I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope you all are managing to enjoy yourselves. For myself and many others in my class this is our last Christmas at home, at least that we're living at home. This one has been, for me so far, one of the best. My family is unique in the sense that instead of opening presents on Christmas morning like most Americans, we open our presents on Christmas Eve. We've had a great time. My brother has been home since Wednesday so the whole family is here. Last night (the 23rd, it's after midnight but I don't care) we popped popcorn and watched Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story. Today we had a wonderful brunch with homemade oatmeal, eggs, ham, bacon, and toast. We spent the whole day listening to Christmas music, hanging out in the living room and talking, just having a great time. Around 7:00 we open presents and watched the cat play in the wrapping paper and boxes! She was so cute! She got a new sqeaky mouse for Christmas and was rolling around and jumping in bags. :D Tomorrow we'll do the stocking thing and my dad's picking my brother, my sister, and I up to go have Christmas at his house. Hopefully tomorrow will be as eventful as the past two days.

Again, Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day and a Happy New Year!

This is for people who understand the grave risks of gay marriage. Some suggest gay marriage will merely undermine one of our most fundamental societal institutions, causing countless straight couples to get divorced because exclusion of gays was the only thing holding their marriage together.


16. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

15. There are plenty of straight families looking to adopt, and every unwanted child already has a loving family. This is why foster care does not exist.

14. Conservatives know best how to create strong families. That is why it is not true that Texas and Mississippi have the highest teen birthrates, and Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire have the lowest. This is a myth spread by the liberal media.

13. Marriage is a religious institution, defined by churches. This is why atheists do not marry.

12. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why our society has no single parents.

11. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

10. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

9. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

8. Gay marriage should be decided by the people and their elected representatives, not the courts. The framers checked the courts, which represent mainstream public opinion, with legislatures created to protect the rights of minorities from the tyranny of the majority. Interference by courts in this matter is inappropriate, just as it has been every time the courts have tried to hold back legislatures pushing for civil rights.

7. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because "separate but equal" institutions are a good way to satisfy the demands of uppity minority groups.

5. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

4. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

3. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

2. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

1. METEORS and VOLCANOES. Gay marriage killed the dinosaurs. If we let liberal activist judges in Massachusetts and California set the course, the blood will run in rivers. Mixed with molten lava.

You ever get the feeling that you're inspired to do something but you're not quite sure what? The creative juices are flowing but aren't really making anything? Yeah, that's me. Right now. Maybe I shouldn't eat Panda Express after 9:30. Who knows. I just want to DO something godDAMNit. Sigh. Ok. I'll stop. Only for you though, I swear. No, don't look at me like that. See! There! Uh huh, I know you ain't givin' me no goofy grin. Stop it. Stop IT! ...I don't get no kinda respect 'round here, you know that? Jeez...

These things of which my dreams are made
Transport me to a pool to bathe
In sparkling water shining bright
Alive amongst the slumbering night
My cares, the waves they wash away
And remenants of the sleepless day
Pain and sorrow are no more
As I lie upon that tranquil shore
Yet apprehension still remains
Pure bliss these waters cannot feign
Another day is yet to come
And take me back to whenst I'm from

    It's been so long since I've written anything. I used to love writing and would post on my blog at least once a week. Now it just seems like such a task and I don't understand why. I look at my routine on the web and I'm pretty lazy. I just check if I've gotten any messages and wait for something to happen. I usually blame my lack of writing on lack of time, but if I wanted to I'd make time. And that's what I'm doing tonight: making time.
    I guess I need to rant right now. I'm frustrated about a few things so just bear with me. Right now I'm trying to scrap together all of these college applications alongside keeping up my GPA and working. The whole application process just dumbfounds me. Nothing in your entire life matters to the admissions board but what's in a thin envelope with your name on it. This rant is probably coming from the ACT results I just recieved from the October test. I got the same score I'd previously recieved in June. What frustrates me is that despite all the work I've done in high school, all the acivities I've been involved in, the one thing that will keep me from getting into the school of my choice is a 2-digit number. It doesn't matter that the score I got was actually a good score-- in the 96th percentile according to my score report-- all that matters is that I didn't break that 30. It doesn't matter that I get good grades in math and science despite my lower score in these sections, it doesn't matter that I understand the principles behind the things that I'm being tested on, what matters is that I can't do 60 math problems in 60 minutes. What matters is that I don't comprend reading material perfectly after speed reading it only once. What matters is that I don't do as well in a standardized testing situation, despite the fact that I'll never have to be in that type of situation to count for anything for the remainder of my adult life.
    Although I'm frustrated about my college situation, this year has had some ups to counter the downs. I've made new friends and have been enjoying myself more than I have my entire high school life. I'm actually socializing, thanks mostly to Courtney. I've opened up to people like I haven't been able to in some time. Despite it all, I'm missing things. I've been single for the past two years now and I've been happy with it for the most part. No commitments, no drama, just worrying about myself. But I think I'm ready. I'm not saying I want a committed relationship, I don't have time for that. But it'd be nice to have somebody to hug once in a while. Friendly hugs are nice but there's something different about hugging someone that you know cares about you and likes you more than just a friend. I guess I just want a bit of intimacy.
    Now for the conclusion. You know, this is always the hardest part for me with anything I write whether it's an essay, a blog entry, a poem, whatever. I have no problem with the meat of the story but once I decide I want to stop, writer's block sets in on overdrive. You know what? I'm not going to let it. I'm going to end it. I've said what I wanted to say and that's all there is to it. Maybe my conclusion will be a bit more eloquent next time.

Firey heart and aching bones, the flames of love me thus erode.
A dream, a thought, was often not anything they'd once proposed.
Falling, burning, tossing, turning, my body slowly fades away.
Into the loving flames I purge, ne'er gain to see the light of day.

I got my schedule for next year and for once I'm pretty happy with the classes I'm in. The only problem I had was filling up 4th hour in the spring, so I put OSU release there.

Fall Semester
1st- Linc/Doug Debate (Larios)
2nd- Physics (West)
3rd- AP Human Geography (Haines)
4th- AP Statistics (Cooley)

Spring Semester
1st- U.S. Gov't/OK Hist. (Church)
2nd- Humanities I/II (Walkiewicz)
3rd- AP English IV (Silver)
4th- OSU Release (Hopefully French...)

Let me know if we have any classes together!

Anyone who's not familiar to rathergood.com may not appreciate the hilariousness of this video, but since Adam and I have this running joke about ninjas I couldn't resist...