#36 Thanksgiving Break

 The warm scent of freshly baked sweet potatoes and the toasty crunch of gooey marshmallows perfectly sum up my Thanksgiving break: warm and comforting. This Thanksgiving break, I got to spend time with my family and reflect back on what I am thankful for, as well as foster a dog in need. Due to Covid-19, my family and I stayed home this year and made our own food, whereas we would usually go to a friend's house. We had roasted chicken, sweet potatoes with marshmallow, homemade bread, and more. 2020 has been a rollercoaster, and during the break I reflected back and realized how lucky I am to have my family. All in all, Thanksgiving break was awesome and stress-free, and allowed me to realize what I'm thankful for.

#35 strange Thanksgiving dishes in each state

 I looked up frog eye salad from Colorado, and it turns out that they don't actually use real frog eye. It's a type of pasta topped with canned fruits, egg custard, and whipped topping. My family doesn't really have any special Thanksgiving foods, but my favorite food that my dad makes is sweet potato with toasted marshmallows on top. It's super good and it's my favorite Thanksgiving dish of all time. I'm perfectly fine with our thanksgiving meal, and don't think anything about it needs to be changed. Turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, etc. are really delicious in my opinion.

#34 Tales From the Teenage Cancel Culture

 Yar, Sanam and Engel Bromwich, Jonah "Tales from the Teenage Cancel Culture" The New York Times 2 November 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/style/cancel-culture.html

The first article really stood out to me, as the person who "cancelled" others did it because she felt that what they were doing was wrong. I think that it is totally reasonable for her to do so, because after all, the song they were listening to was sung by a person "known for being a pedophile" and many other things. As a black woman, it was really uncomfortable to her.

I have "cancelled" multiple people in my life, but not for very big situations. I think that it is ok for me to do, because if I'm not comfortable around them then I don't wanna talk and be with them. Most of the times though, I will give people a second chance.

#33 Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine: Things You Need to Know

 Zimmer, Carl and Thomas, Katie "Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine: Things You Need to Know"  The New York Times 10 November 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine?surface=home-discovery-vi-prg&fellback=false&req_id=590299614&algo=identity&imp_id=758991495&action=click&module=Science%20%20Technology&pgtype=Homepage

I feel hopeful about the news of the Covid-19 vaccine, because maybe things will go back to how they were before and I won't have to be cooped up in my house 24/7. What surprised me most about the vaccine is how fast it got produced, because I was expecting it to take longer and have a lot of problems needed to be fixed, but according to the article "The early analysis suggests the vaccine is 90 percent effective" (Zimmer). That is a really high number considering we've only been in quarantine for around six months and they have already produced this vaccine. Some potential issues of the vaccine may be that it could have side effects on the human or it may not be accessible to everyone.

#32 Where do we go from here?

 https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007442400/biden-trump-presidential-election.html?smid=pl-share

As of November 9th, President Trump still hasn't conceded the election, and wants all the votes to be counted. I think that he should just accept that he had lost this election, because Joe Biden won it by a landslide. I think that many Trump supporters will be mad that he lost, and probably start protesting but eventually things will settle down and they will accept that former vice president Joe Biden is now their president.

I hope that the new administration will put COVID-19 first, because while there are many problems, coronavirus appears to be the most alarming due to the amount of deaths and a new lifestyle. I think that because Joe Biden got elected, more people will have their rights and the country will be more equal, and he will also do something about climate change.

#31 DOOMSCROLLING

 I do doomscroll, and I think that it has affected me a lot because I don't go outside that much anymore and do fun stuff. I go swimming from Monday-Thursday, but that's pretty much it. I sometimes go on a walk with my family on the weekends but that's mostly it. Something that I really enjoy doing to reduce my screen time and actually be involved with something is fostering dogs, but homework and other things have come in the way so I only do it sometimes. I think that doomscrolling is a pretty unhealthy habit that's super addicting, but I try my best to do other things.

#30 election reflection

 I think that the election is really important, as it determines the fate of our entire country. The election will really affect everyone in the US, and other countries too. I predict that Joe Biden will win, but things could change really you never know because things can happen. I'm worried mostly about women's rights, LGBTQ, BLM, abortion rights, COVID-19, and many other things, but at the moment mostly COVID-19. I hope that if Biden wins, then he could handle the situation much more professionally and with more care.

#29 Music’s Dirty Secret: Censorship Is Good Business

 Sisario, Ben "Music’s Dirty Secret: Censorship Is Good Business" The New York Times 27 October 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/arts/music/clean-versions-explicit-songs.html

I prefer the unedited version of a song, mainly because the edited version sounds weird and I'm fine with songs having bad words and other stuff because it's just a song. Even the article states that "A golden age of self-censorship followed, with profanities and violent lyrics often simply deleted — leaving hit songs dotted with brief silences, like holes. 'We used to call it Swiss cheese'"(Sisario). My parents don't really have any rules to what I listen to, mostly because I usually don't listen to songs with bad words and I listen to chill songs. I think that the parents should make decisions to what their kids listen to, but also give them a little freedom.

#28 Americans Surge to Polls: ‘I’m Going to Vote Like My Life Depends on It’

 Corasantiti, Nick and Saul, Stephanie "Americans Surge to Polls: ‘I’m Going to Vote Like My Life Depends on It’" The New York Times 31 October 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/us/politics/early-voting.html

When I am old enough, I will vote, and I will vote every four years. I think voting is important because according to the article, "public polls showed the two candidates engaged in a tight race... Mr. Trump over Hillary Clinton by five points"(Corasantiti). Although one vote may not make that huge of an impact, added up together will help a lot. Voting is a great way for your voice to be heard which is why I will vote. I think that so many people have voted in this election already because like me, they want their opinion to matter.