When you shop in Cancun, you have many opportunities to get gifts for family and friends.  Some of the shops present are just like the ones you would see in Minnesota. Malls with shoes, swimsuits, clothes, and dresses can be found in Mexico. However, some of the stores, such as the “flea markets”, are not a common occurrence up here in the United States. Just beware if you ever decide to enter any street-side store in Cancun you’re going to find that the owners really like to haggle with you.  It’s acceptable to be kind of cold hearted when you shop at these retails and not to take no for an answer. 

When you see something you like, determine how much you want to spend on it before you start to haggle with a vendor.  As soon as you head for the door, they will stop you and lower the price. If it is still not the figure you want, tell the vendor that it is too expensive and does not fit in your available budget. In Minnesota we don’t have to worry about trying to fight for our prices.  If you ever go to Mexico, make sure that you are prepared to haggle and buy gifts for less then you would expect.

                The original Ugg boot was made from three pieces of material – one for each of the sides and one for the sole.  Now, the Ugg boots come in short, long, and have rubber outside soles. Yahoo’s 11 worst fashion trends of the decade put the boots at number 6 stating, “Uggs went from trendy to just plain ugg-ly.” Even though Yahoo thinks Uggs are a fashion don’t, it doesn’t seem like the fad is going to end anytime soon.

           When New Moon hit theaters on November 20^th 2009, it was a huge success. It earned 140.7 million dollars on opening weekend. Overall, the film was very good. When asked for her opinion on the film, Park senior Alicia Meyer said “Yes, I liked it, if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t have seen it twice!”   

            The roles of Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale played by Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone are worth mentioning. The loveable vampire couple did a wonderful job of being humorous and clever. Lautner’s performance as Jacob Black won the hearts of the viewers as well. The crowd watched in amazement as Jacob turned into a werewolf and fought off danger. Their hearts broke for him as Bella told him she had chosen Edward instead of him.

            Overall, Stewart’s performance as Bella Swan and Pattinson’s performance as Edward Cullen were decent, but sometimes their voices and actions lacked the emotion which they were supposed to portray, which made the scene less convincing. The occasional scenes with the emotionless acting took away from the sense of romance and danger in the film.

            However, there were some intense scenes in the movie. The audience was on the edge of their seats when Jacob rescued Bella from the water after she attempted cliff-diving.

             “My favorite scene was in the beginning when Bella was opening her birthday presents!” stated Alicia Meyer referring to Bella’s birthday party when Jasper lost control and nearly killed Bella after she received a small cut while opening her presents.

            There were also some funny scenes. Bella’s awkwardly funny movie date with Jacob and Mike Newton had the audience laughing out loud.     

            Even with the occasional detached emotionless scene, the movie is worth seeing. For the most part, the loveable characters are portrayed by great actors and the film has many interesting scenes. Devoted Twilight fans or people seeing it for the first time will enjoy the action and romance packed movie. Individuals leave the theater with a curiosity at what will happen in the next movie, which hits theaters in June 2010.

This year as you wander halls of Park High, notice the trends the girls are sporting. The UGG boots, the teased hair, the wrists with fifteen bracelets on them and so on. But the thing that really catches my eye is the flowers girls are wearing in their hair. The strange thing about it is that, this fashion wasn’t really popular at Park until the winter time. It seems that we long for spring to come, and that there is something about this winter that just isn’t fulfilling us. There are big flowers, little flowers, purple flowers, green flowers, yellow flowers, pink flowers. It’s a great way to spice up your winter wardrobe. Not daring enough to put a flower in your hair? Well that’s okay; try a colorful headband or a dazzling hair clip. There are tons of ways to add a little color in your life till the sun comes out again.

 When you shop in Cancun, you have many opportunities to get gifts for family and friends.  Some of the shops present are just like the ones you would see in Minnesota. Malls with shoes, swimsuits, clothes, and dresses can be found in Mexico. However, some of the stores, such as the “flea markets”, are not a common occurrence up here in the United States. Just beware if you ever decide to enter any street-side store in Cancun you’re going to find that the owners really like to haggle with you.  It’s acceptable to be kind of cold hearted when you shop at these retails and not to take no for an answer. 

When you see something you like, determine how much you want to spend on it before you start to haggle with a vendor.  As soon as you head for the door, they will stop you and lower the price. If it is still not the figure you want, tell the vendor that it is too expensive and does not fit in your available budget. In Minnesota we don’t have to worry about trying to fight for our prices.  If you ever go to Mexico, make sure that you are prepared to haggle and buy gifts for less then you would expect.

           Black Friday, also referred to as Bargain Friday, is regarded as the unofficial beginning to the holiday shopping season. It takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving. It’s a day in which many retailers offer high sales and door buster deals in order to meet their remaining profit goals. Stores have been known to open as early as 5 a.m. on Black Friday with items being marked off up to 75% or more.

           With promising deals and inviting prices, Black Friday shoppers are often eager and extreme in their shopping. Crowds may gather outside of a store 10 hours prior to the opening and some will even camp outside the night before. Impatient shoppers pushing and shoving each other to retrieve items is not an unusual occurrence at Black Friday sale. Stampedes and trampling have also taken place, most notably in November 2008 when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by overzealous shoppers.

            Interestingly enough, a recent survey has concluded that over 50% of Black Friday shopping is done for the own shopper’s behalf, which proposes the question of whether extreme bargain shopping tactics are responsible. Is it worth standing in the bitter cold to get that sweater you just must have, that flat screen that would fit perfectly above your fireplace for maybe 50 dollars off than you typically would? Is it worth plowing your way through other cranky morning shoppers and waiting check out lines hours long to save a little more on your purchases than you would if you waited a couple weeks?

           Many consumers think not. Online shopping became a popular alternative for many shoppers this year with online sales ranging much higher than regular retail ones and understandably so. No long lines, bigger selection, customizable orders, and virtual wish lists were attractive ideas for plenty of this year’s consumers. And just in case you were too full from your Thanksgiving meal and opted out of Black Friday shopping, Cyber Monday, a web version of Black Friday, has became an unofficial holiday for season internet customers.

           But those who aren’t comfortable with buying online or facing antsy holiday crowds have little to fear. Department stores and larger retails such as Nordstrom, Best Buyer, Target, Wal-mart, etc. carry on most sales all season. You may even find last-minute deals early shoppers didn’t as stores try to clear out their holiday merchandise.

           What do you think is the best method of holiday shopping? Have you ever braved Black Friday crowds? Did you snag deals online this year? Is extreme consumerism a legitimate problem? Let us know what you think, and Happy Holidays!

             Held at the expansive Loft Stage, the play featured characters from several of Suess’s most beloved works: including The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Horton Hears a Who, The Butter Battle Book, and many more. The cast of approximately sixty students consisted of a majority of freshmen and only featured one Park alumnus, Maria Durose.  Suessical was extremely light hearted and included thirty three Suess related songs, ranging from slow ballads such as “Alone in the Universe” and “Notice Me Horton” to the upbeat songs “Amazing Mayzie” and “Oh the Thinks You Can Think.”  Dylan Eike played a very convincing Cat in the Hat, jumping joyfully around the stage, just as the mischievous feline would do.  In addition, Adam Mickelson, who played Horton the Elephant, stole the show with his crisp and booming voice.

             However, some of the play seemed awfully infantile. While this production was on Broadway, the majority of the performance did not fit the incredible school in which it was performed. For instance, after seeing the extensive ten page program filled with actor biographies, the Suessical souvenirs sold outside, and the painted Suess character displays in the entrance, it would be expected that the costumes would be colorful and extravagant. However, Max, who is the Grinch’s playful dog in the beloved A Grinch Who Stole Christmas, was merely dressed in a brown sweatshirt with a paw print on the front.  This effort seems to be the equivalent to drawing a stick person for an AP Art class; it does not fit the high expectations set and appears incredibly sloppy. Also, it was very difficult to understand what was being sung by the characters at many times, for the octave was too high for the students to sing coherently. The performers thrived much better when singing lower octave songs, for not only was it easier to understand, but the students sounded much less pitchy. Furthermore, the pit orchestra, which provided beautiful background music for the performance, played a little too loud, therefore making the storyline even more difficult to understand.

              Unfortunately, the musical was not worth the eight dollars charged. At most times, it did not appear to have the quality that is come to be expected from a high school play. The theatre program would probably thrive much better as a high school by taking on a more serious and credited production.  Suessical the Musical appears to be a show best left to be performed by junior high schools.

           Let’s start off with a classic, the legend of Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary is the tale of an old woman who lived in a cottage and sold herbal remedies. She was believed by the townspeople to be a witch, and no one dared cross her. People even avoided her home in fear that in doing so, their crops would rot, their children would fall ill, and many other horrific things. Suddenly and strangely, young girls from the village started disappearing. The townspeople looked all around for them, but the girls were nowhere to be found. When asked if she knew anything about the girls disappearances, Bloody Mary denied having any knowledge of this. However, the townspeople noticed something different in Bloody Mary’s usual rough and old exterior. She looked pretty and youthful which raised the townspeople suspicions. But they had no evidence that Bloody Mary had any part of the girls vanishing, so they left her alone. One night when a miller’s wife was nursing a toothache, she noticed her daughter sleep walking out of bed and following some enchanted noise that nobody else could hear. The miller’s wife woke up her husband and they both tried to restrain their daughter but it was of no use. The commotion woke up the whole rest of the townspeople and they all tried to assist the miller and his wife. All of a sudden, a farmer noticed an unearthly glow coming from the woods. It was Bloody Mary trying to cast a spell on the miller’s daughter. The townsmen grabbed their guns and ran towards Bloody Mary. Scared, Bloody Mary ran off into the woods but a farmer was still able to shoot her. She fell to the ground and the townspeople burned her at the stake. As she was burning, Bloody Mary cursed the village, saying that anyone who was to utter her name aloud before a mirror would suffer her revenge and a terrible death. Anyone brave(or foolish) enough to state Bloody Mary’s name three times into a mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch and is said to have their bodies mutilated and their souls ripped from their bodies.

           Stay away from the Mississippi River Halloween night, or dare to challenge the legend of The Cut-Off. There once was a boat pilot who dared to ride the Mississippi River despite claims by his friends and fellow pilots that the Devil was in the river that night. He said they were all paranoid and swore he’d be able to make it on the river and back safe and sound. As he was preparing his boat, a thick fog developed over the river but this didn’t worry the pilot, he had rode up and down the river countless times and could probably do it with his eyes closed. He set off for his quest and snuffed at the people who doubted him. He was almost at the shore when suddenly he saw a piece of land that was never there before, which was supposed to be impossible – the river ran straight through that branch. He’d known because he’d rode the river so many times before. But he wasn’t going to allow this to deter him, he swore he would make it back to shore no matter what. He’d stay until daybreak if need be. The devil must have been listening to the tavern and heard the motor of his boat and shifted the land. Then, out of nowhere, the pilot’s boat gave a massive jerk and the boat stuttered and overturned. The next morning, fellow pilots searched the river and found the boat sunk all the way to the bottom with a gaping hole in its side and the pilot drowned. It’s said that on Halloween night, you can still hear the roar of the engine and the curses of the pilot desperate to complete his run.

           And those who are spending Halloween having a scary-movie marathon might find this urban legend interesting. The Blair Witch Film legend says that 3 young film makers of the movie “The Blair Witch Project” disappeared, never to be found in the woods where their film was left on the forest floor.