Thursday, December 18, 2008

Cafeteria Food : A+

According to Mr. Millevoi, a GNSHS health teacher, the school cafeteria uses a higher “grade” of meat than Taco Bell does.
Surprised?
Many people generally view cafeteria food served in school as sub-par or uninviting. The radical anti-cafeteria students may go so far as to call school food “disgusting.” They would rather “go jump off a bridge” than ingest something produced by the school. Despite the bad reputation that school food has received has among students, the quality of it still remains relatively decent.
I personally think school food tastes good.
For instance, there are the Gassy foods; the oily, greasy, irresistible foods which make your mouth water at the sight of them. The tacos, the fried chicken, etc; they stimulate your salivary glands to work overtime. In the back of your mind, your conscience is probably telling you that this is extremely unhealthy, and will probably cause you to “pass gas” for the rest of the afternoon, but you still cannot help asking the lunchlady for “one….. no two, orders of that fried chicken right there. The ones with the nice, tender, chicken breast meat.” Sooner or later you know that eating this will be a terrible decision, but for the time being, you relish each bite, filling your mouth with the delicious juices.
One in a while, there are the Special Occasion foods; the turkey and stuffing served the day before Thanksgiving, the mashed potatoes and gravy included in your meal as a side dish. These are foods which are only served few times a year, and even though you don’t expect them to taste very good, you buy them for the sake of honoring the holiday. Your expectations of them are so low that when you actually sit down to have a bite, you are surprised that they are not too bad. You remark to all your friends sitting around you that, “Hey, the turkey’s not so bad”, while everyone just stares at you as if you just got knocked in the head with a baseball bat, and temporarily lost your sense of taste.
Then there are the Foods you wish you could have everyday, like the tater-tots, curly fries, and French fries. You are always in the mood for these foods, and whenever they are on the menu, you sprint to the lunch line hoping that they did not run out. If they ever do run out, you curse the last person to order it, and then sit back down sulking about how you are not hungry anymore.
There are always the Over $1.75 foods, which you want to buy, but don’t have enough money. Or it’s just not worth it. You can only afford these foods maybe once every couple weeks, and whenever you do, you complain about how the school overcharges them. You tell your friends, “this Quiznos sandwich isn’t even six inches long, or this Kosher pizza is so small.” You blame the school, the bad economy, and George Bush on how the sandwiches “last year” were 50 cents less and a lot bigger. By the time you finish the meal, you still feel hungry, but thoroughly satisfied.
Unfortunately, for all the good food, there must be some bad ones.
For example, the infamous meat-loaf. This hunk-of-meat is an appetite-killer . If you are brave enough to try it despite its appearance, I am sorry to say that you will not be rewarded for your actions. It is a shame that this meat-loaf actually tastes as bad as it looks.
Luckily for us, there are the Classic foods; the foods that never get old, and never fail to make a good meal. The Classics include the Chicken patties, the cheeseburgers (when they are not burnt), and the pasta. You can count on them to be there for you, to provide the energy you need to last the day. It also helps that they always taste good, so if you’re not in the mood to try something new, no problem.
Just make sure you don’t try the meat-loaf.

-Jason L.

My Fairy Tale Ending

Once Upon a time, 
in an enchanted palace,
lived a  story-book princess,
waiting for Prince Charming's kiss.
She waited and waited,
for that perfect day to come,
but soon her once-upon-a-time,
was over and done.
So she hopped on a white horse,
in search of her true love,
the stars showed her the way,
there was hope from above.
Deep into the woods,
a cottage within the dark trees,
the door slightly cracked open,
she slipped in with ease.
In front of her gleaming wide eyes,
laid Prince Charming under a spell,
a kiss to wake him from this sleep,
a timely memory to keep.

In the end you will see,
a marriage followed by a ball,
because in my fairy tale story,
there's a happy ending after all.

THE END

- Danielle B.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Perfect Woman

She knows players on the Yankees
Other than the short stop 
When she wears a bikini
She makes your jaw drop

She can take a joke
And she's lots of fun
She knows Angoletto's pizzeria
Is 824-3151

She loves to go out
And party like a college chick
She also enjoys "The Departed"
My favorite crime flick

To go back to her looks
She has a size D bra
And her scorching hot legs
Leave other guys in awe

And if things got rough
I'd never feel I missed her
Because she would have 
A banging twin sister


-Steven F.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Afternoon Naps

I didn't have any school work today,
To have this pleasure more often do I pray.
I came home, ate dinner, then laid to rest,
This is the kind of day I like best.
No numbers for math, no verbs for español,
No formulas for chem, no Shakespearian dialogue I don't know.
My afternoon naps are a required part of my day,
But waking up to loads of work is not okay.
I feel so renewed, my energy has been restored,
Waking up early tomorrow will be a chore.
I won't fall back asleep till 3 o'clock,
And my death-nap trap will remain locked.
Maybe I should go to sleep at a reasonable hour
So the next day at school wouldn't make me feel so sour.
I don't think that will happen anytime soon,
Until then, I'll have a date with my naps
Every afternoon.

:)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

I can't stand Thomas L. Friedman

As I was searching for an op-ed to use for the assignment, I stumbled across the familiar name of Thomas L. Friedman. I figured that since Mr.Daszenski picked his op-ed for the two past assignments I should try to use him again. For that reason I printed the Op-ed and began to read it. It was called "Cars, Kabul and Banks." Basically Friedman believed Obama had to focus on three essential issues: Cars, Kabul, and Banks. As I began to read I was reminded of how much I hated Friedman's views. In this op-ed I really could not stand his views especially those on what to do with Detroit. His perspective on Detroit is completely illogical. He believes "we have to let nature take its course" with the Big Three. Does he have any idea what would happen if the Big Three went down? Does he know how many jobs are at stake? How many families will be destroyed? Or even how America as a society would be damaged? Thomas Friedman obviously does not know what will happen and that is why he says that only “the core truth” in this problem is important. He says that the problems that the Detroit automakers stated on the union, retirement costs, health care, and other numerous factors was not part of “the core truth.” His core truth is that the Big Three were not fashionable enough. He compares this situation to the ill put analogy of his Sony walkman and his I-pod. He says he was always happy with a Sony walkman but when the apple came out he had to get it because apple made him. That is nowhere near the problem of the Big Three’s sales. A $300 I pod does not compare anywhere near a $10,000 purchase for a car. People don’t go out and buy a car because a nicer or better looking car came out. They buy a car because they need too. It had nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with price and gas mileage. The Big Three have to pay an average of $55 an hour with benefits while nonunion workers at American plants of Honda or Toyota get paid $45 an hour. It then becomes simple math. If you have to pay your workers more you have to make your cars more expensive. Also this extra money going to workers takes away from devoting money to other sections of the company. This all tied in with the oil spike ultimately led to the problem we have today. People were faced with new decisions to make. Do I want the more expensive gas guzzling SUV or the smaller and cheaper 30 miles per gallon car? It did not have to do with “Oh everyone has a nice I-pod I want one too.” Hopefully Friedman’s simple minded view on what to do with Detroit does not come true because if it does not only will Friedman feel stupid but America’s economy will fall to an even lower point than it is at now.

-Matthew P.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Cinematic Poetry

You're tearing me apart.
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
I wish I knew how to quit you.
You want the moon?
Just say the word,
and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.
I ain't so tough.

You always said you could shoot.
I never believed you.
So I got that going for me,
which is nice.
Round up the usual suspects;
if they move, kill em'.
They're not gonna catch us,
we're on a mission from God.

Houston, we have a problem.
Snap out of it.
You're gonna need a bigger boat.
Go ahead, make my day.
I'll be back.
I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

So here's looking at you kid.
Make your life extroadinary.
-Alison G.

The Wanton, Wayward Aftermath

Breathe in the voltaic neon lights,
      The pulsating beat pervading the arena.

The rhythm tingeing my thoughts with a molten haze
      Movement not a choice, but a musical proclamation

Melodic fundamentalists have hijacked my neurons, the blistering crash inevitable.

I ebb with the fluorescent flow of your lighted lips
They mouth the words I can’t discern
      I presently look to my flowing wrists
Skin dissipating into a vibrant, quaking pool seeping
Through the narrow spaces of earth.

Lyrical lysosomes eat away at my structure, gnawing
The fleshy membrane that keeps me from leaking soon
Gives way
Heart pounding
            Knees trembling
      Thrusting into and above the vibing vibes of the stage
As I come to the realization
That you like it this way.


-Andrew S.

Monday, December 1, 2008

For eve

For eve,
Lay your fingers upon mine, witness their intertwining grace.
As I study the lines on your face, that dance so elegantly to form a makeshift silhouette.
Let us gaze about the hour as but a mere distraction.
Confessingly, I've loved you, never have I broken.
I ask that you occupy my vacant heart, intentions to stay.
Living where life once took place.
When you dream, be it of us, eternally, rythmically.
Breathe in, to breathe me in, gentle inhalations of me, of you.
Remember, as I will never forget this promise I bid you, of my heart, in your hands.
And if this never recieves the honor of being witnessed by your deep eyes only
know that I am yours, evermore.

- Lindsey S.