From my humble beginnings as a freshman staff writer until today, Common Sense has been infested with my opinions. No topic has been too ludicrous or mundane for me to cover. This year, in particular, I kicked it into high gear with my column, A Lukewarm Perspective. Inspired by those before me, I wrote with passion and tenacity. Though I look back on all my work with pride, I don’t see them all as equals.

Fall activities

The first sign of what was to come, I think this article was a good start. I thought the sporadic jokes and commentary I provided between suggestions was surprising. I don’t remember being helpful at all in my column, but I’m glad to see it. Along with the writing, the graphic set the bar relatively high. A quick visit to Photoshop produced an abomination, one I still think is funny. Not my favorite, but a solid article nonetheless.

Cereal

My most recent article to be featured in print, unfortunately. Whether I like it or not, this article is what I’m known for. It may be over seven months old, but people still look to me as a cereal expert. While I’m exaggerating, of course, this is by far my most popular article. With appraisal from my peers and teachers alike and a graphic that still makes me chuckle, I can say with confidence that this is one of my favorites.

College apps

Following up on a fantastic article, I don’t really remember this one all too well. With a topic like college apps (which admittedly I chose), I found it difficult to write something engaging or interesting. This article falls under the “helpful” category, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not nearly as funny as some of my others. With that being said, not bad advice if I do say so myself.

School-related Instagram accounts

Though a tad outdated now, I felt this article needed to be written. In our school’s Instagram frenzy of late 2021, accounts for just about everything were appearing left and right. These accounts, though mostly inactive now, served to mock and ridicule other grade levels, expose students’ horrid parking, provide satirical motivation and much more. While I think this article is just alright, I still appreciate the anonymous praise I received from the accounts I discussed. Anything to boost my ego is a win in my eyes.

Insurance commercials

While I don’t watch much TV anymore, I’m a veteran of the airwaves. I’ve seen plenty of commercials in my day, so this article was like a trip down memory lane. It was fun to do “research” on commercials I hadn’t seen or thought about in years. I firmly stand by my list, but my favorite part of the article is the graphic. Though it wasn’t a particularly difficult edit, I poured my heart and soul into it. At that moment, I truly felt like Jake from State Farm.

Water

Of every topic I’ve ever discussed, I’m most passionate about water. Seeing as it’s all I drink, I only want the best for my body. While I love Fiji Water, the main point of my article was my displeasure with Dasani. I just needed to let it all out, and nowhere better than in my very own column. If I ever run for president, I would ban the sale and distribution of Dasani. Anyway, I really like this article.

Apples

After much back and forth with myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that this article is my favorite. I filled it up with as many jokes and as much imagery as I could muster, all while talking about a relatively menial topic. My affection for the apple is clear, and my disdain for the Red Delicious is apparent. By far my best writing, my magnum opus if you will. I’ve even inspired others to expand their apple horizons. “I thought I would try out some of the tips from the article to taste test the apples for myself, so I saved it for my next trip to the grocery store,” sophomore Gurnoor Kaur said.

Color

When I initially pitched this article, I thought I’d have a nice balance of colors I love and colors I hate. As it turns out, I just hate the color orange. If I were to do this article over, I would belittle orange for twice as long. My opinions on red and green are merely “lukewarm” – it’s orange that I truly despise. After writing reviews this whole year, I’ve come to realize that it’s much easier to write about what I hate. And, in case it isn’t clear, I hate orange. With that being said, pretty good article.