This Couldn't Get Any Better.

The sound of the blades gliding across the ice gets me a little too excited. I skate along, leaving my little snail trail of where I lose my balance and clumsily reclaim it. The scarf around my mouth gets wet from breathing. The smell of rich, sweet hot chocolate fills my nostrils, as we laugh and giggle at the dogs playing in the snow. The hopes of a snow day dance in peoples' heads while the piles of snowflakes drift down from the clouds. My aching ankles and blistering heels are totally worth this perfect day. A snowflake falls exactly on the tip of my nose, and I feel like I'm in a scene from a story book. Out of no where I realize that this couldn't get any better.

Breaking Point

Lots of people have that one breakup song that they eat ice cream and cry to. But in most relationships there is breaking point where you both know things will soon come to an end--where the relationship slowly starts to crumble and fall apart. There are lots of relatable songs for that weird period of time that can help you through it.

In "Grenade" by Bruno Mars the theme is crumbling relationships. When he says "I would die for you, baby, but you won't do the same," he's desperately trying to say that he loves this girl with all his heart, and he would give his life for her, but she wouldn't do a thing for him. This shows a crumbling relationship, because if this man feels this way he is bound to break up with this heartless witch. The woman must know this too, because she must have no feelings for him if she isn't feeling the true love he has in return.

Another song that's perfect for the breaking point period is "Not Like the Movies" by Katy Perry. She sings, "He put it on me. I put it on like there was nothing wrong. It didn't fit, it wasn't right--wasn't just the size. They say you know when you know, but I don't know." In this part of the song, she's talking about a ring. This is the moment when she realizes that this isn't the man she wants. She wants something impossibly perfect. She also sings "I didn't feel the fairytale feeling, no, am I a stupid girl for even dreaming that I could. If it's not like the movies, that's how it should be." When she says that, she means that she deserves to wait for the man that you would find in the movies-- if that even exists. Later in the song Katy sings "They say it’s hard to meet your match, find my better half so we make perfect shapes." When she sings that she is really saying that in our head we build up these high expectations, and then we get let down because someone with those expectations doesn't exist.

When you're nearing the end of your breaking point, a great song to listen to is "The Way I Loved You" by Taylor Swift. This song is about a girl dating a guy that's perfect. He opens the door for her and gets her flowers, and she likes him, but she doesn't love him. She can't stop thinking about the guy that drove her crazy and made her cry, because of that passion. In the beginning of the song Taylor sings, "He is sensible and so incredible and all my single friends are jealous. He says everything I need to hear and it's like I couldn't ask for anything better. He opens up my door and I get into his car and he says you look beautiful tonight..." Here she is talking about her flawless relationship with her dream boy. After this the chorus starts and she sings, "But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain and it's two a.m. and I'm cursing your name. You're so in love that you act insane and that's the way I loved you". This is when the ex-boyfriend comes in and ruins everything. In this song I can almost hear the painted smile on her face when she's around her flawless boyfriend. She misses the flame and passion that came with the boyfriend that made her so frustrated. It shows that her relationship with the perfect guy is falling apart.

Songs like these are critical to most people. Everyone has feelings. It's always nice to know that someone can relate to you, especially if it comes with a catchy beat, and you know even a pop star has felt this way. Lots of people have a favorite breakup song that gets them through every relationship, but maybe they should have a favorite breaking point song, too.

Prediction Piece for Speak

Author's Note: Don't read this if you haven't finished Speak! It's a huge spoiler alert! I talk about what will happen to Melinda after the book, so only read this if you've finished the book please!

I think that when the book is over, Melinda will gain back friends. She might have bad flashbacks or something in the future, but I think if she doesn't use the incident as an excuse to drink and do drugs and make bad choices she might have a normal life. If you look at not all people but a lot who have had bad childhoods, they grow up to be burnouts, outcasts, and low-lives. They usually steal and lie and cheat, then they blame it on a traumatic event from their childhood. Melinda is better than that. At the end of the book she admits that she got sexually abused. Everyone felt bad for what they did to make her feel bad about herself, and she regained some friends.She finally got all that weight off her shoulders and she has turned into a better person. I can see her growing up to be an independent, successful young woman with a loving husband and kids. Melinda could turn out to be okay.