Trust

A friend is someone who you can trust and share experiences with. Friends are there for you when you need them and if they’re close enough could even be almost an extension of you. You can let them walk around your house and not even think twice about them taking something from your house.

I have recently had a very close friend, one who I considered a brother over my house. I was playing the new Assassin’s Creed (an awesome game by the way), while he was fumbling around with some other games I bought. Later, he left and it was a normal day.

The day after, my little brother told me the game was missing, he probably looked for it for three or four days. I started to try to find out what the hell happened to them. I had just bought the game and I didn’t even play it for that long and it was already missing.

The only possible conclusion that I could come to was that my friend stole them. It was probably a week since he came over and I met up with him at a mutual friend’s house, pulled him aside and asked him if he knew what happened to the game. He denied taking them and I told him the only possible thing that could have happened to the game was that he took them.

He continued to deny it so I went up to GameStop and learned that they had all of the games I had missing there come in on the same day and one of them had a large scratch on it that ensured to me it was mine.

A mutual friend helped get to the bottom of it and he found out that my suspect was indeed the person I was looking for. I have been told that I will be paid back. I just wouldn’t want people to make the same mistake as me. Don’t give your trust out to just anyone.

Music

Music is one of the greatest ideas anyone has ever came up with. Music can make you feel emotions, like happiness, sadness and anger. Music can tell a story, even without any words. It has been around since the beginning of humans and it’s awesome. Music is hard to describe, it can be orchestrated sounds, or even the absence of it. You’ll see many people around with headphones in listening to it. It amazes me how people can love all kinds of different music. Many people listen to metal some listen to rap or country. No matter what type of music it is it can still show emotion and tell a story.

I love all kinds of music. I love listening to dark dubstep songs and feeling evil. When I listen to Ellie Goulding I feel comforted. ASAP Mob makes me feel angry, scared or even accomplished. I don’t know if many people get into the music as I do, but I’m sure if everyone did music would be much more appreciated in our society. Music has a lot to offer and if people would just listen more they could enjoy it a lot more.

Gays and Weed

America should be the land of the free. Many issues today make me question how free we really are.

Being against gay marriage is a something I cannot understand. What gives someone the right to tell someone else who they can and can't love? Nonetheless many people continue to protest it across the nation. It really just doesn't make sense to me. Imagine if someone took away your significant other and told you no, you can't have them. How would you react? Would you abide by that persons rule? I doubt many people would.

Same sex marriage is something that really can't be argued and should not be an issue at all.

Cannabis should be removed from the Controlled Substances Act. Its ridiculous that more harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco are legal and marijuana is not. This is the land of the free but no one can smoke a bowl without being worried about the police harassing them, while their next door neighbor is rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Any study will show that weed has not killed anyone.

Marijuana has more proven benefits than downsides. It helps soften the side effects of chemotherapy, reduces anxiety in some users, increases pain tolerance in some users, used to treat insomnia, reduces nausea and vomiting, stimulates appetite, and relaxes muscles tension; effective for MS patients. With so many benefits it’s puzzling why it would be an illegal substance. Do some research and you'll find some interesting reasons.

A$AP

ASAP Rocky is a new artist with a bright future. Without even having a single album out he and his crew; ASAP Mob have been gaining a lot of attention.

Rocky has two mixtapes out. One is “Deep Purple”, a fan created tape of some songs he had released on YouTube. It is officially recognized on the ASAP Mob website. The mixtape contains the song that arguably gave him his fame; Purple Swag. There are six other songs on it, one with an irritating Lil Wayne sample.
His second mixtape”LiveLoveASAP” has a longer tracklist, with a total of 16 songs. In this mixtape Rocky tells us about his history and his life before rap. The production on this album has more layers than Deep Purple. The project feels more rich and the music more engulfing. Songs like “Pe$o” feel very cinematic, while most of the songs feel more dark and eerie.

Rocky signed with Polo Grounds/RCA for $1.7 million for himself and $1.3 million for his imprint ASAP Worldwide.

ASAP Mob consists of members ASAP Yams, ASAP Bari, ASAP Ferg, ASAP Ty Beats, ASAP Nast, ASAP Twelvy, ASAP Ant, and ASAP Rocky. They add more variety to the music. Though they can be found on Rocky’s solo music, they have much larger parts on the ASAP Mob mixtape, “Lords Never Worry”. Listening to “Lords Never Worry” makes you feel like you’re watching a scary movie. Not many artists or rap groups have as much originality as these guys do and as long as they stick together and keep building on their originality they can continue to successfully make music.

The Trees Man

Plants are awesome. If you don't agree with that then you're wrong. Being trapped on the internet all day can be entertaining but I don't think enough people have experienced nature enough to respect and enjoy it.

Walking through the woods is an adventure every time. You just have to accept that your getting lost. When you don't know where you are and you're surrounded by trees, nature and some friends you will have a good time.

The obstacles are what make the journey, crossing rivers over logs, running down hills and try climbing some trees.

You have to make things happen. Sitting at home telling people to hit you up on Facebook because your bored probably won't actually make your day, you have to just do what you want to do.

What I've noticed in most people is that their main focus in life is simply to make money. That's not such a bad goal but most of the time it gets in the way of what in my opinion is the most important aspect of life; happiness.

When I realized this you could say I made it a resolution for myself to do whatever it is that will make me enjoy my life, whether that is taking a walk in the woods, going and getting ice cream or blaring music.

I don't mean that people should ignore distressing tasks like doing homework or laundry just because they don't like them, grades should also stay a priority. Just remember to enjoy life!

Oh Lord... Is That a Bandanna?

Dress codes in schools are beginning to be a little old fashioned and unnecessarily strict. I am getting to bandanas specifically. They main reason they are banned in schools is because in the 1980's gang violence was getting out of hand.

The main way gang members would show their affiliation with a certain gang is by wearing a bandana with the gang's colors. Kids at schools were being attacked and robbed just for appearing to be wearing a rival gang's colors. Many schools reacted by simply banning the use of all bandanas.

I'm sure this worked and I'm sure that many kids’ health and safety were preserved by the implementation of this ban. Obviously it’s no longer the ‘80s; we have tiny touch screen mobile phones and flat screen televisions in our homes. Rules like these are just old and unnecessary.

Many places like suburbs do not even have a hint of gang activity. Kids should be able to wear bandanas to express their individuality. Where gangs are prevalent, I would agree that this ban should stay in effect.

Being a student myself and attending a school that partakes in tyranny such as this, I refuse to let this go unnoticed. It is also very apparent that male students are being punished, while female students seem to be overlooked. Growing up I have been taught not to generalize or stereotype people. The ban seems to ignore that and assumes that all people wearing bandanas are gang affiliated and dangerous.

For now most high school students should live under the assumption that bandanas are the root of all evil and anyone wearing one could be a threat to your safety and well-being. Stay safe out there.

You Lazy Duck

Jobs for teenagers give many benefits. You get your first taste of making your own money. Depending on how well off your family is you'll probably have much more money than without a job.

Finding jobs that are hiring is the hardest part. The best way to find jobs as a teenager is just to apply everywhere you possibly can, wait for a call and if you know a place is hiring, call them and ask if they've considered your application. That shows the employer you WANT the job.

Getting the job can make you feel anxious. When you get your first job it feels like you’re making a big change in your life. You’re accepting a lot of responsibility, you can now provide for yourself and you'll probably feel a lot more freedom in your life.

Jobs you get as a teenager are usually boring. I work at a movie theatre and at first it wasn't too bad. I work in the concession area and I get people popcorn and drinks and keep smiling no matter how much i just want to tell a customer off. There's a lot of downtime on slow days where I just stand there and do absolutely nothing.

During these slow times is where the main problem arises. My mind starts to wonder and I start to think about what else I could be doing. I look around and start to feel trapped and it’s not a enjoyable feeling.

If you don't enjoy your job after you've worked there a little while try to find a new one. It’s horrible when every minute that passes just teases you, getting closer to when you have to start work that day. A better job for me would be one where I'm doing a lot of moving around and staying busy. Find the job that suits you.

Juicy J

Juicy J is an amazing rap artist with a lacking of lyrical content. His songs are catchy and have a lot of bass. Everyone loves bass. His popularity has risen greatly after his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang. He is featured in many songs with Wiz and other members like Chevy Woods and their producers Harry Fraud and Sledgren are more and more often creating the beats for his catchy songs. His newest single “Bandz A Make Her Dance” just recently reached number 48 on billboard charts.

He started rapping in the early 90’s with the group Three 6 Mafia, which was created by him and his brother DJ Paul. Just by listening to the music you can tell how much he has evolved. His lyrical content however has not really changed besides adding modern slang and creating some of his own slang. He coined the term “trippy” and you can hear “swag” in many of his songs. In the song “Smoking and Sipping” you can hear “swag” after literally every line.

He releases music quite often and usually they are not albums. Besides teaming up with Taylor Gang much of his recent success is from his most recent mixtape, “Blue Dream & Lean”. All of the songs on the album generally sound the same, but they are all directed to the same audience. Juicy J is now considered a veteran in the rap game and many new rappers look up to him, but probably the same amount disrespect him.