The Paw Print

     Recently I met a guy, a friend of my aunt’s actually; named Steven. Steven has full blown AIDS and has been living with the virus for 36 years. At first I did not know how to react. Obviously there isn’t a proper way or behavioral technique used around people with aids; they’re still just like us but sick. So as I noticed everyone in the room singling Steven out, I decided to speak to him. As I spoke to him, he had so much confidence that I felt a little intimidated. I wished I was that confident and down to earth when I first met someone. I would described Steven as funny, blunt, and simply real. He would not “sugarcoat a thing,” because he feels there is no reason to. He also told me not to fear anything, because I’ll live my whole life being scared and regretful. 
    It’s amazing how we take the simplest things for granted, like being able to get up and dance, something Steven wishes he could have done for 36 years. One thing that truly stuck with me was the moment that Steven asked me how was my day and I said, “it was ok I mean I can’t complain.” He then replied, “You can but no one will listen.” At first I thought , wow this guy is bitter . But then I thought about what Steven said and realized what he meant. Steven was saying that the small things that went “wrong” during my day are unimportant, because I’m healthy, happy, and still have my whole life ahead of me. So what is there to complain about without sounding unappreciative? That’s it- there is no answer. So if I learned anything from Steven, it’s live life, be happy, and do not let the little things upset you. And most importantly, be thankful.

    Recently I met a guy, a friend of my aunt’s actually; named Steven. Steven has full blown aids and has been living with the virus for 36 years. At first I did not know how to react, obviously there isn’t a proper way or behavioral technique used around people with aids; they’re still just like us but always sick. So as I noticed everyone in the room singling Steven out I decided to speak to him. As I started speaking to him he had such a reassurance of himself as an individual that I was intimidated. I wished I was that confident and down to earth when I first met someone. As we continued our conversation I described Steven as funny, blunt, and simply real. He would not “sugarcoat a thing” because he feels there is no reason to. He also told me not to fear a thing, because I’ll live my whole life being scared and regretful. It’s amazing how we take the simplest things for granted like being able to get up and dance, something Steven wishes he could have done for 36 years. One thing that truly stuck with me that Steven said was when he asked me how was my day , and I said “it was ok I mean I can’t complain” he then replied by saying ” you can but no one will listen” at first I thought , wow this guy is bitter . But then I thought about what Steven said and realized what he meant. Steven was saying that the small things that went “wrong” during my day are unimportant, because I’m healthy, happy, and still have my whole life ahead of me. So what is there to complain about without sounding unappreciative? That’s it there is no answer. So if I learned anything from Steven, it’s live life, be happy and do not let the little things upset you, and most importantly be thankful.

This past weekend I went to the free Celebrate Brooklyn music festival in Prospect Park. I watched performances by native Brooklyn rappers Joel Ortiz from the rap group Slaughterhouse and Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan as well as the rap group Boot Camp Click, which consisted of rappers: Sean Price, Rock, Smiff-n-Wessen and Heltah Skeltah. The turn out was successful; the performances were on point and left Prospect Park buzzing. These classic hip-hop performances were one out of a series of free concerts to celebrate the music culture  born in Brooklyn. The performer made it an important point to give the borough it’s recognition as their birth place, which made the concert feel authentic.

    Nowadays, if a trend isn’t completely ridiculous, it is most likely stupid. In my opinion, wearing sunglasses at night is a combination of both. For those who are unaware, sunglasses are made essentially to stop the rays emitted from the Sun from harming your eyes. The reason as to why people choose to wear them at night is beyond me. Recently, I’ve had a discussion with friends on what they thought of this trend, and many of them believe people do it to look cool. 
    After having this discussion, I took the liberty of doing intensive research on what would possibly make people think disregarding the purpose of an object and blatantly misusing it would be considered “cool”. While researching, I came to the not so surprising conclusion that this trend may have originated from celebrities. Despite this not being an absolute shocker, I’m sure you’re curious to know why. Well, at night when celebrities leave an event the flashes from cameras are enough to illuminate the night, and as a result, this is when their sunglasses come in handy. Interesting enough, is this still an excuse for an “ordinary” adult or teen to wear sunglasses where there is not a gleam of light aimed towards them? I’ll let you answer that on your own. However, my opinion remains unchanged. 

As all die-hard Harry Potter fans know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is coming out in New York, this Friday, at 12 AM. This last movie is not only going to be exciting, but deeply saddening as well, since it will bring the most successful movie franchise to a close. I, being one of those die-hard Harry Potter fans, have been spending this entire week reading up on the Harry Potter books, and though this is a series meant for an audience much younger than myself, I still couldn’t stop turning the pages. The books were of course an easy read for me, and it was a little embarrassing to be seen with it on the train, but I got over the embarrassment quickly. 

For the past 11 years my passion for dance, has led me to see numerous companies perform through out New York City. However, from a young age I have found ballet to be most enticing compared to other genres. With manhattan housing two world renown ballet companies American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, one may be uncertain when having to pick a favorite. However, Since my first viewings of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake at an early age, I have been entranced by the striking beauty and grace possessed by the New York City Ballet dancers. Since the conclusion of the New York City Ballet 2010-2011 season, I have long awaited to receive their new program schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. Its pages overlayed with veteran soloists and principal dancers such as Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sophia Scheller, Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, Amar Ramasar, Benjamin Millepied and many more. This season has a promising future featuring four world premiering ballets, one NYCB premier and three commissioned scores including Ocean’s Kingdom, featuring the music of Sir Paul McCartney. Despite these delightful new addtions I personally look forward to George Balenchine’s Jewels, a childhood favorite. Inspired by a trip made my Balenchine to Van Cleef and Arpels, the dancers gracefully glide across the stage to scores of Stravinsky and Tschiakovsky. Their costumes coated in Emeralds, Rubies, and diamonds mesmerize the audience, reflecting Balenchine’s regal Russian heritage. Rest assured that I will be a regular visitor of the Koch Theater (the home of NYCB) to see other favorites including The Four Tempermants, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, Romeo and Juliet, and of course the annual Nutcracker. 

    For the past 11 years, my passion for dance has led me to see numerous companies perform through out New York City. However, from a young age I have found ballet to be the most enticing compared to other genres. With Manhattan housing the two world renown ballet companies American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, one may be uncertain when having to pick a favorite. However, Since watching my first performances of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake at an early age, I have been entranced by the striking beauty and grace possessed by the New York City Ballet dancers. 
    Since the conclusion of the New York City Ballet 2010-2011 season, I have patiently waited to receive their new program schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. Its pages are overlayed with veteran soloists and principal dancers such as Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sophia Scheller, Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, Amar Ramasar, Benjamin Millepied and many more. This season has a promising future. This season is featuring four world premiering ballets, one NYCB premier, and three commissioned scores including Ocean’s Kingdom, featuring the music of Sir Paul McCartney. 
    Despite these delightful new additions, I personally look forward to George Balenchine’s Jewels, a childhood favorite. Inspired by a trip made my Balenchine to Van Cleef and Arpels, the dancers gracefully glide across the stage to scores of Stravinsky and Tschiakovsky. Their costumes coated in Emeralds, Rubies, and diamonds mesmerize the audience, reflecting Balenchine’s regal Russian heritage. Rest assure that I will be a regular visitor of the Koch Theater (the home of NYCB) to see other favorites, including The Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, Romeo and Juliet, and of course the annual Nutcracker. Even if you are not a dancer yourself, I highly recommend going to any of NYCB’s performances, because they are guaranteed to leave you eternally enchanted.

I know I should be mad, furious, and disgusted by the look of John. The nerve of him to live under the same roof as his family without confessing to anything after the despicable act he has committed with Abigail Williams. If his meetings with Abigail were nothing, then why hasn’t he mentioned them to me? I know I am not able to be the perfect wife to him, but by doing so he has placed me in an all time low. He has committed adultery in the eyes of society.
     However, John is not only at fault. I believe doing such an act was a mutual decision, therefore Abigail cannot be viewed as a child. Is he the only man in all of Salem that caught Abigail’s eyes? I beg to differ. I trusted her and this is what she gave me in return. She had permanently created a rift in my marriage, a rift that most likely will never be repaired. Why commit the sin when you know there are clearly consequences for your actions? Why commit the sin when there’s nothing to gain from it in the future? Why be selfish and ruin the lives of others? All these questions are bundled inside, but I cannot ignore the sinking feeling inside my chest. I feel alone, despite being amongst others. I clearly understand what’s going on. My conscience tells me to follow the facts, while my heart tells me something else. Facing the truth is hard enough, let alone reality. This pain is unbearable. However, I cannot reveal what is in my heart to anyone. No, I must put on a brave face for others and more importantly for myself. I must take the right action, because I need to think about my children as well. They shall not feel the burden their father has placed on the family. If anyone has to regret it, it will be John. 

Micaela Siegel is a 16- year- old girl from Roosevelt Island. She attends the New York City Lab School and has been passionate about dance for 10 years. For lunch she enjoys exploring the Chelsea Market and seeking what delectable food is available. An interesting fact about Micaela is that her godfather is is the Chancellor of CUNY. She enjoys musicals and her favorite musical is Moulin Rouge featuring her favorite actor, Ewan McGregor. Her favorite sport to watch is ice hockey – she’s a huge rangers fan. She has a step brother and sister, and a half brother. She maintains an A- average even with her busy schedule. She loves clothes and her favorite place to shop is Urban Outfitters.