A Boy Who Loved Fire

     Jackson was the precarious boy in the neighborhood.  He was the one that no one ever let their kids associate with.  His father was a firefighter which could explain Jackson's unusual obsessions with fire.  His favorite holiday, of course, was fourth of July where he could set off loud firecrackers all night acceptably.  One year, however, his fun was short lived because his neighbor rudely reported him to the police as a disturbance to her peace.  The police came and took all of his firecrackers, ruining his whole holiday.  Little did the persnickety neighbor know of how much carnage would ensue.
     Jackson started with the basement.  He loaded the foundation with real TNT.  He covered the walls in gas and laid out fuses in a spiderweb.  He knew just enough about fire to know how to destroy the house with maximum suffrage on the inside.  In fact, Jackson wanted one to run outside.  He wanted to melt them.  He wanted to make them suffer.  He lit the fuses and backed into the front yard, poised in case someone came out.  After about 30 seconds, the house lit in flames.  Instantly, screaming was heard and Jackson laughed.  His mind was sick and demented.  His mind was that of a devil inside a child's body, waiting to get out.  The mom ran out crying, baby in hand.  All the better, Jackson thought.  He turned on the gas hose and lit the flame in front. The fireball flew out enveloping the distraught mother with her hysterical baby.  He stopped the gas flow and watched the show.  She stopped, dropped, and rolled, but the flame wouldn't go out.  It couldn't go out!  Jackson's laughs were robust as he watched the mom suffer in the fire.  What caught his attention was her eyes.  They were that of pure terror.  She had failed to save her family inside who were still screaming, trapped in their rooms.  Anyone who saw the crime scene afterwards saw a mom and a baby boy laying in the lawn as piles of ashes.  They also saw girl laying broken on the ground making faint noises of agony, for she had jumped out of her window and landed on her neck.  She was paralyzed and soon died after hours of suffering.  A dad was simply in his room, burned to death on his floor for the fire had taken over as soon as he opened his door.  Jackson had died of a heart attack.  He died of a heart attack from overjoy.  The devil inside had killed him, and moved to its next victim.

Rhapsody in Blue

Alison and the Bear

     She ran as fast as she could away from the tremendously terrifying grizzly.  She tripped.  Her heart stopped.  The bear ripped her head off and killed her in an instant.  It roared.  It ate her intestines like spaghetti and played jump rope with them, basking in its glorious kill of an ignorant hiker.
     Earlier that day, Alison was with a group of her best friends traversing the rural mountains of America.  They arrived upon their first camp site and instantly set up their tents preparing for the long night ahead.  Alison was the leader of the group, so it wasn't surprising she ambitiously and irrationally decided to go hiking instead of fishing for food.  They agreed because Alison had killed someone in the past for disobeying her.  In fact, this occurred yesterday in the canyons of Yosemite.
     Early in the morning after a night of camping Jasmine had subconsciously rolled over and threw her arm over Alison.  Upon awaking, Alison was in a fury.
     "GET YOUR HAND OFF ME!" she exclaimed with terror in her voice.
     "Oh, I am so sorry Alison," she apologized with desperation.  Without another word, Alison ripped Jasmine out of the tent by her hair.  Jasmine winced in agony.  Alison pulled her by her hair all the way to the cliff that lay through the trees surrounding their campsite.  There were many cliffs in Yosemite and Alison's plan involved utilizing them to relieve her anger. 
     "Stop Alison!  You can't do this!" she exclaimed with absolute terror in her voice. 
     "Shut up!" Alison screamed taking her boot and smashing into Jasmine's nose as hard as possible.  Jasmine winced slightly, but was quite silent afterwards.  The kick broke her entire face, specifically her jaw, so she couldn't even talk.  All she could do was sit an remain a victim of Alison's rage.  She pulled Jasmine to the cliff and threw her off the side without hesitation.  Jasmine's eyes were wide as she fell to the hard bottom of the valley.  Her head smashed open revealing a brain, a developing brain full of potential that is now just food for the vultures. 
     Alison's anger was now well known within her group of friends.  They didn't want to ignore her for fear of her noticing, but they were afraid of close contact as well.  One mistake in Alison's eye would mean death for the perpetrator.  They continued their hike into the dark and Alison had no intent on turning back.  Upon the nearing sunset, the group of friends united together against Alison because their desperation for survival overcame their caution. 
     "We're going to leave now Alison-"
     "No you're not!  You're all staying right here!" she barked back with a savage tone of voice. 
     "You can't control five people Alison.  We're going back," a girl said supressing her true fear of defiance. 
     "Fine, leave me alone.  I don't care."  They left her alone in the forest where she screamed and let the whole ecosystem know of her emotions.  Unfortunately the bear, the king of the animals and the forest, heard and wanted.  Just overcoming hibernation, the bear was hungry for food, and a small teenage girl was just perfect.  It followed her using its keen eyesight, nose, and ears.  It evolved over millions of years into the perfect hunting machine.  It got closer and closer to the unsuspecting Alison who was throwing rocks at rabbits and birds.  This put mother nature on the bear's side.  The bear found her, and the chase began.  The chase commenced.  The chase ended with a delicious meal for a hungry bear. 
 

Success and it's Glory

     As you probably know, I auditioned for the prestigious honor of a seat in one of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras.  During the preparation and execution of the audition, my feelings about succeeding were objective.  I didn't truly have a particular preference for one of the two orchestras I was eligible for, and I didn't mind if I didn't make it!  After I traveled all the way to Chicago and auditioned for them, I was very proud of my sound and felt I actually had a chance to get in.  These thoughts gave me hope that I previously lacked before the audition.
     I've been checking the mail lately for any respondence from the CYSO concerning results, but these efforts were futile.  The end of May is nearing, and the letter still hasn't come like they promised.  Then I log onto my Facebook just to check on my Relay team and for a little information about people I don't actually talk to or associate with in "real life".  I see a message from Nick saying "What did you make?".  Well, this phrase meant to me "What did you get on the Geography final?" or "What did you make for CYSO?".  Just to clarify, I asked him what he was asking and he clarified that he was inquiring about CYSO.  He told me to check my email for the results.  My heart started racing.  After all this wait to see what this one measly email says.  I open up my mom's email considering she registered her email with our audition forms and saw one email from "Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras".  This was it!  Was it for Joe or me?  I opened it while holding my breath and with a relief and exultance read that I had been placed into the CYSO's Concert Orchestra!  I succeeded in my efforts and they paid off!  I'm in for an experience I won't soon forget.

A Eulogy

     Good afternoon fellow family and friends who mourn here over this body about the life and memories of the passed John Wilkes Booth.  My condolences go out to those who were closest to him, and I hope that my expressions of memories will bring your heart and minds to a more stoic state.  John Wilkes Booth was always determined and had overflowing perseverance.  When he said he would do something, it was easily assumable that he would do just that.  In fact, one day he came up to me and said "I'm going to kill the president."  All I said was,"Okay."  At that time, I wasn't truly interested in his plan for success and glory, but as time grew on, John and I had a few conversations that lead to our teamwork.  His "I'm going to kill the president" turned into an "I will kill President Abraham Lincoln", which caused a small hint of anxiety to ensue in my heart.  Did I really want to go through with this?  I didn't have the determination to commence any further with his plans of a theater murder.  John and I began to grow apart as Abraham Lincoln's plans began and the Civil War grew.  The next thing I knew I was drafted into the Confederate Army and my connection to the news was over.  I wondered "Did John follow through?  When doesn't John follow through?"  Even at gunpoint, I knew John Wilkes Booth would follow through just like he always does.  His hard head of determination gave him a competitive edge against everyone.  John was a successful human being, and as soon as I returned home and learned of his achievement I instantly filled with rejoice just as all of you did in the kitchen on the day of the news.  John Wilkes Booth will forever be missed, but it is hopeful and soothing to our souls that the memories we have of him are that of success and determination.  You will always be in our hearts.    

And the Award Goes To...

     Theoretically, or imaginatively, let's create a character named Grace.  Grace is a member of the band program at her school which happens to be very large and prestigious.  She works moderately hard on her instrument and is a respectable and attentive student who is always eager to learn.  As her band director gets on the podium and starts to discuss summer camps for music, she instantly begins her wistful and hoping thoughts.  "I would love to go to a music camp!  I think it would help me become a better musician!"  She goes home, does her research and asks her parents who respond with a median "We really hope you can go, but maybe pick a cheaper one because these camps are very expensive" attitude.
     Grace returns to her band class the next day with a new perspective on music.  She goes home and practices for one hour instead of just thirty minutes because she wants to improve and make the best out of whatever band camp she goes to.  On the podium, her band director discusses scholarships.  This instantly gets Graces attention, and she is listening with a keen ear.  Once she gets home, she prints off the scholarship application and gets to work on her 200 word essay.  Now, this is no small feat for Grace because writing is not her forte like math and science.  In fact, she considered this essay hard and stressful because of it's value and importance.  After her parents help her proofread, she takes it to her English teacher so he can proofread it as well.  All of this effort goes into an essay that Grace considers to be the best essay she's ever written.  She is proud to put it in her band director's folder and cannot wait for the awards ceremony to see if she received the much needed scholarship.

     "Maybe if I get this scholarship, my parents will be more inclined to grant me permission to go to a nicer summer music camp.  I can only give so much money because I don't have a job considering my busy summer school schedule.  I really need this!"

     The Band Awards role around and Grace's anxiety is paralyzing.  She goes and sits with some of her friends from band, applauding as people around her win awards.  One boy gets her attention as he wins an award and scholarship for being an outstanding Freshman musician.  She expressed her congratulations and knew him as being someone in the upper Freshman band while she was in the lower one.  Then the portion of the Awards changes to the scholarships that Grace had applied for.  Her heart is racing, anxious to hear her name called.  They read through the list of names and one of them is the same name that received the outstanding Freshman musician.
     "That's awesome that he gets two scholarships!  His parents must be very proud," she thinks to herself as the last of the names are read off.  To her surprise, Grace's name was never uttered.  Everyone goes up to receive their generous $250 scholarships to their music camps, as well as the boy who won another scholarship for his camp as well.  Here Grace sits with zero scholarships while another boy sits with two.  Grace is scared her parents will be mad at her so she never brings up the camp again.  She loses interest in practicing alone over the summer and drops out of band the next year.  All of this is because of one boy who won two, while Grace won none.

     Are awards ceremonies worth it?  I think an award should be an internal accomplishment, not a public affair.  This story could easily happen after tonight, but let's hope that the person who won none has a strong soul, and let's hope that the person who won two knows how lucky he is.  


         

A Mexican Folklore (2)

     Abila wasn't as presumptuous in her social life and in fact, she was very content on being alone.  Abilia wasn't the type of girl anyone would think was a narcissistic and unstable human being.  Those who knew her well were quite aware of this situation, and were keeping it clandestine from the rest of the world.  This precipitous situation was soon going to elevate into a compelling mystery for the whole country of Mexico.
     Abila and her family woke up one Sunday morning, long before Abila's polemical and shadowed problem.  Abila was actually a normal, outgoing girl who was objective to the world around her.  She didn't care about her ludicrous living conditions and she didn't care about going to the United States.  She didn't know that this pernicious expedition was longed for by her parents.  On this Sunday morning, Abila's parents woke her up saying,"We're going to be free; wake up."  Abila did so without question although she had many.  The United States was only a 45 minute drive away, but to Abila it seemed like hours.  The fence she saw between her and the United States bothered her.  "Why can't we go over there?" she asked.  Her parents pushed off this inquisition and told her to get outside and stay behind the car as they examined the situation.  Almost instantly after her parents left the safety of the car, two gun shots boomed from above killing both of Abila's parents.  The event seemed to occur in slow motion, but as soon as Abila heard the shots, she sprinted as fast as she could.  Surprisingly, they did not shoot her, but her assumptions concluded that it's because of her child innocence.  As she ran she thought of the life that she used to have and the way it will soon be.  Little did she know that the bad things were just beginning.

A Mexican Folklore

     Diego wasn't the type of boy to stay isolated and separated from nature during the summer.  He was the type of boy who would claim the day exuberantly as his own property.  It's easily inferable that he was an optimistic and robust character of the town.  His compelling optimistic nature has crowned him the name "Fuerza" for his strong will.  Those who remember Diego will always know the ways in which he affected them, and their memories shall never deceive them.  Diego was a martyr for Mexicans in a time when the whole world was in arms about this polemical issue with them.  Diego's dead.

(The story shall be continued throughout time.  Pass it on, share the ideas because this Mexican Folk Tale has just begun)

The Long Stretch

     Just as soon as this glorious new lifestyle known as high school started, it is now coming to an abrupt and anticipated conclusion.  Unfortunately this high school lifestyle doesn't want to end without a big bang of stressers.  I have tests out the whazoo this week despite the imminent and impending finals that start this Friday.  Yes, Mr. Crump, I would love to be tested on Australia and then tested a day later on everything since January!  That's the way I roll.  No, that's the way no one rolls, but apparently the teachers don't care.  Meanwhile I have band concerts and marching band to juggle about along with an attempt to change classes for next year.  All is stressful in this long stretch, but if I work hard, the future should be more bright.  

 Hi, my name is Sam and I have enough time in my schedule to memorize music for marching band.  Well, if you don't count school and other band related things, I do have time, but sometimes I want to eat and sleep.  Those luxuries are nice.  

 To be honest, this song gives me a moment of peace in this hectic time.  It's a break from socializing and learning and it's just a time of bliss a tranquility.

 The mother bunny came back to take care of her babies.  This could be a sign of success during this strenuous week!

 You know you're studying for an Honors Biology final when you're room looks like this times about 10.

This is what's left after a long night of preparation for studying, rehearsal, and a nice family therapy appointment.  You know the world is right when you eat apples with peanut butter, documenting your day on a blog, hopefully improving your writing skills.  Wish me luck for this Long Stretch.

Nature's Tragedy

     Nature is a strong force that creates and ends life simultaneously.  When examining the evolution and history of this earth, especially with the creation of humans, it's easy to see the drastic change within ecological conditions.  What makes humans unique is that they alter their environment.  Let's look at this case involving a small nest of bunnies in the yard of a vicious greyhound.
     Early this morning before the teenagers awake, an innocent greyhound wanders outside with the intention of exploration and other dog-like activities.  She walks over to the nest of young bunnies that were just exposed yesterday and sees them wandering outside the nest, unaware of the giant monster that wants their innards.  Out of the corner of her keen eye, the greyhound sees the innocent bunnies and rushes over to them.  Surely they would hope that the muzzle upon her nose to prevent feces consumption would aid in her attack, but much to their dismay, it most likely made the massacre worse.  The mother witnessing this event describes the greyhound's head smashing and paw smacking as funny, which is the word she was soon criticized on.  The husband and father rushes out to stop and assess the carnage.  Of supposedly three rabbits, two are dead.  Upon later inspection by the late rising teenager, the third and final bunny is also dead and the nest is empty.  Upon even later inspection by the other late rising teenager, there is yet another bunny that is frantically hopping about its recently filled and destroyed nest.  Upon even later, and final inspection, there is a second frightened bunny hopping around its destroyed home.
     Surely nature had this in store for these poor bunnies, but humans are humans and they play with nature all the time, so why not try to fight off the evil aspects of nature's worldly plan?  We took in the bunnies and put them into a box with their nest materials.  We protected them from outside animals and hopefully from the ferocity of the greyhound.  As of now, they are hopefully resting and calming down and hoping for the return of their mother.

Magical, Musical Weekend

     The Fine Arts Festival is that one event that everyone in the musical community dreads and enjoys at a simultaneous moment.  Parents see it as a huge endeavor to get their children to the school on time and then find them afterwards.  For the students it's seen as just another, yet importantly conclusive concert.  Most parents just see their child's one performance, but for my parents, it's an entire day's event.  In total at this years Festival, my parents and grandparents watched five performances.  Luckily for me, I dropped from four performances to three, but Joe increased from one to two performances.  Despite the excessive time and effort commitment, this day of music and art is usually very enjoyable.  I thought that all of my performances were decent, and Joe's were also quite good.  

 There's nothing better than sitting and listening to good jazz while eating low quality and overpriced food.  It was actually quite a relaxing break to this hectic day.

 After being inside for hours, it was quite the relief to see the sunlight of the outdoor world.  Unfortunately this relief was short lived considering the heat instantly caused discomfort.

Even when we arrived at home the magic from the wondrous Fine Arts Festival continued!  As Dad and I were mowing our overgrown lawn, he found this small depression in the ground covered with fluff and filled with baby rabbits.  They were adorable, but sadly Mom didn't really approve of their choice in real estate, but she can't do anything about it.

Beautiful Evolution

From the lips of the brilliant man who truly discovered how the world works.  No matter what future discoveries induct, Darwin will always be the most beloved scientist to me.

Factorials and Frisbee

     I love that feeling of euphoria within my literary mindset after creating such flawless alliteration for a title!  Factorials and Frisbee!  The consonants just roll off the tongue like marbles.  Today was just a normal day of routine and monotony that involved school, Ultimate, and some sort of musical rehearsal.  On the school topic, specifically mathematics, I have a new topic that is quite interesting to my easy-to-impress mind.  This topic is factorials.  A factorial is the partial product of a series.  This means that 4! is the same as 4x3x2x1, which isn't useful at all in the real world.  Something I do enjoy, however, about factorials is the fact that whenever I see a factorial, I don't say in my head "three factorial", but rather I say "THREE!"  This makes math a little more fun than the simple, yet difficult material.

The start of my anticipated Ultimate Disc collection.  My future plans are going to make
these walls filled with discs.  

     I've come to the conclusion that I really want to succeed at this sport of Ultimate Frisbee.  After witnessing arguably the biggest high school Ultimate Tournament, I've gained a new appreciation for what the sport looks like.  I think that it's a very materialistic sport in the sense that it's all about having a nice jersey and disc.  Maybe that's just my personal experience giving me a tunneled vision of what Ultimate is like, but regardless, the sport itself is very legitimate.  Seeing the top teams in the Midwest play together smoothly was amazing.  All of their throws were perfect and they knew exactly what to do.  Today at practice, much to my disappointment, I still did badly during our scrimmages.  I just have trouble judging my throws and controlling them.  It's much different to throw a disc with someone than it is to throw it with mayhem going on in every angle of your peripheral vision.  

Charitable Tournament

      This weekend was quite dense with activity.  I spent most of my time at an Ultimate Frisbee tournament as a volunteer of my time.  A few of my many tasks included score keeping, basic statistic recording, set up, and tear down.  I decided to do these generous tasks because of the many perks I would receive.  At the end of all my volunteering, I was rewarded with three discs, a Volunteer jersey, three water bottles, free Which Wich each day, and some sweat bands.  It was quite the deal considering the work I was asked to do wasn't boring or strenuous.  I actually enjoyed myself when it wasn't freezing cold and windy.  

     Also this weekend, my Relay for Life team and I made cupcakes to sell at the Tournament.  We hoped that the deliciousness of the cupcakes would relieve the players from their stressful games and in turn lead to donations.  On Friday night, two of my team members, and my mom and I made cupcakes to sell.  My mom and I used cheap GFS cake mix and frosting mix while my friends used nice Betty Crocker cake mix and Pillsbury frosting.  Their cupcakes were a lot better than ours.  

It seems like that will make quite enough cupcakes!  

 This picture may not seem like it, but she actually posed for it.  I told her to turn around and look as if she was actually cooking, but instead she pulls of a pose like this where you can obviously see her smile.  I asked her "Would you really be grinning this wide if I were taking a candid picture of you making cupcakes?"  I told her to take another picture and her next pose was much less appropriate.

 Mom left me alone because she had some errands to run.  I look at these cupcakes and don't know if they are done or not.  They still looked like batter to me, but I wanted to be sure so I didn't produce nasty cupcakes with burned bottoms.  Unfortunately, my keen baking reflexes don't exist, and as I tried to get my hand around the tray without dipping my mom's favorite hot pad into the cupcakes, I lifted the tray up and rubbed the cupcakes all on the top tray!

The batter got all over the oven and I knew mom would be mad.  Every time I use the oven I spill something everywhere.  Here's the thing, I don't know how to clean an oven so after I did this I had to think fast.  I took a rag and moistened it to wipe off the rack and oven bottom the best I could.  Sadly, it wasn't enough because my mom walked in and exclaimed "Sam!  Did you leave the cupcakes in?  Are they burning?"  Things went downhill from there.

 They're quite fluffy for a cheap GFS brand.

 Look at the variances in color!  I'm such a professional.

 Look at the variances in size!  I don't think I should make cupcakes for a living, or rather ever again.

 This beautiful sign was a contribution of the mighty Mira!  She donated the sign with the nicely personalized message of "Help Support the Lifesavers :)" and 12 store bought cupcakes.  I guess something is better than nothing.

 Oh the things money can do.  Small pieces of paper and little metal circles control the world.

    

Charity and Misfortune

     Sadly, I learned that my baking skills, especially those that involve the creation of palatable cupcakes for charity, are lacking from what I expect.  Despite the impressive turnout of this baking endeavor, I am not pleased to admit my mistakes considering the fact that they were horrifyingly simple.  My mom describes my mistakes by saying "You are intelligent!  Why can't you bake cupcakes?"  My mind ceases to work when I don't need it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when I have to save it to solve complex math problems that multiple high school math teachers can not solve. Despite my obvious problems with the creation of edible cupcakes for charity, my mom and I were able to create a hefty collection. We made a little over 60 cupcakes, and my mom decided to take the excess batter to produce a small pseudo pound cake. All the glory that came from the moment when I presided over the brilliantly elegant cupcakes that expanded across my counter. These cupcakes, although they will most likely be considered "flops", will resemble true effort and determination to fight against cancer. The human body is a miraculously complex machine that is strong, yet very fragile. Sadly, cancer is one of the many ways fate and misfortune creep into the daily lives of many people. Cancer shall be cured someday. And this someday, in comparison to how long humans have been and will be around, will be very very soon. Whoever discovers this cure will be considered the best human to have ever lived! He or she will go down in history as the most influential person ever. This person won't find it for money and he won't find it for the fame. He won't be rewarded with this money or fame. He will be rewarded with all the lives that people will continue to have! He will be rewarded with many more people, people he won't even know, having birthdays! Birthdays are a celebration and a blessing.

Happy birthday world! Cancer is soon to be gone!

Help support Team Lifesavers!

Storytime?

     A boy by the name of Dave wandered down the the river, obsequious with it's shimmer and fluidity.  Oblivious to the rock that lay before him, he stumbled as his foot made contact with the uneven rock face.  Out of the two unfortunate directions to fall, away from the river or into the river, fate decided to leave his back this instant.  Dave fell into the river without an ounce of grace, considering this fortuitous event caught him off guard.  The water was frigid and the current was robust, but Dave, still dazed, hadn't yet realized that he could not swim!  The current pulled Dave down beneath the water's reflective surface and sadly, Dave could not keep up.
     Dave's fate, as predetermined by his absent mind and fate itself, wasn't one that most people would want.  In fact, someone would feel computation to experience something as preventable as drowning!  Dave, however, was never instructed how to swim.  His parents, and he, found it quite unnecessary; it was a waste of money.  Now they sit at his graveside service thinking "Oh fate, why must you choose the weakest?  Why must you choose he who cannot swim?", while up on the wheel of fortune the fates are saying "Our punishment is complete."

A Rainy, Yet Productive Day

     Oh, how I don't long for the week ahead that will be filled with learning and hard work.  Oh, how I don't look forward to the monotonous practice and rehearsal schedule with no time in between.  I'm so thankful for the weekends in between five days of STUFF STUFF STUFF!  Unfortunately, my Sunday was anything but relaxing.  I woke up to the sights of an overcast day, which surprisingly made me feel comfortable.  I went for a hot, humid run with my nifty little iPod shuffle providing me with songs that keep my brain from turning into mush as I run past the same scenery and same everything.  I hate the suburbs.  There isn't enough going on for me.  After my run and shower, I started on a long journey called "Typing an Essay", which takes more brain power than I'm willing to muster out on a Sunday morning.  I start compiling all my research and knowledge into one document, and this is no simple task.  I had to compile multiple sources of information together to prove how Humans descended.  Yeah, I think it sounds a little complex, too.

     Meanwhile, the weather radio is freaking out about the approaching storms.  Somehow, the radio is set to receive alerts from almost half of Illinois.  My dad says that it's because I used to be deathly afraid of thunderstorms so he set it up to alert us even if the storm is 100 miles away.  He said it got quite annoying when it would go off and there wouldn't even be the slightest sign of an approaching storm.  The storm, as alerted by the screaming radio, approached and did what storms do best.  Joe and Dad were at baseball, but Joe forgot his phone on the counter so they had to return home to get it.  I, however, was making lunch.  I made a hot sandwich with turkey and Swiss Cheese.  I love Swiss Cheese!  I took it out back, along with tortilla chips and delicious bean dip, to watch the storm's wrath take hold while I simply ate my sandwich under the protection of the deck.  Joe and Dad came out when they got home because they were in no hurry to get back to the baseball game.  Joe's hopes and wishes were futile because his game was cancelled in the end.

   After church ended, I went with Lucas to collect food for the Harvest Sunday drive.  Not even half the people donated, but those who did donated generously.  We returned to sort the food out, and took it to the church.  Overall, it took about 3 hours, which isn't too bad.  As soon as I stepped foot into my house, I knew I needed to get to work on that forsaken Biology paper.  I finally typed my last words, printed it, had my dad proofread it, printed again, stapled, and put it in my binder, never to be touched again until I get my feedback from the teacher.  My allergies have been acting up again, which is quite annoying when sitting in an awkwardly
 silent church with snot dripping down your face.  The lady next to me wouldn't even interact with me because she thought I was sick.  Oh well.  She wasn't acting kindly in the house of God, which is her loss.  Today, I have probably went through an entire box of tissues, and I wouldn't be surprised if my nose gets a painful rash tomorrow.  I hate being allergic to Springtime.

Cinco de Mayo!

     I give my deepest apologies for having forgot to post about Cinco de Mayo.  I also don't really know what Cinco de Mayo celebrating looks like, but I know it is a cultural celebration.  Mexicans celebrate their victory over the French at The Battle of Puebla and in the United States, Mexicans celebrate their cultural characteristics.  How did I celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  I listened to the whole Mexican Symphony for concert band called "La Fiesta Mexicana!"  Is there any other way to celebrate this joyous day?  I don't think so.

Prelude and Aztec Dance

Mass

Carnival

Celestial Event Enthusiasts

     Tonight, May 5th, Cinco De Mayo, is an important event for Celestial Event Enthusiasts, such as myself.  I enjoy going to view eclipses, planets, and the moon.  Of course, these nights would be nothing without a little bit of fun.  Enjoy this album from our viewing of "The Supermoon".

      Mindy is prepared for quite the experience of Supermoon searching!  Sadly, nature is going to disappoint us, and especially Mindy.

      "I wonder how big this moon will be!  Do you think it'll be large?"

      "Are you kidding!  Why else would it be called SUPERMOON?!"

      I couldn't resist the chance to put the camera in Joe's hands and force him to take an "Indie" picture of me.  It's just irresistible to someone you might call a "Hipster". 

      I then showed Joe how to take a real photo.  When you do a comparison, Joe takes horrible pictures.

      Making faces could be what you call my "Forte".

      The beautiful Ford Escort that I will most likely be driving around.  So so beautiful...

      It's great to be home.  I'm going to express my excitement by laying my body on the dirty garage.

    Returning the Wii Remotes to play our game of "Mariokart"

     It's just pizza.

      Homemade milk shake?  There is no better way to fend off disappointment than to drink ice cream, oreos, and milk from a tall glass.

      Even Penny is upset about the invisible Super Moon

 I don't see it.  Our second effort is futile.

     The empty sky brings tears to my ambitions and wants.  There is nothing but the fog that hides the guiding light of the rare and mysterious "Supermoon".  

 

     The absence of the Supermoon caused much disappointment and sorrow.  How often could such a celestial event occur?  I would assume this event is annual, but a year is a long time and a lot can change in a year.  Such Celestial Event Enthusiasts will travel to witness them, but we prefer to wait for them to come to us.  They make them more genuine and memorable.  Goodnight, and may the Supermoon's presence give you good dreams and happy thoughts.