Yoga Pants

Dear Yoga Pants,
You, my dear, are simply amazing. You come in so many different styles that never cease to amaze me. I love the way you conform to any body. You are open to any person and fit well with anyone. You compliment all who come in contact with you. I can't even begin to explain the way I'm feeling. I have never in my life been so greatful for what you have given me. You make my life have meaning. You have changed my life for the better, and I would be lost without you. This might be too soon, but I love you, Yoga Pants. It was love at first sight and I know it will be love forever.
Forever and always,
Maddie

Macbeth

Personally I am a little confused as to what is happening in the story of Macbeth. I wasn't in school on Tuesday or Wednesday and missed the beginning of the story and therefore had to go back and read it by myself, which made it much more confusing. When Mr. Lunn explains the story to the class and goes over what we read or heard that day, he usually relates the story to modern day which helps me understand it more and gives me the ability to imagine what the story would be like if it were taking place in modern times. There are many interesting aspects to the story, and for Shakespeare it is a fairly decent story, but it is not a story that I would normally enjoy reading.

Thomas A Becket

Thomas A. Becket was a very important man to the town of Canterbury, England. As a child, he was a very privileged, and received the best of education throughout his younger years. He then went on to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. King Henry believed that with one of his good friends was named with such an influential position in the church, he could easily use this to his advantage and have a rule over the church also. Although Becket was good friends with King Henry and wanted to help him, he did not want to be used. This caused King Henry to become extremely angry and they had many disputes over many issues of Canterbury. When Becket took sides with the pope instead of King Henry, the king was at his breaking point. He was so upset with Becket at the time that he ordered to have him murdered. Becket was assassinated on December 29, 1170.

Writing Reflection

Creative writing has always been one of the more enjoyable assignments I have been given throughout highschool. I love creating fun, exciting stories for others to enjoy, and because of this, I think I am fairy decent at doing so. Although I believe creative writing is one of my strong suits, analysis writing is one of my weakest points in school. Even though I think I've improved from freshman year, I still can not seem to get a handle on analysis writing. When I am forced to write about a subject that does not interest me, I tend to struggle in my arguments. In the analysis portion of papers, I usually have a hard time finding strong proof to back up my statements. Although I can usually come up with arguments that are persuasive enough, I should probably improve on this aspect of my papers. Because exceeding in everything I do is very very important to me, I hope to get keep learning and eventually reach a level of greatness with my writing.

"He who stops being better stops being good."
Oliver Cromwell

Beowulf Comic Strip

Beowulf by maddieoflaherty | Make Your Own At www.toondoo.com

My Heroes

A hero is often defined as any person, especially a man, admired for qualities or achievements and regarded as an ideal or model. Going by this definition, at least 30 people come to my mind immediately. There are so many people that I look up to that have influenced me for the better, but for this essay I could not possibly write about all of them. I spent a lot of time thinking of who I could write about as my hero and I couldn't narrow it down to just one person. The people that kept coming to mind though, with the exception of a few, all had one thing in common. I had met them all at Camp Ernst. I have spent my last two summers at this camp and wouldn't have it any other way. Through this camp I have learned things about myself that I never expected to, like how much hardship I can withstand and how much joy I can find in the little things of life. My life isn't even remotely close to being perfect and many times in my past situations have drastically turned for the worst, so gaining these qualities has been a life savor for me. The people at camp have not only taught me a lot about myself, but they have also taught me about life in general and how to live it to the fullest. It might sound cliche, but they really have. Through the weeks I have spent with them we all lived together and no other experience has forced me to laugh off frustrating circumstances faster than I would ever have expected myself to. Camp can be a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing get away, but at times too much to handle. Between the endless responsibilities thrown at us, the pressure of succeeding in these responsibilities, and trying to make camp an enjoyable experience for the kids as well, camp can get extremely hectic very quickly. I'll admit that I am usually known to lose my temper with the blink of an eye, but being with these people brought out a different side of me that I didn't even know existed. When I am at camp surrounded by my true friends I can honestly say I feel like a whole new person. I don't worry about how I look or try to impress anyone I'm around. I can go crazy and just be myself without worrying whether or not they'll judge me for how I act. They know all of my faults, have seen me when I'm at my lowest points in life, and still manage to care for me all the same. I have no doubt in my mind that I could call any one of these girls and they would be by my side in a second without question. These girls have changed my life for the better. I can honestly say that I do not know where I would be today if they had never come into my life. They have made me who I am today and to me, they will always be true heroes.

My Story

Welcome! My name is Maddie O'Flaherty. I am a 16 year old currently attending Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is my first year at Anderson. I spent my other two years of high school at McNicholas High School. I live with my mom, my dad and my sister in Cincinnati. My sister is 18 years old and we are very close. My dad came to America from England which can be interesting. He is very into soccer and was my soccer coach from age 7 until age 14. I quit soccer at the age of 14 and started playing volleyball. I played volleyball until my freshman year of high school and then decided to stop playing that also. I am enjoying my high school years and am looking forward to the next year and a half that I have here at Anderson High School.