free post

Something I am unable to comprehend about this world is the obsession we have with scented candles, pluggable scents, and straight up febreze. Honestly. If you think your house smells bad, why don't you use a neutralizer instead of making your house smell like a garden? I, personally, am allergic to most scents, so when people do that I'm stuck over here feeling like I have the flu while everyone else is saying, "wow! It smells nice in here!" 

The teachers at Episcopal are very understanding of this, and Dr. Fenske will unplug her lavender thing and Dr. D will blow out her candles(very appreciated), but it's very rare. My own grandmother keeps the things in every outlet in her house, and every time I go up there I get sick. She always forgets. My aunt always forgets and douses herself in perfume to the point where if I'm in the same room as her I have sneezing/coughing fits every 5 minutes. And even my best friend's mother forgets sometimes (but it's very rare; she usually remembers) and tries to give me some of that "essential oil" stuff.

I don't get offended by it, because I know that it's truly a rare allergy. "Allergic to Febreze? Give me a break." But sometimes I can't help but wonder: is it necessary? Does it really smell that badly in here?

Response to ATDPTI

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is really good. I tried to think of some better word to describe it, but that was all I could come up with. It's just...good. It captures some real world problems while still capturing the teen spirit. (not the deodorant or the song. the abstract concept of what it means to be a teen). It's good because it's inspiring, funny, and well-written. 

Although I'm not sure about some of the innuendos in this book, I suppose that they are necessary. This book can be very dismal at some points, and some of those references just make me giggle a little. It's part of what I appreciate about this book. Even when it seems like nothing can go right for him, there's a joke thrown in there that will at least make me chuckle.

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John: Looking Back
Jack: Improving Second Semester

Last Semester

Last semester, I learned several important things. I learned that asking for help is something we all need to do, and that it did not make me less of a person to do so.  I discovered that I will not always be able to do everything by myself.
I also learned that I should rid myself of the people that aren't my true friends, and those that make me feel badly about myself. I learned that I shouldn't have to make myself feel "pretty" around my true friends, because if they were really true, they wouldn't care. I also learned that I was overlooking people in my life that have been true to me that I was too blind to see.
I learned that sometimes you can be given incorrect advice and sometimes you need to follow your heart. For example, I was told that I needed to stop doing things for other people so much and to do things for myself. But I realized that when I did things for other people, it made ME happy.
I didn't really learn any new study habits or anything, but I learned how to make myself happier. And that, my friends, is something that should never be underrated.

Topic

My research question is "Why is Japan's religious structure so unique?" I knew I wanted to do something religion based, because it's always been something that's fascinated me, but this is sort of where my sources took me. I started out with Eastern Religions, and then I went towards the Japanese religion of Shinto and how Chinese religions affected it, but it didn't feel right. The issue was, Japanese religion is weird. Only 2% of Japanese folk are devout followers of one religion. Most people mix together a bunch of different religions.
I think that this is because the Japanese feel like they shouldn't have to suffer because of their religion. For example, the indigenous religion of Japan is Shinto. In Shinto, when you die, there are no death rites. In fact, when you die, you are considered "impure" and must be disposed of so that you stop polluting the harmony of this world. In Buddhism, death is celebrated as a passing into a world without suffering. But Buddhism thinks that life is suffering, so they have no birth rites. Shinto, however, believes that bringing people into this world is a joyful addition to the harmony of the planet. Thus, most Japanese do Shinto birth rites and Buddhist death rites. On top of all this, neither of those religions have big wedding ceremonies, unlike, say, Christianity, so many Japanese will have Christian weddings. They also celebrate Xmas, and it is considered one of the most romantic days of the year. The government claims to be Shinto, but there are too many references to Confucian principles to count.

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James: Research Project
John: Free Post

Research Update.

This research project is going pretty well for me. I really like my topic, which makes this more interesting for me. My topic is the religious structure in Japan.
What I am struggling with is sources. I have good sources, but also have some completely irrelevant sources. Somehow, I cited a source from "Arabian Nights." My topic is Japan, not Arabia! It's gotten better. I'm not struggling with the evaluation/notecard aspect, though.

The Good Things About 2016

Hey, 2016 was a rough year. But here's a really long list of things that happened just to make ya smile. :)

January was the month for animals. South Africa (finally) banned leopard hunting. The FBI started investigating animal cruelty cases. Japan built some special turtle tunnels so they wouldn't get caught on the train tracks. (It's pretty cool. If you want to read about it, go here.)

In February, a firefighter paid a family's late electrical bill so that they could keep their son on life support. The risk of HPV was found to be lowered by vaccine.

In March, Beverly Cleary turned 100, even though she was certain she would only make it to 80. The Chicago Cubs went to hang out with actual bear cubs at the Chicago Zoo, which is just kind of cute.

In April, a 9-year-old reporter called out her haters, saying, "I didn't get this job at nine years old so people would think I'm CUTE. John Hamm went on Sesame Street. That one speaks for itself.

In May, studies revealed that suicide rates reduced by half for people older than 20.

In June, a homeless kid helped carry a guy's groceries, and the man started a GoFundMe page for the kid and his mother that raised over $250,000. A girl who was paralyzed because of a stray bullet incident graduated with honors.

In July, a children's hospital in Michigan used "Pokemon Go" to help get their patients out of bed. 50 million tree saplings were planted in a single day. A barber decided to give free haircuts out to the homeless. A philanthropist plants random $100 bills around her city. The Boston Marathon bombing amputee climbs a mountain. 

In August, a girl trapped in rubble for 17 hours is finally rescued. A couple that won Domino's "free pizza for a year" donated it all to a youth homeless shelter. A 100 year old lady completes a 100 yard dash. An olympic medalist sells his medal to pay for a kid's cancer treatment.

In September, a Florida State football player chose to sit with a boy that was sitting alone when their team went to visit that school. A bus driver saves all his kids from a burning bus. 

In October, a baby elephant 'rescued' her caretaker from the pool. The caretaker was just cleaning the pond, but its still cute. 

In November, Kit Kat donated a car full of kit kats to a guy whose kit kat was stolen. An Ontario court uses a service dog to calm kids down so they can testify.

In December, a dog visited a hospital to say goodbye to his owner. A little girl facing cancer recieved hundreds of Xmas cards.

It was a rough year, sure, but America pulled through it.

Also, most of the info on this list came from the NY Times and the Daily Hive.