Good Times

Hanging out with the family, playing video games with Lamar, seeing all the people home from college, and not having to go to the doctor no more.

Halloween

Does it make sense to anyone why we tell our kids to not talk or especially take food from strangers and then we send them out into neighborhoods at night, in the dark, asking strangers for candy?

Kinda sad really...

There is nothing like a good change in the weather and pure exhaustion to give oneself the feeling of pure joy. When the sky turns grey and the clouds slowly roll above you whispering to eachother, you just can't help feeling life will somehow always be complete. It's beautiful, it really is. I feel sorry for those that can't stand it, I don't know how they live. But a lot of people don't think the way I do on a lot of things, and that is just how things go. Give me beautiful silver, cold, misty days and I will be happy. Throw in a little bit of accomplishment, exhaustion and soreness and I will be thrilled.

Strength ...

Strength ...
Originally uploaded by ashwinds.

Sometimes I wish I had as much.

Wonderful Weekend

A Lumpy Oatmeal and Cornbread reunion. Adria and Wicked (which really don't belong in the same sentence :-P) And I got to see Joy and Lamar, which made me incredibly happy.

And, finally the world is coming around to think like I do! Ok, so not the whole world, and its not just me, but I was still excited. And I don't agree with what they say we should do about it, but still:

Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the "war on terror" is failing and instead fuelling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

I Finally Uploaded Them

If you want to see them all, click here.

You win some you lose some

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled in favor of Brandon Mayfield, a lawyer wrongly arrested by the FBI in 2004 for possible ties to the Madrid train bombings, who challenged the secret searches of his home and office. The judge said the amendments made by the Patriot Act to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the government to conduct searches and monitor American citizens without probable cause, which is typically required by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost at least $190 billion in 2008, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, making it the most expensive year in the conflicts since they were launched by President George W. Bush. Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked Congress to approve the funding after Bush this month beat back demands from Democrats for a quick end to the Iraq war and said the U.S. presence there would go on after he leaves office in 2009.

I liked this

"I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)," wrote Tolkien to a correspondent in 1958. "I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated) . . . I like, and even dare to wear these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late (when possible). I do not travel much."

I have been thinking of late that when I graduate I will give my computer to someone who needs it, and not own one anymore. I have thought about this a lot lately. No, this is not some rash I hate technology rampage. I have really seriously considered it. There is still such a thing as a post office, and you could still mail me. I might get rid of my cell phone and microwave too. I really hope that I do. I could handle going somewhere else and checking my email once a week, or once a month, or maybe not having it at all. And yet this is all so contradictory as I sit here and type this out using the technology I use all the time and simply can't get away from. Sometimes I wish that I was born in a different age. Maybe if I could choose, I would choose to live in a different land, a different world. It would be a very hard decision, but I think that I just might be able to make it.

Jones is back

Email from Logging Camp

"Wuz up, that would be slang for 7 and 8th graders"
~Lizzie

I'm antzy

T-1 hour...

I can't wait to see people.

I have missed the Winther family beyond all imaginable ability to miss someone. I think that I will have to refrain from tackling and accidentally knocking mom over. Nothing against all of those of you who are under the age of twenty, but I think that the hardest part of this debate season will be missing a few certain people... Mrs. Yerzy, Mrs. Wiemeyer, and Mrs. Winther. Well, I'll be around mom more than the rest, but I won't see Mrs. Wiemeyer unless I go to a tournament, and won't see Mrs. Yerzy very often. :-(

Well, I thought I was over our last round at the M&M tournament... apparently not.

A Quick Note

I'm leaving for Oregon tomorrow morning.
I'll be back the 3rd of September.

I am seriously considering adopting these two little guys.
Their names are Queen McNabb and Ella.
I don't think I'll keep those names though.

It's been a long time since the last post...

but I am still alive in case you were wondering.

An amazing summer:
Ashram
Logging Camp
Calvin Crest
Lake Tahoe
Sailing
Calvin Crest

Ask me about it sometime.

We will soon be off to Oregon for our family vacation... without the whole family.

School starts in three weeks.

I realized last night that I have a birthday coming up, and couldn't figure out anything I wanted.

I made it through an entire gymnastics class last night.

It's coming so fast

I leave for Ashram in less than a week. Four more days. I've been a lot busier this year and its sorta snuck up on me. Yes, I am excited, but there will be so much change. I've grown up with Ashram always being the same. I'm sure that things did change, but that I was too small to be aware of everything going on, but this year I am. Last year was a bridge, everything was just a little bit different, but this year will be the other side. Not everyone will be there, the leaders will be different, and even the beach day won't be on the same day.

Don't get me wrong, I am still really excited about going to Ashram and being with so many people who care and who would really rather you not pretend to be anything other than who you are... I am just not so excited about all of the change.

Excerpts

"Here is a nettlesome policy question: Is it fair for those of us who live comfortably to impose our preferences on individuals in the developing world? Economists argue that it is not, though we do it all the time. When I read a story in the Sunday New York Times about South American villagers cutting down virgin rain forest and destroying rare ecosystems, I nearly knock over my Starbucks latte in surprise and disgust. But I am not they. My children are not starving or at risk of dying of malaria. If they were, and if chopping down a valuable wildlife habitat enabled me to afford to feed my family and buy a mosquito net, then I would sharpen my ax and start chopping. I wouldn't care how many butterflies or spotted weasels I killed. This is not to suggest that the environment in the developing world does not matter. It does. In fact, there are many examples of environmental degradation that will make poor countries even poorer in the long run. And obviously if the developed world were more generous, then Brazilian villager might not have to decide between destroying the rain forest and buying mosquito nets. The point here is more basic: It is simply bad economics to impose our preferences on individuals whose lives are much, much different."

~Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science~

Of Josiah and Lightsabers

Josiah: "Volcanoes make blue diamonds and if you use a blue diamond you get a blue lightsaber"
Kaitlin: "So how do you get the red ones?"
Josiah (whispering): "you paint them"

I wish Marian was here.

Excerpt from long ago...

A blast from the past, check it out!

Two Things

First, I must say that I had a great round today. I am no longer stressed about debate, because I kinda rediscovered the fact that debate is fun! Ok, so I am a little stressed, but not nearly as much. It was great to just pop in there and give a 2A for a case I had never heard before, and I didn't do terribly either. I've missed debating with Chris too. (and of course, the car ride in which we criticised Mrs. Yerzy's driving and talked about wine tasting a lot) Hmmm... yes, refreshing is a good word I think. Debating because I can and I love it. So my goal for the next tournament is to do just that regardless of win/loss. Have fun, and try to change the mind of someone, and show them what really went on in Kosovo, and how we need to change.


Second: Calvin you are amazing. (if you haven't watched this video yet, watch it... it's even better in real life)

The Sprint

I've sorted through my binders, through my word documents, through my brain.
Looked over the hours, weeks... years, that I have put into this.
Stared into the distance and become lost in thought.
Begun prepping against my own team mates.
Dreaded dreams coming true.

One more week to go before the final tournament of the year. I'm ready for the debate, but I'm not ready for the rest of it.

Quotation of the Day (well of yesterday)

While riding her bike in circles around me as I take pictures of the moon and we discuss the nature of planets, what of the little girls in our neighborhood said: "Scientists are wrong, Pluto is a planet!" Among other statements such as: "If it's not a planet... Pluto should be destroyed!" She made me smile.

If you were to read your own obituary...

My first reaction to the headline of the Modesto Bee "Virginia Tech Massacre: Deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. History" was to ponder the hundreds of thousands who have died in Iraq, Afghanistan, or as The New York State Special Commission on Attica wrote, "With the exception of Indian massacres in the late 19th century, the State Police assault which ended the four-day prison uprising was the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War."

Apparently this is the largest massacre that can't be attributed to the government, though it will be attributed to our lack of laws. According to Reuters:

"Media commentators in Europe were quick to blame permissive U.S. gun laws for the massacre. Italy's leftist Il Manifesto newspaper said the shooting was "as American as apple pie". France's Le Monde newspaper said such episodes frequently disfigured the "American dream". "It would be vain to hope that even so destructive a crime as this will cool the American ardour for guns," Britain's Independent newspaper said in a commentary. Howard, a close U.S. ally over Iraq and Afghanistan, was a leading voice suggesting Washington should tighten its gun controls. Australia banned almost all types of semi-automatic weapons after a mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996. "We showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country," Howard told reporters."


These statements from Reuters unfortunately echo the common theme throughout most national and international news sources. My opinions follow closer to that of the Free Market News Network.

I read the article on this only minutes after watching Against the Wall, a drama based off of the Attica Prison riots in 1971. Maybe that is part of it, but all of the reporting on this issue makes me sick, not because of the actions that this young man took, but because of how our media is treating it.

Back

Well, we are all back from Texas. It was a beautiful amazing trip. It was definitely different than other out of state tournaments. Fast, emotional roller coaster, and a bit dissapointing. But on the whole, it was beyond a learning experience. All those people who went to Texas with us... yeah, they are all amazing. It was beyond incredibly amazing.

And I found this for those interested.

School, how I thankful I will be when I am done with thee

I finally finished my Math from last year, its really annoying how that kept hanging around for so long, though it only took me like three weeks to do it. I don't know why I procrastinate so much, but I do. So, I have three more subjects (all of them from this year) to complete and then I will be done with High School. I think that will be a great relief to me.

I am pretty happy with this picture, as well as this one. Even though the trees are in the way.

This One is for Joy

It's Hailing!!!!!!

I think that my crush on Harrison Ford just grew exponentially by watching this movie.

Baby Steps

I've been accepted to Stanislaus State, and squeaked by with 20 more points than what I needed on the SAT. I am glad that is over and done with. Now, I can consentrate on getting Geometry, Spanish, and Chemistry over and done with. Just a little over three more months until graduation.

We have dresses :-)

It is not very often that I watch a movie that just grabs me, but this one has. I wanted to watch this movie because it was a sci-fi movie, but it turned out to be a whole heck of a lot more than that. So, watch the movie contact. It's a good one.

Couldn't have said it better myself

Just thought I'd say...

A difference

It is so nice to be up here in a place away. Free to roam creation apart from the every day restriction. Free to breathe the air, and just to be.

Quote of the Day #12

"Good thing I'm the town drunk."
~Josh Wright

Has it really been this long?

It's been two years since Marian left, but it does not feel so long.


Your voice will forever remain protected in my mind
Your beautiful smile, and that simple warming 'yes' that was spoken so often
Kind, deep, loving gaze.
Forever you, the strong woman of God
In lifes frailty still loyal to your sisters and to your savior

Fall free away
Bring heaven to your feet
walk every day
Through pure and golden streets
But I'll still miss you forever and today

My latest encounter with Mormonism

I finally got the chance to go out on a bike ride today, something I have not been able to do since I hurt myself. I enjoyed it very much, but this is not the purpose of what I am trying to say. As I was riding I somehow managed to have a nail go into my tire. In the bottom and out the side. Needless to say, my tire lost all functionality rather quickly. As I was carrying my bike down the bike path two gentlemen on bikes of their own stopped to ask how I was doing. As I felt it rather plain that my bike was not in the best of condition as I was carrying, not riding or walking it, down the bike path, I responded to how I was doing despite this burden: "I'm doing well, thank you for asking". We paused and they proceeded to ask me if I knew about Jesus Christ and the book of Mormon. After a very brief discussion of maybe only a minute or two they handed me a track, wished me good-day, and rode on. While we were talking they never offered to carry my bike for me, or even if there was something wrong with my bike that they may be able to help me fix. My impression was that they were there to convert me to (or at least inform me about) their religion and be on their way to the next person, without care to my (very obvious) problem.

I fear that this is how I may one day come across to someone, and pray that it never will be. I am not sharing this story for the sake of ridiculing the Mormon followers and their beliefs, far be that from the truth, but instead as a caution as to how we live our lives. Very rarely do we as Christians find ourselves being 'converted' by someone else, as we are already 'on the inside'. But we may find ourselves sharing our faith with someone else, and being in that place today made me understand how one such encounter has the potential for tainting someones views of an entire religious belief system. If we are to preach a gospel of love for others, we can't just preach it, we must live it out in every action we take. Even if that means offering to carry someones bike for them.

Where is America Going?

As seen on the back of a cereal box: "Did you know: Exercise that really gets your heart beating can help make your video game skills better. It's a super gamer's hint... a secret weapon that'll help you: have more energy, be more alert, raise your self-confidence. It's true!"

Indeed

Hmmm... I don't know what it is about the San Diego tournament, but I always get some pictures there that I really like. This year, its these two.

A Good Day

Besides spending a ton of time on SAT prep, today was great. A new leo, a gymnastics class I am slowly learning to love, and church... learning to love that as well.

What will they come up with next?

This is just hecka sweet! I wish I was that creative.

Beyond Extatic

I could get used to this.

It's been a long time coming...

I don't remember the last time I just couldn't wait until Saturday was over because I knew Sunday would be here next. I don't know how to explain it, but my attitude towards church has changed more dramatically than I ever thought it could, and in the span of... a week? I feel like I am in 6th grade again, and just can't wait to get into the Realm room. It's a very good feeling, and I hope it never leaves.

I LOVE SNOW!!!!

(and I love everyone who helped me ski, and who ski-ed (sp?) with me, that would be: Laralyn, Courtney, Michele, Kelsey, Kaitlin, Mr. and Mrs. Winther, and of course various other people too)

Did I mention I love snow?

In response to falling, fear, and frustration

Being a good gymnast, and a good teacher are two entirely different things. The lady who taught me gymnastics never even did a cartwheel, yet was so amazing and good at teaching that she did it for 50 years.

Being a good gymnastics teacher is a lot like being a good anything teacher, besides the fact that unlike most other sports, hobbies, etc. you have to physically help your students do everything, for a very long time. Unfortunately teaching gymnastics takes a lot more knowledge than taking it, and therefore some teachers who are really gymnasts find themselves at a loss for how to teach someone how to do something. If you can only tell someone to point their toes and try harder it won't ever fix the real problem. But then again, some people think that's better than saying "I don't know what you are doing wrong". I found myself in this dilemma today when I was trying to teach Zach and Jamar Chest-roll-quarter-turn-nip-ups. I can do them myself, but I was at a complete loss as to how to explain to Jamar the simplest part of the whole thing: get on your knees, push your tummy out, and roll down your legs and stomach to your shoulders, but he just didn't get it. Every time, he stuck his butt in the air and neither his legs, nor his stomach ever touched the ground. These sorts of things happen to me far less frequently than they used to when I started teaching, but it bugs me that they still do. My gymnastics articulation is not good enough to be able to explain everything. Maybe someday it will be, but right now I have a long way to go. Especially if I ever start teaching the apparatus. ::becomes frightened::

Good friends, good times, and friends I don't see very often.

I have a wonderful debate partner, she's awesome in case you didn't know.

Cardiff-by-the-sea is a beautiful town with three beautiful people in it. the Hildabrands. I've missed them.

'007

My new year's resolution: watch all 21 James Bond movies