Puppycat

When I was little I really wanted a pet of some kind. I never had a pet to call my own and in my little four year old mind I thought it was necessary for a child to own their own pet at some point. So, in order to get this pet I asked nonstop for about two years. I swear I slipped the question into every topic I could. I could be talking to my mom and say "Mom, can you get me a glass of milk and also a pet." I did this so much that they eventually stopped sugar coating their rejections. Finally, though on Christmas of 2004 I got a pet kitten. She was small and skiddish, with gray and white fur and yellow eyes. It just so happened that at the time that I had an obsession with all things shiny so I wanted to name her after something that sparkled. After pitching names such as diamond, ruby, gem and emerald my parents finally agreed to let me call her Crystal. I still have her even after nine years, and I still love her as much as I did the day I got her.

Angry Ramen

A time when I encountered a conflict with a sibling was when I refused to make my brother ramen. It was a dumb fight really but it ended with a hole in my hallway wall. The fight all started when I was left home alone to watch my little brother. I had to make my own dinner so I decided on instant ramen, it was quick and easy and tastes pretty good. I did not think to ask my brother if he wanted any because I assumed he had eaten dinner already. After I had eaten all the ramen and was putting the bowl into the sink my brother came downstairs and asked what I was doing. After explaining to him what I had eaten and that I was not going to make anymore, he promptly threw himself on the floor and had a temper tantrum. He did not even explain why he was freaking out and just kept screaming and thrashing. He finally got up and went into his room and 

I assumed that that was the end of the argument, that is until I saw a shoe come flying down the hallway and crash into the wall. I thought the shoe had just bounced off the wall until I looked closer and noticed that there was a giant hole now in my hallway from the shoe. The hole is still there despite the fact that that happened months ago, I still have yet to make my brother ramen since.

The ideal Thanksgiving dinner

My ideal Thanksgiving dinner would consist of the usual food that most Thanksgiving dinners have. There would be mashed potatoes, turkey, candied yams, honey glazed ham, cranberry sauce and any other foods that would go with such a meal. Just the basic foods that you see at most Thanksgiving dinners. The people that would help me with the dinner would be both my friends and family. I would love to watch my family try and follow all of our traditional recipes, only to have my friends butt in and do something completely different. The people that I would enjoy this meal with would be the same people that helped me cook it, my friends and family. It would be nice to have a meal that we all cooked together and to enjoy said meal together and to bond on such a special holiday. I would like to see my friends and family meet under such good circumstances and to have them bond in such a unique way.

My family

One thing I would die or fight  for would be my family. I would die for them because, well, they are my family and they raised me and helped me through life. I would do anything for them because instead of giving up on me or abandoning me they put time and effort and love into raising me. When I am sick they take me to the doctor, when I am sad they cheer me up and they support me through all and are always there for me and willing to help. There is nothing past or present that I would put in front of my family, and I know they feel the same about me. So of course I would fight and willingly die for them, because they have always done the same for me. I will always stand by their side and do everything in my power to defend them, because they are my family and blood will always be thicker than water no matter what the situation is.

Characteristic

One characteristic I like about myself is my optimism and my ability to make myself and others happy in an uncomfortable situation. My way of relieving tension and awkwardness in a situation is through humor. When my friends are upset I try to remain positive and use humor to cheer them up. Sometimes this does not work, and is actually considered annoying, but this is the only comforting tactic I know. Other times though my friends actually feel much better and are more happy than before. No matter what the situation is I try to bring happiness and humor to make others feel better. Sure, sometimes it is hard to find the good side in a situation but there is almost always on there, people may just have to look a little closer. Not only is there a bright side, but I have always thought there was a little room for humor too. Little bursts of humor here and there can make all the difference in someones day, whether it will be a good one, or a bad one.

Art & Technology

Art and technology are important aspects in my life because they help relax me. After a long day at school, being able to come home and and just play a video game or draw a picture releases my tension and allows me to forget about the bad parts of my day. It is like a pressure relief valve, allowing me to let some steam off in the form of art or just sitting on my laptop. Technology also helps a great deal and lets me explore my interests. I can watch or learn about my favorite show or web series through technology. I am able to put my problems aside for awhile and watch someone else have to deal with the struggles of life. Art is a big impact too because I get to create something and throw all my emotion into it. Whether that emotion is anger, sadness, or even loneliness, it can go into the painting or drawing. Overall, both art and technology are forms of release in my life and without them I would be far more stressed.

Dream Job

If money was no object I would without a doubt be an artist. I would love to have the chance to transfer my imagination onto a blank canvas for a living. Art is extremely relaxing to me and acts as a form of release and a way to express myself. I honesty believe there are other people in the world that feel this way as well, but they may not have the same financial privileges that I have. Because of this, if I was an artist I would teach free art classes to anyone willing their time. I would teach them how to draw and paint anything from a simple flower sketch to an extremely detailed self portrait. I would also use my art to raise awareness for homelessness, animal abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, and bullying. My art could be put on the streets to raise public awareness, sold to raise money for charities, or just put outside so people can have a burst of creativity in their day. Becoming an artist has always been my dream, but using that career to help better the world would be an even more amazing reality.

Art

One of my biggest hobbies is art. I love painting, sketching and just overall creating pictures. I excel in comic style drawings or abstract. I have loved drawing since I was little, I was always doodling or painting all over everything. I treat art as a form of therapy, if I have a bad day I rely on art to cheer me up. When I sit down and draw, when I focus on getting the lines just right, or making the size just perfect or blending the colors to meet the shade I want  I can forget about whatever is bothering me. I take pride in my art, even if I do not always like what I have made. Putting my pencil to paper and creating something colorful and special is the best feeling in the world for me. The picture may not turn out the way I want it to exactly, but the fact that no one can recreate the picture exactly the way I made it just amazes me. Looking at a picture I have drawn I know that no one can ever create it exactly like I did, making it unique, and that's something truly spectacular. When I push my sketch book away from me and see the new image I have brought into existence sitting there that is when I feel truly happy.

A thing I wish I could change

If I could change one thing about my past, it would most likely be my time spent in Georgia. I moved to Georgia from Ohio in the summer before my 2nd grade year. When we arrived there we had no money, so we could only afford a small, old, worn down trailer in a disgusting trailer park. This did not bother me at 6 years of age, I never quite understood until years later. The thing that did bother me while living there was all the violence, we lived in a neighborhood with many gangs and street violence. There were rival gangs and you had to be carful who you talked to and who you befriended, at least that was what my mom told me at the time. I always had to be carful. I was grateful enough to make one friend though, he lived right down the street from me. His name was Eric. Second grade there was hard, many of the kids there did not like me, because I looked and acted different. I was paler, had a northern accent and was extremely shy, so many of them chose to be either mean or ignore me all together. This was only a minor problem for me, as I had Eric and my cousins that lived out there. Living there was very hard, my dad had to stay in Ohio to try and help us financially, because as I said, we were very poor. We could barley afford our home or anything else for that matter. Despite the rough conditions my mom insisted we try and make it work. Things seemed to be going okay for awhile, but then there was a drug bust in the house next door to mine. The man in the house, in a fit of panic, almost hurt my grandmother to try and get the cops to go away. This thankfully did not happen, as my grandmother got away. This pushed my mom to want to finally leave, but as if that was not enough Erics father commited suicide two days later. He did it on his front porch in broad daylight. This was jarring to my mom, so she packed us up quickly and left back to Ohio. I can honestly say I would not be who I am today if it had not been for living in Georgia, I do not think any of my family would. That experience effected us all. Living on the edge of being homeless makes you appreciate things more, you realize how important the little things are. We all value our things so much, and we never tease or make fun of someone for being different. We only lived there for a year but it effected us all in such a drastic way, it is unforgettable.

Cats

The thing I cherish most would have to be my cats, their names are Carlos and Crystal. They are both black and white, Carlos is two and Crystal is eleven. I got Crystal when I was six and she was the first pet I ever had. Sadly, we soon learned that I am allergic to cats, but I refused to let my parents give her away. Now she is old and skittish and kind of crazy, she hates humans and other animals alike, besides me of course. We got Carlos two years ago when he was just a kitten, from day one he was crazy. He bites people, eats dandelions, loves angel food cake, and has an infatuation with paper. He is a strange cat. My cats hate each other, we have to keep them separate at all costs because if we don't they will fight, but when they are in my room together they call a sort of truce and are calm. I love my cats, and being around them is hard sometimes with the fact that I have to wash my hands after I pet them, and be careful not to get scratched, and have to deal with the sneezing and itchy eyes, but I would honestly trade them for nothing else. Animals love humans on a long term relationship where they have to get to know each other, animals are not obliged to love humans, but as cliché as it sounds I really think my cats love me and that is what makes them so special to me.

Summers and Taco Smeared Cars

My summer was rather uneventful until I found myself in a car with my cousin, 12 tacos and a rude person in the other lane. This story starts with the fact that Hannah, my cousin, and I were hungry. So we went to taco bell and bought 12 tacos, even though that is far to much for the both of us. Anyway, we were driving down the highway in mid -July after this, when suddenly a man swerved into our lane. At first we thought this was no big deal until the man stomped on his brakes causing us to almost hit him. He then swerved back into the other lane and resumed a regular speed. This went on about six more times, as the man made the situation increasingly more dangerous, Hannah and I were becoming increasingly angrier. Finally we managed to pull up next to him so he could no longer swerve in front of us. At this point I was equal parts scared and angry, so acting in such emotions I grabbed one of the tacos, unwrapped it, leaned out the window and threw the taco at the car. This resulted in a cool ranch Doritos Locos Taco being smeared all over the side of his car and him looking very stunned. Of course after we did this, we did the one thing most young adults do after preforming an act of vandalism; we sped away before we could get in trouble.
Word count: 245

The Bird that was Meant to be Victorious

Victoria.
A name that I never quite saw as mine
When I hear it I think of arrogance
When I see it, it never shines
The name is meant for elegance
But I find it only confines.

Victoria.
A name my mom loved
A name my dad cherished
I tried to hold it as a beloved
But the effort always perished.

Tori.
A name I discovered young
One that fit me right
One that easily rolled off my tongue
The name that lit me up bright.

Tori.
It is meant to mean bird
Simple and Small
It is what I have always preferred
The name that had me enthralled.

Victoria.
It is meant to mean victory
But it does not seem that way to me
When I hear it I only think of history
Queen Victoria, the one nothing like me.

Tori.
Though it may often be spelled wrong
With a 'y' instead of an 'i'
It makes me feel strong
And like a bird, helps me soar high.

Optimism, the best rule to follow

I believe one rule all people should follow is to be optimistic in as many situations as possible. Life is short, and we only have one life to live and I believe it should be experienced in the utmost amount of happiness. Being positive makes life more enjoyable because people see the good before the bad, and I think it attracts and encourages others to experience life in such a way as well. Being optimistic allows people to live life to the fullest, because they are getting joy out of the smaller things in life. Examples being things like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a winter day or taking a walk in the fall and seeing the leaved change color. The optimism in life allows you to view these small things in a much bigger way because optimism not only brings happiness, it brings appreciation. When people keep themselves in a positive attitude they are able to see the greatness in all people and things, because they believe there is happiness in them as well.