Does a Picture Have to Tell a Story?

Okay, here's the thing: Instagram is like a plant. 

This sounds crazy, but hear me out. You must attend to it regularly and make sure it looks healthy.

In order to uphold a good Instagram, you must make sure you post every once and a while, but not too much. Much like a plant, you should water it every once and a while, but if you water it too much, it could drown and die.

The second step is to make sure it looks good. If your Instagram were a plant, you would want to make sure it looks healthy, and not on the verge of death. People nowadays like to have an Instagram that looks good as a whole, not just individual pictures alone. For example, when you look at the page alone, people want to see the lines of three pictures look good together. Almost as if the pictures were taken just to go together. This sometimes needs the assistance of filters or editing, but nevertheless it is what people worship.

This happens to be a line from my main Instagram account with blue tones.

Mr. Parker reminded me that a picture is worth a thousand words. He explained that pictures can tell a story, and then asked me what story I wanted to tell through my Instagram. I was stumped. I honestly hadn't thought about it that way. In my opinion, I have been trying to document moments in my life, but not necessarily tell a story. I also feel like I can speak for other people in the Instagram community when I say that most people don't think too hard before they post. The only thing they think about is how well it will fit with the pictures they already have posted on their account.

However, there is one moment in which these rules don't apply. This instance is when you have a Finsta. A Finsta is an Instagram that is more of a second, "fake" account belonging to someone. On this account, you have full freedom to post as much as you want without any worry of judgment. It is more a place where your closest friends can follow you instead of many people. It is also a place where your username can be some crazy joke that no one but your friends understand.

A couple of my friends and I have these so-called "Finstas." I'm not going to publicly put mine up here, but even if I did, I probably wouldn't accept anyone who tried to follow me. On my Finsta, I feel like I have the freedom to post things that don't go very close together like on my main account.

If you want to feel free, take my advice. Make a Finsta, feel free.

Anyway, carry on. 
xx Em

I'm Suffering (LOL)

Okay, here's the thing: it's the last week of the semester. 

Let's be honest for a moment. What more do you expect from any student. Anywhere.

There are what seem to be an infinite amount of final tests occurring over the next five days, and there are plenty of people attempting to bring their grades up to an acceptable letter.

As I have explained before in my stress rant from this past October, my schedule puts me in quite a situation. With final testing sneaking up, my white days are looking worse and worse.

First period, for me, is spent at home on these days (let's give a round of applause for late entry). Second period is Math. My teacher decided to do a cumulative final, which incorporates everything we've learned this whole semester. Third period is Geography. Luckily this isn't a cumulative test, though Mr. Jeffrey thought about that as a possibility. Instead, it is just a combination of the chapters we read in quarter two. Finally, fourth period is English. Mr. Parker recently gave us a timed (torture) essay, but the quarter final is still yet to be completed.

My red days are a breeze, as I'm sure I've mentioned before. So, for only two days this coming week, I have nothing to worry about.

The end of the semester is a week away, and even though I'm not failing any of my classes at the moment, I'm on the brink of getting a letter grade lower in some classes. Therefore, I have a lot of pressure on my shoulders to do well in all of my finals this week so that I have a chance at keeping my GPA up.

This probably seems unnecessary to people with their life in check, but for me, this whole "end of the quarter" thing is screwing with me a bit.

I'm hoping I won't look like this this week.
(Courtesy of Med Scoop Daily)

I totally twisted my sleep schedule around over holiday break, so that was very difficult this week getting back in order. Unfortunately, I did the same thing again this weekend (this was a poor decision for me and everyone involved). I'm just hoping that I won't end up falling asleep studying or totally blanking out during one of my finals this week.

I'm suffering a bit right now, if I'm being quite honest. All of my hardest classes have finals and I have pressure to do well. I'm also kind of sleep deprived half of the time at school because my brain doesn't really wake up until like 1:00 p.m.

So, let's hear it for those of us who feel like zombies throughout this next week but are also struggling with crippling anxiety and stress! We can do this! Five more days until we get that four day weekend! Five more days until we have another opportunity to screw ourselves over again by going to sleep at four in the morning! Five more days until we don't go through with our New Years Resolution of getting more sleep... again!

HIP HIP! HOORAY!

Anyway, carry on.
xx Em

STRESS RANT LET'S GO

Okay, here's the thing: eighth grade doesn't do shit to prepare you for ninth grade.

For me, eighth grade was an absolute breeze. There wasn't the pressure of having to do well because of college, and there wasn't anything too difficult that needed to be done.

Yes, I did take that test in seventh grade that enrolled me in the eighth and ninth grade Honors Math program, so I ended up taking tenth grade Honors Math this year. Not only did I register for this class, but I also registered for Honors English, AP Geography, and Honors Biology on top of that.

Why did I put myself through this hell? Well you see, I didn't think it would be this bad.

Last year, I loved History, and even though I knew that Geography isn't the same thing, I thought that it couldn't be that bad. Also, the whole "college credits" thing appealed to me, so I wanted to give it a try. I also enjoy English, and thought that I might need a little bit of a challenge, so I decided to take this class. For Biology, it was honestly because I didn't want to take Earth Sciences, and the school district had recently changed that you had to take a test to enroll into it, so took the opportunity I was given, and enrolled in all the possible Honors courses at Treasure Mountain Junior High.

Of course, there are the upsides of each of these classes. In AP Geo, my teacher, Mr. Jeffrey makes at least one Donald Trump reference a week. I highly despise that joke of a man, so I approve of every joke Mr. Jeffrey makes about him. My Biology teacher, Mr. Christensen, is hilarious and, for some reason, my friends and I refer to him by his middle name ninety percent of the time. There isn't really a reason for that, it just kind of became a habit. My English teacher, Mr. Parker, who has already been mentioned in this blog, is very funny as well. His class was also where this blog originated. Even my Math teacher can be chill sometimes.

I can manage pretty well most of the time, but lately, I've had other experiences. The end of the quarter is coming up soon, so many of my classes have been finishing up projects that we've been working on and giving out unit tests before finals.

I know I shouldn't care as much as I do, but I sometimes, I feel like the pressure of doing well in ninth grade makes me kind of crazy.

Courtesy of Hannah's Tumblr

Last week, for example, was very stressful, and I didn't quite know how to deal with everything I had on my plate. It was the first week that High School Swimming was in session, so I had to get used to the whole new schedule of my after-school activities. I had missed the previous Friday, so I still had some catching up to do. I was two days behind on my AP Geo reading, and the last vocabulary quiz of the quarter was quickly approaching. I had to make up a Math investigation that I missed, do the homework that went with it, and, since my class is flipped, I had to watch the lesson for the next class. In English, I had to get a rough draft finished for the social issues research paper we were working on by Monday.

I was constantly in a state of catching up, and I had no time to rest. As I explained to my friends when the week was nearing an end, I was at about the same point of stress equivalent to Britney Spears in 2007. If for some reason you don't know what I'm talking about, let your eyes view the photo on the side.

I feel like I shouldn't feel as stressed out about school as I am, but, as Abbi explained in one of her recent blog posts, it is how we've kind of grown up to believe. She said in her post that, "their grade matters more than their education," which, sadly, is very true to many. Students worry too much about their grade to actually learn anything.

I wasn't quite ready for a week like last week so soon into the year, but I managed to get most of the things on my plate finished. I had to adapt to everything that was going on because I didn't know what to do with myself.

If you don't get anything from this blog post, remember this. Eighth grade is a smooth boat ride compared to the waves of a storm throughout ninth grade.

Anyway, carry on.
xx Em

The Prologue to an Average Teenager's Blog

Okay, here's the thing: creating this blog was not my idea.

This blog was birthed into the internet world courtesy of Mr. Parker, my ninth grade Honors English teacher. I've known about this blog for a very long time, and, to be honest, I've had mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, I enjoy writing and telling stories. This blog will be an amazing way to get my thoughts across rather than attempting to tell it in a brief way to my friends over a text message. It will also give me a chance to share the events of my life in more depth than an Instagram photo.

However, on the other hand, a lot people won't care about the events that happen in my life. I understand this issue, and I'm sure every other blogger understands this as well.

What I want to say is that your opinion is fine. If leaving my blog makes your life better, then, by all means, leave my blog. I hope this blog to become something that makes people react. Whether that reaction is a nod of a head in agreement, a laugh, or even a small smile, I appreciate it.

Now, with that being said, I'm sure most of you are slightly confused by the name of this blog.

The "salty" part of "the salty stressball" does not literally mean that the "stressball" in the situation is flavored in a way similar to a potato chip. The "saltiness" is used as a slang term. According to Urban Dictionary, "salty" means to be agitated or upset.

The "stressball" is referring to me. The majority of my life has been spent in a state of stress. What this stress is about varies daily, but nevertheless, it builds up. All the stress I have had over the years has made me the person I am today. A ball of stress (stressball) that is cleverly disguised as a teenage girl.

So, when you put "salty" and "stressball" together, and relate it to me, you get a "salty stressball", hence the title of my blog. This doesn't exactly mean that I am always agitated or upset, or that I am in a constant state of stress (although sometimes it feels that way). It means that, occasionally, I am both agitated and stressed at the same time. Making me a salty stressball.

I plan to write about the events that occur throughout my painfully typical life. These events could range from mishaps during vacations travels to hilarious moments that happen when I am hanging out with my friends.

If I'm being completely honest, this exact blog has caused me quite a bit of stress already. Very fitting, I know. I guess stress just decides to find me even in the simplest of times. Well, that's not entirely true. I take most of the blame for the stress I endure. Procrastinating is an important part of my life. I have to take time out of my homework time to do the exact opposite thing that needs to be finished.

Sarcasm is also an evident part of my life. Brace yourself for that. All I want to say is you really shouldn't take what I say in a serious way. Just accept that I have a weird sense of humor and go with it.

With that being said, I should probably go do some of my other homework that needs to be done, but, knowing me, that will be put off for at least another half hour.

Anyway, carry on.
xx Em

Courtesy of Hannah