Kirkwood

I just enrolled at Kirkwood, where I will be taking a Calculus I class. The description of the class is "Includes limits, derivative, differentiation, the differential elementary applications of calculus and introduction to integration." The first time I looked at this, it seemed like a foreign language, but then I realized that I already do most of these things in my pre-calc class right now.

I then decided to compare and contrast the descriptions of my current class and this one.

"TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS is the study of trigonometry of right angles
and the unit circle, proof of trigonometric identities, inverse functions,
derivations of trigonometric formulas, solutions of trigonometric equations;
ANALYSIS 1 is the study of elementary functions with an introduction to limit,
continuity, the derivative and application of maximum and minimum, with respect
to polynomial functions; integration and anti-differentiation are also
introduced; ANALYSIS 2 is a continuation of ANALYSIS 1, with emphasis on
applying differential calculus techniques to trigonometric, logarithmic, and
exponential functions"

The only differences I see is that pre-calc has more trigonometry and Calculus has more in-depth content. I will have to see if this class really is easy, though.

Location, Location, Location

Everything I do on Sunday afternoons are in the same mile-radius.

Sometimes I have to work. I work at an ice cream parlor just a few blocks down from my school. I love my job and have fun working there.

If I'm not working, or before I go to work, I play sports. These are all done at my high-school. I play volleyball in the gym with my team and sometimes other teams that practice there. Usually after, but sometimes before volleyball, I also play two other sports.

Sometimes I get people to play ultimate. This is usually a bunch of kids in my grade, some freshman, and some college students. All the high-schoolers are from Kennedy, and most of the college students usually come from Iowa State University. We play on the Kennedy soccer field, where end-zones are marked as goalie-boxes, or sometimes if it is a smaller game, we use the large light-poles on the east side of the field. Also, the field is often a little bit muddy, which makes it easy to fall down in some places. I like this, because it makes the game have more variables, and people can't win off of plain skill and athletic abilities. Finally, the mud makes your shirt look awesome when you slide in it, after diving for a pass.

Phanic is the final sport I play in that area. We play it also on the Kennedy soccer field. We haven't had any trouble with multiple sports at the same time and place, mainly because the schedules of ultimate, phanic, and volleyball revolve around each other. A large chunk of people who play volleyball also play phanic, and ultimate.

Though there are about 5 people who play all three sports, most people who play each one of the sports play only the one sport. This makes sense with the college students, who wouldn't be allowed to play volleyball. But playing ultimate and phanic should be interchangeable. I will work on trying to make all these people who can play multiple sports play all three.

Muscles

Today is Sunday, which means it was my exercise day. Sunday is the day when I play all of the following: Phanic, Volleyball, and Ultimate (frisbee). Unfortunately, I couldn't play volleyball, because I wasn't in town during practice time. Also, I couldn't play phanic, because the phanic group didn't play today. I did, however, get to play Ultimate.

I was on my way back from Indianola. We stopped at a Pizza Ranch, when Chris (my best friend's brother) called me. he asked if I wanted to play ultimate, and I told him that I would be home by 4. He told me that that would be fine if I got some high-schoolers to come play (he is a freshman in college). I agreed, and started a mass text, which proved to be difficult, because my phone only allows me to send a message to ten people, but that is an issue for a later time.

I got 2 "yes, I will come"'s. These were from a freshman and a sophomore, both of which are good and dedicated.

I got to Kennedy about five minutes early. Chris was there playing tennis with a very attractive girl. I remember thinking good job, Chris! But as soon as I got there, she left and Chris challenged me to a game.

Usually with Chris, whatever sport he plays, he is great at. This is true, according to me, because he only plays one sport, as far as I know, which is Ultimate. I expected him to destroy me at tennis, but would give it a shot anyways.

He asked me if I would like to serve, and I said yes. I knew the lingo (love=0, scoring goes love, 15, 30, 40, game, etc.) from when I was very little. Also I have played with my good friend, Alex, a few times. Alex always said that I should join the tennis team, because I am better than half the people there. I was going to, too, but it would take up lots of time and I wanted to work, so I decided against it.

I served it hard, and it was nowhere close to the in-bounds-box. I tried again, lighter, and I missed again. He got the first point. After this, the tides turned in my favor. Once, he accidentally lobbed a ball right in front of me. I took this chance, and hit the ball as hard as I could and with as much top spin as I could right back at him. It was cool that I could see how much the spin affected the ball's path.

After I won that game, someone else showed up. We put the rackets away and started throwing the frisbee around. When there was about twelve people, we started.

The first two games were the worst. The first game I was, as always, not on Chris's team. I played hard, but after a sprint down-field, I wouldn't run for a little while. My calves hurt very bad. They had hurt since last Friday, when I played a different game of ultimate.

After the second game of ultimate, my calves started to hurt less. I didn't know why, and I still don't know why. I joked that maybe they hurt so badly, they just went numb. I really don't think this was the case, however. But after the second game, I started running harder too. I ran like a sprinter; I ran on my toes. This, I think, uses more calf muscle, but didn't hurt as bad. For some reason, it seems like running om my heels and then on through to my toes is hurting my calves.

Last year at about the same time, this happened to me really bad. My coach was convinced that I had shin splints, but I wasn't so sure. My shins hurt a little, but that wasn't where I felt the pain. I saw the school physical therapist, and she said that it seemed to be the place where my calf muscle attaches to the tendon. She said to just work my calf muscle out by stretching it a lot and doing calf raises.

Maybe I have a bad connection there. Maybe I am just over-thinking this pain. Either way, I'm not going to do anything about it. As baseball season went on, my legs hurt less and less. This will probably happen the same way this year, but I'll try to keep track of it better.

Finances

I got a job about a month and a half ago. I work about three times a week. With the job, came money.

Luckily for me, my parents pay for my car insurance and gas. Also, when I need something (shoes, food...), they will buy it for me. It is just as if I didn't have a job. This lets me save all of my money, if I choose.

And to save is my choice. I put my money in the bank immediately after I get my check. Sometimes I use my debit card, but only when I have to.

This money adds up quickly. I am saving up for a reason. I figure that after college, I will make much more money than I am currently. For this reason, I am not saving for college. Instead, partly because my car is dying, I am planning to buy a vehicle.

I have three main areas of interest. Firstly, a motorcycle. I am going to take the motorcycle class at Kirkwood to learn how to drive as soon as I get a free weekend. I guess I won't know for sure if I like riding a motorcycle until I take that class, but I figure I probably will. I always loved riding my bicycle, and my dad had a motorcycle.

Secondly, I could get a limousine. There was a limo for sale a few months back. I loved it, but my dad wasn't so thrilled. I knew I would have to earn money to buy it for myself, if I chose to pursue that option. This limo is cheap, but old. Also it isn't a stretch, so I wouldn't have to get a special license or anything to drive it. It would just be that cool thing that I have and drive around every once in a while, much like the motorcycle.

My third choice would be a pick-up. Pick-ups are plain cool. They can haul things (like the ping-pong table that I recently had to get a friend to pick up for me), they can haul around people in the back, and they don't get stuck in the mud, like my current car. A down-side is that there is no trunk. Currently, I have my trunk packed full of junk that I use, though rarely.

Kirkwood

This summer, I am planning on taking a Kirkwood class. Kirkwood is the local community college, and offers a Calculus I class. I want to take this class to get ahead in math. I will be done with Calc I before my classmates even start it. I can then take Calc II and Calc III while they are taking Calc I.

Last week, I had a conference with my counselor. I figured out a few things. I could still take German next year. Also, I know how to enroll in Kirkwood. My counselor wrote me up a letter to Kirkwood, which stated that I could take this Calculus class and get high school credit as well as college credit. Also, I learned that I am not yet a Kirkwood student.

I thought I was a Kirkwood student, because I got a letter in the mail with my log-in number and was told that I was accepted. This, I later found out, actually meant that I was an "applicant". This means that I can apply to one of Kirkwood's colleges. I still couldn't take Calculus, because I wasn't a student of the college of Mathematics.

So to become a Mathematics student, I need to bring in my transcript (which has my ACT and AP scores on it) and the letter from my counselor.

Also, the summer Calc I class starts on May 24th. This is about two weeks before the end of school for me. I will have to miss about 2 hours of school time for two weeks. I would miss half of 0 hour, 1st hour, and half of 2nd hour.

0 hour is US History. For me, it is a pretty easy class. I feel like it wouldn't be too hard to miss a few days. As my counselor said, a bunch of people have missed lots more than two weeks of class. Also, I could go early to get caught up on anything that I miss.

First hour isn't too hard, either. I have band first hour. After today (Large Group Contest), we don't really have anything to do. We had our last concert a week ago, and I guess I don't know what we will do.

Second hour is AP Lang. This is harder. Since it is an AP class, it is a whole lot harder than US History. The days I will miss, however, are after the AP test. After the AP test, we are making video essays. Missing time in this class will make it hard to keep a good grade.

One solution I though of is switching classes around. The problem with this is that AP Lang is only 0 and 2nd hour, and US History with my current teacher is only 0 hour. There is no way I can rearrange my schedule to miss out on less challenging classes.

I went to the attendance facilitator and asked him what I should do. He told me that he would be happy to excuse me from the three classes I need, as long as I can work something out with the teachers who teach the classes I miss.

Finally, there is the option of not taking this class at all. I really don't want to go this route. Not only will I be a half-year (or even a whole year) behind on where I would have been in my classes, I also would have a boring, non-productive summer.

Leaving

Last year, when all the seniors left school, I was happy. Soon, I would be able to leave school myself (for summer break). Also, the lunchroom and hallways would be much less crowded with a fourth of the school's population gone. One I noticed, though, is that I wasn't sad.

Most people were sad when the seniors left. They had friends that they might not ever see again. Also, if they did see them again, it wouldn't be the same. Moving on from high school is a big step, and people were scared (for others and themselves).

But why wasn't I? I didn't have many senior friends. This is a big reason. There wasn't anyone who I would really miss after they were gone. But still, there were some people who I would never get to see again. Shouldn't I have some emotion?

This brings me back to yesterday, when I was working. Elizabeth, one of my co-workers, was quitting her job. She said that yesterday would be her last day working with me. We might not be friends, but we were always friendly to each other. I play volleyball and sometimes scrimmage the 15 year old kids that she coaches, so we always trash-talked each other a lot. Also, when she was in the back at work, I called that we needed cheddar nuggets (one of the better food items we sell). We did not need cheddar nuggets. I ate the cheddar nuggets she gave me. While I don't think this makes us friends, I think I should still miss her a little. But I don't.

But why don't I? Maybe I miss them just as much as anyone else would in my position, but I just don't react to it as strongly. Or maybe I just ignore that they are leaving, without thinking about it. Does my "missing someone" emotion not work as well, or do I just not get as attached to people as others?

1pm

20 April 2010.

I was sitting in band. Mr. Bird was saying the announcements. One announcement was that Aaron (percussion player) should pick people to play for orchestra. Orchestra is a bunch of string players, and the best few trumpets, trombones, tuba, percussion, and some woodwind players. After a few performances, people started disliking orchestra, and now nobody wants to do it. This is why Aaron was told to pick people, instead of just taking the best 4 or 5 players. Immediately after Mr. Bird asked Aaron to do this, I turn around and whisper to Aaron, "can I play?!"


23 April 2010.

First orchestra practice. I played the suspended cymbal. All I had to do was hit the opposite sides and get louder and louder. People kept walking through the band room to get their instruments, and I would flinch every time they opened a door. I was scared that Mr. Bird might see me playing percussion (I am a trumpet player), and make someone else do it, instead.


1 May 2010.

I was working at Parlor City, a local ice cream parlor. Mr. Bird came through the drive-through. This was the second time I saw him. Last time, he saw two of his students (Hailee and me), and asked how many Kenned Band students worked here (at the time it was just us two). Because of that, I told him that another of his students just got hired ten minutes ago (which was very true). He said that that was pretty cool, and then asked me if I was going to be at the orchestra rehearsal tomorrow. I told him that I had practice, but would probably be there. He said cool, and that he would see me there. I guess he's playing the bass guitar like last year.


2 May 2010

Volleyball is at 1. Orchestra is at 1.

AP Tests

Recently I've noticed that there is a big test coming fast. The AP test was scheduled for next week a few months (at least) ago. I never realized just how close they were until a couple days ago. I'm only in one AP class, so I'm not too worried. I heard that the AP Lang test wasn't extremely hard to get a passing grade on, but I'm still a little worried.

This is the kind of thing that I don't like: a huge test that makes or breaks it for the students. I could so all the AP Lang projects and homework and work very hard all year to get all As, but if I don't do well on the test, I don't get the credit.

My solution to this problem is to not take AP classes, or at least not many. Next year I will take from 0-3 AP classes. I may or may not go into any of them.

One is AP German. My plan is to go to Drake, where I don't need any foreign language requirement at all. Why, then would I waste my time with German? Also, getting college credit in foreign language has never been a goal for me. The most language I would ever have to take to graduate any college (that I am considering) is four years of high school. I am only considering AP German at all because it is easier than German 4. The way this works is that there are so few German students that German 4 and AP German is one class. Therefore, the tests are the same. The only difference is that AP German students get a little more homework. But when the AP student gets a B on the test, it counts like an A. When the German 4 student gets a B, it is still a B. Also, all homework in German is completion points, so every assignment that AP students do raise their grades. But German, in any form, is still not needed for me, and a waste of time (in regards to requirements).

The next AP class I am considering taking is AP Economics. I haven't taken the high level AP social studies classes (Human Geography, World History, European History, and US History) since freshman year, when I took Human Geography. I hated it, but hear that it only got worse from there. I am glad that I didn't continue, and am hesitant to get into AP Econ. It is more of a math class (I think), so it should be easier for me than a class like AP Government. A downside is that I would not only have to take 3 terms of AP Econ, but also one term of government. As it is, I am trying to take fewer classes, not more. Also, I can take econ in college faster.

The final AP class I was considering taking, but highly doubt I will pursue, is AP Calculus. Instead of taking this class in 3 terms, I am going to take it over the summer at Kirkwood (only Calc I, not AP Calc). I like this idea because I will be done with the class before my classmates have even started it. Also, I don't have to take an AP Test that makes or breaks me, depending on how well I think in a certain couple hours on a certain day. By taking this summer class, I will be able to take Calc II and Calc III during school. This is why I wanted to take fewer classes: to allow me time to get to Kirkwood and back. By the time I get to college, I will be two classes closer to taking the actuary tests, which will show companies that they should hire me. Also, my field is harder than many, so 2 fewer classes can only help the course-load.

Author Study

I joined forces with John to do our author study. MY plan of not researching worked very well. Not only did I not do any work, but I didn't have to argue with John about who we should pick. It turned out that the guy he found is very, very interesting.

Augusten Burroughs lived a very rough childhood, which became the inspiration for his writing. Almost all of his books are memoirs, so his early life would have had to be very important. His parents were both writers, but split up while Burroughs was just a child. Burrough's parent's psychiatrist adopted and took care of Burroughs. His reflections on life became his main theme, but he didn't present it in a horrible, feeling-sorry-for-himself way. Burroughs makes his literature funny. In one instanse, he tells about how sometimes, though his parents weren't religious, they would use Jesus' full name: Jesus Fucking Christ. That night, he prayed to Jesus Fucking Christ. Things like this made Burroughs considered the 15th out of 25 of the funniest writers on earth.

I was talking to a friend of mine, who knew who Augusten Burroughs was. She said, "Yeah! That's the guy who wrote Running With Scissors!" She told me that it was a really funny book, and movie. Since this is one of Burroughs' most famous books (possibly because it is also a movie), both John and I are going to read it. I will borrow it from this friend, who has and likes it.

Post-Physics Rocks!

If you noticed, I talked about light when I talked about the bell, or pepper of my trumpet. This is because it had nothing to do with sound. The chapter we just went through was sound, but the bell didn't make sound. I looked ahead a chapter and found some details that I could put into my paper. After all, he said that the paper had to explain the physics of the instrument, not the "sound" elements.

Physics Rocks! Paper

Physics Rocks!

For my Physics Rocks! Project, I decided to make a trumpet out of food. There are three parts, including mouthpiece, base, and bell. Holes in the top help to change the notes, but it is a brass instrument, in the sense that the player must buzz their lips like they are playing a brass instrument.

The first part of the trumpet is the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is made of a vegetable that is dense throughout the middle (I couldn’t figure out what the vegetable actually was, but it’s carrot-ish). This makes the place where the player contacts their lips to the instrument more easily carved. I created the mouthpiece by cutting the vegetable at 5.0 cm. I then drilled a hole through it and carved the larger end on the inside to make the hole wider. The mouthpiece is important, because it helps the player create vibrations, or sound. Sound made by the mouthpiece is both crude and high because of the short length and narrow tube. Since the length of the mouthpiece is .05 m, and the speed of sound is 340 m/s in air, the frequency of this sound would be 3400 Hz. Because of the poor quality of sound, more parts are needed on the instrument.

The base of the trumpet is a cucumber. This part lowers the pitch of the instrument greatly, and makes a better, nicer sounding tone. The different sound is created by the greater length and radius of the tube, which creates a lower frequency when played. The length of the cucumber is 21.0 cm, so the frequency alone is 809.5 Hz. However, when connected to the mouthpiece, the length is not the two added together, or 26 cm. The mouthpiece is fitted into the cucumber, so the length of the two combined is 23.3 cm. The frequency of the two together is 729.6 Hz. Also, because of the variation of shape, the instrument’s harmonic series changes. The shape is changed because the hole is larger in the cucumber than the mouthpiece. I did this by using a larger sized drill bit when drilling the hole. To make the holes, I drilled into the cucumber from the side with an even smaller bit, and then cared around them to make it look good.

Finally, the bell of the trumpet is made out of half a pepper. This addition was added for visual appeal. It is seen, because its electromagnetic frequency is between 4.3x10¹⁴ and 7.5x10¹⁴. Also, since it is orange, it has a wavelength of around 590-620nm. There is no difference in the sound my trumpet makes because of this pepper, however, because it does not increase the length of the tube.

When the instrument is played, as it is closest to a brass instrument, more than one pitch can be made with the same fingering. This is because the 3400 Hz measurement is based on if the trumpet was producing a first harmonic sound. A second harmonic would make a higher frequency. In this case, second harmonic would be 6800 Hz. The third, fourth, and more harmonics can also be made; very many notes can be played.

Physics Rocks! Assignment

In my physics class, we have a student teacher. Like some student teachers I have been with, he tried to to-do what he had to. I suppose it is a good thing, but it only makes it hard on students. This is because he makes big projects that have no specific details that are needed in such a project, because he is new at it and hasn't done it before.

For a physics project, he assigned us to make an instrument. Specifications included making a paper, and explaining how it was physics. I had a fun time with that vagueness.

Denver Phanic

Sunday was a nice day. First, we had family at our house. It was good to see them. Also, we got to play a big game of volleyball, which was a blast. Finally, my cousins from Denver came, and we got to show them phanic.

Only six people (aside form my cousins) came to play, so it was a good thing the two of my cousins did come. We played a half-court game. This was because we only had four people, and also because there was a softball game. The softball game was probably not going to interfere with phanic, but playing full-court would have made it possibility of interference greater.

We didn't give my cousins much instruction before we began play. I gave them a quick run-down of some rules on the way over, but nothing about strategy or technique. We just got on the field, picked teams, and played.

I had Mike on my team, and the other team had Matt. I am always surprised by Mike. He got some really good plays in, despite his 5 year age difference from the rest of us.

This should probably be credited to baseball, which both Matt and Mike play.

So now Matt will go back home and start phanic with his friends. Hopefully, he can make a team that it comparable to ours, so that we can maybe have some away games against each other. This will make the game of phanic much more fun and exciting.

Author Study

The search for my author to study is on. The short list contains many contemporary authors, all of which I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to research them, though. I really don't think it would be worth it, for me.

I could find an author that has written many popular essays and books, or even movies. But why would I do this? Because one day, when I see a book of his on a shelf somewhere, I can say, "Hey! I know that guy...?" Firstly, I doubt I'll ever find myself in that particular situation, and even if I do, it won't make a huge impact on my life.

I think I picked my previous author study author in a good way. I said to myself, "Clifford! That's a cool name!" He ended up being one of the boringest authors on the list. He wrote one good essay, and put a bunch of bad essays with that essay into a book. He used a method of writing. I forget the name he called the method, but it is basically the "blabber on as much as you can about what you're trying to say, so that the reader can understand your point of view better" method. This made his essays very, very long, and very, very boring.

The good part about Clifford Geertz was that he wrote about a fun topic. However boring his essay was, I could still say that I did a presentation about cock-fighting. Also, I understood his method well enough to explain it to the class, and that made the presentation work well.

I doubt I could have found out how boring Geertz was, just by researching him quickly, and might have still picked him if I did research. So this author study, I will be picking my author at random, or just joining someone else who picked an author that they seem to like.

Phanic

Tomorrow is the start of this year's Phanic season! I am very excited. I will be buying a cheap, but heavy-duty racket from Walmart today so that can p[lay better, and my cousins are coming over (for Easter), so they can play. Also, my cousins (from Denver, Iowa) are starting a team, but don't know how to play very well yet, so they can learn.

I'll get back to you on how it goes.

Blood

Today I was hanging out with a few friends at Godfathers (the hangout spot) when I told them I had to go. It was 5:45, and I was supposed to pick my dad up from giving blood. It wasn't that he couldn't drive after giving blood, it was just that he had been using a rental car, but returned it just before giving blood.

I got to the church and found the place. It was in a gym/worship center. There were about 15 people in the room. Since my dad had just started not too long ago, I asked if I could give. The lady told me that I could, so I filled out some information.

I had given once before, but this time I had a much better time. The first time I gave was in an RV remolded for blood donation. The nurse told me to go into a tiny room and take a survey. The computer asked me questions very slowly, and then I answered them. Unfortunately, I had to tell them that I didn't have sex with some with HIV, AIDs, gonorrhea, etc. in around 10 questions, and then in 10 more questions had to tell them that I had never been in Africa, in Europe from 1950-1970 (when I wasn't alive), or taken any tattoos. I respect that these questions need to be answered, but by me saying that I have never been out of the country or had sex, I wouldn't have had to answer about 30 questions (in theory). But this time, I just answered those questions on a quick box-checking paper form.

Also, I was in a practically empty gym, not a cramped RV.

One of the best parts was that I knew someone there. Calvin had gotten there just before me. He is a body-building type of guy. He is very fit, so when the nurse told him he might not be able to donate blood, he was very surprised. The bottom number of Calvin's blood pressure was 30. This means, according to a chart I found in many places on the internet, Calvin was in a coma. After taking his blood pressure manually (with the pump), they figured it out.

I got my information approved, and then went to the cool chairs. The nurse was cleaning my arm at the injection site, when I got a phone call. I answered. It was Alex. He asked if I wanted to go play volleyball, but I told him that I better not. Also, it was way too cold for sand volleyball.

During my quick talk with Alex, the nurse must have put the big needle in my arm, because I looked back and sure enough, I was getting blood pumped. The nurse told me to squeeze the ball continually. The way I heard it (both times I gave blood), I was supposed to squeeze as often and as quickly as I could. Apparently this is not what I was supposed to do. As I was squeezing, I would feel a warm sensation in my arm at the injection spot. I thought it was weird, but didn't pay too much attention to it. About a half-minute later, I noticed my arm feeling very warm. I looked, and dark-red liquid was flowing off either side of my arm.

I very calmly said "I'm bleeding." The nurse later informed me that he was thinking "duh, you're donating blood," but then saw what had happened. He covered the injection site with an inch thick of gauze, and then started cleaning my arm and the chair. He then lifted the gauze and noticed that the needle was securely in my vein.

I had been squeezing the ball too much, and I bled too much for the tube to suck. The excess blood seeped out of my arm and onto the chair.

Afterward, I felt fine. I drove my dad to his car, and we went shopping for some things, and then home. Despite this donation, I will continue to donate as much as I can.

My ACT Preparation

Many people believe in different ways to prepare for the ACT. Some say that there is no way, and that any studying you do is insignificant. I personally think that with studying, a higher ACT score can be achieved, but not by much.

For around a year, I have been getting daily SAT prep questions from the College Board website. These are past SAT questions that have been used before. I get an email, and usually ignore it. Every once in a while, though, I click on it to test myself.

Sometimes they are easy, sometimes hard. I click on my favorite answer, and another web page pops up. This tells me if I got the answer right, or wrong. Also, it provides an explanation to the answer. This is where I learn from.

Whether or not these SAT prep questions actually help me with my ACT scores, I don't know, but they can't hurt. Also, I might learn something that I can use in college, like the difference between "affect" and "effect", or "who" and "whom".

I took the ACT just the other day, and am waiting for the results. I have no idea when they will be coming in, but I don't want to know. The less I know, the quicker I will forget, and then the less time I will worry about it. Depending on if I raise my score, I may be taking more steps to raising it than just taking daily questions.

My goal is to get at least 30 total. I suppose it is possible for me to have gotten it the other day, but I'm not sure. I didn't feel great about my reading and writing tests, but I didn't have a great score last time either. My science is where I am worrying about, also. I felt okay about parts of it, but that's all. I got a 28 on that section on my last test, and I don't think I will match that score this time. I felt good about my math, though. I remember one question that I couldn't get for sure on my first test, but on the one last weekend, I only missed questions for stupid mistakes (if I missed any at all). My hope is that my math is higher than last time, and that it will raise my total score.

If I don't get a higher score, I will go to Sylvan. Sylvan is a place where struggling students go to get tutored. I am struggling, but not to get into college. I am just struggling to get a better scholarship. Sylvan also has ACT test prep, which is what I am going to go there for. The Assistant Dean of students at Drake University advised me to do this. He said that it is recommended and actually works.

One factor is cost. Sylvan isn't free, but I think I will benefit from going both financially and brainically. Not only will I be smarter (or at least know more random facts), but I will also get more money from a scholarship when my test score raises. This is because of how Drake's scholarship works. Almost everyone gets a standard scholarship, but the amount they get depends on GPA, ACT, and some other scores.

ACTs (good side)

This morning I took the ACT test. It wasn't a great experience, but I think I did okay.

My strength is math. I truly would not be surprised if I got a 36 on my math portion of the test. I don't feel like I didn't know how to do anything, and the few questions I circled (to come back to) I went back to and re-answered correctly. I doubt I will get a 36, however, because of a not-so-rare occurrence commonly known as a stupid mistake. Aside from that section, I don't feel so good.

Science is my next best section. Basically, all you do is look at tables and answer questions about them. It takes very little actual knowledge of science. Knowing what the prompt is talking about is helpful, though. I remember that every science test I have ever taken has had 4 major parts. Firstly, an easy part. This could be understood by anyone. It's like a graph that says when Sally sells more lemonade, she makes more money. According to diagram 3, how much money will Sally make if she sells 35 glasses of lemonade? Next, there is a biology question. This could be genomes, animals, or plants. This is a little more complicated, because you might actually have to read the experiment to see what the people in the problem are doing. After doing this, though, it is pretty easy to figure out what the questions are asking. The third section is usually chemistry (it's nice, because it goes in the order that I took the classes). These could be mixing chemicals or even viscosity questions. Chemistry may be the only subject that you need to know something about to do well on. Then, the physics questions are also very simple, but sometimes they can trip you up with weird lingo and lots of jargon.

College Applications

A week or so ago, I applied at the local community college, Kirkwood. I am going to take some math classes during high school, and needed to apply to take them.

I went online and filled out a form. It was a very generic type form that anyone can recognize, including name, date, address, SS number, etc. I felt kind of like I was applying for a job somewhere. In no place did I put my current GPA or ACT test scores.

Just a few days ago, I got a letter from Kirkwood admissions. My mom gave it to me, and I decided to go on facebook before opening it, because I figured that doing nothing on facebook would be more exciting than reading a letter that said I was accepted into a college. Eventually, though, I read the letter. I was right in that I got accepted. In the letter, the only important thing that was mentioned was my Kirwood number, which is their version of an identification number.

The next day, my dad came into my room and told me that he heard I got a letter from Kirkwood. He asked what it was about, and I told him that I was accepted. He asked if I had to give my GPA or something, and I told him no, just my name. We had a chuckle out of that.

Hopefully Kirkwood will be a positive experience for me. From visiting and talking with Drake's Dean of students, I learned that getting ahead in math will make my time at Drake very much less packed full, and also that Kirkwood does a good job at teaching. I am thankful for this opportunity, and I look forward to taking Calculus this summer....

Grad parties

Lately, I have been getting a lot of facebook invitations to come to graduation parties. I always write them down in my planner, but don't respond to the invitation. I think that multiple people might ask me to go on the same day at the same time. Also, I think I should assess who I know and how close we are, rather than just the first person to invite me at a certain time.

So far, I have 5 invitations. I don't think this is very much, but I do predict a large increase in invitations. I'm not saying that I know a lot of seniors, and that I'm good friends with them, it's just that the people who sent e invitations aren't all too close. I do think I know a lot more seniors better than the seniors who invited me.

Part of the problem is facebook. Too many people can invite too many other people. One example is that I got an invitation to go to someone's party, lets call him Greg Dimagio. Of course, I knew who he was. Obviously this is true, because he is a friend of mine on facebook. Also, I imagine that he remembers me. This may not be true, however. Greg could have just invited everyone on his friend's list and not looked. Perhaps he only accepted my friend request because he was tired and didn't want to make sure he knew me. I know him because he goes to my church, but not very often at all. I took confirmation with him for one year, but never talked to him much. That was at least 4 years ago. Also, since the little amount of time I talked to him in confirmation, I may never have talked to him. But Greg still invited me to his party.

Other 'friends' who invited me are the girl who trained me at work (I worked with her twice so far), the girl that sits by me in one class (but this might actually be okay, because we have lots of discussion and group work in this class), the one guy who I see in band every once in a while, and the kid I hung out with around 2nd grade.

Now my problem is deciding where to go. I could go to Greg's party, or I could go to the girl at work's party. They are kind of far away, so I wouldn't want to try to go to both. But should I even go to one? They invited me, but it might have been on accident. But perhaps it wasn't an accident. Also, who doesn't want tons of guests at their graduation parties? Even if they don't remember my name, at least I showed up to support them. And still the question remains, whose party should I go to? I've known Greg for years, kind of. But I will continue to see the girl at work in the future, whereas I may not see Greg.

I have come up with an answer to my question. It is simple. I will not decide, not yet at least. Perhaps someone that I am good friends with will invite me to their party at the same time as these two, then I would be forced to ditch both of these people who I barely know. Also, if I respond that I will be attending Greg or the girl's part, I will feel more obligated to go to their party, instead of my true friend's.

I will stick with this answer until around May 1st, when the graduates need more help on the numbers of who is going to attend. Also, all invitations should be given by then. Hopefully this will be a good, but unfortunately not final, solution to my problem.

My GOOD job search

So far, I have worked at some very odd jobs.

My first job was before I was 16, which means it was kind of a joke. I worked as an umpire for little league baseball and softball. It was kind of ironic, because at the time, I played as part of that league. Of course, I never umpired games of my own age group. But what makes this job a joke is that I only umpired around 2 games a week. This means I get paid around $20 per week. Back then, I guess it was okay, though. The weird part about this job was that I was an official, and controlled games, and I was only 15 years old.

I got my second job on the first day of school this school year. I had applied at Randy Kuehl Honda a few weeks earlier. I got called, and immediately went to an interview (not dressed up at all!), and started working that day as a detailer (car washer). This was a weird job because aside from me (16 years old at this point), the youngest person was at least 20 years old. Also, I got to drive expensive, new cars around the lot and into my own personal garage. In this garage, I could listen to any kind of music and any volume I wanted. I got kind of lonely, alone in my garage and temporarily with some old salesmen, but I did like that job.

After the cash for clunkers program and my job ended, I had no job, again. I found another place to go, however. My brother had worked for a call center a few years back. After a few days of searching for it, I finally found it. It wasn't very impressive, but I figured that I could make some money while I was there. Also, they had VERY flexible hours. I needed those flexible hours, because I could only work three days a week, and only after jazz band for a couple hours. I didn't put in much time, but I didn't want to. This job was very boring. All I did was read the same script over and over again. Occasionally, I would come into work and the script would be partially changed. Also, I never really talked to anyone. I'm not saying there weren't nice people. One guy talked to me some. On my first day, he was telling me how this job wasn't that bad: one time he'd gotten cussed out by a french man, and that was hilarious. I disagreed with him. All I got out of that job was a bunch of large headaches and eight dollars an hour (not worth it).

Finally, I got a good job. It, like all the rest of the jobs I have had, makes me work with people who aren't my age, or in this case, gender. I am the only guy (during the school year, at least) that is working at the ice cream parlor, Parlor City. This is my favorite job so far. I am not the only person my age who is working there. Also, I get to work more hours. This last part is partially because I chose to not participate in tennis, so that I could work more. It's nice, though. I'm not constantly talking to customers, like the call center. Also, I get to talk to people, unlike Honda. I can't say I like going to work, but I sure don't dread it.

After three unsuccessful job attempts, I finally found a job that I like and allows me to work a lot. Though I am the only guy, I feel like this job will be more fun and manageable than any I have been to so far.

My opinion on an issue

I was talking to a friend a long time ago, and he started talking about getting made fun of (I don't know what led up this conversation, but I wish I did!), and afterward, I thought about it, and I realized that I totally disagree with him in every way. This is a message I sent to him.

You know how you said that if someone makes fun of you for something you can change, it doesn't hurt (because it isn't permanent), but if they make fun of you for something you can't change, it hurts (because you can't change it, no matter what you do)?

I disagree:
If someone makes fun of me for being a Fatty McFatasaur, I know that I could change that by exercising and eating better. It is my fault that I'm fat (to an extent). If someone makes fun of me for my big head (in the most literal sense), it is not my fault and I can't do anything to change it, so I don't take offense to it.

Ultimate Club

There are two groups of kids that go to Kennedy that play ultimate. One is the group I play with. We aren't very good, but we still have a lot of fun. Certain people who are very into it have insisted that the sport is no-contact, so we play close to that.

The other group actually has a club formed at Kennedy. They are the ultimate club. they sometimes play a little rougher, which I think I would rather prefer, but since I don't know many of them, I stay with my own group.

Today, the group I play with and I were playing at the Kennedy soccer field, when ultimate club came to play. There were only around 6 of them and about 10 of us, so we couldn't play a game against them, so we integrated and played a very large game.

It was very interesting, playing with people I didn't know. I had to quick figure out who could throw, catch, run, etc. Also, the captains, who picked the teams, weren't well informed on who the best players were. This made the teams come out uneven.

Of course, I was on the team that wasn't as good (as I always seem to be). I figured out a way to compete, however. I did the same thing as I did when I was playing on a team of 3 against a team of 5 (and all of the other team was better than most of our team). What I did was catch the disc after the kickoff, and then hold it until my teammates were in the end zone. I then threw the disc as far as I could, and my teammates usually would catch it for the point.

Playing with new people was very fun, I plan on doing it again soon.

Running, Online?

My goal is to run five times a week routinely, so that I improve my strength and endurance. In my search for ways to keep the habit and improve, I found online running logs. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I decided to check one out anyway.

I went to LogYourRun.com. I made an account, and found out that I can log other things than just running. These include swimming, biking, weightlifting, and many more options (even things like skiing and rowing). I logged some things I did this week, including the two times I ran and the four times I lifted weights. There is an option that asks how much I weigh and what my body fat percent is. I don't know what or how to find my body fat percent, but there is a link that will help me figure that out.

After entering my information, I found a few more options. There are pages that show you what you've done over your past week, month, or year. You can also look at graphs that show your speed, distance, weight, or BMI.

But even then I was a tad bit skeptical. I suppose I could see how much I've improved on paper (kind of), but that doesn't make me improve any better or faster. But then I discovered something else. There was a tab that said "Training". I had to click it. It went to a page that explains about goals and stuff, and then gives you an option of what you want to train for. In most cases, the goal is a certain race, at a certain time, and at a certain length. I don't have a race, however, so I clicked "beginning to run".

This one click brought me to around 20 links to training routines. Some focus on basics, some on weight loss, and some were "#"-week plans. I choose "Cool Running's Couch to 5k". Beside it said "2m", meaning two months, I think.

This led me to a calendar. It didn't seem threatening at all. It showed me that if I run about 3 times a week, I could be running 3 miles at a time in 9 weeks. It started out with weird letters and symbols that I had to try to figure out ("60sR/90sW"). It probably looks very obvious to you, but it confused me for about a minute. It means run for a minute, then walk for a minute and a half. After this, repeat for twenty minutes.

The calendar goes from running and walking to jogging and walking. In week 6, I will be doing "j5m/w3m/j8m/w3m/j3m" (j=jog, w=walk, m=minutes). It seems like it should be easy enough, but then in week 7 I am all of a sudden running 2.5 miles. I guess I would've preferred if I could stay on my walk/jog method, but then I looked at the times I was jogging. In week 6, I have to jog 8 minutes straight, and that is only a segment of the day's workout. I could run a mile in 8 minutes, I think. So then I realized that the schedule made lots of sense, and that it would probably work.

Now I think is an appropriate time for an official goal-statement.

By following this schedule strictly, by my birthday (May17th), I will be running at least three miles daily.

Running

I am planning on starting to run in the near future. I want to be better at running for a few reasons. My main reason is Phanic. Also, I plan to play a lot of ultimate (frisbee) and tennis.

Phanic is a lot like soccer. This is because the soccer field is used, soccer nets are used, but most importantly: there is a lot of running. On offense, I always have to run around to keep the ball. Also, running is important to get open, so that someone on my team can pass is to me. On defense, I have to chase the person with the ball. Also, if they pass it, I may have to run to guard them. Running is necessary for almost every aspect of phanic, and if I get good at it, I can increase my performance potential.

Ultimate also involves a lot of running. Often, we play on large fields, such as the soccer field. The biggest obstacle with this game is getting open. Since there is no moving with the frisbee, all plays are passing plays. Because of this, peolpe guard receivers (everyone on offense). Also, a strategy I use often is putting people in the endzone and throwing as hard as I can. If I was one of those designated people that was supposed to run to the endzone, the quicker I get there, the better.

Tennis is an obvious reason to need to run well. People who play tennis run all over their side of the court, and quickly too.

Running better is very important to me. I plan to take part in many activities that involve running, so I plan to run every morning before school. Only then, will I get better at phanic/tennis/ultimate.

Bananas

After working out in the mornings, I always eat a large breakfast. This breakfast includes a protein shake, two bananas, and two peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I drink the protein shake immediately after my workout, the bananas after I shower, and the sandwiches during classes. The bananas are important because they give energy throughout the whole day.

Bananas come in many shapes and colors. Colors when ripe include yellow, red, and purple. Plantains are a firmer, larger variety of bananas and are often eaten after being cooked. Bananas are grown in banana plants, but are often mistaken for banana trees because of their size and stature.

Bananas have many health benefits. They help to prevent many types of cancers, and can also help to treat kidney stones and high blood pressure. What I am looking for, however, is that there is a lot of vitamin B, vitamin C, and potassium. This means that they give athletes electrolytes quickly.

This healthy addition to my breakfast is also very tasty. Sometimes, I eat it with a Hershey's bar. Banana and chocolate go together very well, whether it is in smoothie form, or just eating the bar with the banana. Also, I sometimes add banana slices to my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The jelly-banana mixture isn't great, but the overall taste is pretty good. Most of the time, I just eat the bananas plain. I like the taste of bananas, and haven't gotten tired of it after a few weeks of the diet.

The taste, the health factor, and the exoticness all contribute to make the banana a great breakfast.

Ultimate

This weekend would have been boring if not for a certain sport: Ultimate. I played ultimate three times during the weekend, and had loads of fun. I also got to be with friends, and even meet some new people. Ultimate is a great way to enjoy being with friends, making friends, and exercising.

Firstly, I want to clarify as to what ultimate is. The name came from "ultimate frisbee", but as my spell check just informed me, frisbee is not a word. Frisbee is a brand name, but since it was so monopolizing over the disc industry, people started calling the discs frisbees. Another example of this is when I go and blow my nose in a "kleenex".

Playing ultimate is great exercise. This is because there is so much running. Most people, when describing ultimate to newcomers, explain that it is like football, but there is only one down. Also, whenever a pass is complete, the team gets a new first down, even if the pass is backwards. But since the person with the disc cannot run (also a rule), everyone else has to run to try to get open.

I met at least ten people when playing ultimate in one game. Many were college students, so I didn't know most of them. When playing a game like ultimate, people learn each others names quickly, because it is hard to get the attention of the person with the disc if you don't know their name.

Also, ultimate is fun. Exhilarating passes and touchdowns and throws make the game exciting for everyone. Ultimate is a great way to spend time with friends.

Ultimate is a great sport that should be played by more people. Since it is fun, people will love to play it. Meeting new people, having fun with friends, and getting exercise are just good side effects of playing ultimate.

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith is a fat man (he admitted to it, many times) and director. He was kicked off of a plane for being too fat, and feels like he shouldn't have. Also, since he has an ongoing podcast site of his own, he was able to make a podcast, in which he explained what happened once and for all. This story is a potential story for my revised essay, and since it is as thourough as it is, I believe that I will use it often nd it will be effective.

It all started when I was reserching. I was looking for multiple examples of people getting kicked off of planes. When I found the one about Kevin Smith, the kid sitting next to me notified me of then "smodcasts" that Kevin Smith makes, and showed me the one about the incident. Later that night, I listened to it. I was not ready for an hour and a half podscast, but it was very informative. I learned what happened in detail, why Kevin is angry about it, and what he thinks should be done.

Mr. Smith says that anyone his size or larger should boycott Southwest Airlines. These airlines, in particular, are reletively cheap and build for saving money and space. Mr. smith claims that making seats for skinny people is unamerican, because the average size of a person is increasing.

I thought of maybe taking a stand close to where Kevin Smith did, but that would be rather hard. I thought of this because I have seen three incidents where Southwest Airlines have kicked people off of planes for possibly bad reasons. This, however, doesn't prove that they are more prone to kicking people off in general, or just that they get media about it. Also I couldn't argue the same argument that Mr. Smith is exactly, that fat people shouldn't ride Southwest Airlines, because I am not fat, and it would be degrading, whereas for Kevin Smith to do it wouldn't be.

I will contionue to pursue the topic about where airline companies should be qualified to kick people off of planes. Also I will try to explore how I could qualify this. By using Kevin Smith's podcast, I can add specific information about specific incidents, and make the paper seem much more real-life.

Revised Essay

I have decided that I will be switching my topic from criminal profiling (with a focus on statistics and the actuarial approach), to the rights airlines have to refuse people to fly. This topic was brought to my attention through a radio broadcast, where a talk show host claimed that someone had gotten kicked off of a plane because he smelled badly. So far, research for this topic has been very successful, and I imagine that it will be a good topic to switch to.

I started my reserach by googling "getting kicked off of a plane". My first few results were almost exactly what I was looking for. The first was a video clip and article about a Kyla Ebberts, who was asked to leave a plane because she was wearing too skimpy clothing. She then negotiated with the man to let her remain on the plane if she covered herself with a blanket and pulled her sweater together.

This article was exactly what I was looking for. A young woman, who wasn't a terrorist threat, was asked to leave a plane for a very minuscule problem. Also, after watching more of the video, I found out that there is no dress code for the airport Miss Ebberts was at. The problem in the case of this story wasn't that the woman couldn't ride the plane, but that she was embarrassed.

I then found another story about a Muslim family. They had been talking about which section of the plane would be the safest (by the wing, the front, or the rear), and someone must have reported their "dangerous" conversation. This article was not what I was looking for, however, because this family, though obviously innocent, were taken off the plane because of a potential terrorist threat.

The third article I found was a good one. A mother and her autistic son were kicked off of a plane because she couldn't make her boy keep quiet. Also the boy kept trying to crawl out of his seat belt. When the stewardess came to try to get the boy under control, she made him more upset. The mother claimed that she had brought games and toys for the boy, to settle him down, but the stewardess refused to let her use them. Since they had no under the seat storage (because they were in the first row), they were required to put the toys in the overhead compartment, where they couldn't get to them.

I think that this article could be used in my essay, because it addresses an issue that is partially the fault of the airline. Also, at the very end of the article, the woman says that she will never ride on those specific airlines again. I could use this as an argument for airlines being able to do whatever they want.

I plan on taking the side that the airlines should be able to kick people off of planes whenever they want. The way I see it, is that if the airlines kick people off frequently, people will stop going to those airports and they will go out of business or have to down-size. Also, by taking out people who are disturbing others, most of the population will have a much better experience.

Men's volleyball

Today, like all Sundays, I played volleyball. We had 6 guys show up (and 2 coaches). First we played 3 versus 3. We also rotated every time the ball got hit over the net. Doing this made every keep on their toes, and be able to play all the positions in a short amount of time. Also, since we had only 3 people per side, it was very hard to receive balls. After about a half hour of this, we got going on a real game.

We were playing on the other side of the curtain as some girls. They were in 8th grade, but had played for much longer than any of us. Also, they had a very strict coach. It was funny when we got a point, and they walked back to their positions with their heads hanging down. Their coach yelled at them, saying that they have to keep happy and energetic and awake. Meanwhile, the guys were joking around clicking our heels like the old men on movies did.

The girls were pretty good, but you could tell that they weren't worried about volleyball skill for a lot of the practice. This is because after every play, they would yell 1-2-3 and clap. Also, when they got an ace, they had a little cheer/chant that they did. It is obvious that the coaches had them do this to keep their spirits up, no matter how the game was going. I noticed that it is a lot like what the softball players in little league do.

Because the girls were doing this odd thing that we had never seen, we were all taken aback. After a few points, we started to do our own thing. When we got a point because of a spike, we would jump up and click our heels. When we got a point because of an error the other team made, we would do a fist pump. Finally, when we lost a point, we would hang our heads down dramatically (opposite of what the girls were supposed to be doing). Needless to say, we had a good time.

Another funny thing that we did was stall the game. Our coach's son, who plays with me, had the serve. His mom blew the whistle, and he started doing tricks with the volleyball (like spinning it around his body). She started counting down, because there is a time limit (though not strictly enforced). He stalled for as long as he could, until he had to serve. When he hit the ball, he hit with only his finger tips, which made him miss horribly. Nobody said much except me, who laughed, clapped, and gave him a high five.

We won our first game, to 25 by a wide margin. This gave the girls time to adjust to the sky-high net. The second game went down to the last points. They were ahead 14-13, and we were playing to 15. A few bad bumps quickly gave them a win.

Calcium

Calcium. Good, right? Most vitamins have no significant downside, or if they do they must be taken in very large amounts (I have heard of the deterioration of skin, but maybe that is completely crazy). Unfortunately for me, I had a bad experience with calcium.

My dad and I (who share most of the same moles... weird right?) both had an annoying mole, and though it wasn't horribly huge or gross, he decided that we could get them taken off.

We went to a skin doctor, who my dad liked (I'm not sure why he went there in the first place, but I'm not sure I want to question). The old guy was very nice and funny, and also painted the pictures that hung around the office.

After getting our moles taken off, which was a very easy and quick procedure, I asked about a lump that I had on my shoulder. I didn't remember it always being there, but I supposed that it could have been. Also, I explained how it felt like there was a little black (I could barely see it) hard pebble in my skin. I could squeeze it around a little, but it would start to hurt, so I would discontinue.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he said that he would take it out. After taking it out, and coming back for a return visit, he told me that it was a deposit of calcium. He said that it wasn't a problem to worry about, and left it as is.

Taking it out wasn't hard at all. I laid onto a medical bed thing (?) and he got to work. First, he gave me some shots around the calcium, which numbed the area. He then took a knife and cut into my skin around the calcium. I remember because I was watching, as my blood tickled my arm. Of course, the numbing worked very effectively. He then burnt my blood vessels, which stopped the blood from flowing. When the blood stopped (mostly), he stitched up my shoulder.

I didn't get much of a reaction, considering it was on my shoulder and not very visible. Some people did make comments, though. My brother said it looked like I got shot (but really, how would he know that?). But what he said made some sense. The bullet would go in, get pulled out, then stitched up. That is kind of like the calcium thing, right?

Now, I have a scar. It is probably only a centimeter by 3 centimeters. It is a light shade of pink and slightly bulges out (but not very noticeably). It is certainly nothing to brag about, but it may be a topic of attention. Of course, it would only get brought up if I was somewhere like a pool, and the people I were with got VERY bored.

Mysterious body parts

I was sick for three days in a row this week. During that time, or at least I think it was, I noticed a few things on my lower back. I didn't know what to call them, and I still don't, but I guess they might be considered bulges. But they weren't a goiter or tumor or anything, because I've seen them before. They are the two bumps that are directly above the buttocks (did that sound formal/doctoral or what?). I didn't know what they were, so I felt them. They felt kind of like muscle, I thought. This presented another question: How do I flex them? It must be true that all skeletal muscles can be flexed, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. After perhaps five minutes of bending my back and kicking my legs, I figured it out. They are above the butt because they are (kinda sorta) part of the butt.

This changed my view of this muscle, seeing that we guys are showing our butt to everyone at the swimming pool or beach. It wasn't a big problem to me; I didn't quite care, but it is still interesting. I wondered what other muscles could be extending further than I had thought. But then I threw up, and the moment was gone.

Scholarships

I wrote a brief autobiography for a potential scholarship. This is my first one, and I made it in maybe ten minutes while sick, but I think it turned out okay.

I wrote about my participation in German club, band, bowling, baseball, and volleyball. I also provided my ACT and GPA scores. By providing this information, I came up with the thesis that I would be a good college student.

I got an account for a few sites that help students in getting scholarships. They provide advice, links, and many scholarship opportunities. One that I went to even has its own scholarship.

Some scholarships given have very odd requirements. I've seen ones given only to openly gay or lesbian college hopefuls, Czech or Slovak ancestry, and even students who survived cancer (I think that is what it was, but it doesn't sound very practical).

Being an average health, Caucasian male doesn't help me any with scholarship opportunities. There are no scholarships that exclude a majority of people applying, but include me. Also, The scholarships that I can apply for are the ones that focus on academics. I have an okay GPA, and a pretty good ACT score, but they aren't anything substantially good.

I have a feeling that I will be getting a lot of student loans, and have to pay them off for a long time. I don't know how much money my parents are going to help me out with. It's true that my brother didn't go to college, but he got lots of other things like counseling that costs a lot. Also, it is hard for me to judge how much money my parents have. We have a pretty nice house (but not a huge, 3-story mansion), but my mom still insists on getting the cheap Hy-Vee brand cereal that tastes considerably worse, and the toilet paper that is much coarser than the soft stuff that costs ten cents more. On the other hand, the two big screen TVs (one never gets used) and recent remodeling of the whole upstairs says otherwise.

However long it takes, scholarships can always help. Also, the more I apply, the more I will get. Writing a good essay about myself is going to be my next step in trying to get scholarships. It is nice that they want only 300ish word essays, rather than 900-1200 (which is way too high, even for revised essays >:-(), so it shouldn't be too hard. Also I will need to find people who could write letters of recommendation.

Creatine

On Tuesday, I went to Walmart. I was just shopping with my dad, but I remembered that I was running low on my protein mix, so we went to the pharmacy section. Beside the protein mix was creatine. It was in a tub very similar to the protein that I have. My dad told me that he thought it was proven bad for you, but there it was on the shelf, so it must pass certain standards somewhere.

I bought it. It was fruit punch flavored, so I decided to mix it with water, not milk. I started drinking it on my way to school, so that I would have extra energy during my workout. It tasted like bubblegum, not fruit punch. Maybe I didn't use enough of it for the amount of water I put in. I drank it all, and then went to the weight room.

I started with hang cleans. This is where I have weight about equal to my own weight on a bar, and I hold the bar while standing. I then bend down a little, and then push up with my legs, and then my arms, and catch the bar at my chest. I decided to put on a little more weight than normal, but not too much that I wouldn't be able to lift it. I then bent a little, and pulled up as hard as I could. It moved, but not nearly far enough. I regained my poise, and tried again. I couldn't get it close to high enough.

I decided that I just had to warm up. After all, I don't usually start with that much weight. I took off 50 lbs (It had been 185, and I weight 150). I knew that I could easily do this amount. I had once lifted 135 for 12 reps. I got ready, and lifted. The only problem was that the bar wouldn't go high enough for me to catch it. I decided that today wasn't my day, and quit. I then did hand curls on the machine that has been used only rarely as a joke.

I wondered why I couldn't lift that day. Maybe I slept funny, or I had worked too much the previous day. It took my possibly 10 minutes to figure remember that I had drank creatine that morning. I found the culprit.

But Since, I have though differently. The next day, I tried again and failed to do hang cleans. Bench press, on the other hand, was perfectly easy. I also noticed while attempting hang cleans that my back hurt a little. It wasn't very painful, but it definitely hurt the amount of weight I could pull up. I figured that my back was the problem, so the creatine must be fine.

Tomorrow, I will drink creatine, and then a protein shake afterward. Hopefully it helps.

1984

My dad bought 1984 in 1983, to read the future. He figured that it was a good idea, as did most other people, he says. Unfortunately, it isn't that kind of book. I've been reading it for the past few weeks before going to bed. It is a great book so far, and I can't wait to go read some more.

I was talking to my dad about it today, and he said that parts of it seemed very realistic to him. He remembers people talking about how the world had enough nuclear bombs to blow up the world a thousand times over. This was the case in 1984, also.

1984 also brings up new ways of thinking that I have never thought about. One example is that the middle class and high class are always fighting to be the high class, and always switch positions, and always leave the lower class where they are. The way it is explained makes sense, and seems to be correct. I'm not sure yet whether it is true, but it is certainly and idea.

Today I was reading at school in the time in between jazz bands (I was working the microphone volumes), when my band teacher said that I was relieved of my duties. He then asked how Winston was doing. I told him that he was doing just fine. It is fun to read books that other people know and have read. I'm not used to this, but I think I might try to start doing that. It allows me to be able to talk about the books and make references.

This book also makes me think about my life. The restrictive government shown in the book is similar in many ways, it seems, to the rules of society. Many rules and regulations in the book seem to be also implied or said in my life. Of course, the book shows a much more dramatic and dangerous atmosphere, but the concept is the same.

I think I will give this book to a friend of mine, who is grounded very severely. This will let me be able to talk to someone about it, and also help my friend pass time. I think that the ideas of breaking rules and rebelling is potentially harmful, especially in my friend's situation, but 1984 is a good book and I don't feel bad for lending it.

Jazz Band Embarassment

So, as I said in my previous blog, I got called during bowling practice. It was a kid from jazz band at school. he said that I was already 15 minutes late for a recording session. Of course, I had forgotten about it. I don't know how everyone else remembered it, though. It was a 2 hour delay that day, and the previo0us day had been a snow day, so we hadn't been reminded for over 3 days. But I told the kid that called me that I couldn't come, because my car wouldn't start (which was true!). So, he came and picked me up. This is what shocked me. I play fourth trumpet, which I know is kind of important, but to stall the whole jazz band for 45 minutes seems a little much. But I got back, and made sure that I looked like I felt bad, by not looking at anyone as I walked across the room to get my instrument. The point of that was to make it look like I already felt bad, so Mr. Bird wouldn't have a talk with me afterward, which actually worked! Anyways, as I walked into the room, not only was the whole jazz band waiting for me, but there was also a professional trombone player. He had practiced with us once, to get ready for today. Then I looked around, and there were 4-5 people waiting to record out piece. Also, there were sound dampening boards all over the place (in strategic places, like behind the piano and bass drum). This made me feel much worse. But I did play well.

This experience made me aware of the importance that I can be, and also the responsibility I need to gain (with great power, comes great responsibility -Spiderman's uncle, I think).

Bowling

Every Saturday I bowl. I bowl for a league, which means my games are relatively cheap (7 dollars per series(3 games per series)). Also, I am in a team within the league. We play other teams like ourselves ranging from 3-4 bowlers. There is no requirement for being there every Saturday, so you don't have to pay if you don't go. My team consists of my ex-girlfriend (she was my girlfriend when we signed up, but then things happened and we're cool now), and another girl from the school bowling team. We used to have 4 bowlers, but the 4th bowler never showed, so we took her off the team (she bowled for the school team too). Recently, I got a new ball. It is heavier than my other ball (by 2 lbs, it's a 14 and the old one was 12). It is also a better materiel for grabbing the lane, which makes it hook more.

Two days ago, I bowled for school. It was a practice, so we got 3 games. Unfortunately, I got called during my second game and had to leave (also got in big trouble with jazz band, but that's a story for later). My first game, however, I did great. I got my all-time high score, which is now 197. I must have been lucky, I told people, because it was the first time using that ball on the lanes we were at, and only the second time ever.

Today, during league, I didn't get as lucky as I had before. I got around 150 each of my 3 games. I'm still getting used to my ball, though. If I start doing good enough, I might look into getting some scholarships, however small, to a college for bowling. Since I plan on possibly going to a state school, chances are that they will have bowling teams, and possibly even scholorships, so I figure that my chances are above average.

Football

I've been to many football games before. I've been to games with little kids, high school games, and college games (all divisions). Yesterday, I went to my first NFL game.

I saw the Vikings play the Cowboys in Minneapolis. The dome reminded me of the Unidome, where I've seen UNI play many times before. The Vikings game (opposed to the cowboys game, as my dad called it) was very loud. It wasn't until the game started, when I realized this. Not only was it a full stadium, but it was also a dome. This provided for a very loud game. I even saw a few people with earplugs.

An unfortunately common thing about games is that food is expensive. At the Vikings game, I bought a hotdog for 6 dollars. At the Megadome (I made that name up, I don't know the actual name), they must have some pride, because their hotdogs were not like other games' hotdogs. Not only were they bigger (both the dog and the bun), but they loaded them up. It felt like I was in a Subway, where I choose all the toppings to put on my sub. I loaded mine up with about half of the things available. These included baked beans, some type of peppers, tomatoes, a special kind of relish, and surely a few other additives. I will say that it was not a completely good mix. The spicy peppers, for instance, did not mix well with the baked beans.

Another experience that happens perhaps in only professional games was fireworks. During the Star-Spangled Banner, red rocket fireworks glared, and the bomb fireworks burst in the air. Also, at every Viking touchdown (I don't know if they would have done it for the Cowboys, because they never got a touchdown), fireworks leaped outwards from the goal posts.

At a high-school football game, you can expect the team to run through a big piece of decorated paper. This often gets a lot of applause. The Vikings did something much grander than that, though. Unfortunately, everyone saw it coming, because a huge viking boat had to be blown up before hand. It was like a tunnel, where the players would run through. In the tunnel entrance, from my point of view, I could see that there was a wheel, most likely of a motorcycle. I figured that maybe the wheel would help in the movement of the boat. That, or what actually happened, which was that the Viking mascot on the motorcycle, along with a few others very similar to him, burnt rubber on the field coming from inside the boat. Immediately following the mascots, the team rushed onto the field. This was the first time that the crowd got loud.

During warm ups, I got to see a very famous man. Brett Favre was warming up in the middle of the field, like he was in charge (though he kind of was, being a quarterback). His big number four on his chest revealed to me the man that was on the radio so much the previous summer. I remember my drivers education teacher ranting about him in the car while I was driving. This man, who anyone could talk about knowledgeably, was in real life right in front of my eyes. He then went to play a great game. It made me realize how real these football players actually are.

Another realization was when a man was yelling at the Vikings team(of course, I heard about this after the game). He was complaining that they were running up the score. Jared Allen, who played for the Vikings, was about to go over and make him stop complaining, but contained himself and simply laughed at the Cowboys fan.

Hair dye

I was bored one day in creative writing, because I had my homework already done. I decided to look up how to make the perfect koolaid drink, because I made one this morning that was absolutely horrible. I found out that there is no perfect amount of sugar. Some people like tart juice, and some people like sweet juice. I think I like the sweet stuff (more sugar than normal), and I used no sugar at all, so it was very, very tart.

I then found a tab on the side of the screen that had related articles. One was "how to dye your hair with koolaid". I had heard of doing this, but like most things I've heard of, I didn't know how to do it, so I clicked the link. If I was to try dying my hair with koolaid, I would make koolaid like I was making juice to drink, and then dunk my head in the juice. That is not the way to do it. If I had done that, it would have been a very sticky situation! You have to mix koolaid mix with hair conditioner. After mixing it well, you put it in your hair for a long time. The longer you have it in for, the more your hair is colored.

Later that day, I tried this. I went to a pizza joint with a friend (that's our hangout spot), and got out the mix and conditioner. I used the lid of the mix as a bowl, and a spoon I found at the store. After mixing for a few minutes, I decided that it was ready. I went to the bathroom, and put the stuff in my hair. 16 hours later, it was dry, hard, and it hurt. I decided that if 16 hours didn't do anything, nothing would. So I rinsed it out. As far as I can tell, there was no change at all.

I suppose I should have bleached my hair first, like the "how to" told me to....

Bowling

Every Saturday morning at nine o' clock (and yes, that is very early sometimes), I go to my local bowling alley and bowl in a league. I get to bowl 3 games (or 1 series) for seven dollars. I feel like it has helped me greatly.

Today, I went and bowled fairly good, to not so good. I got a first game of 170 (20 above my average), and then I went downhill with a 130 and 100. The reason this happened was because I stopped focusing, I think. After the games, my dad took me out to a pro shop that sells bowling related gear.

We were looking for a ball. The ball I had was 12 pounds. It was also plastic. My brother used to use it, and then it got handed down to me. Since he was left handed, I had to get it re-drilled, but it still wasn't a great ball. I did put spin on the ball, but the amount of spin was very low. Also, because it was light, it didn't get as much 'pin action'.

The owner of this shop showed me the balls he recommended. They were not plastic, but were also not too expensive (for a bowling ball). The cheapest was 100 dollars, but the 120 dollar ball was a bit better than the 100. I was deciding between the two, when he told me to follow him across the shop. He pulled out a used ball. He said it had belonged to a guy who tries new balls about every month or so. Since the guy didn't like the ball very much, or he had another ball that acted very similar to it, he returned it. Also, he said to give it to a student. I was that lucky student!

It was a nice, 230 dollar ball. it was used, but the previous owner was left handed, so the area that it would spin for him would be different for that of me. It was basically a new 230 dollar ball, except I could get it for the same price as the balls I had been looking at previously. Both my dad and I thought it was a great offer, and so we decided to get it. We also got rubber inserts glued into the holes. The owner said that that is what my coach would want, and also it would be free, since I am a student bowler.

Tonight, I am going to test my new ball out. Since it is heavier, I will have to learn to throw a bit differently. Also, about 2 weeks ago I got new bowling shoes for Christmas. I have been practicing with them, but I am still getting used to them. Additionally, I have never used the rubber inserts that I have in my new ball. Finally, the distance between my thumb hole and other finger holes is greater than that of my old ball, so I will have to deal with that. Hopefully it works out good!

Roller Skating

I haven't roller skated in many, many years. The last time would have to be at the super skate, where I went with my elementary school friends. I never got any roller blades. If I had them, I might have experimented with these shoes that were so much cooler than their counterparts: skates.

On Sundays, I used to play phanic at school. I rememeber always seeing a man rollerblading in the south lot parking lot. It's kind of cool that he doesn something that nobosy else does, because we were playing a game that nobody else was. But we saw him every Sunday, and he was probably out on other days of the week too. This makes me wonder what I'll do when I get older to stay fit.

My dad runs. He was a big runner in high school, and kept with it in the army. After maybe 10 years of running, he kept with it.

I hate running. I played baseball last year, and we ran a lot. I was unlucky enough to get shin splints. This caused me to run without putting pressure on my shins, which is kind of hard. The shin splints went away by the end of the season, but I didn't like running any more.

Since baseball, though I haven't been running, I have been waking up early and working out before school. This keeps me in shape, but only to an extent. When researching about my topic for my revised essay, I found out that there are three types of exercise. Strength, aerobics, and flexibility. I have worked on strength, but not the other two. This was evident when I played basketball with a few friends a couple weeks back. I was having more trouble running up and down the court than the others who haven't been exercising at all.

I plan on working on my aerobic self. That means I should start running. This is handy, because I got running shoes for Christmas this year. When it warms up, I will start running around the track, or on the sidewalks before working out, or after working out. This will help my playing phanic, because there is a lot of running involved. Also, I could be like my dad and continue running to stay healthy.

Volleyball

So today, at 3, I am going to be playing men's volleyball at school. It is a new sport, as far as I can see. I think that it will be enough of a sport, rather than a group, so I will be able to get gym credit with it. I'm not sure whether or not I'll continue with it, because I was planning on working and playing tennis in the spring. I know I won't be playing both sports, because I want some time to work.

Playing volleyball just sounds fun. I remember in middle school we played it during gym. I think I was pretty good, but that was a long time ago. Also, I got a couple friends to come play with me.

I don't know how everyone thinks of guys playing volleyball, though. It's kind of girlish. I remember in 6th grade, I was going to sign up for volleyball inter-murals. I was the only guy, though, and I remember my L.A. teacher giving me the sign up sheet and announcing it to the class. She was just trying to embarrass me, and I dealt with it well, I think, but a bunch of people were supportive of it. Also, I don't feel embarrassed to do things a little out of the ordinary. Just the other day, I wore PJs to school. My reasoning was that I forgot to change my pants in the morning. Also, I wear a friendship bracelet that my friend and I made when we were bored in German class. I've had that on for about two months now.

Needless to say, I'm not embarrassed to play volleyball. I think it would be interesting, when most guys play football or soccer, and I played volleyball. Also, I have been working out in an attempt to stay in shape, so I don't have to worry about starting a workout schedule.

Telemarketing

In October, or November, I got a job at ROSS Marketing. My job was to sit in an old, broken, yet comfy chair, and ask people who they were going to vote for. The options were Steve Pagliuca, Martha Coakley, Mike Capuano, and Alan Khazei. Of course, the first day was rough. I was told to look over my script, and five minutes later I started calling people. Though the phonetics were presented to me, the names constantly twisted my tongue. Steve Pagliuca, for example, has a silent 'g', and when I mispronounce his name, I am mispronouncing the name of the person I am calling for.

After a couple of days asking opinions, I worked up the energy to actually find out what these people were campaigning for. It turns out that they are running for Senate in Massachusetts. Of course, it is not election time, which also confused me. It turns out that the old senator died, and is being replaced. That explains the 'special' part in the "special democratic election" that I was asking about. I also found out that the senator that died is Ted Kennedy. This made me think, what if he's related to John F. Kennedy. I asked my dad, and, sure enough, he was related. Not only was he related, though, he was John's little brother. Now here I was, asking people about their preference on who should replace the Senator who was so closely related to my own school's namesake. Also, a few months ago Dr. W, the principal, gave a small speech over the intercom about Ted Kennedy, who actually came to Kennedy to help get it started. I was experiencing history.

But telemarketing wasn't all about historical significances. Whenever I tell anyone that I was a telemarketer, they instantly get excited. The ask many questions, like whether or not I get yelled at, or hung up on, or messed around with a lot. I tell them the answer that they already know, yes I do. People often hang up on me. People yell at me because I am very annoying. They try to make me feel bad, and I kind of do sometimes. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that I was interrupting a supper, or waking the sleeping kids, I would probably make well over 12 dollars an hour.

Telemarketing has its ups and downs. It pays decent for kids (above minimum wage). Also, hours can be very flexible, which is exactly what I need. But I started coming into work, and they would tell me that they didn't have any work for me to do, so I wouldn't be able to work. It was then when I noticed how much I hated working there. I was ecstatic every time they told me that they didn't have any work. Eventually, I started telling them that I couldn't come into work, because I was busy. This wasn't completely true. I had plans... with friends. So last week, I came into the building in a good mood. I went up to my boss, whose name I hadn't quite remembered yet. I told him that I was very busy lately, and that I couldn't continue to work here. He seemed, if not pleased, okay with it. I think I did a good job. I actually came in to "resign". Most people, I would think, just stop coming into work.

I don't want to quit working completely. I figure that in the spring, I will be a little less busy, and can get a new job. I am planning on applying at Parlor City. This is the ice cream shop where my ex-girlfriend works. I also know another girl that works there. My ex says that to work there, one needs to be recommended by someone who already works there. Since we are still friends, I fgure I could get a job based off of recommendations. But that isn't the only reason. I like mowing lawns, and Parlor City no longer has a lawn mower. The two guys that used to work there went to college last year, and they always mowed the lawn. My ex says that the manager absolutely hates mowing, so I could put mowing in my application as a 'skill'. I think that I will stick with this job. Unlike my first job, I won't have drenched feet at the end of the day, I will get to say something other than one repetitive line throughout the day, and while working, employees can eat for free. To turn down this job would be crazy.

My magic bullet

Of course, my first blog after Christmas has to be about what I got this year. Apart from the usual candy, shirts, odd gifts (like water bottles, winter gloves two months late, and bowling shoes three months after the season began), and a few seasons of one of my favorite sitcoms, Seinfeld, I got a gift that I thought would never come. This was my Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle. I had seen it advertised many times with the same 10 minute commercial, which never got any better. My Magic Bullet, as seen on TV, was my best present this year.

The magic bullet is one of those products that everyone knows about, but nobody thinks about. When I told people about my present, many didn't know what I was talking about, until I told them that it was a blender that could do anything in ten seconds or less, as seen on TV. They immediately knew what I was talking about, but didn't always show as much excitement as I did. Some people were actually rude enough to tell me that they had gotten one of those years ago, when it was only sold on TV. This, of course, dampened my spirits, but I had plenty to stay excited.

This wonderful gift not only was exciting when I opened it, but I still use it (a week later, can you believe it?). Every morning, I make a protein shake before going to school. I used to pour milk into a water bottle, and then add a scoop of protein powder (chocolate flavored), to make the gritty, watery breakfast, that I sometimes couldn't force down my throat. The difference with the magic bullet it that I can mix the powder into the milk better. This makes the drink more like chocolate milk than chocolate grit and milk. Also, the magic bullet allows me to add additional flavors, such as strawberries or bananas. Just this morning, I added a banana to my shake. I actually thought that it tasted good. Surely, the banana added many health benefits to the drink, as well.

Tomorrow, I will not be able to make a shake quite as tasty as today's version, because I used the last banana, but I can instead ass strawberries. These are my two favorite additives to a chocolate shake, but some people don't understand why I like it so much. I simply explain that chocolate and strawberries is just like dipping strawberries in chocolate, which is common. Also, at my favorite ice cream parlor, they sell bananas dipped in chocolate (monkey tails).

The magic bullet is a very helpful tool for me. It helps me enjoy my odd choice of having six o' clock zero hour gym. It also helps my family stay healthy, because it's easy to use operation allows even my technologically challenged parents to use it. As you can see, this blender was my favorite present this year by far.