Happy New Year! :)

Here's to a year always better than the last for the rest of my time on this Earth. Here's to a year of happiness! :)

2013

Hello whoever you are.

2012 has been way too kind to me. This has been the most amazing year of my life. I started doing this, and doing what I love. Making videos and I was HAPPY. Then I went on the most amazing vacations with one of my favorite teachers with some of the best people around. And I was happy.   It was seriously the best time of my life. Then I had one of the best summers of all time. It was relaxed and happy and I got closer with a lot of my friends. And then freshman year of high school started. I have new friends. I am finally doing things that interest me, and I'm actually doing well in all my academics. And then I stopped this. I thought I needed a break. But I was happy for a little while. But now I'm not. I haven't been truly happy for a while. But then I discovered who I was. I am truly a hipster. I found things like Easy A. And Pitch Perfect. And now I know who I want to be. I love film, and obscure music. And hipster clothing. I love it. And now I'm happy. But I'm gonna be a lot happier. I've decided for myself and everyone around me. I'm going to start making things for the Internet and I'm going to get serious about my future, but stress less about it. I'm going to study film. I'm going to simply be happier. 2012 has been the best year of my life. I have felt more, I get excited. I have found out who I am. I have created who I am. 2012. You were too good for me. And I hope 2013 is even better. My resolutions being to create more, to read more, to focus in on my life and manage my time. And maybe. Just maybe. Vlog every day of this year. Big task I know. If I couldn't blog for a year, why can I do even more work? Because I want to be happy. 2012 man. 2012. I've learned so much. And I just hope and pray that 2013 will be even better. Thank you guys for being there for me. Thanks for supporting me. Thanks for making me believe in something. Thanks for a great year. 2012 man. 2012.

But this isn't 2012 anymore isn't it? So many amazing things have happened in this world this year. And hopefully I get to be a part of it. 2012 man. 2012.

This video made me cry a lot. I hope it makes you cry a lot too. 2012 man. 2012. Time for the world to keep moving.

Happy New Years guys. You're amazing :)

2013 man. 2013.

Not with a Fizzle, but with a Bang

Hello gingers! Or blondes, brunettes, dyed, gray, or whatever doesn't offend you.

Haha, you like how I just recycled an internet Christmas joke, don't you? I'm such a trickster like that. You guys shouldn't trust me.

I mean, why would you anyway? This thing has been inactive for a while. I can hear my former self sighing.

Remember when I made a triumphant return, and I gave you the cold hard truth? Yeah I'm doing that again. I was on tumblr a lot. I celebrated Christmas. You know, 4.0 isn't bad now, right? Yeah. Go future me! In college! Living it up! In an a capella group, wait what?

We will get to that later. I find it kind of hilarious that it's always this time of year that I just get super into writing things and making things. And I have found that it's just nostalgia's addictive power. It drives people mad. And I've felt like I've been so dependent on it. So I've been trying to have a little bit more fun.

I've been trying to do a lot of things. But time comes a rolling where I need to talk about all my life goals and aspirations. Also known as resolutions. I said this last year, I know, but I am really determined to keep my resolutions. I'm not going to be as ambitious this year. But a lot of what I have wanted to do will be thought over carefully in the next couple of days.

1) This is very broad. CREATE MORE. I want to write and make music and make videos and be artistic and challenge myself, because I don't do that enough. I want to hone a craft, and that's what I'm doing.

2) READ MORE. I want to be sharper. I want to be able to pull out quirky facts all the time. And I want to read more. It's simply my need, because I don't read enough.

3) Manage time wisely. Not as much tumblr for this girl. It will help the following 2 things as well.

So that's my plans. There may be more, but I am still feeling like nobody's business right now. That's right, FEELING. Feeling feels. That's because I saw Les Mis, and I watched Pitch Perfect and it's Christmas. Or, it was Christmas.

Les Mis was amazing. I haven't been around enough to tell you guys this, but my musical kick has been in full swing, and this really made things awesome. Beautifully filmed, lots of interesting styles, and I learned a lot. Oh, and you know. Love and war and whatever.

And it's Christmas. The truth is, is that I started up a couple different blogs about Christmas and my grinchy feelings this year. But I just really have nothing to say. We had a white Christmas here in Colorado, and it was lovely. My family were wonderful hosts to the occasion :)

AND. Last but not least, sigh, Pitch Perfect. Before I even start, let me just say that I do have a thing for musicals and awesome stories. I fell in love with Pitch Perfect. Mainly Anna Kendrick (OH MY GOSH SHE IS SO AWESOME AND SO FUNNY AND SHE IS MY QUEEN AND I LOVE HER) But I love Pitch Perfect. I love the singing and the story and everything about it. So I got it for Christmas and I knew I wanted to watch it the day of. So I just did basically. And I have some things to say.

I want to be Beca. Like so bad. I've recently realized that I've become a hipster, like Beca is. But I want to keep going. I want to be that girl. I can't really explain it as well as I thought I would. But that's my brief feelings toward that. I really wish I could articulate words that express my feelings.

But the kind of sad part about all of this is that Pitch Perfect has become my movie. Easy A was my movie before, and now it's Pitch Perfect. Hell, I even titled this blog after Easy A. And I wanted to be Emma Stone/Olive Penderghast. Change is good. Nostalgia is addicting.

I wanted to be eloquent with this blog, but this will have to do. It's 2 in the morning.

Happy Christmas Harry.

-Rachael Robinson

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello gingers! It's been so long since I've done this that it feels kind of strange for me!

Let's just clear the air here, in case you cared. In case anybody cared really. Yes, I have not blogged in a while. While: Like 2 months or something

Nothing dramatic happened, or even remotely exciting. I didn't get caught up in a new project, as to distract me from this. I didn't have a revitalizing journey where I looked into my past and saw what was in my future. I didn't move to the north pole with dreams to cure cancer. And no, I didn't join the Witness Protection Program.

But since you've come this far, I might as well tell you the real reason. And not the reason I've been telling myself which is that I don't have the time. The truth is, I have plenty of time and this would be a great use of it to improve my writing. The real reason, is that I just didn't want to care anymore.

It seemed like such a pain. It lost it's luster. But now, as I'm typing this, I feel like such a little school girl because of how many ideas and how excited I am to work on this. I want to start it up again. I want to make things bigger and better. Because that's the beautiful thing about hopeless dreamers. We get ambitions. And then, as soon as we get rolling, the spark stops. And it's on to the next thing.

But I didn't have a next thing. I still don't have equipment. I still don't have anymore good ideas for things already in motion that I already have. Nothing has changed since I left.

That's a harsh reality. I left because nobody cares anyway. What I should've said to myself was "Okay. Nobody cares. So use this to the best of your ability to grow where you're planted and improve on what you have. The change may be slow. It may be rough. But we can improve."

So I don't care who is reading this, and who isn't. Because right now, this is for me to improve on what I have, and what I want. As soon as I put my sights in front of me and my headlights guiding me in the right direction, I can start doing things.

No, this isn't a Thanksgiving blog as the title would ignorantly tell you. This is a premature blog that gives thanks for all the things I might have in the future. Because I'm gonna work hard.

And that's all I have to say. Let's ramble some more somewhere else.

Keep On Giving Thanks,
Rachael The Ginger

America's Next Step

Hello.

Wow.

Crazy night, right?

I say we are in the right direction. This direction is scary and much different than what we have done before. This is new, this is bold. This is where we break our resistance to change as a nation and start working together. This is a new age. A new dawn.

We have disagreed on many things, and got absolutely nowhere on many things. But if we persevere and believe that everyone in this great nation has a chance to do something great, just like President Obama said in his speech tonight, we can reclaim the title as the greatest nation in the world.

We have fought long and hard for which side is right and which side is wrong. But now we are given the choice to accept our new direction, or fight against it, preventing a positive change.

We are America. And we have never backed down. Yes, this new step will be a challenge. But when have we ever denied one?

We can reach common good.

There is a new spark. A new flame of hope is arising. And hopefully a little 5th grader stayed up late to watch that speech, and is thinking about the world with a new light.

Things have been tough, and cannot be fixed in a short amount of time. But if we work together, it can be done a whole lot faster.

-Rachael Robinson

Debate Tournament

Hello gingers! I am going to have a busy Saturday!

I do in fact have a debate tournament this Saturday! It's my second one and I'm nervous again but I'm excited as well! I'm going to be able to improve on so many things and I'm excited to do better than I have done before!

These things are a blast. Everyone is up and ready to go. And we are all alike in a way so we make each other laugh and we have a lot of fun. Last time we danced to Gangnam Style, and we got the entire place staring at us. We got really into it.

And it's just so fun to here others speeches, and see the nervousness in them too. It's really great.

But then after the debate I'm going to a halloween party! It's going to be so much fun, and there are a lot of cool people. I'm just so freaking popular like that.

SO Saturday is going to be very busy, and to be honest here, I'm not prepared for that. But I'll just do my best.

Keep On Having Busy Weekends,
Rachael The Ginger

Twitter

Hello gingers! You know I just really love twitter with a passion.

It's really great. I just love it. And I love being able to stalk Anna Kendrick with a passion.

Because I can't just do that on my own.

Twitter. Is. Holy.

140 characters. 140 characters.

Keep On 140 Characters,
Rachael The Ginger

Presidential Debate Pt 2

Hello gingers! I hoped you liked yesterday, I wanted to change it up a little bit.

Tonight is in fact the 3rd and final presidential debate. And I just wanted to share a little bit of my thoughts toward the culture of our elections and politics in general.

We can look at the world so many different ways, and we can even do that with politics. We see different views in different places, just because of the culture and society that has developed there.  But we don't even have to look at it geographically. I would tend to think that the internet has developed a more left wing view, in this election. But the media is taking a right wing approach. And then of course the different locations tell a lot of stories.

For example, I live in a swing state, yet the town I live in is almost crazily right wing.

It's funny how your specific perspective can change so much about how YOU might feel about politics.

We label ourselves so heavily. We are either left or right, red or blue, donkeys or elephants, democrats or republicans. And it tears us apart, simply by what we claim what we are.

Be free spirit's, my children.

Keep On Debating,
Rachael The Ginger

Life.

It's time to take a stand for all that has mislead us. Time has come for the old to take their seat, and for the new to rise. The new must rise to the challenges we have made too much to bear. The new must overcome them.

We must cast our ignorance aside, borrow in our bones, take what we do have left, and use it. We must recognize our faults, and how they make us only human. Human's with the one and only desire for perfection to the highest marks. In any way possible.

Our doubts have carried us to dark places of the Earth. To circle back, and take what we left while on our leave is our mission. The singular drive to gain what we can possibly conceive in the shortest amount of time gives us the strength to labor our temporary constraints.

The courage we were ungratefully given is only truly admired by a small group of humans. And that small group of humans gives us the tools to ungratefully pass on our unused courage.

We strive for attention. We crave to be different. No matter how much we want to fit in. Nobody wants to be the same, but evermore we find ourselves as monotonous blocks of flesh, with our only purpose to fill the space that was created for us.

We are lectured the stories of love, and learning. We are given the right, and the curse to fill the gaps of expectation that somehow lead us to our lives, and what we are supposed to do with them.

As a group, we learn that we will find another being in the entire vastness of the universe to be with us. To guide us. To help us learn our faults and ways that only make sense to the people who's goal is to make it our weakness.

As a group, we are told to learn, to absorb. We are told that we need it. Learning is our only gift. Our only rite of passage in the world. The only reason to keep on learning. Yet knowledge of what is possible is the only thing that holds us back from our true hopes, and dreams.

Life is the scariest thing we will ever endure.

-Rachael

Vote

Hello gingers! Doesn't matter why you don't want to, you need to do it.

It doesn't even matter who you vote for, as long as you are voting for somebody.

I cannot stress this enough.

Just. Vote.

It's simple.

Keep On Voting,
Rachael The Ginger

Fall Break

Hello gingers! It's fall break and I've come down with an illness.

It feels like once every few months I'm getting colds and things. I hate it, it's the worst feeling. But I get them all the time. I should eat my vegetables like I'm told. Today was a good day, but very busy and I'm excited to chill and relax tomorrow.

I have these next couple days to actually do something, and I will. In sickness or in health. I'm going to make a layout of all my projects tomorrow, so I can get started on some of them on Monday.

The problem is, is that I get so many fantastic ideas and then I never have the time to actually pursue them. My life ladies and gentlemen.

Have a fantastic, safe, and healthy weekend this fine weekend. I should be making some much more interesting blogs hopefully in the future.

Keep On Making Interesting Blogs,
Rachael The Ginger

First Day Off

Hello gingers! First day off in a while.

And I thoroughly enjoyed it. At a couple points in the day I didn't even know what to do with myself. I know I didn't blog. But I'm really going to try to make an effort this week.

I know I say that a lot, but I will. It's not that hard to type words.

I had a much needed day of rest, and it was nice.

See you tomorrow.

Keep On Resting,
Rachael The Ginger

Finals

Hello gingers! The blogging has been slacking but I plan to do a lot of stuff over fall break.

School is really demanding. Grr.

But this math final is even more demanding. My life is just perfect.

I may complain a lot but to get me through the past few weeks I've kind of been living by this quote:

"Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

-Steve Jobs

Keep that ominous quote of imminent death in your mind for a bit, mkay?

Keep On Having Imminent Death,

Rachael The Ginger 

You Know Very Little About Me

Hello gingers! I just had a realization that you know nothing about me.

I share my life a lot but it's always with things that involve other parts of my life which you know nothing about.

You don't really know me at all.

No matter how much you think you do.

Or want to.

Keep On Getting To Not Know Me,
Rachael The Ginger

I Really Need Fall Break

Hello gingers! I have so much homework right now. And I don't want to do it.

But I just have to get through 4 days, 2 of which being half days and I can be on fall break.

Thank goodness. Because, man. I really, really need fall break to come sooner. These late nights are putting me on the brink of insanity.

I can't wait to practice my speech, and make videos, and do a whole lot of nothing. But I have to get through finals first. Holy jeezus finals.

I'll try to blog more. Sorry about not posting. Debate tournaments are very consuming. I did well though.

That speech I posted went over pretty well.

Keep On Public Speaking,
Rachael The Ginger

Good Night

Hello gingers! It is very late at night. And I am finishing homework. And tomorrow is Friday

Tomorrow should be an eventful day, because I'm going to a football game. On Saturday, I also have a debate tournament. So I'll keep you updating.

Keep On Sleep Sleep Sleep,
Rachael The Ginger

My Speech

Hello gingers! Here is my completed speech. Have fun.

I heard from Becky, who heard from Josh that Jake’s 2nd cousin heard from his Dad who saw on Facebook a link from twitter that World War 3 was starting.

I don’t think Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter, ever thought that 140 characters could capture every single opinion and thought we have ever come up with. I don’t think he realized that every piece of a news story could somehow or another add up to become the epitome of journalism. And I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg sitting in his dorm room ever imagined that his website would become the sole connection between people and the rest of the world. I don’t think he realized that we would be impulsively addicted and crave that shade blue in our lives and that within it would display the current tragedies in our world, life changing innovation, and the newest episodes of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Mark Zuckerberg has somehow managed to tie the world together and let our keyboards be some of our only voices.

But how could those voices we are so proud of typing out be dangerous?

In the recent Aurora theatre shooting over this past summer, many of my peers made hasty posts about the shooting. They had to let all their friend’s know about how terrible they thought it was, and they also felt the need to let their friend’s know what was going on. It seems like a good idea at first glance. But the more and more I scrolled along the facebook posts the more I noticed a common trend. A common trend that at least some aspect of whatever post was being made was differing from what the credible journalists and news stories were actually saying.

In people’s haste to post about all the drama, they only looked at what other people on facebook, twitter, and other social platforms were saying. They didn’t bother to find true information or facts to back up what they were saying, which in turn, caused more confusion among the peers who saw those facebook posts.

I realized that the websites we associate so much of our lives with, is leaving a negative impact on the understanding of current events on my peers.

First, we need to realize what the Information Age is and how it affects our daily lives, then we need to look at how false information gets distributed, and finally we need to realize how we can change our understanding of current events and the media.

When you wake up in the morning, the information moves like lightning into your brain. We immediately know the time, what we are going to wear, what homework we forgot to do, and how many calories are in our breakfasts. As soon as we arrive out of our slumber that we use to escape all this information, we are again receiving, processing, and evaluating all the data that we need to know. This is vastly different from just 50 years ago. Back then, people didn’t need to have so much in their heads at one time. Times were simpler, and most information was obsolete until it affected your daily life.

We can go farther back to Greek times when philosophers like Aristotle, Democrates, and Euphrates used to ask questions about the world around them. They used to think for hours about what everything meant in the world, and they would take the time to decipher truth from fiction. They used to have the world of time at their disposal, and they used it pretty well.

But now, no one has the time to do anything. Everything is in the moment and must be done at this very second. We simply can’t take the time to question the data we are receiving. So our natural filtering system that greek philosopher’s had has weakened over time. And because of that we take all the information we inquire as fact. We just don’t have time for anything else. As Aristotle himself said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

If we’re not questioning what is true, and what isn’t, then we tend to speak our mind anyway. And those opinionated outbursts about things such as current events, world news, and Katy Perry’s outfit to the Grammy’s, make it on to our social networking sites. Then the people who read those take that as fact to. We have created a chain reaction of misinformation. All because we have lost some of our abilities to filter the material that is a necessity to us. No matter what that material entails. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

According to mandatory.com there have been 16 major celebrity death hoaxes on twitter just in the past year. Some celebrities like Paul McCartney, Madonna, Usher, Adele, and even Mr. Bean have supposedly died on twitter over various misinterpreted tweets and jokes by fans, or people who dislike these celebrities. Either way, that misinformation was shared and believed by everyone, just as fast or maybe even faster as a current events story such as things like the Aurora shooting. It’s difficult to actually care about what is true and fake, and the amount of twitter deaths that occur shows that.

Steve Jobs said this, “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” This happened immediately with social media. Things that aren’t true can travel across the world wide web as fast as the truth.

The truth is, is that anybody and everybody can see any information that is put on the internet and as I elaborated on earlier, some people in any circumstance will take that information as truth. We saw that happen with the Kony 2012 scandal earlier this year. A video was put up on YouTube full of false information on the Ugandan crisis and a warlord by the name of Joseph Kony. The video and the charity was basically an advocacy hoax to receive money. In fact according to post on Jezebel, a popular news blog, on March 7th, 2012, Invisible Children, the charity that created the Kony 2012 movement, only gave 32% of it’s profits to help those on the ground of Uganda.

Yet, the video and the charity received massive attention on facebook, twitter, and blogs alike. According to the same article, Invisible Children nearly tripled its profits, but nothing changed about the way they handled their money. 

This just goes to show you that the web is fast and it’s hard to tell what’s true or not. So most of the time we either can’t, or we don’t want to figure it out. That affects our understanding of current events and eventually the world. Misinformation travels just as fast as true information.

The real question is, how can my peer group change? My resolution is that we need to slow down. We need to stop from our fast-paced lives and just take a moment to look at the information that is being presented to us, and not just accept it, but entertain it and really think about it as Aristotle said.

We need to look at things with a more rational eye, but not try to rush it. We need to take the time to look at both sides, and look at what data is really affecting us and what it means.

We don’t need to become greek philosopher’s. We don’t need to spend hours on end thinking about every piece of intelligence we are given. But if we just take a little bit more out of our precious bank of time to think critically, we can achieve a full potential of understanding.

The world is huge, and amazing and incredible things happen to it everyday. We can’t expect to stay on complete tabs of what is true and what isn’t. But we can improve what we understand and get the crucial and important true information about our world if we just slow down, and think about our knowledge.

When Mark Zuckerberg created facebook he meant for people to share. He meant for people to be connected to one another. But next time you are scrolling through your news feed with that addictive blue background, don’t expect everything you see to be true. Think about the information, and think about what it means to you. Then when you share, you can feel confident your information sheds a positive light on your peers around you reading it as well.

Keep On Writing More Speeches,

Rachael The Ginger

Writing Speeches Is Hard

Hello gingers! I really don't know how people do it. I know I say a bunch of things every single day but it is hard to write 2 and a half pages worth of just crap.

Well it's not crap, but it's very difficult. And I don't enjoy this part of just sitting down and writing. I don't know what it is, but I freaking hate doing it. But I know it's going to be fun. I just think it's the aspect of having this time limit. I need to do this thing on Saturday, which is very intimidating. Especially when you waste hours.

I think that's the real thing I need to work on. I need to focus.

But it's very difficult. And I've said that it's difficult like 5 different times. But you guessed it, it's difficult. I'm going to keep working on this speech. So have a great day everybody.

Keep On Writing Speeches,
Rachael The Ginger

Hello My Darlings

Hello gingers! I'm pretty bored today. So let's just have a party.

How are you today? Because I'm pretty swell. I went from being a walrus, to a student, to a friend by skyping at least 5 other people in the course of 1 night.

And I'm pretty bored. But I have pretty much all my homework done, and I just have some things I need to finish up, like this blog. Because it has just become part of my daily gist. I can't think of doing anything different. It's kind of weird, but it's true.

But you guys are my sparkling angels, and I would never ruin that. Because you just are.

So that's all I have to say today. I think I'm going to post my speech here tomorrow. Or when I have it done.

Keep On Writing Speeches,
Rachael The Ginger

Very Productive Sunday

Hello gingers! I'm done talking talk about the holy blog, and it's going to happen when it happens.

But today was actually a very productive day. It gives me hope for myself and how I can stop the cycle of procrastination.

I have this mindset of multitasking but it always just turns into this "doing this fun thing" and doing work. It's not really multitasking, it's just my life.

But I feel like this is my week to power out my best of my best, especially with finals/midterms coming up next week. I'm going to make a clear schedule for myself.

I always have this idea that video minutes are fasting than regular minutes, so if I save my videos for the end of the day, I'll get proper sleep.

But I'm just going to have to see what works.

Keep On Not Procrastinating,
Rachael The Ginger

Tomorrow As In Today

Hello gingers! I forgot that pesky little blogging thing again.

Tomorrow will be the holy blog, I swear to Zues. It has to be because I can have this driving me crazy for another minute.

I just need to get my thoughts out there, now don't I? It shouldn't even be that hard.

Keep On Tomorrow,
Rachael The Ginger

Writing Stuff

Hello gingers! I enjoy talking, like a lot.

That's why I blog, that's why I am in speech and debate, and that's why I write little stupid stories that I regret later down the timeline.

No, this isn't the blog you've been looking for.

But I do enjoy writing, and I think I'll be writing some things for this blog and some other projects soon, which is kind of exciting and I think it should maybe get your hopes up a little. Possibly. It probably won't be up for a while though.

But I got this idea, but you can't steal it. I've been quite obsessed with Slender lately, so I thought about writing a story about Slenderman in his perspective. I thought it would be kind of cool. It's probably already been done before.

But those are just my crazy, coffee induced thoughts.

Keep On Having Crazy Coffee Induced Thoughts,
Rachael The Ginger

Tomorrow Is Friday

Hello gingers! Tomorrow is Friday, and I really am going to try to make a good effort to get that blog I've been promising to you.

Thursday are the last day of the week where I really have to worry about things going on, so it's a huge WORLD off my shoulders to have a Friday.

Weekends are pretty sacred to me, and I don't sacrifice my sleeping, my eating, or my general laziness/absorption of information in the form of video time. It takes a lot to get me to do the normal things that teenagers do.

Especially lately. My past few weekends have been jam packed with stuff, but not this weekend. Everything is going to go perfectly.

SO, party hard everybody. The weekend has arrived.

Keep On Having Sacred Weekends,
Rachael The Ginger

I Don't Want To

Hello gingers! So my grade in art is lacking, and I don't appreciate it. But I have to deal with it anything.

I need to take a moment of zen for the next 2 weeks during finals and such. Because this is freaking me out.

And I know I tend to stress too much about my grades, but it's just so hard not to.

I'm going to try to calm down.

Keep On Calming Down,
Rachael The Ginger

Register To Vote

Hello gingers! This may sound weird coming from someone under the age of 18 who can't vote, but just hear me out.

Now, if you are not an American, this is probably really stupid. But I mean you should still listen to the general consensus of this blog which is: try to be as involved as you can in your country's decisions and actions. At the very least, just be patriotic. Even if that just means having a flag outside your door.

Because you never know how your influence can affect the outcome of a country. You could be earning rights, or getting them taken away.

Let's gear back toward America a little bit. Now, one of this country's main philosophy's in the very beginning was that everybody should have a say in what goes on, and the actions made in the country. Now, we didn't quite get there until the mid-1960's, but we got there.

You have representation. And that is a truth lacking in most of the world. You can cast your vote for who you want to represent the best interest's of where you live, right up with the rest of the country. You get to cast your vote for who you want to lead the country. You get a say in who you want to be the commander-in-chief. And that may even cost you your life someday.

That's a pretty broad statement, but it could very well be true.

So if you think about this, if you are a citizen of the United States and you are over the age of 18, you are a very lucky individual. First of all, you live in a developed country with no major threats really hitting the country, and you have a right to do whatever is legal here.

But most importantly, you have the precious right to cast your vote.

You have this amazing opportunity to uphold the principles that brought us to this nation. You have a chance to help local, domestic, and global change.

You have the underlying right to decide who you would like representing you, to represent the United States, to represent our place in the world. Because even if it doesn't seem like it, in some way YOU are in the White House. You are making important decisions for the world's sake, because you simply filled out a ballot and you had a part in choosing who would have the best interests of where you are in the world in their mind.

You have the freedom of being a part of this 7 billion wide, opinionated world of ours.

So there is no excuse not to vote. There is no excuse for you to be silenced.

From an underage girl herself, go register to vote. It's important. Even I know that.

Keep On Voting,
Rachael The Ginger

And All The Sudden

Hello gingers! That magical blog I've been promising for a while is coming, I promise. Just not tonight.

I thought today was going to be all good and I was going to have so much time, and I was going to get everything done. But I was horribly wrong.

I seriously woke up at 4. So I wasted an entire day. I'm rushing to get things done like I usually do, and I realized how much stuff I actually have to do and how long it's actually going to take me.

So it was an awesome weekend. But then all the sudden the harsh reality has slapped me in the face again. I'm pretty sure I got most of what I needed to do done. But I forgot things, and that just makes even harder to try to recreate them at home, in an attempt to get it done.

School is hard, but we are only 2 weeks away from ending this quarter. If I can make it through, I'm just golden.

Keep On Being Scholars,
Rachael The Ginger

Homecoming Pt 2

Hello gingers! Just want to talk a little bit about homecoming, because I can.

So I want to get this done now, so I can't skype fondly with my dearest of pals. Because I love that.

Homecoming was fun. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it was really fun. It was what I would call a dance party. I was doing exactly what I would do at home but just in a dress, and in public. Just flipping out and having a party. Oh yeah. And I wasn't alone. I had some friends. Hopefully.

It was a party, it was super hot in the room, and we were all pretty and stuff. It was pretty magical.

And for the slow dance, we swayed with my friend's and watched all the other people have dates. That was also nice.

Fun times were had by all! I really was a good day and I had some really good friends with me! I love all you guys!

Keep On Coming Home,
Rachael The Ginger

Homecoming

Hello gingers! So my first homecoming dance is tonight, and I am super stoked.

It's going to be really fun to dance and hang out with my friends, but the best part is going to be this part.

So many times. And they will most definitely play that song. And when they do, I'm going to flip out and have a great time. And....OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!!

Just because it's homecoming. So I'm going to have a good time and I'm going to fit into these teenage stereotype's for at least another night. Because I can.

Well, I have to go get ready! 3 hours ahead of time!

Keep On Going To High School Functions,
Rachael The Ginger

Homecoming Game

Hello gingers! I went to the homecoming game today. It was quite fun.

We won but we were laughing and not paying attention. So that was cool.

I'm pretty tired so this won't be too long. And my throat is going to be just as bad as the last game. And homecoming is tomorrow so that's going to be pretty crazy. I'm excited.

We're going to dinner tomorrow so that should be fun.

Everything is going to be fun.

Keep On Having Fun,
Rachael The Ginger

Showdown

Hello gingers! I am up way later than I should be considering I might be up potentially until 1 in the morning tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is showdown! So basically, class is going to be pretty easy, we get to goof off at the end of the day, and we get to go to another crazy football game! And then the next day is homecoming!

I'll do the best I can with blogging, but I can't promise you anything. I'm just gonna be out partying too freaking hard.

So that's my life. That amazing blog is coming soon I promise. We don't have school Monday so that may help things.

Keep On Partying Hard,
Rachael The Ginger

Omigod I Don't Like This

Hello gingers! So I'm really not digging this new blogging template.

Obviously I have avoided switching until the last second. I don't like that I'm talking to you in a word document and that things aren't organized. I don't like how nice everything looks on the outside. This is going to take a lot of getting used to.

So it's one of my best friend's birthday today. Happy birthday Sydney. 

So I think we are going to get to that amazingly amazing blog Friday. I'm not positive though because we have homecoming and the homecoming game, and everything for showdown. It's going to be a little bit crazy.

I'm sorry the blogs have sucked lately. I'm trying the best I can.

Keep On Getting New Templates,

Rachael The Ginger

Homework cont.

Hello gingers! It's day 2 of the math homework crisis of 2012!

And this is going to be the last day for sure. But then tomorrow I might have an English crisis of the 2012's. It's going to be great guys.

That truly great blog will come your way soon, just not today. Maybe we can shoot for Friday? I just have a lot of stuff on my plate right now, and you can tell, I'm awake right now doing homework. Not fun.

But I am pretty determined to get it done. I've seriously done at least 10 pages worth of full work in the past 3 days. Because I'm just cool like that.

Debate meeting tomorrow.

Keep On Debating,
Rachael The Ginger

Homework

Hello gingers! You may have guessed already, but this is not going to be the grand blog you were expecting.

I'm really sorry about that and I'll try my best to do it tomorrow, but I just have a ton of homework this week. And it's all in math. I've been really busy lately so I haven't had a good chance to work on it.

Excuses, excuses I know. But I just want to let you know that the cause of my stress and lack of blogging, and borderline insomnia is because of this crazy amount of homework I have. Showdown, is like spirit week but it's a big event where people play games and it's a competition between the grades and it's really super fun. And homecoming. Homecoming bro.

So that's what I've been up to. Thanks for bearing with my lack of an internet presence lately.

Keep On Being Present,
Rachael The Ginger

Book Haul

Hello gingers! I went to the bookstore today, and it was fun.

I'm sorry about not having a blog yesterday. I was seriously busy the entire day, and I slept over at a friend's house. It was a little cray. But I don't need to make excuses to you guys.

So I officially have 6 books to read in the coming future. Half of them fiction, half of them introspection. Because you know I'm just a pro-reader and all.

I also have some stuff for school. And I have a lot of homework. And this.

So you can see I have a lot on my plate, and that's why I have to go. I know this was terribly short but I have good stuff tomorrow, I promise! And I'm going to explain what showdown is! And it's going to be crazy!

Keep On Getting Books,
Rachael The Ginger

Man I Wish I Had Something To Say Today

Hello gingers! But we've learned previously that if we say things when we don't have anything to say, we are spreading a horrible disease.

So let's not.

Let's face the facts guys. I am superbly tired from this exhausting week and I have lots of stuff to do this weekend. I have to get up at 7 like an animal tomorrow to work at a fundraiser and I have to go to a birthday party with a bunch of popular people. So that should be fun.

I'm just going to hide in a corner with my one friend. This is going to be nice.

HIGH SCHOOL.

But I will get through this weekend, I promise. Whatever it takes. It feels like my weekends are busier than my actual week. But everyday is a Friday. Even on weekends.

SO, I'm going to go sleep now. Have a good night guys!

Keep On Sleeping,
Rachael The Ginger

Every Day A Friday

Hello gingers! I mentioned a couple blogs ago about me trying out the philosophy that every day is a Friday if you make it a Friday.

Basically, it means that if you have the right frame of mind, and you are choosing to be happy and engaged, every single day of your life can be a Friday. I've been trying it out, and it really has worked for me.

I wake up, and I decide what kind of day it's going to be. I think about what I have to look forward to that day, and what I can accomplish.

I wanted to change my attitude especially because of my math class. I don't really like math and when I'm not engaged, which easy for me to do, I get bored and tired in an instant. So I wanted to really start making an effort and work hard in math. And I have, and I really am able to have fun and still be working hard.

This motto or frame of mind or whatever you want to call it really has helped me. And I'm not even joking, at the end of the day I think the next day is a weekend. I have been able to make every day a Friday.

And I'm going to read the book "Every Day A Friday" by Joel Osteen. I'm not forcing you to read the book, but I want to encourage you to try this philosophy on your own. Try to have every day be a Friday.

But tomorrow really is a Friday, and you guys would really make it great if you checked out these two blogs I wrote on ION: iPhone 5 Announcement, The Wii U.

Thank you guys for always being supportive! Happy Friday!

Keep On TGIF,
Rachael The Ginger

Rainy Days

Hello gingers! Today was a cold, rainy day, and it's hard not to be poetic on these days.

These are my favorite days. Especially in school, it's all dim in the rooms because most of the light comes from the windows. It's so nice when everyone feels so calmed by it.

And I like the cold. I like wearing a hoodie, but noting else over it. And I like when my hoodie gets wet and then I put it on later in the day and it's nice and cold. It's just very great.

The rain is great, and I love it. I hope it keeps raining just so I can have a couple more days of peace.

This blog is late, I know. And I haven't been keeping up with my goal I set for myself the other day. I'm going to try to get to it. It just seems like everyday there is some kind of setback. Like some test I have to study for, and like today, a debate meeting that threw off my schedule by an hour or so.

But I've been thinking about this philosophy that every day is a Friday if you have the right frame of mind. And in math, it was a Friday. So I'm going to keep going with that. Try it. Every day is a Friday.

I hope you guys have a nice day tomorrow, but I'm going to go. I wish I had something more stimulating or interesting to say today, but I don't. It's just one of those calm, rainy days.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Keep On Raining,
Rachael The Ginger

9/11

Hello. Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York.

I've been thinking a lot about how I was going to write this blog, because there are so many things you could say. It's been hard to cognitively group together words to communicate my feelings about today.

Today is a day where we slowly take a look back, and then look toward the future ahead of us.

First of all, I want us to keep the families, and men and women who lost their lives 11 years ago in our thoughts today. I want us all to think about all the men and women who sacrificed their lives in trying to help.

If we remember anything from a day like today, it should be the people who suffered from this tragic event.

I cannot remember a single thing from that day. I had just turned 3, and I don't even think I knew there was something wrong. But I have heard the stories. And I have heard all the heartbreak.

But it is not until today, 11 years later, that I have actually put stories to footage, and what actually happened. It wasn't until today, that I understood the complete impact of this event.

And it's hard. Let me tell you, it's hard. It's crazy to think about how vulnerable you really are in this world. With all the wars, and all the death, it's hard to think about how insignificant you are.

One of the most interesting parts of this whole day when it comes around, is everyone telling the stories of what they were doing that day. People can remember so vividly. They can remember the entire day, because of how shocking it was.

And I was just 3, and I had no idea what was going on.

But today, we remember. We remember the lives we lost, and we remember that day. Never forget.

9/11 brings out the best and the worst of us I think. We stand united as a country today, because we all stood together 11 years ago. But then it harshly reminds us of the work that's still being done to try to mend our wounds. We think about the people who committed the crime, instead of the victims.

Visiting the memorial was a little surreal. Looking at name, after name. And I remember specifically standing with my friends Shelby and Makena and talking about the possibility of having our future changed by 9/11. Maybe I would've met somebody on that wall if it wasn't for 9/11. Maybe our paths could have been crossed.

As people, we are strong. As a nation, we are stronger. And if we can remember that when the days seem bleak, we will make it through the darkest nights. And that's what 9/11 showed us.

As my socials studies teacher put it, we lost innocence. And in a world that's getting smaller and smaller, trust is hard to come by. But every year if we learn to trust just a bit more, we will recover. And we will be strong through the darkest point.

Let's not make this about politics. Let's make this about rebuilding trust.

Let's remember, and grow together.

-Rachael Robinson

Progress

Hello gingers! Today, I shaved 24 seconds off of my mile time. And I'm really proud of that.

I'm still not quite to my goal of running a 9 minute mile, but shaving half a minute off my time is really good I think. And just for the record, most of it is uphill. White girl problems.

So I made huge progress for fitness goals. And scholastic goals. I didn't have any real homework this weekend, I'm going to study for my test today, and I talked with one of my teacher's about an issue, and I got it resolved.

I made progress in my social life by preparing my friend's birthday present.

I made progress in my organizational life by writing out my to-do list nicely.

And mentally, I'm pretty average. Borderline bat-poop crazy is usually where I stand.

I cleaned my room this weekend, I think I might write some stuff tonight.

The only place I have not made progress is right here. I have not made any substancial progress with the blog, or my YouTube channel. But I'm going to make it my goal to work on one of those things for 20 minutes every day. Whether it's creating a youtube video, or upgrading the blog, or making something new on it, I will be working on something involving my internet life for 20 minutes every day.

This may mean cutting out some priceless reddit browsing time. But I'm going to do it.

HOLD ME TO IT PEOPLE!

Keep On Making Progress,
Rachael The Ginger

Even In The Food You Eat

Hello gingers! Today's topic is about gay rights, but my opinions are staying out of it, and I would hope your's would too.

This is going to be a conversation about the conversation of gay rights, and gay marriage. It will be opinion based, but my view on the matter will not be mentioned.

This is an observation I have made, and I hope you understand that I am not making a stand for either side.

SO, I was eating some Cheerio's this morning and as you may know General Mills supports gay rights. And it just hit me that the choice of what brand of the thing I need to survive can influence my views on serious issues in the world.

We all need food. That is one of the truest statements there ever was. We need it to survive. It is an important part of our social structure. Food is an industry.

And with industries everybody is trying to throw their stuff at you, because food is also an important part of trade. But when food crosses with politics, it's weird.

By simply eating a chicken sandwich you could possibly be advocating the downfall of gay rights. By buying a bag of Oreo's you could be supporting gay rights.

It's crazy to think that the food we put in our mouths affect the views and morals we follow and think about every day.

The very thing we need to survive, can cause huge domestic and international social conflict.

This industry of food, has gotten to our core values as to change who we are, and what we support.

Our idealistic, free market mindset has set the boundaries for which we put issues of civil rights, and in reality, the first amendment.

The politics and conflicts that you have been trying to escape this election, are even in the food you eat.

-Rachael Robinson

Running In The Dark

Hello gingers! When you run in the dark, it feels like you're part of the zombie apocalypse. Just sayin'

So I ran in the dark today and it was really weird. I couldn't really see anything, and I couldn't really tell how fast I was going. And maybe I was running away from something bigger. Bigger than myself. That I just can't come to terms with yet.

It's crazy stuff. But I did go running today. So I can attempt to bounce back from our defeat from the football game yesterday. This morning was exactly how I thought it was going to be. My throat hurt, and I felt a minor version of a hangover, I think.

But let's just say I felt pretty cool running in the dark. And I totally did not get scared of things moving from time to time. Not at all.

Not even when there were balloons moving and hitting against pillars in the dark. Not. Even.

But that's it. See you guys tomorrow.

Keep On Running From Zombies And Or Balloons,
Rachael The Ginger

CV vs DC

Hello gingers! Today is the big varsity football game!

I have made sure to get everything done so I can just enjoy the game and have a ball. I'm super excited and we are going to kick our rivals right where it hurts, just because we can.

We've already schooled them in tennis and soccer so this shouldn't be that hard. But if we lose, it's not going to be that fun. BUT TOO BAD WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE!

And there might even be a little bit of vlogging done at the game. But I didn't tell you that. My evil twin did.

So today, was a nice Friday, and I have absolutely no homework this weekend so that just makes things all the more better. I AM JUST GETTING STUFF DONE TODAY!

The game is going to be rockin', this weekend is going to be great, and life is good right now.

GO SABERCATS!

Keep On Schooling Rivals,
Rachael The Ginger

Sheldon Cooper

Hello gingers! My run today sucked, but Sheldon Cooper made it better.

First of all, hello brunettes. Don't be scared okay, we're friendly here. Sometimes.

But blondes are still not happening right now. Sorry, but we just don't want you here :)

Now let's talk about the Big Bang Theory. I find it to be one of the best TV shows because it just combines all the things I love. Humor, sarcasm, and nerdy guys. It's a pretty good combination of the three too.

I also love Brits. Did I mention that yesterday? I was in a peanut butter induced coma.

I have not had anything of importance to say in like a month. I'm just talking about peanut butter, and the Big Bang Theory, and Brits. Let's try to expand this. Possibly.

Let's talk about....football.

Tomorrow is the varsity football game, and I'm very excited. But it's against our rivals, so it's even more exciting. GO SABERCATS. We are just going to own. And I'm going to be there. And I'm going to be the loudest ginger in the stadium.

Keep On Going To Football Games,
Rachael The Ginger

Peanut Butter

Hello gingers! Peanut butter is like my favorite thing in the world right now.

You know when you get into one of those moods, where you just have one go-to snack and that's it. Yep. Peanut butter is the bomb.

I've actually been getting a surprising amount of things done today, even through my sickness. Which is weird, because sickness is usually my worst enemy with this kind of productive stuff.

I'm even blogging, and doing homework, and listening to podcasts at the same time. This is all just so great. And peanut butter. Peanut. Butter.

You know, I really love British people. They are kind of like the best people in the world. They kind of like formed the world if you think about it. Which is kind of cool. They should feel good.

Peanut. Butter.

Keep On Peanut Butter,
Rachael The Ginger

I'm Just So Sick With It All

Hello gingers! So today was going to be the day where I get stuff done. And then I got sick.

So I just got over a cold, and then I got what I've diagnosed myself with as sour stomach. I get it a lot when I'm just feeling under the weather anyway. It causes severe pain and agony that's for sure.

But what's bad about it is that yesterday as I was laying in bed I was just thinking that today was going to be the day where I just crank out everything on my to-do list right when I get home. I was going to shower, and blog, and do homework right when I got home. Just so I can see if that strategy works a little bit better than watching videos and goofing off sporadically in between the times when I'm actually doing things.

But then I got sick. And all I wanted to do was lay in bed and watch videos and try to make my pain go away. But it didn't. And I just want to count the minutes until I'm able to go to sleep and have it all be over in the morning. But that's not a guarantee which is the scary part.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

Keep On Joining The Dark Side,
Rachael The Ginger

The Username Concept

Hello gingers! As you know, I cannot shut my incredibly annoying brain off.

And sometimes that leads to good things, and sometimes it leads to sleepy morning and bad decisions. But I was thinking, about usernames.

I was thinking about the fact that usernames are a new thing to this world really. Never was it a problem to have your name out to everyone, and the internet has let that happen. Anyone can access the information you choose to share, and username's protect you.

Username's also are an expressive tool on the internet. You can sum up about 50% who you are by what you choose to be your username. It shows: What type of person you are (funny, creative, expressive, musical, weird) what things you like (music, games, companies) and it shows the reason why you have created a username to use whatever site it is in the first place.

Every username has a story. No matter what it is, there was something in your life that made you think or put that username down. It doesn't matter is people get it or not, it's personalized to you, because you created it, because of some kind of influence. Every username has been thought of, even if it was just for a minute. You didn't just slam your face on the keyboard.

Username's say a lot about people. Just think about it. What does your username say about you?

Keep On Staying Anonymous,
Rachael The Ginger

At Least It Was With A Friend This Time

Hello gingers! Well, it was a minecraft night again. Sorry.

I know I'm not very nice to you guys with the whole promising thing, but other things get in the way.

Happy Labor Day to you all. Let's all try to get over these white girl problems.

I got a homecoming dress. Say more things that you guys don't care about.

I think I look pretty hot. Don't tell anybody I said that.

Keep On Going To Homecoming,
Rachael The Ginger

Guess Who Got Busy Playing Minecraft?

Hello gingers! This girl did.

I'm sorry about this late blog, I was playing minecraft. Sorry.

I'm doing some really cool things though. Maybe I'll share it with you eventually. But it's a secret operation right now, but later in the month I might talk to you guys about it.

Happy Labor Day weekend! What are you guys doing this weekend? Anything fun?

Your telepathic messages totally sound fun. I'm excited for you guys.

Tomorrow is a busy day, but I promise the blog with be better tomorrow. I'm not very good at making promises.

Have a good weekend!

Keep On Having Good National Holidays,
Rachael The Ginger

What The Weekend Means To Me

Hello gingers! Here I am going to tell you why the weekend means something to me.

There are many glorious things that come from days off, but none of them can compare to my weekends. I think it goes a little something like this.

Well, I will slack off all of Friday and try to make fruitless attempts at making plans with friends on the weekend. I will lug myself throughout the school day and then praise the lord once the bell rings. I go home, eat food because that's what I do, and do mindless, easy tasks on the internet. It's nice.

But then when I wake up the next day, glorious things happen. And it starts with a C. Coffee! Loads of creamy, delicious coffee. Oh. Yes. Honey.

And I will slack off all day and relax in my gym shorts and usually the shirt I wore the day before. Things go nicely.

Then Sunday I pick up the pace a bit, but still slack off until about 10 and then things get hectic. It's just who I am guys.

So my weekends are important. It's the one time I get to slack off and be my lazy self.

So thank you for understanding why I keep weekends wimpier with these blogs. Because I know you do.

Keep On Having Great Weekends,
Rachael The Ginger

Censored

Hello gingers! Today I want to talk about this. Because I can.

I was talking about politics and such and about how people in the left side of things tend to understand more about internet freedom and how important it is.

And someone in my life said that they were all for censorship. -_-

I've had to read a lot of Sheltering Suburban Mom to calm down about this.

I mean a lot.

So today I will do my best to gather all the thoughts I have about censorship and put it in here. Because I can, and I will.

You all know about the SOPA/PIPA/ACTA stuff that went on and how much of a fight the world put up. And all these new "internet freedom" organizations with huge corporations like Amazon, eBay, and Google. Which I don't necessarily trust that much.

But it could all become a reality in a matter of days, and it's going to be a tough battle to fight forever.

I believe censorship is the worst thing you could ever do. You are shutting off a voice that could possibly change the lives of millions. You are shutting down a revolution that is never going to stop.

And I think it's because people are scared. People don't understand, and are not willing to understand what the internet has to offer. And people are scared that the offering is something bigger than themselves.

You can sit in your office all day and solve all the world's problems, but until you actually figure out who they are happening to, and what is really happening amongst them, you will never understand the power of the people behind the protests. And who they are behind their username's.

The labor strike in China had a huge influence with the internet.

People are powerful, and people underestimate the power that the people hold.

Keep On Having Freedom,
Rachael The Ginger

A Ginger's Guide To The Common Cold

Hello gingers! Right here I will explain to you how to utilize your sickness to the best of your ability.

First you need the right supplies. To be sick you will need: tissues, nyquil, cough drops (like 3 bags), orange juice (like 3 bottles), french toaster waffles, and other preferred medications. These are very important.

A netflix account or a YouTube series is recommended as well.

Step 1) Make sure you lay in bed as much as possible. Except for occasional breaks for waffles and or cough drops, and or orange juice. Make sure you stock up for in-room hibernation when you do need to leave your bed though. Also, wear your comfiest clothes possible. Gym shorts, sports bras, and t-shirts are all recommended.

Step 2) Pick a TV show, or a YouTube series that you have heard about and always wanted to watch but never have, and crank out 1-2 seasons each day you're sick. If it's a YouTube series shoot for 20 episodes a day.

Step 3) Make sure to lose all social interaction with other human beings. That will just ruin the nice sickness you have

Step 4) Blog your pain on the internet

Step 5) Sing as much as possible, your throat will thank you later when you can't sing after not singing for a couple weeks.

Step 6) Enjoy your disease

Keep On Enjoying Sickness,
Rachael The Ginger

Not All Jokes And Laughs

Hello gingers! I have reached a drought in creativity, and why not share it with you.

Right now I am currently whitening my teeth. Riveting, right? And I should write a whole blog about how whitening strips have been a useful aspect of society and it reflects our narcissistic culture here in America.

But no. It's really not that interesting. And I don't think you want to talk about politics.

And I've really had to debate with myself about what to blog about these days. Things just haven't been that interesting in my life, I guess. The high school dust cloud has settled, and things are just painfully normal. Even though I pray for structure in my life.

But I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not always bursting with ideas and creativity. I have good and bad days just like everybody else. And I get bloggers block quite frequently.

But it's kind of crazy. I have forced myself to do this everyday, good idea or not, and on days where I feel the most boring and out-of-touch, the greatest ideas come out of me. Which so interesting to me.

When we are simply thinking about what we are thinking about we force amazing ideas out of ourselves, and this blog has made me do just that every single day. So that's a thing.

We have orchestra auditions tomorrow, and I went to the first speech and debate meeting today. So that was pretty great. I guess I'll talk about that tomorrow.

But for now, I have to leave you. Thank you for keeping me company this year, because most of the time, I feel like I'm talking to myself.

Keep On Talking To Yourself,
Rachael The Ginger

Politics

Hello gingers! Today I'm going to talk about what has been on my mind the most today.

And that thing is politics. Which is really weird. But really true.

I am very interested in current events, and the world around me, and politics falls into those categories a lot. So I play attention to politics a bit more than the average teenager, I would say.

But I was thinking about the election and my stances, even though it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter this election that much but if Mitt Romney wins, then it will matter to know where my stances are.

And that is because I will be voting in the 2016 election. Which is really crazy, but it's the truth. So I realized that after this election I need to be paying closer attention to the election so I could cast my vote for who I believe is the right candidate.

I have always been somewhat interested in politics, but it never mattered. Now it kind of does matter because I am actually able to put my 2 cents in on a ballot. I get to choose. In 4 years I will finally be practicing one of the policy's that made America, America. And that's pretty awesome.

So I do need to start paying more attention, because I believe that my vote matters.

But that's all for today. Today was a pretty rough day, so thank you for bearing with these weird blogs. I love you guys.

Keep On Voting,
Rachael The Ginger

The World We Live In

Hello gingers! As you probably know, Neil Armstrong passed away yesterday.

I didn't talk about it because I was so obsessed over my things and I wanted to save my big rant about it today.

You guys know my opinions on NASA and space exploration in general, and having something like this happen has a substancial impact on my world around me.

I already talked a bit about what happened on ION. Here's the link if you would like to check it out: http://teamion.blogspot.com/2012/08/mr-armstrong.html

But I don't think I talked enough about Mr. Armstrong himself. He was not the one who made lengthy novels about his trip to the moon and him being the first one to step on another world. He did not act like he was the amazing outlier that he was.

And I'm so glad for that. I'm so glad he didn't tell us everything. I'm so glad that he kept us guessing until the very end.

I could never imagine what walking on the moon would be like. And it's not like I could just google it and find out the real answer. Mr. Armstrong left us wonder what mysteries lay in the last frontier.

And I like to think that he was just waiting until the day we could all go to the moon and experience it for ourselves. I may not live to see that day, but I will sure try.

Mr. Armstrong broke boundaries that others wouldn't. And we tip our hats to him, and everyone who has helped to make this world and the worlds that lay beyond it a better place.

Thank you Mr. Armstrong for your time and dedication to space exploration, and thank you for paving the way for others to be inspired.

Thank you for inspiring me.

Once again, go humans.

-Rachael Robinson

Shayaversary!

Hello gingers! Today I have been doing SHAYTARDS things and such.

Because it's my Shayaversary. That's right. I watched my very first shaytards vlog 2 years ago at about this time. Which is so amazing.

This was the first SHAYTARDS video I ever saw.

Don't you see that beautiful face? So I made this video.

It's very long and boring I know, but I wanted to say what I wanted to say. Considering this is a very special day for me. And I won't bore you like I did yesterday with all the reasons why the SHAYTARDS and ShayCarl are amazing and how they have changed my life and made me the person I am today. Because you can just watch the video for that as well.

It's just crazy to think that I have watched about 730 videos, plus all the videos on their other channels. And I have tuned in for every single one of them because I am so weirdly loyal to a family that is not my own.

And it's crazy to think about the fact that these people are the reason that I'm doing this. I would not be blogging if I hadn't been watching them. I would not be making youtube videos if I hadn't been watching them. I have no clue where I would be if I didn't watch them.

And they have showed me that it doesn't matter what other people think. And that's why I'm so outgoing. Because of them.

And I am so excited to for many more Shayaversary's to come. Because this is seriously the best feeling ever. And I'm so excited to watch the first year vlog of today, the vlog above, and today's vlog. That is going to be so cool. And I'm going to listen to their podcasts, and I'm going to do everything SHAYTARDS.

And I will do it all wearing my shirt, and just loving this community that I belong to. I will write lengthy comments about how I care about them so much, and what they mean to me.

And I will enjoy this day, because I know it's an important one.

And I will think about how much they have helped through these past 2 years. And how crazy it is that I first started watching at the beginning of middle school, and now it's the beginning of high school.

So I will enjoy this. And next year, I will enjoy it even more.

-Rachael Robinson

Real Supermen, Real Motivation: Happy Shayaversary

Hello gingers! A video just flipped me upside down and obviously, I'd love to share it with you.

Now, this is a shaycarl video (of course) and you know how I feel about him and his family and such. He just gave me a huge push that I needed.

Here's the video.

This just seriously blew me away. I cannot explain in words what this video meant to me.

Every step he took, I was with him. In this video and his over 100 pound weight loss journey he took. And every step I took on my run, he was with me. He was with me by inspiring me to push a little bit harder, to take one more step, to go a little faster. He gave me this incredible motivation and confidence that I never knew I had.

And every word he said in that video will inspire me tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.

When he talks about the real supermen, I really stuck with me. You don't have to have special abilities, or this incredible advantage to be good at something. You can take little steps, and you will get closer every time. You can achieve one goal at a time, and you can make it to the finish line.

And when he talked about how someday is never going to happen. It's just today. Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, but you should treat it like your last. Don't wait until next week, or when you get the time. Do it right now.

When he talks about not finding out who you are but creating who you are was just amazing. You are not born with an identity. You are born with a name, a size and a weight. That's it. You have to create who you are from the bottom up, because no one can choose who you are.

And when he talked about choosing who you want to be. I want to be someone who helps others and someone who is determined to do their best. I want to be a hard worker. I want to be the best person I can be.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't. You're right. Happiness is a choice. You can choose how the stimulus around you affects you, and how it changes your outlook on the world and what is around you. You have the power of thought, and it is the most powerful thing in the world. Your thoughts control your actions, and your actions control who you are. You are the master of your own mind.

He is the most inspiring man I know, and he motivates me to do what I do every day. 

I just want to thank him for all he's done for me over these past 2 years. He has been the person I count on. My mentor I like to think. He has saved me from the pessimism I used to subject myself to. He has helped me be the best person I can be. All in the nick of time.

And in 20 minutes, it will be 2 years since the very first time I watched a SHAYTARDS vlog, and when my life took a huge turn for the best.

Thank you ShayCarl. Thank you, so very much.

Thank you for making these two years the best two years of my life, and with many more years to come. Thank you for giving me something.

Thank you for the motivation, and the confidence to be myself and not care what other people think. And choose happiness over anything. Thank you for helping me realize that my thoughts are so important, and that being a good person is what I want to be.

Thank you for making me want to inspire others, just like you and your family do so well. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for making me want to be the change I want in others. And that you for making my life what it is today.

You inspired me to do things today, not someday. I started a youtube channel, I started a blog, I started my confident life again. Thank you.

And thank you for inspiring everyone around you. I know I'm not the only one so touched by you. So thank you for being such a huge influence in my life. 

I know my journey is just beginning. But it has been an amazing start. 2 years. 2 years watching the SHAYTARDS every day. 2 years of untouched confidence.

And hopefully many more years to come. 

Thank you ShayCarl for all you do, and thank you to all of the SHAYTARDS who all make it possible.

Thank you Sontard, Babytard, Princesstard, Rocktard, Colette, Shay, and the entire Butler family. Thank you for spreading happiness.

And I was thinking of all of you when I wore my SHAYTARDS shirt on the farthest run I've ever ran. 

Never lose your smile guys :)

Happy Shayaversary :)

-Rachael Robinson

Art Class

Hello gingers! So I thought art class was going to be difficult and apparently it is.

You know everyone says that they aren't artists and their art is terrible. But they all end up being like amazing pieces of art and stuff. But I'm seriously going to fail.

It's not that my art is bad. It's that I am so detail oriented and perfect that I will never finish my work. I've done two 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 cards in 3+ hours. Because I'm just that amazing.

Just kidding.

But seriously, I was supposed to have 12 by today. But I'm not alone so that's good. It's mixed media and apparently this is just supposed to practice our skills before we do a big name collage later. So that should be equally not done as this thing. So that should be fun.

But the thing that just drives me crazy is that we have to swap the cards with each other. I worked so hard on my cards and I just want to keep them forever. Because I love them like that.

I did a happiness is a choice card, and quotes from "As A Man Thinketh" which I've talked about before in great detail. So I don't need to go further with that.

But I really love the work I've done. Which is good. Love yourself.

Keep On Making Art,
Rachael The Ginger

The Key To Life

Hello gingers! I am going to tell you one of my keys to a successful life.

It has been around for ages. It's for the cluttered, it's for the organized, it's for the extra cautious. And it's called: a check list.

I have recently re-discovered how amazing they are. I used to use them all the time but then during the summer there was really no need for them. But now that I have started school again it's seriously a life-saver.

And I'm a type of person where you have to remind me of everything for it to get done. I need that constant little message that reminds me of little things. So check-lists are really neat for me.

And I'm not kidding when I say I need to be reminded of everything. I have to remind myself to do homework, to shower, to write these blogs. It's terrible how much I forget stuff. And I also get lazy. But check-lists are also good for that because I feel bad when only half my list is done because I just didn't feel like getting it done.

So. Secret to life. Check-lists. Start making them. They help out a lot for me. And everyone is definitely just the same person so it will work for you, obviously. Just kidding. But seriously. Try it.

Keep On Making Check Lists,
Rachael The Ginger

Now Let's Talk About Us

Hello gingers! Alright. I think this is the finale of this trilogy.

Maybe. Unless we talk about some kind of alien life form that is going to come into this. You never know what the mars rover will find.

What is the future here? Frankly, I have no idea.

I love doing this everyday. I never knew when I started that I would get so hooked so automatically. And it's weird though. Because forcing myself to do it everyday has gotten some of the greatest ideas I've ever had out of me. It's pretty incredible.

I have learned about myself doing this, and I really love it.

But it's also a very time consuming and pressure inducing thing. But it has never taken me away from my life drastically. So overall, this is pretty good for me.

But you're the reader. And you've chose to stay here and read everyday. So it's either a loyalty thing, or you must really enjoy it. But, it all depends on me.

But me doing this all depends on you listening. But I like to talk to myself too so it's okay.

But the fact of the matter, is that we need to work together if we are going to make this work. And it's working pretty well right now. Not going to change things up completely just yet.

But I do want to branch out a bit more. I feel like I'm sheltering myself to this and only this, even though I could be doing much more. I could be working on more videos. I could be making more music. But I'm here.

Don't get me wrong, this is good. But I want better.

So I am going to try harder and waste less time on skype, and try to motivate myself more. Because that is where the problem lies. Being able to not say no to others but to say yes to something better.

I also need to set deadlines because that is how I work best. If I look at something everyday and think to myself how much time I have left to do it, it will get done faster.

So let's set some goals here.

I want to release a new video on my channel by the end of the weekend.

I want to have a song cover I'm doing done by the end of next month. (It has lots of elements that I've never done before so it's going to take a bit)

I want to write 1 article or more on ION every day.

And I want to expand this a little bit more.

SO, what about you? You can stick along for the ride and support me. If you would. Because I know you don't have to.

I love you guys a lot!

Keep On Having Teamwork,
Rachael The Ginger

Now Let's Talk About You

Hello gingers! I want to talk about you know. Because you're a firework.

Now, I know all the cliche's and such about being yourself because who you are is a wonderful person. But I want to just annoyingly reinforce them for you again.

You are amazing.

You're a firework.

You're beautiful.

And no matter what you are going through right at this second it will be over with in dear time my love.

Because you will push through it. You will find a way to forget, or to remember, and live happier days. Because you are the strongest person in the entire world.

You have the willingness to wake up every day. And live that day, not because you have to, but because you want to. You are your own driving force. No matter how many sappy blogs make you believe that somebody else is doing the motivating work.

You realize what you have to get through, and what you have to accomplish. And you just do it.

No matter how many ways you think you aren't good enough, there are a million other ways that make you great.

You are an individual. An individual who has shaped who they are to a finite tee. Because you lived every single day. You lived to find out what kind of clothes you like to wear, or what types of food you like to eat, or what kind of music you like to listen to. And most importantly, what you want to do in this world.

It is true, only you can control you, and only you can prevent forest fires.

And if you're still not convinced, let me give you at least one reason of why you are making a difference in the world. You keep me going.

I realize it's just me, and I am certainly not the whole world, but you do make a difference in my life. By you just reading this, and to those of you who read every day, you give me motivation. You're continued support has driven me to happiness. You make me feel like I have a purpose.

So thank you. Because you are amazing for doing such a wonderful thing.

And I don't feel I am grateful enough for me amazing year you have given me. So this is a start of the 1,911 thank you's I should make.

And I'm not just saying this. I really mean it. You guys have shaped my identity as well. This has been an amazing year so far. Let's keep it going.

Keep On Being Wonderful People,
Rachael The Ginger

Let's Talk

Hello gingers! I don't think we've had a real good talk about my future on the internet for a while. Let's talk about me.

Don't you just love talking about me? I mean you must read this blog for a reason, right? Just kidding, I know you're only reading this to get all the secrets to the ginger rebellion, I got it.

But let's talk about what's going on right now, because I like to be honest with this, considering this is some of the few documentations of my life right now.

You may or may not know, but I have a blog that I do with 1 other person at the moment, and we talk about the news. We call it ION for short, and you can find it in the sidebar where it says "Other Blogs" But this is not a promotion no matter how much it sounds like. We need to talk about what is going on with it.

You also may or may not know, but I am the main contributor, over 80% of those posts, are mine. No, I am not the founder nor the owner of the url, but I do have a majority of the creative ownership. But I'm not happy with that. When I signed up for it, I wanted it to be a blog with everybody. I wanted us to have discussions. I wanted us to do it together. But it's just me.

And I have expressed to the owner and founder my disappointment in the project. I do not like where it is going. It is being advertised as a collaborative thing, but it is not. I would be better off doing something of my own, right?

Now, I'm not going to go off and do my own thing just yet. I'm still going to give ION the best shot it has. I really want it to be successful, but it doesn't seem likely.

So I have given the owner a date, for when I will take my leave if things don't change.

And it's not like I'm just leaving. I'm staying on the team for a little while longer to see if things change. But I don't have to justify that to you guys.

Tuesday is my official 10 day notice. And that scares me that I'm quitting my first un-paid job.

So I have this, my youtube channel, ION, and something new around the corner.

Just wait, it's coming together.

But I just wanted to let you guys know what is going on. Because obviously you care.

But there is just one last thing that might make a difference. And I know this is going to sound really pathetic but just hear me out. Every view counts. And I would really appreciate yours over there. We have about 200 views per month here. If you guys could do that over there, it would really, really, help. I know that this is so stupid, and you're probably so sick of it but thank you to the people who are helping us. Thank you so much. I know I'm just a girl typing something on her computer but I really appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for the continued support.

We are almost at 2,000 blog views. I would do 2,000 jumping jacks for that.

Keep On Being Amazing Readers,
Rachael The Ginger

If You Could Do One Thing...

Hello gingers! A question was recently proposed and it has got me thinking about it a lot.

The question was asked of us in homeroom, and it sparked a lot of debate between the class. The question was simply: If you could do one thing as president, what would you do?

Lots of people said things like "reinstate George Bush" or "cut taxes" which is understandable considering I live in a pretty conservative, small town. My friend and I would discuss between each other after each comment. We would laugh and say why it was a bit odd, or maybe not the best thing in the world to do.

It was fun, because we both share the same views. We also talked about the fact that all these kid's views, are just reflections of what their parent's think and how interesting that is. Even we are just reflections. It's funny to think about.

I said that we should fund NASA again. And then my teacher jokingly was like "You're a strong advocate for space exploration, eh?" So that was pretty great.

I've already typed your eyes off with my thoughts on space exploration so I don't think I need to delve any deeper than that for today.

But I've just been thinking about it for a while now. What if we could all do one thing? Just one thing to make people happier, or ourselves happier. Or both. What if we could warp this warped reality we have?

In this system we have we are just subjected to what people sitting in big offices and getting their suits dry cleaned think. Their decision's, that we have entrusted them with, decide what we get to do in this town, state, country, world. It is up to the whim of what they are feeling that day to give us what we need.

Now, I'm not going all anarchist on you guys or anything, I'm just thinking about how interesting it is.

So I ask you the question. If you could do one thing as president, what would you do? It could be anything. Sydney said she would get a dog. That's a baseline for you.

Keep On Being President,
Rachael The Ginger