Typical, or Unique?

William Shakespeare immortally stated: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". And yet, the baby-name book business is a multi-million dollar business and parents pour over countless names before settling on the right one.

Some people are named after someone the parents knew.

Some people are named arbitrarily.

Some parents give names as a cruel joke (see the late Texan Philanthropist Ima Hogg)

Some people are named after characters in books, songs, tv shows or movies.

And for all the time that parents put into finding a name, so many people end up with the same name.

I recently read the book Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. In one of the chapters, the authors examined patterns in the names which parents give their offspring. I highly recommend the book, but be forewarned, you may not be a fan of how your name is analyzed.

Sorry for getting off on a tangent, back to my main point:

What do you think? Stick with a classic name (Elizabeth, John, etc), a more recently popular name (Tyler, Alyssa, Madison, Ryan), or a made up name (Britlyn Laurenne, for example).

And is a name that important? A deal breaker with friends and significant others?

Are we that shallow? Or is a name more important than Shakespeare supposed?

WHAT.

STARTING MARCH 14, 2011 NICKELODEON IS STARTING PRODUCTION ON NEW EPISODES OF OUR CHILDHOOD FAVORITE SHOWS, SUCH AS ROCKET POWER AND RUGRATS. THAT IS ALL.

Drizzy Drake Rodgers

So, i'm Devin, but the entire school calls me Drake..literally. All day every day all i hear is Drake! Or, Drizzy! Or, Aubrey! That's not that bad though what's worse is when i go somewhere random and people notice the similarity still.

For example, over break i went to my girlfirends basketball game at Del Oro vs. Inderkum. At halftime I went into the lobby and then when i came back out some random guy stopped me in the doorway and said, "Hey what up bro?"

I was like, "Sup dude,"

He said, "Dude these girl's i'm with, they think your gorgeous, they think you look like Drake, have you ever heard that?"

"Yea, haha at school people don't even call me my name, they call me Drizzy.."

"No way bro, you should come sit with us!"

"Haha ok in a little bit....."

You tell me... Is this a normal occurance?

Furlough Break

It's the first day back from break and I'm feeling a little tired. I can't complain though because this was probably one of my favorite breaks besides this past summer break. I did so much this break, so I never had that "I'm bored. I miss my friends at school," feeling.
Friday through Sunday I was lucky enough to go visit a couple colleges. Friday I visited the University of San Francisco for the second time. I was so excited to see USF again because it is my dream school. I love the urban setting and the campus is absolutely beautiful. Saturday, I visited Saint Mary's and loved it so much. (Devin loved that I loved it too. haha.) I loved the small feeling of the school and how friendly the students were. Lastly, on Sunday, I visited Santa Clara University. The school was a perfect mix of old and modern, was medium sized, and somewhere between suburban and urban. It was great.
Then Sunday night as I was driving home, I received a text from my best friend inviting me to go bowling. So I literally went home, changed, then headed out to Strike's, where I bowled the best game of my life. Then the rest of the week she slept over and we just had a good time.
I had fun everyday this week, but yesterday was definitely my favorite. I went over to my friends new house and helped her unpack into her new room. Then we snuck out and met up with a few friends. We discovered a new place on the Hillcrest trail with a rope swing and hung out there for hours.
All in all, I had a great break and wish it could never end.

Valentine's Day

So yesterday was Valentine's Day. Personally, my favorite day of the year. I love love. The fact that there is a day dedicated to showing how much you care for someone facinates me. I think this should be every day, but February 14th is widely recognized and brings joy so I have no problem with it whatsoever. All the girls walking around with their roses and chocolates only make all the singles wish they had a significant other. Some may find it depressing, I know I had in years past, but it's so much more than a commerical holiday. My boyfriend and I couldn't be together to celebrate so we had dinner over skype. Valentine's Day is all about showing the people you care most about exactly what they mean to you and spending the day with the ones that you love. My Valentine's was not ideal, since I couldn't be with him physically (and I woke up at 4 a.m. to buy prom tickets), but we were still connected and I got to spend the day with family and friends so it was still perfect. Valentine's Day is still and will continue my favorite day of the entire year as long as my potentially unhealthy amount of faith in the power of love stays strong. Can't wait for next year :)

For the Flash Staff

A little inspiration for the Flash staff. I know this class can get crazy, but hang in there. The print issue is going to be so good when we distribute it. Just think-we have one more left to go this year. Keep working hard in journalism, school, sports, etc. You guys are all great.
Peace, love, and the Flash,
~Amanda

Spring Semester

I finally came to realization that it is the 2nd semester and it's almost the spring..that means:

-AP tests
-College Acceptances
-Furlough Break
-Spring Break
-Dance shows
-Warmer weather
-Smoothies
-Bugs (ew.)
-Senior Ball
-Senior Activities
-Graduation

This is all going to go by so fast!!