"When Micheal Jordan scored 69 points, I knew I'd always remember it as the night me and Micheal combined for 70 points" - Stacey King

They have won 13 straight games. They are 17-time world champions. They are the Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics have been an official NBA team since 1949. They have been home to well-known players, like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and John Havlicek. Havlicek is the top scorer in Celtics franchise history with 26,395 points. Larry Bird was also a prolific scorer, falling in second behind Havlicek with 21,791 points. The Celtics were the first team ever to draft an African American Player. In 1950, they drafted Chuck Cooper. Soon after that, they won their first championship in the 56-57 season. The Boston Celtics began to dominate the NBA after that. They won eight straight championships from 1958 to 1966. That is the longest championship streak in any North American sports team. From 1957 to 1969, the Celtics won 11 out of 13 championships. They settled down and remained relatively quiet until the 2007-2008 season when the big three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen) was formed to aid the Celtics to another championship victory over the rival Lakers. They are hoping to do the same thing this year. With a record of 22-4 (1st in the Eastern Division and 2nd overall in the league behind the SA Spurs), they are hoping to jump back into the NBA finals once again. Their only holdback this year is the injury situation. Rajon Rondo (sprained left ankle), Delonte West (broken right wrist), Jermaine O'Neal (sore knee), and Kendrick Perkins (right knee-out three months) all made the injured list this year. Most of these injuries are not season-ending. These players should be back in no time at all. With all of this considered, the Boston Celtics seem to have an edge over their opponents this year. They are definitely Playoff bound, but how far will they go? I hope they win it all, but no one knows.

How To Keep Your New Years Resolutions

It is time to ring in the 2011 year. For some of us, it is just another year. For the rest of us, it is finally graduation year. It took us twelve years, but now the class of 2011 can finally breathe a sigh of relief and say with confidence that the high school chapter of their lives is done and another chapter can begin. Besides graduation, now is the time of year when people are tossing there old ones and writing fresh New Year’s resolutions. While some people scan there old list, they realize what they could have achieved during the past year but failed to do. When writing the new resolutions, everyone says this at some point: This year, I am going to keep these resolutions no matter what! It is possible that some people keep them because they realize that all it takes is a little bit of initiative. Webster dictionary defines initiative as “the beginning step in a process”. The most popular resolution is to lose the extra weight packed on during the candy cane and eggnog-filled holidays. If someone was serious about it they would take the initiative and get a gym membership or start working out at home. Martin Luther King once said “you don’t have to see the entire staircase, just take the first step”. When you do not see results of your efforts in the first couple of weeks, maybe months, do not give up. It may take a while of trying, but if you try hard enough and consistently, you are guaranteed to achieve whatever it is that you are trying to succeed. I guess another term for that would be perseverance. Just because your old resolutions went in the trash, it does not mean that your new ones will. (well they probably will, just with a different mentality).

What is Beauty?

What is beauty? I believe beauty can mean many different things. Obviously it means the outside appearance of something is “easy on the eyes.” This just means that it is good looking. I think it can go further though. My theory is that beauty is only skin deep and though something may long beautiful, does not mean that is what you are going to get on the inside. You can buy a shiny apple just to find a worm in it. You can buy a fancy looking car just to find out that it has not run in twenty years and it is rusted under the hood. You can get a beautiful girlfriend or boyfriend just to find out that he or she is a real jerk. Another famous saying that I believe in is the one that says do not judge a book by its cover. If you were to go and try to find a girlfriend or new car based strictly on good looks, then likely as not, you are not going to have any luck finding anything worth your time. I think in order to fully understand what the term beauty truly means, we need to attempt to define ugliness. Ugliness is something that is not pleasant to look at. Ugliness in human forms would be a girl that no one wants to go out with. Everyone has their own definition of ugliness. It is the same way with beauty. Beauty and ugliness can both be determined once you get to either know the person, or see the object inside and out. You need to find out what is on the inside before you make any judgment on whether it is beautiful or ugly. All in all, I believe that you cannot determine beauty just from outside appearances.

Poem

REBUILD – ANNONYMOUS
No more sorrow, no more pain
Only love and understanding is left to gain
No more words without meaning
Only phrases and gestures full of feeling
No more lonely days and sleepless nights
Only quality time filled with hugs so tight
No more thoughts of worthlessness
Only moments shared together engulfed in happiness
No more starving for attention and a look of disgrace
Only daily kisses accompanied with a warm embrace
Love is patient, kind and complicated
To make it work communication must be initiated
God and His words play a big part
Hold Him near and dear, close to your heart

I was looking on the internet for a poem and when I saw this one, it really hit home for me. I liked it from the first line. When it says “no more sorrow, no more pain, only love and understanding is left to gain”, I think it means that there will come a day when people do not feel things like pain and sorrow, but only love and compassion. People say a lot of things, but most of the time, there words are simply full of air. They carry no weight or meaning. When people can actually walk around and back there words up with action, then the world will be a better place. My favorite line in this poem has to be “love is patient, kind and complicated, to make it work communication must be initiated”. I like the truth behind this phrase because we all know that love is very compassionate, but when it is not going smoothly, it can seem very confusing. When you are in love, you forget to take a step back and look at the situation through someone else’s eyes. If people did this, then the confusion would disappear and you would be able to enjoy love a lot more.

Impact Of This Class

There are many things that I have learned about myself as a writer since I have begun this class. I have figured out that when I put my mind to it and really concentrate, I can write pretty good stuff. When I first started, I was worried that I would have trouble coming up with ideas for articles. I also worried about how I was going to find the time to write so many articles. Although, I must say that my writing process has developed greatly since this class began. Now I research my topic before I write about it where before I would just start typing out random stuff and hoping it made since. I also began proofreading my own work so that I do not look like an idiot when I publish something that is spelled wrong. Before I would not really look at the finished product. I would throw it up on my blog and hope no one read it. I enjoy writing about many things. Sports would have to be up there with my favorite things to write about. I like writing about sports because I love playing sports so it is like writing about something I love. If I had to choose my favorite though, I would have to say I like writing about current events the most. I like to debate things so any opportunity I have to do just that, I will take it. I do not like writing about stuff that deals with the school body. I do not get too involved in all of that so I really do not know much about it. I think this class has improved my writing and typing skills. I know how to put together an article that sounds smart and I know how to type really good now.

Family Matters

What is my favorite childhood television show? I had so many of them it is hard to choose. That was how I spent my time when I was a child. I was either outside or watching TV. I guess I would have to say family matters. That was the show that had Steve Urkel in it. I used to enjoy watching all of Steve’s funny actions because he was always doing something stupid. I remember in one of the many episodes I watched, Steve borrowed Carl Winslow’s (Steve’s “best friend”) car and ended up putting it through the garage door. The funny thing about it is he never even got it out of the garage because he forgot to open the door before he backed up. What made it even funnier, it think, is when Steve said his ever so famous quote: “did I do that”. He always used to say that when he did something bad or when he did something that was stupid. He also had this really high pitched voice that would typically get annoying. It did not get annoying with Steve though because he was the funny character and the voice made him that much funnier. Another funny aspect to that show is that Steve had a big time crush on Carl Winslow’s daughter. Her name was Laura and Steve was always trying to get with her. The funny thing about that was Laura was very popular and Steve was a geek. Maybe it was cliché but it made the show even funnier!

Childhood Games

There are several childhood games that I used to play when I was a child. I will name some of them. If I had to choose, I would have to say that my most favorite childhood game has to be laser tag. We bought the vest that you have to wear and the guns. It was like the place you go to do serious laser tag except this game; you did not have to be in a dark room. Everyone has seven lives and you have to get shot in the vest by the other person’s laser three times to lose a life. It was extremely hard to make the other person lose a life but it was also a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed it so much because it was very challenging. Another game that I used to play when I was a kid was chinese checkers and normal checkers. I used to play against my day in normal checkers. He is the one who taught me how to play and how to think ahead before I make a move. I used to play my grandma in chinese checkers. She always enjoyed that game. We had a circular game board and we each had ten marbles on each side. The object of the game was to get all of your pieces to the other side of the board before your opponent. I wasn’t good at this game so my grandma usually beat me. I am really good at checkers though!

My Favorite Neighbor, Zookmottin

I love flowers! The smell and the feel of their brilliantly smooth pedals are breathtaking. I enjoy going outside on a nice warm sunny summer day and dragging the garden hose out and watering them. There is one downside to this activity though. When I am doing it, I have to listen to our neighbor, Zookmottin, moan and complain about all of his mediocre problems. After a while of hearing the same thing over and over again, you learn to tune him out. Some of the stuff I hear unintentionally is absolutely the crudest stuff I have ever heard. He say’s stuff about his ex-wife, having to pay alimony, and all of his wives before that. He says they come and go but never stay long. He doesn’t know why. One day he came over with a head full of steam though. It was pretty bad this time around. As he was stumbling over, I asked him what was up. He said with an extremely oversized attitude that he would show me what was up. I told him to calm down and tell me what happened. He did and started to talk. He said he knew why his wives kept on leaving him without warning. They were being traded for money by the people who were living with him. I was extremely shocked. I had no idea what to say, so I said the first thing that came to my mind. I asked him you know you’re a gnome, right?

What Is Art??

What is art? I believe every single person you ask that question to will have different answers. That said, my answer is a unique one because I believe art is the human minds way of escaping everyday life. Someone might lose their job and go home and paint. Someone might lose a loved one and go take pictures in the park. I might get a bad grade in school or get in trouble at home and go in the woodshop and make something out of wood. Everyone has their own unique way of dealing with the everyday hurt, pain, or sadness that life deals out. I also believe art is any creation made by somebody using their imagination and no guidelines. I think that is how the best artwork is formed. When people do it freehand and don’t go by any guidelines or rules. Art to me is anything that comes from the heart and soul and not from the internet or any book.
Art is an outward expression of your inner soul. Your artwork shows everyone else around you how you are feeling and whether or not you are having a good day. It also shows people what you have been thinking about. I know this because I enjoy drawing. I know when I sit down to draw something, I have to be in the mood to draw and I have to think about what I am going to draw. If I do not do these things before I draw, I usually just sit there because I do not know what to do. This is why I think it shows people what you are thinking and what kind of mood you in. Overall, I think art is a great way to escape the everyday world and really let your emotions run wild.

Things Not To Do When You Borrow Your Parents Car

Well, you’re probably wondering why my car is buried in between four other cars, aren’t you? Let me tell you how it happened. Last night my mom and dad let me borrow their car. I was ecstatic! This was the first time they had let me borrow the car, let alone drive by myself. I wasn’t going to do anything to mess it up. Well, I did. Instead of going to the party that I told my parents I was going to, I went over to Zach Colson’s house. I figured he could help me study to get a good grade on my next trig test. We were studying when he asked me one of his physics homework questions. The question was whether or not a car going sixty miles per hour could jump four other cars stacked up on top of each other. The car would have to jump off of a ramp that was set at sixty degrees. I told Zach that it would be completely possible because I saw it happen on my all-time favorite show, MythBusters. He disagreed with me. We got into a huge argument and I finally broke down and told him that I would prove it too him. So we left his house and went to the junk yard. We purchased four hunks of junk and paid the guy to stack them up for us. We had to use every last penny Zach had saved up from his tutoring lessons AND piano lessons. After the cars were stacked, we created the ramp, and just that act caused another argument. He wanted it to be set at 60 degrees and I wanted it at 45. We settled for 52.5 degrees so that we would both be happy. That was a big mistake. Before I got into my parents car, I looked at Zach and said it would be easy as pie. He laughed and said that he had already called the ambulance. I took off and made it up to sixty MPH in no time. I hit the jump and my heart was racing! I hit the cars and that is all I remember!!

Photo One : Man On Edge Of Waterfall

I chose this photo because as soon as I saw it, it stuck out to me. I think the whole idea of a man standing at the edge of a potentially deadly waterfall really stood out to me. It kind of makes me think of the time I visited Niagara Falls. This was when I was not living up here yet and was still living in Georgia. When my family and I visited Niagara Falls, I always imagined standing on the top and looking down at everyone. Before I knew any better, I would also wonder what would happen if I jumped off of it. I obviously know now that jumping off of it would be terrible idea but I still wonder what it looks like from up there. I also think this photo can mean so much more. Like the guy in the picture could represent someone living on the edge of life. He knows how far he can go without falling off so he knows where to draw the line when doing stuff. One might also say that this photo represents someone that has gone about as far as life will enable him to. He has maybe achieved everything he has ever wanted to do so now he does not know what to do. Another way of looking at it would be to say that maybe he has not achieved anything but he has tried everything to succeed and has failed every time. No matter which situation it is, the man feels as if he is on the edge and either does not know what to do next or what to change about his past. One last thing this photo could mean is serenity, maybe. All I know is if I was standing on the edge of a waterfall, I would either be totally calm or I would be freaking out. The guy in this photo is obviously calm.

Hope Builds Bridges, FEAR BUILDS WALLS

“Fear builds walls.” To me this phrase means a lot of different things. For one, it means that if you walk around in your life being afraid of everything, then you are never going to achieve anything. You have to be willing to take a risk and try something new. It’s almost like that old phrase, “you are going to miss a hundred percent of the shots you do not take”. If you are not willing to take a risk then your life is going to be very boring. People can also take this phrase in a whole other direction. Some people might say that fear builds walls in relationships as well. If you are going to go into a relationship and expect not to take risks, then you have another thing coming. That’s all a relationship is: a big risk. You have no idea whether or not it is going to work. So, if you are afraid to take risks, there is going to be a MASSIVE wall in your life because you are not going to be able to have a normal relationship without worrying about it failing. Another thing that people take into consideration when reading this phrase is sports. If you have fear, then you are going to have some problems if you play physical sports like football or soccer. If you are afraid to get hit, then there is a wall in football and if you are afraid to go up in the air to fight for the ball, there is the wall in soccer. Fear can sometimes be a good thing, but nine times out of ten, it will only hurt you.

The Top Ten Things About Nate Zobrest

1.My editor for this class
2.Hangs out a lot with the Herter's
3.Blonde hair
4.Listens to good music
5.He is a senior
6.Tall
7.Taller than me
8.Taller than Mr. Currin
9.Long hair
10.Short hair

A Winning Attitude Or Just Overly Competitive?

What is winning? I believe that there are a variety of answers to that very popular question. I think it all depends on a person’s mindset. It depends on whether or not they have to win every time they play a game or whether they feel good coming in second as long as they gave it their best shot. To me, winning is very important. I am one of the ones that enjoy winning when I play a game, but if I do not win, it would irritate me to the point that I want to have a rematch with that person just to prove that I can beat them. It would bug me enough to have a rematch with the person who beat at whatever it was that we were playing. A good example of this is when I play checkers in my advisement. I have beaten everybody and only lost once to Matt and when that happened, I was a little annoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I was not annoyed at Matt for beating me. I was annoyed at myself for not playing the right moves that I should have. If you ask, I am sure that he will tell you that after he beat me, I kept pestering him for a rematch until we finally played and I won. I believe that the true definition of winning is coming out on top in anything competition related that you do. To me, coming in second just means that I am the first person to lose. It also means that I came closer than anyone else to winning and I could not capitalize on my opportunities. I think that I will someday lose my competitive mindset and will not mind losing but right now that is what winning means to me.

My Favorite Holiday

Out of all of the holidays, I would have to say that Christmas is my all-time favorite. I like Christmas not only for the gifts, but because of the meaning behind it. I love going to the store around the holidays and seeing people doing there last minute shopping. They are always in a bad mood because they procrastinated until the last minute and now they have to rush and get everything that they are going to need. I think that is a big part of the fun during the holidays. Just sitting back and relaxing with the family and soaking it all in. I personally enjoy doing just that, especially these last couple of years because I know that my time at home is drawing to an end and I want to enjoy every last minute it. I know that those Christmas mornings are moments that I am never going to be able to experience again. I will keep enjoying Christmas, but it will not be the same as it was when I was at home. I also enjoy it because it is an excuse for the family to get together and be civilized. There are no argument or disputes that need to be settled, just family being family and enjoying one another’s company. I enjoy it when my family is sitting around the living room drinking a cup of go Joe juice or something and just talking. I also enjoy Christmas because of the weather. I love going out and having a snowball fight in the dead of winter. When you can go outside and be completely frozen in a matter of minutes, then the weather is perfect. I guess it is the sum of all these things that make Christmas my all-time favorite. Nothing else can come close.

What Am I Thankful For?

What am I most thankful for? That is a tricky question because there are many things that I am very thankful for. I guess the biggest thing I am thankful for is my parents. They have always been there for me and have always had my back when I got into a jam. It did not matter how bad the situation was, they would always support me and fight for me. There was one time down in Georgia that I am not going to elaborate on, but it proved that they supported me through the thick and thin. This is why I am thankful for my parents. Another thing I am thankful for is my friends. Whenever I have gotten into trouble at school or at home, I have been able to talk to my friends about it. I never have to worry about them laughing or judging me for it. They have also allowed me to vent to them about problems I am having. Like if I get into trouble for something that I did not do, they do not care if I yell at them to vent my frustration. Finally, one more thing I am thankful for are the many teachers I have had in my entire school career. Although there are several of them that I despise very much, they all had my best interest at heart, and I thank them for it. They did not have to wake up early in the morning just to tech me how to write my name! Also, they have been putting up with me year after year, so I kind of have to give them props as well because let’s be honest, not everyone can do that! There are so many different things that I am thankful for, so I am happy to have an opportunity like this to be able to reflect on that.

LUNCH TIME

If I could have lunch with three people, I think I know who I would pick first. I would have to pick my Grandma. She died three years ago and I never got to say good bye to her. Having lunch with her would enable me to be able to say bye and to reinforce the fact that I love her. Looking back on it today, I know I did not tell her that enough.
Another person that I would have lunch with is my biological mother. She and my Dad divorced when I was little and I have so many questions for her. I definitely would not talk to her right now because I love the way my life is now and I do not want to start anything up that might interfere with it. I have only one memory of her and that is not a good one, and plus I have heard some bad stories about the way she used to treat my brother and I.
The last person that I would want to sit down with to have lunch would be my big brother. I have not seen him since we went down to Texas to watch him graduate Basic Training from the Air Force. Since I am going in September, I have a ton of questions about Basic. I also miss him and would enjoy the time I have with him. I think it would be a good time to just relax and catch up.

Thanksgiving Traditions

My family does not really do anything special for thanksgiving anymore. When my grandma was alive, we used to go over to her house and she would make an enormous dinner. It was always good. Ever since she passed away, we stay at home and make a small dinner. It is nothing too big. Last year we went to a thanksgiving play. That was nice. This year, since my brother is out of the house, we are probably just going to go out and eat. Another thing that is sort of a tradition in our house is the Thanksgiving Day parade and game. We usually wake up early too watch the parade and then after that we all sit down and watch the football game. Another thing that my dad does is hunt. He always loves to go out and hunt on thanksgiving with my uncle Bill. I am finally going to join him this year. I hope that it becomes a tradition even after I move out. When I move out and get settled with my own family, I hope to begin a tradition. I cannot cook so I will marry somebody that can. I hope to be able to wake up and watch the parade and then the game like I do now. I also hope to continue going out and hunting with my dad. Then when my kids get older (God willing) I hope that they enjoy all of the traditional activities as much as I do.

Three Quotes

“Some people develop a wish bone where their back bone should be.” Anonymous
I love this quote because it is so true. Many people I have talked to throughout my life have always said they wish for this and they hope for that. I think if half of those people got up off their butt and worked towards achieving their wishes, or goals, they would be singing a different tune.
“The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that an optimist thinks this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true." Unknown This quote also rang true for me because I have seen a lot of people complain about the world they live in and yet they do absolutely nothing to change it. Those very same people laugh at the people that say they love the life they have because it can’t get any better. This worries the pessimists because if the world truly couldn’t get any better than what it already is, then what could they possibly have to be pessimistic about. Nothing!
“The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time.” Joe Girard
I really like this quote because it speaks a simple message. To me, it basically says to get off your butt and do some work. If you are not willing to work for a reward, success will never come your way. However, it does not mean that you will get rewarded every time you work.

Respect

Respect, I think, is a term that many people need to learn. According to dictionary.com, respect means “the condition of being esteemed or honored”. In my own words, I would say that respect is simply the acknowledgement of another person’s feelings. People always say that you should respect your elders, but I have rarely heard anyone say you should have respect for younger people with the same conviction. i feel that all people deserve respect as long as they return the favor. To me, this does not mean that if someone does not respect you, you do not have to respect them. I try to respect everyone, but I do not go out of my way to show it for someone who does not do the same thing. I also feel that respect is earned. You cannot walk up to someone on the street and automatically assume that they respect you. You have to give them a reason to respect you, whether you do something good for them or you just show them the same respect that you wish to get from them. I also believe that once respect is lost, it is very, very hard to get it back. You can do many good things for someone but all it takes is one mistake to wipe all of that out. It takes a lot to earn respect and not a lot to lose it. Once people begin to respect each other, I believe the world would be a much better place.

Dream Job

When I get out of high school, I am joining the Air Force, as you may already know. Once I get done with basic training, I am going to technical training school so that I can be qualified for my dream job. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) as it stands right now is Tactical Aircraft Maintenance. I am going to be able to do mechanical and ballistic work on some of the fastest airplanes in the world. However, that is not my dream job. My dream job would have to be flying a SR-71 Blackbird, one of the fastest jets in the U.S. Air Force, and in the world. As of right now, I am going to be stuck working on them because I do not have 20/20 vision. In order to fly, that is what you would need. After I am done with the schooling for working on the jet, I can apply to get the laser vision correction and then if my eyesight is normal, I will be able to fly any plane that I want to. Another job that I would not mind having is becoming a part of the border patrol. I think it would be a great opportunity to serve the country and protect it from illegal immigrants. I think that if I were to have to pick any of these jobs, it would have to be flying in the Air Force. However, I would be happy if I got the opportunity to do any one of these two.

10-27 tHAT hURT!!!

I have hurt myself pretty bad in my lifetime but there is definitely one time that I will never forget. I think it was ninth grade and I was running track. I thought I was doing well and that I had a decent chance of winning some races that season. The first couple of weeks went by without any incident. I was actually winning some of my heats. It was only after about the fourth or fifth week that I noticed something was wrong. I was working out and doing my warm up run and I felt my calf suddenly tighten. It felt like my calf had turned to stone. I thought it was a cramp so I iced it and it seemed to go away. I didn’t even give it a second thought until it kept happening. Every time I would go to run even for the shortest period of time, I would get a tightening in my leg that would just about bring me to my knees. I talked to Mr. Kennedy about it and he said that it might just be a severe case of shin splints. He said if I took it easy and iced it a lot, it would get better. It seemed as though that was working so I decided to go all out on my last race of the season. I was running the 3000 meter (2 mile) race and I was doing really well. I was in third the entire time until the last couple of laps. I knew the race was almost over and I wanted to win because it was the last race of the season. I started to run faster and that’s when it happened. I actually don’t remember falling and hitting my head on the track but people told me that’s what I did. I found out later that my Achilles tendon was torn in my left leg.

10-27 The interesting life of Pinkie

When I saw that we had to write about what we think Pinkie does in his free time, I giggled with excitement. This has to be one of the best topics we have been allowed to write about. There are so many things that he may do in his free time so I don’t know where to start. I know one day I clearly saw him looking up Hannah Montana tickets on the computer and throwing it against the wall when he saw the site was blocked. I guess he didn’t learn the first time because the following week he saw that the site for the Justin Bieber concert was blocked as well.
I am also pretty sure the one day I saw him throwing a cat around in the room. I am not sure but I definitely saw some sort of mammal attached to a string being carelessly tossed around. That was completely inappropriate for a newspaper meeting which is why it was hysterical. Another thing I believe that he does in his free time is look up pictures up Chuck Norris and John Wayne, copy and paste them into Microsoft Word, and compare them. After he does this, he compares his results against Matt’s, who has also been feverishly researching and comparing T-Pain and Lil’ Wayne.
I think, in order to successfully complete a hard day of work at the newspaper, he has to play a lightning round of tiddlywinks with Zach. You can always tell if Pinkie is losing because of the sound effects that Nate expertly coordinates with the game. This concludes a successful day at the newspaper for Ryan Pinkowski. There is no telling what he intends to do in his free time tomorrow. Maybe he will try for the Jonas Brothers or maybe even Katie Perry.

10-25 People I look up too

There are actually three people that I look up too: My Mom, Dad, and Brother. I look up to my dad because he has always set a good example for me. When I get into trouble, he yells but after words, we talk about it. Also, he has taught me that my word is my honor. When I tell someone that I am going to do something for them, I do it. He has taught me that if I do not come through on my word, those people will have a hard time believing me next time I say something.
I also look up to my mom because of what she has been through. She has taught me how to have strength when times get tough and too never back down from a challenge. When her mom died (my Grandma), she taught me a very important lesson. She taught me that just because you are going through a hard time does not give you an excuse to quit what you have already started. It also does not give you an excuse to get into trouble.
The other person I look up too is my big brother. He has always been there for me. When I was down, he was always there to help me up. Now that he is gone, I look up to him even more. He is setting a tremendous example for me. He enlisted in the Air Force and is now in his tech school. He is doing so well, I can only hope to do as good as him. Another reason I look up to him is I would have never signed my name on the dotted line for the Air Force had it never been for him. Him enlisting is what gave me the idea to pursue the same thing.

When birds mess with Nate

Nate Bailey, the assumed Boss of the Bulldog, sat gazing dreadfully at the clock on the wall. He was waiting for hours to hear the ever so popular 2:25 bell. That bell would signify the end of a long, non-productive day for Nate.
Finally, fourth block. As Nate sat there, gazing out of the window, he witnessed something that might have changed his life forever. Probably not, though. Nate just happened to look up at the exact moment a bird crashed through Mrs. Kaderli’s window. Nate let out a silent little cry as he witnessed this. What he saw next was even weirder though. Nate knew the bird must have died instantly so he went up to Mrs. Kaderli’s room to see if she was okay. When he walked into the room he expected to see broken glass everywhere and a dead bird lying on the ground. You can imagine his surprise when he walked in and saw Mrs. Kaderli sitting at her desk teaching a class. No broken glass or dead bird anywhere. Nate nearly hit the ceiling. He ran all the way back to the Bulldog’s headquarters and looked up at Mrs. Kaderli’s room. He was floored when he saw it.
There was the broken window. It wasn’t even the broken window that made Nate urinate in his pants though. When he looked up, there was a flock of about 200 birds flying into Mrs. Kaderli’s room. Nate ran as fast as he could, which really isn’t that fast, up to Mrs. Kaderli’s room. When he opened the door, he covered his face because he expected to be attacked by the birds. When Nate uncovered his face, all he saw was Mrs. Kaderli sitting by her desk and the class staring at him!

(No offense to Nate. Anything said about him probably is not true!)

Don't Be Scared - Read It!!

One of the scariest books I have ever read was written by the ever so famous Stephen King. The book is entitled “Misery”. This may sound familiar to some people because you probably saw the lame movie remake on T.V. They cut so much of the book out of the movie.
The first couple of chapters in this book are kind of boring but you have to stick with it. The story centers around two people: Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes. Paul is a very successful author. He usually writes romance novels that focus around a character named Misery Chastain. Well, one day Paul had been drinking in celebration of his latest accomplishment. He had written the final novel of the Misery Chastain series. He drank too much and attempted to drive through a big snow storm. He crashed. This is when we meet Annie. Annie pulled Paul out of the destroyed automobile. She takes him back to her desolated home and bandages his wounds. This is when things got weird. After Paul woke up, Annie repeatedly told Paul that she is his number one fan. She also asked him if she could read the manuscript to Paul’s recently completed novel. Paul doesn’t realize that he pretty much killed himself by doing this because Annie is in love with Misery Chastain. Paul had Misery die in this manuscript! The next day Annie was so mad that she made him burn the manuscript. From this point on, Annie began to do horrible things to Paul. At one point when she thought he was almost able to walk again, she shattered both of his ankles with a sledge hammer. She also used an axe and cut off Paul’s foot. She stopped the bleeding by cauterizing it with a blowtorch!! She also cut off his thumb when he complained of a missing key on the typewriter he was using to re-create Misery (Annie was forcing him to bring Misery back to life). All in all, this book really messed with me. It was pretty bad.

Is NaTe BoSs?

Is Nate Bailey truly boss? In order to answer that question, we must first make sure that we understand what being boss means. Being boss takes a lot of skill and practice. It basically means you are the best of your kind. For example, my car is definitely boss! In order to be best of your kind, you have to be able to outperform everyone else around you. When you are finished competing against your rival, you must be able to say, yeah son, I am better than you! If you are not able to say that, you are not bossin’. Another factor that must be considered when you are thinking about being boss is your overall appearance and the way you carry yourself. You can’t be looking like Drew Carrey and expect people to take you serious when you say that you are boss. Now if you came in looking like the ever so famous Orlando Bloom, people would totally take you serious if you said you were the boss. I believe Nate bailey fulfills all of these strict requirements. On the other hand, I also think a couple more people have an opportunity to be boss but I won’t say who as to prevent some jealousy! Back to Nate. I believe he is Boss because he owns at everything he does. I was walking in the hall the other day and I overheard Mrs. Gramza saying she wishes to be more like Nate. That’s how boss he really is. (BTW: I never heard Mrs. Gramza say a thing like that!!!)

WhY mEtAl ShOp RuLeS

My favorite class by far my entire high school career has to have been metal shop with Mr. Visciano. I took that class in my sophomore year and I took it again in my junior year. All we did in that class was learn how to operate certain pieces of equipment. We also learned how to weld and how to work with all of the machinery with safety. We were able to create many different things using metal and the equipment. I was able to create a Bills lamp which turned out really cool. I took sheet metal and cut the Bills logo out of it. I welded the logo to three different brackets and then I spot welded blue lights onto the back of it. That was only one thing I did. I also created a metal shelf. That didn’t work out to good because the shelf was way too heavy to hang on the wall. After that I created a coat hanger. All I did was take a long piece of .5in. stock metal and used that as the back. I bent three separate pieces of metal into hooks and welded them on for the hangers. I also made a house number sign for the front of my house. I used wood for the actual sign though. I burned the numbers into the board. All in all, this class was amazing because there were no rules on what you could and could not make. You were free to make anything you wanted.

Chris Young - Voices

That Nashville Sound: New Music Video From Chris Young- "Voices"
If I had to choose what my favorite song is, it would have to be a song by country star Chris Young. The song is titled “Voices”. This is one of the very few new songs that I actually like. The majority of all new music talks about negative things. This song by Chris Young sticks to the basics and tells us all about the many life lessons that we may have learned when we were younger. I like this song because it tells us that even when a loved one or a friend passes away or leaves your life, you can still remember what they said to you. The things that stick closest to people are the lessons they are taught when they are young.
Another thing I like about this song is when it says “those hard to find words of wisdom holed up here in my mind”. I like this line because it shows that when you remember all of the lessons that were taught to you throughout your entire life, you will have an easier time getting by in life. Another reason I like this song is because it has a good beat to it. I like when a song has a good beat and you can dance to it. All in all, this song really surprised me in a good way. I did not expect an artist to come out with a song with this kind of content. Now that someone did though, I hope other artists follow their lead.

10/11-10/15 - WHY TACOS RULE

If I was told to choose what my favorite food is, I would have to say it is definitely tacos. Tacos have been my favorite ever since I was a little child. I have heard stories from my mom and dad about when I had my first taco. I was four and when my parents gave it to me, I threw it at them! I was a kid. What else was I supposed to do with it? I guess my mom made me another one and I ate that one! As I got older, I began to add a ton of stuff to it. I started by adding tomatoes and lettuce. I then moved up to bigger things like cheese and sour cream. I guess there is only one main reason why I love tacos so much: They are a work of art. When I am putting my taco together, I feel like an artist. You can put a little bit of this and a little bit of that in them. Whatever you are in the mood for, you can add it to a taco. There really is not a thing that you couldn’t add to a taco. AAlso, if you wanted to, you could make your taco vegetarian style (which I do not suggest!). You can also add any type of meat to it. I guess to sum it all up into one idea; tacos are for people who do not like to follow recipes. They are for people who enjoy making things their own way!

10/4-10/8 - SOCIAL NETWORK

The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, was released to theaters this year. If you enjoy using Facebook, you will love this movie. The movie was set in 2003 when Facebook came about. As expensive technology became affordable to the majority of people and the internet made it easy to stay in touch with people who were halfway across the world, Harvard undergrad and computer programming wizard Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) launched a website with the potential to change the way people viewed online chat rooms. At the time, Zuckerberg was just six years away from making his first million. But his hearty payday would come at a high price, because despite all of Zuckerberg's wealth and success, his personal life began to suffer as he became marred in legal disputes, and discovered that many of the 500 million people he had friended during his rise to the top were eager to see him fall. The prime enemy of Zuckerberg was his former college buddy, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Saverin’s major financial contributions helped the company sprout and become famous. Meanwhile, the Winklevoss twins (Arnie Hammer and Josh Pence) engage Zuckerberg in a fierce courtroom battle for ownership of Facebook that left many suspecting the young entrepreneur may have let his greed shadow his better judgment.

10/4-10/8 The Da Vici Code

Another one of my favorite movies is The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code was released in 2006 and directed by Ron Howard. The main characters are Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu. The movie starts off in the Grand Gallery in Paris. Paul Bettany as Silas is pursuing a man revealed to be Jacques Saunière. Silas is trying to figure oput the hiding spot of the keystone. Upon the threat of death, Jacques confesses the hiding spot. Silas thanked him and then shot him in the stomach. He discovers the dying Jacques had created an intricate display using black light ink and his own body and blood. Captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno), the lead detective in Jacques murder case, asks him for his interpretation of the puzzling scene. Professor Langdon is in the profession of studying signs and symbols for a living. Everyone is trying to get their hands on this key because it may open up the door where the Holy Grail is. The police think Langdon is a primary suspect in the murder of Jacques and they plant a GPS tracking dot on him. He sheds the dot and begins his own investigation as to where the Holy Grail is. In the end, Silas is killed and langdon finds the Grail with the help of Sophie.

10/4-10/8 - National Treasure

National Treasure has to be my favorite movie. It was released in 2004. The cast consisted of Nicholas Cage as Benjamin Gates, the main character of the movie. Ben Gates comes from a family of treasure hunters. Now Gates thinks that the forefathers treasure is buried somewhere in the United States. Gates tries to find the clues, but the only problem with that is the clues are very cryptic and scattered all over the country. Gates has almost all of them but he is still missing the actual map. To his disdain, he learns that the last clue is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Naturally, he is going to have a difficult time obtaining this crucial clue, but to make his life harder, someone else wants it too!! Gates’ financier, Ian Howe, (part played by Sean bean) wants to get to the treasure before Gates does. Ian is the main antagonist of the film. He plans to get to the treasure before gates so that he can keep all of it for himself and get rich. Gates ends up with the treasure and Ian ends up in prison.

9/27-10/1 - SUMMER

What is my favorite season?!? I really don’t know so let’s use the process of elimination. Winter equals snow so no! Spring is always wet so definitely not. So that leaves fall and summer. Fall is pretty but it also leads up to winter so I am going to have to say summer. Most people might not agree with me because of the “heat”, but I am from Georgia. I went from 110 degree summers to 80 degree summers. I would say that is a big improvement. There are many reasons I like summer. The main reason is being able to do more things outside. I am able to play sports and run around my road. We also bale hay in the summer and I find that to be very fun. You can’t bale hay in the winter. (I would actually love to see someone try!!!) Also, in late summer, it usually gets cool out at night. This is perfect for bon fires and throwing parties OUTSIDE, not inside so everyone trashes your house!!! Another big reason I love summer is the fact that for the majority of it, we do not have school. Without being in school, I am able to enjoy all of the wonderful benefits of summer. One negative thing of summer compared to winter is the fact that when you get hot, there is only so much you can take off. In the winter when you get to cold, you can put on a coat or build a fire.

9/27-10/1 MIRANDA DAUCHER

If you thought you knew Miranda Daucher, guess again. I had the privilege of interviewing her for this assignment and I learned a lot about her. The first question that I asked her was what are three things you want to do before you die. She responded with very popular answers. The first thing she wanted to do was succeed in basketball. Word on the street says she is very athletic and is skilled in basketball. Another thing she wanted to do was win the lottery. Who doesn’t! She also intends to go skydiving before she died. My second question for Miranda was what her goals in life are. She began by saying she hopes to have a happy and successful life with a good job and nice family. When I asked her how she will go about achieving these goals, she responded with doing well in school. She also said that if she does better than everyone else around her, she will be fine. I went on to ask her what her number one fear is. Failing in life was her number one. We rounded out the interview by asking her what her plans were when she gets out of high school. She intends to go to Penn State and play either volleyball or basketball. She wants to dorm there as well.

9/27-10/1 - TEXAS

I have had the opportunity to recently visit San Antonio, Texas to view my brother’s graduation from basic training. When I first stepped off the plane, it was almost as if I had been slapped in the face. The heat was almost too much to bear, and I am from Georgia!! It was not only the heat that affected you either. The humidity is what made the heat index rise. I think the hottest it got while we were there was 104 degrees, with the heat index soaring above 110 degrees. Forget the weather though. The driving was insane. Drivers in San Antonio remind me of drivers in Time Square on New Year’s Eve!! They kept cutting us off and slamming on their brakes when they were in front of us. I think what bugged me the most was the simple fact that nobody there seemed to know how to use their turning signals. The bridges and overpasses were also crazy. No matter where we turned, it seemed like there was always someone there to cut us off. Driving in San Antonio kind of reminded me of driving in California. It might not have been so bad if people in Texas actually drove in the speed limit and used there turning signals when driving. I didn’t mind being in Texas for four days but I will never live there.

9/20-9/24 Past

There are many stories that I could tell about my past where I have learned something, but two of them stick out the most. When I was little, my parents always told me not to throw things in the house. I pretended to hear them, but I was ten years old and I knew everything! Well, one day when I was home with my grandma, I decided to play catch with my recorder in my room. When I threw it up in the air, one of the pieces flew off the end and went right through the window! One thing I learned from that incident is that my dad does not really like coming home to a broken window!! I also learned that I should probably listen to my parents when they tell me not to do something because when they do, it usually means that something bad is going to happen if I don’t. Another story that I learned from comes from last year. Last year was when my grandma died. I always thought that I spent a lot of time with her, but after she died, I realized I was wrong. I took for granted the weekends that I used to spend with her. It wasn’t until she died that I wished I had more time. A key lesson I learned from that is to never take time for granted, because once it is gone, you can never get it back. Now I live for the moment and spend as much time as possible with family and friends.

9/20-9/24 Present

I think the biggest thing that I love about my life is where I am. I love the fact that I made it to the 12 grade without failing any classes. I am so thankful that I have my family also. They are the reason I am still in the position that I am in. If it had not been for them, I would still be in Georgia and probably not doing so well in school. They are also my motivation when it comes to sports as well. They come to all of my games and are proud even if I lose. Also, I love all of my friends because they stuck with me even when I was the new kid on the block from Georgia. Another thing that I love about my life right now is where I am going tomorrow. I am going to Texas to watch my brother graduate from Basic Training in the Air Force. He has been away from home for over eight weeks and I finally get to go and see him. I am really excited. One other thing I love about life in general is that I actually have the ability to do the things I do. I might be the only one, and I do not know why, but I do not take the everyday freedoms I have for granted. I know that there are people who fought and died to preserve this sacred freedom and I respect that. I also realize that there are people who cannot enjoy the same freedom, and I really do pity them.

9/20-9/24 Future

When I get out of High school, I leave for Basic Training for the Air Force. I know this because I joined there DEP (Delayed Entry Program) over the summer. I thought it would be a good idea because now I can go through my senior year of high school and not have to worry about what I am going to do when I get out. I think if I have a job and I am able to support my family and I and not have to worry, I would have gotten what I want out of life. I plan on achieving this goal by taking it one step at a time. If I take it a step at a time then I can focus on accomplishing one thing at a time also and I think that would make my life easier. When I get done with Basic Training, my MOS (specialty) will be in tactical aircraft maintenance. The specialty training for this MOS is going to be six months. I will be in the AF for six years and then I can transfer out into a civilian job at an airport.

Blog#3 9-17

One day my friend decided that he wanted to move. We all liked the idea so he began to look for houses on the internet. He found one on matchmaker and decided to go check it out. He left one morningand was supposed to come back within the week. He never did. After three years, me and my other friend decided to go and look for him! When we got to the house that he found on the internet, we found it to be deserted. We went inside and found a note from the owners on the table, though. All it said was to go and look at the back porch. My friend went and checked it out but did not come back. I went out back to look for him. I stepped outside and all of the sudden, I started to fall. While falling, I thought to myself that maybe one day somebody will finally build a porch.

Blog#2 9-17

My mom invited my boss over for dinner last night and it didn't end well. When he came over, we all sat down and started talking. We were actually enjoying each other's company and pretty soon we smelled something burning in the kitchen!! My mom had forgotten all about the dinner that was in the oven! She had to remake everything and my boss was getting impatient. He proposed that we should just order a pizza or something but my mom insisted on cooking the meal. She said that she already had it started again and did not want to take it all out again. While she was in the kitchen, I had to chill with my boss as he steadily grew more and more impatient. All of the sudden he began to freak out and I didn't know what to do. I just sat there as he began to feast on my mom's Chinese made china!! When I went to work the next week, I found out that he died from lead poisoning.

9/13-9/17 # 1

One thing that I like about this painting is the simplicity of it. I like that there is nothing complicated about it. I think the meaning behind this painting is to show us that even if we can't see it, things can still be fragile and ready to break. When the cup is solid, we tend to forget that that the egg is still there and can be broken very easily. It isn't until the cup begins to fade that we are brought back to reality and we realize what we forgot.I also like the fact that the whole thing is on a checkerboard. I do not know why but it seems to add a sort of elegance to the whole painting.