Following the tradition of @.evelyn..grwm on TikTok, below is a brief list of things that frustrate me, ranging from my job, to school, to my hobbies, and more. 

1. AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C → These two classes are the absolute epitome of absurd. Ironically, for those who are interested in the fields, the subject matter themselves is useful and is probably very fascinating (although I find neither to be true for me, someone who wants to major in international politics). However, the way they are taught sucks all of the joy out of learning about them. The College Board places an egregious amount of emphasis on simply memorizing problem types, rather than actually understanding the origins of each concept. As such, I find/found myself spending hours trying to figure out why certain formulas or processes exist, which is both tedious and unbelievably frustrating, since I just do not have enough prerequisite knowledge. Ultimately, when I took the BC exam, all I ended up doing was regurgitating the problems we learned in class. I did get a 5, but I have never been so unsatisfied with a score in my life. And unfortunately, I anticipate that the Physics C exams will be the same. 
2. Caramel Ribbon Crunch and Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos → As a Starbucks barista, I speak for all others when I say that these drinks originate from the deepest pits of the underworld. When we hear those words ordered, a gaping pit opens in each of our stomachs, as we know that the next several minutes will be a tortuous endeavor. Paradoxically, the drinks are actually not the issue, but the time it takes to make them is what is ultimately soul crushing. At Starbucks, we are beholden to a series of mandatory drive-thru and cafe times, which dictate how quickly we need to have orders completed. And when we cannot reach the prescribed level of swiftness, we are chastised or in the worst of cases, terminated. These two drinks can take up to a minute each, which already exceeds those times. So when they are ordered, every barista is forced to drop everything, ruining our flow (or in Starbucks terms, our “sequence”), or simply accept a decrease in average times. In either case, the store suffers and we are subject to even more bitter criticism.
3. À La Seconde Turns → Put simply, I cannot do this technique, no matter how much I try. And, of course, they are a central part of many dance routines. This leaves me feeling completely inadequate even though I can execute most other leaps and turns. I genuinely have no concept as to why I cannot do them, as I possess the knowledge, the strength, and the desire. There is truly not much more to say, other than that I am eternally grateful for my choreographers in Orchesis not putting them in our contemporary and jazz routines. 
4. Show Choir Formations →  After being in show choir for a little over a year, I have come to learn that the absolute worst part about the sport is both receiving and executing formation changes. During the rehearsals when we receive them, there is always a silent air of jealousy and competition, as we all vie for the front and center positions. This leads to a shocking amount of drama, as we all believe that we are talented enough to be in the front. When someone else receives the position, there is always a rush to point out every flaw they have, in some perverted attempt to feel better about ourselves. And when formations are finalized, they are always challenging to execute in competition, since they require an enormous deal of coordination that we often lack when faced with the stress of the stage. 
5. Ed Sheeran → I cannot truly express how much I despise this sorry excuse for an artist, and this hatred only began a few weeks ago. Since the beginning of September, every shift I have worked at Starbucks has been plagued by the grating tone of each and every one of Ed Sheeran’s songs. And I have heard each of his songs on repeat for weeks, often during my eight hour long shifts. I simply cannot take his voice for a moment longer, and on behalf of baristas everywhere, we beg Starbucks corporate to rid us of this virus. 
6. School Spirit and “Driven” → There is something truly ridiculous about the entire Naperville North spirit campaign of the 2020s. Most obviously, it is undeniable that the “Driven” slogan has become a complete joke among the entire student body. And now once the tagline is added, otherwise legitimate school functions/movements become nothing more than comical displays of tone deafness on behalf of the administration. Our class also has a specific disdain for school spirit generally, since we lost our entire freshman year to COVID-19, and thus never had the time to integrate with the school’s messaging. Additionally, we spent the past year watching the Class of 2023 being coddled because they supposedly bore the brunt of the pandemic, despite the fact that they only lost a few months compared to our full year. As such, we have come to realize how little the administration actually cares about our class, leaving us no motivation to ascertain any new school spirit.