Plastics- Ji-Hae Kim

At the age of ten or so, I stopped asking for things I really wanted. If someone got a toy or something I really wanted, I would just sit there upset that I didn't get anything but that other kid did. One time, my friend got some candy from our teacher and I blurted out, "no fair." I was a kid, and I wanted candy too. She looked down and me and carefully told me, "you never get anything unless you ask." The situation was silly and it wan't a big deal, but that advice stuck to me. Nowadays, that advice applies to things that will effect my future. I can't get a letter of recommendation if I don't ask. I can't get that extra time to work things out unless I ask. I have to ask to receive. Even if I fail, I at least could know that I tried.

Plastics- Rena Childers

      As a gangly, awkward 5th grader, I had a serious lack of confidence. This led to many boring weekends and weeknights spent doing the “safest” thing possible. The trend continued into seventh grade, until one day in history class, my teacher muttered, “the most interesting lives belong to the people who do the thing that scares them most.”  Desperate for more excitement in my life, I took what he said to heart. This is obviously not meant in a perfectly literal sense; however, it has helped create some of my most wonderful memories. For instance, it helped me choose to come to Henry Clay, travel to France by myself, and make an incredible group of friends. Comfort is overrated, in my opinion. I know it sounds cliché but are you really going to remember the times you sat at home or the times one thing led to another and you ended up in a diner at 3 am with your best friends. We are given such short lives and even shorter youths; I say we take advantage of every second.

Buckets and Buckets - Charlie Grimes

High School:

The number one item on my high school bucket list, although somewhat generic, is to work hard enough to get accepted into a high caliber college. This requires maintaining a good GPA, improving standardized test scores, and staying involved. Other items on the list include attending a music festival, going skydiving, and pulling off a cool senior prank ( <-- don't use this as evidence against me later on).

College:

In college, I mainly hope to begin pursuing my dream career in media/film/entertainment. I have always marveled at the thought of being a director, writer, producer, or other figure in the entertainment business, and taking steps towards achieving this would be amazing. I would love to write one or more of my own screenplays, and start experiments with things like that. I would also like to make lasting friends and have a very good time while I'm at it.

Life:

At the end of my life, I hope to simply feel like I have lived a fulfilling and happy life. As a result, the number one item on my list would be to see the world as much as I can. I would like to travel around to interesting places with a wife who is hopefully as into it as I am. I also want to be a really fun and cool dad one day, although it seems at times that Sloan Warner has already achieved this.

Plastics - Weiran Liu

Two pieces of advice/mantras really influence my life, the first being "Live without a lens"and the second being "If you want something then find your source of inspiration and motivation, and go out and do it - and if you do it, might as well do it right." The first one has helped me get to know a wide array of people. I try not to discriminate and always listen to what one has to say, despite their outward experience or their background - everyone has a story. This has opened me to getting to know people beyond their general descriptions. It has made me into an individual who is motivated to find my own beliefs, my own views, on my own accord and not simply because I was raised into it or pressured into a certain side. The second piece of advice has saved me a lot of unnecessary stress. Oftentimes we waste time depending on others to do something when we can just as easily accomplish the task. If I want something, I put in the effort to produce results that I can be happy with, otherwise it's just not worth the time. It also instills a sense of accomplishment within me that my efforts produced results that I and/or others can experience and be happy with. Simply put: if you want it, go get it, if you don't, why bother?

assignment 19- logan cox

one piece of advice that I have received that has stuck with me was to live every day like its your last. in the end, we don't know when our last day is. it could be today, could be tomorrow, or it could be 90 years from now. you just never know when your last moment is. this has caused me to live every day like it is my last. I live life to the fullest every day so if it really is my last day, I will have no regrets. tell your loved ones how much you love them every day. don't put something off till the next day because you are too tired or too lazy. don't waste time on things that don't matter, go don't what you want to do in life and don't waste time on silly things are things that you don't enjoy. I know its very cliché but its honestly a great piece of advice and something that I strive to live by and think others should as well.

Plastics - Charlie Blondell

"Everyone has a gift." I was about 10 years old. My grandfather and I were sitting together, next to the fire in our log cabin in the Smokeys. It was warm, and I was exhausted, so I was content to stay, indulging in the wise words and tales of my Grandaddy.
He repeated it again. "There is not a single person in the world who does not have a unique, God-given talent. God gave me my hands. I can build anything." First thing that came to mind were my feet (I was a soccer player). God gave me my feet to be a great soccer player, I thought to myself. "Always remember that, and you will not regret it."
I know that I didn't fully grasp the idea of he was trying to get across at the time. He didn't mean for me to select a random body part and thank the lord for it. My grandad wanted me to actually ponder the thought of what a gift really is, and why it is one.
For some, it could be their hands. Not their actual palms and fingers, but what these tools can accomplish, may that be a sport, a craft, a piece of artwork. They could be ones feet, for the long journeys a cross-country runner endures or for carrying the bodies of courageous troops in the Middle East. A gift can also be someone's mind, for configuring the new framework of the new cellphone or deriving an impossible physics equation (thank you, Mrs. Gill). It could be one's heart, their focus to help others, to make the world a better place.
True gifts cannot be bought or sold. They cannot be returned, exchanged, or placed under store credit. They are individual, personable. They can be used to help, but also used to hurt. They are gifts because of how others see them, as something desirable, productive. They are special.
Everyone you will ever meet knows something you do not. They are better than you at something. A gift, maybe even some gifts they have may contradict yours, but cannot, WILL not outweigh them. I believe everyone has something to offer. They've just got to figure what that may be, and HOW they will use it.

Buckets to Buckets - Charlie Blondell

1. For my time here at Henry Clay, I've wanted only to experience high school the way I thought it should be experienced, and so far, I've accomplished this. From the dozens of football and basketball games (routing in the student section), to the Halloween parties and Seniors' dances. The social aspect has been crazy, exciting. It's also helped me mature much as an individual. The academics have clearly taught me that you need to work for what you want. I'd say there isn't much that being a Blue Devil hasn't shown me. I've done my work here for the most part. The last item on my high school bucket list is to pull off the most memorable senior prank in the history of HC. Of course I can't ruin the surprise; just realize it will be one for the books.

2. College will be the best 4-however many years of my life. I know that it will be my time to actually find myself and seek to prepare my physical and mental self for the outside world. "Not everyone is as friendly as us," quoted from Rex, a character from the best movie of all time, Holes. It will be a time of innovation and initiative for myself and colleagues, hopefully of whom some will be life-long friends. The major things I wish to do in college include playing Frisbee every day, becoming a better musician and possibly song writer, participating in every fraternity activity available, befriending multiple people from all over the nation/world, studying abroad for an unspecific amount of time, and finding out every possible thing to do on campus/in the city I'm studying in. My number one goal, however, is of course to find an area of research or intellect that will keep me interested, busy, and successful for my family.

3. Life after high school is hard to fully imagine. Life after college IS unimaginable. I still don't know what I will major in, even less than that a full dedication to attend a certain university. The area in which I go to school will have a huge impact where I will live after, regardless to say that coming back home is always an option, welcomed with open arms by the people of this community. Will I even stay stateside? Perhaps somewhere in Europe? East Asia? Canada? Any one of these places could be a possibility as to my desire to explore the world and discover the traditions and secrets of varying cultures around Earth. I think the man thing on my list to accomplish before I kick the bucket is to be as informed about or planet and the people on it as humanly possible. There's a drive deep within my posterior cortex to be informed, to be aware. Traveling and experiencing as much as I can will provide for this need. With this knowledge/openness, I hope to not only confine it in my brain and soul, but use it to make an actual difference in the world, through my career OR something even grander.

Assignment 19: Sloan Warner

The summer going into seventh grade, what seems like forever ago, I ventured out to Wyoming for a month of summer camp with my buddy Jack Phillips. I had never been to Wyoming, but had heard countless stories from Jack's dad who had spent countless summers out there. The next four summers out there were full of life lessons and memories. One of the many quotes that I still remember to this day was told to me by one of trip leaders named Matt Sloan on a four day pack trip around a campfire. He told us "never use the word 'can't'. Nothing is impossible". I have lived my life trying to live by the wise words of Matt Sloan ever since. Always trying something and powering through tough situations when things look bleak will enhance the quality of your life one hundred percent of the time. It sure has enhanced my life.

Assignment 18 - Derrick Thomas Jr

Before I finish high school:

·         Win a state championship

·         Beat Scott County in football

·         Bench press 400lbs

·         Squat 500lb

·         Finish senior year with a 4.00

Before I finish collage

·         Tailgate my school team

·         Take as little classes as possible

·         Go to grad school before 4 years of undergrad

·         Have a dog regardless of campus rules

·         Prove one of my teachers wrong

Before I die

·         Sit court side at a Knicks game

·         Stay in the V.I.P. box at a Philly Eagles game

·         Give back to Henry Clay and get a brick on walk of fame

·         Invest in a startup businesses that takes off

·         Become a professional sky diver

Assignment 18: Buckets and Buckets - Matthew Logsdon

I was asked to respond to this one too --

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish high school?

Well I've finished school but somehow I'm still here.  I'd say in the next 18 months I'd like to have maintained my exercise regime and whittled away my 210 down to 175.  I'm currently hovering between 185 and 190 depending on the day, how much I've exercised and how poorly I've eaten.  I haven't seen 190 in at least 10 years so I'm already pretty pleased with how things are going.  In fact tonight I ran 6 miles- a first.  Ultimately I need to stay focused, allow myself to fail from time to time, and be ever mindful of the success I've experienced.  

But I also want to go to my first Gen Con.  Next August will be the first time this NERD - Gasitc experience will happen before school starts so I'm making plans to attend.  The problem is that it's pricey so I've got to start saving NOW! Tru-Dungeon here I come.  Don't Judge me!

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish college?

Let's see - we're looking at the end of 5 years.  My kids will be 16 and 13.  I want to take my family to Europe.  I want to see the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.  I want to make sure that I've soaked them up 'cause I'll only have 2 and 5 years left with them.  Then they're gone.  

• What is the number one item on your bucket list before you finish living?

I want to live past retirement.  I want to visit SPACE.  I want to walk my daughters down the isle.  I want be married and see my 50th wedding anniversary.  I want to see my grandchildren.  I want the financial freedom to be a blessing to my children and grandchildren.  I want them to want to be near me.  I want to die with grace and dignity.  I want to have mattered.

Hooray For Hollywood - Assignment 16 - Charlie Grimes

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/963084996/ratings

My review of "No Country For Old Men."

assignment 16- logan cox

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/968636982/ratings

Buckets and buckets: Sloan Warner

I have many dreams and ambitions in my life, but here is my bucket list for the end of High School, end of college, and end of life:
High School: By the end of High School, I would like to be going to a good school in which I can have a good time, play college lacrosse, and set myself up for the best career possible. I want to be able to have great camaraderie with my teammates because we all know that brotherhood on a lacrosse team is second to none. Ultimately, I really just want to be happy and learn.
College: I would love to have backpacked throughout Europe, specifically the Alps. I also hope that I get an opportunity to internship somewhere where I can learn a ton and where I can get a job right after school.
Life: I would like to have the opportunity to be successful and happy in life with incredible family and friends, with tons of traveling opportunities and a beach house somewhere. Hopefully I have a wife who has a great personality and isn't too hard on the eyes.

Assignment 19: plastics

Most of the advice we receive in our lives is unsolicited and quite frankly inane.  However, every once in a while we get a real gem and changes our trajectory.  What is the one piece of advice given to you that has stuck?  Explain its effect.


Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, February 1st at 11:59 pm

Assignment 18- Sam Vandiver

1. Before I finish high school my number one goal is to decide what to do with my life or go to college for. At the moment I have far too many interests to decide on just one to dedicate my working life to. While I decide this, I have to simultaneously keep up my grades and participate in some groups or clubs outside of school to present myself as well as possible to potential colleges.


2. Before I graduate from college I want to have learned one thing that I am naturally good at and focused my energy onto it enough to where I am above average at it.

3. By the end of my life, my goal is to have made lasting, positive relationships with people that have affected my life in a good way. I don't want to look back and regret not having removed toxic people from my life and be unhappy as a result.

Assignment 18: Buckets and Buckets

High School

• Get stupid dumb buckets
• Beat Harrison Lane and Luke Johnson in backyard basketball at Ross Jenkin’s house with Andy Schaefer as my teammate.
•  Eat the hottest pepper on Earth.
• Play cards against humanity
• Dunk on a 7 foot African American
•   Finally overcome all the obstacles of being a white basketball player and start on the high school boys varsity basketball team.

College Bucket List

·         Go to the Naval Academy

·         Go scuba diving in the Bahamas

·         Go a week without sleeping

·         Play college basketball

·         Go skydiving

·         Learn and become very good at Mui Thai

·         Build a bonfire in the Grand Canyon

Life Bucket List

·         Bench Press and Back Squat 500 lbs. each

·         Serve in the military

·         Speak 3 foreign languages fluently.  Preferably Russian, Arabic, and Spanish

·         Never go to prison

·         Go to Russia

·         Assassinate Kim Jung Un

·         Have 1 million dollars in my bank account at one time

·         Ride a camel through the Sahara Dessert while wearing a turban or scarf thing

Assignment 16- Hooray for Hollywood- Ji-Hae Kim

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/926055260/ratings

Assignment 16: Horray for Hollywood

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-eagle-of-the-ninth/reviews/?page=2&type=user

3.5 stars

The Eagle is your average modern day war movie.  Starring Channing Tatum, as a serious Roman General, the movie raised some valid points, while leaving you feeling like it was just wrong.  Channing Tatum, coming from Magic Mike, just seemed like the wrong actor to cast in such a serious role.  Him, attempting to adopt a Roman accent sounded unauthentic, and had me confused for the first 20 minutes.  Even if he did look the part, it was just odd having a generally comical actor in a very serious movie.

It did raise valid questions, about why we view the Roman Empire as so great, when they were giant expansionists.  Many times in the movie, soldiers would ask, “Why would Rome want to expand? Why would they want England? There’s nothing here worth taking.”  This makes us think about Rome in a way we don’t normally do; as the villains of history, as the big bully.  Also the value it places on freedom and the way it presents honor helps to make up for all the flaws.  Overall, the movie is just okay.

Assignment 18- Buckets and Buckets- Ji-Hae Kim

Before I finish high school, I want to choose a college that I know I would love. I don't want to go somewhere just because others did or because it's the closest to my home. It'd be nice if I could really find a college that I would be able to truly enjoy.

Before I finish college, I want to have encountered something that made me think, "that's what I want to do with my life." Being only 17, I haven't really seen much outside of where I go around Lexington. I haven't found something that I want to do with my life. Nothing really has caught my attention in that way. I feel like having something I want to work for would give me a motive to do something with my life.

Before I actually kick the bucket, I want to know that there were more things that I enjoyed rather than regretted in my life. I want to be able to pass away thinking that I had a full life and to pass peacefully. It's kind of a weird thing to put on a bucket list... But, it's on mine.

Horray for Hollywood: Aislinn Langley

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/968621253/ratings

(a copy of my review is below in case the link goofed)

The Imitation Game

Going into this movie, I knew very little about the Alan Turing story. I knew that he was the codebreaker whose machine paved the way for computers and had a lot to do with ending World War Two. That was the extent of my knowledge. Most of my interest in seeing it was rooted in the fact that I'm a die-hard fan of movies pertaining to the second world war. I was expecting a great film and what I got was an astounding one. Profoundly heart-wrenching, this movie does more than shine light on a formerly forgotten genius. It is simply the story of a man. Cumberbatch, as usual, delivers a spectacular performance. It is at times difficult to watch because of the sheer magnitude of raw emotion. The Imitation Game deals not only with the stresses of wartime code-breakers, but the danger of being homosexual in the 20th century in Britain. The unfairness that colors the end of Turing's life leaves audiences shaken and introspective. That is the sign of a good movie. One that makes us feel keenly the pain of others. The Imitation game succeeds in that and should be seen by all.

Buckets and Buckets: Aislinn Langley

Before I graduate high school, I need to get my license. Heck, I need to do that before this year. I need to be able to drive myself places and gain some independence. Other than that, I want to go to prom, make the GSA's "Giant Gay Waterballoon Fight" actually happen, and go to at least one protest or rally on social issues.

Before I graduate college, I want to take a course on something completely out of my comfort zone. Growing up, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to throw myself into something completely unknown, and to a degree, I think that's what college is all about. I'd also like to go to as many random sporting events as possible, go on a cross-country road trip, study abroad, become an activist, actually figure out a major, and make friends from at least ten other states.

The top item on my bucket list for life is traveling to at least five other countries. I've always loved to travel and experience other cultures. Before I die, I would love to travel to France, India, New Zealand, Ireland, and Spain. I also have notions of joining the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps once I graduate college, as well as backpack the Appalachian trail and fill a room floor to ceiling with books.

Hooray for Hollywood Jacob Ferguson

Here's the link: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/968617056/

Buckets and Buckets- Rena Childers

High school: go to as many proms as I can (so far I’m at 3), be friends with or at least on good terms with everyone I go to school with, wear no makeup at least once (I know I know), join as many sports senior year as physically possible

College: stay in touch with my best high school friends, go on a cross-country road trip with friends/boyfriend, steal something from a fraternity house, join a sorority (maybe?), study abroad for a year, become close friends with one of my professors, befriend someone who makes me question all of my beliefs, participate in on-campus protests

Life: train for a half marathon, go skydiving out west, do slam poetry in a little coffee shop/bar, live in Morocco, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain each for at least a year, travel by myself all through my 20’s meeting people along the way and remaining friends for life

1.     I believe as humans that are nature is genuinely good; however, the desire to “be cool” often trumps that of being nice. I find that when I am having a bad day, just one kind word can make all the difference. Many people mistake the effort to be kind to everyone with wanting everyone to like you. Although it is not always as easy as I would like to think, I find that being conscience of my attitude towards others always puts me in a better mood.

2.     Whenever I feel stressed or restless, I find consolation in road trips. Whether that means to Danville, Cincinnati or somewhere much farther, each trip greatly improves my outlook on life. In college I want to drive across the country and take things as they come, stopping wherever/whenever I feel necessary.

3.     Most importantly, I would like to spend my 20’s traveling. I intend to study foreign relations and language in college, which will hopefully provide opportunities to travel the world. I understand people who want to get married right after college, but I personally want to spend those years enriching my life through the study of new cultures. And then I may reconsider my feelings on the subject of marriage...

Rotten Tomatoes- Rena Childers

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_2014/?search=wild

I believe this is the link to my review??? Anywho here is what I wrote...


       Going into this movie, I prepared myself for a mediocre viewing experience. As much as I love Reese Witherspoon, I tend to think of her in terms of her comical performance in Legally Blonde. However, to my delight, she digs a little deeper and nails the role of Cheryl Strayed. This movie takes you on a journey most directors fail to create. Her solitude is one of the most engulfing aspects of this film. We watch, as she grapples with her own demons as well as those of whom she encounters. Although her battles are more extreme than those most of us have faced, we are still able to relate to her intense struggles. To top it all off, the incredible scenery makes all who watch envious of her pilgrimage. To anyone who is interested in taking part on a journey filled with tears, laughs, and most of all love, I highly recommend this movie.

Buckets and Buckets - Weiran Liu

The number one item on my bucket list for high school is to survive. I want to maintain my sanity and 4.0 GPA while trying to balance work, extracurricular activities, sports and social activities. That being said I want to go on  a road trip with my close group of friends to an area where we can simply enjoy the company of each other. A place where we can camp, hike, enjoy our youth and is near a body of water is ideal. I also want to go back to playing my instruments again while I still have the luxury of doing so before heading off to college.

My college bucket list is slightly more scrambled. I hope to have decided what I want to do in life by then and have already gotten a job or internship is my area of interest. I want to travel abroad for a semester for sure, Europe would be great. This one is a bit of a stretch but I hope to graduate college with no debts or loans – whether I accomplish that through scholarships, grants, etc. is still a mystery to me. Going to music festivals and concerts of some of my favorite artists is also something I would like to accomplish. Learning how to surf would be cool too.

Before I finish living I want to know who I am and have no regrets. I hope that I manage to organize all the disorder in my mind to form an individual who was able to support and provide for a healthy, closely knit family. I want to see all those around me happy, and be able to contribute to that. I wish to return to Israel - my birthplace  and resting place of my father -  not just once, but multiple times if possible throughout my lifetime.