The "Final" Blog Post

Here we are, 8 months after I've started this blog. I'm about to graduate High School and move to a different state, 5 hours away from my family, and more importantly, my dog.
There's something to be said to the fact that you learn from your mistakes, and I've made quite a few throughout my time in high school. I've failed. A lot.
In middle school, you showed up, you got a B. You wrote your name on the paper, you got an A. In high school, it was a whole new world, one where unless you worked your absolute hardest, you were not going to succeed. My grades in High school are not something I'm particularly proud of. They're not great, not terrible, but also, not a reflection of who I am as a student. I'm not going to talk about grades now though, that's another topic for another day.

Here are some things I learned in high school and hope to apply to my life in college:

-Join student government (I didn't do this and regret it!!)
-Talk to him, what's the worst thing that can happen?
-Work hard first, then reward yourself
-Block Netflix
-Make time for your friends
-Don't sleep your days away
-Kiss up to the teachers a little bit
-Running can be fun
-Put yourself out there
-Be loud

As you can see, I learned a lot in high school besides how to calculate the velocity of a watermelon speeding through space. Yes. I learned things that will help me academically next year, but I think that some of the most important things I've learned are more personal and will help me immensely in years to come.

If I had to choose one thing that I learned through out all four of my years in High School, it would be to put myself out there. Oddly enough, I've never been a very quiet person in the literal sense of the word, but I've also never been one to volunteer at a magic show or try out for the leading role in the musical. I have a lot of self-confidence, but I don't love the lime-light.
My junior year of high school, I was put in a situation that I could either take advantage of, or leave completely alone. After a few months of sitting quietly, I decided to take a chance. Long story short, there was a guy I liked in one of my classes that I didn't know very well, but ended up getting to know him a little bit better through working on homework and through music events. You can read more about it here in a post I wrote last year.
Moral of the story, it didn't work out, and it took me a while to get over the idea that I "failed" at achieving my goal. I would have so much more regret having not done something, as opposed to the regret I have towards the way the situation ended. As I mentioned in the post I wrote last year, some of my best memories were made because I put myself out there.

Although there are many things I regret about high school, I know that those regrets can be channeled into creating an amazing time in college.

Some Pinterest Inspiration:

I think this quote is my favorite

I'm not sure if I will continue blogging on this blog, but I know I will continue on my fashion and lifestyle blog, North Shore Proper, so be sure to follow me there to follow me though my journey at Bellarmine University!

NorthShoreProper.Blogspot.com

summer music

When people ask me what type of music I like, I just laugh. I have a very diversified taste in music I'd say. I enjoy my fair share of Frank Sinatra, The Black Keys, Luke Bryan, Pharrell Williams etc. So basically a little bit of everything, but when warm weather comes around, all I want to do is cruise around with the windows down and listen to country music.

I live on the NorthShore of Chicago (shameless plug for my fashion blog), so there's not a large country music culture up here, unless of course it's County Thunder (a local music festival) weekend, and in that case suddenly everyone is Blake Shelton's biggest fan. However, I actually enjoy certain country artists. Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, and Luke Bryan are some of my favorites. But as much as I enjoy country music, I can only listen to it when the weather is nice and it's the end of the semester or summer time. I've made a connection in my head that country music = summertime, and it seems as though I can't listen to that type of music unless there's nice weather!

If you haven't already downloaded Spotify, you need to! Its a great solution to those times when you want to search up a song but down own it on iTunes!

Here is the link to my country playlis!

The Cost of Graduation

My senior year of High School is coming to a close. It's hard to believe, but there are only 51 days until graduation. Wow.

Background photo via

This year seemed to have revolved around money and finances. Paying for college, which of course includes paying for scholarships, calling financial aid offices across the country, filling out the FAFSA etc.

This year, I've tried to focus on saving money for college next year for me to spend, as well as trying to save my parents money because I know they're stressed out about paying for my education. I can deal with that. I don't mind saving some of my money because I know I can use it later, but the end of this year is getting VERY expensive very quickly.

Let's just do a quick cost break down of my second semester of Senior year:

AP Testing (I'm taking four tests): $364
Visting Colleges over Spring Break (lets include gas and a one night stay at a hotel): $160
Prom Bids (I'm paying for my date as they're coming from a different school): $140
Prom Dress: $90 (I'd say most peoples cost at least double this though. I found mine on sale)
Miscellaneous Prom expenses (sweatshirt, lakehouse rental, gas, boutonniere, etc.): $150
Graduation Dress (this isn't necessary, but I'm saving up for a specific one): $180
Senior Breakfast Ticket: $10
Grad Night Ticket: $45
Graduation Announcements: $70
Graduation Party (luncheon for the family with 20 people, $25 a person): $500
Graduation Presents for friends (lets say for 5 close friends): $100
College Freshman Orientation (Let's say two nights in a hotel and gas): $200

That comes to a grand total of......... drumroll please...............

$2,009

That is the cost of graduation. Of course things like Prom and a new graduation dress are optional, so with the necessary expenses of AP testing, college visits, graduation announcements, and a small grad party:
$1034

*Insert Crying Emoji Here*

So why is it that as we're preparing for the most expensive four years of our young adult lives, that we spend so much money? Some of these expenses are split between parents and students, but I would say that these are conservative estimates.
The average price of a Prom dress at our school most likely brushes $300, and if your college is in California, you have to add another $1000 for plane tickets.

I personally think that this is a bit silly to spend so much money on some pretty frivolous things as we're so stressed about maying for college, but that seems to be what our school system and community has instilled into our minds.

Spring

Spring has a feeling. Sure, there's a day when we officially say "it's Spring," but when it's really spring, you can feel it. It feels like a chilly breeze on your bare legs, the windows down, and eating on the patio without mosquitoes eating you alive. When we think of Spring, we always think of being outside and the weather and flowers. Why is that? When I think of winter, I usually think of Christmas and my Birthday. Fall? Jeans, vests, and boots. Summer? It's just plain hot.

So why is it that Spring is a time of year so associated with nature? I don't think I'll be able to answer that in the blog post, but I am good at rambling, so maybe I'll figure it out by the end.

The holiday I associate with Spring is Easter. When I think of Easter, besides Reese's peanut butter eggs of which I consume more than a safe amount each year, I think of bunnies and flowers and baby chickens. Why? Well that's what American's have associated with Easter. Easter is a Holiday centered around Christ (in the Catholic Religion at least) and his resurrection, so why the commercialized holiday seems to hone in on baby bunnies and chickens, I'm not sure.

What other widely celebrated holiday can you think of that in so whole centered on animals? I can't think of any.

Spring is a time of rebirth for so much of our world. For students, it can be grades, and in nature, flowers, grass and foods. Spring can also be a time of the year that is overlooked as it's spent recovering from a particularly brutal winter where weather jumps from -4 to 75 in what seems like a week (in Chicago this frequently happens). 

So as we go through this wet and muggy Spring make sure you appreciate it, because before you know it, you'll be complaining about the weather once again.

The College Freakout Pt.1

"College Freakout" is a term I coined this year while going through the college application process. It is used in the following way "I'm going through the 'Holy Crap college is expensive' freakout, hbu?"
I'm currently in the middle of a "I didn't apply to enough schools" freakout.
Newsflash: It's March. Pretty much no schools are still accepting applications. I AM going to one of the five schools that I applied to. There's a part of me that knows I'll find happiness wherever I end up (as cheesy as that sounds) and then there's a part of me that is panicking because I feel like I didn't do enough research or go on enough campus tours or write enough application essays.
There's so much change coming up in our lives, graduation, moving away from family, etc. I think that freaking out about college has just become my way of dealing with it. It's also very difficult to come to the realization that after thinking and planning for college for the last few years is finally becoming reality, and there is no more "I should look into that school" because it's done. There are no more chances.
I remember all throughout high school talking to seniors, people who had graduated and even faculty and having them tell me that high school goes by quickly and to make sure that you're taking everything in. Well, I'm a second semester senior, and time seems to be going faster than ever. Spring Break is this month, and then after that Prom, then graduation, the orientation and then all of a sudden, I'm a college student. That's a lot of transition in a very short amount of time, and it's causing me and many students a lot of stress.

Sickly

Sickly. The word itself doesn't seem strong, or healthy.
I hate being sick. I'm currently sitting on my couch with a sinus headache, a lovely wheezing cough, and a very stuffed nose. This is the third time I've gotten sick in two months and I hate it. I know what your thinking: nobody likes being sick. I know, nobody likes being sick, but I especially hate being sick a lot. I feel like being sick, even if it's just a small cold, is a sign of weakness.
I'm definitely not the nicest or most empathetic person. We all have those friends that just seem to be sick all the time and I can't help but see those people as weak. Technically, their immune systems are weak so it's not really that far of a stretch.
I'll be leaving for college in just a few months now, and it really worries me how much I've been sick despite getting the flu shot in November. I think that my mom is right: not getting enough sleep weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to even the most trivial of ailments. Going into college, I know it's going to be very important to not only get enough sleep, but also make sure I'm using hand sanitizer, not sharing drinks, and staying away from those who are already sick.
I hate being sickly, but that is exactly how I feel right now.
I urge everyone to make sure they're getting enough sleep and washing their hands etc. because it's been a very rough flu season, and I wouldn't wish whatever I've got to anyone simply because they're lacking sleep.

Fatigued

I write this post as my eyelids work overtime to try and stay open, even though it's only Eight O'clock and I just woke up from an hour and a half long nap. I could call this fatigue. If there's one changed I've noticed my body undergo all through out high school, it's that I'm not constantly tired. I could have had nine glorious hours of restful sleep (I just got a FitBit Heart rate monitor which will help me tack my sleep and see how restful it is) and wake up and feel exhausted.

I think as you grow through your four years of high school, you become more and more okay with the idea of over-working yourself. For many, the goal in high school is to succeed by any means necessary, and often times that means sacrificing your health via sleep deprivation and poor eating habits. I'm extremely guilty of falling into both of these traps, however, I'm working on taking better care of myself in preparation for college next year.

Yesterday, the National Sleep foundation released their updated recommendations for amount of sleep needed to be healthy. I created a survey below to see how people measure up to the recommended amount of sleep. I hope to create another post after I've collected sufficient results from the survey detailing what seemed to be the most popular responses, especially per age group.

Click here for larger view of the infographic

all sales final

Panorama taken by me at the local library

The week before finals is upon us. Fondly referred to as "Hell Week" at my school, students spend their time studying, crying, chugging coffee, and driving around looking for a parking spot at the library (aka me for the last 10 minutes). This week is one that is not taken lightly by teachers or students. Projects are assigned and collected, unit tests are taken, and (in some cases) online grades are updated for the first times in months.

The idea of final exams seem just that: final. The word lends itself to panic and thoughts of doom and destruction uncontrollable by the student. I know in my case, finals are when I realize just how important those five point assignments were back in September, or how little of AP Statistics I truly understand. Looking back on my first set of finals my freshman year of High School (I'm currently a senior) I suppose I thought they would only get easier as the semesters went on. Yet here I am, upon what I hope to be my last set of finals in high school, just as panicked as I was in 2012. I feel slightly more prepared, and slightly more anxious, but perhaps that's just the 3 cups of coffee I've had so far today.

Perhaps the most daunting aspect of finals is the idea that you're about to pull together five months of knowledge into one exam, project, or paper, and it's going to count as 1/5 of your semester grade. You have absolutely no control over what happens after you click send, or turn back your Scantron, all thats left to do is refresh the online grade-book compulsively until your pointer finger falls off. I promise it will be okay. Your fingers will not fall off (unless we get another polar vortex then I make no promises) and the world will not end.

Please join me in a toast (of a caramel macchiato) to kick off Hell Week right:

Here's to the late nights and near caffeine overdoses (yes it's possible, please be careful folks!). The endless typing, highlighting, and of course, perpetual fear that you're not good enough.

Cheers!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

I have a confession; I love to read. I have another confession; I hardly ever read anything that's not a book for school. It's not that I don't have time, it's that I don't make time. Back in august, I wrote a blog post on my other blog that listed 18 things I hoped to accomplish by my 18th birthday which happens to be this Saturday the 10th. One of those things was reading 5 non-school books. I finished only one. I feel extremely disappointed because I know I could have read five easily over winter break, but in true Jordan fashion, I didn't.

One book that I have ready recently was: "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)" by Mindy Kaling. This book definitely fits into the genre that I've been interested in recently which is comedian biographies. Isn't that a genre? If not I just created it so there. I'm currently also reading "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler, and hope to start "Seriously, I'm Kidding" by Ellen DeGenres soon. I'm not sure why I've been so into this genre lately. Perhaps it's been my incessant watching of both The Office and Parks and Recreation on Netflix. Both are a slippery slope folks. Consider yourselves warned.

via

I knew immediately that I wanted to read this book based on the title. I know, I know. They say never to judge a book by it's cover. But this cover was just so cute, and I immediately connected with the title! I'm not going to lie, I was half suspecting this book to be the chronicles of her time acting in and writing for The Office and The Mindy Project, but it's so much more then that. Although she does discuss her time on both The Office and SNL, she talks about her childhood and adolescence as she grew into the comedy world.

The book is sectioned off into little bite sized pieces. Some discuss her discovery and growing love for comedy while others display that comedy by for example, listing fashion advice for guys. I found this style to be very easy to read, and extremely relatable. I would categorize this book as a "Beach Read." It's content and writing style make it easy to read in a long weekend. 

I think one of the most striking themes from the book however, is the idea that celebrities lives are not all that they're portrayed as in the media. Sure, we all know that, but Mindy does a great job of not just telling, but showing us what it's like to go on a crappy first date, or not fit into a sample size dress. 

I would highly recommend this book to any girl (or guy) wanting a good laugh, and, I got a paper copy for Christmas, so if anyone wants to borrow it, feel free to ask!

(It's also availible electronically at the GPL - that's how I read it initially)

overwhelming

When someone says "The Middle East," what do you think of? There are so many connotations that we make over time just by listening to thew news, radio and opinions of our friends and family. It's hard to form your own opinion, and often times, it can be based off of opinion and not facts. This is a real danger in the single story.

This video explains a lot and gives an interesting perspective on world views.

One of the things I've struggled with this school year in understanding the entire concept of conflict in the middle east, or religion in the middle east, and especially terror groups such as ISIL. In my english class, we're currently reading Reading Lolita in Tehran a book that deals with the Iranian revolution in 1979.

One topic we've most heavily discussed so far is the idea of wearing a veil, burqa, etc. and how that effects not only the women, but the perception of how women are effected by this phenomenon. From what I've gathered through our discussion as well as class-related research, I believe that women should have the option to wear the veil if they feel so inclined. I feel like many people are often misinformed when it comes to hijab and burqas. It's very easy to here a small fact about them such as "the are a tool of oppression" and run wild with it.

Opinion and fact are very different things. You cannot craft an argument and use other people's opinions as you basis of belief or even try and support you beliefs with others opinions'.  It's overwhelming to hear all of these opinions when you're trying to sort out what's going on. 

flat

prepare for ranting and whining commencing in 3...

2...

1...

falling flat. getting steamrolled. waiting in the wings. lost in the shadows.

these are all phrases that I associate with the type of person I am.

[we have lift off]

falling flat

when I feel as if I have completed a task to my self-expectations. did I forget to mention that even though they may be just-right goals for me, they don't even come close to the abilities of my peers that come oh-so-easily to them?

getting steamrolled.

now, I know some pretty passive aggressive people, but I won't name names. okay, I'll name one; jordan. I'm that girl that gets extremely angry or annoyed at someone, see's them the next day and doesn't even mention it. I suppose I've just accepted the idea internally that certain people's thoughts or ideas are above mine and they have a greater right to voice their minds then I do. I really wish I would stop forgetting that I have a voice too.

waiting in the wings.

similar to getting steamrolled. whatever. what happens when two people start talking at the same time? one person usually continues, and the other quietly backs off and listens. I'm not sure I could name a single time (unless I was hopped up on caffeine in which case I will not stop talking for any reason whatsoever) that I didn't back down. this trait gets me in heaps of trouble sometimes. I take longer to form my thoughts, perhaps because I get distracted easily, or have I'm sure a plethora of other psychological instincts that I've developed over time. it seems as though I'm always waiting for someone else to finish, so that I can begin, but sometimes, people never finish.

lost in the shadows.

this year in my spanish class, we examined the idea of having multiple selves. at home, I talk 24/7 am always voicing my opinion, loudly, and engaging in playful arguments with friends and family. in the classroom setting, especially my morning classes which are the same everyday due to a specific program that I'm in, I find it extremely difficult to step out of the shadow and into the spotlight, or microscope as it seems. 

____

I'm not sure what this post was really. I know it doesn't really offer new information, but for me, your blog should be a place to express your thoughts and emotions, and right now, these are my thoughts. I also recognize that there are plenty of people out there with similar thoughts, so please, comment down below how you feel.

material world

Madonna said it best: We are living in a material world.

via Nordstrom tumblr

This realization always comes to mind for me around the holidays. I feel like during the holidays it's extremely easy to get wrapped (pardon that put I couldn't help myself) up in the idea of crafting the perfect Christmas list, or even brainstorming the perfect way to out-gift all of your friends at the gift exchange this year. This obsession that we seem to have with buying carries on all the way to Valentines day.

"Jesus is the reason for the season." This is something I like to remind myself this time of year, especially as I teach religious ed. to local sixth graders. It's often very easy to forget this as we eat our Santa shaped chocolates out of our advent calendars every morning and fasten reindeer antlers and a blinking red nose to our cars.

This phenomenon seems to say a lot about our culture. We care more about presents and lights then we do the reason for the holiday itself. By completely disregarding the historical value of such an event, we've only making ourselves look worse. One thing that I see a lot of churches doing are Christmas Pageants. Specifically, one church in my area has been putting on a pageant for over 50 years, and it draws quite the crowd each year, reminding everyone of the true meaning of christmas.

Hopefully in these last few days leading up to Christmas, an for some of you, the start of Hanukkah this week, we can keep in mind the reasons we celebrate, whether they be religious, or just a reminder to bring the whole family together.

Happy Holidays, jordan

surreal

Found on Google

Found on Google

I would definitely not call my self an artsy person. Or an artist, or relate myself to the art world whatsoever. I'm definitely a novice in every aspect of the topic. The artistry skills my Grandpa had most certainly skipped my generation.

Recently in my Spanish class, we began to discuss surrealism in the form of art. I had never really had a opinion on art. I felt I didn't have enough "credentials" per say in order to form an legitimate opinion of any type of art, except for dance maybe because I've been doing that for so long.

As we've studied this topic further and further however, I've grown more and more fond of it. My favorite pieces seem to be those that look almost as if they are pictures like the ones above.

I think that surrealism appeals to me the most because it represents the most normal things in life, with a twist. I also have a bit of a "dark side" that enjoys dark humor and realizes the reality and finality of life, which is often a topic addressed through surrealism. Although I'm still not the best at analyzing art, I really enjoy looking at it which, I suppose, is the first step in enjoying art.

One thing I feel like in the art community is that it seems slightly elitist. When I'm sitting in my Spanish class, I often feel like my thoughts regarding a certain work. I feel like art is something that should foster creative thought and now deter people from commenting on it by making them worry that their thought isn't correct.

Similar to the discussions we've had recently in english class regarding the discussion of "author's intent: and that, unless you're the author, you truly cannot be sure of what the author has intended, you cannot know what the artist has intended without speaking to them. I think that art is meant to be what the "viewer" takes each piece to be, creating a truly unique experience for everyone!

"Art" isn't really a topic you can fully cover in one blog post, but I hoped to merely scratch the surface with this one. I hope you enjoyed, & come back next time!

Feel free to comment your own thoughts on the topic down below!

Aha

Hello all! Happy November!

I was reading a guest post on one of my favorite blogs, Carly's The College Prepster, about finding your "Aha Moment" recently, and I found it to be very interesting and somehow calming.

I feel like often times, we're chasing after inspiration, whether it's while we're writing a college essay, or for the more artistic bunch, working on your very own "masterpiece." Like Maxie said at the beginning of her post, often times, we go searching for inspiration and chasing after aha moments. I agree with the idea that you can't go chasing after these moments.

I think especially with the changing of the seasons (and if the not the equinox, but at least the radical 180˚of weather we've had in Chicago recently) it's hard to find inspiration or motivation to do well, I know that I find it extremely difficult, and I know I'm not alone.

I think the tips that Maxie gives in this post are very interesting and easy to apply to every day life. I'm also in agreement that coincidences are actually the complete opposite. I'm probably fate's biggest supporter, as I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I like the idea of letting go in order to find inspiration and letting it come to you.

One thing I've never tried however, is meditation. It's something that has always intrigued me, but I've never set aside the time to do it. I think that this could really help me listen and also give me time to think. It feel like we often forget to take time and just think about what is going on in our lives because we're usually very busy, but maybe meditating could be something to try and combat the stress of everyday life.

I hope to become very inspired this holiday season, and I think listening and internalizing some of Maxie's tips could definitely be the key to doing so.

I wish a relaxing week to you

Jordan

fear

• When you're done, read my friend Ruhi's response to this post here!

Ebola. It seems to be a word that is being used almost as much as "like" these days. The fear of getting the disease is almost paralyzing for some, where others joke about it constantly.

A photo of a man protesting flights from affected countries in order to quell spreading of the disease.
via

*Let me also preface this post with the fact that I am absolutely not an expert of any sort and am going off of information from various articles on the web, and from my own personal experience*

The actual disease of Ebola is something to be feared in my opinion. With a survival rate of around 30% and the fact that it ravages your body for two weeks making your internals organs essentially bleed out. It's not exactly a pleasant experience, so I understand the fear that some people have.

One thing I do not understand however, is the constant joking about the disease. I feel like this joking may be a way to cope with the fear, no matter how small or large that fear is, in the back of our mind. It has come to the point where "Ebola!" seems to be the punch line of every joke. This shouldn't be a joke, it should be viewed seriously, although perhaps not with the intense terror that some are currently afflicted with.

I feel like this current outbreak is sort of a humbling experience. The US, or at least many people in the US, like to believe that we have complete control over everything that effects our country and that, come a global issue such as this one, we will be 100% protected because, 'Hey! We're the United States of America!' It's a bit of a control complex if you think about it. When something like Ebola comes upon us [the US], we're often taken by surprise that such a horrible disease could be carried to the States.

Although the US is currently taking steps to prevent the spread of the disease such as equipping the Pentagon with a deployable medical response team, or setting up check-points in major airports through out the country, I feel like there is more that could be done, or that should have been done sooner. But similar to the fact that you simply cannot incarcerate every criminal, we cannot catch every case of Ebola that enters the country before the victim is even suffering symptoms because it's simply impossible.

___

I could go on and on about this for weeks probably, but I'll spare you from that for now.

A great resource for quick info on topics such as Ebola is "The Skimm" available here.
I hope everyone has a safe and healthy weekend!
Jordan

welcome

Welcome to this blog and thank you for visiting!

My name is Jordan and I'm a 17 Senior in high school living in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I've created this blog as part of an English assignment, but I've been blogging independently about fashion and my life in general for the past 2.5 years.

via

This blog is a place for me to develop my writing skills, as well as address current issues. The thought behind the title "Mood" is the idea that when you walk into a room, you can usually feel the mood of it. This idea isn't just limited to a room or how you feel, but you can also talk about the mood of a country's economy or the mood of the National Football League for example. I plan on addressing both of these topics throughout this year. I'm sure my opinion will sneak its way into some posts as well. For another class, we've been assigned a country to keep tabs on throughout the year and I've been assigned Vietnam, so I'm also going to try to incorporate that into some posts.

Some topics I plan on addressing other than those mentioned above are:

• The Stigma of Depression
• Ebola
• The Middle East
• Poetry
• The College Application Process
• The Materialism of Holidays

These are just things that are rolling around in my head right now, who knows where we'll be in June!

I hope that this I can keep this blog on track and not only address topics that are current, but are also interesting for you. Although this blog may cover a variety of topics, I hope to keep everything connected with the idea of mood and also use this "lens" to delve deeper into aspects of topics that I may not have noticed otherwise.

I hope you enjoy this journey (was that too cheesy? I think yes) with me.
Be sure to follow this blog either by RSS feeds like feedly, or by clicking the button on the right to follow me on Bloglovin'!

Until next time,
Jordan