Your Neighbor, What A Guy

What a Steel!

2009-06-21T17:53:00.007-04:00

The vacation from which I have just returned was the best I have ever taken. There was so much to enjoy and so much that I loved about it. I experienced the thrill of parasailing, something I have marveled over for quite some time. I remember being in Ocean City and seeing the big parachutes in the air over the water, wondering how high up the people were. In the Bahamas, the water is clear. It is magnificently unclouded by anything, except the fine sand. It is so fine that you can not even see the grains. I compare it to Squand, that sand that is solid under water, but regular and dry out of it. It is so soft and smooth.

Anyway, the time came for my mother (who says she's afraid of heights) and I to get hooked up to the line, which was connected to the boat. We stood on the platform in the ocean, with some apprehension. We were all hooked up and we exchanged a glance of shock with each other. We semi-collected ourselves for the last time and then we were on our way up. Both of us thought we would be freaking out the whole time, but there was no time for that. There wasn't enough time before we were up to worry about anything. We just looked in awe at our surroundings- the see-through water, the endless horizon. We could actually see the whole entire island of Grand Bahama, which is only seventeen miles wide. We saw the other side and it was spectacular. When we returned to the platform, we could not believe what we had just done. Four hundred feet up in the air over water may not sound exciting, but it is and I highly recommend it.

The second best experience in the Bahamas was meeting the entertainment at Coconuts, the outdoor bar/sitting place. There had been a band there the previous night and they were OK, but not the best. This time there was a two-piece band with a drum set and a steel pan drum. Being a drummer/percussionist, I was immediately intrigued by the two. I was amazed at the steel pan. My mom went over to talk to the man behind it, Davie. I then heard my name being called. It was my mom and I went over to where she and Davie were talking. Davie asked my name and how I got started with drums. He then handed me the mallets, (which were just short sticks with rubber tips) and my whole face lit up. I could feel it. I just started whacking out some notes and it didn't matter what it was, anything sounds awesome on a steel drum. That was amazing. The drummer then stood up and handed me his sticks (which were regular drumsticks) and I took a seat behind the set. I played some standard beats because I couldn't really think of what to do. I was in such bliss. It sounded better than what I played on the steel, I'm sure, but the steel stood out. All this time, I had an audience. There were a good number of people sitting and mostly drinking. I did not care if they were paying attention at all, I had the best time. Now, I really want a steel pan.

While in Disney, before the Bahamas, my step-brother and I were wandering through Innovations. I think that is what it was called, maybe Innoventions. Anyway, it is a part of Epcot that has somewhat futuristic things to do sponsored by various companies. Most of the stuff though, is just really neat, like Segways. I got to ride on one and that was really cool. One area was done by IBM, the computer company. Their set-up was a video game, where you were the star. Small booths took our picture while we ran, jumped, and danced. Then we went over to an arcade machine and started playing. It was really fun, and you can even play it here. While waiting for a spot to do all this, the line lady who stood at the entrance of the area said, "Just a minute, then you and dad can go to booth number four." I didn't quite know how to take that. I hadn't shaved in a few days, so I did have some stubble, but not a lot. I couldn't really feel it, anyway. Apparently I look like I could have a son who is almost twelve. That means I would have to have been six or seven at the time of birth. I laughed and we just went into the booth.

Today, I was walking with my younger cousin who was riding his scooter around the block. Let me just say, I love that kid. He is hilariously funny. He makes the most random comments and does some really funny things. We went around the court and then on the way back down the hill, he fell off his scooter into the ivy in the neighbor's yard. I think he was exaggerating just a little bit, but I asked him if he was alright. He said "Yeah, I just tripped over this," pointing to a crack in the sidewalk. It was all good and we started towards the corner, then turned left to go up the street. About halfway up the hill, I told him to start over to the other side, so we walked across the street. He started to get a little pace, but he was careful and he kept his foot on the brake. A little ways down, he fell off again. He was on the ground this time, unlike the first spill. I asked him if he was OK and this time he wasn't. I knew it really was not that bad, so I ran over to him goofily. He started to laugh and he showed me his knee. "Now, you look like me," I said, showing him my knees, which had been beat up from the bottom of a pool. There was a lady on the corner who was spraying weeds. (That sounds good, a lady on the corner with weed. Let's try that again.) There was a woman from the house on the corner who was spraying weeds around her yard. (That's better, right?) She saw my cousin fall and asked if we needed a Band-Aid. I said, "No, we're right up here," gesturing towards my house. She said "OK," and we started for the house. A few steps later, I heard, "Happy Father's Day!" I turned back and thanked her and laughed to myself.

This was twice in one month that someone thought I was a father. I had the same amount of facial hair as last time, so that wasn't what made her think it. At least this time, my "son" was younger; he's only five. That means that I was thirteen when he was born. I find it all very amusing, but at the same time, perhaps a little scared. There are people out there that think I could be a father. I am very honored by this, of course, but I'm just eighteen now. Hopefully, when the time comes for me to have my own children, I can be a great father to them. I pray that God gives me all the skills necessary to be a great one. Happy Father's Day to all the real fathers out there and to the future ones, too.

And They Have Guns...

2009-06-12T20:16:00.005-04:00

This vacation has, so far, been the best I have been on. I believe we're talking best of all time here. We'll just have to see when it's all said and done. Speaking of what's done, I have experienced the riches (believe me, they're quite rich) of Disney World and the wetness of Wet 'n Wild. However, the journey getting there had its own ups and downs. One such instance occurred in a small period of time, when I was driving.

I only drove for about two and a half hours and, on the way to lunch, I encountered first-hand the classic "moron". After I got off the exit, I started searching for someplace to eat. Burger King was the first place we saw, so I started in that direction. I had to turn left in order to get into the parking lot and there was a lane for doing so. I made my way into that lane, but before I got to the line where I would wait for no opposing traffic, it appeared- the "moron", also known as "idiot", "imbecile", or the descriptive "stupid". (Note that any of these words may be combined with other names, depending on the subject at hand.) This particular moron came from in front of me, crossing his lane and entering my left turn lane. I was about half way to the line and he was about to occupy that same space. I immediately started braking and I threw my arms (both of them, probably not that smart) into the air and shouted "What are you doing!?" I knew that the moron could not hear me because loss of hearing is characteristic of morons. I continued with verbal assaults at his intelligence, however not with a horn. The horn would do nothing but scare the moron even though he couldn't hear very well. The moron finally realized his errors (there were multiple) when he was about ten feet from my vehicle and swerved back into his habitat, wherever that was.

Then, not even a minute later, another moron appeared. It is somewhat abnormal for morons to be near each other because of all the stupidity. They don't realize how dumb they are and will begin attacking each other. They are too dumb to learn that they need to stay together for their own good. Anyway, as I entered the parking lot, the second moron was there, blocking the entrance. I could not get past it. She would not move, but she could see that I wanted her too. She tried with all her heart (because there is no brain) to get out of my way, but to no avail. Again, it took a moment for her to notice her mistakes.

I evaded the morons as best I could, but they did get me in the end. Thankfully they were not the armed kind. A lot of ads for shooting ranges and gun shops were heard on the radio. I just kept thinking "And these people have guns." It would have been so much worse if the morons were armed. They could have killed themselves, or even others such as myself or my passengers. They are everywhere and we must all keep our eyes on them if we don't want to become one of them. Here's to a moron-free vacation and life for all of you.

What's Going On?

2009-06-02T19:56:00.002-04:00

Well, what? This past month of May has been a very busy one, and it will not slow down until after I graduate, which is this Friday thankfully. Yes, high school is all over for me on June fifth. It has been a great four years, and I am ready to move on for the most part. I am done with all of the repetitiveness of high school, all its drama and annoying people. However, I will miss some people, like the ones who I have been with for four years. I was going to talk about this later, but I'm just kind of rolling into it.

The people that I have seen every day of my four years of high school, in my Agribusiness/Animal Science class, are some great people. I have had the pleasure of getting to them them quite well and four of them hang out with me pretty regularly. Did I mention that my whole class is girls? Yes, everyone, except me, is female. That fact has really not posed any problems with becoming friends with them. I have/had a couple of guy best friends that I was close to, but I do not see them often, so we have drifted apart. I now seem to spend my time with girls more often than guys which, if I had not gotten to know the girls, would have been weird. And of course, there's my wonderful girlfriend who I love to be around. I really do not know what else to say, except that these girls have made high school better and I will miss them.

In other news, I kind of need a job. I have applied at Chuck E. Cheese and Target and have not heard from either of them. Well, I did get an e-mail from Target saying that they could not offer me a position. That was two hours at Target wasted. I went back two days later to find out that their "Now Hiring" signs really mean "Cashiers Wanted" because that was the only position open. I tried to apply for that, but the machine said that it already had my application stored. I do not know if that means that it applied for cashier for me, or it just denied me. Anyway, I might go and see if Chick-Fil-A is hiring. I saw on snagajob.com that they were hiring, but I do not want to join the site just to apply. On their website, it just said call the location for which you wish to apply. I might go there tomorrow and see. I really do not want to be a cashier. I can do it, but it just is not enjoyable for me. If that was not my duty all the time, I could do it, but I definitely do not want to be only a cashier.

As my high school career comes to a close, my college career will begin in a few months. My major is Criminal Justice with the option in arts, I think. There was an option in legal studies, but that's more law jargon and stuff that does not interest me. I am still unsure about a career, but I can figure that out later. I do know that I am excited for the future opportunities that will be coming my way, and I will remember high school as a time that helped make me into the person I am today.

(No) Unconscious, but Awake

2009-05-28T22:12:00.008-04:00

I have been thinking, thinking an awful lot. Well, it's not an awful lot. It's been good stuff, not awful. So, I have been thinking a good bit. There, that's more positive.

I'm in Ocean City right now for the Delaware-Maryland Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I have been participating in this event for the past two or three years. I think three. I really like all of the discussion that goes on. I'm not sure how many people are present, but there might be around four hundred, or maybe more. There are ballots on different topics, resolutions on various subjects. There can be amendments to the constitution or adjustments to the agenda. There are microphones set up (two for "in favor of" and two for "against") in the aisles between the rows of seating.

The particular resolution to be voted on dealt with youth/young adults attending the Assembly. It called for an additional voting member to participate in going to the Assembly. There was a motion made to take the resolution back to be reviewed by the committee. Then, the discussion started. There were people in favor of it being reviewed but against the resolution itself, people against the committee but for the resolution, and every other possibility. It's a good thing the air was blasting in the room, because discussion got heated very quickly. At least twenty people got up to speak their opinion into the microphone. Discussion on whether or not it should go back to committee lasted for about fifteen minutes. It was cut off by a "call to question" motion, which calls for a vote to decide whether debate should keep going or not. The results were to stop debate.

Then, there was debate on the actual resolution itself. People against it, were mostly reluctant to go against it because youth/young adult participation is almost nonexistent. I would say the average age in the room was around 50. The Bishop had informed us earlier that there were just thirty five people under thirty five. They had all those who were under that age stand up to be recognized. It felt great. Anyway, the people who were against the resolution were all older people. The people in favor of it were mostly younger, but there were a few older ones as well. Throughout another fifteen to twenty minutes there was heated debate on the resolution. That's the part that I enjoy. Older people were questioning where the young people were. I was right there. I almost got up to speak, but another "call to question" was called. I was a little disappointed at myself for not speaking, but it was fine. The debate was halted and the vote on the resolution itself now occurred. Fortunately, it passed by a margin. It wasn't a great margin, but it did win. I was happy with that.

On a lighter note, we walked on the boardwalk on Wednesday. Our hotel is located at the very end of the boardwalk, just one street away from the final twenty seventh street. The whole boardwalk is two and a half miles long. We walked all the way up and all the way back. That is a total of five miles walked. On the way up, I wanted to stop at The Kite Loft. I didn't really find anything that I wanted, but I found a cool sled kite with a jolly roger on it. It was seven dollars, so I got it. (Thank you, mom.) We walked the rest of the way up, then just a little past all the way up, we stopped to fly the kite. It was a perfect day for kites, nice and windy. As soon as I let the kite go with a little bit of line, it took off. I stood there and let the line go for a while, not all the way out, but a good length of it. Feelings of child-like emotion rushed through me and I felt very light, as light as the kite.

Later on the way back, we stopped for some food. We saw a sign for fried Oreos. I was skeptical at the idea of this, but my mom persuaded me to try them. The first bite was incredible, and it got better as it went on. They were so delicious. I love Oreos anyway, so why not deep fry them? To be honest, if I had a deep fryer, I would be putting all kinds of food in there. It's probably for the better that I don't own one, for health's sake.

As you might be able to tell, I am typing this. I'm really here. I'm going to start blogging again, and of course I will continue with poems and songs and writing in general. Yesterday, I'm not sure if I was tired or what, but I felt like I was unconscious. However, I was awake. It is the strangest feeling I have ever experienced, but it was a good one. I was just floating there. That's where the latter part of the title comes in. The "No" part, obviously, is an answer to my last post.

I suppose I should end this post now. I'm sitting on the side of the room, semi-listening to the people on stage talk. Thank you and have a great day.

Is it the End?

2009-05-28T10:27:00.002-04:00

Good day, everyone:

I am writing this letter to inform you that I may or may not be posting anymore. I have been using my observations to write poems and songs (songs still with no guitar) lately. I consider what I have written to be somewhat successful and hope to publish a collection of poems, songs, etc. sometime in my life, once I have written an amount worthy for a book. I would like to thank all those who have supported me with this endeavor and to those who will keep supporting me.

Sincerely,

Marc

White "T"

2009-01-09T20:14:00.003-05:00

"T" being tea, that is. I just drank some white tea, which is supposed to be one of the best for you. It is disputed whether it is better than green tea or not. I am unsure, but what I drink is quite delicious.

Right now, I should be getting caught up on the Web Design class I am taking online. It has been a learning experience. Basically, you learn HTML, and how to apply it and make a web page. I really have learned a lot. It is a non-credit course, so there's no hassle and no need to turn in any work. There are nine or ten out of twelve lessons available and I believe I am almost done the seventh. There are five chapters in a lesson. Typically, after a lesson is completed, there is an assignment (which builds on previous lessons; this gets annoying because of the repetition) and a quiz (these are usually easy). Neither the assignments nor the quizzes are required. They are optional;all that you must do is take the final exam. That is the only way to get a certificate of completion. However, as you can tell, I am not currently doing that.

Oh yeah, thank you to those who donated to the Laptop Fund. I got a very nice Dell Inspiron 1525. I love it. It is so much easier to use (and more fun, may I add) than the desktop computer. Sometimes the Internet craps out on that, but on the laptop, the wireless never fails. OK, I got it for Christmas from my father.

This was the best Christmas I have ever had. Not only did I get a laptop, but also a drum set. I don't know which is better. I think they are both so amazing! I have wanted a drum set for, I don't know how long. As you may know, I play in my youth group band, Chosen. Now, I can actually practice, which for sure does not hurt. Not that I am anywhere near bad at drums, but definitely far from perfect. Like I said in a previous post, I am learning to play bass, too. Once again, it's just the memorization aspect of it all. We should jam some time!

Let's talk books. For the first time since I was very young, I am reading. It is rather scary. I have read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for school, which was a very good book. A lot of my peers did not find it appealing, but I thought it was great. Then, for an outside reading project, I read Saint by Ted Dekker which, admittedly, I was reading before the assignment was given. That was a little interesting, not as good as I thought it was going to be, being a bit anticlimactic, but the message was what was important. What's scarier is that I am reading purely for pleasure, not having been assigned anything. The scariest is my choice of books- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I had heard of it before, not knowing what it was. I knew it had to be somewhat strange, for Heath Ledger used it to develop his Joker character. I was intrigued by that and one day while at the mall, I went into a Borders to spend the $6.40 I had left on a gift card. I expected to walk out with Khaled Hosseini's other novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, but somehow walked out with A Clockwork Orange. I recommend finding more out about it. It has not ceased to amaze me yet and I don't think it will. I was also browsing George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. Maybe I am just attracted to curious, and possibly bizarre, books.

So, there is an update on everything. (Pretty much everything, anyway.) I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's and wish you a good one for 2009.

The New Stuff

2008-12-11T19:03:00.005-05:00

So, here are the two things that I have written. Refer to last post for more information. (Again, you should read The Silent at least a couple of times.)

The Silent
Do you hear the silence?
It's screaming it's so loud.
Deafening silence, screaming silencing silence.
Screaming silent silencing silence at the silenced silent, who beg for silence instead of screaming.
They are the silent screamers who scream for silence and when they get it,
they will be screaming.

(This is the song that I wrote, but I can't play guitar or piano...or trumpet for that matter. Refer to last post.)

Watch Out
Gonna march right in there
Gonna get what I want- Yeah!
Better not get in my way, now
You better watch out for me

You think I'm a pushover?
Well you won't see me comin'
Better get out of my way, now
You better watch out for me

Hey look out now!

So maybe I'm a pushover...
The reason you don't see me coming
is that I'm not really there, am I?
Please watch out for me...

First stanza- Starts off fast and really big. Possibilities include a full orchestra.
Second stanza- Still large.
"Hey!"- Starts the long musical interlude. Could have a few solos of various instruments. Dies down at the end to only strings.
Last stanza- Not robust, very quiet; defeated.

There they are. I finally put stuff up. Please tell me what you think.

Thank you

This is my own original, creative work.

I've Got Some New Stuff For YOU!

2008-12-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

How has everyone been? I know it has been a little bit, but that's alright. I have been writing some stuff. I wrote a poem. I think it's pretty thought provoking. Maybe I over-use words, but it puts more emphasis on it. I also wrote a song and it makes me wish I could play guitar and/or piano. Or even trumpet. Speaking of these instruments, I want to learn how to actually play guitar and bass. I have a bass. It's like, a starter bass, but it's nice- all black, cool shape. I used to be into it a lot more. I have a lot of printed out tabs that I have collected over time. And semi-recently, I printed a note/chord chart type of thing. It's all memorization. If you memorize all the chords, in theory, you should be able to play them. I guess that's the hard part though, memorizing a lot of chords and remembering where your fingers go on the frets.

So I will put up the songs here in a separate post, and on my Myspace- http://www.myspace.com/the_maddest_of_the_doggs
You have to be my friend to see my stuff there, so... yeah.

Anyway, my college classes are done. I just have to take a final for the computer one. They were pretty good. My other class, Career and Life Planning, actually helped me decide what I want to do in life, or at least major in. I am split between Criminal Justice and Creative Writing. Now I am down to two, at least. Before, I had no idea.

I applied for a job at Best Buy for "Loss Prevention." I thought that sounded awesome. I would love to work at Best Buy. I have not heard anything, but hopefully I do. I go to Best Buy a lot. My friends and I, if we get bored when we are out, ask each other "Do you want to go to Best Buy?" So we always go. We'll play games that they have set up- Wii, Rockband, Guitar Hero- whatever is there. We'll look at cameras and games, too. It's a really good time. I just love being there. Possibly the inner electronics geek inside me. I think we all have some of that, or maybe it's just with everything that we think looks cool.

So, the song and poem should be up soon. They're handwritten, so I have to type them.

Boo That Man

2008-11-05T16:25:00.002-05:00

This was a bulletin I posted on Myspace:

(stupid oprah)

i hope that when obama "spreads the wealth", they take all her money away.
don't even give it to anyone, just take it away.
she thinks 52% is an overwhelming majority of how people feel about who they wanted.
There is a big split.
There wouldn't be such a big split if people actually payed attention to who the guy is and what he is for... Who is he? Exactly! No one knows!!!!!
You people who think that all our problems are just gonna get washed away...just wait. It might seem all fine for a little while, but just when it seems like it's working- BAM!!!- it's all gonna crumble and fall apart.
Wait.

I wasn't in the mood for writing all proper and such, so, sorry.

November 4

2008-11-03T17:57:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow is election day, here in the U.S. I am pretty excited about it, even though I can not vote yet. I wish I could, because I would be campaigning like crazy for...

McCain '08!!!!!!!!!!

There's who I would vote for if I was 18, just a mere four months and ten days away from tomorrow. It would be cool if they would let younger people vote. I suppose the age for "maturity" is 18 and the lawmakers want to let the "kids" be "kid's" for as long as possible. This may be a good thing, as there are some very immature and ignorant (remember ignorant is "not knowing") young people out there; I am sure most of them attend my school, however. Just a harmless bashing there, but I really do think that most of my peers do not care. If they don't care now, I hope they do by the time they need to, or my generation is in trouble. Perhaps they're just waiting to care when they really need to.

"Waiting to Care" would be an awesome band name, especially if it was a punk band with young people, (who couldn't vote) of course. They'd be like "We're Waiting to Care and we're just living life one day at a time. We really want to spread that feeling around to you guys. We're just like you; we don't want to get old and have all those responsibilities. That stuff's for adults. And right now, we're just Waiting to Care!" With that final shout, the lights would beam up and a song would begin. You would probably hear about them getting in some trouble and being hospitalized for injuries- or drug problems. One member would most likely die (the cause could be a number of things.) Then a fellow member would some out and say "I'm just glad that he didn't have to grow up and get old and bothered by all the stuff that's going on in this world." That would be taken "the wrong way" and the family of the deceased would get angry at the member who said it. A huge brawl of words (between families) and fists (between members) would erupt and the band would come to an end. Not a lot would be heard until much later. About twenty years down the road, they would suddenly come out of nowhere and start working together again, with another close friend filling in for the dead. Their "re-debut" album would release on the 20 year anniversary of their lost friend. After that, they would do some other stuff and it would be all good.

Wow, I just kinda took that and ran with it. Ran really fast. Sprinted, but it was an endurance sprint. That's possible, right?

Anyway!!!

VOTE McCain for President '08!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Night!

10% or 100% Allergic

2008-10-14T20:28:00.005-04:00

I have been really into the White Stripes lately. I'm almost 100% sure that they're my favorite band. I don't even have their early albums, just Elephant and on. I should go get those, to complete my collection. They just are so amazing. Combining the complexity of Jack's guitar and the simplicity of Meg's drumming I think is what makes them so appealing. They sure are a mystery though. In interviews they said "When we get in front of people, we don't know what's gonna happen. I'll [Jack] play the first note and Meg will know what song it is." They just improvise. I think that's like, a whole other level of professionalism.

Dealing with school, I just completed my project for my computer class over at the college. I was really relieved to get it done. I had no idea how to lay it out and I got kind of frustrated. I prayed that God would help me, and when I sat down today, it all just came to me. That is Awesome, with a capital A! So, I am really happy for that. Also, our Food Science team who won states is going to nationals. The National Convention will take place next week, October 21-25 in Indianapolis. Indy, here we come! We have been practicing for a while, though more probably wouldn't hurt.

An update on Halloween: I have acquired basically all of the necessary garments and gear for the big night. Due to C-Mart closing down, (last day is this Saturday; they're website is actually kind of funny...or pathetic, however you look at it) their sales are crazy and the people are even crazier. The mobs of people that invade that place is nuts. Although the sales are 70%-90% everything in the store, most of the stuff is crappy. I did get a really nice tux jacket for 10 dollars, though, and the jacket I will wear for my Joker costume was $2. Now I need purple dye because the jacket is white.

I hate freaking wishbones! Does anyone else, when you eat a turkey or similar poultry product, dry the wishbone out and then try to break it using just your pinkie and thumb? This is with two people, of course, one at either end of the wishbone. Then, you just pull as hard as you can and see who has the bigger end. The person who wins gets a wish and the loser, gets...a broken bone! Ha ha! Ba-dum, tsss! I have no recollection of ever winning one of these battles and, even after carefully studying the bone, I still end up with the small part. My mom said "I guess I just need more wishes." I suppose that makes sense. Maybe I should be grateful that I don't need a wish. Fate seems to think I am better off without one. And, a wish is just a really high hope, right? It doesn't necessarily have to come to fruition. Perhaps the stuff I would wish for wouldn't get me any further or give me any more of an advantage in life. That puts a fresh spin on not getting what you want.

Edit: Oh yeah! The relevancy of the title has to be worked in. During picking out the food for our team activity, I had the choice of a Juicy Juice juice box or a Minute Maid Cooler pouch. (Touching on that, those Cooler's have a really subliminal message on the pouch where you insert the straw. They might as well just say what they're heavily hinting at, it's that bad.) Of course, Juicy Juice is known for being "100% Juice for 100% Kids" and Minute Maid Cooler's only have 10% juice. We were discussing allergies that kids might have, and what to not include in the lunch pack. So I said "Well, we should use the Cooler because it only has 10% juice. That way, if someone's allergic to fruit, they'll only be 10% allergic to the Minute Maid, but they would be 100% allergic to Juicy Juice." That sounds correct, right? Good, I'm not crazy...

Let that soak in, and I'll speak more later. Sleep Well! Good Night!

I Am Back

2008-09-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

Yes it's been a while, but I will start writing more often. If I had a laptop, I could just do it on the fly. But, I don't. Therefore, I cannot. If anyone wants to donate to the "Get Marc a Laptop So He Can Update His Blog More Often" fund, please send me an e-mail or something and we'll work it out. Hey, this makes everyone happy. I can write more and you are truly the ones that benefit! It's like giving yourself a gift. Ha ha ha.

OK, you don't have to. It would be nice though.

I was thinking a couple days ago, "I should just start writing descriptive text about everything that happens either to me or around me." I then narrated what it would be like, switching between almost every tense and person. "I'm walking through the crowd of school kids coming out of school. I always dodge around people. That door's almost closed. He slides right through before it closes, without touching. He thinks this is cool and fun to do. It makes me feel like someone that's blending in with the crowd. It's fun. It looked like it was going to rain outside; we shouldn't have rain schedule..."

It is really thought provoking and keeps your mind working. Keeps it fresh. It can help you get your mind off certain things that you might not want your mind on. I think that might be why people blog in the first place. Or, sometimes anyway.

On to Halloween. Is anyone dressing up as something really cool. I haven't trick-or-treated in a few years, but after seeing The Dark Knight, I have decided that I need to dress up as The Joker. I must. It is calling me. I know it's going to be one of the most common costumes, this year especially, but I really don't care. I will be the best one, or at least really good. I need to go to Party City and get all the necessary stuff.

I have a game tomorrow and we should kill. Not because we should expect to kill, but because we have the ability to kill. Thus, we must have it in our mind that we should be able to kill this team.

I have been hearing from the head tennis coach at Bethany College and I think that going there would be great. They've got Criminal Justice and he said it was really good. He also said that if I wanted to visit, we could arrange stuff. That sentence alone is just awesome. If I go there and show him my skills, I could get a scholarship. That would be magnificent. I need to videotape me playing anyway, so I need to start playing and then get back to my level of play. I haven't played in about 3 months, but if I start playing again, I should be good, or at least better off than waiting an eternity. The college is in Kansas, for your information. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but I live in Maryland, which doesn't really have anything to do with anything either. Ha ha.

Well, there you have it. All of this and much, much more to come. (And waaaay mre if you pitch in to the fund for a laptop.)

; ) Night!

The End

2008-08-24T18:40:00.002-04:00

This isn't my last post forever, or for even a while. The title is just nodding to the greatest games ever, the Olympics.

This year was the greatest ever, I think, because so many records were just obliterated. Records were being broken left and right. It was insane. I loved watching them on however many channels it was being broadcast. I learned that some sports were included when I didn't think they were, such as kayaking and the ever pointless rhythmic dancing. Some inclusions of sports were so laughable that I just watched them anyway because it was the Olympics. I'd like to know why they're taking some sports out, like softball, and keeping in trampoline jumping. I mean, who can't jump on a trampoline. It is awesome that they can flip like 5 times in the air and do all sorts of twists, but I don't think it needs an international competition. A little ridiculous.

For anyone who was voted for me on TeenInk, thank you! I have made it to the top third spot in over all fiction for popularity. Please if you have not yet done so, go to the first link on my last post and vote and/or leave a comment so that I can possibly get published in the monthly print magazine. Thank you in advance!!!

School starts tomorrow, which I am OK with. I am on waiver, so that means I only have to stay in school until my classes that I need to graduate are over. There are four periods in a day and I only have two classes (periods) on A days. There are two cycles of days, A and B, which have different classes in them. I only stay until about 10:30 tomorrow, then I might go home, and I have to be back at school by 2:00 for a meting with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) people. Any other time it'll be by 3:00 for volleyball practice. Then, on Tuesday, I only have to go for one period. That ends at about 9:00, so I suppose I'll go home after that until I have to leave again for volleyball.

It is pretty crazy, but it'll get better when I start the college classes every Monday and Wednesday. I won't have to go back home and hopefully I can save some gas. So yeah, it's not as busy as it sounds, but it's just a little awkward. Sometimes, I'l still get out really early with no where to go, but oh well.

Senior year, get ready. Yes, it needs to get ready for me. I own it. This is my year. This is...SPARTA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, not really. But it does hold a lot in store for me. I mean, I hold a lot for it. Yeah, there we go.

I have been published!!!

2008-08-20T22:31:00.006-04:00

It's online, but if I get good ratings they will publish my story (Compulsive Evil-the one that I posted here a while ago) in their monthly printed magazine!!!!!!!!!!! Go to http://www.teenink.com/raw/Fiction/article/51052/Compulsive-Evil/ Please rate me!!!!!!!!!!!

That is really cool!!! I am pretty excited!

Sorry for not posting within the past four days, but volleyball started Monday. Holy moly. It was pretty tough on the first day, but fun to be back. It was from like, 8:30 until 1:40, with an hour for lunch. Same on Tuesday, but we started later at 9:00. That was a good day. Then today, which was only 3-5 seemed like nothing, except for running stairs. I'm not really supposed to do stairs, but I can tolerate some of it. I have bursitis in my right knee, and it gets inflamed kind of easy.

Anyway, today was good, and then I had to hurry up and get to J-Crew- my youth group. I play drums for the band there. Our band name was 52 Splinter because if you look at a digital clock, the 5 and 2 right next to each other make a cross inside them. (Just wait for whatever:52 and you'll see it.) I say "was" because we are getting a new name to give us a new identity. It's cool, but no one seems to have any good ideas. I make up band names all the time, but not ones that would fit a Christian youth group band. If you come up with something radical, please tell me!

If you have a Myspace and would like to add me, my url is http://www.myspace.com/the_maddest_of_the_doggs

It's on private, so you'll just see my picture, but I'll probably add you if you want me to.

Well, I am going to go to bed now. My muscles are sore and I like bed. Ha ha.

Good Night!!!!!!

Two Down...

2008-08-16T22:18:00.002-04:00

...and some more to go! I have seen The Dark Knight twice and also know where to find it online if I really want it. I still have not seen Step Brothers and probably won't, at least not in theaters. I saw Tropic Thunder today and it was really funny! They cursed a lot (who knew Tom Cruise was capable of all that), which I could do without. All in all, it was a funny movie with a really neat concept.

That is what I did today. Then, I went to play miniature golf with two friends and of course, ate. The food place that is right there is pretty good, although their ice cream is definitely better than their food in comparison. We played on the Challenge Course, the one that doesn't have the bridges or elephants or bowling pins to traverse. This one was just tough with curves and holes everywhere. I lost my first ball. It was green and then I went to get a new one, which was an almost-neon yellow. It practically glowed. Right off the bat (or putter), I was dominating. The first hole- Hole in One! It was a par 2, but what was really amazing (I just noticed on the score card) was that I got another hole in one on a par 4. That is amazing, if I do say so. Hole number ten was the lucky hole. At the end of the game, I counted all the scores on my phone (gotta love technology!) and the one girl had a morbid 72 and the other had a disappointing 58. I came out on top with an astonishing 44, being 5 strokes under the total par of 49! I think they should give out a prize if you do beat par. Or they could keep the card and when a tournament was announced, they could call me to play! Ha ha ha ha!

My day was great and I hope yours was too! But, now it is time for me to watch Phelps hopefully get his 8th gold!!! Go Phelps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Save it for Monday

2008-08-14T21:48:00.002-04:00

Hello. As you may know, I play volleyball for school. We were supposed to begin conditioning/training/tryouts (herein referred to as "Death") this Saturday, but we got a call from the coach (herein referred to as "coach") saying that the season would begin on this coming Monday. At least Death is held off for a couple days. Hopefully, I can do something to help my physical state in those days; therefore making Death not as painful.

I think my fitness is a lot better than what it has been in previous years, so I hope to be ready. The conditioning is somewhat intense, being not so much for volleyball, but for running cross country I think. The coach also coahes track in the Spring, so I guess he draws from that.

I just want the team to do better than last year, because that was pretty sad. I really do not have anything else to write, so I'll go. My stepdad has to type a letter for his work, anyway.

Good Night!

Why So Serious?

2008-08-10T17:55:00.002-04:00

Aha! Finally, I have seen The Dark Knight! My life is almost complete! Well, not really, but it was amazing!

I will not tell you anything about it, only that it is the best movie I have seen- ever. It is put together very well and the rest of America agrees because Dark Knight is still on top for the fourth week in a row! That is amazing for any movie, let alone a comic book adaptation. Amazing is the only word I have to describe this breath-taking adventure of a movie.

I had heard nothing but praise for it by others, except for Batman's voice being very rough and kind of unreal. I will agree somewhat, but I believe they did that to make the movie more, well, dark! Be sure to visit the restroom before the movie, since it is a doozy. 2 hours and 32 minutes, but not a second of it wasted. Heath Ledger was so much fun to watch, and the movie in general grabbed you by the throat and pulled you closer in amazement.

I would definitely see that more than once, and I am tomorrow with one of my friends! He was going to go last night, but I think it was his brother's birthday, so he couldn't make it.

So yes, go and see The Dark Knight and experience the thrill of it all. There will be more later.

Scars on McDonald's and Taco Bell

2008-08-06T22:20:00.006-04:00

Sorry I was absent for a few days, but I just didn't want to post meaningless crap that occurred in my life. I like the real stuff that happens. Ha ha.

I bet you are wondering about the title of this post, "Scars on McDonald's and Taco Bell". The first part, "Scars", is for the Scars on Broadway album that I just got today at Wal-Mart. It is 1/2 of my favorite band, System of a Down. They are unfortunately on hiatus, but each of the members has their own "side projects". I put this in quotes because there is a lot of skepticism about them getting back together. Hopefully they will reunite sometime in the not too distant future. Anyway, Scars is made up of the guitarist, Daron Malakian, and drummer, John Dolmayan. I really like the drummer, but Daron with his vocals is not great. Actually, most of the fifteen songs on the album are tolerable. I believe it's the music anyway, not so much how it is translated through lyrics. I feel like I could write better stuff than what Daron has, but I suppose he's the one with the record deal. I am listening to the CD while I type this entry, by the way.

The second, fast food part of the title is for events that have happened in the past 2 days. Yesterday, on MSN I saw a headline that read "McDonald's to make changes to Dollar Menu". I was immediately concerned because I get a huge majority of my meals off the Dollar Menu at McDonald's. I didn't know what they would be changing, but clicked to find out. Long story short, they are going to take the Double Cheeseburger off of the dollar menu. I was so distraught, because I think those burgers are actually very tasty. They said that dairy prices are going up, so they're putting one slice of cheese on sometimes instead of two. They also said that the dollar menu in general is distracting people from the rest of the menu, the $1 Sweet Tea and all the new non-dollar menu items such as smoothies and coffee drinks.

How ridiculous! Are they not the largest fast food chain in the world? Do they not have billions upon billions of dollars? And they're worried about putting one slice of cheese instead of two!? Get over it, McDonald's! If you can't provide me and the billions of other customers with what we want, we'll go elsewhere with our business. Onwards to chains that aren't just trying to make a quick buck, like Taco Bell. Perhaps not so much. One scar on Mickey D's.

Yes, Taco Bell comes up again. I have not received a response from them about painting my car as advertising yet. I doubt that I will. However, I think I will address it in my upcoming letter to them about my last visit there, which was today. Let me just say that if you want Taco Bell or KFC, go to the restaurants separately as opposed to one of those "slashtaurants". I just made that word and I feel it accurately describes the situation. As I was returning form Wal-Mart, I was feeling very hungry and my mom took me to Taco Bell/KFC, a slashie right nearby. We went through the drive thru and attempted to order three Cheesy Double Beef Burritos and a large Diet Pepsi. Truthfully, I believe the guy at the other end was a bit hard of hearing. We had to tell him the order twice before we got the "Second window" message. The car pulled up to the window and the money was exchanged. I was anxious for food and drink. The same guy who took our order gave us our food and asked us if we needed any sauces or anything. Once again, two was the magic number as he asked us twice, both times getting the same "No". So we kind of laughed at the situation and drove off. I started eating as soon as we left and noticed that it was rather sloppy and tasted a whole heck of a lot different than I remember. I also felt hard pieces of something in the burrito crack and crunch into my teeth; it kind of hurt. All three items were made the same way. It looked like they had a bunch of left over crap in the little assembly bins and just threw it into our food. There were tomatoes, a spicy cheese sauce, and some kind of green plant. I have no idea what they could have possibly been smoking while they made our food, but I will not go back to that store for a very long time. Oh yeah, I wanted a Queso Crunchwrap, but they don't have those anymore there. I believe they still do at full Taco Bells.

I called the number for "Say and Play for $1000" on the back of the receipt, went though about 50 questions for nothing, and just got mad. They too, like McDonald's, are ridiculous. The only thing that was good was the Diet Pepsi we got. I expressed my frustration wherever I could in the phone survey. They didn't want my name or anything. It was just an automated response system. What idiots!

So that was my day today and yesterday. Wait, I remember now. At Wal-Mart there was a young girl, probably around my age, doing her job as a greeter. My mom asked "Isn't there a requirement for that job, like you have to be at least 80 and near death to do it?" We laughed and the girl said a shy "Hello". Another employee, possibly a manager, asked her if she was asking polite things like "Do you need to return anything today?" or "How are you?". She said yes, with a little bit of an attitude, but that other employee looked really annoying, so I don't blame her. So, we got everything that we needed except topsoil, which is outside where all the outdoors stuff is. Well, I guess that the girl who was at the front greeting, got demoted that quickly to someone who says "Have a nice day!" at the exit. There she was at the exit in the outdoors area. Poor girl, perhaps that isn't the best position for her. We went back inside to check out and saw that there was the right candidate for the job, a barely living 80-some year-old. Ha ha.

So this was a lot that happened, really. I have a tennis match tomorrow at 12:00, so I guess I should get to sleep. Have a good night and thank you for reading my nonsense.

The Week at Ocean City (MD)

2008-08-03T21:08:00.005-04:00

I just love it there. This is the awesome shirt I got!!!!!!!!!

It is really beautiful everywhere you go. Sun, picturesque skies, and a lot of people walking on a long strip of wood. Strange sights and sounds distract you from watching your step. Seemingly normal people with buckets or guitar cases for "tips" that are greatly appreciated like you need to thank them for their brand of walking music. Some are actually talented, but others should stick to their day jobs...if possible.

My family and I were at the beach most of the week, but when we weren't we just stayed at the condo and hung out outside on the back porch or something.

It was really cool, and the weather stayed pretty nice for the times we were out. Of course, today was the nicest. Coincidentally, it was also the day that we left. Oh well, nice packing weather. Ha ha. I got my Dippin' Dots fix, because there are no locations around me with them. Also, Fractured Prune donuts were enjoyed immensely. Melty chocolate chips atop warm peanut butter make up my favorite, the Reese Cup donut.

This was my cousin's first vacation and he is 4 1/2. He loved it so much that he cried while we were getting ready to leave. He was really a good kid this week.

We got back and unpacked and then ordered Chinese! It wasn't like that nasty stuff in my other post. This was the real deal from down the road a little bit. It was delicious.

My forune cooky says "You are a lover of words, someday you will write a book." I think that's pretty sweet! I would love to write a book of some sort.

More on this later, but here are the lucky numbers provided by the fortune cooky:

8 11 24 25 34 38

Good luck! Have a great night!!!

See Ya!!!!

2008-07-26T22:15:00.002-04:00

I wont be psoting at all this coming week due to vacation!

Ocean City, baby!!!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Here's something I came up with in like a minute (it comes in bursts)....could be part of a song:

Say more about God (in a good way)
Try to stay sharp (and keep the devil away!)

Deeper than the deepest trenches
Longer than the longest fences
And did I forget to mention?
He's bigger than all the dimensions

You didn't reject
Yet you did not accept....

and that's all so far...so ya!!

Bye for a while!

Tooonyyyte!!! (Tonight)

2008-07-25T23:36:00.005-04:00

Tooonyyyyte, we can be as one.....Tooonyyyte, we can be as one.....

How d'you like that? U2 for you! Haha!

On to the post!

Tonight I went over to my friend's house, at like 4:30. Her house is like 30-45 minutes from mine but it's cool, because her house is fun! Her dog had puppies not that long ago and there are seven there. Only two need homes, however. They are really cute and they just shine with love. That is the best way I can describe a puppy, other than really cute and fluffy, which is overused (slightly gay, also). They are very affectionate and happy to see you. Let's put it like that so we don't confuse ourselves or anyone else.

After spending some time with the puppies, we went inside and played Wii for a bit. Her boyfriend showed up some time later and I think we went outside and played catch, which turned into a rather violent game that he introduced. It would have been more violent, if we were more violent people, but I guess we just weren't cut out for the game.

It was getting darker and we went inside and watched TV for a while (The Colbert Report/AFV), then went back outside to do some fireworks. They were pretty good ones, and it reminded me of this past Fourth, only I had a lot more and slightly bigger stuff. Not to brag or anything, though. Haha.

We retreated inside once again, and my friend's boyfriend left. Another of her friends, Brenda (possibly a cousin, I'm really not sure), arrived and she brought Dance Dance Revolution. I ahve DDR, but do not play it often. But, they played and said I should play, so I did what any self-respecting guy does when confronted with a difficult decision involving a dance game and a girl who is a good friend and one who I've never met before- play the freakin' game! No awkwardness could appear out of that, could it? Well, even though I suck at DDR, there were no awkward moments really. It was cool and I enjoyed it. I left at 10:00 and got back home at about 10:35.

Which, as a matter of fact, leads me here. To tell you about my night. Toooonyyyte...we ca- Oh, no more singing? Sorry.

Good Night everyone!

Yesterday and Today (Mainly Yesterday)

2008-07-24T18:43:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, after playing tennis, I had physical therapy for my knee (I have bursitis). I have a window of time in between the end of tennis and my appointment, so I usually get something to eat in that time. More often than not, I will go to Taco Bell. They are great- cheap, delicious food that is just amazing. I had one of the newer items, the Queso Crunchwrap. Ever since I tried one, I was hooked. I thought that the Crunchwrap Supreme looked pretty good, but I really don't like all the lettuce and tomatoes and other stuff a whole lot. So, I never got one. Then, while in line one day, I saw the poster that had the Queso one. It said what was in it and I thought that sounded really tasty and decided to get one. I really liked it, although the tomatoes (part of the fiesta salsa), weren't really that great. Just a personal preference. So this time (yesterday), I got the Queso Cruchwrap again. I asked to go light on the salsa, but when I received it, there was no salsa. I'm not all that sad, but a little would have been OK. It was great and after eating, I left for my therapy.

Fast forward to like, 5:00 p.m. I was with my mom and stepdad, just returning from Wal-Mart, and we stopped at the Taco Bell/KFC nearby. Sadly, there was no chicken- none at all. I heard "The cook just tainted it." My mom thought they said "They just now making it." I'm pretty sure I heard what I heard, but either way, they didn't have chicken, so we left. I did want some popcorn chicken, so we went to another closer-to-home location. We stopped at KFC first to get my mom food, and I got the popcorn chicken, also. Then, we got to Taco Bell and ate there. I got two Cheesy Double Beef Burritos (another favorite), and while eating the first one I noticed that the manager was outside taking down the Queso Crunchwrap posters on the windows. I looked at my mom. "Do you think they'd let me have one?" I said. Without a minute of hesitation I placed my CDBB down and got up from the table, running outside the store. I asked her if I could have the poster and she said it was sticky, like a sticker. I didn't really care about that, though. Worried, I asked "They're not getting rid of it are they?" "No," she said, "there's going to be two new things tomorrow, a chicken wrap and a steak fajita thing." Relieved, I took the poster and thanked her a lot for letting me have it. I was so excited.

I brought my treasure back inside, buzzing with joy. No, my cell phone didn't ring. HA ha (sarcastically). We finished eating and then went home and that was about it for the night. We watched some movie about Donkey Kong video game players and the battles that they had. "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" was the title. It was kind of like a documentary, which isn't my favorite kind of movie, but I watched the whole thing. It was interesting enough for a documentary. I had Taco Bell two times this day, and it was good.

The next day, which would be today, was my last day of tennis. It was a lot of fun. Techno music was blasting the whole time we did drills and played, very much different than previous weeks. It was really funny and the techno wasn't that good. But, it was still fun. So, today I just went home after tennis because if I'm not going into town I won't eat out, and I had no reason to go through town. I was at home for about 5 minutes and decide I was hungry, really hungry. I saw two left over cheeseburgers in the refrigerator and had an idea. Double cheeseburger. So I made a double cheeseburger and it was not bad. I was still hungry, probably because I didn't wait for it to set in, so I decided to have cereal. I don't have cereal on Monday-Thursday mornings because milk is supposed to cramp your muscles, and not be good for you if you're going to do physical activity. We just got Cocoa Pebbles, which I don't believe I have had before. I poured a big portion out into a bowl and rained the milk upon it. (That was pretty creative, huh? rained milk...? haha.) I ate that and was really full afterwards.

Sometime previous to my gorge-fest, I took a tape measure to the poster of the Queso Crunchwrap. After wiping the drool from my face, I measured it. It was 4 feet by 2 feet 11 inches. Then I went out to my car with the tape measure, and measured my roof. Considerably larger than the poster! Oh, did I have an idea! However, I did not follow through with it. I told my mother and she suggested that I should see about getting paid to paint my car "Taco Bell". I thought that sounded like an excellent idea. I have seen vehicles with advertising on them for restaurants, and I think I could do that. Who couldn't?

I went to Taco Bell's website and after half an hour of scouring it, I couldn't find anything about what I wanted. So, I went to the "Contact Us" section and filled it out and left this comment:

"I was at this location yesterday and, after receiving our food quickly, noticed that the manager was outside taking down the Queso Crunchwrap posters on the windows. I love the item and thought it would be cool to have one of these posters. We talked a little and she gave it to me and I was very happy. It was so cool to have that, and that she let me have it. Then I was thinking about putting it on the roof of my car, because it could fit. MY question is: Would you pay me to have my car painted "Taco Bell" or put magnets or something on it? That would be really awesome and I look forward to hearing what you have to say. I love Taco Bell and consider it a part of who I am.
Thank you very much,
Marc"

It said that I would get a response, so that's cool. Now, I am just waiting to hear from them. I will let you all know what happens.

Bye!

Compulsive Evil (Short Story)

2008-07-23T22:58:00.003-04:00

A man walks nervously in the nighttime, inconspicuously as to blend in with his surroundings. Few and far between are lights in the street and in the darkness between them, he yearns to know why he does what he does, secretly, immediately returning to his rough, ominous appearance of shame. This man of the night is a thief, caught up in the license of living off the street. Forgive him, for he does not know what he does. He does not know why, either, only that his impetuosities are nostalgic to one such as him. He wishes he could disobey the feelings that bind him and make him who he is. No longer does he want to be constrained by ransacking others’ things. This is what his life has become.

The man delves into the darkness then makes his way up an apartment scaffold to where he finds an open window. "This is unusual," he thought, "This will be an easy steal." He looks into the seemingly untenanted home, feeling the gentle breeze of the cool night. He makes way through the window, stepping as lightly and quietly as the breeze blows, feeling footings on the floor below. The step down is further than what he is used to infiltrating and his balance and dark decorum are almost shattered. Yet, his entrance is executed with the utmost caution. Once inside the domain, he takes out a small flashlight, which he proceeds to sweep back and forth around the room, taking a respite from his journey thus far.

Our crook is a discreet one, his eyes ever watchful. He passes the light over what seems to be a doll, leaning on its feet in the corner. The beam shines elsewhere, and then returns to the location of the doll. It is gone. The burglar illuminates the other parts of the room, and as he comes back to the original location of the doll, it is there again. It does not move, is rather grotesque, and almost life-like. Our man is dauntless, as one must be in his position, but this doll frightens him, to the point where he feels that this house was a mistake to enter. He gathers himself up, turning to where the window was, or where he thought it was. He spins around, searching for the window, clenching his fists and getting anxious. The doll then appears right in front of him, screaming shrill shrieks of terror. The sound pervades his body. The man collapses onto the floor, being tortured by this creature. He then starts yelling at the top of his lungs, "Go Away!" His request is harshly denied by more and louder squawks from the apparently evil being.

Suddenly, the evil stops, and then starts again, this time explaining itself. It roars out "I was violently slaughtered in this apartment twenty years ago by an intruder. I have no mercy towards anyone who enters uninvited. All who do must die!!!" Our man responds "You are mistaken. I can not help what I do. What I do is compulsive, I cannot control it." Anger pours out of the evil in front of him and it says, "No mercy!" The man received no compassion from the entity. His small flashlight falls from his tightened fist, rolls on the floor, and shuts off on its own. The Evil of thievery claims another.

I wrote this for my grade 11 English class. The assignment was a "morbid essay" and this is what I came up with. I received an A+ (50/50, 100%) for it.

The Dark Knight, Step Brothers, Tropic Thunder

2008-07-22T21:19:00.003-04:00

These are all movies that I want to see ASAP. First of all, The Dark Knight shattered box office records of all sorts and just looks plain awesome. The Joker character looks very intriguing, and is made more intriguing by the fact that Heath Legder is no longer alive. The movie itself just looks so dark, which I suppose is the point of the name.

The second is Step Brothers, with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, the same duo that stars in Ricky Bobby. I watched a trailer for this movie online way before it was set to come out in theaters and I was ROTFLOL. (Rolling on the floor laughing out loud) I love Will Ferrell and he is incredibly funny.

Unlike the previous two movies, this one is not out yet. Tropic Thunder, with an all-star cast, just looks hilarious. I don't really know what to say about it, but it looks hilarious.

That's all for now...writing will be up soon....cuz I leave for Ocean City next week!!!!

for that whole week, so yeah!

5th Post! (Persuasion)

2008-07-21T17:28:00.002-04:00

Hello, everyone!

I was just thinking about it and, if you want me to post some writing (story, poem, etc.), you are gonna have to persuade me!!!

Here's how it's going to work-

I need to get some subscribers and readers. To do this, I will advertise myself everywhere I can, mainly Myspace. Haha. Please, I really want to get the word out that this is a cool, fun place to discuss anything and everything.

I also want people to show me their persuasion skills. Get me to post; give me a reason to share my life with you!

If you stumble through blogs and come upon this one, please tell people that you saw it!!!

I will put up a new theme, so it looks nicer and more personable, also.

That is all for now, but perhaps I will post later today...if all goes well!

4th Post!!! (Pizza)

2008-07-19T22:18:00.005-04:00

Good day to all who stumble upon this page!

I'm just going to jump right in tonight, so here it goes!

July is a month that holds many birthdays for people I know, mainly family. They are also all around the same day, all within the same week, I believe. Today was my cousin's party and by the way, why do we celebrate people's birthdays either way before or way after? I mean, I know I do it, too. I haven't had parties that are during the week, when most everyone is busy. I just feel like it's not actually the day that's being celebrated, it's the year, which I understand. However, what separates people's births are days, not just years. Are the days/dates not as important as the years? Perhaps they aren't. Maybe some just count the years as they go, but I think the actual day counts for something. Maybe even the time at which one was born is important, also. I suppose that is for the individual to decide, but I just feel like sometimes we make excuses. "Sorry Billy, your birthday's not on a Saturday, so there's not gonna be a party this year." I hope I don't have to say that to my child, not that his/her name will be Billy anyway.

Back to the party, it was more like an excursion. It started out at Putt-Putt Fun Center, which had changed a lot since I was there last. The first thing we did was play laser-tag. That was pretty fun, especially because I got to shoot at three young kids the whole time. My cousin (birthday boy), stepbrother, and I were on one team. The other team was made up of the 3 other friends. There were two, six-minute games. Although our forces seemed unstoppable, we lost both times. See, we were the green team. Usually the red team wins anyway, and I don't believe the arena or equipment was in good repair. I believe the game had it out for us, but it was all fun.

Next was mini-golf. Today, it was about 97 degrees. Excessive heat and being outside moving around do not mix very well. It felt like an eternity we were out there, but soon we returned inside to play games. Each child was given 8 tokens and then we would go to McDonald's for lunch. Of course, the tokens were gone faster than you could say "Don't use them all on ticket games. Play a game and enjoy it." I guess that isn't such a short statement. Regardless, the tokens were rapidly spent. McDonald's, here we come!

I had a first at McDonald's- a salad. I had heard that the salads were not any healthier than say, a Big Mac. I got one just to try it, though. I got the Bacon Ranch one with grilled chicken because chicken and bacon are very good together. They are to me, anyway. It really wasn't that great, like it could have been more chilled, but I looked at the Nutrition Facts sheet on the back of the placemat thing on the tray, and this was the "healhiest" salad they had. That was kind of weird, I thought.

I went back home after eating, with my stepbrother, who would a little later go back with my cousin's mom to the pool down the road. Instead of going to the pool with them, I stayed and helped my mom and stepdad with the downstairs patio. We are in the process of screening it in. They had been out in the heat since 9:45, I think. It was about 3:00 when I started helping, so they had been out there for a long while. We worked really hard and around 5:00 we stopped to go to the pool. We stayed for an hour or so, then left to go bck home and order pizza. My mom was really tired so, I could tell she didn't want to cook anything.

The pizza and stuff was great, the best I believe I've ever had. If you have the chance to, get one of those Pizza Mia's from none other than Pizza Hut. They are really astounding.

I do a lot of product placement in my posts. Maybe I should get a deal with some places to advertise them in my blog and in turn, they could advertise me a little. That would be awesome!

So, writing is on it's way! I have some words on paper that I will transfer over to here for people's joy. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you sleep really well.

I hope I do too. Church tomorrow, so all of you who do that...Have fun!

Good Night

3rd Post! (Chinese Fooood)

2008-07-18T22:09:00.008-04:00

Hey everyone, I just got back from my grandmother's....or i guess she would be my great grandmother...but no one says that. Haha. She bought us Chinese from some delivery place nearby and, after figuring out what Chop Suey was, we ordered a lot of food for 4 people (Mom, stepdad, g-ma, and I). It was like $36 and that's more than we usually pay for the Chinese place right down the street from us, so I figured it would be the best ever. I ordered my usual Sesame Chicken and, to my dismay, it was not "the best." I was slightly shocked because everywhere I have gotten sesame chicken, it has been amazing. And then, for this to not even be half as good as most places, it just confused me.

In spite of all this, I was still happy to have Chinese food. If I could eat Chinese food as much as I eat American food, I definitely would. I might be able to eat it everyday of the week... maybe.

This morning, I played tennis with a friend from school, my mom, and my stepbrother. It gets really hot really quick. You have all these preconceived notions about how you're just going to go out there and have a lot of fun and try not to notice or bother with the heat. Those are false, all the time. You do notice the heat, at about the same time as you get out of the air conditioned car. I always wonder if I should crank the heat up before getting out into the heat, like maybe it would feel cooler outside than it did in your heated car. "Hey, you think this is hot, you should have been in my car on the way here," I would say if I actually went through with that thought.

Back to tennis, I really want and need to play with people who are at the same level with me, or perhaps a bit better. You get better by playing people more experienced than you, who play with better techniques, or so I've heard. If I people who fit that, I should hopefully pick up the correct techniques that make them better. It's not that I don't like playing people who aren't advanced as me, but I would enjoy it more if they could hit consistently enough.

Backtracking once again, the fortune in my fortune cooky was split in two, one half in one side and the other in the other side. So it was ripped, and after I ate just enough to open the side with the paper still in it, I read my fortune. "Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned" This actually sounded like a real bit of truth that could be applied in life. Then, I remembered it was ripped. Is that a sign??? Am I going to stray "from the path which fate has" assigned me? I hope this doesn't happen, but I just couldn't help pondering it.

To anyone who plays the lottery-

Daily numbers: 1 9 4
Lotto Six #'s: 43 7 34 19 2 5

Good night and good luck!

2nd post!!!

2008-07-16T15:36:00.017-04:00

Are you freakin' kidding me?!!?!?!?!

I just had a huge story.....and then I apparently pressed delete somehow.....I did that yesterday too. Well that sucks!

Lot of typing made short:

I went through 5 rackets within a week and am getting a new one! The one pictured.

So yes. Must remember to save to a Word document like, really often. I don't even know what button I pressed...

Bye!

My first ever Blog (4 Real)

2008-07-16T00:50:00.000-04:00

Hello to everyone who is or will be reading this!

Welcome to a blog for everyone! Yes, I did just changed fonts mid-sentence. I am merely demonstrating to readers that I am fun and can change on a whim. That said "whim" and was written in Webdings. I do not know what you would ever need such fonts as webdings, but would love to know if anyone ever finds out. Apart from this site, I have a Myspace (which has the same name- Your Neighbor, What a Guy). On there, I have placed a blog once, a short story I did for my English class last year. You must become my friend on Myspace to view it, however.

Regarding what I wil post:
I could post anything from my day to something I observe out there in the real world, or what I am doing at that time. Have fun!

Music, Movies, Video games, and just Life will probably be discussed. So will writing. I write some stuff...Poetry, stories, songs, etc. I will post when I think of something, if I think it's worthy. Critiques are welcomed and I would love to know what you think!

I am a Christian and will post things about my spiritual life from time to time, also. If you do not feel that these views are not for you, I respect your views and can only wish you knew the great life that I have as a Christian.

On an ending note, I would just like to thank everyone that made this possib.....

I mean, ummm... Thank you for reading and please tell your friends!!!