Hello, my name is Catarina, and I am a Facebook addict.

True story. Every time I log on to my computer, I have to check my Facebook, even if I just checked it five minutes before. I don't know why I am so obsessed with it. Maybe it's the way I can know about everyone else's life, or the way I can document my own life, or the way I can express myself. Either way, Facebook has definitely taken over my entire existence.

Socially, Facebook is the ideal way to connect with friends and family. There's facebook chat to talk with someone and receive an answer right away. Inbox messaging allows people to talk to one another privately. Status updates let evryone know what you are doing at the moment. And my personal favorite is the picutres. I love being able to keep my pictures and videos from all the crazy times I have had in one place. And the best part about this is that friends can see what the other person is up to. Again, it is the ideal mode of connection.

However, Facebook can be a "Negative Nancy" at times. Even though it is safer than MySpace, Facebook does have some stalker qualities. Through a criminalist's eyes, Facebook is the devil. It is the reason that so many teenage girls are being raped by cyber creepers. Teenagers like to feel invincible, like nothing can hurt them. But the sad truth is that we immediately put ourselves in danger every time we walk out the door.

Don't worry. I am careful about who I accept friend requests from. I never click "Accept" if I do not know who they are. I mean, creepy YMCA members have friended me on facebook. NO. THANK. YOU.

Beach Jam '09!

Yes, we camp on beaches. IN WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY! :D

Don't laugh just because I'm a Girl Scout

Yes, I am a Girl Scout. Have been for the past eleven years. I've done the cookie thing, the badge thing, and even the uniform thing. I've done everything. But do you know what else I have accomplished? I've done the whitewater rafting thing, the Georgia thing, the camping thing, and the FUN thing.

Don't hate me just because I'm a Girl Scout because if you've never experienced it for yourself, then you don't know just how awesome it really is. I get to help people all the time, and I love to see the look on people's faces when they know that they will not go to bed hungry that night.

Girl Scouts started with just one amazing woman. Juliette Gordon Low was her name. She lived during the early 1900's, a time in which the whole "giving women actual rights" thing went down. You could say she was independent, caring, thoughtful, and generous. But, most of all, she was EMPOWERED. So, she gathered a group of young girls, and they began their journey of helping others and their community. Low wanted to teach those girls that being a woman in the modern world does not have to mean a life of solitude with the kids. After all, there is so much more out there to experience. Now, almost one hundred years later, Girl Scouts can be found all over the world, including high school.

I do not know if it is just society, but I really hate it when people make fun of me for being in Girl Scouts when I am old enough to drive. Girl Scouts is not just for little kids! Get it through your heads! Do you think that the "learning about yourself" part of Girl Scouts makes a sudden hault at the age of nine? NO!

I carry Girl Scouts with me everywhere. I carry it with me to the meetings every week. To the mall to buy things for our fundraisers. To A&P where we sell our famous Girl Scout cookies. But, most importantly, I will carry it with me until the day I die.

GODDESS GIRLS! :D

Why is there a naked lady on your neck?

No, I do not mean literally. I have a necklace, and the pendant looks exactly like the lovely ladies above. This is one of the most important items I own. This necklace has climbed over 6,000 feet above the ground with me, has waded through the deepest rivers around my neck, and has slept under the stars in the middle of the woods. Where can you get all this cool stuff in one neat, little package? The Goddess program, of course.

The Goddess program was established at the Great Hollow Wilderness School in New Fairfield, CT. The program was created in order to empower young, high school girls and help them with their self-esteem. It is completely free of cost because no one can put a price on discovering who you truly are. But the program is not easy. It involves back-breaking mountain climbing with forty pounds strapped to your back, peeing and pooping in the woods, and completely fending for yourself. I know it sounds like a boot camp, but it was not established to criticize the girls or to make them have absolutely no fun at all. After five years and six Goddess adventures, summer at Goddess is the best fun I have all year.

Empowerment. Self-esteem. Self-image. Self-worth. Pride. Accomplishment. Adventure. Change. These are just a few things that the girls carry throughout the Goddess program. This program is the beginning of a cultural MOVEMENT. With every girl that experiences life in the wilderness, the Goddess program is leaving one more footprint on the path towards total empowerment for women all around the world. Even though a lot has changed for women throughout the years, there is still a lack of powerful sentiment. The Goddess girls are tired of seeing women abuse themselves, thinking that they are not good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, or GODDESS enough. We believe that we are all Goddesses on the inside. Strong, powerful warriors. It really is like a religion. Huh, wouldn't that be great if this program could inspire the creation of a new religion in the future?

Anyways, this program has changed me. My first trip was in 7th grade. I probably lost 5 pounds from all the sweat that left my body alone. But I made fabulous friends, and I learned that I really don't belong in the city. I hate the way the city is fake. It's as if nothing is real. Everything is man-made - buildings, roads, offices, stores, cars, PEOPLE. Not everyone realizes just how man-made they really are, subjecting themselves to the mold society has created for us. I broke that mold when I set my inner Goddess free.

As Goddesses, we not only want to see a change in the way women think about themselves but also in the way men think about women. Did you know that the word, "woman," was first made as a direct derivative from the word, "man?" And this is not a coincidence. The Bible's story of Adam and Eve states that Eve was created from Adam's ribs and skin. Without Adam, Eve never would have existed. Thus, the word "woman" was created to remind everyone that men own women. FALSE. The Goddesses want to change this ludacris assumption. Besides standing while peeing, women really can do anything that men can.

Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not

The title above is an excerpt from "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot" by Brand New. Brand New is my favorite band of all time. I discovered them a few years ago via my best friend, and we are hooked. Last November, we saw them in concert. IT WAS AWESOME! I bought a band shirt, and I wear it to bed every night, which is why I am posting something about Brand New. They escape with me to my dreams.

Brand New is mainly a rock band. They play a great deal of guitar, especially acoustic. But the thing that strikes me the most about them is that they don't sing about the usual crap most musicians do nowadays. They go beyond the everyday, sappy love song. They write about their own lives, and how they deal with the obstacles in life. I think Brand New is a perfect symbol of today's culture as it pertains to the younger audience. Brand New is rebellious, loud, emphatic, copacetic, joyous, sad, moody, and anything else that makes up a normal teenage girl or boy. The band members just want to connect with the younger generation, and is that not what our society and culture is all about? Think about it. Everything around us is all about influencing the next generation. Schools, advertisements, community centers, health facilities, and EVERYTHING ELSE. The world and the people in it want change, and they believe that the only way to change it is to convince the young ones to do it when they grow older.

It's all part of this universal culture. Brand New is just one more addition to that equation. They use their music to teach young people lessons in order to make the world a better place when they grow older. Their songs touch the listener. Brand New is named "Brand New" for a reason. Their initiative is to create a brand new way of thinking.

vroom vrooommmm!

So, I can't talk about my car keys without posting something about my actual car! Well, let me just give you some information about her. Her name is Tink (short for tinkerbell because she's fiesty even though she's small). She is a 2010 honda civic. She is black. She gets great gas mileage. We have amazing conversations about life all the time. She is the product of my sweat and tears. She's basically my child.

The one thing I hate more than anything when I tell people about Tink is that they immediately assume that my parents bought her for me. Then, they give me a dissertation on how spoiled I am. Let this be known to the world that I have had a job as a lifeguard and swim instructor since the DAY I turned sixteen years old. And a few months before that, I was training to become a lifeguard in order to get a job immediately when I became of age. Ever since then, I have been working 30-hour weeks on top of schoolwork, sports, and Girl Scouts. But hey, insurance and car payments do not cover themselves.

So when I explain to people how hard I work in order to pay for my car, they always ask me, "Well, then why didn't you just get an older car and work less?" Honestly, even if I did not have that bill to pay every month, I would still be working long weeks because I like to have money in the bank, especially since I am so good at saving. I like being independent, which leads me to my next analysis. IT'S A GIRL THING.

I have that car to prove a point. Society likes to think that women cannot take care of themselves. Apparently, we are just a bunch of air-headed bimbos that are only useful to a guy in the bedroom. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Look at me. I am a sixteen-year-old girl, and I bought my first car, a 2010, in November of 2009. By that time, I had only been working for five months, and I still have plenty of money left over. Actually, I have enough money to buy a second new car because I take care of myself. I do my work, I know what needs to be done, and I accomplish everything that needs to be accomplished. So to all the men out there with beat-up, old clunkers who spend their days in front of the TV, watching football with a six-pack of beer on their laps, I say, "BE JEALOUS."

But it's not all about the feminism. I love Tink because she's part of the culture, the American Dream. Everyone wants the nice car, in the nice driveway, in front of the nice house with the nice white fence. Tink brings me one step closer to that dream. I feel like an American when I am driving her. She has taught me one of the most valuable life lessons one can learn in life. Hard work and determination can give a person a whole world of happiness.