Happy! :D

"Happiness hit her like a train on a track." -Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine.

This quote above describes my life where it's at now. I'm not a pessimist, but I never expected my life to get so great this fast. I have always had friends, but after one week of high school, I actually started to hang out with a group. The people I knew for quite awhile actually accepted me easily. It's like they were waiting for me to do something and when I finally did, they accepted it. The people I now know are just such great people! They actually care about me and call me their friend. I don't mean to sound deprived or whatever, but seriously, I have not had this much social activity for a long time so often. There have been many days where I sat alone. I just never knew what was right in front of my face! Then I met Serena, the first person that I was able to get a phone number from in a long while. (I wasn't even asking for it either.) Then that led me to start crawling out of my shell. It was a slow process, but it happened. I actually talked to people very soon after. As soon as I got the guts to, I started to socialize at lunch. I know it may seem ridiculous, claiming that it's so hard to just sit at another table, but for me, it was. Thankfully, it no longer is. Then summer hit. I mostly hung out with Brayden every day. Got bored sometimes, went crazy on others, but that's another story. Then, the first week of school hit. Nothing really happened. It was a good week, but the best of it came on Friday AFTER school. That was when I actually spent a while with a group of friends. Then came the football game, same thing there. I felt stellar! I felt like I was actually noticed more than it seemed, like people WANTED to be my friend. Again, this may sound cheesy or corny, but I really don't care because that is one of the few things I am sometimes, cheesy and corny. Truth is, I am slightly insecure. I sometimes feel I'm too loud or to weird for anybody to want to hang out with me, and I know I am definitely those two things under certain circumstances, which is mostly when I'm with friends. I've even gone so far as to ask "I'm not annoying you, am I?" I was told so many times that I was annoying during elementary school, even by my friends. One of my friends even wrote me a note saying that if I didn't stop with the behavior, he would no longer be my friend. I was so sad and angry at him because of this. He soon turned his attitude around and we are still friends. My other friend, however, never turned his attitude around by the time I moved. He thought I was annoying and a bunch of other things I can't remember. (I think "poser" was one of them.) I might have actually been annoying, but I didn't deserve one thing he did to me. I forgive him now, but he made some bad choices when it came to me. There was another kid even he hated though, and he, out of everyone, was my worst bully. He even made me cry sometimes! I was so glad when I got away from elementary school. I forgive him as well, but again, stupid mistakes were made.

So what I'm trying to say is that after self-isolation and endless insult in the fifth and sixth grade, I turned into what I used to be, an insecure hermit. I'm still afraid of what people may think of me, but I can always be reassured that my friends are good people who don't care if I'm a little too loud and whatnot.

I was once told by a friend that I looked depressed whenever I sat alone. Because of this, he sometimes calls me Mr. Depression. Truth is, some days were depressing. My life was not going the way I wanted it too. It's not like it was all a miserable, depressing time, it just could have been better. But ever since I've been surrounded by friends, my happiness has been off the charts! At EFY, we were given a lesson on learning to recognize God's hand in our life. At the time, I couldn't think of anything like that. I knew he blessed me with a house and other such luxuries, but I couldn't think of any personal things that have been done. I was so ignorant that day. I can think of plenty of things now that have been done for me. Meeting Serena and Brayden, getting to be an AL for Mrs.Nelson, my growing confidence, the way my grades were raised and more. The list just goes on and on. Today, I've seen God's hand in my life even more. The first way is pretty obvious. I now have friends I talk to every day. The day I was finally able to meet Serena after like three months is another example. I could go on and on. By these things I now know that God truly does care for every one of us. He knows what we want, what we need, and what things make us happy. I've thanked God every day for the friends that have come into my life. I am so blessed to know such wonderful people! I could say it over and over again and I would always mean it. (Here's something else about me. I give out compliments very generously. I'm always afraid I'll overdo it.)

My subconscious goal has been to be a friend to everybody. For the first time in my life, I'm doing it! I've befriended a new student, I've made friends with people I never knew, and I feel great. I want everybody to know that if they ever need me for whatever reason, I will be there for them. Don't be afraid to come to me if you need somebody to talk to about something or just to have somebody listen. Oh, and if you read this blog, TELL ME! It's like I'm speaking to one person 80% of the time. (Thank-you Serena.)

Back Again...For About Twenty Minutes. (Hello My EFY Comrades.)

(Skip down past the paragraph and extra two sentances. It will make more sense. I'm only keeping this first part to keep the authenticity of the post alive. This is sort of like a journal after all.)
For this past week, I have been at EFY. I met some friends there and I have now set up a Facebook account. Luckily, my name was available, so it's just Andrew (Last Name.) So for those of you who were referred to this site, go ahead and find me. To everyone else, go ahead and find me if you like. I really can't stay much longer though, so I'm going to get out a thing I wanted to say. (This is to my friends from school.) The week before EFY, I regretted not trying to get ahold of anyone so if anyone feels like texting me (or using Facebook, doesn't matter), go ahead, but I'll be in Wyoming for a week. See ya! You're awesome people!

By the way, for those reading this, my avatar is a guy with extremelly big headphones. It's somewhere in the sidebar on this blog.
Okay, now that I have time to write this, I'll explain myself. At EFY, I met some people, and the way best way to stay connected was through Facebook. So although my usage of it may be low, I created a new account using my name. As it turns out, many people can use the same name. It makes sense actually. I tried to find myself on my mom's account and as it turns out, I'm REALLY hard to find. So if anyone is trying to find me, then good luck. My avatar is a guy with big headphones. You can see him in the sidebar on this blog. Also, to those who have been reffered to this site, if you've got some time to spare, go ahead and read this blog. I must warn you though, some of the more current posts are a little- ahh, how do I put it? Mushy maybe? If you like music though, you should enjoy this. Feel free to comment as well.
As for the two people who actually read this, (and the four or so who might read this, or anyone who has my phone number for that matter,) I'm sorry I haven't kept up my communication with you. I don't know, maybe you were busy or you don't really care, but that was the one this I was regretting the week before EFY. So if anyone wants to talk to me, go ahead and text me. (Or Facebook if you can find me.) I'm sitting in my Grandma's house right now talking to my two cousins and my brother. The Lincoln County Fair is this week, and in all honesty, it's even better than the Davis County Fair. They had an illusionist last year and The Colors performed the year before that. (They're from Kaysville AND they went to Davis High!) Hope your summers are are going great. And you're all awesome! Bye!

The Art of Dance

Music in itself is amazing. All the ways it can be done, all the enchanting poetry weaved within the notes, and just what it makes your mind do are all incredibly. I honestly don't think some people could live without music. It's that important. One other thing that makes music amazing is the ways it can be physical shown. Whether it be through art, a story, or in this case, dance. Dancing is just one of the ways a person let's the music flow through the body and shows it through action. Music can be so much better when danced to. Through dance, we learn things about music and ourselves that music alone can't teach. I don't dance, but I love watching it occasionally and it's become a lot more interesting over the past few days. (And I'm thinking I'd like to learn it sometime.)

One reason for this is because "So You Think You Can Dance" has been playing on Fox 13 for some time now, and my Mom has gotten me to watch it a little bit. The first time she got me to watch the show was when she came in with little tears in her eyes. She told me she had just watched this dance like three times previously, all of which made her cry. She said it was very beautiful and that I should see it. What I watched, although it didn't make me cry, gave me shivers down my spine. That normally means what I'm watching or listening to is truly amazing or beautiful. It was a story of two living statues that fall in love. Although this may seem a little weird at first, it's a real heart-felt dance. For your convenience, I have placed that dance below. The song is "Turn to Stone" by Ingrid Michaelson. The style of dance they are doing is contemporary. Enjoy.

The song is very good, but the dance makes it way better! Although these two statues are slowly turning back into stone, they will always be together. Love can't keep these two apart, and that's the beauty of it. You kind of forget the fact that statues are inanimate objects and just concentrate on the bond love.

The next dance is preformed by the same group as before, Melanie and Marko. This time, the song is Leona Lewis' "I Got You." (This is the same person who performed "Bleeding Love" which was on the radio a while back for some time.) The dance style is lyrical hip-hop. This dance centers around a groom and his friend. (She isn't the bride.) The groom has been dumped by his bride to be and now, as most would guess, he is in tears. As he sits alone, along comes his friend who I assume has known him for a long time. The friend walks over and comforts her emotionally distressed friend. This dance, like the last one, made my Mom cry and re-watch it. I personally think this one trumps the last one. Let's see what you think.

Were you surprised by the outcome? I sure was. This dance was performed perfectly. Not only was the dance executed with the skill intended, but the acted and the way the danced made it believable. You can be the world's greatest dancer, have the most beautiful story, and even have a perfect dance routine, but if you don't try all you can to make it believable, it will do you no good. There is one dance from this same episode, but I can't remember who did it. The idea of it was letting someone go. To show this, they had the girl tied up in a large length off cloth and slowly, she would be untied and become free from the man holding to the cloth. Although this was an excellent idea, it didn't seem believable to me. There wasn't much emotion it it. It looked like the guy was playing with the rope. They had the skill, but the acting and emotion just wasn't there.

This piece, however, had plenty of that. You could sense the bond these two had. The expressions on the faces clearly showed what emotions were going on. Without them, this piece wouldn't have been nearly as good. Also, the actions made sense. It annoys me when dances don't make sense. If you do a flip, there had better be a good reason for it. The dance didn't make sense at first. I couldn't fit why they were doing all these things. Then, I heard what the judges had to say and watched it again, it made sense. The girl feels for her friend and she loves him. She raises him up, comforts him, and keeps him from falling. The guy loves her too, although he doesn't realize it yet. (Maybe the girl didn't either.) They both understand each other. (This may explain the harmonious movement.) This dance conveys many things. Friendship, comfort, sorrow, joy, and most of all, love. You can really see a shift in emotion at the last scene when she walks away. Being able to raise her friend out of sorrow, she leaves. The man, taking a deep breath, looks over and finally realizes his true love. He runs over (well, slides over) and kisses his friend. The following dance shows a new set of emotion as they embrace each other. This is a realization of true love and the joy that comes with it. I have watched this dance at least ten times now and still haven't gotten tired of the song or the dance. Both are beautiful and I can relate to them. This is what dance is. Beautiful and wonderful.

Unfortunately, like so many other things in this world, dance has been infested with the evil of the world. How anyone can make such a mockery of a Heavenly art is beyond me, but they do. Fortunately, we still have dance like this to remind us how good it can be.

The Best Year Ever.

This ninth grade year has been bittersweet. It has been a love and a hate. It has been a battle and a journey. I have been faced with much adversity and have drowned in all the blessings I've been given. Overall, I look back at ninth grade as a great year. There are some things I regret and a whole lot more things I don't regret. I learned and improved some things. It's a sure thing to say that I grew a lot this year.

As I type up words over and over again, I keep trying to create a good order. I was going to write up about my classes, but that wouldn't get to my main point. I was then thinking about dedicating half of this post to seminary, but that wouldn't fit either. So, with a writer's block threatening to stop me cold, I'm going to get right to the point. My friends are one of the main reasons my year was so great. If it wasn't for all the support and companionship I gained this year, it would have nearly sucked. Writing wouldn't have meant nearly anything to me. A lot of my classes would have been lonely periods stuck in a chair. The only thing left would have been seminary. There were some hard times that I went through. I felt misery, depression, and sorrow during this year and you were the ones that outweighed it all. It was hard to stay miserable when I knew that I had friends that cared for me. This year, I've grown out of my secluded shell of silence. I'm a lot more open than I used to be and I can finally say I am no longer shy. Again, I thank all of my friends for this.

During the second term, I met Brayden who became my friend really fast. My mom says it's unusual that we're friends because we're so different. For instance, I was shy and he was the complete opposite. He could turn around and start a conversation with the person behind him. It's as if he was born that way, always being open and friendly when it was a growing process for me. He's even asked for some money from strangers before. He's the one who gets me out of my comfort zone a little. He's made me socialize a little bit and has made me do things I normally wouldn't do, such as hiking in the mud. I've only seen him act shy once and it was I who had to get him to act. He is extremely loyal. He hasn't left me for anything, not for his teachers quorum, not for other friends, not even for someone he likes! That is pretty impressive and I thank him so much for that.

Forth term is when things started to really get going. This is where I started talking to Serena. She has been reading an commenting on my blog and I had previously met her in seminary, but this is where I really started talking to her. She has makes me laugh and makes me so happy, it's impossible to stay sad when she's around. She's forgiving, kind, funny, a really good writer and I'm so glad that she's my friend.

I then met Julia and Mitchell who both make me laugh a lot. Surprisingly, I met all three in the same class, creative writing. All four of us would make a square in the corner of the room and it was fun. I looked forward to the class because of those people even more than I did for the writing. This was the one class where I socialized to a big extent and we were even told to shut up a few times which was a rare occurrence for me. I'm always respectfully quiet during class. I still talk, but it's always during a discussion or when I raise my hand. I guess the only reason for that was because I didn't really have anyone to talk to or if I did, they were too far away. I had expected CW to be one of my favorite classes, but not for different reasons. I did not expect that class to be where I made friends. Not at all.

Alex, another girl that also blogs and reads mine, is a good friend. Although I had no classes with her, I got to know her through her writing and I will miss her next year at Davis.

I have made so many other friends this year. It's amazing, actually. I will hopefully get to know them better than I already do as time passes by. People such as Bradley, Clytie, Chandler, Makayla, Shawn, Lauren (a guy,) and Ana. (Although, I think it's going to be awhile before I see her again.) I am so glad I met these people. (If I didn't mention you, then please forgive me because things will slip my mind sometimes. Trust me though, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU!)

It has taken awhile to find friends that accept me for who I am and will actually socialize with me. Learning from past mistakes, I am now trying my best to hold on to these friendships instead of letting them past by like I let a few do in the past.

It makes me very sad to know that I will not be seeing a lot of my friends at Davis. I want you all to know that you have changed me for the better and I am so grateful that I met you all. I hope we can remain friends even when we don't go to the same schools. I just wish you could crawl into my mind so you could know everything I wish to say. Thank-you all for awakening the side of me that I lost or that has been revealed for the first time. It has been a divine blessing from God for you to be my friend and I am privileged to be yours. NEVER STOP BEING YOU! That is what makes you all amazing!

Laughter- A Memoir

This is the memoir I had to make for creative writing. I had slacked of a little, so it's not as good as it would have been if I had revised more. Nevertheless, I wanted to tell this story because I thought that what happened was pretty hilarious. I hope you enjoy it and don't be afraid to critique it if you want.

         

                It has always been said that laughter is the best medicine. What is healed by laughter is up for debate, but we can all agree that it helps improve one thing at least: your attitude. And when something happens, you can either choose to laugh at it or let it hurt you. I can attest to this from my own life.

                Let me take you back to a certain day in the seventh grade. As far as I knew, there was nothing special about this day. There were no birthdays to celebrate. The school day went as it normally did with no change whatsoever. If there was any holiday set on the calendar, then it was in celebration of some obscure object that no one took particular interest in, even with the holiday set in place. Yep, it was a boring day with nothing to break the monotony, and it didn’t seem like it would change. Yet, with one little thought, it did.

                Every term, we chose a random topic to study in homeroom. The topic we had been studying for a while now was the early 1900’s. (Most of the focus was on machines and music.) Today was the day we were taking the test. If someone were to pick through my thoughts at the time, they would have deduced that I was bored. Nobody really wants to take a test, but we are all forced to deal with it. In desperation to escape the boredom, we think. We think about our future, our past, our wants and needs, our ideas, and basically anything else with philosophical importance. Sometimes though, we tend to be less productive in our thinking process and we instead tend to think about the color of our paper or the shiny thing in the corner.

                On this occasion, I was repeating a line from a cartoon I had watched the previous night before in my head. It repeated over and over in my head like a song set to loop forever.

                Blurry, photographic, evidence.

                The sentence wouldn’t stop repeating itself. I couldn’t will the words to be silent, nor did I want them to. The phrase was too funny to discontinue.

                Blurry, photographic, evidence.

                The words were cutting through like a knife. The knife cut so deep, I got loopy. I started to laugh. With every chuckle, the words sliced faster and faster, causing me to laugh harder and louder.

Blurry, photographic, evidence.

                I stopped getting louder, but when I did, my head just dipped down onto the desk as I became possessed with the words.

                Blurry, photographic, evidence.

                The words ran through my head again, but my laughter was slowly subsiding. The words were becoming dull and old. As I lifted my head up, I could see Chase and Abri, the people I shared my table with, staring at me. The looks on their faces seemed to relay the concern that I had lost my marbles or more likely the concern that they would catch my insanity like a cold. The looks were priceless. I fell down on my desk again, bursting into laughter.

 Most people would normally be embarrassed and would have slid down their chairs in order to hide themselves. I, however, found the situation to be very funny. Here I was, laughing my face off over once silly line and there they were, looking at me like some freaky circus act. They thought I was insane! I strangely found this very amusing.

This had been going on for about a minute or two until my teacher finally noticed. “Andrew,” he said, “please go wait out in the hallway.” Although I was still a little ‘high’ from my laughter, my body was slowly going cold. I walked out into the hallway, still chuckling to myself. All the while, Chase and Abri were still staring at me.

Pretty soon, I stopped laughing. I was finally free from the spell I was under. But now, that cold that had been setting in completely took hold of me. Realization struck. I had caused a disturbance in the class. I had interrupted those around me from doing there work. Because of that, I was now out in the hallway waiting to receive an unknown punishment. I was a dead man! I kept wondering what would happen to me for my crime. I knew it couldn’t be so bad. I mean what was the worst the teacher could do? Put me in a desk closer to his? Give me a demerit? Nevertheless, I had never been sent out of a classroom for bad behavior. That hurt my ego a little.

The teacher, Mr. Rod, finally came to serve his lashings on me. “Andrew, you want to tell me why you were laughing so much?” He asked me.

“Well….” I paused, slightly embarrassed. “I was thinking and something made me laugh a little too much.”

“For that long?”

“Well, Chase and Abri were staring at me which I found funny. That’s why I laughed more.”

“Well, just be more quiet from now on.” He said. “Get seated and finish that test.” I quickly obliged, wanting to get back to the comfort of my chair as soon as possible.

Abri and Chase had resumed working on their tests, but they still glanced up at me with that same look of self-concern when I sat down. I picked up my pencil and put my concentration to my test again, and the other two slowly copied my actions and forgot about me.

Everything was now as it had looked five minutes ago. Kids were taking tests and it was silent. However, what had just happened had forever marked the day in my memory. I can still look back and clearly see the looks on those faces. I look back on that day with much amusement and I can still remember precisely what the cartoon was that I had watched earlier. This is one memory that I will never forget.

Let me explain the cartoon. This was from the website homestarrunner.com. It's a website with short webisodes. One of videos is called "Strongbad emails." The guy, Strongbad, (I have no idea why he's called that,) a man in wrestling mask, (don't get that either,) receives emails asking certain questions which he then answers. The link to the catoon is listed below. (It's about two minutes long.)

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail145.html

Andy Grammer, the Book of Mormon, and Manga.

I've been wanting to post something on music for the past week to keep up the name of this blog, but I had so much going on, yet nothing much at the same time. (I know it's vague, but it's true.) Last night though, I got the initiative to write something after I heard a song by a man named Andy Grammer. He's an artist who's first album is due to be released in June, and judging by his first EP, (*Extended Play) I think he's going to be quite a hit in the years to come. He has an acoustic-pop style similar to Britt Nicole and Colors. His lyrics are well written and very clean and uplifting. He says the d-word in one song about a breakup and that's as 'bad' as he gets. His song "Lift Your Head Up" is his most uplifting song. His other songs include "Fine by Me," a song about love, "Miss Me," his break-up song, and "Ladies," the song I'm focusing on in this post.

After reading the title, I was expecting this to be a love song or something about "loving the ladies." I didn't expect it to be inappropriate, but I could never had suspected the words that were to proceed out of this man's mouth.

(Acoustic riff)
My mother told me,
She said Andy,
You'll be a man soon,
So understand me.
Most of this world sees
Woman like candy...


I had been messing with my pillows and stuff, but now, I was totally still and attentive. My eyes got wide with shock. I quickly restarted the song and sat back in my pillows so I could focus all of my attention on the lyrics. Could this song really be RESPECTING woman?

My mother told me,
She said Andy,
You'll be a man soon,
So understand me.
Most of this world sees
Woman like candy.
And
You'll be a man who
will be standing


For me, my sisters, my daughters, and wives
Girls who are learning how to shine their light,
Who are dedicating some of your lives.
Stand for them all.


Singing out
me, my sisters, my daughters, and wives
Girls who are learning how to shine their light,
Who are dedicating some of your lives.
Stand for them all.

Singing out ladies, 
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
You don't even have to try.


Oh, ladies
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
more than you can realize.

My eyes continued to stay wide. This song was one-in-a-billion! It wasn't a **love song, nor was it a 'lust' song. It was a song praising the elect woman in his life! I had respect for this guy before, but now, it shot up like a rocket. He had created something so incredible, so original, so praise-worthy, yet it was as simple as anything. If all songwriters wrote by a similar moral code that this man wrote by, then music would be a whole lot entertaining. Yet, not everybody does, and it was such a surprise to me that I had heard a song like this one. I had never heard anything like it from the pop world, or anywhere else that I could think of, in fact.

Well, I actually did find a song by a teenaged rapper that went by the name of 2Krayze, (Too-Cray-zay) but he isn't famous in mainstream media, so although he's good, I'm not counting him. I'm talking about the mainstream media world that would be associated with Lady Gaga, Usher, or any other pop star.

I continued listening and found more joys within this song. (There are no lyrics to copy off the internet, so I half to write them down. Because of this, they might be slightly inaccurate, but not inaccurate enough to matter much.)

My mother told me,
she said Andy,
I know this all may
seem demanding,
But I'll be leaving
and will be handing
All of my love to you.
You will be standing


For me, my sisters, my daughters, and wives
Girls who are learning how to shine their light,
Dedicate some of their lives.
Stand for them all.

Singing out ladies, 
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
You don't even have to try.


Oh, ladies
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
more than you can realize.

I'm not sure 
If I'm the best one
to carry this torch.
I'm a mess, and my nose is sore
from falling on my face.
Trying to break the norm,
but I still conform.
And I know you see 
the mistakes I make
And wait patiently
for me to replace them.
And I can't quite seem
to be the perfect man
that you needed me to be.
I needed to believe that
I'll be standing here.
I got my sword,
I got my shield.
And you keep ringing in my ear.
Oh, Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh

Talking about me, my sisters, my daughters, and wives
Girls who are learning how to shine their light,
Dedicate some of your lives.
Stand for them all.

Singing out ladies, 
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
You don't even have to try.


Oh, ladies
You are beautiful,
You are beautiful,
more than you can realize.


It has been said that man and woman are needed as a pair in order to be complete and be the best people they can be in this world. It's a plain and simple truth. Each person does there part to uplift and hold each other. For example, when Joseph Smith had trials and difficulties, Emma was always there to comfort him. I think it would have been much harder to commit to all he did without her. Likewise, Joseph was there for Emma in her times of pain. Although we guys tend to conform a little to the ways of the world, the elect ladies of this world will be next to us to help remind us what we should be, making ourselves better.

I know some elect ladies in my life. I see them every day and if you're reading this, then you're one of them. You have so much light within you that you use for good every day and I want you to know that such actions of kindness and charity do not go unnoticed. I realize my audience may be down to only two people, but if there is any guy reading this, (or anyone, in fact,) we need to let these girls know that they are doing great and we, if I may speak for all, are thankful for that. Thank-you for being yourselves and for being the positive influences that you are. (And don't you try to deny it because I have proof of it all!)

Know that I'm doe with the lovey-dovey stuff, let's move onto "The Book of Mormon." No, I'm not talking about the actual book, I'm talking about the Broadway musical. It was created by Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Robert Lopez.

I have no real idea who Robert Lopez is. He co-wrote a musical (or play, can't remember which,) called "Avenue Q," which won a few awards. I want to concentrate on the first two guys. These guys are famous for creating a cartoon both blasphemous and raunchy, as well as a few other movies. These are the creators of "South Park."


No, this is not a joke. Although it may seem ironic and fake, it's true. For quite some time, Stone and Parker had been wanting to make this kind of musical, and they finally did.

A few might expect this to be an attack on the LDS church, but it isn't. They have stated themselves that there purpose isn't to attack Mormons. Even if they hated Mormons, they said, they still wouldn't attack them. The play has a lot of bad language and sexual references in it, but that's as bad as it gets. (Oh, and blasphemous remarks.) If this was changed a little, it would be something similar to that of "The RM," or "The Singles Ward." The songs are very funny. "Hello!," "Two By Two," and "You and Me (But Mostly Me)" are hilarious.

As for the plot, it's about two missionaries who travel to Uganda, Africa, to preach the gospel where things like AIDS, warlords, and other evils exist. I want to see this SOOO bad, but the musical itself is a little dirty.

So anyway, what do you think about this? Is it okay for them to make such a play? In my opinion, I find it just fine except for the dirty language/terms. Another thing they do is use the name of our Heavenly Father and His Son a little loosely. I'm sorry if this is a bit scatter-brained. I just wanted to tell you people about this.

The last thing I wanted to talk about is manga. I decided to attempt reading "Pandora Hearts" a second time to see if it would work. This time around, it loaded the pages in a split second, so I read for a while. I'm on chapter four, and so far, it's pretty good. When I first started reading it though, there was some confusion. It went sort of like this-

Oz Bezarious.
Shall now pass judgement upon you.
I, who bear the chain of conviction....
...Your very existence.
Your sin is...

I thought the sentences were weird, but I didn't think anything of it. When I got to page seven though, I realized something was wrong. (Admit it, you're laughing now.)  It said-

- How-ever...
Someone once said "That place is engulfed in darkness."  

I then realized why nothing made sense. It was translated to English, but not structured like an American comic. I was reading it backwards! I quickly went back to the beginning and read it the correct way. It now made perfect sense.

Well, almost. I didn't quite get two things. First up was when the death gods showed up. The fight scene confused me a little. I didn't quite get what was going on. The next part was when Oz made the contract with Alice. What was she doing? Kissing him? Sucking his blood? Slobbering on him? It wasn't quite clear on that. My guess is that it's either not very important or it will be explained later.

Sooooo.. other than those moments of confusion, I really enjoyed it and plan on continuing it.

Last thing of all, a note. If there are other people actually reading this, then please comment! I need to expand my audiance a little more! (No offense, girls.) The comment can be nonsense or just a hi if you want. Just let me know if you've read this a few times.

Bye all you people! Thank-you for reading.

*An Extended Play is shorter than a full album, yet longer than a single release. In the case of Andy Grammer, his EP contained four songs.

**By the way, I have no problem with love songs. It's just that everybody writes them and the song was a norm-breaker.

Bike

This is so worthy of my attention that I need to post it. I got a new bike! After a time of like, two years, my dad finally got one. He had been promising to get me one since my old one had broken down. It had taken awhile, but I knew it was on his mind since he showed me the one he wanted to get. (A black road bike.) There were some certain problems in getting that bike though, so we had to search for a different one. What we found instead was a silver road bike laying around at a pawn shop. This one isn't new, but it might as well be. It has really nice brakes instead of the ones that squeeze the wheel. It has a good frame, the seat isn't hard, and it only weighs like 28 pounds. My dad helped me put a speedometer on it as well so I could track distance, time, and length. I love this bike, and I have my dad to thank for it.


Despite the thoughts you may have right now, the purpose of this post wasn't to brag. The purpose of it was to express gratitude and to give you this small bit of info I'm about to give you. But first, a small anecdote.

Last Friday, Me and Brayden went to Wal-Mart. There wasn't any reason except that we could. There was only one small problem. All we had for transportation was a scooter and long-board. I, of course, rode the scooter, an exercise that took forever while simultaneously draining all the life from my legs. After that small trip, I realized that if I was going to get anywhere this Summer, I would need a bike. So the next day, I convinced my dad to look for some after his errands, and by Monday, I had a bike. Now I can actually get places in a reasonable amount of time! This is good because I have a friend who lives at the top of Kaysville, (Fruit Hieghts?) right by Burton Elementary. A trip up there should take like ten minutes now. Another friend will be moving all the way down to...well, I'm not sure, but judging by how long it took to get there, I'd assume in Layton territory, but he assured me that it was within the Davis boundry. I find this impossibal to believe, but he's for sure going to Davis, so I guess it doesn't matter. My cousin, another Laytonite, lives within what I assume is a thirty minute bike ride. Then, you've got the two people who comment on here. So by my guess, most of my friends live in Layton except for something like two, maybe four, so I guess it's now even. (Numbers may soon vary, but that was the for-sure answer.)

Again, I'm grateful for a bike.

Short Story- The Dome

This is the short story I did for creative writing. It isn't even remotely close to my original idea, but after much debate, I decided I couldn't do it for a few reasons-

1. I wanted to be unrestricted in what I wrote, and I felt that this might possibly require more than thirty pages.

2. I ran into a character problem. I realized with what I wanted to write, I couldn't have Jackson Perth be the main character. It had to be another guy who I could create at the needed time.

3. I was time restricted.

I think that's really all. So, I came up with an idea that didn't meet this troubling criteria. No complicated plot, not a plethora of characters, and it was a simple idea that could be written in a decent amount of time, yet still satisfy the needs of my creativity. So, I hope you enjoy this, and critique me if you notice something that needs to be fixed.

The Dome

The night sky was humming with the sweet chords of jazz. Around and around, like an invisible snake, the notes weaved in, out, and between the stars. They danced with Cassiopeia and strode with Orion. They mingled with the air low and high all the way across the Milky Way. It was a sweet, inviting tune, beckoning any passerby to come in and enjoy what surprises it offered. The music hailed from a white dome. Resting on the hillside, it would seem strange to any passerby that a structure such as this should lay there, but those who built the dome all agreed that it was the perfect location. Serene, quiet, peaceful, beautiful, it was all here. The night was of a warm summer, just a little after sundown. You could still see all around where you might stand, yet it would be dark enough that a sign from a ways away would be illegible. This was a time when night the night was still very young, and when people were still wide awake barbecuing, playing, or just talking the night away on their front porches.

The dome was alive tonight. The lights were on, illuminating the dome like a light-bulb. And like moths, people were swarming the light-bulb, buzzing along the twisted paths and trails until they came to whatever door they ended up at. Like an army attacking a fortress under siege, they advanced with much anticipation. They opened the doors entered, streaming in like a strong current of water being released from a dam. The stream was relentless. It pounded countless faces through the auditorium's outer hallway, quickly stuffing it full. It seemed that the place would overflow with people.Everyone scurried frantically to the doors to the auditorium. Although it seemed impossible, the crowd finally got completely in the auditorium and dispersed into their personal seats. And despite the high number of people, everyone got a seat.

The inside, like the outside, was also white. It was a spectacular piece of work to look at, made from fine, polished marble, refined white wood, and other sorts of high-quality building materials. In the center was a huge hardwood floor of pure white and so clean and spotless as if it had just at that moment been nailed down. Around it were cushioned seats for everyone that had designs of dragons and serpents etched in.
 The borders were decorated with banners and flowers. They were carved with patterns of the stars and the seasons.

The architects who made the building took a lot of pride in it. Everyone took pride in it. They cleaned it daily so nothing could settle and become problematic such as sticky soda or rotting apples. Even when nothing had happened there for a week, the people still went in and swept for dust. Any animals or insects that got in were eradicated. Damages were fixed the day they were discovered. It was guarded all day and all night just in case vandals decided to do their dirty work on the place. (Which rarely happened, if ever.) The people loved this building and took great care of it.
 

This night was one of the many nights when all that great care became worth it. It was a very promising night as it was with the jazz playing, and it was about to get better. The jazz was being played by a live band as entertainment before the main event started. They normally played here on event nights, one part being for the money, but mostly for the music, the people, the place, and the event. With a lot of cheery enthusiasm, they played on and they kept doing so until a voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Eh-hem! Excuse me everyone," it said, "please settle down."

The jazz band stopped playing. The crowd hushed itself to complete silence. Even the crickets no longer chirped. Someone could've been mumbling to themselves and everyone would've heard it. It was as if the place was dead, yet, you could sense an excitement being restrained throughout the room, a feeling more evident than any cough, sneeze, or whisper that could've occurred, if there were any such noises in the air at the time. "All right then," the voice said. "Tonight, for our main event, we shall witness ballroom dancers perform to some of history's magnificent works."

Although it was still quite quiet, you could hear people whispering all around, talking about how exciting the show would be, what songs they hoped would be played, and other such matters. The voice continued. "If any of you have cellphones, would you please turn them off?"

The crowd obliged. All at once, hundreds of hands squirmed all over the place reaching for their talking bricks. Hundreds of little lights woke from their sleep only to be temporarily put out of commission. Those hands squirmed again to put the brick away, and it soon became silent again.

"Please discard of your trash properly."

After every event, there was very little trash to be swept or picked up, which made the janitors very pleased. They eventually came to assume that people would stay responsible and clean up after themselves, just as they had in the past.

"Do not make loud and disturbing noises."

Based on the fact that no mumbling or any other such noises were occurring, it was apparent to everyone that they would stay that way.

"And please, above all, enjoy the show!"

They always did. No matter what was happening there, whether it be music, dance, a musical, a speech, or any of the other various things that went on in the dome, they always enjoyed the show. 

The music began to play. As it did, the dancers slide from under the four main entrances on the bottom stage. They moved with gentle motion soft enough that they seemed to move in harmony with the light around them. They made no noise whatsoever. They made no taps with their shoes. When they jumped or swung their arms around, they didn't make any clapping noise.It was as if this dome was outer-space, where no sounds of any sort could travel. They were immediately dissipated after they occurred because the atmosphere of this place could not carry the waves for the noise to travel. Although outer-space was actually miles away in the sky, there certainly was a different property in the air tonight. Many might have called it different things, but most would agree that it was simply called magic. The dancers created a special magic in the air by their art. They told stories of timeless value and they presented universal ideas. They did all of this with just notes and movement, and nothing more. For all those inside witnessing this beautiful display, time stood still. It normally doesn't, but when something extraordinary or special happens, just like this moment, it can.

After some time of seemingly endless splendor, the final song ended. The dancers carried out their final movements, then they were still. For a moment, the audience was still quiet, still bound silent by that strange and wonderful magic. When the realization that it was over finally sank into them, they clapped. Hard. They all stood and cheered. They cheered and whistled their hearts out, filling the once silent stadium with enough sound to travel all across the county. As the echoes cleared, a man went to the center of the room, gripping in his hand, a microphone.

"Wow, what an excellent job dancers!" He said to the crowd. It was the same man that had spoken over the loudspeaker. "Weren't they just excellent?" The crowd replied by exploding with applause again. "That must be a yes," chuckled the man. "What we have witnessed here tonight is something very beautiful, and I just want to thank these wonderful dancers for working so hard to get it to that point. It took a lot to accomplish what they did tonight, and I'd like to congratulate them. It took time, effort, teamwork, skill, and love for the art to do all this, and we, if I may speak for the whole crowd, admire that."

The crowd confirmed the suspicion by making more grateful applauds.

"Thank-you for all being here tonight." the man said again. "We always appreciate large crowds on the nights of our shows. We will be doing the same show for the rest of this week and we will be doing a new one in about three. Have a good night everyone."

The crowd stood up, and with a slow but steady pace, they soon emptied out of the dome. They carried home the magic of that night, the performance where time stood still. They would carry it in their memories and cherish it forever.

After the crowd had left, the janitors cleaned up the place. Like always, there was not a lot of trash to clean up. No spills to mop up or food to dispose of. By the time they were all done, the dome was sparkling with a  brilliant white once more. They left the place too, locking the doors as they left.

On the hillside, the dome, loved by all, stood quiet, waiting for tomorrow and the magic that it would bring.


 Fin


As an after-note, there is a hidden message in here, something to learn from it. If you know what it may be, tell me. (There are never really wrong answers.)

Thank-you for for reading.

Short Story Idea + Character(s)

I had trouble coming up with a plot for my character. Based on who he was, it was going to be the journey from Wyoming to Australia, but the details and whatnot were difficult. Plus, that would've been a hard thing to come up with in thirty pages. So, I went to a rich resource, King of the Hill. The show is a view on everyday problems and American culture. So, looking at what I have for my character so far, (which will most likely change as my story goes) I came up with a pretty decent plot.

Jackson Perth, an ophiologist, lives on the second floor of an apartment located in the fictional city of Smithtown,  Utah. He has a few teenage out-of-high school neighbors who currently do not attend a college. He and his other neighbors soon get quite tired of the shenanigans of these teens. They want the landlord to kick them out, but he refuses. He doesn't want to lose his younger customers, but he realizes that he can't lose the other half. He tells them that they must figure it out themselves first. If they don't succeed, he'll fix it himself. They plan and try, but none of their plans work. Jackson, now seeing the need for the teens to stay put, finds an unusual way to figure out a plan. (a way that I sorta know of, but can't tell you of yet because it's a surprise.) The rest is how it is resolved.

That's about all I have that I can reveal without spoiling it, but I'll give you a hint. (It has to do with what he is.)

THE FIRST MUSIC VIDEO IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been weeks, but I finally finished writing the screenplay for a music video. The song is a favorite of mine. It is the Hollywood Undead song "Sell Your Soul." The music video displays the metaphor in the song as I perceive it. I have written about this song before, so anyone wanting to see where I'm standing with this song, go ahead and read it if you'd like. Comments and critiques are welcome. I need it so I can write these better, so I can improve the script itself, and so it looks good when I film it. (I don't know how it will be done, but writing them is only half the fun. Whether it be by me and/or some other person, I'm making it. And if anyone wishes to do it with me sometime...speak up.)

But anyway, here's a link-

http://aballhonorsmusicvideos.blogspot.com/2011/04/sell-your-soul-by-hollywood-undead.html

Friends

For anyone who is reading this blog and wasn't at my house Saturday night, all you gotta know is that it was awesome. Aside from my cousins, I have never gotten that many people together to hang out before. I've always been a little shy and anti-confrontational (as you've heard many times), but after today, I think that will change. I realized just how easy it is to call someone and ask to hang out.

Ever since everybody started to leave, I was wondering why I hadn't done anything like this before. Like I said, the biggest group of kids at my house were my cousins. I never really went out their and tried to make a friend. (Well, as far as I can remember. Maybe I wasn't so shy in the third grade and lower.) All friends I had came by chance and/or because they asked ME if I wanted to hang out. I met Stephen on a walk around town. He was at a birthday party and if I'm not mistaken, he's the one that asked me to hang out. With Connor, I had a long conversation with him, and we soon became friends just naturally I think. Tyler became a friend simply because he was a cousin. Brayden became my friend because we had to go over lines for dinner theater and we both agreed that we should hang out sometime. (Although, I was the one who suggested that we go over the lines in the first place, so I guess that kinda broke the cycle.)

You, Serena, are the first one to ACTUALLY break this little chain. We were getting a long quiet nicely, and so I thought "why not?" I enjoyed your company, and I was actually kinda disappointed when you weren't there in class. There seems to be this energy about you, a positive energy. It's hard to be gloomy around you. You're one of those friends Jon Bytheway or a church leader would advise to be around because they influence you in a positive way. You make me want to be a better person. I'll admit it. The kitchen was a wreck before you came. I cleaned it up because I didn't want you and everybody else to think I was a slob. I ain't one, but it normally takes my mom asking me to clean it up. I did it willingly though. I also quote "King of the Hill" all the time, but I haven't around you because I know you would hate that show because of the immorality in it. I feel bad for watching it, like I committed a sin. Serena, thank-you so much for being my friend. I consider you as one of the best friends I ever had, even though I've only know you for a very short time. I'm sorry if it sounds cheesy, but I'm not lying to you in the slightest. You becoming my friend is one of the best things that has happened all year, a BLESSING even.

Alex, you and your sister are wonderful friends to be around as well. I hope you two can hang out again sometime! (And yes, I'll still have the sombrero.)

Again, I can't believe I didn't do this earlier! You've all made me overjoyed. I guess I'd forgotten how glorious a friendship can be. It's not I've been completely alone or neglected and whatnot. I haven't even been bullied since like the fifth or sixth grade, and I could care less about what those jerks said. I. It's true that Stephen was a bully. It's also true that Connor had his days of bullying, but we ultimately stayed friends. (He moved to Georgia though.) My cousin is one of the best friends I've ever had, but I only see him on weekends. My other cousins either live in Colorado, or I just don't see them often even though they live pretty close. My long-time friend has been great, but honestly.....it's hard to explain. Maybe it's because I haven't seen him in awhile. As for Brayden, he's...not the best influence in the world. Put him with a group of people, and he's better, but when it's just us two, he acts and says what he wants to say. My mom says she doesn't even know how we became friends. Seriously, if you do a thorough analysis on us, we are different in SOOO many ways. He spends money like it's nothing, and I prefer to shop at Ross. He hates "King of the Hill" with a passion, and I love it. (Which I actually feel bad over now.) He's outgoing, and you can see him in the halls hugging every third girl he meets. Until yesterday, a phone call would've made me hurl, but I called like three people I've never even called before. And honestly, he talks ways I just don't feel are right, ways that I would never dare speak.

But anyway, I'm getting off track. What I'm trying to say is that.........It's extremely hard to explain.

Oh well, here I go.

Go back to this sentence-

"I guess I'd forgotten how glorious a friendship can be."

I've seen all these people at school interacting with each other, and I wished I could do that. I do talk a lot and make comments out loud, and it's not like I've been totally alone in school, but I'd never had a one-on-one conversation for very long, and when I did, I was very...closed on my part. I wanted to form more friendships, friendships that were made within the school, not at Kaysville Junior (Austin) or Layton High (Tyler.) I wished for that but never had the guts to try and get it. And now that I have, I'm so grateful I did, because I befriended a group of great people. Thank-you all for being a friend. In return, I promise to do the same.

Venture Academy- Can't Live With It, Can't Live Without It.

(Warning- Anyone who went to Venture Academy and is reading this should know that although I'm being a little mean, I'm being honest. If a teacher is reading this, then I'm sorry to be so harsh, I'm sure you'll teach better throughout the years. If you taught English, then you're the exception. You were the best English teacher ever and you'll still improve!)

I moved to Kaysville right before I entered the seventh grade, but I wasn't going to go to Fairfield. I was going to the new charter school in Ogden- Venture Academy. The school was in Michigan too and even the former principal was coming here. It seemed like a great opportunity to a higher education.

By third term, I was a Fairfield Falcon.

This school was horrible on so many levels. So many, in fact, it's hard to say how many with just a single sentence. I have to in fine detail, starting with-

Science. If you asked me today what I learned in seventh grade at Venture, I couldn't tell you. I remember watching parts of the movie "Core," (awesome movie!) and I could also tell you that we were starting physics when I dropped out, but that's all. Two terms and I retained NOTHING! It was like grade-school science I think. We would jump all over the place in science, but we wouldn't learn enough.

An elective we took during the semester was anatomy. I know this isn't a core class, but it was taught by the same teacher. Now, I'm not saying she's a terrible teacher, but personally, I believe Mrs.Nelson was WAAAAY more experienced than her. (One reason being she's taught longer- I think.) As for the anatomy class, I can't blame her at all really. This is because the class she was trying to teach was a living Hell. It seemed as if all the worst kids in the school were dumped here and only three of us out of twenty-five were good. Just what did this class do to my poor science teacher every day? EVERYTHING! They talked to no end. They disrespected property, they didn't listen, they, they...man, they did so much, I feel a little overwhelmed just trying to describe it. The main point though was that they disrespected the teacher and drove her into insanity. She yelled a lot. I mean, it's like they had no respect for her. She had these reptile bodies soaking in oil, which probably cost a lot to buy. Well, this kid kept rolling one around the table, and on the first day, they were leaking. They got out of their seats and didn't give a care to what the teacher told them. We barely did any assignments. They used the computers for game usage. The list goes on and on and on and on. So, do I blame the teacher for my poor education? No, I absolutely do not.  It's not her fault that the kids were all jerks. Also, in her other classes, she had to take away every single article of supplies from the desks. People would rub their rulers against desks, make them super-hot, and burn each other with them. I'm not quite sure what they did with the markers, crayons, scissors, and glue-sticks, but they all got taken away. So in other words, it was the students fault for what happened, not my science teacher's.

Next is my math class. I was put in the easy class because I was apparently told to be in it. Clearly, it wasn't sufficient. I had almost no homework and when I did, it was EXTREMELY short and easy. I eventually got put in a "higher" class, but it was still easy. And I actually left shortly after, so it didn't matter anyway.

History was a little weird. We alternated with science and history every other term, so when I had science, I didn't have history and vice-versa. The teacher was a very friendly teacher, but I didn't agree with his style of teaching. He first had us do a "create your own colony" assignment which didn't really teach us about actually history, but rather a way to punish a thief in the most painful and torturous of ways. We then jumped right in to the Boston masquer. We didn't learn about anything else before, which was a bad decision in my opinion.

Let's see... ah, band! A fabulous class. Our teacher was the principal's wife, and she knew how to conduct and teach us. Art was fine. We also had a mythology class which was taught by the history teacher. (It wasn't that informative, but I did discover Monty Python and the Holy Grail.) In addition, we had a homeroom class that wasn't really homeroom and a certain all week event. And of course their's a lot of stuff that I want to discuss, but these are for another post.

Right now, I want to talk about all the good stuff that came out of going to Venture. This can be said in one word-

English.

I was in the best English class I have ever been in. I'm sorry if this breaks the heart of other English teachers, but Mrs.Malloy was the best English teacher EVER! She taught us how to proofread, first off all. She taught us how to correct and edit writing. She taught us how to write an effective essay, and she made us write every day. In other words, I credit her the most for creating my love and talent for writing. She also taught us how to analyze a book. We chose a selection of books on utopias. Mine was, by suggestion from my mom, "Fahrenheit 451." She got me interested in him because of the work I did on that book. We did some serious analysis, a whole packet even. She made us look deep into the message, and I can probably even credit her for rooting some of the interest of song analysis to her. She made us write an essay on utopias, and she made us do like, SIX EDITS! She taught me how to make something grand, not just acceptable or even good. She was also one of my most favorite teacher because of the person she was. She knew how to teach AND be kind and helpful at the same time. She took the time to really teach us, and I'm in her debt. (I better remember that for the future...or for when I'm in Heaven.)

Mr. Herringa was also good in having us read the wave. I was a little sad to find I wouldn't be in Mrs. Maloy's class that term, but oh well. He was a great teacher.

So, there you have it. That is how my life of writing really got started as I see it.

For future posts, I think I'll talk more about Venture.

See ya people next week! (I'll be on a road trip, so if I don't read your posts, that's why.)

My Week...and Maybe Some Other Stuff. (Wait, I Remember What I Wanted to Talk About.)

(If you'd rather not read all this, Skip to the paragraph entiteled, THE IMPORTANT PART.)

If you haven't read my other post yet, (which contains part of a story) then you should know that I moved! YAAAAAY! This is great for a few reasons.

1. I'm still here, and I'm planning on staying with the way life's going.
2. I get to keep my cat.
3. I'm closer to the school.
4. THE APPLIANCES ACTUALLY WORK!

Can you tell I'm excited? Our last dishwasher did the job equivalent to putting the dirty dishes in a bowl full of water then shaking it. Because of this, we had to wash them by hand. But now, WE DON'T!! Also, the lights were messed up. They either stayed on, wouldn't turn off, or they would come back on after a while. The plumbing was also bad. (It caused a lot of angry outbursts.) The only errors in this house that we've found are bad doorknobs and a scary light fixture. We put a light-bulb in it and it showered sparks when we turned it on. Oh well. At least it didn't explode like in the last house. (I'm serious about that. Light-bulbs really did explode in a light fixture.) So far, we've just got a few more loads to do and organize. I'll be so glad when it's over too. Work just ain't the way our family bonds. But anyway, I live a block below the school now.

Before I get to the important section, I'm gonna let of a little depressing steam. MY LAPTOP IS DEAD! AUGH! It will no longer turn on and I have to get a new one. Right now, I''m using my mom's laptop which has a... well, CRAPPY track-pad. I have to use a mouse but I ain't use to that, so I keep using the pad. The bright side is that my dad has an old laptop that I can buy, except I think it has this same pad. Oh well. That's better than no computer, and I'm also glad that I can use this computer freely right now.

Oh, and I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm selling legos too.

Okay, now I'll get to THE IMPORTANT PART.

If you were in seminary, you might have done a certain activity. If you were in Brother Wood's class, (which I know you were, Serena) you most certainly did this activity. We each got a name tag, swapped it with an unknown person, and we had to find out who we had. After we found out, we listed some spiritual talents that  this person had. When I received my card back, I was a little- no REALLY bewildered. Some of the things listed there were not things I thought I really showed enough or at all. I believe I have these traits, but I didn't know if they were recognizable all the time, and the person who wrote them didn't really talk to me much. Here's what she wrote-

- Listening
- Being kind to others
- Accepting people
- Being able to love others
- Being able to see truth
- Being able to believe and understand
- Perseverance
- Being optimistic, look @ the brightside. (She wrote it that way.)

Okay, I know that I'm a pretty good listener. In some cases, I can be pretty terrible, but listening to teachers/friends is not a problem.

THIS is where it started to be surprising. I know I'm a kind person. I'm not like an angel or as kind as a few others I've met, but I'm pretty dang kind. Anyone could tell you that. The problem is is that  I don't show it that often as I see it. I have a kind attitude, but as for out-going kindness, I'm a little rough around the edges. So I wondered how in the world this person could see that.
I'm also an accepting person. I, like anyone, will have those biased thoughts on occasion, but I immediately push them from my mind because I know they're not true. So I don't really try to label anyone. I don't care what disease or disorder you have, I don't care what gender you are, I don't care what race you are, ect, ect. Again though, I don't know how she could see that and I can't think of any time she could.

I'm 100 percent sure I can be loving to other people, but I don't go out of my way to talk to the lonely, or anybody for that matter because I'm to dang shy. I do talk in groups and I do talk to those sitting around me in class. But I've never gone up to someone and said "Hey ******, how are you?" When it's a one-on-one conversation, I'm either sitting by that person or they've come up to me and started talking. (So if any of you wonder why I don't really talk to between classes, that's why. I'm working on it though.)

Another thing is that I don't remember the last time I've comforted someone who's been sad. It's not that I  see a crying person every day, but I swear that I've seen the same girl twice in tears and I've been to much of a wimp to just go say to her "Hey, is anything wrong? Can I help you in any way?" I curse myself for not doing so. I have the compassion, it's just that some stupid wall keeps me from doing it. So that again makes me wonder how she could possibly see that.

And how in the world could she say I can see truth? Since when have I shown that? Same with believing, understanding, and persevering. I think I can see a little more clearer than some people I know. (I'm mostly referring to guys, sadly.) I guess I think I have a slight ability to understand, and as for persevering, I'm not sure. I can get distracted sometimes.

I think she would be able to see my optimism, because I do speak enough to see that...I think. Do I?

I think I know who I am. But who do you think I am? Was she right in her list? Was she that observant? Or was she coming up with a few fillers? Both maybe? Was I right in what I said, or do you think otherwise? Do I seem to act a little "cold" to you people sometimes? Am I rude in any way? I would actually like to know. (Possibly by commenting or even telling me to my face, if you feel like it.) And don't be afraid to offend me. I won't get mad or depressed. I just want to improve myself. (And plus I've been pondering this subject since second term and finally decided I had enough to post it.)

Finally, while we're on the subject of character, I want to shift the subject to you people. (It's nice to hear a compliment from someone once in awhile, don't you think?)

(For some reason, I always get the feeling that somebody's going to think I'm creepy or weird or whatever when I talk about something like this. So if I am, I would DEFINITELY like to know.)

Serena, you are an awesome person to be around. You're a nice (and funny : ) person to talk too. You are also a great friend. (I don't know if you see me as one, but I do.)

Alex, I don't even have a class with you, but I did at one time and it was nice to talk to you too. And I can tell from your writing that you're a good person and you can count me a friend. (Oh, and read my response to you on my last post. I do have some books.)

Bradley, I don't know if you read this all the time, but if you do, you should know that you're a friend as well.

Anybody else that happens to read this, just know that you're frickin' amazing.

Bye now. Hope I didn't sound weird. See you later!

A Story That Doesn't Have a Title at the Moment Part One....and more stuff.

Hey all you people! Below is the beginning of a story I'm writing. Tell me what you think.


Getting punched in the face doesn't do much good for your well-being. Then again, when thugs beating up a homeless guy, it's not like you can stand there and watch. I guess the better plan would've been to call 911 and have the police handle it, but what if the thugs beat the man to death? Then what? The police might capture the murderers and they might get a few years in prison, but that still wouldn't change the fact that a man was murdered under my watch. Was I going to let that happen? Absolutely not! Not when I could've done something about it. So, I threw caution in the wind and I tried to be the hero. Well, long story short, I ended up flat on the ground with a broken nose and slipped into unconsciousness.

Rewind to about nine o'clock of Saturday morning. The weatherman last night had told us that it would be a bright, sunny day. While that might have been true, I had absolutely no intentions of going outside. I wasn't even planning on getting out of bed for the whole day. It would be filled with reading comics, watching reruns of "The Twilight Zone," and eating as much junk-food as I could eat. Unfortunately, my whole plan depended on my mom being out for the day. She was going to spend the day with her sister, but she called my mom to tell she was sick and she wouldn't be able to come. Unfortunately for me, that meant she was there to be a parent, and she would tell me all the dangers of drinking too much soda, how t.v. was going to rot my brain, and other health nonsense. Honestly, I know the 'experts' tell people that drinking two packs of soda in a day isn't good for a fifteen-year-old body, but what do they know? I'm the kid here, not them. And since I'm the one with the fifteen-year-old body, I think I know perfectly well what is or what isn't good for MY body. I've tried to convince my parents of this, but they won''t listen. (One reason being that my mom is one of the 'experts.') So instead of what I planned to do, I was forced out of bed to go an "play outside" as my mom phrased it.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Honestly, if you've made the decision to keep reading, then you're pretty dang awesome. If you haven't...well, the people who read my blogs are pretty dang awesome people anyways, so I guess it's just a pretty dang awesome thing of you to do if you do decide to keep reading.

But anyway-

As I was sitting in church, I realized there were still some things I wanted to post, so I decided to add on to the original post.

First up, has anyone ever had to sit on the couches outside the chapel room or whatever? And if you have, have you ever noticed that the other ward seems to forget of your existence? When the other ward gets out, even if it's the prayer, they chat it up-LOUDLY.  You can pray even though you ain't part of the other ward! It's just a little frustrating because it's like a lack of disrespect. And it's not just by the kids, it's by the adults! If it's like a toddler or something, I don't even mind, but when an adult is talking just a few inches in front of me, it's disrupting the spirit. So, if you're ever in the same chapel as me, remember to BE QUIET!

That leads me to the next thing- I'M MOVING! After two years (or something like that) of living in an old, broken-down house, where we move will be an improvement! Seriously, the house I currently live in was built in the sixties. The pluming is messed up, the dishwasher doesn't work, half the light either won't turn on, don't turn off, or don't stay off. It's just SOOOOOOO great to be living somewhere more current. I'll still go to the same school, luckily. I'm actually moving like two blocks behind it. And does anyone go to the Creekside ward? That's the ward I'll be going to.

Since I'm moving, I have to get rid of some stuff like books, rocks, ect. So if anyone wants some rocks, polished and not polished, I'd be happy to GIVE them to you. (Meaning they're FREE!) I don't really know anyone who will want them, so this is my first choice. Also if anyone wants a parakeet or iTouch, I have to get rid of those too. (No, I ain't giving away my iPod for free.) I might be selling some other stuff too...Not quite sure right now. We might just DI it.

Thank-you all for your diligent reading, I appreciate it.

(Oh yeah, and my internet might actually WORK CORRECTLY! AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH I CURSE YOU INTERNET!!!!!!!!)

CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everybody. I have decided to have a contest. Below are a few pictures I made on my laptop. They represent a song. The contest is to see how many you can figure out. Who ever wins gets...I don't know, the gloating rights? Candy? Maybe I'll just announce it on the title bar. I don't know, but anyway, this should test your knowledge. You can email the answers if you're worried about cheaters (although I highly doubt any of you are) by clicking on my profile info. (Click on my name under "about me.") Or, to be simple, you can post the answers below. Good Luck!

P.S. I just tested this on my mom, and she said it would be easier if I gave the name of the band. So I will post the bands below in order of descending picture. That way, you can get another hint if you get stuck. Oh, and this is my first post with pictures. Yay!

That green thing is a fruit. The one hint I'll give is that the song is old. Also, the band has been mentioned in this blog.

This is a building. The arrow is the focus of the picture. I have mentioned this band as well.

This particular band has not been mentioned.

I have mentioned this band before. (They're my third favorite band.)

One of my favorite songs of all time! (I wrote about this particular song.)

A pretty dang epic song. I wrote about this particular song too.

Here's a song I added just for visual purposes. The song is pretty bad, so I don't listen to it. (Although the beginning is pretty catchy.) It's made by the same band that made the previous one.









DON'T SCROLL ANYMORE! HINTS ARE BELOW THIS!












Band Hints- Rush, Blue October, La Roux, OneRepublic, Britt Nicole, Hollywood Undead