| TEEN SCENE |  | |
PROM IS REALITY ENOUGH FOR ME | |||
by Jackie Klapak Wow, it’s already November. I love this time of year: the weather is cool and crisp, the leaves are falling down and crunch under my feet, and the whole mood generally changes as the hours of daylight drastically shorten. It’s the time of year to take your little sibs to pumpkin patches, to gather up a group of friends and go on a hayride, or to sit in someone’s back yard and have a huge bonfire all night. Unfortunately, it’s also time for midterm exams, PSAT and SAT tests, and the nerve-racking Presidential elections. I have found that even through trying situations, some degree of goodness and wisdom is always obtained. Rather than focusing on the trite topic of the Presidential elections—everyone’s talking about the elections— I’d like to focus for a little bit on gratitude, since Thanksgiving is during November. Lots of teens hate Thanksgiving because it means another event of sitting around with their families rather than being out with their friends. I think Thanksgiving is a lot more than that. People —teens and adults alike—don’t realize how precious family really is. They figure that their family will always be there for them. Families aren’t the only things to have gratitude for. I think that we must be grateful for everything in life—even the bad times and events, because if we didn’t have difficult situations, we’d never learn anything and we wouldn’t appreciate the truly good and fulfilling moments in life. Think about some of the worst times of your life. This sounds crazy, but be happy that they took place. You got through it, didn’t you? Don’t you feel some sort of sense of accomplishment? And you’ve invariably gained something—you learned more about life and experienced more. It’s important to be grateful for the trivial things, as well.
TOP 5 FRIGHT FILMS...On to a different topic... During October, my roomie and I are often bored in our dorm. Around the time of Halloween, we took to watching scary movies. Although Halloween has already passed, I personally think it’s always a good time to watch freaky movies, especially since the windy fall weather often has somewhat of an eerie feel. So that said, here is what I have determined to be my top five favorite scary movies. 1. The Silence of the Lambs—this movie is one of those that everyone should see at least one time in his or her life. It’s chilling and realistic. (And one of the scenes of this movie take place in nearby Calumet City…. Eek!) 2. Hannibal—this is the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, and I found it to be a wonderful continuation of the story. The music is ingenious, the plot is thrilling, and it kept me in suspense. 3. The Sixth Sense—this has got to be my favorite ghost movie of all time. I was afraid to be in a room by myself for the longest time after I saw this movie. I remember the first time I saw this, in sixth grade. This is definitely a must-see. 4. The Ring—I know that this was one of the biggest movie hypes of last year, but it was phenomenal. I went to see it with Tom and Sarah Lounges during a staff night out and I was messed up for a week afterwards! (Thanks, guys! It was especially fun going out and getting spooked on a school night!) 5. The Exorcist—since I went to a Catholic grade school, this movie was infinitely scarier because it revolved around my religion. Every time I watch this movie, something new always terrifies me. There’s also a batch of new scary films in theatres now and soon to hit the video rentals stores –– The Grudge, Saw, etc. So you there is never a shortage of films that will give goosebumps and send shivers up one’s spine. Make some popcorn, grab a warm blanket, round up some friends, and pop these horror movies in some night soon and for extra added creep factor, turn down the lights and spark up some candles.
THIS TEEN TURNS ON...This month, in an effort to broaden by cultural base, listened for the first time to the Nine Inch Nails CD, The Downward Spiral. It had its good points and its bad points. The beginning track, “The Downward Spiral” sounded awesome. It really sounded like something was very quickly spiraling downward. I found it to be wonderful. The music was very angst-filled, so it would be good to listen to this CD if you are having one of those frustrating days where nothing seems to go right. On the other hand, I thought some of the songs were a little too violent. Often, the CD sounded like a huge collision and noise with people screaming at the top of their lungs. (Maybe that’s part of the charm of it, though.) Anyway, I found it worth the while and I’d suggest checking it out the next time you feel like nothings going right for you. For next month, I will be checking out Maladroit, a CD by Weezer. Check back next month to hear about this group’s album. That’s all for this month. Bundle up, watch some horror films, and have a splendid Thanksgiving with the people you love. See you here next month. As always, you may e-mail me at: Jackie@midwestbeat.com | |||
Web Design By: All Rights Reserved © Hungry Mind Design2003 | |||
