My mother, Lisa 42, is a strong opinionated woman, interested in politics and current events. Who knew, she wasn’t always that way? I questioned her about the moment that changed her mind on keeping up in the World.

1. What were you doing when President George Bush Sr. announced operation Desert Storm on 16 January 1991?
- I was 6 months pregnant with your sister, flying home from a business trip in Phoenix, your father was picking me up from the airport and George Bush was announcing it over the radio.

2. What made you remember this event so thoroughly?
- Being pregnant makes you more cautious than you ever would normally be. Knowing drafting was a option was the scariest part. Your father was just the kind of man they would want to fight for them, without him, raising a child would be impossible.

3. What did you think was going to happen?
- I thought this was going to be the “Vietnam War” for our generation. I thought there was going to be fear for many years.

4. What changed since the war for you?
- I have a greater awareness of world events. Only being 25, I didn’t know much about politics and now I try to educate myself as much as possible. After seeing the high security in the airport, that day, I have a greater appreciation for our country and how much they are willing to do to keep us safe.

5. Do you think the President did enough to keep the states safe?
- Looking back on it now, I would have said we should have hunted Saddam Hussein down but back then I thought operation Desert Storm was a success.

Defeating Aims

The chill that runs up my spine was like an Olympic runner; fast but powerful. As I walk into the Aims’ testing room, I notice the room is cold but my nervousness is keeping me warm. I know that the Aims test is like a dragon, it is out to get all sophomores, and their only defense is to slay it with their sleek, sharp pencil. I can hear the boredom in the teacher’s voice as she is introducing herself, and handing out the tests chronologically. I am glancing around the room to see various posters of this-and-that. Most have English tips on them, so I assume the teacher teaches English.

The room is quickly hushing as the Aims teacher says “Shh” multiple times. It was time to start the test; I flip to the first page. I am flying through it until I come to a story about a sprinter, training hard so he would win the big race. Words like “hurry” and “time” pop up from the word-filled page and keep flashing in my mind. I only hear the clock saying “Tick, tock. Tick tock” as if it is speaking directly to me. I can feel the little hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up as the teacher is pacing the back of the room.

A brunette boy stands and hands the bubble sheet and the test booklet to the teacher. I glare at him in an I-can’t-believe-you-finished-so-early kind of look and glance back down to my own bubble sheet to see 25 more unbubbled questions. He has conquered the dragon, while I’m still in danger of being a lump of charred coal. I can hear the brunette boy tapping his pencil against his desk to a beat that I recognize. I twist my head to give him a sour look and he immediately stops. Now he is playing with his shaggy hair to keep his boredom at bay.

I force my neck to turn back to the test to read the final story. Knowing I am the only one left still taking the test, I whisper to myself “Do not rush, do not rush.” Finally, it is my turn to stand and hand my test to my teacher and sit back down with an accomplished smile on my face. All the stress and worries are over. I defeat the dragon.

My wonderful Nana sends me forwards over email almost everyday. Well the other day I got 30 facts about her, and I was supposed to reply with 30 facts about me. So here they are:

1. I want a yellow 2009 Shelby GT Mustang, more than anything!
2. I am scared to death that my family will fall apart.
3. I would be really bored without my cell phone.
4. I don’t care about TV.
5. Movies and Music are my entertainment.
6. I worry about not getting into college, or not being able to afford it.
7. I want to get a job this summer almost as much as I want that car!
8. I love the way my Nana smells.
9. I NEED my parents.
10. Berta makes me CRACK up every time I see her, she doesn’t even need to try.
11. I wish I didn’t have 4 dogs, (no surprise there) although I love them all!
12. I want to get my license, almost as much as I want a job.
13. I am always cold in my house. (MOM!!!!!!)
14. I could never be a doctor.
15. Halloween is my favorite holiday. (no surprise there)
16. I wish I didn’t bite my nails!
17. I love white houses and bright rooms.
18. Johnny Depp is the love of my life!
19. I want to major in English when I get to college.
20. I worry and blame myself too much.
21. I wish everyone in my family will quit smoking.
22. I love clothes and shopping.
23. I want to do many things when I get older.
24. I think yellow is the prettiest color ever!
25. I will always apologize first, and I hate it.
26. I want to live in California!
27. I think sour dough bread is awesome!
28. All I want is for my parents to be proud of me.
29. I love roller coasters, like my Mommy.
30. I get impatient really easily.

BONUS:

31. Although Kelsey and I don’t get along too well, I am also very glad on how we turned out. I think we got here different ways but I do believe that we are both good people and we show respect to everyone. My parents did an awesome job!

“Pack your things,” my dad said firmly.

“Why, where are we going?” I asked lost.

“Just go pack your things”

I gave my dad a wondrous look, but decided not to push the subject any further. I went upstairs gathered some clothes and my toothbrush and pondered to myself. I figured there must be a surprise party for me since my birthday was the following day and my dad wasn’t telling me anything.

Before my parents loaded me in the car, they quickly blind folded me. As I sat in the back seat, I was getting more and more excited. Maybe all my friends were at this place my parents were taking me and it was a surprise party for me! I had never been to a surprise party, and I definitely never thought they would through one for me.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, I felt the tires come to a slow and steady stop. I heard my dad step out of the driver’s seat and open my door.

I made one last attempt to find out what was going on, “Where are we?”

My mom guided me up a path and I heard a doorbell ring and a door open. Suddenly my blind fold was ripped off and my friends were standing there in the doorway of Dani’s house, yelling “SURPRISE!” But before I could function what was happening another car came up to the house. Dani quickly pulled me into the house and we waited there by the door. I urgently tried to get someone to tell me what was happening… but they hushed me. This wasn’t my surprise party.

The doorbell rang. The door knob turned open and there stood another friend of mine with a blind fold on! We shouted “Surprise!” I was utterly confused. They didn’t just say “surprise” to me? Then Dani stood on a chair and announced that this “surprise party” was her birthday party but it was a surprise for the guests.

At first I was upset, but then I realized this was a party for me. This is exactly what I wanted; all of my friends together, staying awake all night to watch “Bring It On”. Plus it was a neat idea to surprise the guests. No matter which way you look at it, it was a surprise party for me.

So, Saturday was the dance! I do not know if I told you, but I asked my good friend, Michael, to the dance. So I was looking forward to this the whole week. Before the dance, my friend Rachel, her friend/date, Dani, Michael and I went out to dinner at Outback. Me and Rachel are the only people who actually ate! We both got a chicken Caesar salad. It was really good but it was awkward because I didn’t want Michael and Dani, just sitting there watching us eat. Yeah, but that was really fun. Then DanI and Rachel left to go to Starbucks. And Michael bought me coffee, which was really nice. I wasn’t expecting it. But is was good.

Then we went to the dance and at first it was really awkward but Michael made really good friends with Hailey’s boyfriend, Christian. So Michael and Christian were being wild and it got to be a lot more fun. Michael was having a little bro-mance with him. It was cute except me and Hailey were like… uh… okay. Ha-ha. Michael was a terrible dancer but it made me feel like less of a dork. Michael was a gentleman the whole time. like he picked me a rose off a bush! Ha-ha. He made the night special and really fun! I am glad I had him to go with. He thinks he was my last resort but I was hoping to go with him. He is one of my best friends.

After the dance, my night was still not over. I DID go over to Hailey’s house. Only Sarah and I showed up. Geneva wasn’t allowed to and Jessica wasn’t allowed to at the last minute. Something about her staying out too late. I don’t really know. Well all we ended up doing was watching Christmas movies like Fred Claus and Elf. They were funny. I had a lot of fun over there too.

Over all, it was a pretty awesome night! I had a lot of fun with everyone. So far it was the night of my life. I can’t wait until all the other dances. I want to get of my junior of senior friends to ask me to prom so I can go to prom this year! It will be the time of my life!

Love,
Tayler!

We had so much fun at the mall. First shopping, but also stuffing into the photo booth, and getting a picture with Santa. I haven’t done that for years, but that was fun. I love hanging out with them. They are just so much fun. I know it is mostly for younger kids, but Santa doesn’t care.

Monday, Geneva and I went back to the mall, mainly looking for shoes, but mostly getting accessories. I had a lot of fun that day. I just went home with her and we shopped until eight o’clock when I finally went home. I was zonked but Geneva, the shop-aholic she is, went back to the mall on Wednesday with her date to the dance, Cameron.

I hope I can go to Hailey’s! That is what I will pray for this week!

Love,
Tayler!

I am 15. My birthday is in February, so I will soon be 16. But I feel like a child. My parents say they trust me, but do they really?

My friends (Hailey, Geneva, and Jessica) and I had a plan to go to winter formal. There was going to be like ten of us going all together, so we were going to rent a limo so we could all go together. Then we were going to formal then after it was over we were going to spend the night at Hailey’s house. A sleepover. Does that sound so awful? Well apparently it is not good for my “safety”. Whatever that means.

My parents say they want to know that I am safe. I can go to winter formal. And I can go to a sleepover. But I can’t go to both. They don’t want me going to two places in one night. I didn’t want to argue with them because they are not going to change their minds. But I still don’t understand why. It is a sleepover! I already offered that Hailey’s grandma call them when I got there. But they said no to that. But all that says to me, is that they don’t care that I am there safe and sound. It is something else, like they don’t trust me.

I really want to go to both of these things. I want to find a way. My parents are pretty reasonable, so I don’t know why they are saying “no” so fast. I want to offer that I can come home after formal so that they can see everything is fine (not drinking, not doing drugs, not pregnant, I don’t know) and then have them take me over to Hailey’s house. But I am afraid they are going to cut me off and just say they already made their decision. And I certainly don’t want to hear more excuses like “I don’t want to drive that late!”

I most definitely do NOT want to hear “You will understand when you have a 15 year old daughter.” Because I am not just another 15 year old. I am sick of people discriminating and treating me like just another 15 year old. And my parents should know better than not to trust me. I DON’T even know what could go wrong!? Whatever. I will find a way! There has got to be a loop hole!

Tayler!

Ancient Rome influenced the modern world more than any other era. One of the areas that is most fascinating is the great emperor, Julius Caesar. Three things stood out while researching Julius Caesar; his childhood, his dictatorship/ military years, and his assassination.

On July 12, 100 B.C, Julius Caesar was born into a influential and aristocratic family. According to, http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/caesar.html, his family was expecting him to have an occupation in a modest office at the “lower end of the Roman political career.” When Caesar was 15 his father, Lucius, passed. Along with his fatherly figure, the expectations of him in a modest office job, died too. Caesar immediately set out to make something of himself. Starting when he was 16, he married into a more distinguished family. Unfortunately this hurt him more than it helped him, he made connections with the wrong people and Sulla, dictator at the time, arrested him for being acquainted with supporters of Marius. Sulla spared Julius’ life, among others, and Julius left Rome to let all Sulla’s resentment die down.

Soon after leaving Rome, Julius joined the army as a provincial governor. His first assignment was in Cilicia, where he proved his courageousness when he saved the life of a comrade. Even after Caesar left the army, it was still too early for him to return to his life in Rome. He spent his time getting a higher education so when he finally decided to go back he would be a public speaker and had training in rhetoric speaking. One day while on a ship to Rhodes, pirates captured Caesar and held him hostage for a large ransom. When Julius was finally released he made sure each and every one of the pirates that were in on his kidnapping was crucified. That was when the real leader came out in Caesar. Caesar returned to Rome after the regime had changed. He learned that his first wife had died so once again he married into a family that could help him politically. But soon after the wedding, they were divorced because Caesar suspected her of being unfaithful. He stayed single for a while and focused and determined to please everybody. “He showed himself perfectly prepared to serve and flatter everybody, even ordinary people… and he did not mind temporarily groveling” - Dio Cassius.

Finally, after many years of getting people on his side, Caesar was confirmed dictator of Rome. Quickly citizens and competing countries realized Caesar was not just a conqueror, he was a builder. He immediately began measures to build Rome up, but Rome could never be a whole country because some Romans were still hesitant that Caesar was going to pronounce himself king. Julius Caesar was dictator/ king in all ways, except title. Former Pompeians, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, were at fault for Caesar’s assassination. Apparently, conspirators lured him into a back room to show him petition plans, and that is were he was ambushed and stabbed 23 times. Julius Caesar was pronounced dead on March 15, 44 B.C at the age of 56.

Our modern world would not be the same without the Ancient Roman influences, one of these being Julius Caesar. Obviously, Caesar had a plenty adventuress life, all the way from his childhood to his military year to his unfortunate murder.

Nucleic acids and proteins are types of macromolecules. So they do have some similarities. Just like carbohydrates and lipids their elements consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. But they both have nitrogen and the fifth that proteins have is sulfur and the fifth that nucleic acids has is phosphorus.

They are also very different. Protein’s subunits are amino acids and nucleic acids’ subunits are nucleotides. The structural role of proteins is the part of chromosomes, ribosomes, and component of all embranes. The functional role of proteins is enzymes the control the reaction rates but the functional role of nucleic acids is genetic material that controls cellular activity and inheritance to offspring.

As you can see proteins and nucleic acids are mostly different. They function different, they are in different parts of the macromolecules but they have some of the same elements.

Carbohydrates and lipids are very different but they also have their similarities. Such as they both are sources of energy. Lipids are a stored source and carbohydrates are an immediate source. They also have similar elements. Both have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but lipids have an extra, called phosphorus.

Lipids and carbohydrates have different subunits. Monosaccharides (simple sugars) are the subunits of carbohydrates and fatty acids, glycerol, and cholesterol are the subunits for lipids. They have complete different structural roles and functional roles despite their similarities. The structural role of lipids is a major component of all membranes. In the cell wall and minor component or cell membranes is the structural role of carbohydrates. And, like I mentioned before, their energy is their functional role.