Last Post. *Tear*

So, it has come to this. After nearly 10,000 words, we part. In this essay, I'll just talk about a reflection of 9th grade, mainly because I have written so many posts that I have ran out of topics. But good thing it happened on the last one, right?

So... Ninth Grade. To be honest, I kind of hated it. I mean, there were parts that I didn't find totally bad, but mostly, I could not wait to get out. With all the new responsibilities that I got this year, added on to the fact that grades actually count, was somewhat of a mountain of stress. I was convinced that I should run away and join the circus, but saner heads prevailed. I stayed in it until the end, and I should feel accomplished, right? I don't really. I just feel tired. Like the feeling you get after you take after a very long test. Its not like exercising, where it is the good kind of tired, but the kind of tired where your head hurts and all you want to do is sleep. But it's the kind of tired that a good nights sleep can't really fix. I think that I just need a break, which is exactly what I'm getting. Then on to high school...

High School will be a huge blast. And a big part of that will be because of Productions. I had a party with the Productions family on Saturday, and it was extremely fun. I think that it's going to be a huge part of my next three years. Along with better classes, driving, DATES, and new friends. I love my current friends, but I need to new ones as well. And along with the Driving subject: I am currently enrolled in drivers ed at A1 Driving School. I have to struggle for consciousness while Jose talks me about inertia and the law of gravity. But whatever. It will all be worth it.

As for future plans, I might get a winter job, hopefully somewhere nice like Red Mango or Starbucks. But as for right now, I help out with construction here and there this summer. Next summer I am going to go live up in Idaho to help my uncle build a house, and I'll get paid quite a bit. I need to pay for gas somehow. We are going up to Bear Lake for our Productions Retreat this year, in a new condo that has never been used before, that can hold up to 64 people. We are going with 24. Also, 2 hottubs and right by the lake. I smile just thinking about it. As for distant future plans, I have decided that I want to be a Pediatritian. I love kids. I am still not sure what college I want to go to, all I know is that I want it out of state.

Last paragraph of all time. Holy. Well, thank you for reading. And thank you Mr. Thompson for assigning this, because it was pretty darn fun. I think that I'm going to miss English the most out of all my classes, because you made it so unique, and really fun. So, this is Jack Nielsen, signing off.

Goodbye.

Goodbyes and Farewells.

It’s that time again. The time where we all say goodbye to our friends that we won’t see for quite awhile. Although it is different this time. But in this blog I will talk about Goodbyes, the end of this year, and some other fun stuff.

                Sadly, there are a lot of us who won’t be seeing each other again. But if you find yourself going to Layton High next year we can be the best of friends. There are quite a few people going to Davis, and I wish them the best of luck, and it is going to be a little hard to say goodbye. I’m sure I’ll see them again, but it’s just going to be weird. There are going to be some people we are going to be glad to get rid of, but still, it’s going to be weird.

                I am, however, extremely excited to meet new people. I am frankly kind of sick of Fairfield, and I’m really excited to expand my group of friends. I made Productions for LHS next year, and I have already met the people in it, and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, so that is going to be really fun, along with a bunch of other friends from different schools.

                Some of the things I am excited for in high school are driving, dating, new classes, new friends, Productions, and some other fun things. Yes, I turn 16 in just a few months, which means I’ll be dating AND driving. I am so freaking excited. But there is a little problem:  nearly none of my friends my age are going to be allowed to date at the same time as me. But I have many Junior friends, along with even a few seniors, so I’ll still have some opportunities. Any more info on dating, see my blog on Dating. I am currently enrolled in Drivers Ed, and my birthday is in August. I also have a car all set out for me, so things could not get better.

                For the next two weeks, I plan on purely partyin’. We are almost done with End Of Levels, and now we mainly just have fun things to do. This week is going to be pretty fun, but next week is going to be phenomenal. We don’t have school Monday (I don’t know if that’s good or bad), The Ninth Grade Dance, and let’s not forget: It is our last day in Junior High.

                To wrap things up a little bit: I’m pretty darn ready for high school. It’s going to be pretty sad to say goodbye to some good friends, but I think that everyone is going to be better off in high school. I CANNOT WAIT for the next several months, and I hope they live up to our expectations. This will also be one of my last blog posts, sadly. I have one more to go, but I think that this was a great assignment, and It was also really fun.

Have a great week!

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was a very different book. Now-a-days you often read books that are really sappy, or are hard to picture true, but this book mastered the art of being REAL. There was no sugar coating, there was no exaggerating. It was a plain and simple take on life.

               

 The story starts our introducing you to 16-year-old Hazel Grace, a cancer patient. She has had cancer for a very long time, and it is basically just a matter of how long the doctors can keep her alive. She has to live her life with an oxygen tank, because she can’t breathe right. She goes to Cancer Support Groups (for the sake of her mother) and tries to keep a happy face, although she has somewhat lost care for life. She was this way, until she met Augustus Waters. Augustus is a very handsome and kind young man, who has only one leg. He had to have a leg amputated, when cancer invaded his leg. But, he has been NEC (No Evidence of Cancer) for more than a year. Hazel meets Augustus in the Cancer Support Group, and she takes interest in him almost immediately. The two soon fall in love, and spend a lot of time together. Hazel is still struggling with cancer, but she finds it easier to manage with someone like Augustus at her side. The two even go to Europe to meet one of their favorite authors, who wrote a book about cancer that Hazel absolutely adores. Things soon take a turn for the worse, as Augustus finds out that tumors have invaded his entire body. He goes to get an MRI, and he “lit up like a Christmas tree.” Hazel soon watches the love of her life slowly die in front of her eyes. Augustus loses his strength, and becomes terminally ill. Hazel then has to take care of Augustus, while she is still dying herself. Augustus Waters died earlier than Hazel, leaving her alone.

This book is quite a tear-jerker, I must say. I found myself heartbroken many times while reading this book. There were points in this book, though, that were honest and true outtakes on life. Augustus Waters had a very special look on life. He, in some ways, kind of reminded me of myself. He would not let himself deny the simple pleasures in life. If there was a pretty girl, he would look at her (and if he hadn’t, he would never have met Hazel). He was also very big on metaphors. He would buy cigarettes and put them in his mouth, but not light them. He liked the feeling of having a form of death so close to him, but not letting it harm him. Hazel looked at life as just a thing. It was only one thing in a world of oblivion. She also said a quote, which was “Everything is just a side-effect of dying.” Which, I have to completely agree with. All of us are dying, all the time. Every second we live, every breathe we take, we are slowly dying. She says that happiness, sadness, pain, everything is just a side effect of dying.

 There was another quote in this book that I also found intriguing. Hazel undergoes many challenges in her life, most of which involve pain, emotional and physical. “That’s the thing with pain. It demands to be felt.” Pain is one of the most extreme emotions, because it demands itself to be felt

To close, I will state one more quote, from Augustus. “We don’t get to chose if we get hurt in this world, but we have a say in who we get hurt by. I like my choices.” Life is a funny thing. Some people say we need some rainy days to appreciate the sunny ones, but “suffice it to say that the taste of broccoli does not in any way effect the taste of chocolate.” I really liked this book, and I think one of the main reasons I did was because of how honest it was. I strongly recommend this book. To anyone.

Girls...

Hahaha. I can't even type the title and not think about how funny I am. But hey, why not, right? So, this post will probably end up a complete and utter disaster, but let’s go for this anyway. So, let’s talk about girls... Out of my 16 years of experience with girls, I have made some conclusions. For one, as you get older, they become the reason you do almost everything. I sometimes just sit and ponder what portion of my life has been spent with the thought of girls in my mind. I bet at least 90%. The other 10% was probably about food. Secondly, I have found that girls can also be COMPLETELY INSANE. Why? I'll never know. But we (as men) don't really care. The fact that girls are well... girls... makes up for the occasional insanity. But along with the insanity, girls are also a lot smarter than guys sometimes. SOMETIMES. Some of the best advice I've ever gotten has been from a girl. But, we'll talk more about that in the next few paragraphs. We can also talk about what I look for in a girl later on... if you’re lucky.
Let's just elaborate for a second about just the topic of girls. Some of my best friends are girls, and from what I've seen, they are the complete opposite from guys in many ways. First of all, girls don't tend to speak their minds as much as guys. You will find girls say more things like "Fine", "Whatever", "It's totally fine", and even the dangerous "No, go ahead." A girl can also hide her emotions a lot more then guys as well. (Yes, guys actually do have emotions.) A girl can have a crush on a guy for 3 years and the guy wouldn't even know, while if a guy likes a girl, he can't keep it to himself for more than a couple weeks. Either that, or guys are really stupid. Girls can also have about 1,000,000,000 thoughts in their head at the same time, and guys often struggle with 1.

Now, I'm just going to talk about what myself, along with other guys, look for in girls. Believe it or not, I actually care about personality. Not every single guy is a jerk.

***Quick Digress: For those of you girls that complain a lot on Facebook and Twitter about how stupid guys are and how they are all jerks, just SHUT UP. Believe it or not, not every single guy on the face of the earth has the goal of hurting you. You can talk about how done with guys you are all you want, but we both know you're a liar. You want a guy, don't deny it. I've seen your Pintrest. I know you have at least two boards dedicated to 'My DREAM Wedding". So maybe the fact that you've gotten hurt too many times just tells you something about your taste in guys.***

Anyway, back on topic. The thing with guys and attraction is that guys have a sex drive. So yes, that is a factor. But how long can something based on pure physical attraction last? Which is why, especially in Jr. High and High School, some relationships last a couple weeks, or the girl ends up prego. I also have a few personal things that I like in a girl as well. Along the lines of physical appearance, I would prefer more Brunette hair, along with an amazing set of eyes, and perfect lips don't hurt either. A really annoying voice can be a big ruiner as well. Along the lines of mental attraction, I need to have a nice girl. There is absolutely nothing worse to me then a stuck up girl. And who can like someone they have nothing in common with? Thats another biggie. This might be a little odd, but I kind of think it's cute when a girl is insecure about something. If I wanted to date a perfect girl, I'd buy a Barbie. Little flaws and insecurities are what make a person human.

So, this has been my little attempt at this topic. Somewhat successful, would you agree? I might have to continue it later. Well, until next week, Goodbye.

End of School...

Its almost time. The timebomb that has been in our brain has almost set itself off (The explosion being slacking off and just enjoying every freaking thing around you.) In the duration of the several months we are in school, almost all of them we find hard to wake up to in the morning. The days blend together, and we find ourselves trapped in a whirpool of repetitiveness and schedule. But there is the few weeks left of school, and this is the time that we look forward to ALL. FREAKING. YEAR.

The end of the school year is by far the best time of the calander year, aside from June-August. But even including summer, the last days of school are so much fun, considering you are with all your friends, your teachers don't give a crap, and its basically a party. Expecially because this is our 9th grade year, and we advance up a building a building next year. (Although, Layton High does sort of lack a ceiling... not that we need one). But for 9th graders this year, we have Lagoon day (which I snuck into last year), the 9th grade dance, and other fun stuff to do. But one of the best perks about the end of school is the fact that its just over. Done. You don't have to worry about waking up every morning at 6:30 and doing your homework the night before. You don't have to worry about getting enough sleep. You don't have to freak out about nearly ANYTHING. Why? Because we are so close to summer.

I would like to, if you would allow me, to show you what the word "Summer" paints in my head. I have this porch in my backyard, that has really nice couches and strings of lights and cool curtains. So imagine sitting on this porch with some friends at night, with a slight breeze blowing the drapes a little. Down the stairs, you have my pool, which looks really beautiful at night with the underwater lights on, and the slide going. Then you have the firepit, which, come on, is the PERFECT summer add-on. Sitting on the couch, I am sometimes just filled with this feeling that nothing else can give me. Its almost unreal to me. That, my friends, is what summer means to me.

Now, here is somewhat of a warning. Towards the end of the year, we all slack off. The time bomb I talked about prematurly detonates, leaving you with summer fever, with summer still out of reach. Then you are left with end of level tests and unfinished assignments in your way, while you are too preoccupied with the promise of sleeping in and lazy sunny days. Then your grades tank, and you get yelled at by your parents. I know the situation all too well. SO STAY PRODUCTIVE!

As you can tell, I'm excited for summer, as I'm sure you all are as well. Well, until next week, farewell.

Music and Such...

You would think that I would eventually run out of music to listen to, but you would be sadly mistaken. Yes, thats right. Music...Part Three. Just to let you know, I still have my same theory on music, which was that I can never chose a favorite band or favorite song, because like I said in the first music post, picking my favorite music is like picking a favorite child. I love them all, as long as the songs have a good meaning and a catchy beat. I don't want to hear One Direction sing about what makes me beautiful every second line. I like music I can relate to. Which basically rules out all rap songs, because I don't plan on "smokin' a joint" or "slappin' some booty" any time soon. It rules out some of country, considering I'm not married and I have never lived on a farm, which is basically what country songs are about. But in this small essay I'm going to update you on my new passions.

Have you ever listened to a certain song or band, and soon get flooded with old memories that went along with them? Well this exact thing happened to me just a couple days ago. I was listening to a song from Panic! At the Disco, and I swear, I could see my summer of 2011 flash before my eyes. So latly, I've been listening to some of them, because I simply cannot stand the thought of staying in school another month, so I prefer my mind to be somewhere else. Other then them, I've been listeing to Neon Trees, Bon Iver, Fall Out Boy, Young the Giant, Foster the People, Mayday Parade, and City and Colour. Just single-song wise, I've been listening to Somebody That I Used To Know-Gotye, Coffee's for Closers-Fall Out Boy, Everybody Talks-Neon Trees, Too Close-Alex Clare, End of All Time-Stars of Track and Field, Wash-Bon Iver, Stay-Mayday Parade, Cough Syrup- Young the Giant, and even some musical songs.

Lately, I've been noticing that songs from musicals are actually really good. I've always thought that they were good, I mean, don't get me wrong. But I've noticed that they're actually fun to have on your iPod. (FF: I made productions at Layton High. Go Jack.) Right now I have songs from The Last Five Years, Spamalot, Footloose, Aida, Guys and Dolls, and Les Mis on my playlist, and right now I am buying some of the music from Curtains (Layton High's musical next year).

Lets digress a little here, and talk about movies. Some good movies I've seen lately are: Titanic (again) The Lucky One, The Hunger Games, The Lorax, The Vow, and The Woman in Black, which were all pretty good. I really liked The Lorax, I thought that they did a great job on it. The Hunger Games was really good, but did not live up to the expectations that the book had set for me. The Vow was pretty good, but it was hard to pay attention to the story line when Rachel McAdams is so freakin' hot. The Lucky One was actually not that bad. I went into it thinking that it would just be another chick flick, but the actors were talented, it was stressful, and even funny at times. And the girl in that was also pretty attractive as well.

Anyway, so yeah. I'll probably write another media post in a month or so. (yes, I plan on keeping this blog going, just not so frequent.) But until next week, Goodbye.

Summer Plans

Basically, I've already kind of checked out for the summer. Mentally, anyway. But what's to happen when I am physicall checked out as well? I will be gone for half this summer, doing activities such as BYU Basketball camp, a Moab family trip, EFY, Scout Camp, High Adventure, and a trip to Europe. So I have a busy schedule ahead of me. I'll talk about some of the things I'm plannin' on, because I know that you really care.

First, I'd like to talk about basketball camp. Every year, I go to BYU for their basketball camp where you stay in the college dorms and you play basketball the entire day, and you eat a lot. It is a total blast. Their lunchrooms are one of the best parts. You have so many options of food (we get all of them) and you can eat until you can't move anymore. Normally, if you ever ate as much as we do, you would get fat in like 3 days. But other than sleeping, Basketball is one of the only other things that you do. But its not just pure competition, its fun games and skill building. Also, there are girl's softball and cheerleader camps going on at the same time. You can imagine why I would like going to basketball camp.

Now let's talk about the Scout stuff. Just barely, I became an Eagle Scout, which is pretty cool, I guess. Every year we always go on a week-long camp out. It's not like a "Let's do merit badges and sing songs and crap!" It's actually a camp where you canoe rapids and do other awesome things. There is a downside, though. As you can imagine, I don't particularly enjoy not being in a female presence for 7 days. I am attracted to women. I don't want to be surrounded by my bad smelling, unshowered, guy friends that long. But, it's still fun. It's just it could be better. Like having an activity where you go practice kissing the opposite gender. That sounds fun. I like that.

Bathe, England, and Paris. Yeah, I'm going to Europe for 2 weeks. I'm way excited. You see, I'm kind of an artsy guy, and I am actually really excited to go visit art museums. I also get to go to really nice restaurants. Plus, I get to see the Eiffel Tower, which is where I've always wanted to go. Plus, I'll be in Paris the day of my Birthday, so I'll be 16, so I can date. So my first date will be with one of my best friends Jenna Wolfley... on the Eiffel Tower... sick, I know.

So yeah, this summer is going to be pretty great. I'll be really busy, but I'd rather be really busy then sitting on my couch for days at a time. Also, It's high school, and I've changed my mind from my post a few back. I am actually way excited now. I am so sick of Junior High, and I need summer, and there is no way that I would ever want to go back to Junior High, so High School, here I come.

Titanic

Today, exactly 100 years ago, Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage after she hit an iceberg, with 2435 passengers and 892 workers aboard. Deemed to be unsinkable, because of her watertight compartments and separate areas in the ship that could contain water while the rest of the ship remained afloat. Because of this, there were not lifeboats for every passenger aboard. There was boat room for about half of the occupants on board. Titanic also had some of the finest eating establishments, along with world class staterooms, a gym, swimming pool, and libraries. In this little essay, I plan on talking about what what happened that night 100 years ago, including how Titanic sank, along with other facts, and we might even discuss the movie a bit, if your lucky.

First, lets talk about the actual disaster. Titanic had several compartments along the bottom of the ship, which was where the ship was operated. If an emergency happened, water could fill any two of the apartments, or the first 4, and remain afloat. That night, the boat was traveling very fast, and it was hard to see. When the crew in the crows nest spotted the iceberg, it was too late to turn out of the way, despite their best efforts. The iceberg tore apart the right side of the bow, puncturing little holes like Morse code in the metal. The impact woke some passengers, but the crew said it was nothing, just a little turbulence. Little did they know that Titanic would be completely sunk in about 2 hours. The water started filling each compartment, and the pumps in preparation for a mistake like this couldn't keep up with the invading water. One by one, the compartments filled. Despite the best efforts of the captain, builders, and crew, 5 of the compartments filled, which marked the official fate of the Titanic. One part that I found interesting, is when water started filling, they stopped the ship. But they started again on their voyage, even with the water filling the bottom compartments. The result of this, is they actually drove more water in the ship. Once they realized what was going to happen, they stopped the ship again, and started sending out distress signals. Titanic would never move under its own steam again. After passengers were informed of what was to happen, it started a frenzy. They loaded the First Class onto the lifeboats first, and keeping the 2nd and 3rd classes at bay, until first class was completely loaded. Matter of factly, they only put a enough people on the first class lifeboats to keep them comfortable. From what I've studied, they could have fit almost ten more people per First Class lifeboat. The water at this point had started filling enough to weigh down the bow of the ship so much, it lifted of the stern of the ship on a tilt, and the 3rd class floors started to fill with water. Because of the watertight compartments, each one would have to be filled completely, in order to spill in the next, which is what caused the dramatic tilt in the ship. As more water filled, the more the ship would tilt. About this time, most of the lifeboats were unloaded, which left the people left on the ship practically doomed. The tilt on the ship got to the point where gravity took its course, and the ship split in half. Just the impact alone killed many people. After the ship split, the bow sank, pulling the stern back up vertically AGAIN. The bow then broke away completely from the stern, and started sinking, leaving the stern in a vertical position, which then sank within minutes. When something sinks underwater, it pulls water along with it, so the suction of the ship going under was also another reason of death, because it pulled people along with her. Titanic was completely underwater. As you can imagine, the scene of more than a thousand people floating in the middle of the Atlantic screaming and splashing, was a terrifying sight. There was a ship on its way, but it would be there in hours, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people floating in hyperthermic water. Most of the former passengers of the Titanic in the water died within minutes. Help from the RMS Carpathia came later to pick up the surviving 710 from the lifeboats, and 6 were saved from the water, on top of debris. This disaster ended up as one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history, with a total of nearly 2000 deaths. A little fact, only 10% of men in 2nd class survived because of the "Women and Children first" rule. Although many people died the early morning of April 15th, they will never be forgotten.

In 1985, 73 years after Titanic sank in 1912, it was discovered on the ocean floor of the Atlantic ocean. Thousands of artifacts have been retrieved from the wreckage, including personal possessions of the passengers, dinnerware, and the main architecture of the ship (such as window shutters, chandeliers, etc.) Many of these artifacts are worth thousands of dollars. In fact, a simple postcard sent to the Titanic was sold for 7,000 dollars. While Titanic sank that fateful night, we have many reminders of what happened.

You've probably seen James Cameron's Titanic movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest it. It is an excellent recreation of what happened 100 years ago. And while there was no love story between Rose and Jack, there were actual facts in the movie, including the ship dynamics, crew members, and how it sank. It is also, in my perspective, one of the greatest films of all time. So if you haven't seen it, do it.

Exactly 100 years ago, Titanic sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic ocean. It resulted in nearly 2000 deaths, and is known as one of the biggest disasters of all time. After being struck by an iceberg, the unsinkable ship sank the early morning of April 15th, 1912. While many lives were lost, they shall not be forgotten.

High School Stuff

This is the time of year that everyone starts to panic a little, expecially for ninth graders. The time where the year is ending, when summer makes everyone go a little crazy, and when you realize you have DAYS left until the start of an entire new life. Sometimes when I think about it, its a little hard to take in. I know that high school is going to be a great experience, and hopefully pretty fun. But I've never been that great at letting things go, and I've grown quite used to my life at junior high. But in this little blog post I'll have to talk about some stuff regarding this topic.

First, lets start with just the basic High School plans. Next year, I plan on trying out for Productions, as well as the basketball team. Regarding the classes I'm taking: I am signed up for Intro to health, film, Algebra 2 Honors, English Honors, Theater 3&4, and guitar 1 (I've been playing guitar for 2 years...haha). So pretty basic stuff.

Now lets talk about what is happening to every single teenager at FFJH. Summer Fever. We all have had it at some point in our lives, and it is a disease that will plague our generation, and the next, and the next, and the next for years to come. We group winter and school in the same category, and we group summer and no school in the same category as well. So when things seem to get hotter outside, we think of summer. When we think of summer, we think of no school, even though we are still in school, and maybe even in the actual classroom. Our brains cant function anymore! They're being melted with warm weather and the promise of a 3 MONTH BREAK. So, a tip to all teachers: lower your expectations. We will defiantly stop meeting them.

New topic: Letting go of Junior High. To be honest, this year sucked. Fairfield has gotten so strict this year. We've lost our assemblies, our principal, and our happiness. And let's not forget, I've gotten in trouble for PDA at least 20 times, so yeah. This year hasn't been the best. But Its going to be weird to let it go. Granted, I'll be letting go of some pretty crappy things, but I'll also be losing some friends, and some good memories. I don't know, it's a little sad.

So, to conclude, I'm a bit (I shouldn't say nervous... ponderous, maybe?) It will be very interesting to see how it turns out. Anyway, thanks for reading. Salut.

Future

Yeah. This topic. Today, I'm just going to write about my future hopes, dreams, and aspirations. So yeah.

So let's just start with the next few years. Next year is high school, and there are a couple things that I might plan on doing. First of all, Theater. I plan on trying out for Productions, the school play, and theater 3. I have started doing theater things in the 8th grade, and I love it. Another thing is basketball; I want to try out for the team. I also have been debating if I should try out for officer next year. Part of me wants to, but part of me wants to take a break for a year. Another thing that I am really looking forward to is having a car. Six more months, baby. I am starting to have older friends get cars, and we go everywhere. It's freakin' awesome. Its hard for me to comprehend that I can actually satisfy the craving for hamburgers I sometimes get at 1 in the morning, because I will be able to actually drive.

Now, some future goals. To be honest, I don't really have a clue what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe an anaesthesiologist, or an architect. Part of me wants to pursue this whole theater thing, but I know that it wouldn't be that possible. I mainly just want to be happy with my job, and have a great life. Which reminds me of a quote from John Lennon: “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

On the 'Knowing exactly what you are supposed to be' topic, if you read my topic a while back, you would have read that I have a problem with it. I don't know why I do, and I know no one is expecting me to know exactly, but it bugs me. Of course I don't know exactly what I want to be, because who the heck does? When I know, I'll be sure to tell everyone. Compromise?

So yeah. See ya next week.

Music (Revised)

CHILL OUT. I know that I wrote about music a little bit ago, but like most teenagers, my music taste changes every two days. So I will update you on my current music choices, because I know you really care.

Well, lets start with the basic music that I listen to. Some of my favorite songs include Little Hell- City and Colour, This Is All Now- Taking Back Sunday, Terrible Things- Mayday Parade, Go Do- Jonsi, Sail- AWOLNATION, Holocene- Bon Iver, and We Are Young- Fun. I literally could go on forever, but I'm tired, and I don't like typing.

Now, lets talk about favorite bands. You see, I have a weird thing with bands, and music in general. Once a song becomes popular and overplayed, I won't like it. So my choice of music isn't the typical persons. My favorite bands are, Fun (Who, of which, I am going to their concert next month), Bon Iver, Mayday Parade, Jonsi, City and Colour, Iron and Wine, The Script, and a lot other bands.

My thing with music, is I don't pick a certain kind. If you read my past article about this topic, you would know that I consider that like picking a favorite child. Yes, I do like bands that everyone else likes, but I also like bands no one has ever heard of. The only things I judge music on is the lyrics (I'll talk more about that in a second,) beat, and how I can relate to it.

It's time for a special talk about music. Right now, I am going to compare two song lyrics. One from City and Colour, and one from a popular song. "There's a degree of difficulty, dealing with me. From my haunting past comes a daunting task of living through memories. If we could hang a mirror on the bathroom wall, stare into the past, and forget it all." --Little Hell by City and Colour. Now, "Baby, Baby, Baby, oh. Baby, baby, baby no. Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh. I thought you'd always be mine." I think that this explains itself.

So, in case you haven't noticed, I have a different taste in music. I don't chose music by its popularity or the gender of the singer. I chose music by the meaning and how much I can relate to it. So, I'm going to bring this little post to an end. If you remember, a while back I talked about writing short stories, but then I never did. I'm going to start trying that again, but knowing me, I'll space again. But just know it's still on my mind. Well, salut.

Valentine's Day.

That time of year again, eh? Seems like just two weeks ago we were just recovering from the last frenzy of love. But, alas, it is back. Now, Valentine's Day is an OK holiday. You get to let you know the people that you care about that you love them, but there are people who are taking things to a bit of an extreme. Valentine's Day is also the worst day of the year for single people. Having gone through the past few years, watching all the hearts around you and how happy couples can be, it sucks. Now, the case isn't exactly the same for me this year, I have more than enough of a right to write about that.

First, lets just talk about just the overall feel of this Holiday of Hearts. We all know it; the red hearts, the bunches of flowers, and lets not forget the CHOCOLATE. But it's not just that. There is something in the air that makes February different. Something about the way Valentine's Day is, makes couples fall even more in love, and makes singles even more lonely. I can't quite explain it, but you know what I'm talking about. Is it the pressure to measure up to the set standard of the perfect couple? Is it the fear of being alone? Take it as you will, but I think that it is a combination of all of those plus more.

Now, lets talk about Singles Awareness Day, which is also known as Valentine's Day for the lonely. We all know what it feels like when you are alone on this day. All you really want to do is lock yourself in your room with a tub of Cappichino ice cream and the movie "The Notebook." We've all been there, if you want to admit it or not.

Now, let's talk about a day that I think should be its own holiday: The day after Valentine's Day. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but its like the entire store goes on sale. I can walk out of Smith's on this day carrying as much heart-shaped chocolate and Monster as my arms could carry. I love this day more than Valentine's Day itself. Normal people look forward to Valentine's Day; I look forward to going to the store to buy all the candy and treats that are on sale 50% off.

So, to conclude, Valentine's Day has it's goods and bads. You can never fully hate or love the holiday. It is a great holiday for those in a couple, but it can suck for those who's love life consists of ice cream, their bed, chick flicks, and video games. But, love it or hate it, it's coming, so be prepared for the worst.

Aida (Act 2)

Hi. So, assuming you've read the last post, I'll just head right into it. If not, go back and read the post "Aida (Act 1).

So, In Act Two, you get to see how Aida and myself's relationship plays out. Both of us are trying to keep our relationship under wraps, but it's hard. We soon find out that my soldiers have captured the Nubian king, A.K.A. The person who's country I'm at war with, and Aida's father, which I still don't know. They soon figure out a plan to help them escape back to Nubia, which arises a problem for Aida, because we are in love. Meanwhile, I have a fight with my father. He tells me what I should do and how I should do it, and I don't want to live the way he wants me to live. I tell him that I'm not like him, and I never will be. He then gets pissed at me, and tells his Ministers to kill Aida, because he knows about her, and he knows she is a distraction. The Ministers go to kill her, but Nehebka (a Nubian slave), tells them that she is Aida, and they kill her, because Aida's people need her. I, thinking Aida is dead, walk around all depressed. I see her by the Nile, and we talk about the reason we met. She says that maybe that the Gods put us together so they prisoners can escape and we could stop the war. I tell her that I don't want anything, except her. I try to call off the wedding. I end up helping her father escape and return to Nubia. I fail at sending Aida home, because we want to be with each other so badly. We are both marked as traitors, and we are meant to be executed by the traditional Egyptian traitor execution. Being buried alive. Amneris decrees to her father that we should be buried, even though she has been hurt and betrayed. That is the moment when we realize that Amneris is going to be the new Pharaoh, with her father dying, and her no-longer engagement. Aida and I are buried alive together in a tomb, and I tell her the words, "If I have to search a hundred lifetimes, I will find you again, Aida." We both are sealed in the tomb, and die. We are then reincarnated in a modern day museum, the very exact one where our tomb is located. We end up both looking at it together, then we notice each other. We stare at each other, then we grab hands and smile, knowing exactly who the other is. Then Blackout.

Sounds pretty good, eh? You can believe me when I say that it is a lot of work. We all have play practice every day after school for two hours. We have an entire 2-hour play memorized by heart. But, even with all the work, It is one of the best experiences of my life. I absolutely love it. We all do.

Aida (Act 1)

Well, hello. This week I am going to write about the progress in the school play, the story outline, and some other fun stuff. If you didn't know already, this year I am the male lead (Radames) in our school play Aida. Now you are probably thinking, "How'd you swing that?" But the truth is theater is a big part of my life. Anyway, this blog will basically just inform you about the progress and story of Aida.

So, I will first summarize to you the story. Radames (Myself) is the Egyptian captain for the Pharaoh's army. While I am off mapping out Nubia, a country that Egypt was at war with at the time, we capture some Nubian women off the shore of the Nile River, and we take them with us back to Egypt as slaves. I do notice Aida (Maddie Klitgaard), who to me, is just another slave that I've captured, but in reality she is the Nubian Princess, and I take a special interest in her. In other words, I find her very attractive. When we get back from my 6-month journey, we meet more characters. Zoser, my father, also a bad guy, greets me with enthusiasm. He tries to send the new captured slaves to underground mines, so they can work to death, but I deny. I send them to the Palace Grounds keeper, saving their lives. But I take Aida, who I still think is just another slave, and give her as a gift to Amneris (Celeste Stringham), who is my wife-to-be. Amneris and I have a very complex relationship. We've known each other since we were kids, but I think of her as a sister. Yet I am engaged to her. She is also the Pharaoh's daughter, so when we marry, I will become Pharaoh when he passes on. Anyway, I give her to Amneris, who also realizes that Aida is special, and they become friends. Meanwhile, Zoser tells me that Pharaoh has fallen ill, and he doesn't have much more time in this world. Which, you guessed it, means I will become the Pharaoh when he dies and Amneris and I marry. Zoser reveals to the audience after I leave that he is poisoning Pharaoh slowly, so I will become the Pharaoh even faster. At a banquet, Pharaoh announces our wedding date, and then refuses to send me out on any more expeditions. Depressed, I spill my feelings out on Aida, who does the same. I soon fall madly in love with her, and now arises the problem that I'm engaged to someone, and I love someone else. I know, I know; that makes me a man slut. But while I'm all confused on what to do, Aida's people soon recognize her as their princess, thanks to Mereb(Justin Carver), who is my personal assistant and friend, also a captured Nubian. Aida struggles with the fact that loving me means she is a traitor to her people, who need her. Amneris struggles with the fact that it doesn't seem that I want to marry her, and the pressure that she is put through.

As you can tell, It's a love triangle. And I will continue with Act two in my next post, and I will also tell you about the progress that is being made and such. Until then, Adieu.

We Bought a Zoo

On Saturday night, I went to go see the movie We Bought a Zoo at Tinseltown, and I have to say that it was one of the greatest movies that I've every seen. I forgot what it was like to go to a movie and walk out completely uplifted. The movie had a great story line. It was funny, entertaining, and heartbreaking. It stars Matt Damon as Benjamin Mee, Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Foster, Colin Ford as Dylan Mee, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie Mee.

The story starts out with Benjamin Mee, trying to raise his kids Dylan and Rosie after his wife's untimely death. In the beginning, you can see that Benjamin and his family are struggling. Dylan gets expelled from school for stealing and drawing dark and depressing pictures. Rosie has to act more much more mature than a normal seven year old would have to because of the loss of their mother. Benjamin decides that his family needs a new start, so they go house shopping. After Rosie declines most of the houses they look at, her and Benjamin fall in love with one house. They tell the real estate agent they want to buy it, and he tells them about a small detail about the property. It's a zoo. Rosemoor Wildlife Park has been closed for years, but it is still home to many animals, cared for by Kelly Foster and her small staff. Benjamin sees how happy Rosie is with the animals, and he buys the zoo. He became the owner of a wildlife park, and he had no idea how to take care of animals. This movie is about Benjamin, his family, and the staff (who Benjamin becomes very close to), trying to save this zoo. Benjamin encounters money issues, father-son problems, and trying to overcome the loss of his wife. In the end they end up passing inspection to reopen the zoo. The ends up opening, and hundreds of people come. Benjamin ends up overcoming the problems that halted his life before, and his family have a very bright future ahead of them.

This based-on-a-true-story was extraordinary. One of the quotes in this movie that could almost sum this film up is, "Sometimes, you just need twenty seconds of insane courage." I really like that quote because of how true it is. Sometimes you just have to do something, even though it may not seem rational. Like buying a zoo, for example. Sometimes its all you need to turn your life around.

To wrap things up a bit, I highly reccomend this movie to anyone. I don't care if you're 5 years old to 80. I guarentee you will walk out of this movie completly uplifted and smiling ear to ear. It's movies like this that help you have a better and more positive outlook on life. I strongly reccomend that you go to this movie, because it's movies like this one that can chage your life.

Cold Weather

Well, it finally snowed. Great. Most people look out the window after a big snow storm and are excited about it. Not me. I hate cold weather. I’d be fine living on an island it the tropics somewhere and never having snow. I mean, what is so great about it anyway? You walk outside, freeze, and slip on the ice. Cool...not.

Also, I hate cold weather clothes. I don’t like wearing coats. They make me claustrophobic. I used to get in trouble when I was in elementary school for not wearing a coat during recess. I was rebellious back then. I’d always tell the duty that I lost it. I’m sure I looked like some homeless kid whose parents couldn’t get him warm clothes to wear, but really, I just hated wearing it. I’d get in trouble with my mom too. She’d ask me all the time wear my coat. I’d wear it just long enough for her to drive away and then take it off. What your mom doesn’t know won’t kill her.

The only relationship I have with snow is snowboarding. I like to snowboard, especially on a nice day when you don’t really have to wear your coat. I like to stick my earphones in and just ride down the mountain. It’s great. But if someone said I could snowboard every day, but I’d have to spend every day with winter, I’d have to say no thanks. It’s fun, but not that fun.

I was watching some show on TV the other day that talked about people having some seasonal disorder where they get grumpy and depressed in the winter. I think I have that. I’m not myself in the cold weather. I’m more myself with a tan drinking a pina colada. Actually, I can’t really get tan. I’m the whitest guy you know. But sun and a pina colada I can do. Everyday.

Someday I’m going to move to someplace like Hawaii. I’ll learn to surf, which will be like snowboarding so I wont’ miss that. I’ll go to the beach and just hang out in the sun. I’ll play basketball outside and swim in the ocean. I like being warm.

Some people love Spring and Fall. I hate spring and fall. Why, because they pretend to be warm but they aren’t. It looks sunny outside, but it’s still too cold. It needs to be 80 degrees at least to be worth anything. Don’t be sunny and 60 degrees. That’s not warm. That’s a lie. False advertising. Bring on summer. Spring just tricks you. The flowers bloom. It looks like summer is just around the corner, then bam. A foot of snow.

Fall is just the same. It’s nice to look outside for a minute to see the colors change on the trees, but then everything falls to the ground and it just looks like everything is dead. I hate dead. Just let it be nice all the time.

If I was king, I’d make it summer everyday. Look me up in 20 years. You’ll find me on the beach.

Pets

So right now I am looking at my two very obnoxious dogs sleeping on my bed, so I decided to write a blog about pets. Right now, I’ve got more animals living at my house that I would care to admit. Keep in mind, I only like one of them, so it’s not really my fault this place is looking more like a zoo then a home. Here is an inventory of the different species of animals that I share living quarters with; two pugs, three chickens, 5 fish, and a frog. To be fair, I don’t share a house with the chickens, but the backyard is a still two close for comfort to me.

First, let me tell you about the dogs. The one I like is named Daisy. She is a littermate to my all time favorite dog that died last year. His name was Gus. Anyway, Daisy is great. She is old. She really stinks. She sleeps all day. She’s awesome. The other one is Roxy. Somehow my mom brought her home last summer, and since then, my house is a wreck. She barks at all my friends and tries to bite them. She fights with Daisy. She tries to eat all my food. Just today, I put a slice of pizza on the table and went to get a glass and bam! Pizza gone. My life was a lot better before Roxy. Although it is hilarious to squirt her with water when she starts barking. It’s the highlight of my day. Sometimes I ring the doorbell just so I can squirt her.

Don’t get me started on the chickens. I hate them. Seriously. What family has chickens as pets? Their names are Nugget, Alfredo, and Spicy. I’d really like to get rid of them, but I do like omelets and I’ve had a lot more of those since they started hanging around here, so maybe I’ll just tough it out.

The fish and frog hang out in my brothers room. He also had a turtle, but it creeped my mom out, so now it lives at my cousins house. I don’t really care about them but just the idea of them bugs me. My mom never let me have a turtle, or fish, or a frog. Why when the little brother comes around does it suddenly become OK to get more pets. I wanted a lizard when I was 5. Guess what! No lizard.

Someday I’m going to have my own place, and guess what, it’s only going to have one pet living there. I think it will be a bulldog. I like them because they are funny and they are super fat. I’m going to name my bulldog “Meat”. I like that name because it’s cute. I’m not going to dress him up in clothes. What is the point. I watch movies with dogs dressed up in clothes and it doesn’t make any sense to me.

To sum it up, this place has too many pets. I think there should be a law that limits two pets per household. But if my mom suddenly buys me a bulldog, I guess I won’t send him back.

New Year

New year, new resolutions, new goals. Always the same thing every year right? Everyone posting on Facebook about how much 2012 is gonna rock, people making goals that seem pretty unreasonable, and there is always those people who think the world is going to end. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy new years the same as the next guy, but I don't get the people who think that much is going to change. A new year is just a rotation of the calender. You've lived through the same thing multiple times. Reason to celebrate? Why not. Reason to go into a frenzy? Not so much.
I would first like to talk about all the hype and pep of the new year. I don't really get why everyone is going to think that this year is going to be any better than the last because of the monumental change in the last digit of the calender. I can people setting goals to make this year better, but when it comes down to it, you count down with a bunch of your friends to just wake up the next day feeling normal. There is not exact star and moon alignment that shines down on you to make this year be the best year ever.
Now, the goals. I make goals too, but there are always the people who take it a little bit too far, and then they get disappointed. I heard a quote the other day, which I do not agree with, but it made me laugh pretty hard. It was, "I've found that if you don't make goals, then you're never disappointed." Again, I don't agree with that, but it's pretty funny. Some examples of goals I've heard are" "This year, Justin Beiber is going to follow me on twitter.", "This year will be the best year I've ever had.", and other things along that nature. Goals are Good, but be careful not to make one that cannot be accomplished.
Finally, the main topic that comes with the year 2012. Is the world going to end? No. But I think its cute when people do. I mean, what's going to happen? A huge earthquake is going to destroy the whole world? We'll be hit by a giant meteor? The world is not going to end. People think that because people need to believe in things. That's how we work. But just in case, I'm not going to do my homework December 26th, 2012.
To conclude, I think that New Years is fun and entertaining, but people shouldn't make more of a deal about it then every other holiday. It's another year you've survived, which is good. But it is also just another rotation in the calender. You have the same knowledge as the night before, and life goes on, which also goes for the topic; the world is not going to end.