How I survived the rain--or the "catastrophic" tropical storm Issac

My first day of quarantine was full of frustration to say the least. I use the term quarantine because my house happens to be the only house on the block with the window shutters up, blocking out the rain, strong winds and happiness. My mom and brother had spent all late afternoon and early evening putting up shutters around our Miramar home without my help because even at 20 years old, I still have the ability to whine like my glory days of 14. (FYI, I whined about how stupid it is to be scared of rain and wind, which is essentially what the STORM is.)

I woke up to my loving boyfriend calling to ask how hard it was raining. He's calling from West Pines, a twenty minute car ride. Even though he called at 9:30am, my window made me think it was midnight thanks to the shutters. He and I had plans to spend the storm together watching movies in my room, but paranoia must have had my poor mom up all night because she stopped me before I could pick him up. I couldn't risk opening the door without the possibility of down power lines and getting struck by lightning. (Let me take the time here to just say that if you're planing to live at home during college before switching to a real university, DON'T DO IT.) There goes my romantic Sunday. As much as I hate to admit it, even though it was just rain,  my overprotective mom had a point, it was dangerous to drive, most of my neighborhood driveways were flooded with standing water. I was already having car troubles and Josh has been recovering from his car accident for almost three years..we can't risk it.

My Sunday was doomed to be spent in the house with my mom and brother. Here's some background on my family which no one really knows; My parents got divorced a year ago, so to keep us afloat, my mom works A LOT. I see her for maybe twenty minutes on a good day. We text often so it's not like she was a complete stranger to me. My Brother just started his junior year of high school, he plans on becoming a cop when he graduates, so he's in and out of the house a lot. we're also text savvy. With my school, work and social life always meshing, I'm out of the house a lot too, so when we all had breakfast this morning, the weather seemed to effect everyone's mood. Grouchy, irritated, hungry and bored. We were trapped in the house, like well, anything trapped that desperately wanted out. I'm so bored I can't think of a simile! With tensions high and patience lower then normal, I couldn't hide my boredom from my stressed out mom and annoyed brother who's friends were outside because it was just windy. Friday and Saturday were great, spending time with my boyfriend is always fun. It was Sunday that kind of, pretty much ruined it.

There's always next weekend (optimism rears it's ugly head.) Next weekend seems so far away!

I turned on the TV only to have all my local channels focused on the meteorologists, which I suspect is the only reason they would want to become weather men/women is to report on disasters or "catastrophes" such as this storm, and keeping people locked up in their homes like they're hiding from zombies. Plus disasters have a way of bringing people together in a twisted way. I quickly grew bored of the drama on the News and pushed aside my boredom and frustration by watching a Danny Phantom re-run. My fascination for this series is a bit weird, but it's what makes me happy and for the next hour and a half, it entertained me.

At lunchtime I found a few movies to watch varying from bad chick flicks to very bad chick flicks, to Scooby doo 2: Monsters unleashed. I finally had lunch but I kept feeling trapped, a bit claustrophobic because of the lack of  being outside, so I took a nap while watching Futurama on comedy central, only to be woken up again by my boyfriend who was checking in, like he said he would. He wasn't thrilled to be cooped up at his aunt's house with his kid cousins during this cuddle weather either.

I was quickly running out of things to do, and options to eat. We had a bunch of canned food to outlast a zombie outbreak of three years, but I wasn't going to eat out of boredom, I'd already done that twice. I painted my nails, organized my closet, finished a book and played an IQ game on my phone. an hour passed during all of that.

the rest of my day was exactly that. finding ways to pass the time without actually spending time with my family. not that I was against it, it's..complicated.

There's  no school tomorrow, so my first day of school is cancelled, and I only have classes Mondays and Wednesdays so I only have school once this week, and being the typically and tragically broke student, I don't have much options other then to stay at home and figure out when I work, which is at the villages of Gulf stream down by the beach.

Atleast I have somewhere to blog my boredom, one of the perks of a struggling Journalism student. As I spoon feed myself Nutella and watch The Simpsons on Fox's Animation Domination, I momentarily think about what tomorrow will bring. A boyfriend who missed me, a drive to Tamarac to drop him off, fresh air filled with rain.

Atleast today is over.

How laughter is the best medicine

This was my APA formatted Sociology research paper for last semester in Professor Schwarz's class. It was fun to write a pretty interesting topic. My next paper is going to be just as interesting, entitled "The mind of a shoplifter: why they do it" but until then, here's my first research paper to get a 96% (wrong format for the references!)

They say he who laughs last laughs the longest, and according to several sources, that may as well be true. ^[1]The effect of laughing has been linked to blood vessel expansion in our blood flow and can explain why people with a better sense of humor have a longer chance of longevity. It’s a universal feeling of contentment when we laugh, even if the joke is on ourselves.

Not to forget the concept of ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ but ^[2] Dr. Michael Miller, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland believes that a good laugh along with regular exercise and a good diet can greatly increase blood flow. In a study featuring 300 perfectly healthy men and women, they were shown clips of a comedy movie one day and a more stress inducing clip of an action movie another. ^[3]The difference was that when they were watching the stress inducing clip, their blood vessel lining constricted, reducing blood flow. This proves there is a link between mental stress and blood vessels constricting. In contrast, when the volunteers were shown funny clips, the blood vessels expanded, the same way they expand during cardio work outs.  ^[4]There was a 30-50%difference in diameter of the vessels between laughing and stressing. This also shows how emphatic people can be.

It’s hard to laugh when you can’t breathe, so imagine being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD and still laughing heartily at whatever comic is on comedy central. ^[5] The center for disease control and prevention say that COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the US and over 12 million suffer from it. Those affected have an increased chance of becoming depressed and suffer from anxiety. ^[6]Research has already suggested that laughing can improve any mood and strengthen immune function. It can also help expel stale air from the lungs. So after a study done by ^[7]Kim Lebowitz Feingold of Ohio State, patients with COPD who laughed at the funny clips shown to them had fewer sick days, but in a twist in the study, those patients who laughed more had more air trapped in their lungs because of reduced usage. Obviously those with COPD have more sick days so this study was a good start towards overcoming it. Maybe in time, all the patients will need just medicine and a few hours of comedy central. Optimism can go far.

Laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, and suppresses epinephrine, the stress hormone. ^[8] Studies have shown that it can increase the number of T-cells which attack viruses, increases gamma interferon, a blood chemical that effects the nervous system and immune system. It can also help patients with disabilities cope with their illness. ^[9]Carol Swell (1996) interviewed Patty Wooten, owner of Jest for the health of it! a business that helps with therapeutic humor programs, observed that people who laughed at disability-related cartoons had already come to terms with what they have. Not every joke is appropriate though, everyone heals through laughter at their own pace. And not everyone is in the mood to laugh after they’ve gotten terrible news. When dealing with depressed patients, ^[10]Wooten is still the optimist.

“What they're going to have to look a little closer for is the joyful moments, the playful moments. I encourage them to believe that it's still possible to laugh.”

It doesn’t take a genius to know that laughing is good for you, not just your body but your state of mind, and laughing at yourself could show some humility and bring down some people’s egos. ^[11]For example, in 2009 Comedy Central’s longest running show, South park spoofed celebrity rapper, Kanye West as an arrogant, belligerent, jerk who didn’t get the play-on words of the fish stick joke one of the boys had come up with, and gets frustrated with everyone calling him a gay fish. ^[12]Kanye wrote on his blog that the episode hurt his feelings but he’s working on his ego and thought the episode was hysterical. Laughing at yourself is just as important because no one like a person who has an overblown ego, or someone who can’t take a joke.

Personally, I think there’s more to it than just a good laugh. After a tough day at work or school, most people relax by over eating to cope with a bad day. It almost seems like unwinding in front on the TV is healthier than eating a massive meal to make up for all the times you were hungry throughout the day. Sitcoms have a way of lifting the spirits. It’s not the most conventional thing to use as medicine, it certainly won’t cure cancer or anything but because the research is so young, it’s nice to see doctors and scientists thinking out of the box.                                                            Work Cited

^[1-4] European Society of Cardiology (ESC) (2011, August 28). Laughter has positive impact on vascular function. ScienceDaily.

^[5-7] Ohio State University (2011, August 2). COPD patients with sense of humor feel better, but laughter may be bad for lungs. ScienceDaily

^[8-10] sowell, C. (1996). mdausa.org. Retrieved from http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q34laughter.html

^[11-12] http://rapnewscenter.blogspot.com/2009/04/kanye-wests-reaction-to-south-park.html. (2009, april 19).

Cheer camp or Boot camp? The story of an almost-cheerleader continues

Conditioning started this week for the new school year, and the only way I could be any more pain is if we did the exercises in stripper heels. So far, I'm the only girl "on hold" that's been exercising and learning chants and cheers with the other actual members of the squad. Since the Lady Seahawks don't advertise alot, (or at all, really) there's only five of us total. They're hoping to get potential new girls to join at the freshman frenzy next week.

I can't perform at the frenzy because I'm not officially on the team, and I (might) be with my fellow Journalists with The Observer booth in the back. If you recall, I'm going to try out again in a few weeks after my dancing skills have improved, (or have gotten better to the captain's standards.)

 I like to think I've come far in training and chanting this week, but the major cut back in calories have me a bit woozy. Here's some (slightly questionable) things I learned my first week at Cheer( and sometimes boot) Camp.

Monday: Boot camp
The heat in Miami can make even the tannest girl pink and give a killer farmers tan. We didn't even get a chance to stretch our legs, because our captain believes its best to do it after a workout. After the campus run, (which is basically running around south campus in 90-something degree weather) I was second to last, but was huffing and puffing like a kid at fat-camp, something I'm extremely mad about. It was then that I learned about the rule about which fruit, veggies, teas, juices and salads are acceptable in the diet (man, I hate that word!) I'm now on. I'm also prohibited to eat after 7pm. Usually that rule is around 10pm at my house because dinner is served at 7. I won't dig into the Nutella chocolate jar, I won't have pizza for dinner because mom felt lazy and there's nothing in the fridge (but frozen pizza and a variety of hot pockets), But I sure as hell will eat after 7 if I feel like fainting from hunger.

Tuesday: Cheer Camp
Still sore from Monday's exercise, (sixteen hours of sleep, and I still felt like I slept on pins, needles and rocks.) We ran around campus again, but thanks to the rain (Florida' crazy weather comes through for me!) we ran three-fourths of the campus, and I learned the cheers and chants and practiced with pompoms! The only things I learned (that greatly affected the cheers and the girls,) was that since the school isn't insured, we can't do any kinds of acrobatic stunts, in case we get hurt, in which case, we all have waivers to prevent us from suing the school. (Not me, I'm insured but not willing to drive to Hialeah for a signature!) The other thing I learned is that there aren't any kind of scholarships for cheer and dance--so practice everyday 10:30am to around one is pretty much voluntary. Crap. At least being on The Observer gives me scholarship opportunities. It really sucks for the girls, though. They work really hard.

Wednesday: Boot Camp

We did the lake run (one lap=one mile) but because I've been pretty slow running my first two days, our captain decides to motivate me. We run, but I'm in front the entire time. If I stop, we all go back to the beginning, No matter where we are on our run, and start over (campus runs are about 3 and a half miles) I could see it o the girls' faces, silently pleading with me not to stop running and to jog as slowly as I can. I felt so bad for them, I'm not even on the squad yet and I'll be responsible for their soreness! This made me run the lake on south campus twice a total of two miles in about nine minutes.
Thankfully light rain cooled us off as we ran, and then met back at the lake to do other exercises, we did squats, sit-ups and suicide runs--which I'm guessing whoever thought of the name, actually committed it after an hour of it. Although we were all in great pain, we bonded and gossiped, like all girls do. I learned more cheers and chanting. Even though I wasn't really supposed to learn the official BC Cheer! I caught on quickly, because it was only claps and snaps. Before we left, we were asked to write a list of ten things we want to accomplish individually. My list ranged from becoming a better dancer, to interviewing celebs and writing cool stories for either print or media news outlets.

Thursday: Cheer Boot
Assuming she was tired of being thwarted by the rain, we practiced in the storm. Actually it was because we needed supplies for the display poster they were going to display at the frenzy on Monday, so we drove to our local Wal-Mart, Avoided the big display of Nutella Chocolate, drooled at the appetizing scent of subway, found the arts and crafts we wanted, budgeted and got glittery goodness for the poster board. since that took up more time then we thought, we decided to get our smaller less time consuming exercises out of the way. Unfortunately about a minute in, a storm hit, but since we lost a lot of time shopping, we stuck it out for 10 minutes in thundering hard pouring rain. we did squats, jumping jacks and some calf work out all while we are all completely soaking wet. Guess who didn't bring an extra change of clothes, and has to work in a few hours? This girl! My blow dryer wasn't prepared for the mess I bought home, and after that disaster, I did the most logical thing I could think of. I called out, snuggled up in bed and watched Danny Phantom because rainy days are meant to be spent inside watching awesome cartoons.

Friday: Art camp
I'm saved from a full four hours of practice because of my obligations as features editor at the paper, so I stay for about half that, which is basically the cardio part of practice. We didn't get to that because of our poster board project, so the time I had for working out was spent sprinkling glittery stars and eating one of the various healthy snacks. By the time I had to go, the board needed a lot of work but the girls handled it. They're really understanding and stuff, promising a great workout next time they saw me. So I went on home to change. There was no way I was going to the meeting in gym clothes, even if I didn't work out. Just not in me to look bummy when I'm with anyone outside my house.

Since Monday, I've lost two and a half pounds! The bonding is great, the girls aren't catty or bratty, and our captain truly has our best interest at heart. Sure the dieting is something to get used to, as is waking up early for a god-awful run, but I saw the much sought-after uniform and pom-pom set. So I'm keeping my eyes on the prize.

Betty Smithey's release only brings out questions

According to ABC News (that was featured on Yahoo's homepage), Betty Smithey, the nation's longest serving female inmate was sentenced to life back in 1963 for killing a 15 month old baby on new years day.

Photo credit over here


First off, I know how annoying babies can be after a few hours, but to kill one? I can't imagine what she was thinking right before she stopped a life that barely begun, let alone the aftermath that followed. Smithey had a history of mental illness when the indecent happened, which makes me wonder why anyone would leave their infant daughter (by the name of Sandy Gerberick) with someone who is mentally unstable on New Years Eve.

Originally, she was sentenced to life without parole, but she kept appealing even though at the time Arizona law said only an acting governor can grant clemency to an inmate, which is what acting-governor Jan Brewer did by lowering her sentence to 48-years to life.

She told the board of executive clemency that a letter of forgiveness the victim of the mother sent her 19 years after the murder inspired her to turn her life around.

If that doesn't what will? and I think the mother of poor Sandy probably hated herself for leaving her infant with her, in fact it's not even mentioned if they were related or even acquainted. It's been half a century and the details of her case aren't mentioned in the media, which just furthers the many unanswered questions, the biggest one being that maybe it's for her own protection?

Well, her release is getting mixed reactions from America. Everything from "wow I can't believe she survived in prison for so long for such a horrible crime!" to "wow she killed a baby, she should have stayed in there for life!" and with that, many arguments questioning the system and whatnot.

Personally, the blame is on both Betty and Sandy's Mother. but if the family of the victim can find it in their hearts to forgive the murderer, then maybe, there's a bit hope left for the vicious and grudge holding world we live in.

I can cross "try out for cheerleading" off my bucket list!

Who else knew that Broward College has a pep squad? BC has tons of clubs and sports that most students don't know about because, well, most students either take online classes or don't stay on campus long enough to explore the clubs and organizations. Another key factor would be that a lot of students are full grown busy adults. Even though there are a lot of clubs for almost every interest, Pep Squad was one I vowed to try out for.

For the record, I knew the tryout was going to be a disaster.  A laughable experience, but still no way would I make the team with my routine. It had to be a minute long that was clean dancing showcasing my skills. Anyone that knows me knows my dancing skills make Carlton from Fresh Prince look like Channing Tatum in Magic Mike. Don't get me wrong, I practiced my dance routine for almost a month (with trusted friends) before trying out, and overtime it wasn't half bad. The song I chose had a simple beat, and I found easy moves on YouTube. I practiced over and over, pushing all forms of doubt out of mind.

It wasn't the first time I had tried out for cheerleading, I tried out and failed miserably in middle school, where the girls were more vicious. I didn't bother trying out in high school because at my Alma Mater (Miramar High School) the tryouts were held in front of an audience. People who paid for tickets to come and watch everyone tryout (for cheerleading, step team, dance team, majorettes etc.) in the gym after school. With the fresh memories of me failing in the 6th grade, there was no way I was going to try out again 9th grade, or anytime in high school for that matter. It felt too intimidating. Now in college, I was ready to try one more time before giving up and accepting that I wasn't meant to wear the uniform so many girls crave.

Why did I try if I knew I was going to fail? Because I've wanted to be a part of a team, that wasn't volleyball or soccer, for as long as I could remember. I know I was born with two left feet, but I had a strange feeling that I should try anyway, even if I made a fool of myself. It's always better to try and fail then to never have tried at all. It wasn't like I wasn't already a part of a team, (The Observer) my editor in chief thought my trying out would be an interesting read about my experience.

On the day of the tryout, I met with the pep squad captain and the adviser. After some encouraging words and repeating the mantra don’t be nervous! I got in position for the first few steps, and started the song--only to completely freeze in front of the people who were supposed to be judging me! I wanted to run and hide, but I knew that if I did, I'd spent all that time practicing and perfecting for nothing, and I would've wasted their time, which was unfair. Edith, the Pep Squad captain was nice enough (or took pity on me, whichever) to let me start over and get the jitters out of my system, even offering me her pom-pom to use.

(Pom-poms are so much more distracting when you're stumbling around trying to get back in the flow of things and trying hard not to pull a Carlton.)

Once the music started, I remembered the first few steps which were the equivalent to the first 15 seconds. Then it all fell apart and I remembered thinking how funny my dancing must be, and how hard the judges are trying to stifle their laughter. So for the remaining 45 seconds, my mantra changed from don’t be nervous! To don't stop moving around! I mismatched almost all of my carefully choreographed steps out of nervousness and thinking how ridiculous I must have looked, flailing around instead of being graceful and poised. It hit me mid routine that I was dancing in front of a small audience with smiles on their faces and pom-poms in hand that I realized that was all I wanted. I wanted to make people laugh, dance with pom-poms and feel comfortable with my moves. Two out of three isn't bad so when the minute was up, I couldn't help but laugh with everyone. I was just glad I tried out for this sport I clearly wasn't meant to be a part of one more time.

Surprisingly, I got a lot of props for being brave and dancing the way I did in front of complete strangers. I was essentially put on the waiting list because I could use a lot of professional practice and I guess my enthusiasm was appreciated. Edith even invited me to come and work out with the girls that made it to see if I could improve.

I never would've gotten that invite if I hadn't been so determined and shown so much enthusiasm, and I can say I tried out and made the waiting list for the lady Seahawks, a squad not many people know about, but will.