretty much everything under the sun it actually is a reward. Don't believe me? I'll prove it to you.

Spring Break To Do list. 

Wedding: Toast with old fashioned Coke bottles.

How awesome would this desk be?

Want.

Wall Color + Books + Hidden library= coolest room EVER.

tis true.

Whoever created this-- props to them for saying what everyone thinks. 

at this point in time I think this cat is better at yoga than I am. Sad? yes.

Outliers #graded

"Outliers" (Malcolm Gladwell)

So hence, it is the end of BLA, the day I hath dreadeth for now thy life is dreary. 

If you want to read a book with diction like that (and a highly negative tone as well) then "Outliers" isn't for you. For the rest of you out there, don't let the topic and argumentative nature of the book scare you off. Gladwell does an excellent job writing to a broad, public audience with his use of simple diction and explanation, and both of these things help to educate the audience on his argument that is clearly supported throughout the book. 

Gladwell argues that success is due to opportunities an individual has. Here's the catch: opportunities can span many different topics, including work ethic and experience, cultural background, and the pure luck behind the time of birth. These opportunities all work together to define a who a person is and who he is going to be, and, at times, a concentration on one opportunity can lead to a decline of another (such education and training that helps a Japanese pilot overcome his traditional values of respect of elders, allowing him to communicate more effectively at dire times in the cockpit). Once information backing his argument is given, Gladwell chooses to end "Outliers" with a proposal for the readers not to settle for the world we have, but change it by giving everyone, not just rare, "outlying," individuals the opportunities needed for success. Gladwell's positive faith in us to give the world more opportunities to success only helps to enforce his optimism on the topic of success and an individual's capability of achieving it. 

Exposing his argument through chapters that each center around a different, but real example of "outliers" in real life, the reader finds much explanation. This explanation, while being through, can become repetitive and seemingly unnecessary after a while, but I found that the chapters have hidden gems of knowledge contained in one or two sentences. It is these little snippets of the chapters that made this read worth it to me, they were so true and inspiring (especially after reading a whole story of success that they work to summarize). My favorite of these gems is: 

" Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you want to grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig."

Go grab a book and discover what Gladwell has to teach you, I highly recommend it. 

Blargh #sickness

I have come to the conclusion that waking up with a cold is pretty weird. I mean, usually you have some sniffle warnings or something, and its not just BAM! sickness. Phew. Good thing I didn't wake up with a cold.

I woke up this morning with a 

full 

blown 

sinus 

infection. 

GAAAH. That is what I would call straight up weird. No wait, abnormal. Yeah, that word fits it more. Who does that? Why does my body hate me? (yes, that is dramatic but you would be thinking that too if it felt like a giant TRUCK was muscling its way through your face!)

Okay so I guess you could say I'm super used to it. Ever since I got kicked in the nose at practice in 2009 my right sinuses haven't been functioning, er, draining properly. Before that kick I had never had a sinus infection (what a heavenly, healthy little angelic child) but after that... oh boy. Since then I have had annual sinus infections, occurring from November to June, become immune to the Z-Pac that the doctors all prescribe as treatment, and the Netti Pot has become my best friend. But experience doesn't mean I'm used to the pain. Ugh, its still terrible. 

Anyway. I suppose I should go drift to sleep to the wonderfully obnoxious buzzing of the nasty little humidifier that has found its way into my room. After taking some Sudafed. Maybe that'll help a bit. 

Note to Self #graded

Dear 6th grade Ruth,
First things first, do not touch your hair one more time! You just touched it, didn't you? Well let me tell you something, your curly hair is beautiful, whether you think so or not. Yeah, its cray cray most of the times, and sometimes it looks like dreads, but you gotta just suck it up. Its gonna frizz, its gonna poof, and its never ever EVER going to look good on picture day (you and me both have senior pictures to worry about, chica), but you're gonna see those girls trying to curl their hair like yours and it'll never look the same. You have it all, naturally, so live it up. Same thing goes for your height. What are you now, like 5' 10"? and all of the guys must be about 5' 1". Yikes. Alright, they'll eventually hit puberty and shoot up (well most of them), and don't worry, the tallest guys are usually the cutest. Until then, stop trying to wear A&F and Hollister clothes. No matter how hard you try they aren't going to magically become long enough. Go to the Buckle instead. So yeah, start loving yourself. Life's going to be a lot more enjoyable if you do.
 A quick side note, on top of loving yourself you should also love life. Here's a handy little tidbit: grades DON'T count in middle school. Yeah, its really important to develop good habits and you should always try your hardest (it'll pay off when you actually know how to do stuff in high school when everything counts), but you don't need to cry your eyes out over a C- on a 5 point quiz. Stop stressing and also, savor your sleep.
Speaking of sleep, which sounds fantastic, I'm off to catch some ZZzzZZzs,
See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya! (oh wait...just kidding!)
loveee, Ruthie

p.s. Regardless to what you think, the art room in Central ISN'T near the gym. Remember that for the first day of school, it'll save you about 20 minutes of walking (:

Watch this #graded

Here's my visual essay. Whats that? You want to know more about it? Wonderful, feast your eyes.
** WARNING: contains some mildly disturbing content. 

 Part 1: Structure of Argument

The images chosen for this visual were based on the claim that factory farming methods used to produce meat are cruel. This claim, supported by the images used in the visual, rests upon the warrant that the audience cares about the ethical treatment of animals in general, and views the humane treatment of animals as being more important than economic benefits of mass meat production. It also lies on the assumption that the audience is exposed to purchasing opportunities in restaurants and supermarkets that sell meat that has been produced through factory farm methods. This visual is intended to educate any and all consumers of food on the issues with factory farming because it is a process that happens “behind the scenes” and many are not aware of the conditions their food had been raised in. Consumers are targeted because they have the choice of buying meat that was produced using mass farming methods. I am especially targets teenagers because they are the next generation of consumers and have the power to set precedents through choosing not to support factory farming.

Part 2: Image and Organization Choices

                The main organizational element used in this visual is contrast. I begin by using pictures that depict a typical consumer’s expectation of meat farming—the open range, the “old school” way to produce meat (this is made clear through an “open range” sign that starts off the visual). To add guidance the phrase “once upon a time” appears at the very beginning of the clip, implying that this type of open range farming is not what most meat comes from anymore, it is almost like a fairytale. Each of the pictures in this sequence were chosen to look cheerful and pleasant, both with the inclusion of bright colors (green grass, blue sky, even the yellow dandelion in the pig picture) and by choosing close-ups of animals that look satisfied, as seen best with the smiling cow. I chose to include a smiling farmer with his cow to show that open range farmers are more involved with the well-being of their animals, which contrasts with the industrial, factory-like conditions of the farming shown later. By showing that animals are happier on the open range, which will greatly contrast with the harsh, cramped conditions shown later in the video, I am giving a reason as to why factory farming is cruel (taking away their happiness).

                The use of the phrase “but then” signifies a shift in mood, and transitions into the contrasting evidence. I used a picture of well-known fast food chains with a picture of a bar-coded cow on top of it (the logos) to signify the fact that meat was seen only as a product of economic value, introducing the idea that animals are not treated humanely when they are raised and produced to be sold. I then introduce the horrible, cramped, unsanitary conditions of factory farming with images of chickens, pigs, and cattle—the three types of meat that factory farming has the biggest impact on. The organization of each type of meat goes as follows: conditions, death, commonplace food that contains this type of meat (I used fried chicken, hotdogs, and a hamburger). This shows how the meat is raised and how it gets into the hands of the consumer. The presentation of death is used to show the unsanitary and cruel conditions the animals are exposed to on the farms, it is not meant to be taken literally, however a viewer may. The misconception, for example, of the chicken in a pile of feathers and manure ending up being the fried chicken one eats for dinner will work as a disgusting turn off for the viewer. Or, with the picture of the hamburger, the last food item and the most personal looking picture, it seems as if the viewer is going to take a bite of that hamburger, which would be very unappealing to a consumer who now knows (or thinks he knows) the story behind the hamburger. All pictures of the animals and their conditions are dark and dreary; the faces of the animals (especially the cow eating with the other cows) are almost twisted into a frown.

I chose to include the video of the cow being pushed around by a forklift because it reinforces everything I am presenting in this visual. It shows that the cow is in a penned in area with many other cattle, it shows the dirty conditions, and it, most importantly, flat out shows how terribly animals are treated with the chains on the animal’s ankles and the treatment from the forklift. This complete abuse adds shock to the video because it is making the whole situation real—this actually happens, and now the audience has witnessed it. It draws on their emotions, making them feel bad for the innocent cow that is being pushed around. I continue to build on this pity emotion by showing a picture of a dead, bloody, and dirty cow, which is worse than just a dead cow because it shows that the cow did not live a comfortable life (also the sad-looking calf in the background adds to the intense emotion). By showing an advertisement that asks “how much cruelty can you swallow?” and lists off how the animals are treated I bring the issue into the viewer’s hands, it is up to him to decide if this is acceptable. This is supported by a “spotlighted” button saying “you are what you eat.” Although I end without proposing what to do or what is right or wrong the readers will most likely be feeling sorrow for the mistreated, miserable animals (as compared to the happy ones) that they eat every day and maybe will even take a stand in the movement against factory farming.

Finally, the overall style of the video is simple. I made many different versions with these same pictures and this had the most impact because of its style. At no point are there are other pictures cued up on the side that the viewer can see, forcing the viewer to concentrate on the image in front of him; he has a better opportunity to take it all in, and start to develop his opinions on the topic. Also, this simplicity and focus on the images leads to a build-up of the emotion of sadness (for the animals) and guilt in the viewer because there is nothing else for him to avert to, or be distracted by if a sad pictures make him feel guilty, which is my main goal with this argument!

Part 3: Musical Impact

                Like the organizational style of this visual, I knew that I wanted to have very simple music. The focus of this project is on the animals and their conditions, a very serious topic, so I didn’t want any lyrics or dramatic clashing of cymbals or tooting of horns to distract the reader. Had I chosen a lighter topic such as current science and its positive success I would’ve chosen a more upbeat, complicated song to add positive emotional charge and to reflect complexity of science. The song I chose—Nannou 2 by Aphex Twin—is made up of simple minor piano chords, each broken up by pauses. I chose an instrumental song because it does not state my opinion through its lyrics, but it does portray my opinion through the emotions it provokes in the reader. Its simplicity makes it easy to twist the mood of the song. At first, with the open range pictures it seems melancholy, and calm, but it takes on a much more reflective, sad tone when its minor key, a key that naturally evokes sadness, pictures of horrible treatment. At some points during the video the notes rise and then fall, ending the phrase with a low chord. These slow runs add movement in the video, keeping the reader tuned in, and they also keep the reader attentive because sometimes it seems as if the end of a phrase will be the end of the video, but then more atrocious pictures come, putting the emotional endurance of the viewer to test.

Photos used:

http://www.think-differently-about-sheep.com/factory%20farmed%20pigs.jpg

http://weanimals.org/pub/portfolio/Factory%20Farming/A%20JA4_9769%202.jpg

http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/chickens-4.jpg

http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=http://www.grist.org/i/assets/2/fda_wrightco_chix.jpg&w=615

 http://manhattaninfidel.com/__oneclick_uploads/2011/04/chickens.jpg

 http://www.hedweb.com/animimag/happypigs.jpg

 http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/pile_of_hot_dogs.jpg

 http://urbangrounds.com/wp-content/uploads/bucket_friend_chicken.png

http://greenwoman.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bba269e201116886d76b970c-320wi

http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/feedlot-on-dairy-factory-farm.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cetfa/6265718050/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cetfa/6265718050/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://drstickler.typepad.com/.a/6a0133f6102722970b0147e0406cf0970b-320wi

http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/cows-1.jpg

http://www.mfatv.com/LargePhotos/DownedCowWithCalf.jpg

http://www.interactiveprofiling.com/images/YAWYETL.png

http://www.environmentteam.com/list/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cow-with-barcode.jpg

http://video.humanesociety.org/video/629262638001/Channels/729780768001/Factory-

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01218/pcow1_1218475c.jpg

http://api.ning.com/files/0LESIeso*veTSXjW9WDVsse-Ix24PSRg-28uH8YB6FXvQGkVb7SuFTKfKuHOGryf6MPSQXZungGwtxSnFeohT79H20AXqj2M/fast_food_collage.jpg

http://scienceprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/burger_591.jpg

Video: "Cheap Meat" (Humane Society) Farming/767131873001/Cheap-Meat/ 

Music: Aphex Twin (Nanou 2)