All My Interests

2003-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I have written. But I'm writing to inform you all that this will probably be my last blog. I've found that High School is much more demanding in my time than Junior High ever was. I've really enjoyed writing in the past month but I'm sorry to say that it will not continue. I may write the occasional blog when I'm bored but it will not be an every day occurrence. I really appreciate those that have read my blog and hope you gained something from them. If just one person did I'm satisfied with what I've done. So again, thank you all, and goodbye.

2003-08-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I finally finished my custom-built computer. This was one of the biggest, and the far most expensive project I have ever done. Through this process I learned patience is a virtue. I had to be really patient when my motherboard went dead, when something went wrong. There were so many problems, but my patience grew. The main reason I built this computer was to accommodate a game. The game is called "Star Wars Galaxies." I am a huge Star Wars fan and this game was going to let me play the life of a person in the Star Wars Universe. I played it last night and the price I paid (through money and frustration with my computer) paid off. I love this game. But more importantly I gained skills in the field I want to make a career in, Computer Science. I don't know where I want to be a technician or a programmer. But I'm gaining skills in the are of Computers. It felt really good when I started up my computer for the first time. A great sense of completion. It's like when you read a book, and your satisfied that you finished, but about 10 times more satisfying! It feels great.

2003-08-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today I'm gonna talk about a little something called integrity. It's a quality that everyone needs in life to succeed. Here's an example that has plagued me for about a month. A motherboard I bought was dead when it was delivered so I sent it back to the company for a refund. They said the longest it would take was 30 days, they told me that 30 days ago. They made up so many excuses of why it hadn't been credited, they gave me false information all the time. That shows they have absolutely no integrity. But luckily today they credited my account. But it has been a painstaking process. But without integrity no one will trust you, such as coworkers, family, friends, etc. Without trust there will be no one willing to help/support you. Integrity is the foundation of a person, along with many other qualities of course. But I just wanted to get that out because it has really been bothering me. But today was the end of the first week of school, I'm looking forward to the rest of them. I really think High School is where I'll grow mature wise and mentally. That's it! Thanks for reading.

2003-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ok...so it's been a few days of High School and I've pretty much learned the ropes of how the system works. It's been a while since I wrote due to the fact that on Tuesday I was way busy and yesterday my computer was being fixed. Well anyways, one of my least favorite classes is math. I'm taking physics right now (and Intermidiate Algebra), but physics looks fun but it is going to take a lot of math. I'm kind of worried, but my sister has promised to help me with any of it (she took it as a senior last year). I'm also taking Drivers Ed and am kind of nervous about that. The thought that I may have to drive with some classmates is kind of rattling my brain, but I think I'll do well. Two of my favorite classes are English and Creative Writing. One of the things I've been trying to focus on to better my writing is expanding my Vocabulary, and that is one of the first subjects we'll be working on in English. In Creative Writing, the name pretty much explains itself, we write. It's going to help me be a lot more creative with my writing and I'm happy to learn. Well, thats all I've got to talk about for today. So thanks for reading, and one more thing...I might not be writing everyday due to my busy schedule so don't worry!

2003-08-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Today was the first of my High School days. I wasn't very nervous until the night before but it was an excited nervous. But my best friends mom took us and right as we got up to the school I got nervous nervous. When I walked in I saw many faces I didn't yet know. It was quite what I had imagined. All the sophomores were frantic trying to find there classes in a school that was about twice as big as there previous Junior High. We have A days and B days. On A days we go to our first four classes and on B Day we go to the last four. So I have yet to meet all my teachers. But one teacher really stood out in my mind as someone I'd enjoy learning about. It was my English teacher. I think he will really help me succeed in writing. I got used to the different halls as the day went on but am still a little confused. But I'll get the hang of it. I had two classes with people I know...but I didn't know them very well. I think I will meet a lot of really great people in High School. Believe it or not I'm kind of excited to make my way through High School. I'm definitely going to try a lot harder than I did in Junior High. But I'm sure as the week progress's I will have more experiences to share.

2003-08-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I discussed my thirst for knowledge. I'm trying to fulfill that thirst in the writing department of my life. I really enjoy writing and am trying to do all I can to grow and become better at it. A few days ago I started reading the classic novel, "Treasure Island." At first I was skeptical, the language was that of nothing I had read before. I could barely follow the story. But someone persuaded me to persevere and try and get through it. So instead of giving up I am trying to get through this book. Sooner or later I'm going to have to read these sort of novels, with this sort of language. "Why not be ahead of the game and get used to this kind of writing now?" I asked myself. I feel that by reading this book I will expand my vocabulary, imagination, and improve my writing style. Robert Louis Stevenson has a way with words, if I can incorporate some of his style into my own I could improve tremendously in my writing. I am going to continue reading this style of book, (the classics I mean) for a long time. It will do me some good in the long run I believe. On another note High School starts tomorrow, nervousness has set in, but in the form of excitement!

2003-08-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Courage. To me courage is one of the most important characteristics a person can have. Without courage a person could not persevere in tough times. I know of this because my Mom and dad have a tremendous amount of it. My mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. I was in the third grade. My dad showed courage by putting his job on hold to take care of my Mom while she stayed by the hospital. He took care of her better than I could ever imagine. Without my dad I think my Mom would not have survived. My Mom began cancer with fear, not as much courage as she would need. But she told me that one night she sat in the hospital, scared to death, when she told God that she would do this. But she didn't want to go through it with this tremendous amount of fear. Right after that she felt a sensation from the top of her head out her feet. She was no long afraid. I believe God gave her the courage she needed. But my Mom went through this with hardly any problems, and always looking ahead. If I had half the courage my parents have I would be happy. I love my parents and look up to them as hero's. I wish that there courage is passed onto my sister and I. Thanks for reading.

2003-08-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

I enjoy learning. I love learning new facts all the time. When I'm in the car with my parents and they're listening to talk radio I ask questions about the difference between conservatism and libertarianism. I can't stand not understanding what people are talking about. But I don't like having someone else teach it to me, such as a teacher. I'd rather learn in more creative ways then being lectured by a boring monotone man/woman. The classroom is my least favorite place to learn. Here's the environment of one of my classrooms. A teacher's standing at the chalkboard writing facts on a board, and talking about these facts, to the chalkboard. This makes it near impossible to hear. Add the babbling of the future drop out moron next to me and you've got yourself a vacuum. You obviously can't understand what's going on when there is a vacuum going off in the room. I'd rather have a classroom with students who are yearning to learn, and a teacher that wants to satisfy the knowledge of the student's. I have yet to see a classroom with this kind of environment. Well, I have, it's called my bedroom, at night, in a silent house. Just me and a book, or a Television set. I enjoy watching the history channel. I enjoy teaching myself. I can't stand a room full of mindless idiots that can't wait to go to lunch to do God knows what. I'm sorry if I sound a little rude but this subject has plagued me for many years. I have a right to be harsh. I also know there are others out there just like me, who have there own personal vacuum in which they can't learn. The world isn't full of morons, but it sure seems like there is a lot of them.

2003-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Monday, the last Monday of my summer. School starts on the 25th of August (one week from yesterday). When I say school starts on the 25th, I mean High School starts. This will be my first day of High School. Just before my 9th grade ended I was excited to go to High School, everyone else was nervous or scared but for some reason I wasn't. But a few days ago I went to my new High School to get my class schedule and all that good stuff and a friend and I went wondering around the halls. They were endless, we got lost so many times. One of my classes was in D Hall, so I asked someone "Where is D Hall?", and they replied. "D Hall is an entire different building." I thought to myself..."What is going on?" Then I started getting nervous and scared. There is what seems like four of my Junior Highs in this one High School. Now I can see why everyone was scared/nervous. But for me it is a kind of excited anxiety. I honestly can't wait to explore this school, meet new people, and finally learn to drive. This High School could either be sent from God or my very own Death Bed!

2003-08-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went shopping for school clothes today and on our way home I saw a man on the street holding up a sign saying "Need money for bus ticket." I started thinking that I am so blessed in the life that has been handed to me. Here I am going home in a nice car with a whole new lot of clothes to wear and this guy is standing asking for money. I have two parents that love me very much and provide me with everything I need and then some. I have never heard them fight or anything of that matter. I have a sister who I love and is like my best friend. I have food on the table every day and a wonderful house over my head. I feel like I have taken everything I have for granted, and that makes me feel selfish. So I hope this is a lesson to someone (it is to me) that cherish every thing you have. Whether is be the clothes on your back or the mansion you live in. We've all been handed something in life and I believe the man on that road was there to teach me to love everything I have, and maybe to give something back to the less fortunate. So take what you have and cherish it, every little bit.

2003-08-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

I had started this blog to rekindle my writing career but recently decided that writing a blog was of no use. I thought that no one would read and it would do no good for anyone. But today I was promoting my message board (after I had stopped writing in my blog) when I came across what I believe to be a man (his I.D. on my message board was jo5hn) said he enjoyed my writing and hoped I would continue writing in my blog. I really enjoy writing, it's a kind of release for me, but I never thought I could get anywhere with it. I was going to give up on writing at the beginning of this summer. But before I had decided to stop I submitted one of my poems for publication. In the middle of the summer I got a note saying it would be published. That made me feel my writing was going well. But I still was giving up. My ninth grade English teacher said I had great writing and it would get me places. But a while ago I decided it was over. My writing career was finished. But jo5hn made me feel that people enjoyed my writing. I guess I just needed a third opinion. It always made me feel good when I write, but I guess my writing was just on pause. I believe it's back. I would like to thank jo5hn for his compliment of my writing. Thanks for reading!

2003-08-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

I have had many friends in my life but there are only a few that have been really close friends, or my best friends. I've never been able to hold onto a best friend for longer than a year. The definition of "best friend" to me is someone who you can trust, count on, and just never get sick of. My best friends and I always go our separate ways at some point in time. But about a year ago I met someone...we'll call him "D." We started hanging out a lot and we got to be really good friends fast. Today I consider him one the best friends I have ever had. But besides friends my age I've had two friends that have been there my whole life. My mom and dad. They have taught me everything they know about life and are still teaching. I really enjoy spending time them. All my family members say I'm getting more and more like my dad every day. And to me that is a good thing. If I could grow up to be half the man he is today I would be happy. He's taken care of my entire family when times are rough and that man is my Hero. People say that an athlete or an actor are there's, but mine has been the same for my entire life. My dad. My mom is one of the strongest people I know. I really wish I could have her courage and strength when I grow up. So as you can see my parents are pretty extraordinary people. I really admire them with all my heart.

2003-08-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

One of the passions I have is the sport of basketball. I've been playing since I was about six so it's been about 9 years. I played basketball all through Junior High on the school team and am now looking forward to playing High School ball. Something basketball has provided for me is a kind of sanctuary on the court. Whenever I play basketball I forget about all of my problems and just play. Or when I'm home and have a problem I can go out into my driveway and just think things out while I play. Basketball is something I really couldn't live without. I am identified with the sport with friends and people who are close to me. Whenever I go to a family reunion or something they always ask "How's basketball?" I've always wanted to play pro in the NBA. It's one of the biggest dreams I have. When I was younger I would pretend to make the game winning shot as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, or Michael Jordan. I have a poster of Michael Jordan that shows him spreading out his arms, it's about six feet long. At the bottom is a quote by William Blake that pretty much sums up my basketball "career." It says, "No Bird Soars to High if He Soars With His Own Wings." I feel like I have played and taught myself the game of basketball. Though I have had many coaches in my life I feel that the best one was myself. I love basketball and never want to stop playing. It's one of the biggest parts of me, it's a game I love!

2003-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'll be talking about a different subject than I have in the past two entries. It's a hobby of mine that I recently discovered...Computers. In my English class we have to do a thing called a job shadow. It's where we go to a business in which we would like to work for a career in the future. I chose a local computer store. I had an interest in computers before this job shadow but I really got interested in them after I left this store. While I was there I learned more in that day about computers than I had in my entire life. I got to build a computer! That really sparked my starvation for knowledge. I had always wanted a computer but it was always to expensive for me. But I found that building computers was a lot less expensive than buying one from a store. So I set out on a mission to save up my money and build a computer. That was about 2 months ago. I'm learning a lot of patience with building this computer (which is still in progress). I have had hardware troubles and software troubles. But I'm learning more and more as I read more and more about computers. When I get this project done it will be so satisfying. I not only learned about the career path I want, but patience. I've learned that "patience" is a virtue. But I really feel good about the knowledge I've gained even though the project is still unfinished. But I will let you all know when it is complete. Thanks for reading.

2003-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello once again,
Today I will be talking about a subject that has plagued be for a very long time, in my very short life. I live in Utah, which is mostly referred to as Mormonville, USA...or The Mormon Capital of the World. Here's a statistic, about 85% of residents in Utah are Mormon. I am in the 15% non-Mormon area. Utah is so Mormon oriented that I feel I can't see outside of it and see other cultures. I have decided, at 15, that I will be attending College in some other state hopefully. I don't want to spend my life constricted my Mormons. I have nothing against the religion...I have tried it myself. But it doesn't fit with my own system of beliefs. In my Geography class we studied religions from the West (India, Saudi Arabia, etc.) I looked further into these religions to see if I could make one my own. I looked at Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and many others. But I couldn't grasp any of them. When I couldn't find a religion I started questioning the existence of God...but on a faithful day he discovered me and I discovered him. My grandma had been in the hospital and my mother was calling to check up on her. As soon as she got off the phone she burst into tears and ran to the hospital. She told me to wait for my uncle to call before I left for the hospital. I sat crying, harder than I had in a long time. Yelling at the top of my lungs, "Don't do this to me God. Don't blow me off now." I found God that day. He also did do it to me. It turned out my grandmother was ok and she is fine now. This experience was only a few weeks ago. But I feel a strong bond with God now. He may not be a man nor a woman. For all I know he could just be a "spiritual being." But he's out there, and I know it. But anyway, I still haven't found a "Religion" yet but have my own system of beliefs. I feel that I can grasp onto my own system of beliefs better than any religion I've discovered. Some people need to go to a church...but I don't. All I need to do is talk with my God every now and then, and that makes me feel secure. Thanks for reading.

2003-08-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This is my first (of hopefully many) blogs. I'm writing to share my interests with the outside world and get feedback on them. But it's not only for my interests. I'll be sharing moments of my life and experiences I've had (which are many) in it. I'm only 15 but I feel so much is going on around me. I've tried journals but it just doesn't cut it for me. I need to express my experiences, interests and emotions with other people. But let's start out with a few simple things about myself. I'm a 15 year old male from about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah. I will be heading into high school on the 25th of this month. I play basketball, football, billiards, and a little bit of golf. I've just started getting into computers and have almost finished building my first one. I guess thats it. But I've also created a message board in which anyone can discuss topics on any of my interests. The url is http://pub218.ezboard.com/ballmyinterests...I'll be expanding on my interests/hobbies in the future. I'll also be trying to write everyday. Thanks for reading.