Christmas

My family doesn't really have any traditions other then decorations and we all shop as a family for the siblings gifts.

Kim Nelson #12

Okay this is a makeup because apprently i forgot to do it. My family has absolutley no Christmas traditions. We dont open presents either, lol. We just give eachother money and all eat together. My grandma has tried to get us into some traditions, so i guess im a part of those. I just personally get confused because they all speak Bokmal and i can barely speak it. SO, i guess my Christmas tradition is going to my Grandmas house and trying to decipher another language for another country. :)

Topics 7-10

#7
I believe in luck a little bit but its only a little part in events i think im a pretty lucky person when it comes to things you have to be lucky in like coin tosses and stuff.

#8
I think that our country should do it in a similar way to Canada where everyone gets free health care because everyone needs health care if they are sick. I think it is worth the extra taxes everyone in America would have to pay so people who can afford it like homeless people could have health care.

9#
I really like food i like all sorts of food but really i enjoy trying new foods that i usually wouldnt eat. I went to Mexico over winter break and id say that true mexican food would have to be my favorite i think i could eat it year round.

#10
I really don't see are nation heading in a good direction seeing that The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.87 billion per day since September 28, 2007 and is currently at $12,306,741,190,308.52 which is more than any other nation and growing.

12- 15 blogs

#12
For Christmas every year i go with my family to Seattle to go to a Christmas party with every person in my EXTENDED family by that i mean there's like 60 people there and i know about 14, then we go up to Whidbey island to my grandmas for the night and wake up in the morning and eat eggstrata ,which is a swedish egg dish.

#13
I think new years resolutions are a bunch of garbage when people make them by the end of January there done following them. People shouldn't have to wait till the beginning of the year to change what they do.

#14
There are some books that i enjoy reading but at the same time there are alot of books that i dont like to read at all. so i like to read just as long as it is a book that it can keep my attention.

#15
Video Games are definitely not harmful that's ridiculous. If it wasn't for grand theft auto more people than ever would be running over hookers with their cars and killing cops. The bestest game ever is Madden the entire series (of coarse!) beacause they make you think and anticipate your opponents next move (like chess haha) . second to that is stagecraft because come on its the funnest thing ever

alrighty lets finish off my blogs

12]
jonah was extremly depressed this christmas
i decided to be nice to my sister and chaperone her around her friend town for christmas break,
thus i get to hang around extremly immature people and the whole be sad about the fact that i couldnt watch my niece open up her presents.

13)
jonahs new years resolution is to cut down to 145 weight class by next wrestling season
but i was never really much of a resolution person, in fact i dont think ive ever even made one besides this.

14)
books/authors
jonah loved the harry potter series, xanth novels, dark reflection trilogy, calvin and hobbes
and lots more books or booklike..... uh things. ive never read a manga but when i have access i do watch naruto and bleach episodes in japanese with subtitles because those are the newest episodes.

15)video games
jonah loves the final fantasy series, breath of fire series, chrono trigger and chrono chross, and countless other games. of course video games are not really productive, but i dont see much problem in getting down with some video games if your done with all your chores, homework, etc. and have some spare time. Also i dont think games like grand theft auto and such are good.
sure its rated m for mature but i played that game when i was like 8 and the majority of what i did was run around killing people, thats not a very positive influenace for kids.

Well how my family does christmas is on christmas eve all my brothers, sisters, nephews, and sometimes grandparents come to my house. We eat breakfast together, then after that we start passing out presents. After that we go to my grandmas house have lunch and open more presents and see all the family:) On christmas day, its usually just me, my sister lauren, and my parents. We go see a movie. This year we saw...uhh i cant remember the name, something about detectives.

:)

New years.

My new years resolution is to focus on my grades.
I am a huuuuge procastinator. And i think people think that im dumb, but im actually not.
It really bugs me. I wanna prove to people that i can be smart. :)

booooks. 14

Well, i realllly dont like to read. only if i have to.
I dont really know why, maybe its because i havent found a real interesting book that keeps my attention. Or that i just think its really boring. but theres one i like.
The Lovely Bones.
I thought it was good, and interesting.

topic 15.

I think somee video games are somewhat helpful.
Like if your actually learning something. If not, their a waste of time.
i dont know how some people can play for hours on end...
Doesnt it get boring.


i like Wii Fit. :)

Topics 7-11

Topic 7:

I believe that luck is the same as probability. Luck doesnt change just because you have had many losses or have been very "unlucky" and i do not do anything to preserve my luck. I just think whatever happens happens.

Topic 8:

I think that the priority level should be addressed as someone has already mentioned. I also know practically nothing about how politics work and almost nothing about the Health Reform...so i can't really have an opinion except to say that we should all be covered with a Health Care if we can't afford it, given were under the age of 18.

Topic 9:

I like eating food, but i havent taken to cooking it yet, but i want to. My favorite food would have to be desert...and fruit. I absolutely hate onions. Olives and mushrooms are ok but I prefer not to eat them. Oh and i like spaghetti.

Topic 10:

I think that our society is getting better in a few aspects like technology education healthcare, and maybe polotics?, but socially we are getting worse...what with all the cellphones and stuff. You use to have to go to your friends house if you wanted to talk to them, now all you have to do is call or text them. We are getting lazy...just look at all of the obese people, their numbers are getting larger by the day.

Topic 11:

Am I happy? Personally i think no one is completely happy because we are all in the persuit of happiness. The Persuit of Happiness is our constitutional right, so i wouldnt say that im depressed but im somewhere between being happy and being indifferent towards whether or not I am. Really I like to be objective towards the notion of happiness.

Topic 15, Rachael :)

Honestly, I've probably played videogames less than 10 times in my entire life. I've never found them interesting, and they are a waste of time in my opinion. Maybe I just don't like them because I'm horrible at Halo (I always walk into walls and it sucks...) and I've failed everytime I've tried. So, I gave up. Don't need to bother with video games. Who needs them anyway? As for the debate of video games causing violence, I have to agree with that statement. Mind you, I'm not saying that anyone who plays a videogame is going to go out and shoot the first person they see, but I do think that it can cause higher aggression levels. For instance, my little brother has been more aggressive and violent twards me ever since he's started his videogame habits. And he tends to throw things more and more...
So, tell me if I'm wrong: Have you ever seen two children get in a brawl because of a videogame, for any reason? Whether it be that one is losing or the game is violent, it doesnt matter. It's still due to the game! Just a thought, I honestly don't know what I'm talking about. And we all know how much I ramble when I don't know what I'm talking about... ( My Book Presentation, for example.) Lol. Just a thought :)

Topic 15

Video Games DO help! they make you use your brain and solve various problems and find the best possible way to do something (losing the least amount of people, using the least amount of skills, etc). Also, if you like wii fit, it helps you lose weight! gah!

and by the way, WoW rocks <3 :)

Topic 14

My favorite books/authors are Stephanie Myers (author), R.L. Stine (author), Wicked Lovely (book), Ink Exchange (book), and The Devourers (book).
My least favorite books are The Host by Stephanie Myers, because it was way too sad and made me cry a lot, Strange Angels, because it was really boring, and the last book in the wicked lovely series, Fragile Eternity, because it wasn't as good as the first two and was somewhat disappointing.

Topic 13

My new year's resolution will be to lose weight and work out every week. I really want to be fit and proud of myself. I'm tired of feeling self concious even though I'm not fat (hopefully working out will help), and I'm tired of always being last to finish running during cheerleading practice. So, wish me luck :)

Movie Madness

Hey you guys, if you really enjoy movies or want to know reviews and all that stuff about new movies, or info about movies that are coming out and like blogging you should check out this blog: http://moviemadness-oliverryan.blogspot.com/
It is my older brother's blog and he doesn't have that many followers on it yet, so follow it its pretty interesting. Check it out.

Topic #16

A week off from the blog for finals? Why, yes, that would be wonderful. Thanks for the thought.


No topic this week, folks. Feel free to come on a rant and rave about grades, and tests, and classes, and teachers, and anything else you like. We'll start fresh next week for the new semester.

Video Games?

Okay, games like Grand Theft Auto are pointless and totally stupid. You just go around killing people. Wheres the fun in that? I play a couple of games:

Kingdom Hearts and Warcraft :)
Now those games are fun and actually have a point to them! And Warcraft I think helps because you have to make up strategies and it actually makes you think.
Kingdom Hearts is just fun lol.

Boooooooooks

My top 5:

I Am the Messenger
By: Markus Zusak

Twilight
By: Stephenie Meyers

A Wrinkle in Time
By: Madeleine L'Engle

Getting the Girl
By: Markus Zusak

The DaVinci Code
By: Dan Brown

Least Favorite:

Breaking Dawn
By: Stephenie Meyers
(I just hated how it ended. Someone should have died)

Annnd that's all I can think of. I don't really "not like" books.

Video Games

Video Games, helpful or harmful? Hmm... I'd say it really depends on what you play and how much you play them. If you play Dora the Explorer once a week, its not going to hurt you. We'll it may hurt what your friends think of you a little bit. But that differs from playing Grand Theft Auto for two hours every day. One game you fight evil with the power of words, and learn a little Spanish. The other you pull people out of cars and then beat the crap out of them for no reason. Big difference!!!

Also in my opinion the best game ever is Guitar Hero, Rock Band, or Super Smash Brothers.

Topic 12-15

Topic 12

Chrishmas for my family isnt as hectic as most families but we still have our share of chaos. First my mom and dad will try to get the little kids to bed (which is always hard, cuz we gave everyone one present each on christmas eve every year). On Christmas day we would eat breakfast whenever everyone was up, nothing in particular...cereal...eggs...etc. Then we would open our presents in no particular order, just whichever one the parents happened to pick up. After presents we would eat ham and turkey with alot of other sides.

Topic 13

My new years resolution is simple...i would like to start turning in everything on time (after im done catching up with what i havent already turned in) instead of procrastinating and doing everything on the last minute. The second thing is i would like to keep organized this year.

Topic 14

Christopher Paolini, Jean Johnson, Christina Feehan, with 2 of my favorite books being Danerous Tides and Murder Game. There really isnt a book that i hate or disliked (that i have read all of the way through).

Topic 15

Videos in my opinion are not the cause of violence, although, like many people have said, desensitize us to violence. And as Will has said, you cant just take your kids XBOX from them if they go out and kill somebody, or if they pull up next to a car at a red light and think, hmm... i need to push triangle because i like that car. Thats my opinion on the debate...anyways my favorite games would have to be Call of duty World at War and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2...maybe Dark Cloud...although i havent played that game in a few years. D&D is also a very good game.

christmas traditions

My family actualy has quitw a few traditions. the first is we always get one new ornimate or however you spell it from my grandma. But on new years eve we always go over there and open her presents but i usualy have to waite for my brother to get back from his dads. Then we get up on chrismas morning my mom puts in the breakfast casorole which we only get once a year. when everyone sits down we start on the stockings and eventualy open presents which usualy kinda goes one at a time. after that we normaly go to my dads dad and all the kids get presents and then later we go to my great grandma's house and play a little game and that usaul ends christmas.

New Years resolution

For this new year i dont realy have much but i guess i would like to make honor role this year. It has always been something i havent wanted but have been just under a few times. I would also like to get in better shape and make varisity for football this year. That is all i can think of right now.

books

Favorite

1.Hatchet by garry paulsen- A Boy named brian gets stranded in the canadian wilderness after his pilot has a heart attack he has to land on the lake and try to survive in the wilderness by himself facing difficulties from animals and mothernature.

2.The river by garry paulsen- Brian goes back after two years after being asked by the goverment and takes along a pschologist to take notes to teach army scouts survival skills but then face a huge thunderstorm and the pyshcologist gets stuck by lighting and is in a coma brian builds a raft and has to race down the river to get help.

3.The Harry Potter serius J.K Rolling- Harry potter making his way throught wizard school making friends and facing the killer of his mother and father.

4.The winter gary paulsen- this is what experts say would of happened if brian would of had to stay in the wilderness during winter.

5.Farmerboy by laura ingall wilder- a story of a young boy named almanzo that grows up on a farm outside of Early new york. Who has to deal with school crops and animals.

Least favorite

1. Little house on the prairie laura ingle wilder- this was such a boring book its about this girl who travels west to find a better land but is stuck with dry land its is just a dry book

videogames

The question is are video games helpful or harmful. My personal thoughts are there realy niether. I have grown up playing them for entertainment. I think they are a good chances for learning for young kids but thoose young kids probly shouldnt be playing games like call of duty i realy dont think they cause violence but they do desensetize us to violence.

So.. Videogames

While some people would expect this to be my topic of choice, I have suprisingly little to say about it. The idea that games are harmful is simple, bland, and rather ignorant. You hear it after any teen shooting/car jacking, and it's always the same. He musta learned it from the XBox.

And remarkably, it doesn't piss me off that much. Why? Because I know that it's bound to come. Look back into the past - During the 50's, "Rock Music" was blamed for everything from teenage sex to an increase in satanic cults (an increase which is, by the way, an urban legend.). In later years it would be comic books, violent movies, or the "Rap Music". Each one was blamed for the latest teenage crisis, and eventually the general community wised up, and moved on. It's a trend that will always persist, because no matter the time - old people will always be deadly afraid of the young people. Whatever we do in our free time - in those rare spots where we're all NOT shooting up heroin - will terrify them. And whenever one of us commits a crime, that past-time will be blamed for the corruption of the youth. Need proof? Look back to the very dawn of mass-produced literature - adults were freaking out, because kids could now become lost in stories beyond the physical world. It's an endless chain, and every medium has gone through it. One day it'll pass, and we'll all be adults screaming at our kids to get out of their media-pods, since it "rots their brain and makes them more violent".

Crap, I actually DID have a lot to say about this subject.

Topic 5

Ok I'm going to catch up on my blog posts and I'm starting with Topic 5 commenting on other people's postings.

New years resolutions, Books, and video games

New Years Resolutions

I do not usually make new years resolutions, that way i don't have to feel bad when i break them. but if I were to make some they would probably be to try and get good grades for the rest of the year, and to do good in sports and stuff, and maybe to start reading more books. But I don't because I'd rather just enjoy myself and not worry about trying to keep up with the resolutions.

Books

I think that my top 5 favorite books would have to be....

1. The Martian Chronicles

2. The Hobbit

3. I Am Legend

4. It

5. Stardust

Top 3 least favorite books

1. The Wee Free Men

2. Doctor Illuminitus

3. Diadem

these books weren't that bad I just didn't like them.

Video Games

I think that video games can be bad if played much too often like as in almost all the time, but if you are just playing them every once in a while then I don't think it should be a problem, even if they are violent. I think it just depends on the person who is playing the video game. If you are just playing for fun then I wouldn't think that it would be a problem but if you take it way too serious then you might have some issues.

Video Games

I really hate video games. Like a lot. I think they're pretty lame. There's a lot of things I'd rather be doing. People spend WAY to much time playing them. I don't care how good you are, video game skills aren't really something to brag about. But that's just my opinion. If played in moderation, video games aren't a bad thing. The problem is that they're addicting, and people end up spending more time playing them than they intend to.

Another problem I have with video games is that I feel like they are too unrealistic. In real life it's not acceptable to go around shooting people. Also, some people get so caught up in this other world that they become unsocial. It's the same with online games. They will make all these friends online, but they never have a real relationship. I think it makes it hard to form relationships with people who are actually physically around you, that you can talk to face to face and see in person. So yes, I think video games are dangerous. But unfortunately, a lot of people disagree.

Video Games.

Oh goodness, video games. Definately not something im paticularly fond of thats for sure. I wouldnt call them a waste of time, because quite frankly, if thats how you want to spend your time, its not wasting it. I just dont personally like them, because lets face it i dont have good videogaming skills. Call of Duty is by far the hardest game ever. Lol. Although i do rock at 2K10 and NBA Live, i wouldnt buy them for myself. I also dont agree with the opinion that video games the bad influence that is causing todays violent culture. I mean of course we could sit here and point fingers all day, but i dont think its neccasarily the video games that have done that. If it wasnt video games it would be toy soliders and the TV. Whatever, video games are what they are.

Videogames - Will C.

All right. First of all, videogames do not makes kids kill people. So if your kid does that, you can't just take away his Xbox, he has serious mental problems. (Although, if he kills people, I wouldn't advise trying to confinscate his Xbox. Just sayin'.) That being said, I suppose they desensitize kids to violence. However, all sorts of kids are going from Call of Duty to actually joining the military, so if we got rid of videogames, nazis would TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!!! AAUUGHHHH!!! So lets just keep videogames, alright people?
Fortunately, we have the communist zombies well under control. Thank you, Call of Duty. Anyway, my favorite videogames are: the various Rockband games, Burnout Paradise, Forza Motorsports 3, and Fable 2. The same games as Cole? What!? Stalker!

Books - Will C.

My favorite books are The Name of The Wind, Ender's Game, and Elantris. Not in any particular order. My favorite series are The Wheel of Time, The Sword of Truth, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. Again, not in order of awesomeness. I can't think of my least favorite book... Oh yeah! There's this one called The Pheonix Exultant. I have a standing award of $5 to anybody who can drag their way through it. I also like John Grisham books.

omg videogames!!!!

ok im not going to lie, i... love... videogames!! and yeah they are probably bad for me but insted of me taking out my anger on some poor soul i just pick up assassins creed and everything is ok again!! i dont feel violent anymore! so i guess videogames has an opposite effect on me... wow i could keep talking about video games forever. insted i would like to share my top favorite videogames!
1) final fantasy 6
2) final fantasy 7
3) final fantasy 9
4) final fantasy 10
5) final fantasy X-2
6) final fantasy crisis core
7) final fantasy dissidia
8) kingdom hearts
9) kingdom hearts chain of memories
10) kingdom hearts 358/2 days
11) kingdom hearts 2
12) jak and daxter
13) jak 2
14) jak 3
15) daxter
16) jak x combat racing
17) jak and daxter: the lost frontier
18) assassins creed
19) assassins creed 2
20) little big planet
21) dead space
22) bioshock
23) grand theft auto vice city
24) red dead revolver
25)spyro
26) spyro 2: riptos rage
27) spyro 3: year of the dragon
28) spyro: enter the dragonfly
29) the sims
30) all sims 2 games
31) sims 3
32) my sims
33) my sims kingdom
34) my sims agents
35) guitar hero 2
36) guitar hero 3
37) rock band
38) rock band 2
39) devil may cry 4
40) the urbz: sims in the city
41) all pokemon games
42) hot shots golf open tee

haha wow thats alot of games! um... i didnt expect that many... hmmm... as for the best games ever... nothing beats final fantasy! i just pre ordered final fantasy 13 and im so excited!!! comes out march 9 so you may not see me that day haha! although i hate the theme song they chose for it!! why? just why?! anyway kingdom hearts is also a good game because come on? how often do you get to hit stuff with an oversized key?! and disney characters like donald, goofy, ariel, and jack skelington fight alongside you and totally thrash the enemy! although sora is just a plonker... he really gets on my nerves. oh and i just got back into the jak and daxter games which are amazing! its got everything basically, you shoot stuff, punch stuff, its really funny, and there are some "WTF?" moments in it too! so i vote those games on being the best games ever made... and assassins creed just because you get to kill people in creative ways while still being educational! and you get to hire hookers! no im serious they are really helpful buy walking around me so i look like a pimp insted of an assassin. gets them every time......

Numero Cince: El Cole Charbonneau (el es tan impresionantemente impresionante, que las señoras todo amor él.)

Personalmente, no creo que los videojuegos son nocivos, ni creo que son útiles. Ellos pueden mantener a los niños preocupada, pero también pueden causar algunos problemas, tales como: 'Pero mamá, hay sólo 2 vueltas a la izquierda! "

Mis videojuegos favoritos incluyen de Forza Motorsport Tres, Banda de Rock de Uno, Dos, y el tipo Lego, y el Paraíso de Agotamiento.

Topic #14- Cole

Fav Five: 1: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
2: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3: The Bartimaeus Trilogy (all 3 of 'em) by Jonathan Stroud
4: Doctor Illuminatus by Martin Booth
5: The year of Our War by Steph Swainston
And I'm sure the Wheel of Time trilogy is fantasticaliscious, since my twin and my friend Josh never shut up about it. -.-

Hated Hex:
1:All
2:The
3:Twilight
4:Books
5: Pride and Prejiduce by Jane Austen
6:Playing for Pizza by John Grisham.

To play or not to play?

Well I'm not very good at video games....sigh.....I cannot play first person shooters to save my life. To all those out there who know what that means I solute you! Anywho well the games that I can play and I don't absolutely fail at are Wii sports, Little Big Planet, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Boom Blocks, and other games that don't include being chased around by some monster thing that wants to kill me :D But my friend is a big gamer (cough Zombie!) and she's like allot of games some of witch I just like to watch because the graphics are so awesome like Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed, and Kingdom Hearts. I don't like games like Bioshock and Dead Space because they scare me out of my freaking skin :D I feel kind of childish when I say this but I miss playing Pokemon on my game boy. I miss the thrill of catching an Articuno or the sweet victory that comes after you bet the final trainer in the Pokemon league, or even the surprise when your pokemon evolves into the next pokemon in the cycle. Ahhhh.... the good old days. How I miss the so!
Well from my video game experiences I haven't really found any of the games that I played to be horrible in the sense that they are leading American teens in the wrong way but I know some games that are bad in this aspect such as Grand Theft Auto and Bully but hey they are fun to play! But still it teaches kids that it's ok to "bust a cap in his/her ass" or to "take care of your hoes" but who knows I don't play those games. So my question is "To play or not to play?"

Video Games Are Not Reality

Video games, another thing I am probably not like most teenagers on, but I personally think they are dumb except for I do play a few games such as, SSX Snowboarding, Mortal Combat, Guitar Hero, and some other sport games. But if it wasn't for having an older brother, i probably wouldn't play video games at all, because he is the one who always had the systems and everything like right now for example he is away at college therefore we don't have a game system at my house. Back to games though, i like sport games because they are easy and you can play and you aren't like trying to beat the game you just play. I like mortal combat because i kick butt at it, my brother says it only because I am a button masher, but i just think he can be a sore loser when his little sis beats him. And then i only got into guitar hero because my brother again taught me how to play and i also like world tour because you can play with a group of people and it is a good party game. Other than that I am not a big fan because i think that the money used to make video games and systems could be used for better things, and I also don't have the attention span to sit and play games for hours, I would rather do something more productive and worth my time. And lastly if anyone has ever seen me attempt certain games, I am like one of the worst video game players ever.
Do i think they ar harmful, yes because people get to into itand ike my title says its noteality, so you can losethat social contact by being addicted. Also kids should be outside running around and do other things, not cooped up in a room with their eyes glued to the tv.
Are they helpful? No I do not think they are helpful, I think they can be good time consumers but I dont think they are necessarily helpful to us.

Video Games

Even though I play video games and love them I have to admit they are leading us the wrong way. They are making us more violent and lazy which are both bad things. also staring at screens is bad for our eyes and the controllers can cause tunnel syndrome and arthritis. but one interesting fact is that surgeons actually play video games to improve their dexterity before the surgery.

Yesssssss

OK i love video games and i personally think that yes they can be harmful but hey also can be helpful. harm-wise they are addicting to some people like me and may cause them to get very distracted with their more important tasks like oh i don't know book journals. but they can be helpful by keeping kids inside playing them when they could be out getting into trouble or doing drugs.
now my favorite game is the4 call of duty series and i think it really never gets boring and that you can just keep going on playing it until the next one comes out you know what i mean.

so about those missing blogs...

Blog #6: Fear

just saying this i feel like i have done this one before but...

Im not really afraid of anything like spiders or snakes. Maybe standing on the edge of a cliff but thats more like exitement than full fledged fear. No the only thing that i can honestly say i am terified of is my phobia that someone will break into our house. I have no idea why i am so affaid of it but when i was a little kid i would have to run into my parents room because i was so freeked out. Now i mostly have learned to control it but i can still stay up till one or two in the morning if i let myself think about it.

Blog #11: Happy/Topic/Testing

Feeling like a do over too...

State testing is a wonderful time of year, it fills my head with butterflies and gumdrops, only because i will do anything to get away from this place. It is however nothing compared to the PSAT that was the worst! The English state testing is probably my least favorite, only because you have to write about what they tell you to write about (three choices, come on really) if it wasn't for that i might have different feelings. It is also the one that i inevitably do the worst on too. :( i just seem to do better in everything else.

Blog #12: Christmas Traditions

ok finally something i know i didn't do

Our family dosen't have a set Christmas tradition much beyond getting a tree and putting presents underneath. we dont even have a set day to decorate it, this year we did on Christmas eve haha. There are some important ornimants that we have with sentimental value that are on the tree every year, but i wouldn't call them a tradition. we usually see my grandparents but two years ago that didn't even happen. More as a joke i made fruit cake just for fun, what an interesting tradition that would be

Blog #13: new years resoluitons

I really only have one, i met some people at wake boarding camp and we kept in touch using this amazing thing called the internet but towards thanksgiving pretty much stopped talking. So my resolution is just to get back talking and see what has happened since we last talked.

Blog #14: Books

from least to best

#5: Uglies by, Scott Westerfeild

#4: Anthem by, Ann Rand

#3: Ice Station by, Mathew Rielly
#2: Eregon and series by, Christopher Paolini
#1: Hatchet by, Gary Paulson

Worst

from worst to burning

#3:none for this spot i like most books :D

#2: Wale rider by, Witi Tame Ihimaera

#1: Spanish book, by a really sick person

Blog#15

and finally...

Video games, i play em every once in a while but not as much as most i would think. A fun non-productive use of time that in my opinion gets a little to much harp. I mean sure if you play a violent video game your more likely to have a "violent" nature in life. heck we learned about it in psychology today. But as coming from a true senior, it depends on how impressionable the person is. for me.. i am one of those crazy people who hates the killing aspect and i will only be violent to save my live. and in both fable games i was as pure and good as you can be all the way through both games. haha. where as my little brother masacres entire villages and steals everything he needs.. and he has probable been effected. there are ways to get past the violence, it just depends on how much you can handle it...

Books

my favorite books

1)the whole "on the run" series}

2)the whole "kidnapped" series }same author but I can't remember his name

3)Epic

4)Holes

5)Saga

least favorite books

1)the Giver

2)the messenger

3)Hatchet

Most of these books I chose for my least favorite were just random books because I just don't like reading

Video games and I just don't add up...

I'm not going to pretend that I know what I'm talking about. I know absolutely nothing about video games. And I don't really care. But do I think that they're bad or something? Honestly, I don't know. I think it depends on when you start to play them. The younger you are, the more they seem real. The violent nature depicted in the games makes it seem ok for you to rape, pillage, and plunder people. I heard something one time. It was "Your imagination doesn't know what's real and what's not. Everytime you look at something, you're subconciously practicing for it." I don't know if that's true or not, but it makes sense to me. Just because you practice for something, doesn't mean that you're natural instinct is going to be to do that. But I don't really want to risk it.
Another question brought up was, "Well, it's ok as long as you know what's reality and what's not" I know that the majority of people know what's real, and what' not, but but what about those few who don't?

Just for funnsies:
FML-We recently crashed our computer, and so I put all my music on a flashdrive. It saved and then I just recently opened it again and put my music back in. I played a few songs to make sure that it had saved in windows. I then erased all the music on the flashdrive. As I opened windows today, I tried to click on a song, and it showed that it hadn't stored. I just lost every single song on my computer. Fml.

And then John was a zombie.

Ever read that doom fanfic about how John wants to be a marine and then he turns into a zombie? Don't if you haven't, it's horrible.

I think video games are perfectly fine if you don't take them seriously. I mean, I have a grand ol' time shooting terrorists, robbing houses, rapin-

Anyways, the problem for me is when people do take it seriously. Then things go downhill and it all hits the fan at the bottom. I.E Pat and I were playing this game online, and I we kept shooting this guy named Bandicoot in the head, smearing his brains everywhere. And he RAGED over his microphone, calling us terrible names, all because we ruined his role play life. Now let's think about this, his life that doesn't actually have anything to do with his physical well being? I could understand if it all ties into some deal he made with the devil where he has to win, but I don't find that likely to be happening here.

And I'm pretty sure my favorite game right now, is probably fallout 3. Nothing beats running around Washington D.C. with a chainsaw, an android and a midget, raping and pillaging everything in sight. But I think it'd be interesting to hear what you guys enjoy of each genre, like horror and shooters and stuff. Assuming you guys play video games. I'll even make my own list because I LOVE attention.
Horror?
F.E.A.R., or Dead Space. It's sorta a tie. FEAR doesn't really count though because although it's scary, there's a lot of action. Dead Space is like BAM for a few minutes but then it'll be a nice atmospheric scare over popping out.
Shooters?
The Half Life series. Because it's all pretty well thought out but it leaves enough to question to that every fan-made thing doesn't completely break the plot.
RPG?
Fallout series. Haven't had more fun in my life with being in a wasteland. A virtual one.
Strategy?
Men of War, beats all. Seriously, no other game makes me think so damn hard. Or care for that matter, when my sniper, Gustav (who survived all of my campaigns!) died in the great rush of Berlin I was about to cry.

I don't really do racing games and stuff but I was playing this wrestling game with my little brother that was really kickass. Yeah.

If you're read this far, Donka!

Topic #15: Video Games

So last week we talked about books; this week let's talk about video games.  I'm reading a book right now about geeks and gamers, in which the author is exploring the various geek-worlds, such as D&D, LARPs, the SCA, and WoW, among others; he is trying to determine whether such games and fantastic pursuits are helpful, or harmful.

What's your opinion?  We should focus on video games, as those are the most common and popular and well-known -- my book just mentioned a statistic that 65% of households and 97% of teenagers in America play at least one video game, so that seems pretty dang close to ubiquitous -- but if you have some insight into any other games, feel free to mention those as well.

Your question is this: are games, particularly video games, harmful?  If so, how?  Why?
If they are not harmful, are they helpful?  If so, how?  Why?
Any suggestions or other opinions (which game is the bestest ever, and why) are welcome, as well.

I know this topic is late, but try to get an answer on here by next Monday (Jan. 25) anyway.  Thanks.

New years resolution

My new years revolution is to try new things i've recently taken up some form of karate type thing i was forced into to help out my cousins, and I'd really like to stick with it until it's over.

A ton of missed blog posts.

Condensing them for the sake of time.

#14 - Books :
5. Ant Farm - Simon Rich
Humor has always been my main source for reading entertainment, and this is a short collection of condensed amazing. The stories aren't very long, but they're beyond absurd.
4. Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan
Say what you want about the upcoming movie, but the book its' based on is nothing short of incredible. The greek mythos base, mixed with modern action & humor made for an epic start to a nice franchise.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K Rowling
I'll limit HP to just one entry on the list, with the best being Rowling's finale. The tale comes to one hell of a bang, and it's one of the few books I've ever teared up at. (One of the only others being Half-Blood Prince).
2. Possible Side Effects - Augesten Burroughs
It's hard to choose just one Burroughs book for this list, since his hilarious, twisted, and astonishingly vulgar material is just so perfect to me. Side Effects gets the spot for being the first book I read of his, and how it changed how I see reading. It's modern, it's funny, and out of the normal, while still feeling familiar.
1. Watchmen - Alan Moore
Everything you can assume about comic books, everything you assume about superheroes, is wrong. Deep, controversial, timely, thought-provoking, and a classic in every sense of the word. I don't even need to say why I love it. It's just that good.

#13 - New Years Resolutions
Meh, I've got a few. Loose a little weight, sure. Touch up on the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo? Yeah, I guess. Not suck at Spanish? I suppose.
But there's one New Years Resolution I will stick to. I will not say the word "gargle". Why? Why not say the word "Gargle"? Because I tried doing this a few years ago, and actually got pretty far. But I choked up around May. This year, I'm going all the way. Typing "gargle" is fine. Just not saying it.

#12 - Christmas.
I go down to my Grandmas, and pretend to like my extended family for three days. They aren't miserable, just boring. When two dogs fighting over a pillow is the highlight of Christmas evening, you know you're in something special. Special in a bad way.

#11 - Happiness
I'm a happy person, when I can stop focusing on being happy. If I try and concentrate my day into having a good time, then I just get aggravated at myself for slacking on what needs to be done. Focusing on being productive forces myself into thinking how I don't have enough fun in life. But if I ignore all that, then I can just be blissful in ignorance.

#10 - Direction
It's all relative. Depending on what you value, we could be at the height of our civilization at the moment. For example - technology. We're in the internet era, and changing the way the world communicates. Plus, we have toasters that cook hot dogs & buns at the same time. And a fridge with a TV in it. However if you value the economy, we're obviously at a low. Judging something like morals is even more complicated, as everyone's morals are different. For some, we're revolutionizing freedom of speech. For others, we're falling into madness with laws that subject our children to twisted materials, and screw them up forever.
So it depends who you are, I suppose.

New Year's Resolutions

Well at about the time I was supposed to be writing this I would have had a list of five thought out and well reasoned resolutions that I swore I was going to do but, like every year, I didn't write them down so I have no idea what they were.
I will make one more resolution and actually follow it. I want to ask more questions, know what is going on around me and what is going on within me. I will dig deeper within myself to find what really matters to me and focus on those things and I will pay better attention to what my body is telling me. It's not that I have neglected myself, it's more that I have ignored what my body has told me at times and it turned out for the worse.
Oh and I will ask my doctor more questions regarding my current medical condition.

Books books books

Favorites and least favorites are hard to define for me. I have never been one to classify what i read against other books I've read. I know that the last two books I've read, Tamar by Mal Peet and Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan were both good books but the latter would not fall under favorites. It was much too easy but was inventive and made you think a little bit. It was also fairly well written. The first was the book I did my project on. It is a very good books and i would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in historical fiction. Books I hate? Well I've never read a mystery novel and actually enjoyed it and the book I did my first project for this class on was terrible. And as a rule I don't read books that can be made into chick flick movies because why the heck do you need to read about some poor little high school girl's life and the drama and crap that is in it if you actually have a full life and things of your own to think about? It's ridiculous.

Humphrey's Favorite Books

Okay, so I didn't come back on Monday and add my list. I'm too busy reading.



1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Really only counts as one book, and not only brilliant but visionary. The foundation of modern fantasy.

2. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (with assistance by Brandon Sanderson). The term "Epic" as a compliment was invented for this series. Perhaps the most ambitious and fascinating series I've ever read.

3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Also visionary, but this time terrifying, because it's true. It also has some of the loveliest prose I've ever seen in science fiction, and also has a personal connection for me.

4. Lamb by Christopher Moore. Along with Dirty Job and Fool, also by Moore. Christopher Moore is the funniest novelist I know, and Lamb is fascinating as well.

5. The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon. Remarkable depth in a genre not known for it.

(5.5: Me. I like the book I wrote. But that's not really fair.)





Books I hate:

Well, there's this one. Magician's Apprentice, by Trudi Canavan (At the bottom of the page if you follow the link -- that's my book report site! Because I am the king of book nerds! All will bow before me and despair!), which is just about the lamest high fantasy book I have read all the way through. And then there's this one, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, which was so ridiculous that it inspired me to write my first online book review. But the worst book I know is the one I was required to teach for the first four years of my career, in California: A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Here, I'll ruin the story for you: there are a group of privileged snotty rich kids at an all-boys prep school during World War II. Two of them are best friends, and one is envious of the other, who is more popular, a better athlete, and happier. So the envious one chucks the popular one out of a tree, and he breaks his leg and later dies. That's the book. Now stretch that out over 220 pages, and make all of the characters loathsome and pointless human beings. You get the idea.


No: I take that back. The worst book ever? That would be Breaking Dawn. That book needs to be taken out behind the shed and given a whuppin'.

topics 8- ......

sorry i havnt been on for a while,
Jonah no longer has internet access so lets try and get some topics done quick like
cuz i only have about 5 minutes right now

8 health care- i dont know much about it besides that we spent much to much energy
over the fact that the flu was epidemic

9-food....i think
my favorite food would have to be pizza or sour gummy worms
both are freaking delicious

10-direction
i think were screwed. but on the other hand i geuss people have been saying that forever
however right now our situation looks similar to ancient romes

11- happy
no im not happy,
however jonahs a whiner and should get over it,
and until i move out i have my niece emily who keeps me sane

sorry no more time
bye

Books!

Favorites:
1) Identical- Ellen Hopkins
2) Crank- Ellen Hopkins
3) Marley and Me- John Grogan
4) Shout Down the Moon- Lisa Tucker
5) Flowers for Algernon!

Dislikes:
1) My heart my be broken but my hair still looks great
2) Eggs

yay books!!

this is my top 5 list (not in any order):

1) the summoning

2) city of bones

3) twilight

4) world war z

5) project 17

(these are just because)

6) a child called "it"

7) no country for old men

and now for the horrible books:

1) never slow dance with a zombie

2) the roar

3) generation dead

the new year?

well i think i did pretty good last year so i just want things to stay the same... yeah maybe more friends or be more focused throughout the year.

the only things i want to accomplish this year is to get my drivers license, get final fantasy 13 (hoo yeah!!) and go to an anime convention at least once in my life! that is going to be the best people watching ever!! oh yeah and to continue getting good grades and getting better at the piano.

LOS LIBROS ES MUY FANSASTICO!

i really enjoy the twilight saga!
i like a bunch more books to but i dont remember the titles.
i also like the "stupid teenage girl books"

Lucky #13!

my new years resolution, 13 days into it is to jump higher.
even though its irrelivant in school, i dont care.
Yes, this is about sports so you guys can go ahead and stop reading.
i want to work on jusmping higher, because that will help me with all sports, and technically speaking can help me with school too!
i could be n the library and there could be a book on the top shelf and i could jump high to grab it.
or i probably could just reach my arm up and grab it but still!
maybee!

Favorito Libros OkAy hErE wE gO

favorito libros

brians winter
poppy
poppy&rye
incident at hawks hill
animal farm

no favorito libros
twilight
eregon
hatchet

Books, Books!

Honestly...My favorite series is the Twilight Saga. I love the way Stephanie Meyers writes, and she is very creative. I also like A Child Called It. That book is very touching, and I enjoy reading books written in such a powerful way. My definition of a good book: Any piece of writing that has the power to effect your mood, or your way of thinking. I think my least favorite book ever is Something Wicked This Way Comes, In my opinion it was the longest most confusing BORING book ever, and I had to read it in two days. Im a fast reader, but I have such a short attention span when it comes to boring books. Its so hard to stay focused.

All the topics I missed

I kinda forgot to get on here for a while a couple of months ago. So I'm gonna go through all the topics I didn't post about.

Direction

I fear that our country is going downhill. Our politicians talk about what they're going to do to fix our problems, but they rarely act upon it. Or they do things that in the long run will hurt us. It scares me a little bit because we're going to be the ones who have to fix these problems when we're older. Our main problems are the economy, war, and schools. I really wish we could have the kind of world that our grand parents lived in. The people were friendlier, they formed relationships with eachother, everything was safer... I feel like a lot of our problems could be fixed if we were less selfish and actually cared about others. But we have so much more technology than before. I think that might be one of the main factors that makes people so much more self-oriented than they were before. But who wants to give the technology up? Not me.

Thanksgiving

Food is pretty much amazing. My favorite is cheese ravioli with garlic bread. Oh yes. My favorite food from Thanksgiving dinner is stuffing. I love stuffing with all my heart. I'd eat it everyday. But we only have it on Thanksgiving, so that doesn't work too well. Also, I'm pretty much addicted to pepperoni. I eat so much of it. And pizza is good. Pasta is wonderful, potatoes period are heavenly. I don't know. Food is just good. Good food is good, I mean, because I'm a horribly picky eater. I can make a HUGE list of all the foods I hate. Well, I don't like sausage (especially Italian sausage), mushrooms, onions, eggs, chicken enchiladas, curry, hamburger, chili, PB&J, store bought bread (it's squishy and soggy. Yuck!), all seafood, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. Okay, I can't think of a lot right now. But the problem is that I dislike a lot of basic foods which causes my mother much misery. And it doesn't help that my younger brother and older sister are both also really picky eaters. But my sister has gotten better. Maybe there's hope for me.

Kay, skipping a few topics because I'm lazy. :)

New Years Resolutions

My main resolution is to get better at not procrastinating. I procrastinate everything. And then at the very last minute I stress out to finish whatever it is that I'm doing. I'm kind of lazy, and I sleep too much when I should be doing other things. So I'd like to be more organized and get things done before I get all stressed out and practically die. That's pretty much it, because that's a HUGE goal to work towards.

Books

I really like to read, but I don't pick favorite books easily. Anyway, I'll do my best. These aren't necessarily my top favorites and they aren't in order. They're just favorites.

-The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (I like all of her books.)
-Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (I love Harry Potter!!!!)
-Uglies, Pretties, and Specials by Scott Westerfeld (Those are three different books. It's a trilogy.)
-Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian (This is one of the best/ saddest books ever!)
-Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (This was my favorite book for a really long time! But the movie is WAY different.)

I can only think of one least favorite that I actually read the whole way through.
-Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (I hate that book! It was pointlessly stupid! But that's just me, other people liked it.)

Books and stuff.

So I really DON'T read that often. I find visual art an easier medium to expand my mind with. But I guess I've seen a lot that does and doesn't strike my fancy, and I've read enough for this to work.
So, what I do like:
- The whole god damn crazy extravaganza of Orcs, Humans and Elves. I mean, LoTR
- World War Z
- The Shining
- I just got done reading Neverwhere, I think that was pretty damn tubular
- I read the story of Dracula too, that was really amazing. Except the whole shaving part where he's like OH YOU CUT YOURSELF I CAN SMELLLLL THE BLAAAAHD, that was dumb.

Dislikes:
- To Kill a Mockingbird, was like reading a story about growing up in the middle of nowhere. Oh wait, it was.
- The story of Odysseus was ridiculous and made no sense and pissed me off beyond belief. If you were in my class last year you'd know how enraged it made me.
- I ran out of things I hate. SORRY.

New Years Resolution

What to change? What to change? My step dad is in the background saying stress less. Which I guess could be a good idea, but then again the reason I do well in school is probably because I freak out so much when I have an assignment to do. Hmm... I guess that if I wanted to change something this year would be to stronger in my religion.

Books!!!

I have to say that one of my favorite authors is Lois Lowery. I love all of her books that I've read! But if I had to say what my five favorite books are it would be Twilight (I know sad but I do love the books), Breaking Dawn, Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. But then again I do like Messenger, Gathering Blue and The Giver. I just don't know what my five favorite books are.
The five worst books I've read are... well the Romeo and Juliet I read last year was in a book so I am putting that in there, New Moon (just because that book ticked me off), Eclipse (same reason as for New Moon), Extras (because it didn't stick to the other books), and sadly To Kill a Mockingbird. I put sadly because it is such a good book I just don't like it because of the different stuff my teacher made me do while using it.

What a Thought

Well, I love to read also, and I regret not having more time to read, as hw seems to be taking control of my life(*cough cough* book project..) I like to talk about books, and I love to tell other people about them. I'm going to add a list, a favorite series list, because that's a very good idea, in my opinion. Here's my 4 top 5's.
Favorite Books:
1. Counte of Monte Cristo(Read it in 5th grade, and have loved it ever since)
2. Scribbler of Dreams
3. Can You keep A Secret?
4. Freshman For President
5. Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

Least Favorite:
(This is all I really have, because if I hate a book, I don't finish it.)

1. House of the Scorpions(I'm going to say that I read this, seeing as how I read everything but the last page, because I didn't think it deserved to be finished.)
2. Breaking Dawn(Garr...)


Favorite Series:
1. Seeker Series
2 Mortal Instruments
3. Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
4. Harry Potter
5. Ink Exchange

Least Favorite:
1. Wheel of Time Series

That's pretty much it. I like to read just about everything, and am totally willing to try any book out, but some books are just dumb, and should not be written.

Books books books Galore!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read so much that I dont really have that many favorites but i can think of a few top books.

• Before, After, and Someone in Between
• Side Effects
• Perfect
• 13 Reasons Why
• Leaving Paradise

I don't really have any least favorite books, because if I get half way through a book and am not liking it then i usually dont finish it and i move onto reading something else.

I do have favorite authors and again I don't really have least favorite authors because i usually just dont read the book if I'm not enjoying it.

Favorite Authors:

• Natasha Friend
• Carolyn Mackler
• Louise Rennison
• Cecily von Ziegesar

Books Books everywhere but not a word to read....

For the record I have no favorite book I have favorite books anyways this is my list...in no particular order.............

• Blood and Chocolate
• Perfect Chemistry
• Graceling and Fire (because they really are a good pair in a series)
• The Tithe series
• The City of Bones series
• and the Wicked Lovely series (ha I picked six of my favorites technically)

well there aren't really any books that I hate but there are books that I don't exactly like

• Need
• The Luxe
• and Tantalize

.....................any others were to painful so I blocked them from memory.........so that's my list if you have questions feel free to ask.

Topic #14: Books

 In recognition of the nerve-wracking book presentations you all have to make, AND the essay you will be working on, let's make this one nice and easy, shall we?

Name your top five favorite books and/or authors.  Name your bottom three most hated books/authors.  You need to have read the entire book for it to be on the bottom list, because if you gave up after a chapter, you didn't give it a fair chance.  However, if you read one book and liked it at all, and then tried another book by the same author and hated it with the fury of a thousand suns, then put down that author's name and list the hated book, even if you didn't finish it.  Okay?

I have to grade essays right now, but I will come back on and give my list later today.

New Years Resolution

So I totally wrote a paragraph for this... and then, as Mr. Groom would say, Blogger.com began cursing at me telling me I had an error. Figures.

But the long and short of my previous rampage was that I want to take control of my education. I'm tired of not being satisfied by what is handed to me so I'm going to stop taking the premade path and pave my own.

New Year's Resolutions - Will C.

Well, seeing as how I'm perfect, I couldn't really think of anything that I would change about myself. So my resolution is to try and make everybody else understand that. Just kidding, I don't have a resolution.

I didn't really make any new years resolutions but it's never too late to start!



1) Stop assuming what people will do or say in affect with what I want to do or say to them.
2) Do homework THE NIGHT I happen to get it.
3) Take a picture everyday for the year
4) Try to stop snapping at people for little things
5) Eat more healthy

Annnd there you have it, my top 5 resolutions for 2010!

Resolutions.

My New Years resolution is to learn to forgive more easily. Im hold lots of grudges, and my mom keeps telling me i need to learn to let things go. So i thought. Maybe shes right. I have been holding a grudge against this girl for a year now, maybe its time to just forgive her and move on with my life. I dont have to like go up to her and apologize or anything like that, but be at peace with myself. I dont hate her, sont have a problem with her anymore, just dont assoiciate with her. Now that sounds like a better attitude.

When im driving, and someone cuts me off, just let it go instead of taking it out on everyone else the rest of my drive. No more middle finger for me! :)

-_- or ^_^ ... the first one

i do not like making new years resolutions because i never end up remembering them no matter what. so i have none whatsoever. so this entry will be a complete ramble so i can get credit ( insert fake grin). so i hope that this year will be better than the last and that our government makes some better choices than they did. and that all of your goals come true and that all mine do too.

New year resolutions

I don't usually make new year resolutions, because like everyone else I don't keep them. I'm not sure if I want this year to be much different from last year mainly because for me last year was pretty darn good, but one thing I will have to do to keep it like last year is to work hard now so later I can lay around and be lazy

A new year is always something to look forward to.

It feels weird knowing that another year has gone by already.....to me it seems that time goes by so quickly, then again time is relative so it's different for other people....sigh.....well for this year I just want to keep getting good grades, have fun, and just enjoy the rest of sophmore year and the beginning of junior year....yikes!!! thats scarry to think about...being a junior. Then it's only two years now till we graduate D: thats really weird.....I remember being in middle school and feeling older now i feel almost jeriatric lol well not really but i feel older. The nice thing about being older is people don't treat you like a child all of the time, but then again sometimes I don't like being more adult. Well one nice thing about it is that people don't get picked on as much as they use to, I mean I was friends with people who got picked on to no end and it's nice to see that now they don't have to worry about it as much, they can just be themselves. Because there is always some where for someone to be in highschool that fits them best. Anyways sorry for rambling. The new year will be good....I hope.

Only 2 More Years! And Then We Start All Over....

Wow, I'm sort of glad that it's a new year. I'm ready for a change, and a way to have a sort of marker in my life. I have alot of New Years resolutions, one's that are a little odd, but totally make sense at my point in life. I decided to see how long I can go without sugar, and that kind of goes hand in hand with getting in shape. (If you want a better explanation, ask me in person.) I want to be better at saying goodbye, and also telling people that I love them alot more often. I want to get a better control over myself. I'm pretty sure that someone's said, "When you conquer yourself, you can conquer nations" I want to be happier as a person, and with myself. I have really bad self esteem issues, and so I'm going to work on that. I want to fix some rifts with some people, and get things sorted out, and I want to be more honest. I think that's about it. Alot of my resolutions are really personal ones, like trying to find yourself. I really believe in the idea that you can't help others, until you've got yourself sorted out, so I guess I'm going to make myself better.

The changes 2012 will bring..

New years eve 2008, I was at my friend Ashleys house, in North Carolina. I remember Thinking about what my life would be like a year from then. I never imagined I would be back in Oregon at the end of 2009. My life has completly changed in the course of one year. 2009 was by far the worst year of my life, but then twards the end, it became better. So by the time 2010 came along, my life was back on the track it was supposed to be. So I have started this New Year off in a good way, and Ive decided to keep it that way. So...My New Years resolution has been to be more open minded. Ive learned that anything can and will happen. Absolutly anything is possible.

Don't wanna work in the building downtown

Parkin' the cars in the underground

So, here's my goal this year. My resolution. Or whatever. Are those the same thing? I guess you could say my goal to resolve (resolution, resol?). Go for everything. I'm tired of looking at the consequences of things over the positives, i.e. performing music in public. The fear of judgment, I want to overcome, because the few people that DO appreciate me are the people that I should care about, can't please everyone, right? Right. And another thing is not being afraid to speak my mind, I withhold a lot of opinions and things people should probably know about me because I'm afraid if they do they'll hate me, but if they hate me for me then why do I even try to please them?

Which goes back to the judgment thing and to wrap this up, my problem I'd like to resolve this year is being afraid of everyone else. It's gotta stop.

It's a New Year, another chance to get things right

i always make new years resolutions but i'm not that good at keeping them they just slip right out the door,. But this year I am going to try for change because i dont like things and I believe that if you dont like something then you should change it. Anyway a few my new year's resolutions are, I want to finish my self editing my book and get it peer read and edited then find someone to help me get it published, I am going to make sure this year I put a lot of time into my book. I also am going to start reading a lot more like i used too, on average I used to read a book in 1-2 days now it usually takes me like a month cuase i just dont think about it, and I miss my reading so i am going to read more. i also want to work on finishing my other stories and work on turning them into books as well, I have many starters and want to get them going. I have decided that I am going to stop eating junk food, because it is pointless and in the end you feel sick after eating it. I am going to get a job after my 16th birthday, and volunteer a lot at the asisted living facility where i do volunteer work. Get enrolled in online college classes in the summer, and narrow down my choices of where i want to go to school. Lastly, i want to get over being so shy and quiet, I am a better speaker through written words, than spoken words so I am quiet, I want to make more friends and not feel so distant from people. I know I have a lot to accomplish but i will do it all because one I love a challenge and two this year i am going to work hard and not just talk the talk i am going to walk the walk.

First Topic of the New Year! (Topic #13)

Seems obvious, doesn't it?

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

How would you like this year to be different from last year?  What will you do to make this year different from last year?


Here's my position on New Year's resolutions.

Even though I'm generally against New Year's resolutions, I do feel that the change in year number is appropriate for some changes; in my case, I want to be better about keeping up my own personal blog.  I plan to post to it every two to three days, no less, all year long.  (It's appropriate, by the way, because the blog archive starts a new category on January 1, so there is a genuine dermarcation in this case.  Check the link if you want to make sense of that.)  I swear to finish my second book sometime this year.  I swear I will read no fewer than 78 books this year.  Hopefully more, but definitely no less.  I don't care if I lose weight, though I'd love to get in better shape; but if I do gain weight, it will just mean I ate well, so that's just peachy with me.


What will you change in 2010?

Happy Solstice, Tony.

Do people like this better?  I can try a few different things . . .
Give me some input, here.