As summer approaches I'm beginning to let out a sigh of relief. School is almost over. No homework. No tests. No waking up at 7 a.m. No afterschool sports practices. Total and complete relaxation, right?

The end of May means a lot of things – finals, graduation, summer, three months of freedom, and, most importantly, the end of the current television season.

Most specifically, this Wednesday will mark the close of the seventh season of American Idol.

Locker sign-ups, StudCo elections, Bloody Barbeque ...

Do you realize that there are only six more days of school?

Of course, after that we have finals, but even including finals it's only 10 days total.

Last fall we heard about the case of a Missouri teenager who killed herself after being abused through MySpace, allegedly by the mother of a former friend. Missouri law enforcement officials did not file charges.

All throughout the NBA playoffs, I've been amazed by how exciting the games have been, even in these early rounds. I usually don't watch the playoffs until the finals, but this year has been too compelling.

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a runner.

Unless I am playing some intense Ultimate Frisbee or am trying to get somewhere really awesome in a short amount of time, I absolutely positively despise running. It makes every fiber of my being scream in pain just thinking about it. It makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry.

Well, if The Onion says so, it must be true.

Hardly anything in life feels better than a good laugh. With APs, finals, sectionals, and graduation on top of the usual amount of homework and studying we all have to do, nothing worsens our dose of [grade level]-itis better than a good dose of humor.

Every year, more than one million people take the Advanced Placement tests. These exams test students’ overall knowledge on a particular subject, and many schools offer classes to help prepare them for the exam.

Remember the earthquake that was felt across Central Illinois a few weeks ago? Even though some people slept through it, there were many people who found the slight shaking of the earth to be a source of entertainment. However, Monday served as a reminder of natural disasters and their ability to kill countless people.

I’m the youngest of three daughters, being six years younger than the sister closest in age to me, and eight years younger then my oldest sister.

Outside of my school life, and outside of my life at home, I have another life on the road with my teammates.

What do you do on the weekends? Homework, catch up on sleep, go to Big Show, hang out with friends ...

Finally! After much dread, the majority of the Uni High population have survived the end of year 5K.

So, what now? Never set foot outside again?

You'd miss a lot. You don't have to exercise hard, but a walk around your neighborhood is better than just being a couch potato. And with the gorgeous scenery and fabulous weather, you could even walk a 5K without knowing it!

“The plight of the older sibling”: an article I recently read describing why older siblings have it tougher than younger ones. It claims that parents are harder on older siblings than on younger ones in order to set an example.

When I was little, my neighbors invited me to go to church with them. I did, and I liked it. I liked the building, and the cookies they gave out, and being an angel in the Christmas play. I learned about stories from the Bible — the burning bush, the great flood — the whole shebang. I celebrated Christmas and Easter (and still do).

You stand there in your starting position with every muscle tensed in anticipation and anxiousness, your heart is pumping at a rate you hope your legs can match, your mind scampers over so many things that it soon becomes a dizzying array of thoughts, and then you start and you realize that the race is ultimately between you and time.