It's Christmastime in the City!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, in my opinion. Most everything is good with life – school is out, family is in, and snow is coming!

School has made for an interesting first half of the year. The classes aren’t much harder than last year but the transition was a lot easier than the one from freshman to sophomore year. There’ve been a lot of complications between my friends and it’ll be good to get away from all the drama. And quite frankly, I’m just getting tired of school, so a break couldn’t have come at a better time!

I get to see the family for Christmas! Yay! It really is great though because I only get to see my family outside of Owensboro about once a year, so when that time comes, I really cherish it. We’ll get to catch up on everything that’s happened over the year, seen how everyone has grown and changed, etc. I love the get-togethers at Christmastime for this very reason.

I can’t tell you how ready I am to see some snow, and more importantly, a white Christmas! Just waking up on Christmas morning, looking out the window to a blanket of snow, and then rushing into the front room to open presents under the tree like a little kid all over again, it’s just wonderful.

I know this blog was pretty generic, but oh well! I’m so happy its Christmastime!

Professional Sports Players

In my history class about a month ago, we were talking about professional athletics and getting paid the big bucks to play a game that takes almost no intellect to play. Mr. Fuller’s view on this was that it is very unfair that people can get paid so much money just because they play a game well. I disagreed.

I explained that though it may not take much brains to play a sport, it is the physical talents of the players of these sports that makes them worth their while. They are, in a way, entertainers. If people worldwide didn’t want to see them show off their talents, they would all be out of jobs. But because so many people watch and enjoy sports, they are in business.

Mr. Fuller later brought up the fact that most professional players only go to college to put them on a preparatory pedestal for pro sports. He said this was wrong. But I took it a totally different way. First of all, they must have the credentials necessary to get into that college to get into that college. Second, just in case their professional career (their talent) doesn’t work out, they have a backup plan in the college education they received.

I can see both sides but obviously, I think I’m right. =P

Finals

Finals are about the worst thing I think I have ever had to endure during my high school career. I mean, a whole week dedicated to making students remember every little thing they’ve learned in each class all year long? That’s crazy! I guess getting exemptions helps, but it’s still a rigorous week. Thankfully, finals went well for me this year.

My first final was orchestra. I went to the band room but it wasn’t open, so I went to the chorus room instead. When class started, we immediately put in a movie because Mrs. Elliot said that Mrs. Yonts would be late. Later we found out that Mrs. Yonts wasn’t coming at all because her baby was sick because she was teething. That was wonderful – one final down.

My second final was English. I got into the room, studied vocabulary for about ten minutes, then goofed off the rest of the time until time to take the final. I blew through the final and again goofed off the rest of the time. I got a 97%! Halfway there!

My third final was anatomy. I was thinking this one was going to be harder than it really was. I studied pretty much the entire review period and got the test and again blew through it. I got a 93%. Almost out of the woods!

My fourth final was math. This one was going to be my hardest, I was sure. I reviewed a bit and then just tried to relax. I was given the test and immediately thought it was going to be hard. I worked my way through it, and it actually wasn’t that bad. And I checked my grade later on Infinite Campus – 99% baby! I was elated!

Thanksgiving Break

My Thanksgiving break was pretty much great. It was just what I needed after a long bout of school. I was getting awfully tired of everything and just needed to get away for a little bit. And get away is what I did.

Wednesday was sort of a relax day and then the Thanksgiving was on. My dad picked me and my sister up on Thursday morning and together we drove to my cousins’ house in Louisville. When we arrived, I immediately began playing basketball in the freezing drizzle that was the weather that day. After about an hour and a half of that, I came inside and, with my family, said grace and began eating a seemingly small Thanksgiving dinner (not small as in small, but small for our usual dinner). Don’t get me wrong. It was grrrrreat! But I just wasn’t really that hungry, which was sort of a downer for both me and my aunt, haha.

About two hours after dinner, my whole family decided to go see “The Blind Side.” We arrived at one movie theater, walked up to the ticket booth, and found out their next showing was sold out and the earliest one was almost two hours later. Needless to say, we drove to another theater. This one also entailed a wait, but not as bad – only about an hour. In their theaters there are bars and grills and restaurants! Is this not crazy? Anyway, I played a few arcade games with my cousin and sister and then went and found my seat in the movie. This movie was amazing. I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen it, but a definite recommended watch. After the movie, I stayed up till about two in the morning shooting some pool and the bull.

That Friday we said goodbye to our gracious hosts and I drove my sister and my dad back home. From then until Sunday, I pretty much just got some well deserved rest, and watched the ‘Cats get their hearts ripped out in Commonwealth by Tennessee.

Sunday, my mom came early to pick up my sister and I because my dad had to drive to Michigan for work that night. I came home, and went straight to Hannah’s house to film my Spanish project with her and Nick. That was pretty cool I guess. Then I came home, and realized I had homework, and the school cycle began again.

Dakota

Pet Peeves of Christmas (I Love Christmas, Just Not These Parts of It)

I love the holidays. I’ll be the first to say that Christmastime is, along with Thanksgiving and Easter, the best time of the year. Everyone is so merry and you get to be with your family and all is good. But there are some things about the preparation for Christmas that I don’t understand, and quite frankly, tend to annoy me.

One of these things is putting up a Christmas tree in your house before Thanksgiving. This seems a bit excessive to me. I mean, I could understand if it were putting up your Christmas lights and you wanted to get it done before it got cold out, but seriously, the tree? You’re the only one who sees it, and you haven’t even celebrated Turkey Day yet. You can lay off for a little bit, I’m sure.

Another thing that tends to annoy me is when my mother insists that I go with her to see the Christmas lights around town and at Panther Creek Park. Mommy, the lights were pretty the first ten times I saw them. I know you enjoy looking at the same lights every Christmas, but it’s just not for me. And the Christmas parade – seriously? I’ve seen it every year of my life, and watching 200 floats move by at 5 mph just gets so monotonous for a child like me. I hope you can understand.

Also, why do some people call this time of the year the holiday season? If you don’t think that it should be called Christmastime or you don’t celebrate Christmas, then what holiday are you talking about? I suppose this is the Christian in me – I swear I don’t mean to offend anyone, I’m just curious to know.

Dakota

NFL Season Half Way Over

This blog is pretty much going to be one of the most random blogs I’ve written (or typed). Basically, the NFL season is over half way over and I felt that I needed to tell all of those people who don’t know or care about football the highlights of the pro football season thus far.

First, let’s start with individual accomplishments. Peyton Manning of the Colts is, as he is annually, in the running for MVP. Drew Brees has reached the pinnacle of his career and is also very much in that race. The unsung, most unthinkable man who is in contention for this award, however, was playing pro football before some of the players that wear that same Viking purple were even born. Mr. Old Man himself, Brett Favre has compiled a 9-1 record with the Vike’s and has thrown 24 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. This is unheard of for a man of 40 years. Heck, anyone who isn’t a kicker that’s still playing in the NFL at age 40 is pretty unheard of.

Team wise, there are some good teams with good records but only two that have yet to have been blemished by a loss. These teams are the Saints and my beloved Colts! The Saints are 10-0 and play this weekend against the crazy-good Patriots, and the Colts just beat the Texans in a comeback win to move to 11-0. Honestly, I don’t think the Colts are as good as their record shows though. Their running game is almost nonexistent and with very young wide receivers and a rookie coach, they have everything to lose and everything working against them. But that number 18 who lines up behind the center, he just turns away all doubts. Mr. Manning, where would the Colts be without you?

Fantasy Update: I’m first in my division and tied for first in the league. I’m going to lose this week to fall into a tie for first in my division however… Can I make the tournament? I sure hope so!

Finally, shout out the Bobby Bowden. The coach of Florida State’s football team for 34 seasons, Bowden is stepping down at age 80. You will never be forgotten.

Intramural Sports

So I’ve been participating in about every intramural activity we’ve had here at Apollo this year outside of bowling. Let’s get a rundown via your favorite narrator of all time, Dakota!

I first played intramural dodge ball. The first night, there weren’t so many people but I still didn’t figure my team stood much of a chance against the competition. I was, in part, wrong. We lost almost every preliminary game we played, but come tournament time, we were beast. We won every single tournament game to win the first night. Unfortunately, we weren’t awarded anything for winning, which wouldn’t have been a problem, but you’ll see why I was a little peeved.

The second night there was a ton of people there. This night we didn’t do so hot. We won about half of our preliminary games but were immediately knocked out of the tournament. I stayed to watch the final game and found out that the winning team won T-shirts…

The second intramural activity was volleyball. Basically, my friend Jeff assembled a very hodgepodge group of people to play on our team, and we played. Badly. We only won one game, and we obviously didn’t make tournament, but it was sooooo fun. I had a blast that night.

Intramural basketball is coming up soon, and I’m definitely doing that. I hope it will be even more fun than volleyball!

Dakota

Phone

I have been told numerous times from numerous people that I am not among the best of cell phone users when it comes to actually using said phone. I tend to not have much attention to the battery in the phone, and if it by chance runs down and my phone dies, well it’ll be okay to be dead for a week or so, no sweating it on my part. I also often neglect to call people when I tell them that I will and neglect to call people back when they call me. I suppose this makes me a pretty irresponsible/unfriendly person, but I just don’t enjoy talking on the phone at all.

I find that when I am talking on the phone, I tend to run out of things to say very quickly as opposed to if I am IMing or emailing or the like. Also, if I can talk to many more people in private conversations on the computer than on the phone, why shouldn’t I do so?

But some people just don’t seem to understand this. They ask me, “Why is your phone never on?”, “Why didn’t you call me back?”, and things like that. They tell me they have important things to say to me, but if they know I don’t often use my phone, why do they continue to try to contact me in that manner? Just send me an email, message me on Facebook, something other than calling me, because chances are, I’m not going to ever get your memo.

Dakota

Fall Break

My fall break was pretty eventful and a lot of fun.

The first weekend I just decided to sleep in, and that was pretty much the thing I needed most.

Then I went to Brad Wilkins’ house and played Madden all freakin’ night baby! The next day we woke up and went and played some tackle football with like twenty other people (half of whom were on the soccer team). That was about the greatest thing ever. Then I went to the mall and bought some new clothes and got my hair cut, which I was really starting to need because my bangs were curling and waving at people, haha.

Wednesday I went to my dad’s house, and Thursday I took my driver’s test. Unfortunately, I failed… so my dad had to drive me, my sister, and her friend back to my mom’s house. Later that day, I went and played football again at Apollo with even more people – still the greatest thing ever.

Friday was when things finally started to die down (mind you, you may do a lot more things than me in a week but this week was what I would consider pretty eventful). I had to start thinking about homework and how much I had just because of Mrs. Matthews’ assigning of two projects, a study guide, and an essay over the break. I also had Spanish and math homework, but that was menial compared to the literal mountain of English homework. That weekend I just tried to relax and, obviously, didn’t do any of the homework, haha.

Dakota

Driver's Test

So about a week and a half ago I took my driver’s test in Indiana (my dad lives there and they only have to wait six months for their full license so I jumped on that opportunity). I got the BMV, and waited in line for a few moments. Then when my dad and I got to the front of the line, we was told to wait until the driving instructor was ready, so we went and sat down. More waiting elapsed, and I was feeling under control. This wasn’t going to be too bad, I thought. Then I heard my name called from the desk where a man was waiting for me. When I got to the desk, he had me pull out my permit and take a sight test before prompting my dad and I to walk with him to the front door. There he told us some general things to do and watch out for (I’m not sure why he had to tell my dad), and then he and I were on our way to my car.

He first had me check my lights. When he got in my car, he asked me some questions to make sure I wasn’t a Class A felon, then we began. We drove and talked, and drove and talked some more. We drove through a school zone where I was instructed to go the posted speed limit for when the lights were flashing, so I did. I accumulated quite a line of cars behind my own, but oh well. Once we got back onto the road that led to the BMV, the driving instructor had me to just wait until we got back into the parking lot and back into a space because we couldn’t find a vehicle to parallel park behind. Once I had finished and keyed the motor, he began to talk with me about how I had done. “You did good, that was perfect,” etc. “But I can’t pass you if you run a red light. It’s what’s called a critical error.” I had to have been one of the most let down people in the world at that moment. It was like Charlie being the last kid in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory but not getting the grand prize because he stole fizzy lifting drinks.

This is how it went down. He told me I pulled into a turning lane at a light. I had a green arrow so I pulled into the intersection. The light, he said, turned yellow while I was turning in the intersection, then red before I got the rear end of my car over the thick white line on the road I was turning into. “You want me to go on and schedule you for two weeks?” he asked.

“No, I’ll just wait till the next Saturday.” (I took it on the Thursday over fall break and didn’t want to miss school to go over to Evansville to take it) Together we walked back inside the BMV. He was telling me about having three teenage daughters and all of them having totaled their vehicles at least once. You know what, guy? I really don’t care right now. He told my dad about how I had done and why he had to fail me. My dad and I went to reschedule but found out we could only schedule appointments two weeks in advance, so we just left, figuring we would call that Saturday. When we were walking out, he told me, “I told you not stoppin’ would get yourself failed.” Thanks pappy.

Dakota

Legalization of Marijuana

I suppose this a worthy topic to write about, especially because it has been in the news so much about California wanting to do so. As I said in my last blog, people use marijuana anyway, regardless of whether it is legalized or not. For those who do it, if there is a way to get it, they will find it. The fact that marijuana is the number one cash crop in the United States is also something to behold.

That said, I believe that, solely for medicinal purposes, legalizing marijuana would be an acceptable measure. I mean, amphetamines are highly addictive, yet they are used at bedside in hospitals. Why not allow marijuana to be used to quell extensive pain as well?

Legalizing it for medicinal purposes would do relatively nothing to the overall effect of the current law. The law requires that people neither use nor possess marijuana, yet many people do, many times in fact. They are breaking the law anyway, so how would things be any different by legalizing it?

Plus, since it is the number one cash crop in the U.S., would marketing it in medicine not help the current economic crisis the nation has fallen into. Along with municipal business, agriculture is one of the staples of our economy. If marijuana were legalized for medicinal purposes, can you imagine how much more would be grown and bought, making the economy blossom in that area very nicely. I mean, as it is, it’s already being grown and bought at a high rate. Legalized, the growing and buying would be unimaginable.

Comments on this would be nice. I’d like to see what other people think. Remember, I’m talking just for medicinal purposes, not overall legalization.

Dakota

Fickleness

Kiersten Richards has used this word a couple of times in my presence to describe people who are just that. I’m not sure if she has ever called me this, but at times, I find myself being it.

Nick Miller alerted me of this. We were talking about legalizing marijuana (which I believe I may write about in my next blog), and he told me initially that he thought it should be legalized for medicinal purposes because people use it anyway even though it is illegal. He then changed his answer because his mom asked him why it should be legalized and he couldn’t think of any reason why it should (because of its hazard to health, etc.) He then talked to me again and was talking about how if he isn’t strong in a certain set of beliefs toward a particular topic, he can be easily swayed in one direction by biased accounts and such.

I believe that I am the same way, in retrospect. If I have little knowledge in a particular subject, I am usually greatly influenced by the first account I come across about that subject. I am then usually biased later toward the way I was first swayed, and like Nick, I find this aggravating. Why can’t I have more willpower (for lack of a better word) to keep myself from becoming easily persuaded on a topic?

I found myself really noticing this during the latest presidential election. President Obama, the great orator he is, made me side with many of the things he said just because he worded his statements in such a way as to greatly influence me to do so. I suppose this is what one tries to do during an election, try to get people on his side, but it still vexes me that I am almost powerless to the will of well supported and explained theses.

I believe I will try to curb this habit as much as possible from here on out.

Dakota

College

I’ve been thinking a lot about college lately. What do I plan to major in? Where am I going to go? Should I look into scholarships?

As for what I plan to major in, I know I would love to do something in the science field for sure, probably leaning toward bioscience. Something in medicine, I think, would probably be best career choice for me because of both my prowess in the subject and my love for it. So I believe I shall probably major in something related to pre-med, something like chemistry or biology, or nursing perhaps.

In regards to where I want to go, I’ve been thinking about a few different places. If money were not an issue, I would go to the University of Washington in a heartbeat because their college of medicine is, in my opinion, the best in the United States. If that didn’t work out, my next choice would be Washington University in St. Louis because both the medical school and the entire school are elite in their education. But because money is an issue and because my step-dad is going to be getting a job at Kentucky Wesleyan allowing me to go to almost any college in Kentucky for free, I think I’m going to choose the University of Kentucky. Their medical program is pretty solid and they have a hospital there so residency should be both easy and very constructive.

The scholarship issue is also a biggie for me. Since my step-dad will be getting this job, and I will be able to go to UK for free, will I need to apply for scholarships? I mean, I will still have to pay for room and board, but I can use KEYS money for that. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and apply, even if I don’t necessarily need them. I also don’t know if free tuition means just for the four years for the bachelor or as long as you need to complete the requirements for the final degree you are trying to obtain (in my case, a doctorate).

Shoo wee, eight years is going to be a long time in college, haha.

Dakota

Homework’s Effects on My Love for School

So, for those of you who don’t know, I’ve been going to school since pre-school and Kindergarten. Throughout the years I have come to have a rather rollercoaster-like love with school – better put, I have come to have a rollercoaster descent-like love with school.

My first six years of school were among the best times I have had with school. School loved me, and I loved school. I loved school so much that one year, for Christmas, I asked Santa Claus for a math book so I could do problems. School was fun, I never got bored, and I almost never had homework.

My middle school years were when things started getting rocky with school and I. We began to fight more than usual. Courses got tougher and more numerous (from four to eight classes). School started giving me more flack in the form of homework, and I was starting to get aggravated about it.

The high school years have been the hardest ones between school and I. It’s like the flame we once shared together is slowly, day by day, being extinguished, and I don’t like it. Classes are mostly rigorous, with an abundance of IB. Homework is almost a given for said classes every night.

And so it has occurred to me that the homework issue is probably the main reason I have come to resent school so. From K-8, I never procrastinated on any of my homework, but when I got to high school, all my friends started doing it, so I thought, heck, why not give it a try (peer pressure I know – sue me). It was hard to get used to at first, but by the end of first semester freshman year, I was a pro, and have been ever since.

This procrastination, however, has been my second love, and school does not like it. It makes seeing school very difficult because I saw procrastination the night before and now school is giving me very little time to get the homework it has thrown at me done. I suppose it’s tough love. I know in the long run school will be better for me than procrastination, but procrastination is like my summer/four-year fling right now. It’s so fun to be with and school just isn’t. But maybe there is some love still there, maybe we could hook back up if things between procrastination and I don’t work out. I guess only time will tell.

(I’m going to college to be a doctor, so I guess I’m going to have to start loving school again because I’ve got another nine years to be with it, haha.)

Dakota

Internet

The Internet is probably one of the most remarkable inventions in terms of media, education, market, and personal accessibility. If you’re looking for something, it’s almost a guarantee you can find it on the Internet.

Media on the Internet has gotten almost as popular as media on the television. And the good thing about news being on the Internet is you can find exactly what you are looking for instead of having to wait for it to be announced on the T.V. or radio. Usually the media stations that televise and broadcast their information even have websites themselves that you can get the same information off of.

Education on the Internet is also very accessible. There are many educational websites that can really help add a spin to an otherwise strictly textbook class. And again, you can find almost anything you would ever want to know (and then some) on the Internet, although some things can be a little less than factual, so one must be wary when obtaining one’s information from the Internet.

Buying and selling on the Internet is also very easy. Businesses can exchange mass quantities of stock and money simply with the click of a button. It is just as easy for individuals, who may simply want to buy a frying pan, or a new car. There’s no need for phone calls, personal money exchange, meetings; just a click of the mouse and you can buy or sell anything.

Then there are personal networking sites where one can communicate with other people. This is very convenient if you want to know how other people are doing, if you want to talk to them, or if you just want to meet new people. These are great because you can see all of your friends’ updates and talk to a lot more of them than you could by phone.

I don’t think I could live without the Internet. Thank you Al Gore. =P

Dakota

Childhood Frightenment

My main fear as a child was certainly one of insecurity. It was pretty much a fear of robbers, murderers, or my step-mom coming through my window. It was pretty traumatizing to me, to the point where I refused to sleep with my window open or my blinds up. I suppose it was pretty childish of me to think that my step-mother would come all the way from my father's house in Indiana to my mother's in Kentucky in the middle of the night, but the way she treated me lead me to believe she hated me, and I believed she would have the will to come through my window and even kill me.

I also remember my sister always wanting to sleep in the same room as me (for the exact same reason I would find out later in my childhood). I was cool with that though because I was scared too.

As I am writing this I'm thinking that most children would have much different fears like monsters and ghosts and things, but I suppose my exposure to violent movies and my awful step-mom would have something to do with that. Needless to say, I was very frightened of these intruders coming through my open window for about four or five years, and I guess I thought that not being able to see them would keep them from getting in, haha.

(This sort of sounds like an add-on to my divorce blog doesn't it?)

Dakota

Academic Team

As some of you may know, I am a participant on the Apollo Academic Team. I participate in science written assessment, Future Problem Solving (FPS), and Quick Recall. But I'm not going to talk about myself in this blog; rather, I'm going to try to promote said academic team.

We have many different areas of study and participation at academic team. The individual ones - arts and humanities, language arts, social studies, science, math, and composition - equal plenty of strokes for different folks. The team ones - FPS and quick recall - are very fun as well. FPS allows for teammates to work together to come up with a six step solution to a stated problem, and quick recall allows for teams to directly compete against each other by buzzing in and answering read questions.

Even at practices we have have a fun time, and they're pretty laid back. We have some laughs, but we can also be serious when necessary (game time). We go many different places throughout the year, including a few out of state competitions and various trips to other schools for Pennyrile tournaments.

Call us nerds, but we're a pretty freakin' cool bunch. If you are even remotely interested in just knowing more about the team, tell me or Ms. Mann or Mr. Paff. Tell other people too - we are in definite need of JV players!

Dakota

Mark Wood Concert

Three words - oh my freaking gosh. Last night's concert with Mark Wood was probably the most fun I've ever had on a stage. I mean there aren't words to describe how I felt as I was burning up the bow hairs and incinerating the strings on my violin as Mark Wood played mind-numbing riffs on his 7-stringed Viper violin. But I'll get to that in a second.

I woke up yesterday morning feeling a little better than usual seeing as I didn't have class. I went to school and waited in the orchestra room for our bus as instructed by our substitute teacher. The bus was late (shocker), but I didn't mind - less time I would have to play with this egotistical jerkwad. I was already tired of playing the songs, not to mention practicing them for 5 hours straight.

As I was unpacking my instrument in the auditorium, I got my first glimpse of him. Long, classic-rocker looking hair, a regular T-shirt, and skinny jeans (aka. chick pants). Wow this is gonna be a long one I thought to myself. As soon as I ascended the stairs to the stage to begin rehearsal, however, my whole outlook began to change.

First off, the guy wasn't a jerk, quite the opposite - he was polite but very energetic. A bit of an egotist, but what do you expect from a nationally renowned musician?

Then the magic began. He began to teach in a way that was very encouraging and didn't single anyone out (except the concertmaster and the first chair cellist). He simply played and had fun and made sure that we did the same. He incorporated a lot of choreography and little intricacies into the otherwise boring and routine playing of the songs. The practice blew by, and before I knew it, it was time to board the bus back to Apollo to catch our rides home.

At quarter till six, Nathaniel Ray and I arrived back at Daviess County to warm up for the concert. We warmed up, had about fifteen minutes off stage, then came back on-stage to a crowded house. After a quick introduction by Mrs. Higdon, Mark Wood jaunted from the wings to the center of the stage. He said his little speech, and the concert began.

From the very first note I knew it was going to be fun, but I had no idea just how much fun. The crowd roared every time we did a little jig or Mark Wood went into a crazy solo. Then he surprised me again.

Toward the end of the concert, before our very last song, he began a riff to Iron Man and proceeded to solo for a good twenty minutes on countless numbers of songs, and I nearly melted. It was sheer brilliance. I had to give it up for him. The guy was good, and he put his all into that solo. He was really exhausted afterwards.

We played our final song and at the end, we all bent down playing one note really fast and jumped into the air and threw the crowd into a frenzy. We all bowed and Mark Wood left the stage. However, the crowd encored Mark back on stage, and together, we took one more thankful bow, and that was the end of the most amazing playing performance of my life.

Then after the concert, I was lucky enough to get my violin signed by the man! The perfect way to top off the night. I can honestly say I will probably never forget this experience, once in a lifetime for sure.

Dakota

Friends

I have to say friends are about the most wonderful thing man has going for him. Putting this into perspective, can you imagine going through infancy without guardians, school without buddies, through a career without partners, through just life in general without Jesus Christ (or a higher power)? I'd say that that would be pretty dang hard.

For these very reasons I am thankful for the amigos I have come to know and love. My friends are pretty much the greatest ever. Anytime, anywhere, for anything, they’re there for me. Stereotypical though it may sound, they are one of the driving factors that mold my life and lifestyle. I sincerely believe that had I not met all of the people I’m honored to call my friends, I would be a totally different person personality-wise and possibly in a much different situation than the one I am in now, a negative person in a more negative situation.

I didn’t write much; I didn’t feel it was necessary. Those who are my friends, you know who you are – you know how much you mean to me.

So this one’s for you guys! Shout out to all my homies, y’all are the greatest! Hope I never lose ya!

Dakota

Divorce Victim...or Beneficiary?

As can probably be inferred by the title of this post, I am the child of parents who are divorced (as of 1997). At a glance, this would seem an instant negative. But I've been thinking about it recently. There really are both pros and cons to having parents that are separated (granted many of the positives are selfish). Here are some examples of these pros and cons.

Pros

Having divorced parents allows for me to experience two very different walks of life. At my dad's house, I live in a higher-middle-class-income neighborhood where there are alot of personable people. Dad can provide for alot more furnishings and luxuries for me and my sister than my mom can, which allows me to have some fun. At my mom's I live way out in the boonies in a double wide where there are little or no people and consequently no one to talk to. My mom and step-dad make substantially less money than my dad so they must be more frugal but they try to allow me and my sisters to do as many school activities as possible (money is hard to come by at my mom's house). Some may think this is a negative but it helps me to be humble and thankful for what I have as there are surely people that have it much worse off than me.

Separated parents allows for double the family and double the presents come Christmas time! :P

Cons

I have to travel back and forth from my parents' houses virtually every Friday and Sunday. I live with my mom during the week and with my dad on the weekends when school is in session, and with my dad during the week and my mom on the weekends when summer rolls around (as of the past two years, however, I've been working during the summer so I haven't been able to see my dad much at all).

My parents divorcing has opened the door for them both to find new life (and I use that word lightly) partners. My mom found my step-dad who I have no problem with except that he tends to drink a bit too much for my liking (I don't like alcohol to begin with though, so maybe I am biased). My dad, however, found my step-mom. Since I was five years old, this woman has wreaked havoc on my life. She abused me physically behind and "in front" of my father's back when I was younger, always treated me worse than my sister and her daughters, and basically made my life at my dad's house a living Hell. She has moved out and things have gotten way better in my opinion, though I don't know how my dad takes it. My dad has told me that she plans on moving back in. If she does, I plan on no longer coming to my dad's house.

Now that I finish typing this, I notice that this whole post sort of seems like a babble, and I didn't mean to do that. So I'll just end it here.

Dakota

Rain

For the past week, there has been no let up of the tears of the heavens. Off and on, everyday, God has sent downpour after downpour cascading to the ground. Even as I type this, it is raining cats and dogs.

In general, rain usually has a gloomy and overall negative connotation.

In spite of this, I love rain. To me, it seems to have a very soothing, very relaxing feel to it. I sometimes enjoy going outside barefoot, shirtless, with only shorts on, just standing still letting the drops cleanse my body, mind, and soul. It just feels so good to get away from everything, to just feel the rain beat a steady crescendo on my body.

I would love to live in a place where rain falls almost daily, possibly a place like Seattle. I've heard that depression rates are higher there (shoutout to Adam Hamilton), but rain makes me feel so good. I think I would almost rather have a torrential rainstorm than a perfectly warm, sunny day.

Did I mention that I LOVE RAIN?

Dakota

Money

Money seems to be the driving force behind every action, motive, or desire. To me, money is a very inconveniencing and rather moronic invention. What is the point in money if we could more easily just trade things we own? There would be no need for currency transactions, virtually no inflation, and just a lot less hassle for people in general.

However, as things currently are, money is very important. It determines whether people live a life of poverty or luxury (obviously), whether people live healthily or not, whether people can afford things that make life easier, etc.

“How much is enough?” is an interesting question. I don’t think there is a set amount of money one needs to obtain to have “enough;” enough to sustain the lifestyle one wishes to have I suppose. It is simply in the eyes of the beholder.

The lack of money seems to make things very hard in life. Strike that – the lack of money does make things very hard in life. It makes for affording things like healthcare, shelter, and transportation difficult, and quite frankly, without financial support, most things both necessary and not in life are made not acquirable. In essence, most would like to say that money can’t buy one happiness. This may be true, but money can buy one things that make one happy, among other things. I believe it indirectly makes the world go round.

Dakota

Pledge of Allegiance

We all know how it goes... "I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United blah blah blah..." I found myself saying this pledge yesterday and began to think. "What am I doing?" thought self. I don't even listen to the words I am saying when I pledge them. It's a simple droan for about ten seconds that really means absolutely nothing. Well, at least when I say it.

To me it kind of seems like praying. If you're heart isn't into it, what's the point?

So I've had an epiphany. Either say the pledge like I mean it or stay seated and be silent, because otherwise I am wasting the oxygen of other people who do mean it. Today on ENL when the prompter instructed everyone to "Please stand, attention, salute, pledge,” I stood up until the pledge was over but said nothing, then sat back down.

Is this unpatriotic? Maybe so, but it definitely isn’t patriotic to not be sincere in patriotism.

Dakota

Work - Yes or No?

I've been trying off . on to get a job since I quit my job at Holiday World in June.

My parents insist that I get a job while I am still in high school, and I want to get a job. But I don't want to have my job proficiency come to a war with my school proficiency. If I work, with all the rigorous IB (and AP U.S. History) classes I'm taking this year, I'm bound to have my grades slip at least a little, and I know that I need to be thinking about college before professions.

But I need the money. My dad bought me my car, but he said I needed to pay $1000 out of the $5000 it cost him because I would "take better care of it" if I had a share in the payment. My mom and step-dad are paying for my insurance right now, but once I get my license, it will skyrocket another $650, and they have told me that I must pay for this. So basically, I have to get a job before I get my license but I need my license to get to said job.

In addition, getting a job right now is virtually impossible with the way the economy is standing (or slacking, for lack of a better term).

Might anyone be able to offer some input on the little predicament I've got going for me? I'd appreciate it greatly. Thanks.

Dakota

U.S. History

U.S. History has got to be one of the most derailed, unpredictable classes I have ever had the.....contentment.....of having. The teacher, Mark Fuller, is by far the greatest lecturer, but his lectures are the most bizarre, random things. He throws subtle, subjective jokes into every sentence he says, and it is quite nearly impossible to know what to make note of because he is always so frivolous and joking.

Granted, I love the man, he's pretty much beast. But his grading also seems to be different for all of his classes and he always awards 100 points for all asignments, regardless of how long or how difficult they were.

I guess what I am saying is, the man is great, maybe not the best teacher. I don't care though; he spices up an otherwise dreadful class. Hats off to you sir!

Dakota

Ponderings

So I've been following the Little League World Series lately. I watched the only team from Kentucky get annihilated by Chula Vista, California, 16-1 (who coicidentally is playing the championship game today, which I am undoubtedly going to watch). As I was watching this game, I began to think. Why is it that some parts of the world are so amazingly stacked in every aspect of everything?

In our nation, we have California and New York who single-handedly run our nation's economy. Globally, Japan, China, and all the other "Made-in's" are over almost every facet of toys, clothing, vehicles, and industries in general. It is illegal to have monopolies in this world, yet these places shadily monopolize their countrys' funding.

I don't know why this allowed, but I also don't know if I'm just a rambling fool. It does seem as if the United Nations or some other global agency or domestic affairs office could at least say something about this, but who is to say? All I know is I hope California loses to Chinese Tai-Pei today, because the size of California's team makes it highly unfair for almost anyone to contend with.

Go China!

Dakota

Analyzing Literature: The Pointlessness of Disecting Literary Works

Over the past two years, which coincidentally have been my high school years, my teachers have progressively enforced the fact that knowing how to critique literary works is essential for college when you must do this all the time, and so have made me and the rest of my rag-tag classmates toil through the agony. What I don't understand is why colleges do this in the first place. I mean honestly, why analyze things that are not meant to be analyzed? Literature is made for enjoyment and enlightenment, among other things. When authors compose works, they have no intention of making people scrutinize their works. They may entertain thoughts about what this symbol means, how this conclusion could be bettered, etc., but it seems as if those mastered in the art of literary criticism have begun a tradition of futile babbling and quite frankly, tried to show off their prowess a little too much.

WHERE WOULD THIS WORLD BE IF NOT FOR LITERARY CRITICISM!? It's impossible to tell, but I'd guess there'd be less jobs - mainly the meaningless professions that involve wholly this fruitlessness.

Dakota

P.S. If anyone is following this blog, please comment. I'd like to hear your opinions.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

My friend Marley just gave me a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup that she won from an activity called vocabulary cubes we just did. She assured me that she didn't poison it, so the euphoria began. I slowly ripped open the wrapper, ejected the chocolatey trophy from its shell, and stared it for a good two seconds. In that moment I realized - this is the soul mate to my taste buds. I never have believed in love at first sight, but love at first taste must be real. I sunk my teeth into the most amazing, most wholesome treat ever invented by man. It was like a waterfall of decadence cascading over my teeth and down my esophagus.

And now I must take the time to thank the man/woman that summoned this heavenly candy from the heavens. You are by far the greatest person I haven't had the pleasure of talking to.

Dakota

Fantasy Football League

So on August 8, I started a fantasy football league. I persuaded four of my friends to join, and then I had to make it open to anyone on ESPN.com because we needed ten league members to join. Five other unknown people joined, and we drafted players that night. Two of my friends (Brody Thomas and Joseph Payne) and two of the unknown people couldn't make the draft so the computer automatically picked their players based on who was the highest ranked player available once their time to pick came around.

Once the draft was over, I was evaluating everyone's rosters and I came to a conclusion. It seemed as if the people that didn't draft drafted better teams than the ones who actually did the analyzing of available players and the scrambling to decide who to choose in the last ten seconds of their ninety-second pick slot. This kind of miffed me. What angered me even more was the fact that I set up the entire league, toiled for a strenuous, never-ending ten minutes and I got the very last pick per round in the draft. That prompted a very weak class of runningbacks by the time my pick came around, and runningbacks are the meat and potatoes of fantasy league scoring.

Post-draft, I'm watching trades between other players, the players they drop and the ones they pick up from waivers, and dealing and trading my own players to perfect my roster as well. In fact, just yesterday, I picked up Brett Favre who just twenty minutes before signed a two year, twenty-five million dollar contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The season's looking like anyone's game right now, although I'd have to say that Jeff Sumner and Joseph Payne probably have an edge over the rest of the competition. I guess we'll find out in a short fourteen weeks!

Dakota

The Extradition of John Woolley

As an eighth grader at Burns Middle School, I was introduced to the man that I would come to call, "The Woolley Mammoth." I was on the academic team there and we were presently in the middle of a quick recall match against Pikeville when a white-haired, grizzly man comes walking in with a mug. "Sorry, sorry, our match just finished," he said. From that moment on, I began receiving the most absurd amount of papers and study materials from this man I hadn't even met yet.

The beginning of my freshman year was the first time I met him. He seemed to be a very nice guy. I came to realize that this was not always the case, especially when our quick recall team was losing or one of us missed a question he believed "we [had gone] over at least a hundred times." He would become very angry and occasionally cuss out loud to us. I'd never seen a man get so enthralled in the art that we call quick recalling.

Then it came time to go to ACE camp (aka. nerd camp) during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. I found out in the midst of this camp that my coach of only one year had been fired. He had apparently slept in the same bed with Nick Miller, another student on the team, which was, as we would come to find out, illegal.

The one year I spent with this man changed me in a way that only he could change me in. And now he is gone, and I must accept the fact that he will no longer be coaching me but the fickle Owensboro High School Academic Team. As I write this, I reflect on whether I truly appreciated this man's contribution to my teen-hood memories, or I just find them genuinely hilarious. A great man he may be, a woolley mammoth he will always be.

Dakota

P.S. Wanna know more about the dude, drop me a comment. I'll get into the juicy stuff.

First 3 Days

Okay, this is my first blog, so I'm not really sure how it works as of yet. I hope with practice I'll get better! So uh....yeah, just started back to school on Wednesday. It's pretty cool I guess. I would have to say the classes I'm going to enjoy the most this year are biology and U.S. history, but that's just because Mr. Bates and Mr. Fuller are pretty much amazing. The classes I'm probably going to enjoy the least are spanish and sadly the class I am writing this blog for, English. Can't tell you how wonderfully great it is that it's Friday - these three days have been the ones that try men's souls. So yep, signing off for now, 'bout to go home and RELAX! Peace out.

Dakota