for the Pierce College newspaper, The Roundup.
This is a blog about people, places, & things I find interesting.
If you'd like to contact me, e-mail me: hramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com
The breeze was warm against my face as I ran during a kickball game in my fifth grade year. It was another ordinary day on the playground, but my teacher had plans to leave early. He was leaving us with our teacher’s assistant, Mr. Rayner.
As usual, there was always those selected few students that had not done their homework or had disturbed the class so they were “benched.” They would sit on the side doing their homework while the rest of the class got to play.
That day after our teacher left, everything seemed okay. I remember looking over at my “benched” classmates, everything was okay. I returned my focus to the kickball game.
After that, I’m not exactly sure what happened. Not even till this day do I remember what happened after that. It was kind of all a blur.
I think someone screamed. I think. I looked over and Mr. Rayner was on the floor. I was shocked. I didn’t understand, why or how he got there. None of us did. We all ran up to him, and many of us stared as he rolled around on the floor. We didn’t know what to do.
Mr. Rayner was having a seizure.
I remember watching people run to the office to get help. We didn’t understand. All we knew was that Mr. Rayner was in trouble.
I felt like I ran around in circles that day. Till this day, I don’t understand why I was so numb that day. I wanted to help, but all I could do was stare. I wanted to cry, to scream.
A teacher from a nearby classroom probably heard the screams. She ran to Mr. Rayner & ripped off her belt to tie it around his mouth.
When someone is having a seizure, they lose control of their body. They begin to choke themselves with their tongue. The teacher acted quickly and Mr. Rayner began to calm down.
I don’t remember how I ended up in that classroom with all my other classmates. There in that classroom, we all cried. It didn’t matter. We all cried, boys and girls.
That day, my fifth grade class came closer than ever. In our confusion and fear, we comforted each other. Telling each other everything was going to be okay, even as tears rolled down our eyes.
The day after, our teacher informed us that Mr. Rayner wanted us all to know that he was well. We were relieved, and we all hoped he would make it to our fifth grade graduation.
But after that day in the playground, we never saw Mr. Rayner again.
To this day, I don’t know if Mr. Rayner actually survived that seizure, if he passed away or if no one told my fifth grade class because they thought it would be too impacting. After all, we were all just nine or 10 years old, and had already experienced a lot.
I hope Mr. Rayner survived. I hope he’s still alive. He was a great person. We all loved him very much. The experience brought my fifth grade class together. We shared in laughter and tears. We learned to care about each other after that day.
Even when we all left elementary school, moved on to middle school, high school, and now, college, I know that many of them still remember that day like I do. As horrible as the event was it helped shape me into a person that tries to live her days to the fullest. It made me realize that I had to cherish the air I breathe and the moments that I share with those I love.
So as this day starts off, I would like to encourage you to take a moment to tell those close to you that you love them. Make sure that you seize the day, wear a big happy smile on your face, and no matter what comes your way, just know you’ll be okay.
Exploring yahoo.com, I came across an article, “101 small pleasures you can enjoy every day”. Reading over the article, I thought it could help all of those that are anxiously studying to pass those dreaded midterms. The article is about the little things that we often over look but can make a drastic difference in our moods. I’ve been studying all these Romanticism theories and perspectives for my English class. Out of all the lectures I retained something meaningful for my life. We often worry about little things and transform them into these massive monsters. Which made me ask myself: In the great scheme of my life, how important are these midterms? You see, there’s so much more to live for than just passing a test. This doesn’t mean stop studying; go out in party. I’m just saying, it’s just a test. Pass or fail life goes on.
So take a break from all the books, & try relaxing with some of these everyday things/activities.
Here are five of the :
- coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
- crisp cotton sheets
- soft skin
- old family recipes
- the first daffodils of spring
Here are the entire 101 small pleasures you can enjoy everyday
Happy Birthday, Dane Cook
On March 18, 1972, Comedian Dane Cook was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Other events on March 18:
1931- The first electric shavers go on sale in U.S. from Schick.
1967- Beatles’ single, “Penny Lane,” goes number one on music charts.
1987- Gerber survey finds most popular names for newborns (Jessica and Matthew).
Apparently, this man is excited for St. Patrick’s Day. He’s been dressed like this for two days on the bus. The man definitely makes a bold fashion statement with his green cane filled with cut outs of four leaf clovers, green Hawaiian leis, finished off with a top hat displaying the colors of the Irish flag.The man is so nonchalant as he waits for him stop to arrive. It’s entertaining to watch the people around him stare, smirk, and look away quickly before he turns around. Honestly, it is shocking and funny to see someone dressed like this in public, but then it made me somewhat admire him. Going out dressed so flamboyantly has got to take courage. And I would never have the courage to step out of my house with a top hat & a green plastic cane.
His name was Timothy, but everyone called him Tim or Timmy. He was a happy 11-year-old kid. Ana Maria Aguirre Nunez lived down the block from him. Timmy’s older brother, Anthony and Ana Maria (both about 17 at that time) had been best friends since elementary school.
It was summer. Anthony had gone away to camp and Ana Maria had stayed home.
Ana Maria remembers when she first heard. She couldn’t believe it. Coming back home from the market, she saw 3 police cars outside of Timmy’s house.
“My heart just sank so far down that I felt it fell out,” Ana Maria said.
Timmy was dead.
He hung himself with a belt onto the bunk beds he shared with his older brother.
No one knows why Timmy killed himself that day.
He was watching television with his friend.
Got up and said “Well I’m going to go kill myself now.”
And he did.
Suicide is fourth leading cause for children between the ages of 10 and 14, according to teensuicidestatistics.com.
For ages 15 to 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death, confirmed The Centers for Disease control.
And the numbers are the on the rise.
Recently, I met someone that tired to commit suicide by drinking toxic chemicals, like chlorine. He was rushed to the hospital. He is 18 years old.
His parents knew nothing. Coming home from work, all they saw was a chlorine bottle on the table. When they got the phone call from the hospital.
Luckly, he survived.
Hearing this story made me start thinking about how suicide has been a silent killer.
I hope that through writing about this topic those that have once thought about taking their lives will reconsider and know that there is definitely someone out there that cares.
No matter what you’re going through, someone cares.
I care.
Two men spoke out to the public in Burbank on Saturday saying that Obama’s health care plans mirror Hilter’s.
One of the men looked about 60 while the other was in his mid-30s. The men had set up two table with fliers to hand out to people passing by while the table displayed posters showing President Obama with Hilter’s trademark mustache.
The table were set up on the sidewalk so that all the cars passing by could see the posters. No one walked by on the sidewalk, but a drivers in their cars angrily yelled out of their car windows.
Now, I understand that we all have the freedom to say how we feel about our government.
Yet, I feel that those posters say a lot, and no one deserves to be defaced in such a profound manner.
I understand that Obama’s plans are perhaps similar to those of Hilter’s yet I feel that the message displayed on these posters of the LaRouche Political Action Committee is extreme.
Too extreme.
Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. is in charge of the LaRouche Political Action committee. He is an economist who is know for his controversial political efforts.
LaRouche wrote an article “Why Obama Must be Impeached,” on the commitee’s Web site. In his article he said,”There is no longer room on this planet for a United States and a President Obama to occupy the same space.”
This quote, I feel, clearly shows that LaRouche needs to calm down with his ideologies because this statement can be used as a threat against the President’s life.
As for those two men in Burbank that support LaRouche’s cause, I think their brave to stand out even with so many people screaming out of their cars to insult them.
I don’t agree with the views of these men, but they are definitely brave.
For all the males that feel women are just too complicated, this blog is for you.
If you’re looking for the best Valentine’s gift for your girlfriend or a special girl, it’s easy.
I recently read an article on yahoo titled, “Valentine’s Gifts She Wants and Needs” & surprisingly none of those gifts were what I would truly want. And if I needed them I would get them myself.
In fact, all the gifts were so boring that I would probably fake a smile as I opened them.
Like gift number one, earbuds.
Umm… no.
All the other gifts were just as bad. Which made me think.
Women don’t want materials.
Women want actions.
You see, the saying “actions speak louder than words,” comes to play during Valentine’s day. Women want to see their lovers go out of their way to show how much they care. Of course, tell her how you feel about her but do more than just that. Even if it’s just buying flowers or even better getting them delivered to her, little actions like those make women melt.
So do more than just earbuds, please.
This Valentine’s Day SHOW her that you truly love her.
That’s what women want.
This man was actually exercising in the bus. He had a dumbbell that sounded like it had sand inside because he would shake it. He didn’t even care that everyone stared at him. It was definitely an interesting day on the bus.
I saw this little girl on the bus on my way home from Pierce yesterday & I couldn’t resist taking a picture. It was nice seeing someone so carefree. She took me back to the years when I didn’t have to worry too much about my GPA & completing units. It was nice to have time stop for a few minutes…
In this blog, I want to introduce you to interesting people I have encountered around Pierce College or on my way there. I take the bus to Pierce everyday & always see someone interesting. Recently, I’ve begun taking pictures with my iPhone of anyone or anything that I found funny or that caused some sort of impact on me. These little short segments will hopefully be updated every week.
I would also like to have a “Person of the Week” segment where I would interview a Pierce student who is making a difference in the community or simply has a story to share with others.
Hopefully, some of these ideas appeal to you & I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
-Helen Ramirez, Features Editor
