Blog Plagiarism: A Friendly Reminder
10 years ago
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
I'll get back to you on how it goes.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, April 9, 2010
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....
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....
Monday, April 5, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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 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.
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.
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