Winter Driving

            Winter driving.  Well we have had to do it a few times already.  We had the blizzard back in December and then a few small snow falls.  Today is something new, today we have ice.  Ice I am only guessing is a little different than snow when it comes to driving.  With snow, we can see that the roads are obviously slippery and stuff; but with ice you can’t always see that the roads are as slippery.

            Whenever the roads are bad, I would always suggest just staying home; I would especially suggest this to teenage drivers, but even to more experienced drivers.  When the roads are as slick as they are today, no matter how good of a driver you think you are, it is very easy to hit a slick patch of ice and go sliding right into the curb and break your axle or whatever; or maybe into another car.

            There are some things about winter driving that really seem to piss me off that other drivers do.  I’m sure things that I do make others mad, but these just happen to make me mad:

1.      People who seem to think that they can drive the normal speed limit no matter how bad the roads are.  People like this are just plain stupid.  I hate when people do this because not only are they risking their own lives, but they are also risking everyone else’s lives out on the road.  If you are out driving and the roads are bad, use common sense and slow down!

2.      Drivers who will tailgate you because you aren’t driving the speed limit in the slick conditions.  Okay, there are lots of things wrong with this situation.  First, if the roads are slick it is probably smart to be going slow.  Second, it is stupid to tailgate someone because if they have to make a sudden stop you won’t be able to stop in time and hit them.  Third, the roads are slick so it is just that much more stupid to be tailgating someone. Duh!

3.      The thing that really makes me mad is drivers that think that you won’t be going extra slow when turning.  Hopefully you know what I mean, the drivers that don’t slow down when they are coming up on you while you are slowing down to an almost stop to turn but then are forced to turn faster.  I spun into the curb in front of my own house during the blizzard in December because some idiot (excuse my language) decided not to slow down or go in the other lane (it is a 5-lane road) when I was turning on to my street so I had to turn faster than I wanted to.  I am now scared to death to drive when the roads are just a little slick even.

I would like to suggest to everyone that you just stay home when it comes to freezing rain and snow.  I have already heard the sirens of multiple emergency vehicles today and it is not that late in the day yet.  I have also already spend about 30 minutes today watching a lady who, from the sound of it, hit the curb at least 2 times before coming to a stop in front of my house, walk around trying to call people to move her car and pick her up.  Stay home, it is better to be safe than sorry.  If you do have to go out, be smart and drive safe.

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Yay! Ice

            My week has been full of ice.  I am just being dead serious, and I really don’t like it.  This past Monday I went ice skating with some friends and today we have are receiving some freezing rain.  After last weekend in Florida, this week has just been…. Well…. Cold.

            My hate of the ice started on Monday ice skating which I had not done for a long time. I think the last time I had gone out on the ice was 7^th grade.  I did learn that it is probably a good thing I am flexible since I did the splits numerous times when I didn’t want to.  I also learned, never be the worst ice skater in your group.  If you are the worst one, you will get targeted and pushed over, I still have the bruise on my knee to prove it, and it hurts.  Even though it was painful, I do enjoy ice skating, and where I live it is actually really cheap to go.  If the public skate hours work for you, I would recommend going because it is a lot of fun and only $5 with a skate rental included.

            Today it is freezing rain, which I wouldn’t really mind too much if it was say like a Monday since then school would be cancelled but nope.  It is the weekend.  Whenever we have freezing rain (which is usually only once or twice a year) you are generally stuck inside for one or two days depending on how bad it is and can’t go anywhere.  I really wish that this had come on a week day so school would have been cancelled since I’m really behind on sleep and homework, rather than a day that I had to get up and work on my homework anyway.

            The bad news about freezing rain is, if it gets too thick, and the wind starts blowing, out goes the power.  Where I live, we don’t lose the power very often and I really hope we don’t.  It would be really cold in my house if we lost power right now, and my heated blanket I am under would turn off making me want to cry.

            I guess the last thing, people. The roads right now are like the ice skating rink I was on on Monday.  If you have any brains at all, and I mean any, don’t drive. Just be smart.  Stay safe out there.

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Miss Representation and Teen Pregnancy

This past week my AP Lang class has continued watching the documentary Miss Representation.  In case you missed some of my last posts, Miss Representation is a documentary about how the media has been misrepresenting women.  I have been reading some of my fellow bloggers posts from the past few days and a particular question that my friend Finley posted on his blog from the documentary but wasn’t able to come to a specific conclusion on got me thinking and I decided to do some more research into it.

            Finley had posed the question that he wasn’t sure how much teen pregnancy had actually increased in recent years as the documentary has suggested. I was also curious how true that was because it seemed to go against other statistics I had remembered hearing, so since Finley came to an unsure conclusion I did more research.

            I was able to come to the conclusion on this website that the amount of teenagers having sex has indeed increased in recent years.  Teenagers are also having sex at a younger age than before.  Although increased sexual activity and teens having sex at a younger age increases the risk of STDs, STIs, and pregnancy; the website also says that in recent years the usage of contraceptives has increased.

            When talking about teen pregnancy the website only talked about the high’s and low’s which occurred during 1990 and 2008.  During 2008 teen pregnancy was at a record low and a 42% decline from its peak in 1990.  Although this data only went until 2008 I came to the conclusion that teen pregnancy has decreased and not increased like the documentary claims.

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Iowa vs. Florida

            Here I am, sitting in Ft. Meyers, Florida in 65-70 degree weather the past 3 days, and people have been complaining it is cold.  I wish that locals to the area could realize how lucky they are.  The weather that is bringing out heavy winter coats by the locals (no joke I just saw someone) would be late spring and early summer weather in Iowa, so here I am in shorts and flip flops.  At one of our hotels, our breakfast in the morning was delayed; turns out the cook called in and was sick, the manager believed it was because of the “bad weather”.

            Unemployment in the Miami area is at 9% which is almost double what it currently is in Iowa.  The fact that I might move to an area with that large of an unemployment rate is daunting.  Finding a job in Iowa is hard enough, so it seems almost overwhelming in Miami.

            Driving in Florida is also far different in Iowa.  I have always heard that Iowa has the most considerate drivers in the country, and I had never been able to agree.  Being in Florida in a rental car, I have come to the conclusion that they are right.  If the light turns green and the person at the back of the line has not moved 10 seconds later, horns will be honked.  Yesterday in “stop and go” traffic on the interstate an accident occurred right in front of us and all the people began to walk around their cars in the middle of the interstate.

            A more entertaining difference between Iowa and Florida would be the creatures you must look for while driving.  Rather than watching for deer along the interstate, alligators are the hazards, and in areas that fences are not up to stop them; signs are posted similar to the deer signs in Iowa.

            Traveling here, and the thought of maybe living here in a year and a half has really got me thinking about how different all these other communities are around the country.  Although we live under the same government, and administration, everything is different.  Living here would definitely be far different than living in Iowa.

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Location vs. Gender Roles

            Recently in my AP Lang class we have been watching and analyzing the documentary Miss Representation, which is about how the media has affected today’s teenage girls.  Unfortunately, I have only been able to watch the first 15ish minutes of the film; but I have had the unique opportunity to spend the last two days in Miami, Florida where I feel in some spots the current gender roles displayed in the media are readily pronounced.

            Driving through Miami, we visited many different parts of the town; including the more famous South Beach, the University of Miami campus, and downtown Miami at the University Heath System.  Some parts of town you could definitely see the influence of gender roles in the media more than others.  The documentary discusses how today’s media has portrayed girls as needing to be skinny and dress to conform to fit in and meet guys; which I believe may be more true depending where you are.

            Driving through places, such as South Beach, the more “sluttier” side of girls portrayed in the media is made evident by the numerous clubs, bars, and even strip clubs.  The need for woman to conform is also obvious in the South Beach area by the large number of high end clothing shops, bikini shops, and stores selling the classic beach wear of big hats, short shorts, and sunglasses.

            The University of Miami campus itself is not kept from the influence of the media on girls.  Many of the students I saw drove expensive cars and were wearing many top-price clothing items in order to fit in.  My parents even made the assessment that one of the students we talked to may have had an eating disorder, something the documentary blames the media for.

            In downtown Miami near Jackson Hospital, I saw a lot less of the media influence that the documentary discusses.  Many of the people in the area were patients of the hospital, homeless, or doctors or other staff of the hospital.  I think the lack of conformity may be due to the fact that in the medical profession, regulations prevent many normal gender roles from appearing, as they used to, and many doctors were wearing scrubs.  The homeless, for the most part, are sheltered from much of the influence of the media and otherwise are not in the position to be able to conform to it.  Patients of the hospital many times have other things on their mind than fitting in and conforming, preventing the media from playing a large role in their lives.

            I find the documentary very intriguing and I believe everyone should watch it if they are given the chance.  Unfortunately I don’t believe that the media affects every single girl the same, and a lot of the influence also depends on the location of where she grew up and is currently living.

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"Like Work Out!"

            Exercising, I know I don’t like doing it and I doubt that you do either.  At the same time, it is an important part of a teenager’s life in order to stay healthy and live a long life.  Sometimes it is difficult to find the motivation to work out, actually most of the time, but there are a few ideas I can give you:

1.      If you like to dance, try doing Zumba! Zumba is a fun new exercise that works a lot on the core.  You can do it by buying it for your Wii or some other video game devices, and many places offer classes, such as gyms and I know my dance studio also does.  You spend 20, 30, 45 minutes, or however long you want dancing to Latin and current songs.

2.      Well if you like to sing, why not play some music and sing while working out.  Not only does it allow you to have fun, if you are running or jumping, it can help you set a beat.  The music can help you keep your mind off of exercising, and instead having fun.

3.      The biggest excuse for me has always been that I will be missing my favorite show.  However, I have learned many things to keep me from missing out such as: running on the treadmill, riding a stationary bike, and doing crunches.  While running on the treadmill try walking at a quick pace during your show, and running or sprinting during the commercials.  If you aren’t into the whole running thing, you can always bike at a steady pace throughout the length of your show; or doing crunches and other abdominal work outs during the commercials.

4.      If you are trying to build muscle, try weightlifting, but don’t do the same work out every day.  There are so many different things to do while weightlifting that it is hard to get bored.

I know what you are probably thinking. I am too busy.  I have too much homework (and honestly I have read my textbooks while riding a stationary bike).  But if you stop and think about it, most likely you can think of 30 minutes in your day where you could squeeze in working out.  Think about it.  How much time do you spend sitting in front of the TV every day?   Use that time instead to work out and stay healthy.  As one of my friends said, “Like work out, don’t be fat!”

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Traveling

            I hate traveling.  I’m not kidding when I say that.  I’m going to Florida in 4 days and my only excitement is the fact that I will miss one day of school, 2 days of work, and I will be wearing shorts.  Now I’m not an idiot and I have very specific reasons for hating traveling:

1.      I am scared to death of heights.  Now on driving trips this is not really a problem except while crossing the Mississippi River (I close my eyes) but this time we are taking a plane and it might cause a panic attack.  I’m usually okay once we get flying but this time I will be flying alone on the return trip, so if I manage to drag myself on that plane I might just be crying.

2.      I hate packing.  I’m not the kind of person that you could really call organized.  When I am forced to plan all my outfits for an extended period of time, it causes problems.  Not only that, I generally have to do laundry before I leave and as soon as I get home so that I even have clothes to wear.

3.      My family is cheap.  Let’s be honest, the first night in Florida we are sleeping in our car.  I am not very happy about how cheap my parents are being with this whole thing.  I know that our lunches every day will be sandwich meat (which I hate) and we generally stay in super cheap hotels.

The good news with this trip is that my parents are not returning when I do so my grandparents will be with my brother and me.  I do happen to like this part since my grandma makes really good food and tends to spoil us.  I guess I can make it through the trip knowing that is what is waiting for me when I get backJ

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Jobs and Money

            We all know those people… Those people whose parents get them everything.  The thing is, I have learned to not be jealous of these kids, but instead almost feel bad for them; they are not learning hard work and when the time comes and they are cut off, they won’t know how to react.  I have been working since I was 14, and my parents buy very little (if anything) for me anymore.  I think that it is very important that teenagers have their own jobs, even if it is only during the summer for some very important reasons:

1.      Having a job teaches some responsibility.  In order to keep a job you have to show up on time, in the proper attire, and be able to maintain order outside of work.  If one is consistently late for work they are most likely going to be fired and have to find another job, but because of references, getting fired from one job can become a vicious cycle.

2.      Having a job makes you learn simple hard work.  Rather than always just sitting in front of the TV playing video games, a job gets you out there and being productive.

3.      A job shows you there are more important things than sleeping and hanging with friends.  Have you ever thought about how you are able to go see a movie all the time with your friends? That’s right! Some other teens are at their job so that you can be lazy and spoiled.

Even if you have a job, you may not have to buy your own things.  Although having a job is important, I believe the real value and importance is when you have to start paying for things on your own rather than asking your parents for money:

1.      It teaches even more responsibility than the job itself.  You have to learn to manage your money and figure out what it is that’s really important.

2.      It shows you the value of money.  When you are making your own money, it makes you think harder about spending it because you know the work that was put into getting it and are therefore less likely to spend it.

3.      It helps you in the future.  Someone who is cut off will probably not know how to budget their money very effectively and could end up in a lot more financial problems than someone who is gently eased into spending their own money as a teenager.

I obviously think it is important that teenagers have their own job and spend their own money.  It is something I have been doing for a long time.  If you are struggling to find a job and are one of my fellow Mizzay bloggers, I know two places that will be doing hiring soon and you could leave a comment.  I know as a teenager, the jobs available out there are not always the best or pay all that much, but that only helps teach hard work that much more.

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Just Keep Driving

           Lately I have been reading a lot of posts from my fellow bloggers about driving, so I decided to write my own post. Now I’m not going to say I’m a terrific driver, because I can be kind of a spaz sometimes, but at the same time I follow the laws. I’m going to go over some of the laws I see broken all the time:

1.      Speeding, I mean not like the going 5 mph speeding, but like doubling the speed limit. I live along a recently widened five lane street, and following this change everyone has decided to go 55 mph down the street while the speed limit was only raised to 35 mph. The speed limits are there for a reason, I don’t live down some major street, the street was widened to accommodate increased traffic from surrounding suburbs but it is still residential. One of these days, an accident is going to happen when someone pulls out of their driveway because there was a speeding car not following the law.

2.      Not stopping at cross walks for pedestrians, it really isn’t that hard is it? I know I always stop at cross walks since when I was little trying to cross the road to and from school, no one would stop. This might be a little law, but it is a state law in Iowa and one of these days a little kid is going to get killed trying to go to school.

3.      Not stopping at stop signs, like hello! The signs say STOP for a reason, how much more idiot proof could they really be? I live by a four way stop, and I’m tired of people just rolling through. When people roll through a sign it can cause an accident, someone will go, because technically they should never have gone if they didn’t make a complete stop, and those two cars will collide. It is really not that hard.

4.      Making all those left turns after red, I mean I’m okay with one or maybe two cars going, but I know I have seen as many as 5 cars go through and make a left after the light turns red. This is really frustrating to people waiting to make left turns the other direction who currently have the legal right to go, and if they don’t notice one of those late cars going it may cause the two cars to collide.

5.      People who drive ridiculously slow.  I know this is the opposite of speeding, which I also complained about, but someone who is driving really slow may mean that another car would come up and rear-end them if they didn’t know how slow they were going.  I know, unless it’s on the interstate, there generally isn’t a minimum but still, stay within like 5 mph over the speed limit unless the roads are bad.  Last night I was driving behind someone going 15 mph in a 30 mph zone, and at first I almost hit them and then it is just plain frustrating.

There are a lot more laws I could go into that I constantly see broken, but I feel like this is starting to be a very long post the way it is, so I am going to just say this.  People, be smart, drive smart, and follow the law.



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