Titanic

Today, exactly 100 years ago, Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage after she hit an iceberg, with 2435 passengers and 892 workers aboard. Deemed to be unsinkable, because of her watertight compartments and separate areas in the ship that could contain water while the rest of the ship remained afloat. Because of this, there were not lifeboats for every passenger aboard. There was boat room for about half of the occupants on board. Titanic also had some of the finest eating establishments, along with world class staterooms, a gym, swimming pool, and libraries. In this little essay, I plan on talking about what what happened that night 100 years ago, including how Titanic sank, along with other facts, and we might even discuss the movie a bit, if your lucky.

First, lets talk about the actual disaster. Titanic had several compartments along the bottom of the ship, which was where the ship was operated. If an emergency happened, water could fill any two of the apartments, or the first 4, and remain afloat. That night, the boat was traveling very fast, and it was hard to see. When the crew in the crows nest spotted the iceberg, it was too late to turn out of the way, despite their best efforts. The iceberg tore apart the right side of the bow, puncturing little holes like Morse code in the metal. The impact woke some passengers, but the crew said it was nothing, just a little turbulence. Little did they know that Titanic would be completely sunk in about 2 hours. The water started filling each compartment, and the pumps in preparation for a mistake like this couldn't keep up with the invading water. One by one, the compartments filled. Despite the best efforts of the captain, builders, and crew, 5 of the compartments filled, which marked the official fate of the Titanic. One part that I found interesting, is when water started filling, they stopped the ship. But they started again on their voyage, even with the water filling the bottom compartments. The result of this, is they actually drove more water in the ship. Once they realized what was going to happen, they stopped the ship again, and started sending out distress signals. Titanic would never move under its own steam again. After passengers were informed of what was to happen, it started a frenzy. They loaded the First Class onto the lifeboats first, and keeping the 2nd and 3rd classes at bay, until first class was completely loaded. Matter of factly, they only put a enough people on the first class lifeboats to keep them comfortable. From what I've studied, they could have fit almost ten more people per First Class lifeboat. The water at this point had started filling enough to weigh down the bow of the ship so much, it lifted of the stern of the ship on a tilt, and the 3rd class floors started to fill with water. Because of the watertight compartments, each one would have to be filled completely, in order to spill in the next, which is what caused the dramatic tilt in the ship. As more water filled, the more the ship would tilt. About this time, most of the lifeboats were unloaded, which left the people left on the ship practically doomed. The tilt on the ship got to the point where gravity took its course, and the ship split in half. Just the impact alone killed many people. After the ship split, the bow sank, pulling the stern back up vertically AGAIN. The bow then broke away completely from the stern, and started sinking, leaving the stern in a vertical position, which then sank within minutes. When something sinks underwater, it pulls water along with it, so the suction of the ship going under was also another reason of death, because it pulled people along with her. Titanic was completely underwater. As you can imagine, the scene of more than a thousand people floating in the middle of the Atlantic screaming and splashing, was a terrifying sight. There was a ship on its way, but it would be there in hours, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people floating in hyperthermic water. Most of the former passengers of the Titanic in the water died within minutes. Help from the RMS Carpathia came later to pick up the surviving 710 from the lifeboats, and 6 were saved from the water, on top of debris. This disaster ended up as one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history, with a total of nearly 2000 deaths. A little fact, only 10% of men in 2nd class survived because of the "Women and Children first" rule. Although many people died the early morning of April 15th, they will never be forgotten.

In 1985, 73 years after Titanic sank in 1912, it was discovered on the ocean floor of the Atlantic ocean. Thousands of artifacts have been retrieved from the wreckage, including personal possessions of the passengers, dinnerware, and the main architecture of the ship (such as window shutters, chandeliers, etc.) Many of these artifacts are worth thousands of dollars. In fact, a simple postcard sent to the Titanic was sold for 7,000 dollars. While Titanic sank that fateful night, we have many reminders of what happened.

You've probably seen James Cameron's Titanic movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest it. It is an excellent recreation of what happened 100 years ago. And while there was no love story between Rose and Jack, there were actual facts in the movie, including the ship dynamics, crew members, and how it sank. It is also, in my perspective, one of the greatest films of all time. So if you haven't seen it, do it.

Exactly 100 years ago, Titanic sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic ocean. It resulted in nearly 2000 deaths, and is known as one of the biggest disasters of all time. After being struck by an iceberg, the unsinkable ship sank the early morning of April 15th, 1912. While many lives were lost, they shall not be forgotten.

High School Stuff

This is the time of year that everyone starts to panic a little, expecially for ninth graders. The time where the year is ending, when summer makes everyone go a little crazy, and when you realize you have DAYS left until the start of an entire new life. Sometimes when I think about it, its a little hard to take in. I know that high school is going to be a great experience, and hopefully pretty fun. But I've never been that great at letting things go, and I've grown quite used to my life at junior high. But in this little blog post I'll have to talk about some stuff regarding this topic.

First, lets start with just the basic High School plans. Next year, I plan on trying out for Productions, as well as the basketball team. Regarding the classes I'm taking: I am signed up for Intro to health, film, Algebra 2 Honors, English Honors, Theater 3&4, and guitar 1 (I've been playing guitar for 2 years...haha). So pretty basic stuff.

Now lets talk about what is happening to every single teenager at FFJH. Summer Fever. We all have had it at some point in our lives, and it is a disease that will plague our generation, and the next, and the next, and the next for years to come. We group winter and school in the same category, and we group summer and no school in the same category as well. So when things seem to get hotter outside, we think of summer. When we think of summer, we think of no school, even though we are still in school, and maybe even in the actual classroom. Our brains cant function anymore! They're being melted with warm weather and the promise of a 3 MONTH BREAK. So, a tip to all teachers: lower your expectations. We will defiantly stop meeting them.

New topic: Letting go of Junior High. To be honest, this year sucked. Fairfield has gotten so strict this year. We've lost our assemblies, our principal, and our happiness. And let's not forget, I've gotten in trouble for PDA at least 20 times, so yeah. This year hasn't been the best. But Its going to be weird to let it go. Granted, I'll be letting go of some pretty crappy things, but I'll also be losing some friends, and some good memories. I don't know, it's a little sad.

So, to conclude, I'm a bit (I shouldn't say nervous... ponderous, maybe?) It will be very interesting to see how it turns out. Anyway, thanks for reading. Salut.

Future

Yeah. This topic. Today, I'm just going to write about my future hopes, dreams, and aspirations. So yeah.

So let's just start with the next few years. Next year is high school, and there are a couple things that I might plan on doing. First of all, Theater. I plan on trying out for Productions, the school play, and theater 3. I have started doing theater things in the 8th grade, and I love it. Another thing is basketball; I want to try out for the team. I also have been debating if I should try out for officer next year. Part of me wants to, but part of me wants to take a break for a year. Another thing that I am really looking forward to is having a car. Six more months, baby. I am starting to have older friends get cars, and we go everywhere. It's freakin' awesome. Its hard for me to comprehend that I can actually satisfy the craving for hamburgers I sometimes get at 1 in the morning, because I will be able to actually drive.

Now, some future goals. To be honest, I don't really have a clue what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe an anaesthesiologist, or an architect. Part of me wants to pursue this whole theater thing, but I know that it wouldn't be that possible. I mainly just want to be happy with my job, and have a great life. Which reminds me of a quote from John Lennon: “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

On the 'Knowing exactly what you are supposed to be' topic, if you read my topic a while back, you would have read that I have a problem with it. I don't know why I do, and I know no one is expecting me to know exactly, but it bugs me. Of course I don't know exactly what I want to be, because who the heck does? When I know, I'll be sure to tell everyone. Compromise?

So yeah. See ya next week.

Music (Revised)

CHILL OUT. I know that I wrote about music a little bit ago, but like most teenagers, my music taste changes every two days. So I will update you on my current music choices, because I know you really care.

Well, lets start with the basic music that I listen to. Some of my favorite songs include Little Hell- City and Colour, This Is All Now- Taking Back Sunday, Terrible Things- Mayday Parade, Go Do- Jonsi, Sail- AWOLNATION, Holocene- Bon Iver, and We Are Young- Fun. I literally could go on forever, but I'm tired, and I don't like typing.

Now, lets talk about favorite bands. You see, I have a weird thing with bands, and music in general. Once a song becomes popular and overplayed, I won't like it. So my choice of music isn't the typical persons. My favorite bands are, Fun (Who, of which, I am going to their concert next month), Bon Iver, Mayday Parade, Jonsi, City and Colour, Iron and Wine, The Script, and a lot other bands.

My thing with music, is I don't pick a certain kind. If you read my past article about this topic, you would know that I consider that like picking a favorite child. Yes, I do like bands that everyone else likes, but I also like bands no one has ever heard of. The only things I judge music on is the lyrics (I'll talk more about that in a second,) beat, and how I can relate to it.

It's time for a special talk about music. Right now, I am going to compare two song lyrics. One from City and Colour, and one from a popular song. "There's a degree of difficulty, dealing with me. From my haunting past comes a daunting task of living through memories. If we could hang a mirror on the bathroom wall, stare into the past, and forget it all." --Little Hell by City and Colour. Now, "Baby, Baby, Baby, oh. Baby, baby, baby no. Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh. I thought you'd always be mine." I think that this explains itself.

So, in case you haven't noticed, I have a different taste in music. I don't chose music by its popularity or the gender of the singer. I chose music by the meaning and how much I can relate to it. So, I'm going to bring this little post to an end. If you remember, a while back I talked about writing short stories, but then I never did. I'm going to start trying that again, but knowing me, I'll space again. But just know it's still on my mind. Well, salut.

Valentine's Day.

That time of year again, eh? Seems like just two weeks ago we were just recovering from the last frenzy of love. But, alas, it is back. Now, Valentine's Day is an OK holiday. You get to let you know the people that you care about that you love them, but there are people who are taking things to a bit of an extreme. Valentine's Day is also the worst day of the year for single people. Having gone through the past few years, watching all the hearts around you and how happy couples can be, it sucks. Now, the case isn't exactly the same for me this year, I have more than enough of a right to write about that.

First, lets just talk about just the overall feel of this Holiday of Hearts. We all know it; the red hearts, the bunches of flowers, and lets not forget the CHOCOLATE. But it's not just that. There is something in the air that makes February different. Something about the way Valentine's Day is, makes couples fall even more in love, and makes singles even more lonely. I can't quite explain it, but you know what I'm talking about. Is it the pressure to measure up to the set standard of the perfect couple? Is it the fear of being alone? Take it as you will, but I think that it is a combination of all of those plus more.

Now, lets talk about Singles Awareness Day, which is also known as Valentine's Day for the lonely. We all know what it feels like when you are alone on this day. All you really want to do is lock yourself in your room with a tub of Cappichino ice cream and the movie "The Notebook." We've all been there, if you want to admit it or not.

Now, let's talk about a day that I think should be its own holiday: The day after Valentine's Day. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but its like the entire store goes on sale. I can walk out of Smith's on this day carrying as much heart-shaped chocolate and Monster as my arms could carry. I love this day more than Valentine's Day itself. Normal people look forward to Valentine's Day; I look forward to going to the store to buy all the candy and treats that are on sale 50% off.

So, to conclude, Valentine's Day has it's goods and bads. You can never fully hate or love the holiday. It is a great holiday for those in a couple, but it can suck for those who's love life consists of ice cream, their bed, chick flicks, and video games. But, love it or hate it, it's coming, so be prepared for the worst.

Aida (Act 2)

Hi. So, assuming you've read the last post, I'll just head right into it. If not, go back and read the post "Aida (Act 1).

So, In Act Two, you get to see how Aida and myself's relationship plays out. Both of us are trying to keep our relationship under wraps, but it's hard. We soon find out that my soldiers have captured the Nubian king, A.K.A. The person who's country I'm at war with, and Aida's father, which I still don't know. They soon figure out a plan to help them escape back to Nubia, which arises a problem for Aida, because we are in love. Meanwhile, I have a fight with my father. He tells me what I should do and how I should do it, and I don't want to live the way he wants me to live. I tell him that I'm not like him, and I never will be. He then gets pissed at me, and tells his Ministers to kill Aida, because he knows about her, and he knows she is a distraction. The Ministers go to kill her, but Nehebka (a Nubian slave), tells them that she is Aida, and they kill her, because Aida's people need her. I, thinking Aida is dead, walk around all depressed. I see her by the Nile, and we talk about the reason we met. She says that maybe that the Gods put us together so they prisoners can escape and we could stop the war. I tell her that I don't want anything, except her. I try to call off the wedding. I end up helping her father escape and return to Nubia. I fail at sending Aida home, because we want to be with each other so badly. We are both marked as traitors, and we are meant to be executed by the traditional Egyptian traitor execution. Being buried alive. Amneris decrees to her father that we should be buried, even though she has been hurt and betrayed. That is the moment when we realize that Amneris is going to be the new Pharaoh, with her father dying, and her no-longer engagement. Aida and I are buried alive together in a tomb, and I tell her the words, "If I have to search a hundred lifetimes, I will find you again, Aida." We both are sealed in the tomb, and die. We are then reincarnated in a modern day museum, the very exact one where our tomb is located. We end up both looking at it together, then we notice each other. We stare at each other, then we grab hands and smile, knowing exactly who the other is. Then Blackout.

Sounds pretty good, eh? You can believe me when I say that it is a lot of work. We all have play practice every day after school for two hours. We have an entire 2-hour play memorized by heart. But, even with all the work, It is one of the best experiences of my life. I absolutely love it. We all do.

Aida (Act 1)

Well, hello. This week I am going to write about the progress in the school play, the story outline, and some other fun stuff. If you didn't know already, this year I am the male lead (Radames) in our school play Aida. Now you are probably thinking, "How'd you swing that?" But the truth is theater is a big part of my life. Anyway, this blog will basically just inform you about the progress and story of Aida.

So, I will first summarize to you the story. Radames (Myself) is the Egyptian captain for the Pharaoh's army. While I am off mapping out Nubia, a country that Egypt was at war with at the time, we capture some Nubian women off the shore of the Nile River, and we take them with us back to Egypt as slaves. I do notice Aida (Maddie Klitgaard), who to me, is just another slave that I've captured, but in reality she is the Nubian Princess, and I take a special interest in her. In other words, I find her very attractive. When we get back from my 6-month journey, we meet more characters. Zoser, my father, also a bad guy, greets me with enthusiasm. He tries to send the new captured slaves to underground mines, so they can work to death, but I deny. I send them to the Palace Grounds keeper, saving their lives. But I take Aida, who I still think is just another slave, and give her as a gift to Amneris (Celeste Stringham), who is my wife-to-be. Amneris and I have a very complex relationship. We've known each other since we were kids, but I think of her as a sister. Yet I am engaged to her. She is also the Pharaoh's daughter, so when we marry, I will become Pharaoh when he passes on. Anyway, I give her to Amneris, who also realizes that Aida is special, and they become friends. Meanwhile, Zoser tells me that Pharaoh has fallen ill, and he doesn't have much more time in this world. Which, you guessed it, means I will become the Pharaoh when he dies and Amneris and I marry. Zoser reveals to the audience after I leave that he is poisoning Pharaoh slowly, so I will become the Pharaoh even faster. At a banquet, Pharaoh announces our wedding date, and then refuses to send me out on any more expeditions. Depressed, I spill my feelings out on Aida, who does the same. I soon fall madly in love with her, and now arises the problem that I'm engaged to someone, and I love someone else. I know, I know; that makes me a man slut. But while I'm all confused on what to do, Aida's people soon recognize her as their princess, thanks to Mereb(Justin Carver), who is my personal assistant and friend, also a captured Nubian. Aida struggles with the fact that loving me means she is a traitor to her people, who need her. Amneris struggles with the fact that it doesn't seem that I want to marry her, and the pressure that she is put through.

As you can tell, It's a love triangle. And I will continue with Act two in my next post, and I will also tell you about the progress that is being made and such. Until then, Adieu.