Ride Fast, Live Slow

Who We Are

2008-11-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

They say that what we put into life is what we get out of it. What if I told you that that's only half the story. What if I told you there is a second half that people miss. It's right in front of their eyes, and yet they fail to see it. It is: The truth we seek within ourselves can be found in what we do for others. In no other place can a man be truly tested. For if we do unto others what we would have done unto ourselves, we would fail. We need to do unto others thrice what we would have done to ourselves. It is only through this circle of altruism that we can survive as a race. Not the race of Whites, or Blacks. Hispanics or Asians. But the human race. For a man can only see his inner soul when he is confronted with a situation that calls for his own sacrifice for the benefit of others. How he acts in that situation... that is what determines who he is. Who he really is. We talk about heroes. We can't afford heroes. The only way we survive is for each and every one of us to become that hero. Make the word hero become so common that it becomes a first name for a million babies around the globe. Let's make it so that when someone is called a hero, the meaning is not diluted by any means, but the receiver almost shrugs it off, as if called tall, or short. AS a people we need to come together as one. We need to unite as a people. As heroes. For the truth we seek within ourselves can be found in what we do for others.

one more post about love

2008-01-21T10:40:00.001-05:00

kids in general believe they are in love multiple times. of course that kind of love is different than the love that adults will have for each other. the kind of love a married couple has. but at this age, thats not the kind of love we should be feeling. the kind of love we should be feeling is obviously different for each person. but the basic idea is that you want to spend time with each other. you love each other's company. you see that their personality is one that goes well with your own. love for someone who will help you grow as a person, just as you will help them grow. you will make an impact in each other's lives. but its not true, deep, everlasting love. sometimes we kid ourselves about that. but that doesnt mean its not worth trying. it doesnt mean that at all. it means that we should make the most of it. live life to the fullest. and enjoy it while it lasts. because these years only last so long. and if love makes life more bearable, then there is no reason why you shouldnt stick with it. even if you know its not the deepest kind of love. make the most of it. love life. enjoy it. and when it ends, it ends. but you will both have grown from the experience. and you will never forget each other. and thats why we love. to enjoy. to live. to remember. to grow.

Christauphany

2006-04-30T17:22:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a church retreat in the Poconoes. It was pretty good. We stayed up for the weekend. On Saturday we had four stations: the art shack where we made prayer mats, the comic relief where we reenacted the show "Who's Line is it Anyways", the Cruising to Equity where we made a bag of stuff for a foster kid, and the Powere swing where we were pulled up about 40-50 feet and let swing. It was crazy. My roomates were pretty cool. The one named Corey and I had a lot in common. We had a lot of free time when we plyed knockout a lot. We had a church "service" every night. We did Stations of the Cross. Overall, it was a pretty cool weekend.

Baseball

2006-04-19T20:01:00.000-04:00

School - Going well so far. I got an A on my math test and and A on my History test, and I have yet to get my science test back. We just finished our second game this week out of three. We won for the second time this week. The first game was yesterday, which was a makeup game for rain. We played Reading Southern and beat them 14-12, a real pitchers' duel, lol. I went 3 for 5 with 3 runs batted in. I was happy. Today we played Antiedem. We won 17-5! It was my best game yet. I went 5 for 5 with 3 doubles, 4 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored! I was extatic! The whole team was at it's best. Our next game is on Friday at home against Reading (some direction). I looking forward to it.

The Trip

2006-04-14T20:02:00.000-04:00

The Trip was crazy!!! I have some details below:

Day One:
Pick up at The Double Tree Hotel in Grand Junction and the drive to Moab (one of the coolest small towns ever!). Turns out Niki and Nancy are our guides again! They're awesome. So we get to the shop and we get to meet all of the other people on the trip, a total of 7 plus 2 guides. There was a couple from NY, another father - son(15) pair from OH, a guy from D.C., and me and my dad. It was really cool. So we went on a ten mile ride (too short :-() on a slick rock trail in Canyonlands to start the week off. Then, we set up cam in BLM land in this sweet campsite with a GINORMOUS rock island in the center the you could explore. That ended the first day.

Day Two:
We did a twelve mile hike in the Needles District of Canyonlands. It was a very strenuous hike but it had great views. Nancy's brother, James (19) joined us. It was a really long but awesome day.

Day Three:
Today we got to rock climb! We drove into one of the world's most famous rock climbing spot in the world - Indian Creek. It was crazy! I was stoked when I heard the Collin was going to be our guide because I know him and he is an awesome guy. We climbed face climbs and crack climbs, and I made it to the top of the couple. Then, in the afternoon, we biked The Slickrock Trail. It was extremely difficult and everyone quit after the practice loop except me. Niki and I went off on our own and she taught me a few really cool climbing techniques.

Day Four:
Today was Canyoniering. We got to hike for a while then we got to some scramble climbing. We then slid into a slot canyon where there was waist deep FREEZING water that we had to wade through. I cut a bunch of fingers climbing down the tree into the slot but that was ok. Then came the repelling. The first repel was about 40 feet. It was pretty easy and a lot of fun. Then, we hiked a bit more and came to a 110 foot repel with a free fall about a quarter of the way down. It was soooo fun! Then we hiked back to the van. I forgot to tell you that it was Jeep Week in Moab which means that there were a ton of Jeeps in the city. They come in on Saturday and stay the entire week, doing trails like Lion's Back, Hell's Revenge, and Potato Salad Hill. So, after the canyoniering, we picked up some ice cream and headed over for a swim next to Potato Salad Hill to watch the Jeepers. Only one didn't make it up and had to drive away in shame, lol.

Day Five:
Today was the hike in Arches National Park. We did a very short, but steep, hike that was 3 miles to see Delicate Arch. This is the arch featured on the Utah License Plates. It was beautiful. After that, we stopped at a place called Balancing Rock. As you can derive from the name it is a rock that is perfectly balanced on a butte. Then, we headed over to the Colorado River to do some Ducky riding. The water was freezing, but we had a good time anyways. The rapids were pretty small and there was a huge headwind. We were very wet afterwards. That night we played a game called Chubby Bunny, where you have to see how many marshmellows you can stuff into your mouth and still say "Chubby Bunny." Greg won.

Day Six:
Today we got to bike in a place called Bartlet Wash. It was SWEET! The whole place was like a terrain park! We practiced in chutes, jumping ledges, and wheelies the whole time. Then, at the end of the ride, Nancy, LP, and I tried to go down an EXTREMELY STEEP hill called "The Boat Ramp." Dave bet LP $100 to do it! Nancy and LP made it. Then, it was my turn. I got have way down and hit a bump and flipped right over my handle-bars. I skidded down the rest of the hill and caught my bike just before it hit me. It was very painful but not too bad. Then we had lunch and headed back to the shop, Moab Cyclery. The group split up from there, Dave, my dad, and I droveback to Grand Junction with Nancy and took the scenic route. It was soo beautiful. That night, the three of us went out to a Nepalese restaurant which was excellent. After the meal we all went off to bed.

Overall the trip was a blast! I had a great time and can't wait to go on another Escape Adventures Tour again!

Grand Junction

2006-04-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

Hey! I am in Grand Junction, CO at the moment, so I can't blog for long. I am about to head out on a 6 day adventure of mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and whitewater kayaking on the Colorado River. I can't wait for it to start. So spring break has officially started, and I don't have any homework. Happy about that. I aced my Clauses test in English. Well, I got to go, because I am using the hotel computer. Hope to talk next time I get a chance to be in a room with a computer, lol.

Not bored, just busy.

2006-04-01T11:23:00.000-05:00

School - Just had my test on the Miracle Worker play about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. It was actually a very good play, and I liked it a lot. The third quarter has already ended, and this quarter I am in a class about Microsoft Word and also back in Investigative studies. In that class, we are doing three mains things. The first is the reading of the book The Giver which I have read before. It is a very good, but fast read. The second project is called a character study where I have to type 500-750 words and "paint" a picture in words about someone. I chose my dad. It's going pretty well. The third part of the course is an advertising unit. We get into groups and pick a cause to support and sell to the public (a selection of teachers who are also the judges). We have to create a billboard, magaazine ad, a radio add, and a Television add. Then, we are judged on how good our project is. It actually pretty cool. Baseball is going pretty well. We have to run a LOT because we goof off a LOT. But, other than that practice is going well. I am a little disappointed in the way I am hitting the ball lately, though. I wish it were better, my bar is raised extremely high because I have been working all off season, going to Grand Slam once a week whenever I could and getting lessons. I expect more of myself. Oh, well. Just have to concentrate and work harder. But, baseball is MY sport and if I'm playing at all, I'm happy. So, I'm very busy, again. I wake up at 6:18 A.M., go to school which starts at 7:34, finish school at 2:15, get changed in the locker room, wait for the bus. Get on the bus at 3:00, get to practice at 3:15, practice for two hours, get home by 5:30, eat dinner, do homework, and go to bed. That is my schedule. It busy, but that's kind of the way I like it:

Not bored, just busy.

CBH Concert In Lancaster

2006-03-25T10:51:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Comic Book Heroes Concert in Lancaster at The American Music Theater. They opened for Foghat and Steppenwolf. There were 1,600 people there, a full house. George and I got to tag along and see both the Comic Book Heroes' and Foghat's sound checks before the gig. It was probably the closest I'll ever be to a hit band. Anyways, the concert was awesome. Afterwards, Sam, Ned, Steve, and Collin signed autographs on their new EP that just came out. It has three songs on it, two original and a version of Ray Charles's "Hit the Road Jack." The, after the show, George and I got to go up to the dressing room. There, we jusy hung out and talked until it was time to leave. So, today we have company over for the day. Some of my mom's friends, I think. Toomorrow is church where I am a reader. So, I'll talk to you guys later.

PSSA's

2006-03-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

School - We are now taking the PSSA's in school. They are the State standerdized tests, and I hate them. They're so long! We have our silent movie in Music class today. I am Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. English test today. I'm scared because I have an 89% in the class and if I get a B I have to take the final. Sam invited me to go with him to the American Music Theater when the Comic book Heroes are openning for Foghat. It's going to be crzy. Might go to the movies with Emily, Catherine, and maybe Mike on Sunday. Baseball practice was freezing yesterday - 35 degrees. All we did was batting practice. It was actually pretty fun, though. Well, I got to go get ready for school. Talk to you later.

Friday

2006-03-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

School - Well, I had a crazy hard math test today. It took more than the entire period to finish. We had to prove the Pythagorean Theorem as one of the problems. Anyways, I made the Baseball Team! We got our Uniforms and everything else you can imagine today after school. I am officially number 18 for the game jersey (Johnny Damon-favorite player) and number 36 for my practice jersey. I was surprised that some people made the team. The Varsity team is going to be pretty godd, though. I have to study for my phrases test on Wednesday. PSSA's on Tuesday and Thursday. Nothing tomorrow, I hope. Just sleeping in. Probably see if Mike can come over or something. Sunday is church. I'm going into thinking mode again, so I might have to post something more philosophical soon.

Baseball

2006-03-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven'y posted in a while. I have a lot to talk about. I have a little problem with my English grade. If a get a B this quarter, I have to take the final. I have an 89% at the moment. I have to get an A on my phrases test to get an A this quarter. In other news, baseball tryouts started! Monday was around 76 degrees and we were burning up. Tuesday was around 50 degrees and some of thought we'd outsmart the weather from Monday and wear short-sleeves (yeah, that included me). It wasn't too bad because we were generating so much heat. Today, we were supposed to have an intersquad scrimage, but it is so windy out that they switched it so that today is indoors for pitchers and catchers only. Tomorrow is the last day of tryouts. Friday morning, a sign is posted with the names of the people who made the team. Then, we pick up our uniforms and hats and get ready for nonstop practice, Monday - Friday, 3:15 - 5:15. Good stuff. Scouts tonight. I had my board of review for Life (the rank right before Eagle) last night and passed. Six to eight months until Eagle! I still have one merit badge to do. If gone to work with my dad a couple of times. It's really interesting watching what my dad does. He is a Radiologist for those of you who do not know. Well I got to run, so I'll talk to you later.

Love and the Human Race

2006-03-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

School - Got my History Test back today. 100%! But school is not what this post is going to be about.

I just watched "Remember The Titans" (for like the 18th time). Racism was supposedly settled after desegregation. Well, look at today's society. The are still plenty of people who stereo type persons of a different ethnicity. They see them in the streets and think "better walk on the other side." In Remember the Titans, black and white teenagers set aside their differences and were friends on and off the field. If they can do it we can, too, as a global community. The Declaration of Independence states that " All men are created equal." If this is what our country was founded on in 1776, why did it take until 1865 for the abolition of slavery, and until 1920 for womens' votes, and 1954 for desegregation of schools in America? Leviticus 18:19 states love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that's what we should do. Which leads me into my next topic of discussion.

Love. The hardest emotion for a human being to understand. According to dictionary.com love is A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness. I used to believe that to love someone, you had to be, or want to be, in a relationship with them (excluding family and relatives). I have learned a lot in the past year, but one thing that stands out is the you don't have to be a boyfriend or a girlfriend to love someone. Love can sometimes be seen be asking yourself this question: "Would I do anything for this person?" If the answer is yes, then that is love. But, that is not the only way of seeing love, not by a long shot. You have to find your own way. I love my friends, my family, and other acquaintances in my life. They are not my girlfriend or lover of any sort. But I love them all the same. Why, because they mean something to me. The make my life more bearable, more liveable. I love them because they have helped to shape my very being. Without them, I would not be who I am today. I would do anything for them. C. S. Lewis once said: "We love to know that we are not alone." The people who we care about in our lives are witnesses to what we accomplish here on this Earth. Love is the repayment for this act of goodwill. That is why we love.

Tuesday

2006-03-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

School - Got my health project back - a 96%. I'm really glad because I thought that I was going to get a B on it. So, in History, we had a review game and, for the third straight time, my team lost. I made all of my practice shots and missed all of my regular shots. It made me so frustrated, lol. We have to test tomorrow, which I have to study for tonight. I also haave to read the Miracle Worker and answer some study guide questions. Baseball starts on Monday. Can't wait for try-outs, though it will probably be very cold. I'm still looking forward to them anyways. Friday, we have no school! It's gonna be crazy. Saturday, I have Jimmy C.'s Eagle Project where we will be painting the library walls with waterproof paint. Saturday is also the First-Aid ralley that I don't want to go to. Mike probably coming over, too. Sunday is church. That's pretty much it. Check out my Myspace, if you get a chance. Thanks.

Scout Sunday

2006-03-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

Today was a really cool day. It started off with Scout Sunday at Bausman Church. I was a reader and my reading was Genesis 8:9-17. The whole service went very well. After Scout Sunday, I just kind of relaxed at home until it was time to go to dinner. We went over to a family friend's house where we had an extremely good Indian Dinner (the husband is Indian). It was amazing. There was everything you could ever imagine. We got home around 9:00 PM. Then, I talked to Emily a little bit on the phone and went to bed. She told me that there is a new person in our Youth Group. I'm going to have to wait until next week to meet her. Too bad. This week is a four day week for me at school. WE have off Friday. I'm thinking about accompanying my dad to work again for the day. Saturday is Kevin's Eagle project again from 10:00-12:00. Sunday is the Cub Scout Klondike Derby that I just volenteered to help out from 1:00-4:00. So, it's going to be a VERY long week. Can't wait for the end.

Symphony

2006-03-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

Today was a very relaxed day. This morning I had a Patrol Leader's Council meeting to discuss the upcoming schedule for the troop. That went very well. Then, my dad and I traveled down to Lancaster to look and road bikes. It was really interesting learning about all of the different models. After we got back, I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes averaging 16.4-16.5 miles per hour. Mike, came over and we stayed on the computer working on Myspace and what not. Dinner was my own version of Maceroni and Cheese (which tasted terrible) and I didn't eat most of it. So, I'm still pretty hungry. At around 7:10 PM, dad and I went over to the Reading Symphony Orchestra to hear Mahler's 6th Symphony. It was pretty good but a little hard to follow. Tomorrow is scout Sunday so I can only go to Rite-13 until around 9:45 AM. Then, Scout Sunday Church Service. Homework next. Then, another grand week of school. That's my schedule.

Friday

2006-03-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

School - Took the music test today on American Music. It had material from the 1800's up to Rock and Rap and the music of today. It was really easy, too, so I'm happy. Got my weekly grade sheet for History - 92.9%. I'm cool with that. Didn't get my Huck Finn test today, though. Mr. C said that he would give back ALL graded work on Monday. That also includes my 5 paragraph essay on racial prejudice in Huck Finn. We started The Miracle Worker in English class. It's pretty good. It doesn't feel like a Friday because we had off yesterday. It felt like a Monday. This weekend is gonna be kind of slow. I have nothing going tomorrow and only church on Sunday. Can't go skiing due to the rain we just had. Too, bad. Looking forward to my mountain biking trip over spring break. It's gonna be crazy. Nothing like Spain or Italy like some people I know, but it means a lot to me. My dad is getting a new road bike and said that I can ride it whenever I want to. It is really light, too. Can't wait to demo it! Well, I'll talk to you all later.

Mike's House

2006-03-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

School - NONE! Yeah I have no idea why they cancelled school becuse of rain, lol. I'm not complaining, though. I'm over at Mike's house right now and he might be getting a really sweet camera called the Fuji Film Z1 Silver. It is super fast and looks really cool. Saturday, is rest and Sunday is possible Scout Sunday or regular Church. Not really sure yet. Have to work on my Health poster today because it is due tomorrow. So, I'll post later tonight.

Pancake Supper

2006-02-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

School - We had the NJHS Picture retake today during 8th period. Then, there was a baseball meeting about tryouts and general rules and stuff like that. That went well also. We have 32 people signed up for the two teams. So, cuts will be made, like last year. I've been practicing all off-season long, so I think I have a pretty good chance of making the team. Tryouts are two weeks from yesterday. Can't wait. So, tonight was the Youth Group Pancake Supper. All the members are servers and cookers. I was a waiter and didn't stop moving until 1 1/2 hours after I started. I loved it. Catherine and her friend William were there, along with Mike, Abby, and Jay. It was crazy. Emily wasn't there, though. Bummer. After I got back I IM'd Matt and we quizzed each other on the Huck Finn Test tomorrow. We both went 8 straight correct answers in a row, so I see A's in our future. LOL. Anyways, this Saturday my mom and sister fly out and there is a PLC (Patrol Leader's Council) meeting. Sunday is church. Friday, my exercise poster is due in Health Class. Long week. Later.

Monday

2006-02-28T06:43:00.000-05:00

School - We are now studying Rap in Music Class. It was pretty fun. Then, we had a history test in History Class tha was okay. George thinks that he got 100% and I think that he ccould be right. English we analyzed Huck Finn more and talk ed about the novel. We started learning about Cigarette smaoking in Health Class, too. WE have our National Junior Honor Society picture retake this afternoon. Then, there is a Junior High Baseball meeting after school. Can't wait for the season to start - March 13! My mom and my sister fly out to Savannah, Georgia his Saturday for Jessica's spring break. Mine starts April 7th. Going to Utah to Mountain Bike, whitewater canoe, hike, and rockclimb baby! Should be a blast! Well, got to go to school (NO TWO HOUR DELAY) My sister has one and so do like 3 other school in the county. Oh, well.

Rite-13 Ceremony

2006-02-26T18:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I had my Rite-13 Ceremony at Church today. It was okay. Catherine and I had to stand up in the front of the church and recite a psalm and that's about it. Afterwards, Mike, Catherine, Emily, Aubrey, and I chilled in the Rite-13 room. It was crazy. I took a lot of pics and we had a lot of fun. Then, went out to dinner at Panda Heaven. It was really good. Really don't want to go to school tomorrow. I need a couple more days off! Oh, well. Anyways, Did anyone know that there is something called a "Monster Thickburger" mad by a fast-food chain called Hardee's that contains 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat?! DAMN!!! They have a total of 5 sandwiches over 1,000 calories featured on their menu. It's crazy. America is so fat. You'd think we'd turn it down a bit, don't you think? Well, I'll leave you with that thought. Talk to you later.

CBH Concert

2006-02-25T22:16:00.000-05:00

today I got to help out Kevin Leiby with his Eagle project. We got to scrub the walls of the library in preparation for waterproof painting. It was pretty cool. August and I took a lot of pictures. I won't post any now because they're not uploaded from the camera yet and I'm too lazt to do it now. Anyways, Mike came over at around 3:45 and we went on the computer and played SSX Tricky. Then, we had dinner. After dinner, we headed over to the Hard Bean for the concert. I took a total of 83 pictures and 5 videos. It was crazy. We had a really great time. The band was awesome and a ton of my friends and classmates were there. So, then we dropped Mike off at his house and came back here. Tomorrow I have the Rite-13 Ceremony and Swimming afterwards. Should be really fun. I am so lucky to have such great family and friends to live my life with.

Friday

2006-02-24T20:41:00.000-05:00

School - Got a bunch of grade sheets back in school today (mid-quarter, already). History I have a 96%. In English I have a 94%, and in math I have a 97%. I'm pretty happy with those grades. So, tonight was the rehearsal dinner for the Rite-13 ceremony. It was pretty fun. We had a good dinner, and Father John said some prayers and we had a really good time. Then, we practiced the ceremony that will be held in Church on Sunday. We had a fun time. Tomorrow, I'm helping Kevin Leiby (Jimmy C.) with his Eagle Project from 10:00 - 12:00 AM. Then, Mike's coming over and having dinner with us. Afterwards, we're going to the Comic Book Heroes Concert. Talked to a friend from Ligonier Camp online. He's cool. Anyways, Church on Sunday with the ceremony and then, Math homework and Health homework. So, a busy weekend. Looking forward to it.

NJHS

2006-02-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

School - George and Ben know what I'm about to talk about: Math class was hilarious! The three of us sit in the front of the class. Mr. Minear had his book open while he was doing problems on the board. Everytime that he would turn around, I would but a mrker in the binding of the book. Then, he would absentmindedly put the marker to one side when he got back to the book. I got up to six markers, so he had a whole pile next to his book and he didn't even notice. Then, I ran out of markers. So, when Mr. Minear wasn't looking, Ben took the whole pile back and we started over again. We got 11 markers before the bell rang. It was great!
I got inducted into the National Junior Honor Society today. There was a ceremony at the end of school and we were called up one-by-one and given a certificate. It was pretty cool. I finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn today. It was actually a pretty funny story once the satirizations are pointed out to the reader. Anyways, First-Aid test tomorrow in Health Class. Full weekend, (refer to previous posts). Well, talk to you later.

Scout Leadership Dinner

2006-02-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

School - We had our fashion show in Spanish class today. Danny dressed up as a female prep with a pink Ralph Lauren polo and Hilary's mini-skirt with Under Armour skin-tight pants underneath. It was hilarious. He had this really girly walk, too. We caught it on tape and were going to put in our Senior Video (YEAH 2010, THE DECADE ENDS WITH CLASS). It was great. Had another Math League test today, also. That was okay. After school, I did my homework and trained on the stationary bike for 25 minutes. I averaged 16.9 mph which is really good. Then, Mike picked me up and we went to help park cars at the Sheraton Hotel for the Boy Scout Leadership Dinner. That was pretty cool. Friday night is the Rite-13 rehearsal dinner, and the Blue and Gold Dinner. I'm trying to fit in both. Saturday night is the The Comic Book Heroes concert. I'm taking Mike with me, and it's gonna be crazy. I'll bring my camera, don't worry. Sunday is the Rite-13 Ceremony and swimming at the Body Zone. Also a camera day. So, busy week. Can't wait.

Mike's House

2006-02-20T16:29:00.000-05:00

Went over to Mike's house today. We played some SSX Tricky then went on the computer. I made him a Myspace and It's lookin pretty cool. Anways, school, tomorrow. Can't wait (sarcasm). MathCounts and OA service tomorrow and NJHS Induction ceremony Wednesday. Rite-13 Ceremony on Sunday. Grand Slam on Wednesday. Packed week.

Skiing

2006-02-19T17:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday - Jessica had her party with four of her best friends. They went out to dinner at Stokesay Castle, but the food was really bad. Oh well. Then, came back and played games until 11:15 PM. Went to bed. Today - Got picked up by Mike at 8:30 AM. Andrew was there, too. It was really cool. WE hit the terrain park and all of the Black Diamonds in Bear Creek (they all sucked). I grinded a ton of new rails, including the Log, Flow, Superman, and one without a name. It was crazy. Then, Mike rode Andrew's snowboard and Andrew rode Mike's skis. It was really funny, but Mike was really good on the snowboard. I took a bunch of pics and here are a few. Hope you like them.

Hospital

2006-02-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

I shadowed my dad at work today. It was a long day, too. His first case was a narrowed fistula which took about 30 minutes. The second case was a clotted graft which took over 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then, we ate lunch and I met Ollie and his mom, who is a Spanish interpreter at the hopsital. Then, my dad performed two kyphoplasties which went pretty well. then, the graft patient had to come back in to have an anyurism looked at in his arm. The whole day was very busy. The techs were very nice and helpful, and I had a really good time. Izz MkIzz (Mike)invited me to go skiing with him at Bear Creek on Sunday after church and then go over to his house on Monday. It's gonna be awesome! I aquired some more comments and friends on Myspace and then sent out an emial to some Order of the Arrow members about a service opportunity. So, overall the day was great! I actually got to see what my dad's work day is like from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Tomorrow is my sister's party and Sunday is church. And skiing at Bear Creek. Monday is Mike's house. It's gonna be an awesome.

I'll bring my camera to Skiing, Church, and Mike's house so look for pictures.

Thursday

2006-02-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

School - We finished the Amadeus movie in Music class. Then, we did some more lit. analysis on Huck Finn in English Class. We have our fashion show on Tuesday in Spanish. It's gonna be crazy. Took my health quiz which was pretty easy. We had a National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) meeting yesterday to practice for the induction ceremony on Wednesday. I'm being inducted! Later, I had my sports physical for baseball. That went fine. Then, on my Myspace for a while. Got a ton of comments yesterday about my new pictures. Also, a lot of regular comments. Today - I'm going to the Hospital with my dad to watch him perform a kyphoplasty. Then, coming home and chillin. Jessica's party tomorrow and church on Sunday. It's amazing to believe that I still have sore wrist muscles from rock climbing. Well, talk to you guys later.

Rock Climbing

2006-02-16T06:22:00.000-05:00

School - We had PSSA's again. Today was the informational prompt. It was okay. I got a pretty good five paragraph esssay out of it. Finished another Five paragraph essay on racial prejudice in Huck Finn last night. I think it's good. I also had to type up a paper for Spanish. Took the science test, which was very easy. We have a math quiz today. And, we have a health test today on how to treat different burns. Last night the troop went rock climbing at Reading Rocks. It was crazy fun. We were climbing a ton and I did a lot of bouldering! Of, course I hardly have any feeling in my arms because Bouldering is all arm strength. Anyways, there was pizza and Gatorade and lots of cool stuff. I had to belay a lot of the little kids, though. That hurt my shoulder muscle (deltoids) a ton, so they're pretty sore this morning, also. Last day of school today! Four day weekend! Skiing at Bear Creek! It's gonna be awesome! Well, nothing Friday (maybe ski), Jessica's party on Saturday, Church on Sunday, and nothing Monday (maybe ski). It's going to be a great weekend. I want everyone to have as much fun as I do!

Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T20:28:00.000-05:00

School - We had the PSSA's in school today. We only have to take the writing part now. Today was the informational prompt. It was "What are the Qualities a Teacher Should Have?" It was really easy to write a five paragraph essay about that. Anyways, study hall was fun. We listened to music on Mr. Rada's laptop. And in Health we practiced performing First Aid for bleeding. So, school was pretty cool. I bought the E2c earphones tonight. They're awesome! They sound like a whole stereo system in one little bud. Well, they're really cool. Tomorrow are PSSA's again. Then, off Friday and Monday for the weekend! Can't wait! I need to catch up on sleep, though. Well, should probbly go to bad now. Talk later.

SAT Scores Are In!

2006-02-13T18:04:00.000-05:00

School - We have PSSA Writing Assessment tests tomorrow and Wednesday. More tests. Speaking of tests, I got my SAT scores in!!!! Compared to 18 year old seniors, I got an 1860 on the new SAT (and a 1280 on in terms of the old one)! That's an 84 percentile in reading and an 85 percentile in math! I went up 38 percentile in reading all thanks to my english teacher Mr. Comerford. And I've been reading a ton lately. Math went down a tad but I'm better than cool about that. I feel awesome. Plus, I just got back from Grand Slaam and batting practice. It was an on-off day but I got a 39 in the game, which is really good. Four day week! And then a 4 day weekend! Can't wait. Hopefully I'll be skiing this weekend. Can't wait to hit the terrain park. And guess what?! Ligonier Camp is coming to Reading Area! Goin to see them (duh!) and bringin a friend (and I get a free t-shirt for that). Killer day. CHEERS!

Sure E2c Earphones

2006-02-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been moody again. I went out to lunch at this small local diner with my family and afterwards went to an Audio/Video Store. They have to craziest home theater set up inside (suggested retail $35,000) and the coolest screen (suggested retail $15,000). Anyways, I was looking for a pair of earphones for my iPod. The man there suggested the Sure E2c earphones. I tried them an thought that they were a bit tinny. The man said that it might have been due to the earphones not being pushed in deep enough into the ear canal, so I'm gonna go back and try them out again later. If anyone has any experience with these or any other E series earphones, please comment your thoughts. Also, if you have any other suggestions, please comment. Thanks.

Snow

2006-02-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

We got like 8 inches of snow last night! I probably won't have school on Monday because they haven't even started plowing the streets yet and it's still snowing. Hopefully that means that I can invite Mike to go skiing at Bear Creek on Monday. They got 10 inches up there. It's crazy. I can't wait to see how high the jumps are; they're gonna be crazy high! Anyways, I couldn't go to church today because of the snow, which is disappointing because I had some videos that I wanted to show Emily and Catherine. They're of George and Sam doing a duet of a song that George wrote. George is on the guitar and Sam is on the banjo (lol). It's really funny. Too bad I can't show it to them. O well. I'll show it to them later. I worked on my Myspace a little. Check it out. I only have 32 friends as of right now, though. It's crazy to think of Sam with like 117. Crazy. Well, got to go eat.

SNOW!

The Insider

2006-02-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching The Insider with Russel Crowe and Al Pocino. It is a movie about a former executive at a big tobacco company who reveils that the company is enhancing Nicotine so that people become more addicted to it. Crowe plays the exec. and Pocino plays the "60 Minutes" reporter trying to get Crowe in for an interview. Crowe has signed an agreement of confidentiality and is pressured not to talk, but risks everything to tell the world that there are health risks to cigarettes. He gets bashed and threatened but Pocino is always there to protect him. Crowe loses his house, job, wife, kids, and reputation just for this, but Pocino sticks with him. Then, CBS is afraid to air the interview that Crowe went out on a limb to tape. Crowe fights against his superiors because he knows how much Crowe has gone through to "blow the whistle" on big tobacco. Finally, the interview airs.

This shows me an aspect of society that I don't see very often today. Sticking up for what you know is the morally right thing to do. Politicians are swayed by campaign donations, money, and the promise of political support. They no longer look at what is the best thing to do for the people that they are supposed to represent. Americans are giving up their rights for so called security. Benjamin Franklin once said, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." We need to look back at the fathers of our country to remind ourselves why America was created in the first place. Learn from people like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Monroe, Madison, and all the others about what it really means to be a "servant of the people."

MathCounts

2006-02-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the competition went pretty well. I got ninth out of about 120 students in the county and the team got second out of 20 teams. It was pretty cool. IT'S FINALLY SNOWING! Going skiing on Monday if there's no school (optimistic). Going to pick up a pair of headphones later today. Working on English homework. Peace.

Mr. Minear

2006-02-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

School - Math class was really funny. I drew this perfect (well almost) picture of Mr. Minear. Check it out next to his real picture at . Other than that, I got a 50/50 on my Health test. We started a first aid unit which will be easy for me because of scouts. The rest of school was pretty normal, no wait. Shieldsy had a shadow to day named Mary. She's Caitlin Moser's sister. Her, Shieldsy, Matt, ZAch, and I all went to study hall in the library and talked about funny stuff. It was crazy. MathCounts competition tomorrow. Hope it snows a lot! Except that Catherine and Mike have a date to go to the movies together and the snow would ruin it. Well, I have two, five-paragraph essays due and 75 pages of Huck Finn and all the Study Guide questions to go along with them. Talked to Emily and Catherine online.

<3 to you.

Thursday

2006-02-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

School - I took my health test today. It wasn't that bad, but I'm really glad I studied for it. Got a ton of homework in English. Anyways, my sister was in the Regional Spelling Bee and wasn't eliminated until the second-to-last round. Well, this weekend, while all my friends are skiing at Jack Frost in the Poconoes, I'll be in a testing room doing math problems. I wish so much that I was with them. I'd give up math for skiing anyday (as you know from my header). Too bad. Well, baseball practice tomorrow and I'm going to ride again. Training, training, training. Can't live with it, can't do all you want without it. I still have a sore Lattisumus Dorsi, and I don't know why. It could have been from skiing but that was last Saturday.

I took the time out of my day to thank the Lord for the great family and friends that I have. Without them, life would be impossible to live. I want all of you to take time out your day today to thank God for what you have. Don't take them for granted. Tell them that you consider their being in your life a pleasure. Let them know that they are appreciated.

I leave you with this quote I said the other day:
"Life isn't black and white. It's all about the colors that you paint it, in your own unique style."

Scouts

2006-02-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

School - Today I got a ton of homework all around. Three essays, Huck Finn reading, and much, much more. We're watching Amadeus in music class. It's a pretty good movie about Mozart's life (not a documentary). I have a big health test tomorrow. It's on all of the medical names for bones (Shoulder blade=scapula; collar bone=clavical; etc.), the major muscules and their medical names (calf=gastrocnemius; lover back=lattisumus dorsi; etc.), and the Cardiovascular system. Plus all the types of physical fitness, heartrates, and more. Had scouts tonight. We worked on CPR and splints. A couple of the dads told stories of how they saw a guy brought back by CPR. It was pretty cool. Got invited to work at the Scout Leadership dinner as an OA member. Saturday (while the troop will be skiing at Jack Frost :-() I'll be at a MathCounts competition. Sunday is church. Grammy's tomight. I'm gonna watch about 1/2 hour of them. Well, they start at nine so I got to run. Later.

Training

2006-02-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

Just got off the stationary bike. I have to train for my MOUNTAIN BIKING TRIP over spring break. It's gonna be the best! About 3-4 times a week I ride the stationary bike for around 30 minutes and I average about 16-17 miles per hour. If you're thinking right now "Oh, that sounds easy.", think again. I am in the hardest gear and it hurts towards the end. Anyways, I finally got out of my mood swing. It is clinicaly proven that exercising improves one's mood. I think I just validated that proven theory. This session also helps to train for baseball season. Can't wait for that to start. Anyways, I'll talk to you guys tomorrow.

Tuesday

2006-02-07T17:57:00.000-05:00

School - Got our music quizes back and I got a 100. And I got my English test on the backround of Huck Finn back with a 95%. I'm happy. I got the album By the Way by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's amazing; every song is a new feeling. Buy it, you won't regret it. I connected with an old classmate of mine who moved 3 years ago named Alexa. She lives in Florida and found my Myspace. It was pretty cool to have someone remember you from that long ago. I got my retainers switched to night only, which is great. I've been having a mood swing lately that's made me slightly depressed. I don't know why. I have an awesome life with great people and places to go to if I need them. I guess I miss outside contact. I realized that I've been kind of in my own world lately, and I've missed out on the real one. I plan to change that.
I don't like when people are mad at me. I always try to create an understanding and make things right again. That's me.

Monday

2006-02-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

School - Today was pretty good. Spanish was pretty funny, because we showed our catalogues in class. Ours was so funny because George, Sam, and my pictures were on the front of the paper. We're all wearing Sam's sports jacket and we look very classy. We found out that we only had 9 pages when we needed 10. Anyway's, math was really boring because all we did was go over homework that I understood, but no one else did. Talked to Emily for a while. We have PSSA's next week in writing. We have to write a five paragraph essay: one persuasive and one non-fiction. I loathe standerdized tests. Finished reading Huck Finn, the section we were supposed to read. Got to go. Talk to you later.

Super Bowl

2006-02-06T06:16:00.000-05:00

The Party was awesome! Ton of people were there: Danny, Pat, Mike, Tanner, Mike, Blake, Jakie, and Sammy Morello (who I haven't seen in like 2 years). It was a crazy party, too. The Super Bowl was won by, who else, The STEELERS! We knew it the whole time. Anyways, I have to go study for a test today, so I'll post tonight.

Sam's House

2006-02-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

George, Sam and I worked on our Spanish project at Sam's House. It looks so cool. We had a lot of fun taking pictures with my and Sam's cameras and taking videos of George playing his song on the Guitar (Sam on banjo,lol) on my camera. Crazy times. Church was cool, too. Party tonight! I'll blog about it either tonight ro tomorrow. I know some of the pics are sideways. Deal with it.

Skiing

2006-02-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

Bear Creek was awesome. It was the second best skiing time of my life. Mike and I only skiied one run the whole time: The Terrain Park. We had a route that we took every time: 9 jumps, 2 poles (grinding), 1 picnic table (grinding). It was crazy! One jump, we got about 22 feet of air (NO JOKE!). It was sweet. I did a crossed eagle for the first time and a grab for the first time. It was the best! (The first best time in my life was a week in Santa Fe, NM last February where Brent and I skiied the whole mountain; every run, every hidden forest, every secret chute, etc.) Church tomorrow and party in the afternoon. Super Bowl! Steelers! Just added my Myspace to my link list on the right. Don't worry, I'll still blog on this. Myspace isn't even a blogging site. Anyways, I finished my PSSA Writing Test sample: a five paragraph essay on pursuasive writing. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Bear Creek

2006-02-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

School - Same old, same old. I have to know every bone and muscle in the body by Tuesday for Health. I already am really good with the bones, but the muscles are hard because we have to know the latin names. Anyways, had an english test today. 8 short answer questions, 5 points each, which means if you mess up one, you bomb the test. My dad had a cool case today at the hospital (he's an Intervential Radiologist). Gun shot would to the left side of the neck. Hit the Vertebial Artery, which brings blood to the brain. The guy was knock door-to-door trying to get someone to call the police. 40 mins later someone did. My dad wasn't the one who did the procedure, but his partner did. And he did an awesome job! The tricky part was that if the artery was blocked the the junction of the left and right arteries, it would cause a stroke. The left Vertebrial Artery was ruptured and had to be blocked without cutting off the right one. He did it perfectly! Anyways, the guy is doing great! Lucky guy. So, changing gears, skiing tomorrow at Bear Creek with Mike, Jessica, and her friend. It's gonna be a blast! Church on Sunday, and Super Bowl Party at Izzo's. I predict Huck Finn and a five paragraph essay in my future.

Thursday

2006-02-03T06:45:00.000-05:00

School - Not much happened. Just a normal school day for me. I got some more of my science project done last night and read some more of Huck Finn. Spanish class was really funny again: Sara Erika, Sam, George, and I were cutting out clothes from a magazine. Then, Sara started to switch head and clothes and it all got out of hand. Bottom line, We're going to have to go to Sam's house to work on the project. Looks like it's going to rain tomorrow, so I think Skiing would be hard. Unless it's snowing at the ski area. Anyways, Emily called last night and we talked for awhile, then I went to bed. Baseball practice today, Skiing (maybe) tomorrow, church and a movie (maybe) Sunday. Got to go to school. See you guys.

Wednesday cont.

2006-02-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

School - Science we worked on our research partner (Patch) on our work papers. We're almost done with our Classical Music notes in Music and are going to move into Classic Rock. It's gonna become really awesome after we start that section. Have to read a lot more of Huck Finn (about 110 pages) by next week, which wouldn't be so bad if I weren't coveredd in other assignments. Like today, had school from 7:34-2:15, MathCounts from 2:15-3:00, George was over from 3:00-4:45, Grand Slam from 5:00-6:00 (with travel), Dinner from 6:15-6:45, and scout meeting from 7:00-8:45. Then, I do homework. Where am I supposed to fit Huck Finn in. Anyways, Grand Slam was good. Got a bunch of rounds in. My swing is awesome, if I may say so myself. Anyways, have to eat or I'll starve (yeah right, ONE). Later.

Back again at 8:45, back from scouts. We had a pretty good meeting. Tonight was the Order of th Arrow (OA) elections. The OA is an elite group of scouts who are dedicated to cheerful service. Tonight is the night which we elect new members into the Order. 2 out of the 3 made it in. As the newly appointed OA Representative, I helped with elections and other stuff that I won't go into detail about. Mr. Lutz gave a great speech on the Constitution before the elections, too. Mike might be coming skiing with us at Bear Creek on Saturday, and I'm trying to set up a movie on Sunday with Youth Group. Church and the Super Bowl party at the Izzo's on Sunday. Another crazy awesome weekend planned. Can't wait!

Wednesday

2006-02-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

School - Spanish class was awesome. George, Sam, Sara, Erika, Suzy, and I searched Pete Minear on Google Images. The pictures we found are above. Say hello to my math teacher. All we did in Spanish was search the names of teachers in google. I'll post more later because George is here and we have to work on a Spanish Catalogue. Later.

Baseball Practice

2006-01-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

Just got back from baseball practice. It was pretty good. We had four stations set up:

1. A soft toss with a tire to put your front foot in.
2. A tee with an outside pitch set up.
3. A quick swing machine.
4. Live pitching.

I did pretty well, but I still have some work to do. I can't believe I've been preacticing since last fall. My swing has improved so much since then. I remember when I used to throw across the street in my old house in Exeter and I'd only reach my dad half of the time. I also remember all the times that Sean and Mr. Finnegan would practice with me. They really rejuvenated my love for the game. I also can't belive that I've been playing for about 7 years. I love this game.

After practice I ran the mile or so back to my house. I'm still training for my spring break mountain biking trip to Utah. Can't wait! It's gonna be great. I might be able to go skiing on Saturday if I'm lucky. Bear Creek has about 17"-29" according to their website. That should be really fun. I might be able to invite Mike to join me, Jessica, andd her friends Afton and Ellie. Church on Sunday and the SUPER BOWL. Party at Mike's house. Raise the roof. Everyone's coming!

STEELERS

Report Card

2006-01-31T15:02:00.000-05:00

School - Almost got caught by Mr. Corbet A. Babb (Assistant Principal) in math class. I was fooling around when I notice that George was behaivor rather well in class, I ask him why and he write the following on his homework paper:

"Mr. Babb is staring right at you"

Well, I finally relized that he was in the room. He had walked in earlier, but I thought he had left. Anyways, nothing came of it, at we went off to Babiarz's Health class. After health, we were sent to homeroom to collect our report cards. I GOT A 4.2 GPA, BABY! Of course so did Zach, George, Ben, Matt, and probably a bunch of other people. Well, I'm happy. Might celebrate tonight by going out to dinner. Tomorrow is Wednesday. I can't believe it. It feels like tomorrow should be a Friday.

Sam and George introduced me to a band called Mason Proper whose new CD is coming out soon. It's a really good CD and you should all get it. I also just ordered a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD on Amazon for a whopping 4 bucks. Bargains are the best. Amazon.com and Half.com (which is a subsidiary of eBay) are some of my favorites. Talk to you guys later.

Music Video

2006-01-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand, the music video has been changed from auto-starting at the launch of the site. To watch the video (Over My Head by The Fray) please click the Play button. This is all thanks to guess and check on the template page. I've gotten pretty good at it, too. I changed the size of the video and added words up top. Hope you all enjoy the video and don't forget to leave a request for another.

Thanks,
Steve

Sunday

2006-01-30T06:26:00.000-05:00

Church was fine. We didn't have a lesson for Rite-13 because the teacher that was supposed to be teaching today was sick, so we just sat around and talked. Mostly it was Anita who talked, though. After Rite-13 was the service. I just went home and relaxed in my bedroom after church. I read a lot more of Huck Finn, because we have to read chapters 12-18 by tomorrow. I don't really like the book, but it's not horrible. Anyways, today is the spelling bee in school. That takes up 2nd and 3rd periods, luckily. George is in it and is going to win! New music video on the right: Over My Head by The Fray. Please comment any other music video suggestions. Thanks.

SAT's + Daniel Boone

2006-01-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

SAT's - I am not legally allowd to talk about the test until graded scores are posted online. I am, however, legally allowed to tell you that is was 4 hours in a testing room with 10 sections of test, one being the essay. I was lucky enough to be in the same testing room as George, Matt, Shieldsy, ZAch, and Sam S. After testing, I headed up to Daniel Boone. I played some football, then we hung out in the "older scout" room. It was me, Mike I., Pat, Alex, Kieth, and Ben B. Soon, Ben had to leave and was replaced by Blake W. We tallked about "stuff" and goofed off. We prank called tons of people and sang happy birthday to Mozart on Sara's cellphone. Hilarious stuff. Well, home now, finally. Church tomorrow and Huck Finn Chapters 12-18. Fun, fun, fun.....

Spanish Class

2006-01-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

School - Pretty mucha typical day at Wyomissing Area High School. Spanish class was pretty funny, though. We were playing Nachos (BINGO) in class when Casey told Erkia to wrap her bead necklace around her neck one more time. The necklace snapped and beads went everywhere! Casey, Niki, and I had to pick them all up, because Erika was laughing so much. Then, I held he beads in my hands while Casey and Niki put the necklace together. Girls are awesome with Jewelry, don't ask me why. So, we finally got it together (teamwork), but the funniest part was that Senora Shomgard didn't even notice; she was oblivious to everything! Had to be there. Pablo sace quarto puntos rojos en los tres minutos terminos del clase! Anyways, SAT's tomorrow and Daniel Boone for the day. Then, church on Sunday.

Baseball season starts soon! WYO SPARTANS! GIRLS BASKETBALL!! Won 60-59 last night. Caitlin Moser to the rescue, again! Great game, but we won in the end (duh, we're the best)! Wyomissing spirit is not something to be reconned with!

Thursday

2006-01-26T19:27:00.000-05:00

School - Got a lot of homework for Huck Finn in English class. Some study guide packet questions and 8 chapter to read. Tomorrow's Friday, finally. Saturday is SAT's and Daniel Boone. I have no emotions at the moment. I don't know why. I feel like I'm just, here. Ever have those times where you just have to sit back and contemplate your own existance? You question God's choice of creating YOU? Why you're here and what you're really here to do? That's how I feel right now. What is my purpose inn the world. I have no idea where I want to go to college, or what I want to be when I get out. Right now, my philosophy is to try everything and decide afterwards. It's hard. I have one main goal, though: To change the world by helping mankind. Kind of like Bono. I'm not sure what paths to take to get there, but I'll find out. Wish me luck.

Grand Slam

2006-01-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

School - Not much to say here. Normal day. Wait, we had a course selection assembly planning for next year. Next year we switch to a 6 day cycle (days A, B, C, D, E, and F). Anyways, lots more Honor courses that I will take and 2 electives. One of those is Spanish III. The other I'm thinking about is Computer Aided Drafting which is like Architecture Drawing on the Computer. There are a ton of courses to choose from. Anyways, SAT's on Saturday, ugh. I don't really like taking them, but they get me reading for the one that counts. This test is the new one with the essay. Daniel Boone with scouts for the rest of Saturday, and coming home afterwards. Church on Sunday (with my camera!). Super Bowl party on Feburary 5th (DUH!) and that's all that's planned so far. Went to Grand Slam today. Bob never ceases to amaze me. I was havving an off warm-up and he fixed my swing with one look. I hit 44 in the game, tied for my highest! Bob is the best!

Math Exam

2006-01-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

School - Got my math midterm back. Get this: Mr. Minear curved all of the tests by 15%! It's way yoo much in my opinion, but without it, half the class might have failed. I got a 92 without the curve so a 107% with it. Talk about a GPA raiser. Ben got a 109 and George got a 99. The rest of the class? Not so well. Anyways, Mr. Kennedy is a horrible teacher, but Babiarz is the best. His class is going to be a favorite of mine. Trying to arrange a get together with Brent and family in Santa Fe. Looks like it'll havee to be in the summer. Mountain biking, I hope. Well, gotta fly. Watched Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Check it out.

Monday

2006-01-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

School - I got my midterm grades back! History - A, English - 94%, Spanish - 93%, Science - 102% (that includes a 9% curve), Math - he didn't start grading them yet. I'm so happy. Today we switched 4 classes: 1. Period one I now have music which isn't just classical. It's also about the history of rock. Should be a good class. 2. Period five I now have Mr. Kennedy for Earth science. He has ONE cross eye, which means that he can look one way with his head and another with his eye. It's scary because he could all of a sudden look at you and then call on someone who sits on the other side of the room! Anyways, Patch is my lab partner, which is pretty cool. 3. Period seven I now have Health with Mr. Babiarz. He's really cool, and his class should be great. 4. Gym is now just a bunch of games we play in the wrestling room. Overall, school was pretty good. SAT's on Saturday! Then, camping at Daniel Boone with scouts. Church on Sunday. Another busy weekend.

World Peace.

Youth Group

2006-01-22T17:51:00.000-05:00

AWESOME DAY!!!!! Started off with going to church. I was a reader and that went well. Then, after the service, Emily, Catherine, Mike and I went up to the chillin room and supervized the little kids while they were watching a Veggie Tales video. After that, we just hung around. Mike and Catherine had a huge pillow fight while I was just lying face down on the couch with Emily lying on top with a fierce fight over the pillows. Then, the little kids started jumping all over us trying to "beat us up." It was reslly fun. Soon we went skating. I was the only good skater there but Emily did a good job as did Catherine (Mike didn't come). We took Catherine's niece around the rink a few times, then got some coffee. After that, Emily and I were skating together and my sister and Catherine we skating together. Overall, it was a great day. But, I forgot my camera :-(. Luckily Anita brought hers and I just emailed her asking for some pictures to scan that I can post, so look forward to that. Later.

Exams are over!

2006-01-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

Friday - Had the history exam first. It was 250 multiple choice questions that didn't take me too long to do. The second and final exam was math. It was really hard. I was composed up of 25 multiple choice questions and about 8 pages of written problems. All on Geometry. Because we have had 6 different teachers throughout the semester, our current teacher didn't know how much we had learned. Some of the questions on the exam we hadn't learned yet. Luckily he threw them out after we told him. After exams I went to the MathCounts party/practice. It was really fun (except for the math part). We had tons of pizza and Chips Ahoy and lemonade so you can imagine our sugar high. We messed around with thye buzzers when we were practicing, and we laughed so much. At 5:30 I headed over to the Elementary School to help with the Cub Scout race called the Pinewood Derby. It was fun at first, but you can start the race only so many times before it gets pretty boring. Got back home around 9:00 and read some more of The Count of Monte Cristo. It's a really good book! At least that's what I think. So, to today. Read some more in the morning, then went on a bike ride with my dad. We didn't go too far but it was fun going faster than the cars at some points where the speed limit was 35 MPH. The drivers look at you kind of funny when they see a biker passing them, lol! Then, my dad dropped off his bike to get worked on while he's away at a meeting. We're also looking at road bikes. Anyways, symphony tonight. All Mozart pieces. Ice skating tomorrow with Youth Group after Church where I'm going to be a reader. Got the official reservation for our Mountain Bike trip to Utah!!!!!!! Can't wait. Still training.....

Goodbye Sam. It was a pleasure reading you blog. Hope you come back here. Even though I see you in school, you put a lot of interesting stuff in your blog. Talk to you later.

Spanish and English

2006-01-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

School - First was Spanish. We had 200 multiple choice questions, a listening section, and an essay. It was pretty easy, though. That class is one of my favorites because we have so much fun (how couldn't you with a line-up like Patch, Andrew, Sean, Danny, George, Sam, and me?). Next was the break. Sam, Ned, George, andd I argued about if James Bond is or isn't a rock god. He a local guitarist, and yes that's his real name. English was pretty hard. 200 multiple choice, a semicolon andd comma editting worksheet, and a five paragraph essay. I only finished with four minutes to spare. Tomorrow is the last day of exams. Finally. Busy weekend ahead: Tomorrow, MathCounts from 11:00-2:15, and the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby at 6 with Mike, Mike, and Pat. Saturday - Probably hang out with Mike. Might go see the new Spielberg: Munich, sounds great. Sunday - reader at church and ice skating at Boddy Zone afterwards. Should be pretty fun. I'll bring my camera, so look for pics on Sunday night. Bought a few Franz Ferdinand songs: Take Me Out and Do You Want To. Great songs. Well, got to go study some more.

Science

2006-01-18T17:21:00.000-05:00

School - Had a study hall period for 1 1/2 hours first. I read chapters 1-6 in my science book (all) and chapters 1-5 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The preface was unbearable but the story is ok. Then, 1/2 hour break where Ned and George had a run-in with a few stale fruit roll-ups. Had to be there. Science exam was a piece of cake. I think I did really well. Got out at 11:00 and went over to Blue Marsh (a local lake) and had a skipping contest. There are no bad skipping rocks there; it's amazing! Then, went to Barnes and Nobles for lunch and a book. I picked out the Count of Monte Cristo. I'm only on page 34 (of 1462, lol), and, so far, it's good. Tomorrow is English and Spanish exams. No quiero ir al clase de mi examen de espanol, o ingles. It's going to be a hard day. Wish me luck!

Exams

2006-01-18T06:28:00.000-05:00

Science Midterm Today. I think I'm pretty prepared for it, because I studied for all of my exams. I finished Briar Rose By Jane Yolen. Thanks, Leon! It was a great book. A fictional story with historical past weaved in. It's about a grandaughter tracing back her grandmother's past through Poland. The first lead she has is a WWII refugee camp in NY State. from there she goes onto Kulmhof, a Nazi extermination camp. Overall, it's a very exciting, yet heart wrenching story put in one.
It's pouring here. The electricity went out around 2:51 AM; I know that because the alarm went off. Now it's back on, luckily. Well, have to go wake up my dad to get ready for work.

Day before Exams

2006-01-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

School - Today had to be one of the longest days of school. Tomorrow is final exams. It begins with a study hall and science tomorrow, Spanish and English on Thursday, and History and Math of Friday. It's going to be a long rest of the week. We get out at 11:00 every day during exams, which is a good thing. Don't think I'm going to baseball practice today. Tomorrow is Grand Slam Batting practice with the best hitting coach ever, Bob. Got my CO2 car and Wyomissing W back. It's a W and aan A mixed, our school symbol. I'm going to spray paint it Navy Blue and White (School colors) and posts pics when I'm done. I got a 198/200 on my car! Anyways, not much else happening. Looking for a semi-inexpensive yet good quality set of earphones. If anyone has any suggestions, they'd be most welcome. Thanks.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2006-01-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my dad and I looked for plane tickets for our mountain biking trip over spring break. We're biking from Canyonland National Park to Arches National Park. We're going with Escape Adventures (link found at right). It's going to be awesome. I have to train a lot for it, though. My dad and I usually ride about 50 miles every week about 1 or 2 months ahead of time. It's really fun because you get to see parts of the county that you wouldn't see otherwise. Today is working on scounts again. I have 2 projects to complete for the Family Life Merit Badge. Then, we have some friends coming over to visit with Jessica. My Aunt Sue was here yesterday. She and my cousin were in Chili over Christmas Break. She takes all of her nieces and nephews anywhere in the world for 3 weeks. I split mine up: I went ot Ireland for 10 days last summer and am going to Iceland for 11 this summer. Anyways, she brought us presents. I got an amazing chess set that portrays the Spanish playing against the Incas. It is so beautiful. Well, have to go eat breakfast. May peace be upon you.

Comic Book Heroes Concert

2006-01-15T10:49:00.004-05:00

The concert was awesome! However, before it started, I still can't believe this, Sam got clipped by an Acura! He was fine but the guy ran a red light and Sam jumped out of the way just in time. The side mirror hit him and he went flying back. The mirror broke, but luckily Sam didn't. The concert was awesome! About half of the teachers from school were there. 3 History teachers (Mr. Mann, Mrs. Mangold, and Mr. Galagher), 2 English teachers (Mr. Comerford and Mrs. Landrum), and my old 6th grade teacher, Ms. Bensusan. CRAZY! The band was great. Sam Tonneslan got up and danced and Ned came out into the crowd and sat on my lap! The whole thing was awesome. Mike loved it too. The band took advantage of their wireless instuments (except drums, duh) and came out into the crowd, moved around, etc. Before, Mike and I went out to dinner at Taco Bell and played SSX Tricky (I think we're obsessed). Decided not to go to church today, so I slept in till about 10:30. Came down here and checked my email and started blogging. Took a ton of pics last night! I'll add a few, if I can. The first one is of Steve, Ned, and Sam on "stage" and the second is of Collin, Ned, and Sam and Steve is cut off. Enjoy!

3 Day Weekend

2006-01-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

School - Well, finally lost in the CO2 race. But, since I finished in the top 4, I still got a 90% for the racing part of the course. Took a math test today. Was pretty hard. Have to study A LOT for my midterms next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The good thing is that we all have half days of school those days, which is nice. Comic Book Heroes (Comic Book Heroes Webpage) concert tomorrow night. for those of you who don't know, it's a group of my friends in a band that includes Sam (Phony Nowhere), Ned, Collin, ans Steve (not me). They are an awesome band and play extremely well. They just went to NYC today to audition for a part on Nickelodeon TV. Sweet, right? Anyways, Mike might come to my house and then go to the concert with me. My sister (11) had an operation on a benign tumor in her neck yesterday (which is why I didn't write) that went extremely well! And, my cousin Ben got accepted into the University of Pittsburgh, a.k.a. Pitt. It's not the only college he aplied to (duh), but so far he's 1 for 1 in acceptance rate. Congrats Ben!

Court of Honor

2006-01-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

School - Got the fastest time trial in the class for my CO2 car! .941 seconds! Tomorrow, we start to compete against each other to find the fastest car in the class. Tonight was the Boy Scout Court of Honor which is the ceremony where you are awarded your rank advancements and merit badges. For the communications merit badge, I ran the court of honor. I just gave a short speech for inspiration. Here it is:

"Do any of you know who Paul Hewson is? No, that's probably because you know him better as Bono Vox. He is the lead singer of U2, a legend to many, if not all, rock 'n' roll fans, and a hero to people, like myself, who know the other half of his life. Bono works with the American Congress to bring relief to the poorest countries of the world be elimenating the debt that they owe to the United States. He has used his fame to change the world on the celebrity level. He has helped to found DATA which stands for Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa, a nonprofit organization that helps the poorest countries in Africa get back on their feet. He is also a prominent member of The ONE Campaign which is rallying Americans to Make Poverty History.
The boys here tonight have already started to change the world on the local level. The service projects thatt they have participated in, the lighting of the greens, bonfire cleanup, and Treasure Island cleanup, are the beginnings of what Bono is doing today. This is what scouting is all about, helping others. The skills that are taught and learned during the scouting experience are tool to use in life to help others through cheerful sevice. The values aquired in Boy Scouts are the same values that Bono uses on a larger scale. With these values, Bono has helped millions of people around the globe. The boys here tonight are on their way to becoming the next Bono.
We are here tonight to acknowledge the contribution made by the scouts of Troop 413 to our local community. These rank advancements and merit badges awarded here tonight are proof of the dedicated work that these boys have put forth in striving for excellence. They deserve a round of applause!"

Hope yoyu liked it. Tomorrow, I'm going over to Mike's house after school until 6:00 PM. Then, coming home and relaxing. Youth group is going ice skating on January 22. Should be really fun. Sign the letter to President Bush at The ONE Campaign. Thanks for you VOICE!

Apple

2006-01-10T20:08:00.000-05:00

School - We went to the elementary school to give the book that I have been working on for about two months to my first grade partner. He didn't really love it as much as I had hoped, so I'm a little bummed. Finished my science project. I present it tomorrow; it's on Uranium. Big News Today! - Apple came out with their first ever Intel Processor Computers. They are awesome! A laptop called the MacBook Pro and the new iMac. The laptop now comes with a built in iSight (intCamera) and is 4x faster than the Powerbook (not discontinued). Also new to Apple are iLife and iWork 06. New to iLife is iWeb, an application designed for easy webpage design. I really want the new laptop and iLife but with a pricetag over $2000, not likely at all. Turns out I can't go to Lake Como (HUGE Disappointment) because the day we would fly back is the first day of my religious sports camp called Ligonier. I cannot miss that. Oh well. Got a new watch today, not that you care. A cool Armitron for $20. Cheap, yet simple and elegant. Not bad for that price. Have to go put the finishing touches on my project.

Mid Terms are coming up.

2006-01-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

School - I got my English Vocab Test back - 42/40 A+. YES! I've got a solid A for the quarter. Breaking News - We have exemptions this year. Thank God for that. I can't stand Mid Terms and I really can't stand Finals. Last year, I didn't have to take any! I hope to follow in the tradition this year, too. My grandmother is here again. It always nice when she comes to visit. I am sooooo tired today, it's starting to affect my day. Not good. Need more sleep. Well, ran home from school today and am starting another tradition of running home every day. It's really not that far, a mile, but it's good exercise anyways (stay in shape for baseball season. I have practice tomorrow and Thursday. I missed the last three: the first one because it was over break, and the last two because I forgot. Well, there is a possibility of my family and I going to Italy the first week of summer break for a meeting me dad has there. We'd be staying at a place called Lake Como miles from the Swiss border. One of my dreams has always been to look apon the beautiful magnificence of the Swiss Alps. I know the Alps are the same in Italy, but for me, it's different. Anyways, I looking forward to going, if we even do. Have to go help clean up the kitchen. Talk later.

Mike's House

2006-01-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I had an awesome time at Mike's house, as always. We first played some SSX Tricky, then we went to the movies to see King Kong. It was a great movie. Looking at it from a professional critic's viewpoint, it was still sweet. It was pretty violent and gory, though; I mean a guy gets his head swallowed by some sort of huge water animal with no eyes, just a mouth and two rows of sharp teeth. There were also lots of giant insects in the movie. Anyways, we stayed up until 3:00 AM, a new record for us (my individual record is 5:30 AM with Mason). We watched parts of You Got Served on his PSP with his new speakers. Mike's are very small and portable. His mom got the new video iPod 30 GB white (same one I have) and the inMotion speakers that look like a big cylinder on its side. It has awesome sound and are a lot bigger than how they look in the picture on Apple's website: Apple inMotion Speakers. I'm going to look into some small portable speakers for my iPod soon. My family and I are going to go see an acrobatic show tonight. I have no clue what it is or how it is going to be. Well, talk to you tomorrow and/or later tonight after I get back.

Weekend

2006-01-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

Well, this might have been one of the hardest days of my life. I had four tests in school today. One in English, the one I've been talking about all week, it was so easy because i studied a lot. I'm really happy about that. Then, there was the science test which was pretty easy. During 7th and 8th periods I took two MathCounts tests which I did OK on. I was talking to Mike Izzo and we're at the moment setting up to go see King Kong and then have a sleepover at one of our houses. A great compliment to a harsh day. Then, church Sunday and working on my Science project on Uranium. Fun, fun. I have to go right now because he's coming to pick me up. Bye!

Wednesday and Thursday

2006-01-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday - School - I finished pasting up my IS Book for my first grade "counterpart". It looks really good. Zach, Pat S., George, and I are contributing to an overall english study guide for the test on Friday. I have the vocab terms for two short stories. It took me awhile to type them up. Had MathCounts again. Today - School - Shieldsy typed up a four page practice test for English. It was really good heelp for my studying. I stayed after school to finish my CO2 car. I finished assembling it. It looks great! I had a little scare when the back wheels wouldn't spin, but a little sanding and it was running smoothly as ever. Races are next week. I have three tests tomorrow. A science test, the English Vocab Test, and a MathCounts competition test. I studied for the first two but can't really study for the third. I have to prepare a speech for a court of honor in my scout troop by next Wednesday. I have to plan the whole event fot the Communications Merit Badge. It's going to be awesome. I miss The "N"!

Tuesday

2006-01-04T06:37:00.000-05:00

School - I got my English grade sheet back today: A- 92%. I'm really happy because Mr. Comeford is a really hard teacher. I also got back my math test that I took before the break. I scored a 98% one of the highest in the class. Midterms are coming up in two weeks. I'm a little scared, but overall it's not close enough for me to feel the real apprehension. I also have a really big short stories vocabulary test on Friday. It's vocab from about eight different short stories. I'm almost done painting my CO2 car. It looks really awesome. Planning our trip to Santa Fe this year. Going the last week in February. It's just going to be my dad and me, though, bummer. Well, have to get ready for school. Leon recommended to me Briar Rose as the next book I should read. I finished Dawn. It is one of the most sad and disturbing and sickening book I have ever read. It's about an 18 year old boy who joins a resistance movement in Israel and is ordered to execute a British officer in retaliation over the hanging of a comrad. Well, I really am going to be late. Peace.

School

2006-01-02T19:04:00.000-05:00

School - Got my history test back-92%. Not too shabby. Stayed after school to work with Mike on our IS Book Project, pasting it up on the construction paper. It was really fun and we laughed a lot. Then, he came back to my house and we did our English homework. We're reading "The Green Door" by O. Henry. Very confusing story. I started reading Dawn by Elie Wiesel. It's just as sad and disturbing as the last book I read of his: Night. We get our English gradesheets tomorrow; I'm a little scared to see what I have. Science project is now due on Wednesday. I finished The Chosen by Chaim Potok. It was really good and thought provoking. I know for certain that other members of that class reading this will disagree emensly. Well, got to go eat something. Just became a member of 2lazy2blog.blogspot.com. Check them out!

New Years Day

2006-01-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

Worked a lot on my project on my Family History. I turned the project into a board game and it looks really good. I also have a little of my Science project completed and I finished my book project. I have school on a NATIONAL HOLIDAY tomorrow. Three schools out of the dozens are attending. Harrisburg just changed their minds and cancelled school. Anyways, just got back from a party at one of my sister's friend's house where I watched the Eagles game up to the 4th quarter when they were beating the Washington Redskins 20-17. Amanda's at the game now, and did she pick a good game to go to! Anyways, have to put the finishing touches on my board game, so I'll talk to you later.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2005

2005-12-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

This year has been one of the best years of my life. The first major event of this year was in February when my family went on our annual trip to Santa Fe, NM. We spent a lot of time with our friends down there and skied a lot. Brent and I skiied the whole Santa Fe ski area and vowed to conquer Taos next year in Febraury of 2006. We had a lot of fun, as usual. The next big event was Spring Break 2005. My mom and I traveled to Mexico for the break. Our first stop was Chichen Itza, the Mayan Ruins. The ruins were beautiful and the temple was huge! Our second and last stop was Playa del Carmen, a beach south of Cancun. The waves were enormous and Cole, a friend I made down there, and I boogy-boarded and body-boarded a ton. It was awesome. I graduated from 7th grade in June, and I was exempt from all of my finals. So, my dad and I went on a mountain biking trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a blast. We rode for five days and the canyon was beautiful. There were parts of the trip where we had to carry our bikes over trees for a quarter-mile straight. It was really hard. The food was excellent and the guides were amazing. Then, came Ligonier Camp a rligious activities camp that I have gone to for three years near Pittsburgh, PA. This was my first year in The Next Level and it was great! We did the zipline, rock climbing, mountain biking, mountain boarding, water fights, and much more. This year the regious bible studies really got to me and when I got back I started going back to church and praying every night. In July I went to my beach house in Brigantine, NJ for a week. Then, I went off to Ireland with my aunt. There I met Amanda, Lisa, Darcie, Pete, and Greg. We all had the coolest time ever. We went out to a pub one night and there was a live band and everything. We visited Dublin and I got to go to the Guinness Storehouse. We also visited Blarney Castle and I got to kiss the Blarney Stone. I also got to see the Cliffs of Mohr. We had a medieval feast the last night in Bunratty Castle and afterwards we gave Pete a Mohawk. It looked so cool. Amanda and I ran to almost every gas station in Killkenny trying to find glue tostick up his hair but ended up using gel instead. Two days after coming back from Ireland, my family and I went on our other annual trip to The "N" in the Adirondack Mountains of New York for two weeks. The first week I spent a lot of time with my best friend Mason; we did a little raod biking together. The second week I spent with the most amazing girl on Earth: Jamie. She and I hiked with a group up one the nearby mountains and swam in the lake at the top. We also went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory together. After The "N" came 8th grade and school. It's going pretty well so far. The first weekend of December I went up to my grandmother's and hung out with my friends from The "N". It was great. I slept over at Mason's house in Cornwall on the Hudson and we went to the movies. We had an awesome time. Next, came Christmas and Hanukkah. That pretty much brings you up-to-date with my year. Next is a list of great book I have read over the last year.

Books:

Honor Among Thieves, Jeffrey Archer; Prey, Michael Chrighton; Jurassic Park, Michael Chrighton; The Andromeda Strain, Michael Chrighton; Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain; Idiot, Johnny Damon; Hayduke Lives!, Edward Abbey; Reaper, Ben Mezrich; Life of Pi, Yann Martel; House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer; Eldest, Christopher Paolini; Scorpia, Anthony Horowitz; Arc Angel, Anthony Horowitz; Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury; The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown; Fire in the Heart, Deepak Chopra; Angels and Demons, Dan Bown; Deception Point, Dan Brown; The Pearl, John Steinbeck; Digital Fortress, Dan Brown; Night, Elie Wiesel; Chosen, Chaim Potok; The Eleventh Commandment, Jeffrey Archer; A Matter of Honor, Jeffrey Archer.

Hope you all have a great year, 2006!

Check out the New Years Eve Blog Party hosts at 2 Lazy 2 Blog

Upcoming

2005-12-31T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, today is New Year's Eve and Ihave to work on school projects. But, coming up is my Year in Review, 2005. This will most likely be the longest entry yet and will contain almost everything that I have done over the past year. Things I have done, places I have been, books I have read, and people I have met, all in one entry. Look forward to it later today!

Friday

2005-12-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

Worked on my Family History Project. Still have two pages left to do in the Book Project and still have a two page report on Uranium for Science. Watched Alien 3 tonight. Okay movie. Not my favorite. I haven't seen Alien or Aliens yet so I'll have to see those in the near future. Party tomorrow at Zach's. Church Sunday. Work, work, work...

Philly

2005-12-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

Went to Philly yesterday for Jessica's doctor's appointment aand to look at the thrift shop for suits. First came the first thrift shop where I bought a beautiful greenish suit for $40, originally about $500. This store buys suits that people have already bought and probably didn't fit them so they sell the suit to this store for a fraction of the original price and sell it to people like me who don't want to pay $500 for a suit. Then, we went to Jessica's doctor's appointment at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), a subsidiary of HUP (Hospital of the University of Penn). The doctor's appointment went well and afterwards we went out to lunch at a cafe famous for its political activism called the White Dog. After lunch we wentto the second thrift shop, owned by the same person but at a different location. There I bought a black suit jacket. Jessica and Mom tried on some fur jackets that were selling for $1500. Obviously we didn't buy them. After the second shop, we had dinner at the same White Dog Cafe. They had awesome food. I had a burger both times. Then, we drove home. When we got home, we watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I didn't like the movie, but my sister thought it was good. Then, slept. That pretty much brings me up-to-date for now. Today is another work day for me. Have the party at Zach's tomorrow afternoon that I'm really looking forward to. Church on Sunday. School on Monday, :-(. Well, yesterday was pretty cool. I'll update tonight again with my progress report on how my science and two IS projects are coming along. Talk to you then.

Wednesday

2005-12-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

Break still going full blast! Worked on my IS Family Project a little yesterday. Went to Borders and I bought a World Map that I am going to use with my project. I also got Dawn by Elie Wiesel. Same guy who wrote Night. Both books are about the Holocaust and are very vivid and meaningful. Went out to dinner at the Green Hills Inn, a very fancy restaurant, and I wore my grandfathers old army officer dress coat. Ate ostrich for the first time. I was pretty good. Also had boar and duck. An excellent dinner. Then, got home and watched part of the Live 8 Concert DVD I got for Christmas. I was really great. So far I have watched London and part of Philadelphia. All the great bands and singers were there. It was and awesome DVD, and I still have 3 1/2 DVD's left to watch! Headin to Philly today for Jessica's doctor appointment. Then, going to a thrift shop that specializes in suits for me to buy one, I don't fit in my dad's anymore. Should be a great day. So, I'll talk to you guys tonight, hopefully.

Another Day

2005-12-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

Just another day on break. No school, no waking up early, can't say no homework because I have to work on that starting as soon as possible. Remind me, remind me, remind me, nag me whatever you have to do or I won't get it done until Monday morning at 5 in the morning. Anyways, Nothing happening at all so I won't bore you all.

Kingdom of Heaven

2005-12-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

Just finished watching Kingdom of Heaven on DVD. Awesome movie. Very inspiring and it spoke to me. It's about a young knight who devotes his life to God by becoming a knight, like his father, and doing great things to protect the people of Jerusalem. He eventually surrenders the city to the Muslims, but in doing so he saves the remains soldiers, women, and children. Great movie. Worked on my IS Book pages a little bit. Got one more page done. One or two to go, I can't remember which. I am going to start another book by Jeffrey Archer called A Matter of Honor. I hope that it will just as good as the other two of his I have read. Have to go eat dinner so have a great break!

The Eleventh Commandment

2005-12-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

Stayed in my pajamas the whole day. The only thing that I wanted to put in the blog is that I finished reading The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer. I highly recommend this book to action novel fans. It is full of twists and turns and includes lots of loving loyalty and also lots of betrayal. Full of turns and surprises, this book is written by the author of one of my all time favorite books, Honor Among Theives which is about the stealing of the Declaration of Independence and getting it back. Both of these books I highly recommend you read. That's all for now.

Christmas/Hanukkah

2005-12-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Hope you all got great presents. For all of my Jewish friends out there, tonight's number 1. Hope you get all you want this week. So far I have gotten an Irish calendar, The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (a book, not 100 albums,lol), the new EVo3 iSkin for my iPod which is really nice because it has the skin and a plastic plate for protection, The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffery Archer, a DUBLIN sweatshirt, a car charger for my iPod, the LIVE 8 Concert on DVD, a book with 101 Reason to Proud to be Irish, and Citizen Kane the movie. I'm really thankful for everything. Chillaxin today. Nothing planned, of course. Spend some time with my family, my mom's dad is up for the weekend. Happy Holidays!!!

ONE Campaign

Christmas Eve

2005-12-24T18:34:00.000-05:00

School - NONE!!!! Break is finally here (although even if it weren't, it's a Saturday). Just chilled in the morning. Nothing much. Talked with Sam online for awhile about Indie music. This is his blog if you want to check it out: text here. Christmas and Hanukkah tomorrow. Can't wait. Just got back from Church and am going again tomorrow. Nothing else to say. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: I got an email from Jamie today. She has finished her play and won her Thursday's 600 at her indoor track meet! Congratulations! And the music video is of The Foo Fighters singing their hit single: Best of You.

Last day of school

2005-12-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

School - Didn't eat lunch today because I was so full from the junk and crap I ate at the parties. Beat the school record for a science game. I beat the AP Chem class by 17 seconds. Watched Elfo (Elf in Spanish, lol) with English subtitles. Had the math test that I think I did OK on. Teeth still hurt but not as much. Christmas Pagent tomorrow night. Went over to Mike's house and we watched some kick ass hilarious videos on Limewire and played some SSX Tricky (I think we're obsessed). Gave him his Xmas present: A 240 piece poker set with 2 decks included for the low, low price off $9.99 at your local Target. Had a ton of laughs about a Mariachi Band in ballistic missiles from Mexico, but I won't go into the stupid details. Watched March of the Penguins. OK movie overall. Good music, though. Nothin planned for tomorrow but sleep and homework. Get it done early. Two IS projects and a science project, f!@#$%& school. Talk to you tomorrow.

The ONE Campaign

2005-12-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

Baseball practice was good. Mike gave me a $15 Gift Certificate for iTunes as a Christmas. I can't say what I got for him yet because he might be reading this (sry, Mike). I got a few Train songs and a song from The Bravery called Swollen Summer. Second ONEcast came out yesterday. If you haven't yet, sign the declaration at www.ONE.org, please. It an organization fighting to elimate AIDS and poverty around the world. Many celebrities have joined including Bono, P. Diddy, Antonio Banderas, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and many more. To see them all and sign the Declaration, click the link to the right that says the ONE Campaign and click "Watch The Video". They also have wrist bands in quantities starting at 10 and going to 2500. They also have T-Shirts that you can buy. Check it out, please. Africa and Africans need your voice. They're not asking for your money, they're asking for your voice. Please.

Braces

2005-12-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

School - Got a 44/45 on my English test! Sweet. Concert today. It was the chorus, band, and orchestra. Pretty, good, but not great. GOT MY BRACES OFF TODAY! Sucks though because I have to wear a retainer 24/7 (excluding eating) for 7 weeks and then just at night for 2 years! I hate retainers. I got one for the top and one for the bottom. I get to chew gum now (like I followed that rule before, lol). "Legally". Last day of school before break tomorrow. Here's my schedule: Party, regular class, movie, movie, party, TEST, regular class, regular class. I have a math test on the last day of school. Okay, enough crap from me. Can't wait for break. No school, skiing (hopefully with friends because Mike is going to Keystone, CO to ski. Might ask George), family project, baseball practice, games, fun, excersise, and much more. Can't wait. Peace.

2005-12-22T06:41:00.000-05:00

School - Had a American History Test yesterday and I got a 94%. I'm pretty happy about that. Ben got his first detention ever by splash water next to Mr. Babb, the assistant principal. It was so funny. Grand Slam yesterday. Did an awesome job. Hit really well and was seeing the all fine. My timing was a little off in the biginning, but I fixed it and was back to normal. I finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. A very vivid and shocking novel about the Holocaust. Hopefully we'll get our English tests back today; I can't wait to see what I got. Baseball practice again today. It's a late one so I'll have to get my homework done fast. It's from 6:15-8:15 PM. Finished a sweet book page in my 1st Grader story. Have to go because I have to eat breakfast. Talk to you later. 2 More Days!!!

Monday

2005-12-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

School Monday- Not much to say about school today. Just like any other day. Hung out with Mike after school and we worked on our IS Book pages. We didn't get much done, though. We were watching cool music videos online. Thriller was scary, but Michael Jackson always is. We also watched some old episodes of The Chapelle Show including I Know Black People. Hilarious episode. Called Danny's cell like 8 times and left a grand total of 21 minutes of voicemail messages. Extremely funny. Mike, you know what I'm talking about! Anyways, school today - English test was easy as cake. I think I did really well on it. Which is really good because I had an 89% at midquarter (plus a 7/5 points for a signed grade sheet). Should boost me up. Baseball practice today. Fun, fun. Three more days of school!!!

Peace

Church

2005-12-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

Church was awesome. We had the service and then decorated the church for Christmas. Had a lot of fun with Catherine and Emily. We climbed up the the steeple tower and saw the inside of the bells. Was there until anout 2:00. Got a new digital camera! Lost the old Optio S4i. Got a Casio EX-S500. Sweet camera. Check out a picture of it. It looks really hot. School again tomorrow. One morw week until BREAK!!!!! Can't wait.

Mike's House

2005-12-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

Slept over at Mike's house last night. First had some pizza for dinner and then played SSX Tricky. Then, we went to see Narnia with Youth Group. Funny but pretty well made movie. Got back and played some more SSX until 2:30 AM. What a night/morning. Slept until about 9:30. Played some more SSX and had breakfast. We unlocked so much stuff. Lots of Gold Medals and Seilver Medals and I got the Uber Board. Also, we got Pipedreams, the last course. It's huge and has like 5 halfpipes. It's crazy. Tomorrow is church and working on my Chosen Journal and Family Project. I really need to get it done before break so I'm on the free and clear for homework over Christmas. So, I have had an awesome weekend so far. Kick ass!

Words of Wisdom from Simon: "If you're gonna go down, go down in FLAMES!!!!"

2005-12-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

School - Interesting math class. Lots of laughs and not paying attention. NO SCHOOL TOMORROW! Just remember who called it. No homework, except a Report on The Chosen. Tomorrow is movie night with youth group. Going to see Narnia. Should be pretty fun. George if you're reading this, call me on Saturday to go see Kong with Mikizz. Sound likes a plan. No baseball practice today!!!!! Or Mathcounts!!!!! ICE tonight. They always call school on ICE. What more could you ask for? More snow in Santa Fe, only 16 inches right now on the mountain. Here we come Taos!!! Yeah Brent (friend from Santa Fe)!!!!! Take down all of the double blacks this year. Think we can get the movie right this time, LOL? Talk to you guys later.

2005-12-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today was as hectic as they get:
School - was pretty good. Talked about suspence and watched part of Jaws. Still working on my CO2 car. Coming along pretty well. I still have to buy a can of primer, which I didn't get a chance to do today because I spent a grand total of 45 minutes in my house today. After school, had Mathcounts until 3:00. At 3 I went outside and waited in the car while I ate a snack. At 3:15, I had baseball practice. That lasted until 6:00. After practice, travelled to Lancaster to see my sister's concert. I was really good. It was the ensamble and the chorus. Just got back from that. Now, I get to do homework. Joy. I'll be up late tonight. But, don't call because I, might be asleep somewhere in the house. Although pretty unlikely with U2 in the backround (hail Bono!). Talk to you guys later.

2005-12-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

School - Had Mr. Peter Minear again today. He is so geeky but tries so hard to be nice to us. George and I challenged him to a game of chess (LOL) after school on Thursday. We're gonna kick ass! Anyways, had the easiest science test today. I think I did really well. Have Grand Slam today. Looking forward to beating my record of 42. English test Monday. I got a 71% on the last one, so I'll have to study harder for this one. My overall grade is am 89%. Got to bring it up. Haven't gotten an email from Jamie yet. Hope we can go skiing together over break. Please God...........

New Blogger

2005-12-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Just got this site thanks to Sam (Phony Nowhere). For those of you who don't know me, my name is Steve and I live in Wyomissing, PA. I love to Mountain Bike, Ski, listen to music, play baseball, use the computer, and hang out with friends. Some of my favorite bands are: Greenday, Jet, Collective Soul, Coldplay, U2, The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Killers, and 3 Doors Down. I am 14 years old and in 8th grade.