The Sounds of the Seasons

By Megan Laubershimer

    It's in the air.  It's coming closer.  Christmas is just around the corner, but with it comes the festive, the generic, the constant buzz of holiday music.

    Every year, from November 1st to December 26th, Christmas music clogs airways and infects the minds of all listeners with thoughts of good tidings and cheer.

    Liking Christmas music is a simple relationship: either you love it or you hate it, and by the time Christmas actually comes around, the majority of normal, sane human beings are exhausted of the constant onslaught of sleigh bells, reindeer, carols, and Santa knowing who's naughty and nice.

    When asked about the positive side of Christmas music, senior Erin Fordham says, "I like Christmas music in December, not so much in July.  I like when they take Christmas songs and make them funny, like the 'Twelve Pains of Christmas.'"

    Holly, jolly Christmas music is not so "holly jolly" when you wake up Christmas morning and the same exact songs you've heard for almost two months are still blaring out of your radio.

    Junior Justin Thorne says, "[the worst thing about Christmas music is] too much of it at one time.  You turn on Cosy 106.5 and that's all that's played."

    Wouldn't it be nice if we kept holidays in their own month, if we stopped Christmas from invading on other celebratory days?

    Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?  We go from pumpkin-carving Halloween to snowman-building Christmas.  It seems we've simply forgotten that middle holiday all about giving, thanks, and food.  Maybe if we had a few Thanksgiving songs, we'd be able to remember that little holiday.

    Maybe we should all have the same Christmas wish this holiday season, "Santa, please let the music stop, at least for Thanksgiving's sake.  And please, oh please, let someone somewhere come up with some new Christmas lyrics."

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Lights, Camera, Aida

Chelsey Averett

    Get ready because the all-school musical, Aida, is coming to town. It runs the 19th-21st and 23rd of November, so be sure to mark the date in your calenders.

    Aida is a more modern version of Romeo and Juliet with several new twists, complete with drama, death, singing, and romance.  As two ancient nations, Egypt and Nubia, fight a bloody war, the Nubian princess, Aida, is captured by the Egyptians. She disguises herself in order to save her people, along with the help of the servant Mereb. However, throughout all this, she is torn between her love for Radames, an Egyptian captain betrothed to the Pharaoh's daughter, and her duty to her people. But wait, there's more, only you'll just have to go see the play to find out the twist of the story.

     "It is rock-in awesome!" junior Daniel Bean (Mereb) says.

    Even though they've changed a few things from the original play, it is still a must see production with Camlyn Giddins starring as Aida, along with fellow cast members: Shae Hunsaker (Amneris), Derek Sorenson (Radames), and Dominique Pasquale (Zoser), who all take lead roles.

    "I'm in it, and my costume is just pants," says senior Derek Sorenson with a smile on his face.
    If you're into romance and powerful music then this is your play.

    So go and support your classmates and friends and see the amazing musical Aida. It's worth every penny.

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The Economy of Business

By Kegan Penovich, Layout Editor
    The economic downturn has forced many businesses to file bankruptcy and close their doors. It seems many simply cannot keep revenues high enough to stay afloat in these turbulent times. Even the name-brand stores have taken a hit: Anchor Blue at the Provo Town Mall and Hollywood Video are closing or are already closed.

    Hollywood Video is the easiest one to explain. People use rental systems like Net Flicks or Red Box now because it is cheaper, easier, and often times more reliable. Junior Rachel Park says "It's cheap, it's fast, it's a dollar per day". The idea of getting movies and paying for them without racking up a late fee is appealing. Basically, competition is beating some businesses down and raising others up.

    This is not to say that this is why all businesses take a dive. The Buckle at River Woods also went under. Yes the clothing is expensive, but that does not dissuade most people. Senior Tyler Anderson said "To look cool, you have to pay a price". Walk down the halls and you will see them, Big Star, True Religion, Rock Revival, BKE, Tyler, Mek, these jeans are everywhere. The Buckle at River Woods went under due to bad location. It was tucked away in a small corner next to stores that usually service an older crowd.
    Lots of stores go under due to the bad economy or a bad location, but many go with fads. They stick around for awhile, but inevitably they fade and the businesses that supprted them either change or go under.

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Are You a Streaker?

By Abby Clyde, Staff Writer

     The Sunstreak is an up and coming alternative rock band that has been playing since 2005. With four albums and one single released, this band is climbing their way to the top. In 2006, they sold over 25,000 records in two months, received a place on the Top Independent Albums list and are still progressing.

    In October of 2009, they released their fourth album titled "Once Upon a Lie." I was able to listen to a preview of the album and I definitely liked what I heard.

    Although some of the lyrics weren't very deep or symbolic, ("I wanna touch you, I wanna kiss you, I wanna feel you in my arms, I need to hold you.") each song told a different story and it was obvious that there was emotion behind it. Not to mention the beat is totally catchy and easy to rock out to. They have an almost Boys Like Girls feel to their music with the fast tempo teen love songs. My favorite on this album would have to be "Here in My Arms", one of their slower songs but with a very lovely melody that easily gets stuck in your head. .

    All the songs, however, impressed me and I will most definitely buy the full album as soon as possible. To find out more, click your way onto the official Sunstreak website (http://www.myspace.com/thesunstreak) and become a "streaker" yourself!

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New Moon Mania

By Kalee Brimhall, Staff Writer
    You see them everywhere: the booths in the mall that have the "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" t-shirts, hats, bags, and bumper stickers. There are life-size cardboard cutouts of both Edward and Jacob that you can buy at Partyland. There are even stores and shops opening up in complete devotion to the latest vampire craze sweeping the nation.  

    The new Twilight movie, New Moon, has many people excited. To no one's surprise, the film is already sold out from midnight to 3 a.m. Senior Kenzie McCuistion says, "I really like the love story and the books are really well-written, so I will definitely be at the midnight showing!" The previews have made the newest movie look much better than the first, which I am sincerely hoping for because the first movie was just pitiful and a waste of ten dollars I could have spent on Costa Vida, and two hours that I could have been sleeping.

    However, even after the completely horrendous first movie, even more people are excited to see the second, possibly because Taylor Lautner (who plays Jacob Black) and other beautiful men have no shirts on throughout the whole movie. There is even word that Robert Pattinson (Edward) is shirtless at one point, which is slightly pathetic considering his abs are painted on.

    Junior Shannon Tuttle says, "Taylor Lautner is totally gorgeous. All of my friends and I are so excited. Especially for his awesome arms and abs."

   Despite all this, some of those Twilighters out there dislike the books. Senior Kelli Ricks says that the books are, "sappy, annoying, and stupid." There are also some historical inaccuracies in Stephenie Meyer's writing. For example, it's ironic that Rosalie was very happy and rich because her father owned a bank in the 1930's, when the Great Depression was happening and the banks had absolutely no money in them.

    But, regardless of how you feel about Twilight, the tickets have been sold, the insanity thrives on, and people still plan to dress up shamelessly as Edward, Bella, Jacob, or some other obscure character at the midnight showing.

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A Freedom Week Wrap-Up

By Chelsey Averett, Staff Writer

    Freedom week has come and passed, but you might still have some questions like, "What is Freedom Week all about, and why is only one hall decorated this year?" For all you sophomores who might not know, in the past, each graduating class decorated a hall and was awarded spirit points to carry to the Spirit Bowl. This year it's different because there aren't spirit points anymore. "It sucks. There is no competition," says senior Brett Kemp.

    This year, for Freedom Week, the theme was "United We Stand" because Mr. Park and the student council decided it would be better if we were all united this year instead of divided into class competitions. So they changed it to decorating one hall to promote unity. "It's cool," says junior Eric Nheel. 

    They also thought that, with all the extra paper they would save, the students could use it to write appreciation letters to the troops that have served or are serving now.

    The main focus of Freedom week was to stand as one and to serve our troops by showing our respect and gratitude towards them. "I think it's cool that we have it because we get a chance to realize our freedom," said sophomore Crystal Binsmore with a smile on her face.

    Freedom week is also to help students celebrate how lucky we are to be American and to realize the freedom that we are offered here in the United States. It is about celebrating the amazing country in which we live, and it is to help support our troops and thank them for all they have done.

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"Traditional" Thanksgiving

By Whitney Stone, Staff Writer

    There are so many different traditions people have for Thanksgiving. Some people gather together with their families and have a big feast, while others just relax at home and don't even have a Thanksgiving dinner at all. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to eat filling and delicious food, relax with your family, and give thanks for all the wonderful things we have in this life.

    Sophomore Veronica Mitre says, "We stay together as a family all day long and do not leave each other. We have a candle in the middle of the table and give thanks for all we have and discuss the many things that we have and are grateful for. We also have a big feast with lots of different kinds of food. Our favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving is Mexican spaghetti." 

    Senior Karlie Johnson states, "I love Thanksgiving. I love just being with my family and eating all day long. It makes me very happy. I just enjoy it."

    "We don't really have a set tradition," says junior Marissa Unbedacht, "sometimes we will go to my grandparents and have a big feast, and sometimes we just stay at home with the family and eat together. This year we will be in Disneyland, so we will be eating our Thanksgiving dinner with all the Disney characters.

    Senior Camlyn Giddins shares, "We have a really nice big dinner as a family. Sometimes we will go to different places, but wherever we go and whatever we do, we are always together as a family."

    "It's always pretty crazy at my house during Thanksgiving," says senior Alora Day, "sometimes I wish I were somewhere else on Thanksgiving, like, anywhere but my house."

    It is interesting to hear what a few here at Timpanogos have said about what they do during this yummy holiday. As you can see, everybody celebrates Thanksgiving differently, but the common tradition is family.  

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Thanksgiving Food People Pass Up

By Jillian Phippen


Thanksgiving has traditional food: turkey, potatoes and gravy, candied yams, the green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls, cranberry sauce, and a Utah favorite: the Jell-o salad. However, among diners, there's a reluctance to eat certain Thanksgiving staples.

A poll revealed that cranberry sauce is often unpopular. "I hate cranberry sauce," said senior Colby Johnson. Whether it's the unappetizing blob of cranberry that still resembles the can or a more exotic homemade kind, Thanksgiving diners often skip the cranberry sauce. Junior Marissa Unbedacht learned to make her own cranberry sauce. "It was actually really, really yummy." Sophomore Emily Pratt concurs. "I like homemade cranberry sauce, but everything else is just nasty." 40 percent of students polled disliked canned, jar-shaped cranberry sauce.

Another perpetually hated dish is the yams. Artists wood carving in Mr. Benson's class disliked yams, "Any kind of yams!" 30 percent of students polled disliked yams. Students who loved yams often identified loving the candied yams the most. Cecile Thomas, digital art teacher, likes her sweet potatoes simple. "Nothing too sweet. Just salt and pepper." On the flip side, Mrs. Mills said, "I love sweet potatoes. I could eat them every day."

Stuffing was another food that made it to the dislike list. 25 percent of students disliked the stuffing. "It's just so starchy," Mrs. Thomas agreed.

Students favorite food was the mashed potatoes and gravy. Pumpkin pie was the runner up. Mrs. Thomas loves a unique sweet potato squash pumpkin pie.

Although Thanksgiving is usually a turkey fest, there are a few students who hate turkey. Whitney Stone, senior, stated, "I hate turkey. I can't imagine eating it, let alone fried." Other students agreed. 

Vegetarians find Thanksgiving difficult. Colby Johnson, senior, often participates in a vegetarian Thanksgiving. A favorite memory is eating "a huge salmon. It was so good." Mrs. Thomas is also planning to scale back on Thanksgiving this year and "perhaps cook crab legs" instead of the traditional foods. Other families will forgo the traditional turkey dinner and go out to eat at Mimi's Cafe, Cracker Barrel, casinos in Vegas, Disneyland cafes, Texas Roadhouse, and Chuck-a-Rama.

Long live the turkey. Now, someone please pass the funeral potatoes. Jell-o, anyone?

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