Children of the Storms- ABC Story

Thunder rumbled behind them, the sounds gaining on them and rattling their bones. Everything shook. Loud cracks of the storm bounced off of abandoned cars and empty houses, echoing all around them. Roads were lit by white, aggressive flashes, spontaneous and unwelcoming. Sprinting along the lonely road, they finally realized they couldn't outrun it anymore. What was the point? 

On the day the world fell to pieces, if we were left living, Dan thought,  why should we run from the likes of a storm? 

Unfortunately, all we have left to run from is our own species...those who we used to call members of our race. Danger is found only among them.

Violet was still running, but Dan slowed down, turning around to look at the black, booming front that was overtaking them. Before this all happened, they had this thing between them where they'd say the alphabet when they were scared, to calm them down. His poor Violet had been saying the alphabet in her mind for five years now.

"X...Y...Z...." she said, slowing down upon noticing Dan's absence.

"You know, we've spent enough time running," Dan yelled to her over the pounding thunder and oncoming rain, "and I think it's time we make the choice to enjoy something!"

How could she enjoy a life like this, when everything she once loved, once cared for...

Finally, a smile slipped onto Violet's lips. (A smile... she had forgotten what that felt like...)Children of the storms, they were young and happy long ago, splashing and running in the scariest of storms. Invincible. 

Over the sounds of the storm, he could hear her laugh-- the most beautiful sound the world has heard since the day. 

Quickly, they ran to each other and turned to face the storm , the rain inching toward them in a loud, rushing curtain. 

Just when Violet started to question their safety in this storm, the first drops hit her... then more... and then she was surrounded by a storm, only able to see Dan inches away from her nose, looking up at the heavens and baring his teeth in a wide grin. Kings of the world, children of the storms. Genuine happiness was scarce in this world, and they had found it, if only for the duration of the storm.

Cracking a smile at her, Dan jerked her arm, and they ran. Not away from the storm, not to anything really... they just ran: for fun, for the sake of their memories, they ran. Zealously sprinting for the sole purpose of joy-- not survival. 

Many years had passed since the day everything went wrong; many lives were lost, many tears were shed. Perpetual happiness does not exist these days, but you are able to see sparks of what once was in those moments when you finally let yourself have peace. 

Put a Smile on your Face!

This review is not a very controversial one, I am mostly commending whoever put together this page of 39 Hilariously Honest Notes From Kids. This really put a smile on my face when I was in a bad mood so I thought I'd share it with the rest of the class. This is a compilation of 39 childhood notes that perfectly show their brutal honesty and lack of understanding of other peoples' emotions (which make for some hilarious situations). I posted a few examples here but I encourage you to go to the link and spend five minutes reading them if you need a good laugh. From incredibly violent to unknowingly dirty, these notes will make great stories later in the kids' lives.

Haim- Worth a Listen

A new band that everyone should check out is Haim (pronounced like hime). This band consists of three sisters who sing songs reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and also 90's R&B, according to listeners. I recently heard this band when they were the musical guest on Josh Hutcherson's episode of SNL. I fell in love with the feel-good aspect of their music! It is fun to listen to, fun to watch, and the sisters blend incredibly well together. Some people may find certain songs odd for their taste, but I encourage everyone to look up Haim's songs 'The Wire' and 'Don't Save Me'. If you like those, check out the rest of their album, "Days Are Gone". You won't be disappointed.

Looking at this map of "The World According to Americans", you may be thinking that you don't stereotype areas of the world or different cultures like the average American does. However, I think there is a lot to be said for this map, by Alphadesigner Yanko Tsvetkov. Whether or not you consciously stereotype different countries, we all have certain ideas (good or bad) of places we've never been. When I first looked at the map I saw 'Ice Cap' for Greenland and 'Pirates' for Somalia and I realized that those are real stereotypes that I have in my mind about those countries. Some of these are bad to have in your mind, such as 'Housekeeping' for Mexico and 'Savages' for Mongolia. However, a lot of these stereotypes go away after meeting a person from the country. On the other hand, stereotypes like Saudi Arabia's ('Terrorists') are often strengthened by our own prejudice. I think this map has value and people should take a second to look at it and evaluate their own prejudices.

For a larger map, and 56 other maps that will 'challenge what you thought you knew about the world', visit this site:
57 awesome maps of the world

Found Poem: A life in college

Spread the word. Anyone and Everyone is welcome

Just imagine what you could create

The faces-- Big ideas, bold adventures, 
sick, genius,billionaire.

Running with the big dogs,
surround yourself with healthy music.

Where global agendas affect you, 
imagine a big picture.

Working the world, 
become tomorrow’s friend.

Brighten the world,
keeping an eye on the good.

A gentle breath of fresh everything,

This is a life you have to reach.

Live, my friend.

This is your day.

Time Travel Episode 2

The first time I time traveled was a major milestone for me. In Time Travel Training (T3), there is a lot of technique that needs to be mastered for you to be safe and comfortable, and so you don't end up in the wrong situation. I had a lot of glitches in those first few months where I'd travel back a few seconds on accident, and then get stuck in a circle where I just kept traveling back a second before and doing it again. It's like when you accidentally tazer yourself and then you can't stop...i guess? It's hard to explain. It felt like extreme deja vu for ever and ever until my mom helped me get out of it. 
So when I finally traveled back more than a couple minutes, I was ecstatic. I decided to go back to my favorite moment in time-- when my dad taught me to ride a bike. Although, I wasn't paying much attention to details. I saw the sunset and the smiles on our faces but I was too dumbfounded to notice anything of importance. But sometimes when I'm in a bad mood I go back to that moment to relive the memories of my real father. 
--------------------------That same day-------------------------------------------------
I couldn't take it anymore! Mr. Stupid Stepdad Richard was getting on my last nerve! I needed to go somewhere that I love, and I knew just the place. 
I cleared my mind  and laid down on my bed, crossing my arms over my body and picturing the scene. Suddenly, I felt the pressure on my lungs like I was dropping from the top of a rollercoaster. Opening my eyes, yellow lines dashed around my head and my hands and feet were curled up toward my torso as to not get burned. I closed my eyes again and the green grass rose up beneath my bare feet. I was home. I walked from the back yard to the front sidewalk and hid behind a tree, watching my dad gaze at me, full of pride and excitement. Then, he let go and let me soar down the block. I never get tired of watching this scene. However, this time I decided to take a different perspective, and I climbed up onto the roof of my old house. From there I stood tall, turning to face the backyard and the outline of Chicago to the north. Then, something caught my eye. A figure walked out from behind the backyard pine trees and made his way toward the house. He took out a key and jiggled it in the back garage door, looking around frantically. Looking around just enough for me to catch a glimpse of Richard's face.

The Magic of Street Art

In a lot of cities, street art and graffiti are considered as rebellious, wrong, and detrimental to the city's aesthetics. But when you travel to cities like Paris or London, street art is a part of their culture. The walls of their cities are covered in vibrant colors and inspired scenes. What is so wrong about that? Graffiti artists give the city a personality, and stamp it with the thoughts and ideas of the people who live there. 

This website: 70 Amazing Examples of Street Art gives a look into how street artists express themselves. When cities are filled with color and creativity, they come alive. These artists should not be frowned upon for their reputation as vandals, they need to be put in a new light. Their art is transforming our cities for the better.