Quarantine Journal

Friday 3-20-20

Today I went for a walk with my family and there was not a lot of people outside. The amount of cars on the road are minimal. My family is beginning to get on my nerves as a week has gone by without seeing a lot of my friends. We played Clue last night and my dad won all three games and I wanted to kill him because we are a very competitive family. Many of the restaurants around our house are closed or doing carryout only. I went to pick up dinner last night for my family and downtown Wilmette was a ghost town.  After finishing my homework this past week I’ve been very bored because there is nothing to do. This past week has been my first week of remote learning and the transition has been fine. I feel like I don't learn as much as real school, but I am still learning things. I am excited for spring break next week even though I’m not going anywhere.

Monday 4-6-20

Today I woke up and wanted to sleep till noon, my bed felt so comfortable but I knew that I had to get up for school. I got up and headed to my kitchen to eat some breakfast with my family. My mom found this website called GoldBelly, it delivers food from all of the most popular restaurants in the country straight to your door. My mom is from New York, so she order 26 New York Bagels from the website and they came last night. When I ate the bagel, it was the perfect combination of chewy and hard. I have been doing well in school and I like e-learning way better than actual school. But, I do miss seeing my friends at school everyday. Grades are very inflated right now and it made my grades way better and I like how I can get up at 8:30 everyday and check in from my bed. The News is saying that the school year will probably be canceled for the rest of the year and I feel bad for all of the Seniors because they don’t get to have a graduation or anything special when they are leaving.

Wednesday 4-8-20  

Today, I had a very light day of school, so I decided to play a lot of video games. My favorite game at the moment is MLB 20. I have been playing it a lot recently and I would say that I am pretty good at the game. I didn’t have a lot of homework today so I went for a walk and we talked about sports and how we miss them. We talked about the new Bulls documentary coming out that is about their dynasty and what they accomplished during it. I’m very bored at home because I can’t go anywhere or do anything. We had Barnaby’s for dinner tonight and it was good. My dad grew up on it so it was very nostalgic for him to be eating it. We played a board game after dinner and I won which is a big deal because my dad usually wins them.

Friday 4-10-20

Today, I went for a walk with my family again, I am starting to get tired of the quarantine and not seeing people. I’m cooking dinner for my family tonight and I’m making Chicken Parm. My family loves Italian food and we have many recipes in our book that are Italian. The Government hasn’t said much about the corona virus but they might make it mandatory to wear masks in the supermarket. I've been to the supermarket a couple of times during the quarantine and I always cover my mouth with my sweatshirt or hood. When I walked at Indian Hill yesterday, so many people were out and about walking together. People that clearly aren’t living in the same house are not keeping six feet apart and it makes not sense because this is how the virus is spreading so fast.    

Monday 4-20-20

Today, I woke up at 8:20 and I made myself breakfast. I made 4 eggs and some toast. After breakfast, I went up to my room to finish my history homework before the class started. I had a lighter day in school today so I played basketball with my dad after I finished. We played horse and then just shot around. He beat me in horse but it was a very close game. After basketball, I came inside and made myself lunch then went for a drive so I could jam to some tunes.

Wednesday 4-22-20

Today, I had a very heavy school day, so I really didn't do a lot other than school, I had 5 academic classes and homework I had to finish up from Tuesdays classes. After I finished everything, I went for a walk with my dad and we talked about the upcoming NFL Draft. I think that the ratings for the Draft will be insane because of the lack of sports on right now. I am looking forward to the next two episodes of the Michael Jordan documentary because it is very good. Also, we found out that the stay at home order is extended into May. I am started to get very bored of my house and my family because I have to put up with them everyday.

Friday 4-24-20

Today, I woke up very excited because it's Friday and I don't have to do any school work this weekend. I am about to finish the show that I have been watching for the past couple of months and I am going to feel empty when the show ends because I've been watching it for so long. It's called How to Get Away With Murder. I'm going to have to start another show after this one because of the lack of entertainment at the moment. If they dropped all of the Micheal Jordan Documentary episodes at the same time, I probably would have watched them all that night. Additionally, the government announced that golf courses will be opening and this is great news because I love to golf.

Welcome to the Mecca

In today’s world, schools all across the country struggle to find diversity inside white dominated schools. Schools like New Trier have over 80% of their students being white. This leaves the other races to be isolated and in some cases tormented for having a different skin color then the majority of students. Mecca is a city in the western part of Saudi Arabia, where only Muslims are allowed in the city’s limits. Ta-Nehisi Coates refers to Howard University as the Mecca because of the opportunity it gives African Americans to get a great education and feel comfortable being surrounded with students of the same race.  Coates, “was admitted to Howard University, but formed and shaped by the Mecca… I saw everything I knew from my black self multiplied out into seemingly endless variations” (p.40). During Coates’ first day on campus, he was amazed to see many other African American students that were just like him. Howard has always, “held a commitment to the study of disadvantaged persons in American society and throughout the world. The goal is the elimination of inequities related to race, color, social, economic and political circumstances. As the only truly comprehensive predominantly Black university, Howard is one of the major engineers of change in our society” (Howard.edu). Howard actively fights against the disadvantages African American students are challenged with in our society. They offer Howard as a place for the students to earn an education in a safe work environment. I believe this is why Prince Jones selected Howard as his college of choice. Prince could have gotten into some of the most prestigious schools in the world but, “Prince did not apply to Harvard, nor Princeton, nor Yale, nor Colombia, nor Stanford. He only wanted the Mecca” (p.142). Prince Jones knew that at schools like Stanford and Yale, he would stick out and not be accepted by other students because of his race. At Howard however, he would not have to worry about trying to fit in with majority white students, but rather on becoming the best student he can be and obtain a very prestigious college degree. That is a big concern for African American students. But, “Here at The Mecca, we are without fear, we are the dark spectrum on the parade”(p.57).

Many people believe that the National Basketball Association value the talent within the league and the amount of people watching the games. However, I believe that the NBA values the rights of their players and though events, expanding their brand to other countries.
One of the ways the NBA protects the rights of their athletes, is by forming organizations like the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). When the NBPA was founded in 1954, its main goal was to, “ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals, both on and off the court.” This association has proven successful because before the NBPA there was no minimum wage, pension plan, meal money, or health benefits for the players though the NBA. Additionally, the average salary in the league was only eight thousand dollars. The NBPA challenged the NBA and protected the players in the league by looking out for their well being. Additionally, the NBPA provides the players with opportunities off the court like, “executive leadership roles, to team representative positions, global community outreach initiatives… to get involved with democratic institution.”
One of the other important things that the NBA emphasizes is expanding their brand into other countries around the world. When the NBA first started, the league was composed of mostly American born players. Now, the NBA has become more diverse and last year’s opening day, 108 foreign born players checked in to the game. Also, every team in the league had a non-American player on the roster. Additionally, every year during the NBA Allstar Break, a game is held where rookies and second year players play a game of the USA vs World. This game is important because it promotes diversity within the league. Events like these continue to allow the NBA to become a global brand and continue becoming a globally dominant business.

Welcome to the Fam.

“I don’t take breaks, I just break records” (Lil Wayne)