Those crazy new slang words

Have you ever noticed that here in Utah, people speak a completely different language when it comes to cursing. This can only be shown by example, so I'll give you one. I'll create a conversation between boy 1, we'll call him Joe, and boy 2, he will be Jack. The following slang will be italicized. "Hey Jack, how's it going?" said Joe. "Not bad, but my math teacher gave me a frikin' (it is pronounced as it is spelled) lot of homework," said Jack. "Not mine," said Joe, "But I can't stand the flippin' huge term project in science." "What the heck does flippin' mean?" askes Jack. "I dunno, but it sound pretty dang cool." says Joe.

In my opinion, this new way of speaking your opinion is pretty funny to hear and doesn't offend you. I use a lot of them myself, come to think of it. All I can say is that our community has entered a state of censorship that leaves no one offended and everyone still light hearted. Of course, on occasion a certain person may look on it and critisize and mock, but who cares? Oh yes, the funniest one I have heard this week was spoken by an older person; Mother Fletcher!!! I guess old habits die hard.

The Olympics

I can't believe how people can train themselves enough to qualify in the Olympics. I mean, it would take so much time, money, energy, and extreme patience. Even as I sit here, I witness the greatness that can be brought from entering the Olympics. But sadly, there is always a downside to everything, and in this competition when you fail, you don't just fail, you crash into a pitiful pit of misery and woe as the world watches you all the way. They still try, though, and many are successful. If you were to enter the Olympics, which sport would you enter? I myself would go into the curling sport, since I myself am scared to death Heights and high speeds. The worst mistake I've seen in the Olympics was when the Ukrainian figure skaters messed up. The guy was supposed to hold the girl for a while but he lost his balance and dropped her right on her head. She instantly lost consciousness and everyone was shocked, but this year they are currently in second place. What a recovery! I don't know how anyone could get up in front of several billion people and perform to there very best without having a complete breakdown. This worldwide competition could also bring alot of harmony between countries, so many people coming together for the games. And these are just the Winter Olympics, who knows what the Summer Olympics may bring.....

What do you need education for anyway?

A lot of people have I know have been asking the question "What is school doing for me anyway?" Let me tell you, it is working miracles for those who are actually utilizing it. Of course there are the people who could care less about their future at this time, and just want to do nothing. I have a friend who just dropped out of High school because he couldn't handle the work load and over all didn't care about his life. He is now living with his grandparents and is working at a nearby auto shop. If that is what floats his boat, more power to him. I, however, am not going waste my life working for minimum wage. I'm going to get as much free education as I can, then it is off to college wherever I can get accepted. On the other hand, my other friend's father is a lawyer, and he is very affluent, let me tell you. Nowadays school is available to practically anyone, and it can only help you. "The only ones who complain about minimum wage, are the ones who are planning to be living off of it for a long time." -Dr. Scheuller, 2006 I've got plans, I know where I'm going, so how about you? Do you know what your future looks like?

The internet

This Bill Gates guy was a real genuis. I mean, how does this whole internet thing work? All I know that you type in where you want to go, and your there. My knowledge of the internet is not much more than that. You can gain so much from the internet and all it has to offer. I mean, you see all these movies about how guys can hack into the internet and download all these things, or they can hack into special systems and control the world!!! Well, that may be a little drastic, but one day we will be so dependent on computers that if someone would be able to control the internet, they would control the world!

What is wrong with the world?

Homicides. Suicides. Assault. Robbery. Drugs. Kidnapping. All these things have one thing in common, they are all happening more than ever in our generation. I mean, there used to be a time way back when if you promised something to someone that was all you lived for. Can you believe it? People used to keep their promises!! It's like an ancient fairytale or myth that you still have trouble believing. I'm still angry when the Iraqis beheaded an American on tape and sent it over here to be seen world wide on T.V. I can't believe that LDS missionaries are now being shot nowadays! They are the most harmless people besides monks and hermits. The suicide rate is higher than ever, which makes me wonder... If your going to commit suicide, why not have the time of your life before you overdose or grab a gun? Who cares, use a credit card buy all you want, you won't have to pay for it. I mean, what are they going to do, bring you back to life? Well, I heard they just dump all your debt on your family, so don't do anything too expensive. Oh, and I guess the whole depression thing can get in the way of someone having fun. When I die, I'm going out with a bang! You know, go sky diving without a parachute or something! I'm just joking, just in case you serious people out there are reading this.

They can do it all

If you've ever played basketball or football or baseball or monopoly with me, you already know I'm not the best player in the world. I guess I'm just not coordinated enough cause something just doesn't click when I play these games. But when it comes to board games like Risk and Chess and Sorry, I'm the master and you better watch out. But like everyone I meet up here seems to be an All Star at everything. What can you do, you know? I guess the only thing to do is to just keep working on it, and hope you friends aren't watching. Anyway, There is one certain type of people that just amaze me. There's the people who can take on an after school sport, a band instrument, the science olympiad or national academic league and honors english all at once without showing on ounce of stress of frustration. Whatever medication there taking I want to know where I can get some. This school thing can kill a person!!

The yearling essay

Even after being threatened, stolen from, and beaten Penny Baxter still managed to continue on with his life and forgive the Forresters of their crimes. Penny Baxter was a person of many great qualities, many of which he passed on to his son, Jody Baxter. Jody learned a lot from his father, and through his father he began to understand what it means to be a peacebuilder.
Jody learned to give up put downs early in his life. Penny taught him that if you were to hold a grudge and be offended with every insult you were given, you wouldn't get anywhere in life. The same goes if you insult others, nothing good will come of it. But if you do insult someone, you should always make it right.
You should always right wrongs. Sometimes accidents do happen, but if you do your best to right the wrong you did to others your on the right track. Penny Baxter recognized this, and during a two on one fight between Oliver and the Forresters, Penny tried to right this wrong by joining the fight and defending Oliver. Even though Penny wasn't the biggest guy in the town, he still managed to even the odds.
Penny Baxter taught Jody how to be forgiving. This is not a very easy trait to learn, but Jody got a crash course on how to forgive when his only neighbors stole their hogs, which they depended on to feed them during the winter. Jody was forgiving in this event, which not many people would.
Penny Baxter was a great person when it came to peacebuilder traits, and he taught all his family everything they would need to be great citizens and really great people to be with. If everyone were to be like Penny and was forgiving, gave up put downs, and righted wrongs, this world would almost be bearable to live in.

Snowboarding...Whoo Hoo!

This was it. My first time on the ski lift to the top of the hill where I'd be going down on a snowboard for the first time. I was ready. I mean, it can't be that hard, right? I got off the lift (without falling, I might add) and strapped my other foot in. Then I slowly got up... and fell down again. No problem, I thought. I got up again, and fell down. "That's it" I said while I was turning my board, aiming straight down the slopes. I gathered some courage and off I was, zooming down the hill. It was so easy, to just go straight and gain some speed. But after a short while I started nearing the bottom of the slope and the beginning of the ski lift at an alarming speed, and at that time I decided to start slowing down. At that exact moment, however, I hit a particularly large rift in the snow which stopped my downward progress immediately. I flew what fell like twenty feet (which in twenty feet going downhill, you can get pretty far off the ground) and hit face-first into the hard-packed snow. After a couple of minutes of laying there motionless, I thought that I might be able to live through this snowboarding day. That's when my little brother proved me wrong. My little brother was also learning to snowboard that day, and he's just about my size, so it hurt about the same as falling twenty feet when he hit me from behind and fell right on top of me. As soon as we were both conscious enough to move out of the way of other, more competent skiers and snowboarders, we decided that this whole snowboarding thing was not something you could just pick up and learn to do in one day. But with three more times down the slopes and many more times falling, I think I've got the hang of it. I'll be pro in no time.

Christmas day

I woke up at 6:30 in the morning on Christmas day, which surprised me because I'm usually up about 4:30 and just waiting for everyone else. Anyway, I got out of bed and slowly made my way to the family room where the Christmas tree was stationed. I forgot to write my wishlist this year so I was in for a big surprise. As I made my way to the tree, I saw a huge mound of presents surrounding it, and became extremely excited. The only people up at that time was myself and my mom, who just walked in looking extremely tired, so I took it upon myself to wake up my three younger brothers and introduce them to the pile of gifts that Santa left behind. Soon everybody was in the room, including my two parents, all four of my brothers and my one sister. and my aunt Jenny and my Aunt and Uncle with their two kids, Brock and Rylee. Brock and Rylee are my most favorite cousins in my whole extended family. Anyway, back to Christmas. This year I didn't recieve numerous gifts, but the ones I did get were really cool. My most favorite gift I got this Christmas was a Snowboard and season pass to Park City. I had never hinted I wanted a snowboard, or even thought that my parents would get me one! I've been skiing a couple times, but there is a big difference between skiing and snowboarding. I was extremely excited, but before I could go pro I would have to learn how to snowboard. Meanwhile my family just recieved the largest stash of board games than we've ever gotten, so if the whole snowboard thing doesn't work out I could still become board game champ.

Christmas Giving

This year, it's been pretty exciting waiting for Christmas, but this year I went with my ward group and gave gifts to the mentally challenged. You'd think that it would be awkward and uncomfortable, but it was quite the opposite. It was really fun and there was a happy atmosphere the whole time. I was so amazed at the reactions of this group of mentally ill people, it was incredible. The gifts that we gave weren't that great, but they absolutely loved them. We gave Ron a bunch of stickers and some crayons, and he loved it and started coloring right away. Yes, maybe all those people were right when they said giving was the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Gifts

Well, it's that time again! The wonderful time where everything is on sale and you get to go shopping for Christmas. It is amazing how everything states that they are 15%, 25%, 50%, and dare I say it, 75% off the original price. I can't wait to go shopping for the family member that I randomly select, I just hope that there will be stuff left for me to buy!

Deck the Halls

Recently I experienced the great emotional and pyshical roller coaster that you take when you decide to put up decorations for the winter holidays. I tell you, my roof is not a force to be reckoned with. My Dad, older brother and I got on the roof and struggled with the massive tangle of lights that had rested in our garage like a dragon sleeping until now. After that struggle and a couple close calls with the ladder and edge of the roof, we got all but the highest peaks done with the house. Now onto the inside decorations. Never have garland lights and decorative snowman been such a hassle. Until now I wasn't considered big enough to handle any kind of responsibility when it came to decorating the house, but this year it all came pouring down on me. The only thing I like about decoration is decorating the Christmas tree, which this year I missed due to my trip on the top of the house. Well, next year is gonna be different, I tell you, it's going to be different......

Thanksgiving

I have to tell you, this Thanksgiving weekend was not as great as some of the ones I've had. Wednesday I didn't do anything but clean and set up Christmas decorations for my Mom, which is about as exciting as watching TV land for a full day. Anyway, after Wednesday comes Thursday, last time I checked, and that was a road trip to Idaho Falls, Idaho. While we were in Idaho, we ate Thanksgiving dinner and saw Harry Potter 4, which was pretty good, but not the best. We came home that night, and hit the sack. Then on Friday we set up more decorations and cleaned some more, and on Saturday we went Christmas shopping. Oh, and during this vacation I was helping my sister with a paper route she took for a friend. So my sister and I were up every morning of this vacation from 4 to 6 delivering newspapers. I can tell you right now, I 've never appreciated sleep more in my life.

Baseball past- The Glory Days, or Day

It was a clear night, the night of our last baseball game of the season. Not a cloud in the sky, yet every member of our team was too preoccupied with the brutal thrashing we were about to experience to notice such details. Sure, we wore the cap of the Diamond Backs team proudly, but we were also a realistic group of 11 year olds. We had lost every game of the season save one, the pre-season scrimmage. Glumly standing in the outfield, I waited, watching batter after batter smack another homerun and head off towards the dugout after taking a victory lap. I remember it clearly, as if it were yesterday. The baseball diamond was flooded with light that night. The cold night air was misted by the dust rising from the infield, as player after player continued rounded the bases. It was clear that victory was far out of our reach. There I was, standing in the middle of center-field, squinting to see what was happening infield when the pitcher of our team suddenly took an injury, his arm snapping out awkwardly as the ball rolled from his hands. I knew right then that our fate had been sealed. I could see the coach from the other team, his arms tightly folded and a wide grin splitting his face in two. For a second I felt a surge of embitterment, until the thought crossed my mind “who's gonna pitch now?" Everyone else seemed to be wondering the same thing, as our coach called a time out. As the crowd sat, milling around and muttering, discussing our downfall, the team started to look around, sizing up each other with the thought of who’ll have a chance to end this game with dignity, or without it. The crowd watched silently as the coach started to walk towards me. "Dang it," I thought "I'm doing something wrong again." He sidled up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder and, in a strangely calm voice, said“Hayden”“Tanner, sir,” I interjected quickly.“Right, Tanner, we need your help tonight.” I was slightly confused, seeing as how I was already playing center-field, and I even did that poorly. There wasn’t much I could do to maintain this teams’ level of mediocrity. “We need you to pitch for us.”I was shocked, he must have been joking. The coach gave me a tired look, a look lacking hope as his eyebrows sagged.
“No,” I said, laughing at his ill attempted joke. He rubbed his eyes and pulled his eyebrows up to give me the appearance of confidence, but from the look in his eye I could tell that he was serious. I've never even pitched to another person before, I shouldn’t even be an option, but he wouldn't have no for an answer. Barely remembering to breathe, I slowly and timidly trudged up to the pitcher's mound, shaking so badly I must have appeared to be a blur. The catcher tossed me the ball, as it flew threw the air I squinted to follow it, being blinded by blazing light encompassing the field. I snagged the ball out of the air and the game started again. The first ball I threw didn't even make it to the catcher; it just bounced and hit the kid up to bat in the shin. A muffled blend of laughter and confused cheers came from the crowd, as if they weren’t sure it was supposed to be funny or if this was a serious effort. Seeing as this is the same group of supportive parents that had seen every embarrassing slaughter we’ve experienced, I take it that they were actually hoping this was a joke. After that I threw pretty darn hard, and things seemed to work pretty well. Once, twice, three strikes, out. Again, three strikes, and out. I was getting excited now, as the crowd felt the momentum and began to roar. I was getting excited now, forgetting about the small commonalities and techniques of the baseball game, such as my nonexistent pitching form, and occasionally forgetting the small commonalities and techniques of life, such as breathing. But my confidence is growing, vanishing completely during the final, game ending pitch.Throwing a really slow pitch, I knew the kid was going to nail it. I could see his eyes glued to the worn, leather torn ball, his body tense with concentration, and everyone knew it was over the minute it left my hands. As his bat made contact with the ball, the cracking sound sent a thousand images of pitching injuries that occur when the batter hits the ball back at the pitcher, all resulting in embarrassing and crushing pain. As a complete act of self-preserving cowardice, I swung up my mitt to guard my face from anything that came my way. As if in slow motion, as I watched my mitt rise up to shoulder length, the very baseball that had left it just moments ago, soared back into it with a resounding Thwack! Not a single sound interceded that one, as for the next ten seconds all you could hear was the echo of that catch. Finally, as everyone registered what happened, the crowd went wild. Our team poured off the field in an awesome frenzy as we gathered around the coach to say our goodbyes for the year. That last catch ended the game, and thanks to me we only lost by five. I may not have walked away from that game with a trophy, but I did walk away with the game ball, and my five minutes on the pitcher’s mound, which is worth more than any trophy could have given me. All my baseball career had been spent going unnoticed, being a team player in the outfield. Not everyone got a chance to prove their worth, and of those few, many people often need a second chance to prove their worth. I was lucky enough to get a chance to save the day, to be a hero, and that day on the mound made that time spent worth it. Imagine That!

Viva Las Vegas

I used to live in Las Vegas just 6 months ago. If you've ever lived there, you can tell that it's one of the most uncomfortable places to be during the school year. Let me tell you, the heat was one of the least uncomfortable things there. During the school year I was offered all kinds of things that are not worthy of mentioning, and when I refused they looked at me like I was an idiot. Down there it is very hard to keep moral standards, but some people have gotten used to it. Take my two friends, for instance, Brock and Jacob, they're the coolest people I know down there. We used to hang out all the time and laugh our heads off about completely nothing. One time we decided to walk to the nearest Target, which wasn't far. The catch was that it was in the middle of the summer, and the day we decided to go it was 119 degrees outside (seriously!). I don't know why we went but on the way we found a dead cat wrapped in a towel. We just stared at it, thinking of how it got there, and then burst out laughing. We started using the dead cat as material for jokes, like Hey Brock, that cat looked like your face!! or Hey Jacob, looks like your mom got fed up with the neighbors cat. But making jokes about them is never a good idea, because if you insult Brock he'll make up a comeback so funny you'll feel stupid, and if you joke around with Jacob He'll just come back with so many your mom jokes that you will beg for mercy at the end. Their really cool kids though, you just have to look past the hideous exterior....(just joking)

Talent

Have you ever noticed the people who we see every day that have overwhelming talent? They're everywhere!! They're the ones who really want something to the point of doing something about it. Take the kids in the Symphonic band for instance. Some kids in there have extreme talent and play everything with ease. Then there's the kids like me. I used to play my instrument purely on talent, but that was three years ago. Now it's all hard work. So I started thinking, what's my talent? After a couple hours of hard thinking and asking several people who would like to remain anonymous, I realized that I am almost good at football. Now I'm not the guy who runs a mile in three minutes and throws the perfect pass, goodness no, I'm the guy who tackles the crap out of the people on the other team. Having 2 other brothers who I practice on (I only practice on my older brother and my almost twin brother) I've got the technique down.

Mind Reading

Have you ever wondered what people are thinking while their talking to you? Sometimes if you knew things would be a lot easier while talking to a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or teacher. Honestly, though, if you could read other peoples' minds, you would be disturbed and scarred for life. But I could live with this disadvantage if I could join a gameshow every now and then. All you would have to do is get on "Who wants to be a Millionaire" and you would be set. Then there's that one gameshow called "Ten Thousand dollar pyramid" where you guess what the other person is trying to describe to you. Yeah, that would be the life..... Of course, people would get suspicous over the years, but what are they gonna do?

Halloween..... continued.....

Some good pranks proceed in the following....
(the pranks are for those who are passing out candy at home)

Some of these pranks are dangerous, and should be practiced on only those who look to old to be trick or treating:

1. When someone comes to call and they look old enough to drive, slip a lit firecracker into their bags and watch the candy fly ( I haven't done this one, but it was done on me!)

2. If someone you don't like rings the doorbell, slip a frozen piece of meat (like a hotdog)into their bags discreetly so it thaws and ruins the candy all around it. (once again, I've only been the victim of this one.)

3. If someone is picky about the piece of candy you give them, simply either put a used pencil or a rock into their bag of goodies.

These pranks are really great, but sadly Halloween is gone. Maybe you can try them next year.

Halloween

Halloween is a great time for pranks, second only to April-Fools' day. I've given up trick or treating this year and hope to find something interesting to do other than watch horror movies all night and throw candy at the unfortunate kids to come to my door. Here are some great pranks that I've heard about, or done myself....

Technology

Can you believe all the technology that we have? I mean, it's crazy! I bet half of the American population would die out if all our technological gadgets and electricity was all of the sudden gone. I'm not complaining, though, I can't wait 'till the Nintendo Revolution and Xbox 360 come out into the market. (I don't care much for the Playstation 3). The advances in the gaming area is incredible, and their making a great profit off of the youth today. The Nintedo Revolution is my favorite so far, because of the price tag. The Xbox 360 is just too much money for me to save up and spend in one place. Even though all this is great, we could use all the research and advances in more imprtant areas. With all the money put into gaming, we could put an end to global warming or world hunger or something like that.