from the start, i knew that one of the best things about weblogging was that, even long after the Internet Classrooms and summer at ATDP ended, i would still be able to get a good sense of where you are and what you're doing in your lives as students, teenagers, or just regular humans, being.

and that belief has certainly been borne out... i continue to be in awe of the things you share about yourselves, and of your abilities to stamp on this medium the details -- both large or small, ecstatic or painful, colorful or monochromatic -- of your lives. the sense i'm getting of how things are going for you is a deep and abiding one; and hopefully a continuing one as you keep and maintain your weblogs. and for this i feel privileged, grateful and appreciative. so here, forthwith, is a list of some recent weblogs that i've found particularly poignant and inspiring...

Fed on his trip to the Amazonian village of Yurinachi:

I didn’t come to Peru just to work on Proyecto Plata –– I came to escape from the often-suffocating atmosphere of Marin County, California, where the pretentiousness is so thick and the social elite so defined that a high school senior who doesn’t own a car (i.e. myself) is grossly out of place.

Kati on life as a hospital volunteer, etc.:

working at the hospital sucks now. my supervisor comes more often than usual and now we never know when she's coming. well actually we do...it's always when shari seems to be telling some weird ass story about touchin some hot guy's chest and she says it really loud so mary hears us "being loud" and shit and "doesn't yell" and "doesn't want to nag" or whatever.

Bigi on the desire for uniqueness:

well now that i actually think about it -- is uniqueness really so important? i mean it sure is good to have a unique character, a unique style, a unique life, and it always is good to stand out among other people -- but then how good it is also, to be a common person etc?
(...and Damien's response)

Cousin Maria on cheating in school:

Now that I am in college, my curiousity about this "phenomena" has increased. Why do students cheat? How often are they caught? Are they ever caught at all? What are the different punishments meted out to those who are caught? How can this be avoided? What has been done by schools to stop this problem?

Cole on optimism, breaking up, and how life's a funny thing:

the irony of tonight is insane. after i finished writing the weblog seen above, i called molly. i came into the conversation, with the idea that everything was back to normal... as you can see above. that weblog is a perfect example of how powerful optomism actually is. we talked and talked... it was inevitable. we could not deny the problems that we faced anymore... it just wasn't working.
(...and Molly's response)

Giancarlo on dealing with physical pain:

now many of us can not deal w/ physical pain very well, but then there are the few of us who can deal w/ pain well and the rare breed that actually like pain. i fall into the last 2 categories. i can deal w/ pain very well and in some cases i liek pain and do not mind it being unleashed on me. but how is is that i can deal w/ great amounts of pain? (or what seems to others as great amounts of pain?) well let me explain that.

Evi on the question Why are grades so important?

It has been almost a month since I started school, and so far i've had about 15 tests, more than what I usually have, but I like the challenge. At times I feel overwhelmed by Lowell and its competitiveness because at Lowell my effort is sometimes not enough. Lowell is somehow bad because it's making students think that they're only as good as there grades. Every student is trying to get good grades and perfect scores because it's what expected of them, but in the end do grades really matter?

Ozzie on how people don't know how to laugh at jokes any more:

I have to bring this up again, but Howard Stern is misunderstood and in my mind one of the smartest, funniest, and most entertaining people today. I have earned a reputation that if you see me in the morning at UHS with head-phones on, I'm listening to Howard Stern. The regular question of 'Howard Stern?' is usually accompanied by a silent nod from me, only to be continued by either a smile or chuckle, or in the worst cases, a blank look or one of slight disgust.

Jorge on how he has the prettiest eyes ^_^ :

(the title says it all and if you don't believe him--or the students who voted for him--check out this picture from last summer then:)

{ net.casting }
^