With many upcoming concerts soon coming to Colorado, there has to be at least one that stands out that you would enjoy. Concerts are a fun way to get out and if you have never been it’s a great new experience. There are many different types of concerts depending on what you are interested in. One of the most popular places to see a concert in Colorado is Red Rocks Amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a seating area for up to 9,450 people in between.

Some popularly known concerts coming up this summer are:

Life can be described as many things. And for some, life is just a series of awkward moments. Many people feel like all we do is move from one uncomfortable situation to the next  and they aren’t necessarily wrong; throughout the day we do things that seem unimportant and mundane. Like going to a football game or the weekend parties. Doing these things brings up significant amounts of anxiety. Other anxious moments are so ritualized that we don’t even think about them.  Despite the mindlessness we often bring to such everyday encounters, they cumulatively impact perception of the quality of our life. We receive a compliment, then automatically deflect it. We lodge a complaint but feel tainted by the negativity. We make a minor blunder but can’t shake the humiliation. Just because we don’t notice this doesn’t mean that researchers don’t.

In Psychology Today magazine, research showed that in fact, it is one of the operating principles of social psychology that even the most minute encounters can have large effects on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Things like friendship, acceptance and forgiveness have to be factored into the other person’s mindset when we ask for these things.

Julia Minson and colleague Maurice Schweitzer found in a study that set up a fake sales interaction, 87 percent of the sellers alerted the buyer to problems when asked a negative-assumption question, versus 59 percent of those responding to a positive-assumption query and 10 percent of those responding to a general one. An example would be if someone is selling an used Ipod and you ask, “What can you tell me about it?” This is a positive-assumption question and will most likely get you the answer that nothing is wrong. But is you ask them “What problems have you had with it?” That is a negative-assumption and will have the seller answering more honestly.  The study has shown something we all know deep down. If you want the complete truth then you have to ask for it, even if it’s hard to do. The research has been done. It’s clear that we need to start learning how to tell the truth. And learn how to hear the truth.

Cake is a bread-like dessert, usually containing a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and oil requiring milk or water. Cake is often a dessert of choice, used to celebrate special occasions like weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and etc. There are many types of cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate, vanilla, carrot, sponge cakes, cake donuts, and many more. There are over 100 different types of cakes. Cakes are often finished by decorating the outside layer with icing, frosting, and sometimes sprinkles. Leah Foster, freshman said, “My favorite type of cake is chocolate, because it’s really good and I like the texture of it.” Today cakes have become very intricate and hard to make. Shows such as Cake Boss, and cupcake wars have become very popular and have made their buisness incredibly popular. Cakes have gotten extremely expensive, the most expensive cake ever made adding up to 52 million dollars, covered in 4,000 dollars of diamonds. The price of a normal birthday cake can usually ranges from 30-50 dollars. Cakes are a yummy dessert and are known to be at any party you plan to attend!

There are many varieties of phones out there, and with smart phones becoming more expensive, people want to protect their phones. Phone cases can range anywhere from a few bucks to over $100 for the fancier or more protective cases.

For the iPhone, the more popular cases are the Otterbox and LifeProof cases because of their durability and variety of colors. The LifeProof has cooler features like being waterproof and makes the front of your phone the same color as your case.

Phone cases are important now more than ever since the price of phones are going up because the the rising popularity and demand of smart phones. Sophomore Amanda Arndt said, “I always have a case on my phone because I’m scared that I’ll drop my phone and my screen will break. Plus, I like having a decorative phone case.”

7 out of 10 people asked by Trojan News, have a phone case on their phone to either protect their phone or to add something special like a color or design to personalize it. But other people like junior Brett Sterkel said, “I dont have a phone case on my phone because I dont really ever drop my phone and if I did, I would just buy a new one, instead of wasting money on cases.”

So whether or not you use a phone case for protection or not, they still add some color and excitement to your phone.

Welcome to April, the snowiest month so far this whole year. Due to this outrageous weather event, Longmont High students have resorted to ranting on social media website. Becca Mau, junior, has posted the following on her twitter account, “Go home snow you’re drunk #ComeBackInDecember” and “It’s Spring. I should be able to lay out and get tan but no it has to snow tomorrow… Again.” Hope Alexander, junior, was actually a fan of the snow and tweeted “Keep the snow coming.” Longmont High 2012 graduate Paris Paquette posted “Hey everybody, look on the bright side.  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” In addition to these tweets most students posted tweets saying “Wish we had a snow day.” and “Who wants to go sledding!?” Longmont High’s general population believes that this snow needs to go since it is causing our spring sport seasons to cancel games.

photo by paris paquette

By Kris Bare and Maddy Hozempa

Longmont high has a handful of different taste buds throughout the student body. Almost every student has a different favorite family meal. Ranging from Mexican, Italian, Chinese, all American burgers, even to Tofu, Longmont High brings together many different meals. Shyanne Orvis, junior, is a die-hard for home cooked steak, mashed potatoes, with squash. Orvis has been eating this since she was a little girl, all credit due to her grandmother. Orvis’ all time favorite part is how juicy the steak is, and the perfectly made butter squash. One day Orvis plans on feeding this to her family, to carry on the tradition. Her home cooked steak, mashed potatoes, with squash is recommended for others to chew on as well because it is simple to make, and also delicious.

Steak Recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 1-inch thick NY Strip Steaks
• 1/4 cup black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons Lime Pepper seasoning
• salt to taste

Preparations:

This is not as hot (spicy) as it sounds. The pepper seasons the steaks just right.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe:

Ingredients:

Method:

1.Put potatoes into a saucepan.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add water until potatoes are covered.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, or until done – a fork can easily be poked through them.

2. Warm cream and melt butter, together, either in microwave or in a pan on the stove.  Drain water from potatoes.  Put hot potatoes into a bowl.  Add cream and melted butter.  Use potato masher to mashed potatoes until well mashed.  Use a strong spoon to beat further, adding milk to achieve the consistency you desire.  (Do not over-beat or your potatoes will get gluey.) Salt and pepper to taste.

Squash Recipe:

• 2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 lbs. total)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup half-and-half or 1/4 cup evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut off and discard the ends of the squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. While roasting, turn the squash once to be sure that it cooks evenly. Do not let it brown.
3. Transfer the squash and the pan juices to a large mixing bowl, and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
4. Season to taste and serve hot. If the squash is too thick, thin it with milk, orange juice or water.

If you’re planning a walk to the park, afternoon on the beach or scenic drive, take along a few classic picnic foods that will satisfy your palate while celebrating the luxury of eating in the open air. A picnic is a very good idea, especially with summer approaching right around the corner.

The top 10 things to bring on a picnic are:

1: Fruit Salad

2: Lemonade

3: Ready to Grill

4: Deviled Delights

5: Bread, Cheese and Cold Cuts

6: Pinwheel Sandwiches

7: Pasta Salad

8: Watermelon

9: Fried Chicken

10: potato Salad

If you find yourself going out for a stroll in the next few weeks with this nice weather don’t forget to pack up some snacks, head out to the park and have yourself a nice picnic. It’s a great way to get ready for summer and get out for a while.

by: Alison Iten

Prom is a huge and very exciting experiance throughtout your 4 years in High School. Through the looking glass, the theme of this years prom. Being held on April 13 starting at 8 O’clock pm and finishing at 11 O’clock pm. There will be an after prom held at Longmont High School afterwards. Go for food, games and a place to chillax.

When asking about prom plans, we asked where was the most popular place for dinner. Senior Kelcy Coleman told us their group is going to the Cheesecake Factory, many other groups told us they would also be joining them at the Cheesecake Factory. The second most popular place for dinner this year is at The Med.

This year prom is going to be held at a new location, Rembrandt Yard in Boulder. ” I’m very excited for prom to be at a new place this year, it’s going to be a good change because the last 2 years I’ve been to the same exact place,” Senior Ella Fallon told us. Many other seniors and juniors agreed with Fallon, saying the location is beautiful and they are very excited.

“The theme this year is very misunderstood and a very complex concept, but we have got great reviews on what people are thinking about the theme,” Junior Maddie Precht told us. When asking others what there thoughts about the theme are we were told many liked it and others had no idea how to even grasp it.

Go out and enjoy and make this night one you will never forget. Don’t go out and do something dumb that will get you in trouble with only five weeks left in the school year. You wan to end the school year strong. Be safe and have a BLAST!!

by: AlisonIten and Kyler Auernhamer

Going to a drive-in movie theater is like taking a step back in time. Drive-in movie theaters, in which customers park in the large parking area to enjoy the movie either from their car or their trunk, became popular in the 1950′s and 1960′s. Not many drive-in theaters survive today, being replaced by traditional movie theaters. Colorado is lucky enough to have nine working drive-in theaters, the closest being the Holiday Twin Drive-In in Ft. Collins. At the Holiday Twin, customers pay a small admittance fee, and can choose from two screens, showing two movies each.

Most customers park their cars and set up a comfy and cozy viewing area in the trunk of their car or truck, with blankets and pillows. Most drive-ins also have a full snack bar, with delicious and traditional movie treats to enjoy while you watch, like popcorn, candy, and snow cones.

Though drive-in theaters have a sentimental value, they are an endangered species. Drive-in theaters just can’t compete with the efficient and easy access movie theaters that can be found in every town in the country.

However, drive-in theaters do offer many perks. They have cheaper admittance fees, and you get to see two movies. They also offer a great opportunity to spend time with your family or friends. “I love going to the drive-in movie theater. Laying with a bunch of blankets in the back of the truck is a lot more fun than just sitting in a movie theater. Going with your friends is the best. I’d definitely recommend anyone who hasn’t gone, to go!” said senior Carly Leverett.

Drive-in  movie theaters are a fun and exciting alternative to just going to your local, boring theater. They are inexpensive, a great family activity, and definitely worth the drive!