Listen Up! Youth Media Network

"If I was going to survive, something was going to have to change...and it wasn't going to be me."

What does it mean to talk back? The videos I watched were about teenagers and sexuality. One of the prominent videos walked the viewer through the life of a teen named Matty, who questioned the sex of which he was born, and the appropriate gender expression that sex dictated (male; masculine). He was identified by his grandmother as being "feminine' since at least four years old. He stated that he has always felt different, rather, isolated, from those around him. The gender he was supposed to be did not match the gender he feels comfortable expressing, and e wants viewers to know that this is OK. Today, he appears comfortable expressing himself and urges others to accept all people as unique individuals rather then categorize, stereotype, and outcast those that are different from yourself.

Matty's Video- "The Walk Through Closet"

Listen Up! Does it talk back?

After navigating the Listen Up! website for a while, I noticed something unique. Compared to the majority of YouTube and adult media depictions of teens, these teens had a different message to deliver about themselves. They want viewers to see them as real. They were not trying to sell an image. Rather, they were talking from their hearts. I watched videos on teens and drugs, one in particular about teens and nicotine dependence. These series of 17- year -olds were not trying to look cool or show off for the camera. They were talking about the real life, day to day struggles they face with their addiction. They said things like "I wish I could stop", and they were aware of the negative side effects, yet they still found themselves smoking. This doesn't sound like an adults portrayal of teens and smoking to me.
In addition to teens and drugs, there were videos on suicide, sexuality, and even one about teens as digital natives. Listen Up! is a portal for teens to post real-life autobiographies with one another. Its an outlet where teens can connect through shared experiences and learn about those of other teens. It houses diversity and generates open mindedness in a safe space. Teens really share their personal stories and analyses in a remarkable way here-in a way we have not seen much of this semester until now.

Final Project-Teens and social class

Here is our group: Katrina, Jess and Elena and I. We are investigating the relationship between teens and social class, and the way media portrays this relationship, both from an introspective and observational perspective. We will be using video clips from "People Like Us"- one of which is called Tammy's story, and we will be comparing this media to another media clip from the film for some contrast. We will also be utilizing a handful of analytical pieces from Jean Anyon and Gregory Mantsios to pick apart the constructs media chose to emphasize in this film, and also to highlight the oppressive (or very beneficial) nature of social class orientation with regards to education and social/cultural capital.
Here is the entire video segment on YouTube (it was too large to embed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8VXrHeLqBA

Youth & Social Networking - Henry Jenkins interview

I enjoyed reading this interview between Henry Jenkins and Danna Boyd. I was unaware of the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) prior to reading the information contained in their interview. In my opinion, I agree with the two of them. Access to online networking sites offers a host of supplemental resources to the education setting. From interactive sites like Blogger and Wikispaces, teachers can expand on topics derived in class. Such modes of expansion include furthered outside conversation within classmates and teacher, supplemental video/text that can be easily accessed and posted/discussed by everyone, and those who are less likely to speak out in class have a chance to post their ideas. By passing the DOPA legislation, all of this valuable education is likely to be lost, rather then expanded upon. DOPA legislation is also cl assist to a certain extent, because it limits the access to public spaces in Federally Funded locations, I.E. schools and libraries. Kids who use these means to communicate will be disconnected, leaving only those privileged enough to have a computer in their homes. The poverty stricken, lower, and working classes should not have to suffer through another act of oppression in the classroom, which is what this law would be perpetuating.

In regards to the central point of the legislature, the "Predator"t, I think this part of the interview sums this up sufficiently:

"Predators do not use online information to abduct children; children face a much higher risk of abduction or molestation from people they already know – members of their own family or friends of the family. Statistically speaking, kids are more at risk at a church picnic or a boy scout outing than they are when they go on MySpace. Less than .01% of all youth abductions nationwide are stranger abductions and as far as we know, no stranger abduction has occurred because of social network services. The goal of a predator is to get a child to consent to sexual activities. Predators contact teens (online and offline) to start a conversation. Just as most teens know to say no to strange men who approach them on the street, most know to ignore strange men who approach them online."

The article argues that the 86 million people (mainly teens and young adults) who use sites like MySpace and Facebook are very safe in their navigation through these sites, and that kids use the same common sense while online as they would offline. Fear is a powerful agonist; just a small dose is enough to diffuse like wildfire in a country that has grown accustomed to being on edge-in our country. It would be a shame to lose such valuable, thought provoking resources like the above mentioned to such an exsaderated, unrealistic fear.

Teens in the news!

1)ORANGE COUNTY- Teen sends 14, 528 texts in one month
1/13/2009
This 13 year old girl sent these messages, which average about 1 text every two minutes of awake time. While this may seem less drastic then the whopping total of 14,528, think about it like this: This girl is in school for the majority of that "awake" time, which has people speculating about how much she is learning while in classes. It also has people judging her parents, saying that they are unfit if they allow this girl to continue to have access to a cell phone. Lucky for her parents, they have her on a plan with unlimited text messaging!
---> referring back to "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants", we know that teens these days communicate more through technology then through personal conversations. Based on this article, how excessive is this case? Is it common for this age group? Just like the teen who can listen to their IPOD while studying, can a teenager text this frequently and still be learning as much as someone who isn't? Should cell phones be allowed in school?
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/teen-girl-sends-14528-text-messages-in-a-single-month-20090113/

2)IDAHO-Teen charged with the murder of her parents
8/2008
16 year old Sarah Johnson was convicted of shooting her parents to death. The reason: They prevented her from seeing an older guy, who was 19 years old at the time. He was a Mexican illigal immigrant from the poor side of town. He also allegedly sold drugs and dropped out of school, according to the article. Sarah's friends didn't understand why she would be interested in such a guy, and neither did her parents, which is why they threatened to go to the police if he went near her again. They never made it to the police station.
---> We talked in class about the underdeveloped parts of teenagers' brains, particularly the frontal lobes, particularly the prefrontal cortex. This area can be thought of as the executive center of the brain -- the part of the brain that's responsible for planning, organizing, anticipating the consequences of one's actions. Could this be a defense for the actions of this 16 year old?
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3451371&page=1

3)NEW JERSEY- Girl posts nude pics, is charged with kid porn
3/27/2009
A 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been accused of child pornography after posting nearly 30 explicit nude pictures of herself on MySpace.com — charges that could force her to register as a sex offender if convicted.The teen, whose name has not been released because of her age, was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. She was released to her mother's custody.
If convicted of the distribution charge, she would be forced to register with the state as a sex offender under Megan's Law, said state Attorney General Anne Milgram. She also could face up to 17 years in jail, though such a stiff sentence is unlikely.Some observers — including the New Jersey mother behind the creation of Megan's Law — are criticizing the trend of prosecuting teens who send racy text messages aka "sext" messages, or post illicit photos of themselves.
Maureen Kanka — whose daughter, Megan, became the law's namesake after she was raped and killed at age 7 in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender — blasted authorities for charging the 14-year-old girl.
---> Do you think that charging a teenager who voluntarily posts pictures of themselves on the Internet(or texts these pictures to others) should be charged with distribution of child pornography? Registered as a sex offender?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29912729/

Teens in the Media Picture Presentation

"19 minutes" by Jodi Picoult

I just finished reading this amazingly riveting novel, and I was struck by how much of the book's content can be related to the topics discussed in class. One of the main themes of this book is bullying, and most of the characters unveiled are teenagers. The reader is taken back in time and discovers the horrors associated with being bullied, and learns of the everlasting effects that it has on its victims. While this is a fiction novel, it raises the argument that the effects of one single act of bullying, harassing, or tormenting can be as devastating and detrimental on the victim as an act of sexual assault. In this novel, we get to know Peter, a compassionate, emotional and sensitive boy, whom his mother describes as having "all of the desireable characteristics of a 35 year old man". The only trouble she said, was getting him to that point so he and his peers could realize it. We travel with Peter from birth through age 18, and we empathize with him because he is the kid who never fit in; the kid who is the target of physical, verbal and emotional harassment; the kid who shot 10 people dead at his high school one morning. We begin to understand how a boy could be capable of executing such a horrific act; how anyone could be capable of executing such a horrific act. We learn of the events that took place that fateful morning through the lens of a judge, a defense attorney, a detective, a mother, a father, a best friend, a bully, and Peter himself. This book is full of gray areas just itching to be discussed. How far would you go to be popular? How far would you go to avoid being the "Peter" of your school? How far does bullying go? Who stops it? Are Peter's parents to blame? Is the school?

"Fast Forward" -Lauren Greenfield

I really loved her photographs portraying teens in their natural environments. From smoking in the bathroom, to nitrous oxide hits in the bathroom stalls, aka "whip its", to thirteen year old girls keeping track of their weight, and thirteen year old boys dancing with go-go girls, nose jobs (for girls) and bling (for guys), it was really amazing to see components of everyday teenage life uniquely captured through Greenfield's lens. Monotonous, everyday teenage life-pulled apart and analyzed; creating the illusion that these photographs are unique and risky, when they are really just a part of "being a teenager".

Just as a side note, this passage made me imagine what it would be like if adults were as consumed with new life experiences as teens typically are... How intriguing it would be to enter into a new "puberty" of sorts through the ages of adulthood. Physically, cognitevly and emotionally changing and growing as rapidly as teenagers do...Building foundations of meaning that only a plethora of experience can solidify or destroy. Oh if the naiivity that comes with youth could be granted again... anyways, back to topic....

"The explosion of the Internet and its integral place in education and teen socializing makes the filtering of mature content from children a near impossibility."

Now some of these photos captured rebellious and experimental behaviors that are usually experienced by teens behind closed doors. These are things that we assume teens do (either because we as adults can remember doing them or we have knowledge that it is being done in today's youth-a "fad") but we don't actually condone these bahaviors or see them do it. We can't see them do it, because they are usually illegal activities, sexually risky or deviant, dangerous, emotional or what have you else. None the less, these are the things that teens tell us about when they are much older, when they are laughable and labeled as "part of being a teenager". These are the things they joke with their friends, about yielding reactions and memories starting with "I can't believe we did that...". These are the experiences teens share that solidify lifelong friendships; a part of growing together; a time of "firsts".

Moving past the photos specifically depicting teens, I want to discuss the photos of the young children (aged 5-10). These kids are examples of the "Getting older younger" phenomenon, as Greenfield describes, meaning that teens and youth are being influenced by media at a younger age. Actually, let me rephrase that. Media is strategically targeting these kids at a younger age, and the whole process continues to perservere unabaded. Greenfield used the example of her own son, just three years old, who is already familiar with characters on TV and song lyrics that he has not been exposed to at home. Some of the younger kids in the photos are very aware of their physical image, their social capital (through their parents), and have a growing sense of entitlement. Basically, those who are priviledged know they are priviledged.

---> after reading Greenfield, I have a much better sense of what I want to look for in my teen photo project. I don't feel like I'm going into it as blindly as before.

---> i want to see more photos from a more diverse population! Perhaps some more international photos and inner city class comparison photos. Even though Greenfield said that there is a great deal of overlap cross-culturally, I want to see it for myself! Also, it might be fun to see similar activities (birthdays, graduations, work, ect) being depicted across class and gender lines.

Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld

Very interesting read!
The story begins with an ambiguous girl named Lee who has been thrown into a completely new and unfamiliar culture. She moved from small town, Indiana to a private, wealthy boarding school. (Ault) which she attends on a scholarship. Lee suffers from a culture shock; lacking the social, cultural and economic capital necessary to fit in to this very wealthy upper class institution. She comes off as awkward, sexually ambiguous, and confused. As I read, I really felt somewhat anxious at times (when she was reading her architecture report to the class) intrigued, and confused-much like I was experiencing life through the eyes of a teenager again. On top of the normal teenage anguish and alienation that is expected, Lee's experience is multiplied by her situation. We watch Lee struggle as she tries to adapt new social skills, which force her to completely reconstruct her old set of skills that have proven to be non transferable and useless in this environment. She is a foreigner in every way at this school.

"It had already been obvious to me that I was different from them, but I'd imagined I could lie low for a while, getting a sense of them, then reinvent myself in their image. Now I'd been uncovered. " (P. 6)

Only upon meeting Gates does she attempt to try and fit in somehow. She sees Gates as someone in the middle; not too popular, yet not too unpopular. She can talk to her and learn from her, which she does. Despite learning that flowers are good and ear piercings signify femininity, Lee is discovering her sexuality. Upon meeting Gates for example, she describes her as "very attractive: not pretty exactly, but striking, or maybe handsome." This really made me laugh because, yet again, I was reminded of high school and the process of figuring out your own identity, and how you identify with others. This mixed up description shows that Lee is bonding to another person for the first time at school, and is left confused by her connection to Gates (the line between attraction and friendship can be tricky when your a teen). Of couse, we learn later in the text that this attractive quality she sees in Gates is just simply rooted in friendship, as evidenced by her "real sexual attraction" to Cross.

----->I was confused by the term prefects' while I was reading. I'm not sure what this means when it is used to describe the other students at Ault.

----->I would like to tlak more in class about identifying with the character. I know I identified with the feeling of being a lost teenager in a new place while reading this story, and I would interested in seeing how the class related too, if at all. Its not everyday that we remember what it was like to live as a teen.

Comments on Marco McWilliams and the film "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhythms"

Class was packed full of interesting discussion. Marco first drew us into the fact that hip hop is a part of everyone's life, and has some impact on us all, even if we don't realize it. He also cleared up the difference between rap and hip hop- rap consists of vocals and hip hop is a lifestyle; a culture- 2 very different things. He told us about block parties, and how crucial they are in the developement of hip hop as part of black culture. Block parties are community parties that were born from urban communities that had little private outdoor space. He referred to them as cookouts that the whole block is a part of, and, more importantly, participates in. There is no discriminatiing involved in who is invited; the guests are your neighbors and community members. People meet eachother, hang out, socialize, and have a genuine interest in getting to know one another. He told us that the suburbs rarely have block parties because they have big yards and want privitization of leisure. In the urban communities, homes are very close together, there are more multi-family residences, there is little/no yard, porches are extended outward, and people are more forethcoming publically. There is no desire to seclude oneself away from neighbors and everyone else.

---> a noteoworthy part of this discussion was how class jumps across racial lines when it comes to the topic of block parties. Even the wealthier black suburban neighborhoods are significantly less likely to know their neighbors and partake in block parties compared to those who live in urban communities.



--->What does it mean when someone in the minority is referred to as acting "white"? Does that mean that they stray away from the stereotypical behaviors (and perceived class) of their minority group? Is that the term given to minorities who are successful in this country? For example: Is that a term used to describe a black person who lives in the suburbs and/or is college educated?


A story to go along with this topic that was brought up in class discussion:
I have a friend who is half Dominican and half Puerto Rican. She lives in East Greenwich, and I have heard her joke around about being "the whitest Spanish girl ever". TO her, it seems as though there is a marginalization, or a "disconnect" she feels when she visits her Puerto Rican family members. She says its because she doesn't know Spanish, she doesn't have the same sense of "Puerto Rican pride" that they seem to share, and she doesn't refer to herself as "ghetto" like she sometimes refers to them.



Marco led us in discussing about how racism and sexism are represented in the larger society, and are not born out of hip hop. The U.S. is a culture of violence. Hip hop was born in the displaced ghettos; the war zones. It was a response to the systematic violence forced onto a people.

"The violent man", as described in the video, is a metaphor for manhood and masculinity, symbolized through several things, like the visual and audio references to the gun. "Are black men trying to deny or defend their own frailty?"
The "hip hop music videos today are filled with violent hypermasculinity. An example of this is depicted through physicality. Black men elicit perceived power through body posture, and white men elicit perceived power through intellect.

'BET is the cancer of black manhood in the world"

Feminization of other men to make them seem powerless was discussed in the video s well. 50 cent was used as an example, when he called Ja Rule out for being a "bitch ass ni**a" for crying in his music video. There is no room for femininity or emotion that depicts anything but power and hardness in black hip hop videos. Also, when it comes to homosexuality, it became evident that the rap artists are aware of the fact that they are appealing to both sexes, even though they don't admit it. The homo eroticism that is evident through "greased up bodies and shirts off, as well as through sagging pants-which comes from being in jail and not being allowed a belt.
Further, it was noteworthy to learn that the corporate executives to many hip hop labels are white men in suits. These are the men who make the ultimate decisions, the men whose signatures are on the checks of the rap artists. These are the men in the most control; they are profiting off of the violent, ignorant depictions of the suffrage of the black race in music videos.

Tricia Rose, Author of THe Hip Hop Wars (Text)

"Radio is killing hip hop..."



"...community regulation in early hip hop." I like this part of the text. Rose tells us that the block parites that gave rise to the hip hop culture acted to regulate the culture itself because of the array of generations of people that were present and who played an active role in it. She said that young MC's and lyricists would not get away with the vulgarity that fills the mainstream hip hop world today because of this regulation in content.

more on this piece to come...

Hip Hops's Herstory -Tricia Rose

"...commercialized mainstream hip hop further marginalized and under appreciated the complexity of women's participation...leaving more space for men, but also limiting their representation. Women MC's must must fit into a very narrow mold"

The audio commentary by Tricia Rose was brief, but thought provoking. She explained the difference between an MC(vocals) and a lyricist(writer), and that the two are not always the same person behind whats heard. She says that "women need to answer back", meaning women have to address their relationship to their sexuality in mainstream commercialized hip hop. Whether this is through a tough, "gangsta" persona--Eve, being portrayed as a sexual vixen--Lil Kim, Trina, or through a masculine/controlling/dominant persona--Missy Elliot. Rose explains that hip hop like Salt N Peppa and TLC-hip hop that was sexually empowering for women, has fallen through the cracks and is left outside the commercialized hip hop market of today. I remember growing up listening to these musicians and even I can see how much the lyrical content has changed. It seems like it was so gradual that it almost went unnoticed.

Rose also talks about "Hypersexualization". Women are hypersexualized in music videos all of the time. They are always seen as sex objects, and they are always surrounding the very few dominant males, and focusing their every bit of attention on them. Sometimes their faces' are cut out of the scene, leaving behind their scantily clad bodies as focus points. Often times, the men are seen grabbing, staring, slapping, and seemingly harassing these women. However, the women don't seem to mind, so it's all OK. All of the males in music videos are overly dominant; they are showing off their money, guns, cars, muscles and bling, and they show little respect for their female counterparts. These videos send the message that men are in control and women are only there to please them.

"Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" -Marc Prensky

The late 20th-21st century singularity that makes today's K-college students fundamentally different from those the educational system was designed to teach; digital technology. 

"...our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language."

To start off, I loved this reading! Even though I can't relate to this point the author makes directly from an educator's perspective, I can say that I find that, as a student, it is easier to learn (and much more fascinating and engaging) when professors incorporate digital media into their classroom (and further discussions outside the classroom through Blogger, Wiki spaces, and other interactive online websites) as part of lessons and interaction between students themselves and student/teacher. This interactive co facilitation among students and teachers encourages further expansion of ideas brought up in class, helps those students who are less likely to verbalize their ideas feel comfortable communicating, and really seems to bring the learning atmosphere to life. This is the new age of learning. The professors who are still doing straight lectures (and even straight powerpoints at this stage of the game) are not going to engage their digital age students like they could if they were using some of these more advanced modes of communication , and, in turn, students suffer because they are bored, leading to less retention of material in a meaningful and applied way. Students' attention spans are growing shorter because technology is so instant now. They are not used to waiting or being patient anymore. They want their information now, and don't want to waste any time. They connect to a learning environment that incorporates digital media because it parallels what they are comfortable with. Students need to be constantly challenged with multiple tasks and educated in a multitude of ways to stay engrossed in the lesson at hand. 

We live in a society of NOW.

A society that wants it faasteer...

A society that wants to communicate instant message style

It won't settle for snail mail or dial up ever again

it demands the NEWest... the best

It demands wireless and automatic everything

Everyone walks around plugged in

Disconnected from the world surrounding them...

or are they?

-> I understood all of the points the author was making. He was clear and concise, and explained himself well if he thought his idea or vocabulary could be confusing. His writing seemed to be addressed directly to the teenagers who were at the forefront of the digital age, and who seem to be the most impacted by the educational system that is designed for pre-digital age learning. 

->This text is an excellent follow up to Thomas Hines. This text serves to show that teenagers are.. I love how Prensky refers to being knowledgeable in digital technology as a language, and that this language is not native to those "immigrants" who have not grown up with it, thus causing conflict. I would like to talk more about this language in class.

"The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager" -Thomas Hine

Some quotes I found to be insightful from the reading:

"...teenagers' priciple occupation is to adapt, to find a place in life"

This sums up an unconcious desire that many teenagers are on a quest for. I can only speak from personal opinion and observation, but it does seem to be that teenagers are constantly struggling to fit in wherever they can. Sometimes its with the wrong crowd, sometimes its with people who share a similar hobby, and sometimes its with someone whom the teen lusts becasue of a socially acceptable quality (the cool guy, the pretty girl, the jock..ect) , and the teen wants to be "just like them", because they are socially accepted.  Perhaps, as Hine's emphasizes, this is why teenagers seem to be so mysterious, unstable, unpredictable, and just plain bizarre. Its becasue they are constantly evolving, and constantly sampling new environments and behaviors to see what works best for them, and to see where they feel the most accepted. A lot of time as a teenager is spent worrying about what others think of you. Less is spent on worrying what you think of yourself; this comes later in life. 

"... all of us have been teenagers, and we ought to be experts on how teenagers tink. Oddly, few people can actually remember the experience."

I really liked this part of the reading. It made me stop and remeber what it was like for me as a teenager. I find that as the years go by, the memories (with some exceptions) become more distant and less explicit; the feelings and emotions they used to generate are slowly fading. The experiences (and feelings/cognitions/emotions linked to them) that were once novel and exciting are now becoming more routine or familiar, and, in a way, take a little something from the original memories. The fact that Hine states that his book began when he was a teenager made me really think about how much change has happened for me since then, and I can only imagine the changes that will take place once decades start going by. 

What is Media Literacy?

There are several websites chock full of definitions and explanations for the meaning behind "media literacy". A popular and widely accepted definition I found was as follows:

"Media literacy is an expanded information and communication skill that is responsive to the changing nature of information in our society. It addresses the skills students need to be taught in school, the competencies citizens must have as we consume information in our homes and living rooms, and the abilities workers must have as we move toward the 21st century and the challenges of a global economy."

Extracted from:

http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia/medialit/article.html#What is Media Literacy

However, to fully understand the complexity behind this pair of words is not going to be accomplished through reading a bunch of definitions. To me, media literacy began in our last class when we dissected Beauty & the Beast and the music video by Madonna. It began when I started seeing the images as highly complex and particular, as opposed to simple and entertaining. Media literacy begins when you notice this change, when you stop viewing images as simple entertainment, and when you start seeing the reasons why they were chosen in the first place. I used to watch films and feel my emotions act in accord with the images and sounds I was experiencing. Now, I find myself beginning to look deeper into the film. To read between the lines; to actively watch what my subconcious has been absorbing for all of these years. 

"Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us" -Christensen

Christenseen begins by opening our eyes to the "secret education" that children's books and movies portray. She describes these social blueprints as a "depiction of domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a weaker counterpart". Within the young viewer, this secret education transpires into a distorted "accepted knowledge"of the world, embedded and transferred through the seemingly innocent and happy stories they grow to love. The children who are watching are filled with stereotypes and misinformation without realizing what has happened.

Dorfman writes that "we are taught, more then anything, not to rebel".
While this may be true in certain stories, I find that several disney stories also teach just the opposite. While many protagonists in these films or stories suffer in some ways for rebelling, they almost certainly end up in a place of power or a place more desirable in the end. On the contrary, this end goal is often attained through magic or luck, and is motivated by love (Ariel living on land and getting married, Belle ending up with a prince, her library, and escaping the working class)

I can see why Justine was afraid to dissect the impact of media on her everyday thinking and on her dreams. I mean, several disney stories end with a "happily ever after" between a man and woman, which is probably why so many little girls dream of this perfect wedding with a perfect prince of a guy. This, understandably transfers into adulthood. If this implanted fantasy proves to be misconsrued, then this can cause great distress.

When I was 13...(Back in 97')

I was nerdy and awkward. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt. I was curious about eveything. I was amazed by people, especially really old people; their faces reflected experience that I was too young to understand. I had a boyfriend that meant the world to me, but I only saw him at school. I was always happy. I was shy around those I didn't know, but outgoing around those that I did. Titanic was a hit at the box office (I saw it seven times in the theater) but I couldn't decide at the time if I had a bigger crush on Leo or Kate. I loved TLC and Jewel. My friends and I made up an awesome dance to go along with Michael Jackson's "Black and White", and showed everyone who would pretend to care-repeatedly. I loved science and loved to examine random things under my microscope. I hated hot dogs and my big feet. I loved playing football and baseball. I loved to do do flips on my trampoline with my sister and my friends all day (until dinnertime, of course!). I loved to ride my bike. I loved to play outside with my friends. I didn't fully appreciate having dinner every night as a family. I was oblivious.