Manly Movies and such

I don't know what your personal opinions are on this movie or any of the Rocky Movies, but I just have to say this. Rocky Balboa was great! It gave closure to all of the Rocky Movies, and it ended just the way it should have ended. Very well written and directed. Good Job, Mr. Stallone. I'm very impressed!

The fighting was realistic, the character development was really well, the romance was there but not in your face, and it had a little more depth than you would suspect. I'm sure some people may have a problem with it. As my dad said though, it's a guy movie. It deals with issues like Pride, Self-Respect, and how to deal with life as a Man. "It Ain't about how hard you can hit." Well Said, Rocky. You are the man!

As I was Bench Pressing today and building a bookcase out of spare tree trunks I found on my trip to the Rocky Mountains, I started to think back to my old boxing days. They used to call me the Lemonater. I had to retire because of political reasons, but I recall what it was like to step foot in that ring. It can be pretty tough if you're not careful. I have a scar on my right arm from a Hungarian Heavyweight that took a cheap shot after the bell. I left him something to remember me by after that. I just hope that his eye has healed now...

Well, I am tired. Good night to everyone!

Things work out

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9.

I finished watching Ben-Hur today, and I must say that it was a pretty good movie! It was made in 1959, and it was complete with a musical interlude and an intermission. Cool stuff, huh? After watching that movie and then reading the rest of "Boy Meets Girl," I found that I was starting to reflect on the instances in my life where God has placed me. I also started thinking to myself, "I don't want God to tell me what's going to happen to my life in the future. If he told me as a kid that I would be living in Tennessee, going to Middle Tennessee State University, and that I was only 5 foot 4, I would be like, "WHAT?!?!?" It's a good thing that I don't know exactly how my future is planned out. I don't need to know who my future wife is going to be. I don't need to know where I'm going to live or what Job I'll have. I don't need to know if Dexter is going to figure out that his sister's boyfriend is really the Ice Truck Killer (although I think he will find out this Sunday). All we can do is just live out our lives day to day and continue growing in our walk with Christ.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Isaiah 29:11.

Bursting out in Song

I wish we all could burst out in song.

Procrastination

I think about my father when this issue comes up. I always tell people that I don't procrastinate because I make a conscious decision to put things off until the last minute. So it's not really procrastination...Bad timing maybe...But not procrastination. I just think it's funny all the random stuff that happens while you procrastinate. Here is what I battle with when the moment comes.

"All right, it's time to start on my paper. But I can't start on my paper unless I have something to drink." I go and get something to drink. I think to myself, "How can I drink this unless I eat?" The problem now is that since I am eating and drinking, I can't type a paper! I then go and watch some TV. I see something on TV that reminds me I have to write a paper. Time to get serious. But since I'm on the computer, I might as well check my email. Since I'm checking my email, I might as well check Facebook. Then I end up looking at Facebook for a while until I remember, "I have a paper to write!" I write the first part. It looks good, so it's time for a break. Back on Facebook, perhaps watch some more TV. Then I remember, "I have a paper to write!" I write some more, find some errors, get frustrated, then go and listen to music. So now I am at the point where I have one more paragraph to write, I am blogging, and I plan to get up early and write the rest of it since I am tired from all that work. Go Scott!

I have decided to move to Europe, buy a vineyard, get a cool hat, and live out the rest of my days as a European Philosopher/Wine Maker named "Scott Le'Mons." I asked a friend to come with me, so I should be okay. Just thought you all should know. Have a great day!

You gotta have skin

You gotta have skin! All you really need is skin! Skin's the thing that if you got it outside, it helps keep your insides in! It covers your nose...and it's wrapped around your toes! And inside it you put Lemon Meringue, and outside you hang your clothes!

That's a great song. It's called, "Skin" by Allan Sherman...Check it out!

We have been having nice doses of reality in English lately. Most of the time I don't listen but sometimes there are some good discussions. We've been having a talk about money. Our Professor (He has a doctorate, but I will refer to him as a professor) finds life very amusing. We go through all these years of college just so we can start working for the man and getting money and when we get the money, it's gone faster than we can make it, and we are using it to pay off the education that got us the job in the first place. I love that he just blantantly told everyone, "Life is not about money. Do you think you all are going to make a lot of money? You're going to work for the rest of your life to make money, and it doesn't make one bit of difference." I'm paraphrasing here, but you get the point. Money is an issue with everyone whether they admit it or not. Even our Church at BBC is talking about stewardship and the effect money has on a population/person/your Christian walk. I'll admit, I like money too. We just need to remember the old saying that money is a good servant but a bad master.

I want to eventually be in some type of teaching position, so I know that I'm not going into a field where the big bucks are made. Part of me feels like being spontaneous. Part of me wants to just get in the car and drive. Not to any place in particular, just start driving. Of course then comes that stupid money issue and also the realistic, "But you're afraid of your own shadow, how can you drive that far by yourself?!?"

I guess to sum it up, I will leave you with a couple of lines from Mr. Sherman. "When you were just a baby, your skin fit fine. And it's still gonna fit you when your 6 feet 9. So whether you're big, tall, fat, small, chubby or thin, ain't ya glad you got skin?!?"

Yes I am.

My First Date

My first date was July 24, 1986! HA HA HA!!!! I'm just kidding. I thought that would be a good opening line for someone reading this. I just watched this movie called, "Little Manhattan," and it was talking about your first love. It got me thinking about my first date. I don't think I've told my parents this story...I don't think I've told my family this story. Well, I guess it's better late than never! Before I tell this, I want to apologize to my parents for lying and disobeying them all those years ago...now on with the story.

It all started in Fifth Grade. I was hanging out at my friend Katie's house (who lived right across the street for me), and she got this phone call from a girl in our class wanting to talk to me. How did she know I was there? Well girls have powers. They all know who likes who, and they are all connected to this "Secret Girl Hotline" that enables them to call/get in contact with one another. Anna, the girl who was calling, wanted to go out with me because let's face it...I'm a stud and everyone knows it. I really didn't want to go out with her, so I kept telling her no. She continued calling, and calling, and calling. Finally Katie turned to me and said, "Scott, if you don't go out with her, she's just going to keep calling." I couldn't believe it! I secretly think she was in on it too, but I didn't say anything. So Katie told Anna that we would all go to the movies; Katie, me, Anna, and her friend Tara. (Three girls and me...do you see the stud part?!?). The only problem was my parents said I couldn't date until I was 16, and they didn't want me going to the movies without an adult. So I called mom and said, "Mom, can I go to the movies with Katie and her Parents?" Mom said it was okay (Sorry mom).

So we were at the movies. We went to see one of the most romantic movies out there. Mortal Combat: Annihilation. Katie and Tara had planned out where we all were going to sit. Of course, they put Anna beside me. I was pretty upset at this point, because we got cheese flavored popcorn. I mean honestly, who doesn't like butter! My thought was that I could tolerate it all, because I would still be able to see people fight to save the world from total destruction! While the movie was going, the girls must have gone to the bathroom like 3 times together. I don't understand why, but it's one of those mysteries of life. When all of a sudden, Tara makes a suggestion. "Hey, you guys should hold hands!" Anna eagerly gave up her popcorn and looked at me. I really didn't care at this point so I said, "Whatever!"

Then, the most amazing thing happened. Anna grabbed my hand. It was unlike any other feeling I ever had in my life! I felt short of breath, I suddenly got very warm, and I couldn't stop staring at our hands. She was staring at the movie like nothing was happening, and it seemed like I was floating in the air! When she would let go of my hand, I would nudge her and make a gesture of, "Give me your hand!" I felt like nothing else existed. I felt that I was on top of the world. I even danced in the theatre when the movie was over! It was great!

I asked her out the next day. I think we dated for like 2 months or so. For Christmas that year, I gave her a necklace and she gave me a tin box full of Hershey's Candy...I still have that box today.

When you are young, you can look past a lot of things. I was a different person Nine years ago than I am today. Yet as I look at myself, I think I am still like that 11 year boy when those kinds of situations arise. When I think of this now, I know there is only one reason why I am that way. This is my punishment for disobeying my parents! ;-)

Interesting thoughts and Poem

I started thinking the other day about some things. If you live in a house by yourself, you can do a lot of things that you couldn't do before. I started asking myself questions that I never really thought about. Questions like, "Do I have to close the door when I use the bathroom?" or things like, "Can I put up my life-size cut out of Mister T in my living room?" But if you are also living in your house, you have no one to blame. You can't be like, "Why are all these dishes in the sink?" or "Wow, this place is a mess!" or "Are you going to take out the garbage?" I say those out loud sometimes, but the truth of the matter is it's all me, and that really stinks.

Apparently, there's also a law in Murfreesboro that you need to keep your lawn cut. You want to know what's funny? They give you a warning if you're grass exceeds 12 inches and they gave me a warning because of my back yard...you do the math! I've been cutting grass for the past three days now. It's an extreme work out. I have one of those push mowers. When I say push mowers, I mean that the lawn mower is powered by strength and that it has those little blades that spin on the bottom. It's like one of those lawn mowers people used in the 1800s. It is helping to produce some of my gigantic manly muscles, so I guess I'm kinda happy. Although it shouldn't take several hours to cut my lawn...it's just sad. That's why we just got a new mower!

To be serious for a moment, my grandfather passed away a week from last Monday. I was trying to debate whether I wanted to dedicate a whole post to that. Instead, I decided that I would quote a poem. Here is the poem, and I hope that you all have a great day.

Death Be Not Proud

by John Donne
(1572-1631)

---

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Here's what's going on

First off let me say this. I think that George W. Bush did a good job on his Presidential Address to the Nation. I think that we as a people can be really small minded sometimes. It's been five years since the attacks of September 11th, 2001. I remember in those short months how people went to church and prayed asking, "Why did this happen? What should we do now?" I remember how practically everyone had an American Flag up in their yard or on their car. Let me ask you this...how many American Flags do you see people proudly displaying when it's not a holiday or special event? How many people stopped coming to church after they felt better with everything that's going on in our lives? Could it be that things are getting better BECAUSE they prayed to God for help?!? I am not saying that this about all people. I know that many people became serious about their faith after 9/11. I also know that many people have started counting their blessings one of which is living in this country. I am merely stating that we as a people tend to live day by day not seeing the bigger picture, and I think it's good to stop once in a while and take a good look.

Thank you for letting me talk for a moment or two! I just wanted to do a quick update with things going on in my life. I am now leading a Life group at our church of 6th grade boys! It's really exciting! I think I've wanted to lead a Life Group since High School, and now that things have been moved around and I am a little more mature, things have been falling into place! A Life group is basically a place where Christians of the same age (in this case 6th grade) can come together and openly talk about questions they may have about their faith. It's also a place where they can be encouraged, held accountable, and make good relationships through fellowship together. I'm not really a Bible Study leader like on Sunday morning, I am more there to help answer questions, lead them in discussions, and encourage them as best as I can. It's real exciting!

Another exciting thing in my life is that I am starting to get into my major of Interdisciplinary Studies (Elementary Education K-6). It's really cool and I am very excited. I feel like this is where I am supposed to be. However, I have been thrown things that are stressing me out. I have five interviews I need to do, 5 full days of class observation, 10 hours of a combination of observation and tutoring/assisting in classwork, and I have to fill out all these different packets by December 4th! I theoretically could do this all next semester, but if I am not accepted into the Teacher Education program, I can't take certain classes in their major. I will probably talk to my advisor this week and ask him/her some questions and see what I should do.

The final thing that I am going to say is...where my shy side takes over. I don't normally talk about my relationships on here, but I'm sure that some people want to know. I have a girlfriend now. To answer your questions I am not paying her, she is real, and I have met her! Her name's Cameo and she's been one of my really good friends for....9 years? Yeah, she know's me pretty well and vise versa. I don't have much to say about it...well I probably have a lot to say about it but I can save that for if you talk to me individually! :-)

That's it. I hope you all have a great rest of the day and I will talk to you later!

Second Day of Classes

My first class was in SAG...which I have never been before. I looked on the map and I thought to myself, "It's somewhere near the nursing building, so I should be able to find it." Guess what? I actually found it! ME! The person who has been known to get lost on the way to the bathroom! I was really excited.

My first class was Biology. This room reminded me of one of those little movie theatres. It had the same seats, but with little "desks" attached. Then there was a big stage for powerpoint and also some dry erase boards for the teacher that didn't like clicking buttons. When he walked in the people beside me were like, "This is going to be an awesome class!" After listening to him, seeing his personality, and hearing the words, "This class is one of the easier ones," I had a big smile on my face! I even learned something today too! I learned about producers, decomposers, consumers, brown pelicans, ecosystems, and all that fun stuff! I was thinking, "You know what? I think I could teach this stuff to kids. Right on!"

Since I had a lot of time between classes, I came home, had lunch, took a nap, and then went to my second class. My second class was Concepts and Structures in Elementary Mathmatics! To start off, she had us tell the class what math symbol best describes ourselves. I said, "Pi because there is more to me than meets the eye and also because whenever I see that symbol, I smile because it's pi and I like to eat pie!" That got some laughs out of people. Some girls even looked back and smiled at me. Probably thinking, "Oh, look at that short funny boy who eats Pie! What a silly heart." I'm sure they used that exact wording too. After that, we took a placement test to see where we were in reguards to how much we remembered with elementary math. I thought to myself, "I just got an "A" in College Algebra....what will it say if I flunk this test?" It wasn't for a grade, but it might as well have been. I actually did pretty well. I missed two questions because apparently 2+1+1 does not equal 5 and decimal points should be put in an answer that requires a decimal point. I still got a 90% though! Which is what we have to get to pass this achievement test we have to take...but I need to go to a lab and take the test. I guess they want teachers who can do elementary math. Isn't that weird?

So today was a good day. I am starting to realize how much I miss cable and how quiet the house is without that...plus now I can't blame the mess on anyone but myself since Michael isn't here. I just need someone to email me and be like, "Scott...you should probably do the dishes and like...take out the trash."

Well that's about it. I hope you all are having a great day!

First Day of Classes

The night before classes started, I was ready. I got my books, was inspired by Patch Adams, went to Wal-Mart, and even cooked myself some Chili. I was ready to start another semester at Middle Tennessee State University! I thought about last year and the amount of time it took me to find a parking spot, so I gave myself an hour. I got there in ten minutes, parked, and walked my first class all in about 20-25 minutes. I guess it takes less time when you know where you're going and how to get there.

My first class was Experience of Literature. My professor was not there because of Jury duty or something, so it only lasted about 4-5 minutes. The amount of time it took to hand out the syllabus and take roll. Since I had time, I decided to read it and then to see reviews students gave on this professor. The Syllabus sounded scary, so I thought I should look at reviews. The students who got an "A" all the way to the students who got a "F" said the same things about his class. He rarely gives above a "C" on any of his papers. His tests are impossible and almost everyone fails, the average grade in there is a "D", and he is not very helpful or coherent. They say this is the hardest English Class at MTSU and that if we want to pass, we should drop the class.

You can imagine how I felt after that. I'm already nervous about the class and I haven't even met the guy! It's crazy. My next class was a lot better. The next class I had was Education as a profession. He is very laid back, very nice, and he said that if we show up and participate we will have no problem making an "A." I don't know why this is important, but he's also short so that made me feel happy. The only issue with this class is I will have 8 presentations to do this semester and I have to buy this equipment required by the department for about 120 dollars. Heck yes! That is so awesome! Especially since I paid over 400 dollars for books! I don't want to think about it right now so I'm moving on.

I think Educational Psychology is going to be one of my favorite classes. The lady that's teaching is very nice and I just feel really comfortable in that class for some reason. She loves to teach, has a lot of wisdom and knowledge to pass along, and the concepts taught in this class just seem very useful.

Tomorrow I have Biology and Concepts/Structures in Elementary Math. I like to call this day, "Heavy Book Day."

Overall, it's going to be an interesting semester. I am now going to take a nap or wash the dishes...I can't decide. I will keep you all posted!

Go see our link!

If you want to see how I spent my week last week, go to www.brentwoodcollege.com. If you click on the Mission Trip Link and my face, then it will take you to all of my blogs that I did that week. You can also read blogs from everyone else that went on the Mission Trip.

That's about it. I be sure to visit the link and see what the College Ministry has been up to!

Learning Life lessons with Dogs

Look, I graduated!!! :-) This was the only picture I had with both of the dogs in it, and it also proves the point that I'm trying to make. You know what's fun about this picture? Lindy was trying to kiss my face, but she didn't do it because I graduated. She would have done the same thing reguardless of what I was wearing, what I accomplished, etc. She did it because she loves me. (Lindy is the white one, Binks is the black one)

When I went off to college, they cried every time I came home. I had been playing fetch with them every day during my 4 years of High School, and I do every time I come home. Now during the summer, it's almost twice a day! The routine is Binks plays with me, and Lindy just sits next to me. She brings me sticks, eats grass, or sometimes just sits and stares at me while I pet her. Binks and I have been close ever since we got him as a puppy. I would play with him before and after school. I could rough-house with him and also just put my arm around him and talk to him as if he were an old bud. He wags when I come close to him still, and I know just the right spot where he itches.

I came home tonight thinking to myself, "I worry way too much. Why do I worry? God makes it all work out, he's never failed me, and Jesus even told us not to worry about today. So why do I do it?" As I parked my car feeling frustrated, out came Lindy to the front lawn. She wagged her tail, got a big smile on her face, and was just excited to see me. I was only gone for like 4-5 hours, but it didn't matter! I went to pet Binks, and he looked up from his nap, wagging his tail and when I would reach to pet him, he would put his arm around mine so that my hand would touch his head as he laid back down.

It came to me. They love me because I'm Scott. I don't have to be perfect, I don't have to have it all figured out, they like me because I'm me. I then got to thinking...that's how it is with God, isn't it? At the end of the day when we come to him, he is just happy to see us. He loves us because of who we are.

God works in mysterious ways. After all, he just used a couple of mutts to teach me about his love.

There is a God, and I am not him.

One of the most honest and profound quotes I have heard recently, came from the Movie Rudy. In this movie, the main character asks a priest for some advice. Rudy is concerned he is not praying hard enough and that everything that he is working for amounts to nothing. The priest looks at him and says, "In all my years of ministry, I have learned two things. There is a God, and I am not him."

There is a God, and I am not him. After all those years of ministry, that is all he learned? Why didn't he tell Rudy the stories of the great men of the Bible, quoted some of his own sermons, quote scripture, etc. Why did he just say those two phrases? When I sat down and thought about it, what he said is probably the greatest advice anyone could give. There is a God, and I am not him.

Even if you take the two phrases separately, they are two of the most amazing phrases you can utter. By admitting there is a God, you realize there is a power above yourself. In a society where the teaching is that it's all about us and how to fulfill ourselves, it takes a person of great wisdom and humility to admit that there is something greater. That leads to knowing that you are not God. We make ourselves to be of great importance with our superiority over intellect and life, and we get prideful. Yet if we let our Pride get to ourselves, God will answer us like he answered Job. "Where you there when the earth was created? Did you cause the rain to fall?" It's like us creating an ant farm and the ants going, "Hey, look at what we did! Obviously this was our doing! We can lift really heavy objects, we are very attractive, smart....Why....We are amazing!" To us it seems silly because we could crush them all with one blow and we are ultimately superior. Yet...Isn't that how God sees us? Yet he loves us anyway?

I picked the hardest New Years resolution this year. To be less selfish. This may have to be my resolution next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. What I do know is one thing. There is a God, and I am not him.

I love to laugh.....HA HA HA HA HA!

I don't know why people think God doesn't have a sense of humor. I think he has one. I think that he had a good joke with ole' Scott this week. For instance a couple things I prayed before I went to camp included issues concerning patience and whether or not teaching is the career I want to go into. To answer the question of Patience, I was a cabin leader for NINE SEVENTH GRADE BOYS!!!! What did I have to be patient about? Things that broke in our cabin include a screen door, a lamp, and light fixtures. The first night my cabin got talking to by all three ministers. One of those ministers had to talk to our cabin over 3-4 times the whole week! I would say that my patience definitely got tested. Now, what about teaching? I co-led both a small group after Worship AND our Family Group in the mornings. I found out that I enjoy talking, and I am pretty good at answering questions and getting a point across. Nice stuff, huh?

Despite all of this, the week was pretty cool. Three boys from Tom and I's cabin accepted Christ or made a decision to Re-dedicate their lives! There were some issues of obedience later that night...But we are all still proud of all of them. I feel that this whole week was a great experience, and we all learned a lot. It was really weird because I was an adult leader and just a year ago I was a student. I think I've matured enough where I could be considered an adult. Huzzah for Maturity!

The reasons the guys in my cabin think I am cool include: My Beautiful Hair, My impression of the Lollipop Guild from Wizard of Oz, the shortness of my Family, and saying all 50 states in under 20 seconds. They apparently video taped me doing the Munchkin song and they said that they were going to put it on You Tube and their Myspace accounts...So I may be famous! Well, I better be going. Have a great rest of the day!

Kids and Wrestling for Jesus

It's kind of funny if you think about it. I read blogs, xangas, and things like that, and I wonder why people don't update. Then I look at mine and it's like, "Is there like nothing happening?" I think it's the whole, "Let's blog when I feel like it" mentality. Perhaps even a, "I'm not going to say something unless I think other people should know about it" type of thing. I try not to vent or get really personal on a blog unless it's something that I want people to know about, or a specific person or group of people I want to talk to. I'm just weird. At least I'm not as weird as Gaffigan. He's not as weird as the people in the Looney Bin. If you ask the people in the Looney Bin they'll say, "Well, at least I'm an Orange."

For those of you that didn't get that last line, it was off of a Comedy Album that I think is hilarious! I think it may be his only clean album, but it's still good! The album is Jim Gaffigan "Beyond the Pale" if you want to check it out.

A lot has been happening. I did SACK week (Sports and Arts Camp for Kids) or Vacation Bible School for those of you that know it that way. It was fun. I was a leader for B'Wood Boys which was basically arts and crafts for boys. Then I was a co-leader for a 2nd Grade Bible Study. If I learned something at SACK week it's that I have more patience with kids now, and I am not too nervous about the whole teaching thing. It was kind of funny. We were talking about stuff in their Bible Study time, and I really wanted to go deeper in the lesson. I had to tell myself, "Scott, they're in Second grade!" When I taught on Friday, I thought I asked questions that were simple enough. Either they didn't want to speak or I confused them. I asked them, "How can we use our gifts and talents to help people?" They had some good ideas. I liked the one about how if someone was a good wrestler, they should teach wrestling or name a move after Jesus! I smiled at that one. Can you imagine? "Here comes the Masked Menace and...Wait a minute...He's going to use the Jesus Pile-Driver! He Jumps....BOOM! That's gotta hurt!" LOL, I don't care who you are that's funny right there. Git R' Dun!

Summer Camp is coming up next week, so keep the leaders and students in your thoughts and Prayers. I think I am going to go eat now. Have a great rest of the day and be safe!

To my Dad on Father's day

This post is mainly for my dad, but you are welcome to read it.

Dad,

When I was younger, I had a really high voice. I would answer the phone and they would be like, "Hi Kathi!" I was so upset that I would yell in my high squeaky voice, "I'm not Kathi! I'm Scott!" Then when I got older, my voice got deeper. When I answered the phone people started to say, "Hi Keith!" Although it is kind of frustrating that no one knows my name, I had a little smile on my face when I was mistaken for you. As a matter of fact when people call me Keith at church or somewhere else, I usually don't correct them.

I remember growing up all the stuff I did. Setting napkins on fire, cutting holes in the seats, and yelling and hitting Sarah whenever she sang. I remember that when I was being disciplined, you always let me know why you were doing it and that you were doing it because it was for my own good. Although I didn't like having to continually say Please, Thank you, Excuse Me, or continually open doors for people, those very traits helped me to gain friends and become a man.

Thank you for the late night talks about life, for my dashing good looks *wink* *wink,* and for being blunt, honest, and predictable. I mean that in a good way :-) Also thank you for helping me to think logically and for teaching me that nothing is funnier than flatulence.

Happy Father's Day!

Messenger

I am not ashamed to say it...I am a fan of Lois Lowry. I just don't know how she comes up with these stories of Alternative societies. Well...She is a two time Newbery Medal winner, so I guess she knows a thing or two about writing. I wish I could really go in depth with all three books that I read. The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger were all very thought provoking.

All the books sparked a certain reaction out of me, but Messenger had a very interesting tone. They lived in this society that prided itself on being, "Selfless." Those that were disfigured, blind, or in some way or another thought weird in our society, were admired in this one. Everyone was given a name based on their personalities. For instance, the name of the Blind Man was Seer because he could see better than most people, the head guy of the town was named Leader, the teacher was named Mentor, etc. They had this thing called a trade mart where they would...You guessed it...Trade for things. This is where it gets interesting. Over time, people were trading things to improve...Themselves. Mentor had a huge birth mark across his face, and eventually it was all gone. He was no longer bald, and was dating another woman (his wife passed away). The interesting thing is that once they started changing physical characteristics of themselves, they became selfish, mean, and crude. The town that was open to everyone and accepting of everyone, now had many members that wanted to close it's doors....Permanently. The price of everyone becoming so self-involved was drastic. One person had to give his life to heal everyone and everything...Do you see the symbolism?!? If you don't, just think about it.

I want end with a quote from the book that I thought was very profound.

"He saw Forest and understood was Seer had meant. It was an illusion. It was a tangled knot of fears and deceits and dark struggles for power that had disguised itself and almost destroyed everything. Now it was unfolding, like a flower coming into bloom, radiant with possibility."

Summer, Family, and other things

First off, let me congratulate my Great-Grandparents for 69 years of Marriage! To quote my Great Grandmother, "It's a good start!" It was a lot of fun seeing all of the family again. I miss everyone already, but I'll see them in the future...Sometime. Emily gave me a pinkie promise that she would visit me, and you can't break a pinkie promise or your feet will grow larger than your head when you hit age 14. I almost convinced her of that too, but my dad had to tell her I was lying. It's okay though. I guess I shouldn't tell lies to small children anyway. But to get back on track, congrats to the Great Grandparents, and we all love you very much!

Our quartet and Power Point also went very well. People were asking us where they could buy our CD's! To tell you the truth, we will probably record a couple of songs in the near future because they didn't get our song on the recording of the ceremony. I don't think we could sing professionally though. There was a lot of yelling and heated debates in all of our practices we did. But we had fun and it was all good.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot going on. I'm working, trying to get some money for college, life, and the Mission Trip I'm taking with the College Ministry at my church. By the way, if anyone wants to go to a Crawfish Dinner on June 17th, just contact me and I'll give you all the information. But I guess I should be going. Have a great rest of the day!

MULLET SEARCH!

This weekend was one of the most fun I have had in a long time! I suppose the obvious question is, what was Mullet Search? Every year the College Ministry at BBC rents a cabin in Gatlinburg and goes into town for a "scavenger hunt" Each group gets so many points for finding a mullet, and extra points for getting a picture with someone who has a mullet...Or fits one of the descriptions on the list. It's really fun. Just for the record, we don't make fun of Mullets...We embrace them for what they are. The true Mulleteers who wear these come from every class and background, not just the stereotype that people pick them out to be. They wear them proud and loud. To those who have Mullets, we salute you!

This trip was also awesome because of the people on it. I know that a lot of people were thinking, "Why would a college ministry do this? It doesn't seem very spiritual or...Enlightening." When you get a group of people who are comfortable together and are honest enough, really true and important conversations will go on. We had conversations going to Gatlinburg ranging from the syntax of Grace to the validity of Scripture to acceptance and witness in today's culture. At the cabin, I had a long conversation with almost everyone there. We would talk about how people are wired, the purpose of this ministry, dating, marriage, and a lot more. We also had some silly times of playing Monopoly for hours, playing Scrabble, sitting in the Hot Tub, and something that I think is amusing...Watching "Singing in the Rain" at 3 in the morning!

This trip was fun and enlightening at the same time. We got some great pics of Mullets, we ate very well, and we had a great time.

To Mom on Mother's Day

This post is for my mother. Anyone else may read it, however this is really directed toward one person.

Happy Mother's Day! You have been a mother for like 22 years now! How does it feel? It's kind of hard to write about my thoughts on this day, so I will do the best I can. Growing up I remember that you would make lunch for me, drive me places, talk to me after school, and we would go down to the store and around town together. You would always call me "Bud" and tell me that you were proud of me and that you loved me. There were many times when I complained about doing chores, I just wanted to be by myself, or I didn't want any help...But I still appreciated the fact that you would always be there to lend a hand. You would put Sarah and I on your top priority and you taught us how to value people and take pride in what we do. Going through tough times of moving and going to college, it has been an inspiration to both of us.

I remember answering the phone growing up and people being like, "Is this Kathi?!?" I would get so mad that people thought I was you! I was a boy! A boy with a high voice, but still a boy! Now when people say that I remind them of you, I take it as a compliment.

You are a great mother and Sarah and I love you very much. Thank you for all that you do!

Death be not Proud

Death be Not Proud is written by John Gunther about his son, John Gunther Junior, who suffered a severe brain tumor at the age of 16-17. This kind of illness was such that all the doctors felt he could die at any minute. Neurologists and doctors from all over the country try different methods to see if they can cure or prolong the illness, and the parents do everything they can to help Johnny out. The most miraculous part is that Johnny lived longer than anyone expected, and his whole attitude astounded everyone that came in contact with him. He would always tell the nurses and doctors, "I hope I'm not causing you any trouble." He had a passion for knowledge, keeping up with school, doing experiments, helping with his dad's novel, and even taking an entrance exam to Harvard...And being admitted! He was very intelligent, spirited, and loving.

In Johnny's own words he states, "Live while you live, then die and be done with it...Get yourself off your Hands. Happiness is in Love. Accept disappointments. Relieve oneself by confession of sins. I am growing up at last...Be spontaneous and aware. Love!" Johnny wrote all of this in a diary that his parents gave him. The final words he wrote were an ancient Hebrew toast, "L'chaim" which means To Life.

His mother concludes the book in what I consider a beautiful conclusion. For the sake of the shortness of this blog, I will only quote the last part. She wrote:

"What does it mean? What can it mean now?...It means obliterating, in a curious but real way, the ideas of evil and hate and the enemy, and transmuting them, with the alchemy of suffering, into the ideas of clarity and charity. It means caring more and more about other people, at home and abroad, all over the earth. It means caring more about God."

To conclude about the book, I will leave you with Johnny's, "Unbeliever's Prayer" that he wrote May of 1946. Whether you agree with it or not, it is still thought provoking.

"Almighty God forgive me for my agnosticism. For I shall try to keep it gentle, not cynical, nor a bad influence. And O! If Thou art truly in the heavens, accept my gratitude for all Thy gifts and I shall try to fight the good fight. Amen."

Finals: Conclusion

Warning: This post will contain some bragging. I got all of my grades in. Here are the results...I got three A's in World Civ II, US History II, and College Algebra. I got two B's in Physical Science and Research/Argumentative Writing. That makes my semester GPA about 3.5 and my yearly GPA 3.78! Heck yes! I must give credit where credit is due. Praying before tests, exams, papers, and for professors helped, with support from parents, family, and friends, and last but not least, thanks to the crazy voices in my head who told me to get to work and stop procrastinating!

I can't believe I made it through a whole year of college. It seemed to go by fast, yet it also seemed like it was two years in one. I found out that God still wanted me to go to Brentwood Baptist, participate in the College ministry, be in a Praise Band for the BCM, and pick a major in Elementary education. To be honest, the major still scares me. I'm not sure I can do it. I know that no matter what, I have good support. I always wanted to go into Education, I just hope that K-6 is the right place for me.

Thanks to the members of BCM in Murfreesboro for being kind to me this year and being supportive, thank you to members of Brentwood Baptist for helping me grow into the person I want to become, thanks to my Professors for being compassionate and understanding with me in my first year of college, thanks to my friends for being there, and thank you to my family for the continued support and making me feel like I can always come home.

I have been told that my posts are too long, so I will try to wrap this up. I will leave everyone with this thought. If girls take time and money and time is equal to money, then girls equal money squared. So if money is the root of all evil, that means that evil equals the square root of money. If all that is true, does that mean that girls are evil?

Finals: Part Two

First let me start off by saying, "I'M FREE!!!!" Now that I got that out of the way, I will begin telling about the couple of finals I had today. I have to start talking about last night. I knew that I had finals the next morning, so what did I do? I played Text Twist for a while, surfed the web, watched TV, then I was also in Brentwood from 5:30-9:30...So needless to say that my procrastination skills were awesome! It wasn't good motivation that my exams today didn't start until 1:00pm.

I woke up at 9:30 this morning and got everything ready. I ended up going to school real early because I knew if I stayed around the house, I wouldn't study. So what did I do what I got there? I went to the Periodical room and read the Tennessean. After that did I study?!? I went and had lunch where I looked over some Physical Science notes. Lucky for me, I did study Tuesday and Wednesday before I left, so it wasn't too bad. I was just thinking that I knew it all, and I prayed that nothing frightening would be on the tests!

I got to my Physical Science class, and the test was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Sure I had a lot of guesses here and there, but it could have been A LOT worse. That gave me time to look over United States History notes. I ended up getting a lemonade and buying a hat...Obviously not taking the hint that this is valuable time to study! I got to the US History exam and once again, it wasn't that bad. Some questions made me want to jump out the window and there was a good amount of well...This one seems the best...Type of mentality toward my questions. The good news is that I got a paper back that I have been desperately wanting to see my grade on in that class, and I got a B+ ! Two points away from an "A" though. Darn my silly quote issues!

As far as finals go, that's how it all went down. I mean down in the sense of that is the sum of it all. So I am going to clean tomorrow, and then perhaps do a little "Scott Dance" in honor of finals being over. Do you want to see that dance?!? Who wouldn't?!? In the meantime, I must go.

Finals: Part One

The day finally came. The first day of May and my first day of finals. I had a great schedule lined up of College Algebra followed by World Civilizations II (1500-Present). I studied a little bit the night before, yet was plagued by distractions. Forrest Gump was on TV, the computer was calling out my name, and...I just plain didn't want to study. I did make a note card with all my math equations on it, and I read over my notes and found ways that I could answer the various essay questions. Once I got all that figured out, I fell asleep.

My first exam started at 10:00am, so I had to make sure I was up early, I had all my pencils, etc. I had a bad dream the night before that the bookstore would be closed and I wouldn't be able to purchase an exam scantron. Luckily they were open, so I got two of them. I was right about getting the extra exam. I figured someone would forget, and the last thing you need during an exam is to realize you forgot your sheet. I gave the extra exam out, a pencil to someone who forgot, and then I started. It wasn't too bad. I enjoyed math this year, so I knew I could do well. I forgot to study for the "easy" stuff so I left off some technical things on my card. Overall, I think I did very well. Although I was tired from doing all that math.

After eating a sandwich, I went to my next exam. A guy in my class was like, "Hey, do you feel ready for this?" We both agreed that we didn't give this exam as much attention as our midterm. We both had good grades in the class, and we knew part of this was multiple choice, so there wasn't a whole lot of incentive to study. But lo and behold, the essays came! I wrote three pretty good essays if I can say so myself. I wrote about "The Great War" and the causes and consequences, Tradition and Modernity among cultures and....the big one. This question is what the professor described as, "The Essay that will make you cry." I did not cry, I just sighed heavily. The question was, "Which has been the stronger force since 1500: democracy or authoritarianism?" Let me just say this...Holy Crap! Luckily I've been preparing for this, so I had a good answer. Yet, it literally pulled together everything I learned in the course. Smart job on the professor, but it was a pain to write.

When I got done with the exam, my right hand was literally shaking. SHAKING! I could not put a coherent sentence together to save my life. I left the exam thinking, "Russia...Stalin...British protecting crown jewel India...Colonization...2nd Industrial Revolution...Ottomans...Mao..." While I was thinking that, I could only say, "Meahaiodu alieujfll aliefj." I got home and told myself, that I would wait a day to start studying for my next finals. I then made myself a couple of steaks (I'm not kidding), some mashed potatoes, and some green beans in honor of completing my first exams.

I am in the process of studying for my next finals which are this coming Thursday. They are Physical Science and then United States History II. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. In the meantime, I should stop procrastinating and study. Good night!

Prom 2006

This is going to be a long Blog, so you can do a couple of things. You can get comfy, grab a snack, and get ready to be dazzled by my amazing story-telling abilities, you can skim to parts you like, or you can take it in parts, or you can not read it and just be like, "Well, I bet it was nice." For those of you that wish to continue, Good for you!

For those of you that didn't know, I attended Prom last Saturday. It was a lot of fun. Let me start off by telling what happened at the start of the day. In preparation, I did a couple of things. I bought a camera (disposable...I found that these tend to work just as well) and then washed my car. I got that cleaned inside and out, and took a picture to show myself how pretty it is. My mom picked up the corsage, so all of that was taken care of. Then I got ready later on in the day. Nothing real special guys have to do to get ready. Although I did polish my shoes and make sure I wasn't offensive in any way.

I was then off to pick up my date. To be honest, I was kind of nervous. For one, I was using mapquest to find her house and for those of you that don't know this, I am really bad with directions. You know what happened?!? I FOUND IT! I even arrived in good time and apparently "Perfect Timing" as I was told. Brownie Points for Scott! I got up to the door, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell. Then I went into the house. My date was right there and she looked very pretty, attractive, nice,...all those adjectives and more! For some reason I got too nervous to compliment her in front of her parents, but I did once we got done taking pictures!

After we took pictures, we headed off to her friend's house to take pictures there, and then go to dinner. That was a lot of fun because we both had good friends in the group, and it gave me a reason to be silly and act like a goofball...in a dignified manner of course! After all of the pictures we went to dinner at Mere Bulles. I ordered a Filet Mignon Oscar Style. No words can describe it. To tell you how good it was, I took one bite and uttered these words..."I'm in Love." I felt like hugging the waiter. It was awesome.

Then it was off to the dance. Our group had a Limo, except for me and my date. By the way, my date's name was Stephanie just in case anyone wanted to know. If she gets upset with her name in here, I'll fix it later. Anyway we got to Prom and entered the room. The music this year was actually pretty good. I never recognize the decorations or anything, but I'm not the only one. We danced almost the whole night. Minus the part where I presented Stephanie and the couple times when old man Scott had to sit down because he was tired.

After Prom, we went to Blair's house for a little get together after prom party sort of thing. I hope that sentence was confusing! There was food, drinks, but a good calm atmosphere were we could just relax. Apparently we could have brought an extra set of clothing to change into, but we never got the memo. Boo! Neither Stephanie or I really cared though. We were like, "We look good, so who cares?" Near the end of the night...or rather the next day I guess, the party started to die down and everyone got tired. We all ended up watching the last bit of Jumanji. Well, some did. A lot of people fell asleep. I kept myself awake because I was driving.

Then we finally decided it was time to go. I drove Stephanie home and we said our goodbyes and reflected upon the evening. We both had a great time (I believe I can speak for both of us) and it was a lot of fun. Of course I got lost in the neighborhood trying to get home again, but that was expected.

So Stephanie if you're reading this, thanks for a great time at Prom. I had a lot of fun, and it was really cool to spend time with you. I'm sorry that I was unable to make it to church that Sunday. I woke up at 9:15 and was like, "Oh Crap." Since we had to leave for Martin right after the first service, I watched the service online. I heard that you did see my family though, so props to you!

There's stuff that I left out, but I didn't want this blog to take up the whole page. Contact me if you want to know anything else, or whatever. I hope you all have a great day.

Updates

I need to get some sleep somehow. I don't know why, but I haven't been having good sleep lately. It could be due to weather, stress, allergies, I'm not really sure. The past two to three nights I have gone to bed, I have had a really big stomach-ache where I either can't sleep or I have to get up and take a pepcid so I can sleep. It's crazy. My dreams have been getting weird too...But that's another story.

Today was an interesting day. It was our last day in our English Class. Our professor wasn't there right away, so I thought it would be funny to write on the board "Fifteen Minute Rule" and then write each minute that he wasn't there. He did come in, accused other students of putting it on the board, and then got kind of shocked that I did it! After that, I didn't rub it in his face that he was late or anything, but the others did! Then during that time I was accused of being a brown noser, told that I shouldn't try to be a good student, and accused of being mean to the professor. It was all in fun! Then we went to math. I would definitely teach math if I didn't have to take all those upper division level courses. I've been helping people in my class with it, saying stuff like, "She's making it to complicated...Do it this way." It does affirm my wanting to be a teacher though! Cool stuff.

For those of you who don't know, I will be attending Prom this weekend. "But Scott, aren't you in college?" The answer, yes I am! So what?!? I'm going with a good friend of mine, and it's going to be a lot of fun. She's a really sweet, nice, easygoing person, and Prom is going to be off the hook! I'm excited and kinda nervous...But I'll be okay. I just need some sleep...

Well, I am going to go eat now. I hope you all have a great day and I will blog...Sometime when I feel like it again!

Easter-What we believe

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23

"But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8

"For the Wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 6:23

"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. With the Heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation."
-Romans 10:9-10

"For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
-Romans 10:13 (With reference to Joel 2:32)

College Ministry of Brentwood Baptist

I have mentioned the College Ministry in some of my previous posts, but I believe that it is deserving to go into detail about certain aspects of this ministry and also to tell of how it is affecting my life and how it is affecting the life of others.

First off I want to say that I am really blessed to be part of this ministry. It has grown in many ways over the years, and even in the short amount of time that I have been a part of it. As a Ministry, we even had a meeting several hours ago discussing the directions it should take, what should be different, what should be added, and generally discuss our thoughts, concerns, and praises for the ministry. Every person that came to the meeting was able to voice their opinion and to be there for insight, guidence, and support. The atmosphere was such that an individual could express how they were feeling, without the fear of being rejected or judged. We were able to discuss the good and the bad and realize that the ministry nor us are perfect. I was very happy to be a part of it.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the leaders of the College Ministry, and a special thanks to John for convincing me to be a part of it. I have grown a lot in the past several months I have been a part of it. It has made the transition from High School to College much easier, and I am excited to find out what God has in store for me in the future and within the ministry.

I would also like to apologize if I said anything that detracted from the purpose of the meeting. I realize that some of the subjects hit a nerve in me, and it was no reflection on the leadership. I felt that some of what I said may have been irrational, and it was directed at no one in particular. If that kept anyone in the group from being able to share, I apologize.

I wish you all the very best and I hope that everyone has a great week.

P.S. If you want to learn more about this ministry, go to www.brentwoodcollege.com

Life and Storms

I have some good news before I get on to talking about the current situation here. I declared my Major today! In 3-4 years...or more depending on the situation...I may be called Mr. Scott or Mr. Lemons! By a bunch of Kids! It's a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education, Majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies K-6. I'm really excited! I looked at the classes I will be taking, and they all look really cool. I was worried about how I was going to deal with kids, discipline, etc. but it seems to cover all of the concerns I have. I've wanted to teach for a long time, so it doesn't surprise me that I selected education. Some reading this may be like, "You're not going to make any money!" A couple things to say about that. If I wanted to make a lot of money, I wouldn't have chosen this field! You don't go into it for the money. I have a gift for saving money/being cheap and using it well, so I don't think it will be a big deal. Plus I know teachers who are doing pretty well, it just takes time and sacrifice. However, I am happy with the major I choose, and I hope it works out.

On a more serious note, I must say that I have never seen anything like this weather before. It seems like all of Tennessee is in a warning of some kind. Severe Thunderstorms, Tornado watch, Tornado Warning, etc. It's absolutely crazy. Then you hear about all the damage that is being done, people injured, a couple fatalities, and hail ranging from like the size of your thumb to the size of SOFTBALLS! It was unbelievable to see that on the news. I can't imagine what that must sound like or be like with that size of hail falling from the sky. They showed some pictures of them, some close to about 3 inches! Isn't that crazy? The weather here in Murfreesboro can't make up its mind. We had a moment where it was hailing, some moments where it was completely silent, then to some rain with thunder and lightening, and like now, back to nothing really happening. All of what I'm saying depends on where in Murfreesboro you are at. I am really thankful that nothing extreme has happened, and we should all pray for the people in Sumner County and other parts of Tennessee that were hit hard and that are still in the midst of a storm.

Springtime and other things

Spring is my favorite time of the year. The weather is nice, school is almost out, and it brings back memories of running through the grass, sitting outside with friends, taking random drives, and eating ice cream without people looking at you funny. There is just one problem with Spring...ALLERGIES! It's crazy! If I smell a rose, grass, or even just breathe, I just feel all stuffy. When I woke up this morning, I was alarmed at my voice. I have been sounding like Marlon Brando ever since I woke up. I wanted to shout out, "I could have been a contender! I could have been somebody!" to my professors...But I refrained since I had a test. Although that would have been sweetly awesome!

I may have been offensive to some people today. I had a tuna sandwich and doritos for lunch. I keep thinking back to that Jim Gaffigan comment when he's like, "Do you know what tastes good on fish? Anything that covers the flavor of fish!" That's funny. I know I put relish and Mayo mixed in with tuna for my sandwiches, so he can't be too far off.

I need to finish up my English Paper. Leave it to me to try to defend a topic that almost no one agrees with. I'm trying to convince my audience that local school boards have the power to censor books. My professor told me that, "Everyone is against you." Teachers, society, Supreme Court, etc. So am I going to change my stance? Ha ha ha. That would be easy and a good choice...So I'm not going to. Let's make my paper hard and impossible! That's the way to do it.

For those of you that want to know, I'm not a book burner or anything. I feel that some books are so inappropriate that they should not be taught in schools or accessible in schools (they can be taken out of the schools and the school's library, but the student can still get the books from a public library). Then you get into the question of what's appropriate and not, how you judge that, etc. The Supreme Court was even split on the decision of whether or not school boards have the power, but all that people see is , "Hey, they ruled in favor of them not censoring books!" Just let them ignore the fact that it was a 5-4 decision with justices such as O'Connor, Rehnquist, Chief Justice Burger (at the time), and Powell dissenting...Sorry this is probably getting boring or just sounds like me ranting. If you want to more about this, write a comment or contact me. Have a good day!

Weather

It has been so nice outside lately. I was able to do homework and study outside last week. It was really cool. I was even proud of the sunburn I had! It was kind of like a reminder that despite the cold weather and dark skies, the clouds clear and the sun shines once again. Even directing traffic this morning, the weather turned out to be unusually good. I love standing outside of the Church at like 8:00 in the morning. It's a cool temperature and people are just starting to arrive. You have moments of silence to just think about everything, and then at close to 9:00, it becomes a hustle of cars and people.

It's interesting to see how people react while driving their cars or crossing the street. You can hear how parents interact with their kids, how the ministers and deacons act while heading into church, and then the youth and the Senior Adults. It's really interesting to think about. Where else would this group of people get together? It's like what we talked about in Life groups in College and in High School. Only God could bring these types of people together!

Here's a thought to ponder. Pastor Mike Glenn said something today that I thought was really cool. You know when you are training for something or trying to get in better physical shape? I don't really know either, but stick with me. When you are lifting weights and you have mastered lifting this particular weight or if it becomes too "easy," the trainer or spotter adds more weight. By adding more weight, it increases strength. When troubles or struggles come your way, that's like God adding more weight. He's doing it to increase your faith or spiritual strength.

Good thought to think about. All that talk of lifting weights made me hungry. I'm going to get some cookies.

I need "Manly" Lessons.

I think I need to take some "Manly" lessons or rather lessons on how to be more manly. As I was eating my salad tonight watching "My Best Friend's Wedding," I thought to myself, "What am I doing?" First off, I absolutely do not like that movie. The only thing I really like Julia Roberts in is "Notting Hill" which is a great movie. Yet while I was watching the ending during the wedding, something got caught in my eye. I don't know whether it was dust or something, but I think I started to tear up a bit. It was because of the dust. I wasn't crying...honestly. I wasn't eating my salad, watching "My Best Friends Wedding," all alone while I shouted things at the Television...I was lifting Weights talking about how the Titans are going to do next year, while listening to Metallica.

Who am I kidding? It would probably be something more like me sitting on the treadmill, listening to Michael Buble and eating oreos. Notice me saying sitting...nothing about actual working out on the treadmill. As I am currently writing this, my father told me that he will give me manly lessons. Teach me how to scratch things, spit, and how to pretend we don't understand women (These are his words). He could also teach me how to react properly to football games as I am pretty quiet and often too rational when it comes to the ref's decisions and bad calls. I think I'll start these manly lessons right now and take off my rings and necklace and hit something. Where is that dog...I'm just kidding! I love my dogs. I'll just hit a pillow or something.

I really do have strong opinions on what a true man really is but frankly if I stated them now, it would just look like I am trying to cover up for an insecurity of not fitting the mold of a sterotypical male in today's society. Therefore, I will just leave with that in mind. Have a great day!

Thinking of Coffee

I think I want a cup of coffee. Not just a cup of coffee, but the Starbucks atmosphere. Talking about life with friends, listening to the jazz-like music in the background, and smelling that strong aroma of coffee in my hand. I know that I get real hyper and it tends to not like me very well when I drink coffee...But it's just a thought.

I was kind of hoping that I would have something profound to say this week, but I really don't. A lot has been happening, and everything just seems to be circling around me. I think I have probably asked all of life's questions this week. When you think about those questions, it can frustrate you because you know there is no clear-cut answer. It's like John said a couple weeks ago in Sunday school, "Even if you had all the answers, could you handle it?" I paraphrased him, but I have the right to since he paraphrased me...For those of you who really wanted to know.

I think I'm going to declare a major pretty soon...I'll keep everyone updated so to let you all know when it is official. I've been thinking about this major for the past two weeks. To be honest it scares me a little bit and I don't know if I would really be cut out for it. But...Who knows. Well, I will go now. I hope you all have a great rest of the day!

On Jordan's Stormy Banks

Okay, I am about to do something hypocritical. When some people blog or write about how their day is going, sometimes they will just post lyrics. I have never been a big fan of this. Yet I have had this song stuck in my head since this afternoon, and I really like the lyrics of this song. I think it has a positive message, and I like to sing it myself! If you want to hear a small version of it sometime, contact me. Unless I don't know you, then that's just kind of weird. Anyway, here are the lyrics to, "On Jordan's Stormy Banks." Text by Samuel Stennett.

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

All O'er those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day;
There God the Son forever reigns,
And scatters night away.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

No chilling winds nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
Are felt and feared no more.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

When I shall reach that happy place,
I'll be forever blessed;
For I shall see my Father's face,
And in His bosom rest.

Breadbowls and Driving

I'm back at school now. I really enjoyed my sping break and it was relaxing, but it is time to get back to work. I need to step it up a notch with school this semester, so there will probably be a lot of me hitting myself going, "STOP PROCRASTINATING!" or "Hey...go do something!" It will be okay. I just need to get into the groove of things and make myself do it. I can do it! Woo!

I went to Panera Bread tonight. I must say, that I am impressed by Breadbowls. Who thought of this? Was some guy sitting around just like, "This soup is good, but you know what would be better? If we could eat the bowl!" I found that funny while I was eating, but then I found myself eating the Breadbowl as I was going on. There's one problem with that. If you eat the breadbowl and not the soup, the soup leaks out. One of the many things I have learned in College! But it's awesome. It even has the little "lid" you can put over the breadbowl. I ate that first. Although the soup was so so, I give it the Scott Thumbs up for the Breadbowl! I don't care if that's too words either, for my purposes it's one.

Have you ever driven home or on the highway at night? It is the most interesting feeling. You're surrounded by almost complete darkness with only your lights and those of other cars. I have had moments where it has just been me on the road with my lights to guide me. You have these peaceful feelings as the light hits all of the white lines. It's almost like you are heading toward something more. Not just your destination, but a feeling that something bigger awaits you. It really makes you think. I know personally, sometimes it makes me ask the question of what I am doing, and where am I truthfully headed. Then the answer comes to just keep driving. I'll know it when I get there.

Dentists and My Life

I'm on my Spring Break this week. Nothing really big has been going on. I've been working since Yesterday and I had a dentist appointment today before going to work. I like working, but I'm not a big fan of the dentist. For one thing it hurts my mouth to have it open for that long period of time. Then they poke you with sharp metal things, scratch it against your teeth, tell you how you need to floss more, and you go home with some "goodies." At least what Dentists consider goodies. If it were my kind of goodies there would be a Fat Moe's burger, frosty, and a coke. Can you imagine that at a dentists office? "We got your teeth all cleaned. Now be sure to eat all these fatty foods, drink all this soda, and don't skip out on those chocolates!" Of course I could see that being done because in their minds it would be like, "Ha ha ha....They'll be back soon!" But the dentist I went to today was very nice, very fun, and for the first time in a long time, it didn't make me feel like I wanted to run out the door in front of traffic. So it gets the Scott approval! :-)

I really didn't know what to write about in the blog today. I felt like I should post something. I've been thinking of a couple songs. I ended up spending most of my time on, "I Believe I can fly." Especially that one section in the second verse. It says, "I was on the verge of breaking down. Sometimes the silence can seem so loud. There are miracles I must achieve, but first I know it starts inside of me." This is a very profound song for being on the "Space Jam" soundtrack. I was sitting in the quiet trying to think of what to write about. When you are in a quiet room or in a place with complete silence, it seems that every thought in your head comes to you. You have to wonder how you can achieve inner peace if you can't even find silence in the silence. The silence is so loud. It's at that moment when you really have to look inside yourself and see the real truth behind it all. As it says in the song, "If I just believe it, there's nothing to it." Something to think about....

Before I go, I have a quick joke to post. Two Snowmen were sitting next to each other outside. One Snowman turns to the other and says, "Do you smell Carrots?"

The Kite Runner

It was such a pretty day outside! Granted this day was probably one that I have been dreading for a while. I had an English paper due today (which by the way...final draft due friday with MAJOR revisions) and I also had a midterm. Besides all my stress today and reguardless of how I felt, it was really nice outside. Students filled the quad and were sitting on grass, benches, the stone wall things, the guys were getting their guitars out and playing...it was a good feeling. I even acknowledged the prettiness of today and walked a little slower from class to class. Yeah for Sunshine! I love Spring (Coming soon to a state near you!)

Today was also pretty happy for me because I finished the book The Kite Runner. Oh my goodness. This was a very good book! It had so many themes and life lessons. The themes of friendship, redemption, character in a man, human nature, culture, etc. It felt like you and the main character were one person. You felt his pain through the entire book, and you rejoiced with him and encouraged him as he went to face his fears. You saw and experience the same things he did, and if you took an honest look at what faced, you may truthfully say that you may have made the same decisions that he did. Sometimes we forget the other side of human nature. We don't like to admit that we enjoy safety, that we want and need love and affection from others, and that we are looking out for one person....ourselves.

This book does address that people and times change, but it is also honest in this one fact. That fact being that life isn't always a happy ending. That sounds very depressing, but you need to look at it from this point. Life is not fair. There are good things and there are bad things. Anyone that reads this can say that life throws turns and twists your way and it doesn't end up like you want it to. However, our happy endings are what we make of it. Not what we are expecting or wanting it to be like, but living with the assurance that no matter what our ending is, that we approach it with a sense that we did the best we could. There were challenges before us, mistakes made, and regrets that we may have. To remember is important, but to accept them is key. For we are all like Kite Runners in a sense. Looking at the kite in the air, figuring out where it will land, and with a big smile and happy heart letting it fall into our arms and knowing that no one can take it from us. It's our Kite.

Update

I'm just updating to say what's going on. I have a midterm and an English paper both due this Wednesday. I should be looking over my research and getting head-start on my English paper. Which I will do after this...I'll make myself. Midterm shouldn't be too bad. Just need to study. As I have found out, "Dude, this is College!" Cool beans.

After I got home I took out the garbage and washed some dishes because there was a bad smell in the house. It turned out to be the Garbage, but after I cleaned a bit, it smelled better. I think God has decided to put bad smells where I live to be like, "Um Scott...you know you should probably clean up." You can't spray oust every time. Sometimes you have to get rid of the source. One of life's lessons learned in College. Not History or Math, but how to get rid of bad smells. I learned how to produce bad smells from birth. Ask my parents! :-)

That may have been a little disgusting to some of you. I apologize if I offended anyone...well...I'm kinda sorry. I thought it was funny! I don't really have anything to say right now, so I guess I will be going. Oh...I've been reading the book The Kite Runner. It's starting to depress me a little bit, but I can't put it down. It's really honest and it makes you question yourself and human nature. I'll tell more about it as time goes on. For now, I am out!

Tuna

I am listening to one of my favorite songs right now. It's one of those songs that you can just close your eyes and feel the soul of it. It's called, "The Nearness of You" and it is sung by the wonderful Ms. Norah Jones. It's jazzy and it's the way a song should be. A story as told by Vocals and a Piano. Pure, simple, and elegant. Very nice!

As the music changes, so does the blog. I had the chance to be eating steak tonight. I could have thawed it out, served it with corn and mashed potatoes, and made a night of it. I decided not to do that though. Instead, I had a Tuna Sandwich with some Fritos! But I must say, that this was very good! I make a good Tuna Sandwich! Although this bread is like Superman Bread. I have had it for like over a month and there is no mold on it and it is as white and soft as when I first got it. Thank you Bunny Bread! I'm trying to eat a little more healthy. Although that doesn't help if you're snacking on Girl Scout Cookies and Peanuts. Oh well. I'll be fine. If nothing else, I'll start dancing in my room again. I can get a good workout doing that!

I wrote one of the most random essays today on my test. I had so much to say, little time to say it, and a very roundabout way to do it. Scott's not going to get the same grades he got last semester. :-( I just gotta sit down and get serious about it. No need to worry, I will. It's like that great Facebook Group everyone is a part of "Procrastinators Unite.........Tomorrow!"

On a serious note, I had a little bit of an awakening yesterday. I found out that the things you say and the way you act has a profound influence on how people view you. You may say things or do things you don't mean to do. For all of you reading this out there...if I am guilty of this, I would like to apologize.

Well, that's about all I need to say for now. I need to take care of some personal matters. Have a great rest of the day and remember to tie your shoes. If you're like me and are really lazy, tie them in Double Knots and then just slide them on and off! I don't think I have tied my shoes in over a year! :-)

Changes and Boats

I could use this blog right now to vent my little head off. I could talk about the tests I have coming up, the big projects in the future, the homework, and even the fact that I feel very overloaded. Yet, I won't talk about that...Despite the little sentence I just said describing what I could talk about. In that case, I did use it for venting. However, that is not what this whole blog will be centered around!

This will sound kind of weird, but I felt taller today. I'm not trying to make a short joke here or exclaim that I am physically growing, but I felt psychologically taller. It seems like since college my focus is starting to shift. Even take for example the College Ministry at church opposed to when I was in the High School Ministry. I feel God leading in both of those, however I had a great conversation with a couple guys last night that opened my eyes. When you are a youth being part of a youth ministry, often you do not look at yourself as supporting this ministry or even seeing the leaders as someone who needs support. A lot of times Youth Ministry is to help you the student to grow spiritually and grow as a community. It is like that in the College Ministry too, but there is also this responsibility that because God blessed this group, you must do what you can to help this ministry grow. I wish I could say with all honesty that my main focus was to see the Youth Ministry grow and see High School Students come to Christ but during that time on my life, I was focused on myself and the friends surrounding me. Don't get me wrong. The Youth Ministry has helped me grow spiritually, and I would not be where I am today without the leaders and mentors letting God speak through them to me. For those reading this that are family and friends, don't think that I am leaving you out. I am just trying to relate this to two specific genres of ministry...God has used every person and family member in some way or another to influence my faith. I have just found lately that this whole, "It's not about me" attitude takes a lot of work. This coming from the guy who named two cars, his glasses, his screen name, two email addresses, and his blog after himself! Gotta love it! :-)

I know this blog is getting long, but you are probably wondering about the boat reference. I bought a picture that hangs above my computer of a boat sitting on top of a swampy-land facing toward the lake. This lake is reflecting the glow of the sunrise. When I look at this boat, I imagine myself getting ready to get inside of it. I see myself begin to row. As I row, I go over the calm, smooth waters to a chartered destination that does not appear within the picture. There is no one around. Just me and the calm waters reflective of the pink and yellow sky. I start rowing hearing the sounds of silence. I don't know what lies ahead, I don't hear any distractions around me, just the invitation of the open waters. I am rowing to a destination. I don't know what will happen along my path or the strange lure of what is beyond what I can see. Yet I know that I must keep rowing for what lies ahead is something greater. Something that I would not find letting my boat rest on the swamp.

Case of the Mondays

Today was just A...bleh kind of day. It actually started off pretty good though. My English professor brought us some candy, my other classes went pretty well, and Praise Band Practice went pretty well. I was even sporting some harmonies on a couple of them! Not too bad for a little short man that needs to cut his fingernails! If that didn't make sense to you, don't worry. I really didn't understand that either.

I'm listening to music right now, trying to decide whether I should do homework now or tomorrow morning. I know that worrying about school and then not doing anything is kind of weird in itself. Enough about that though. I watched, "Fiddler on the Roof" last night. Good movie. I found myself singing along with it. It was rather amusing because I was doing grammar exercises while listening/watching it. Which might explain why my paper was like, "You don't have to use commas because of all God's miracles large and small the most miraculous one of all is out of a worthless lump of clay, God has made a man today!" Just imagine if I was doing math! I would be like, "4 + 5x = TRADITION!"

Well, I should be going pretty soon. I need to take care of some personal business and procrastinate some more. In the words of Tevye, "God be with you."

Life, stuff, and Tootsie Roll Mini Chews

I had one of the busiest weekends I have ever had. I had a paper to write for World History and English and a test in Physical Science. Isn't that nutty? I finished my English paper Sunday night, my History paper has been a progress in the past couple of days, and I had my Physical Science test today. Let's just pray right now that baby gets curved a little bit...I swear it was nuts! I spent these past couple of days memorizing how to convert from cm to inches, km to miles, meters to feet, liters to gallons, the radius of the earth, equations for speed, velocity, and everything else having to do with Physics! My head really hurt after I got done with the test. I think smoke literally started coming out of my head...Remember in the cartoons when they would get fried and you would just see smoke coming off of their bodies? I kind of felt like that. But I'm good now.

I went to the store today. I have a new favorite candy. Tootsie Roll Mini Chews. I thought this was really stupid at first. On the package it says they are chocolate covered. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't tootsie rolls made out of chocolate? Then I thought to myself, "This is a box with little tootsie rolls in them. They aren't just chocolate, but they are chocolate covered in chocolate!" It's like pouring Caramel syrup over a Caramel...Or strawberry syrup over a strawberry...IT'S GENIUS! So I am currently eating them. Gotta love the fact that they are like 15% fat! Although they have 4% Calcium and 4% Iron...Pretty interesting.

I could have posted on how stressed papers make me feel or how I really don't like tests and classes, but I have just been informed that pessimism really makes one of my friends upset, so therefore I will try to be optimistic. "Yeah for Papers that help to expand my thinking! I love tests because it challenges me and lets me know how I'm doing! Grades? They don't have to be perfect! As long as I try my best!" Excuse me while I get some crackers to absorb all this cheesiness.

Well that's it for today. I hope that you all are having a great day. Check out the new Tootsie Roll Mini Chews. Oddly enough, they are found in the card aisle at Kroger...Don't as me why, they just are. Have a good one!

Debating

We had a debate today in our Physical Science lab. Yes you heard me right....In our Physical Science Lab. He divided us into two groups. The question asked if the scientific process is defined by those in power. It was divided into two main groups. The other group basically talked about how the Government is hindering scientific progress and how basically the administration gives more of a hoot about oil and the military than science. My group was suppose to disagree with that. Let me just say a couple of things. I consider myself passive and I don't like to debate because frankly I don't like stupid people. If the stupid people come up with something that makes sense and that I can't argue myself out of, I get defensive and start to think things like, "Yeah?!? Well....Your feet smell!" If there is a statement made that I feel is way out there and no one else addresses it properly, I will take the responsibility on myself. When it was our turn to speak, I brought up the Preamble of the Constitution and said that America has to promote the general welfare. The government has done many things to help scientific progress. It has set up national parks, wildlife refugees, Government programs such as the FDA, and I said that it is important to think of the future, but you have to be realistic. Our budget needs to encompass a lot of things. We need to concentrate also on construction, welfare, veterans benefits, the military, and human needs. You know what they did when I said this? They made smart Alec comments to everything I said! Then everything I said was basically ignored! It's like, "Let's let the short man say what he has to say, and get on with our debate!" AH!!!!!! I left kind of angry, but a guy in my class said I did a good job. :-)

If anyone does comment to this, please don't argue with what I said. I'm to the point where I don't care about facts anymore and I will just go onto name-calling! That's why I couldn't debate in High School. In the middle of the round I would be like, "What is wrong with you? Do you have any feelings at all? Are you just dumb or are you trying to make me mad! How dare you have an opinion that is not mine! Jerk!" *breathes* Do you want to know what's funny? In order to calm myself down, I came home and started singing about David mourning for his son Absolom! Then after that I washed dishes! You hear about these guys exercising, hitting bags, lifting weights, etc. to calm themselves down....I sing and wash things! At least my hands smell nice.

Check this out...

I don't know what it is about today, but I had some major flashbacks to drama/choir. I was driving to school and do you know what I heard? "Luck be a Lady Tonight." For those of you who didn't know, that is from the musical "Guys and Dolls" which happened to be our spring musical at BHS. So as I was going to class, I was thinking of my awesome dance moves and practices for that. Then when I was driving back from school, I heard songs I did in Jazz Choir. The songs were "Thank You," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Flight of the Bumblebee," "Yesterday," and "Java Jive." We sang all of these and they came one right after the other! WHAT ON EARTH?!? I do kind of miss singing in a Jazz group and performing on stage. I guess if I wanted to I could get back into it...but maybe in a little while. I don't think now is the right time.

In other news, today wasn't as bad as it could have been. Luckily I remembered the geographic features of the United States and all 50 of them for the test today. There were only like 25 or so questions, but I think I did pretty well. I spelled some things wrong.....stupid POTOMAC river! Now I am just going to eat dinner and do homework later on. After I procrastinate of course! But if you plan to procrastinate, you're not really procrastinating. Are you? Then it would just mean that you are planning to do homework in a different amount of time than you're original idea. Therefore you are not putting it off, you are simply moving it up. Think about that! YES! Look at Mr. Smartypants Scott figuring out things in College! I guess I'll go now. Have a great day everybody!

P.S. I found a funny joke. Enjoy!

" A peanut walks into a police station to make a complaint claiming he was a salted."

What's going on?

First of all, I would like to say that I am pretty happy today. One really cool thing that happened was that I completed my collection today of those tiny green aliens you get out of those quarter machines! I have been trying to get all five since I put my quarter in and got one of those cool little dudes playing basketball. Now I have one doing gymnastics, one doing Karate, one lifting weights, and one that is rowing...Either that or he's planning on doing that one event on American Gladiator where they hit each other with bowstaffs...Either way, I am pretty psyched about my alien dudes.

The next question I have is, what's with all the animals in my neighborhood flocking toward me? First it was that cute little puppy who I got to attached to. It mysteriously disappeared...I'd like to think he found a nice family and is doing fine. Now there is this little cat who is desperate for attention that keeps visiting me when I get home, come out of the house, etc. The cat just keeps rubbing himself against me, climbing on me, and meowing at me. It's a cute cat, but frankly I am not ready for that kind of relationship. I tried to explain to the cat that it should go off and find someone else. It can be happy elsewhere. It just meowed at me and started to climb onto my leg and rub it's head against my hand. *sigh* Next thing you know birds will be starting to hang around my window and whistling at me.

As far as School goes, I would like to quote a friend of mine this week. "I am at that point where it's like, 'Crap, college is hard!' " Indeed it is. There's papers, tests, reading, and all that fun stuff I have to do. I am hitting myself in the head because I chose my schedule, and I really should have thought better. The problem is because of the scholarship, I can't drop anything AND if I do, I won't be a sophomore next year. I guess if these are the best years of my life, I should get used to this.

Other than that, I got some D-Con....A little present for those furry creatures in my house. I read what it does to them on the back. It's really cruel and sick...And I hope that it works and they all die! Sorry, that was kind of morbid of me. Anyway, I hope you all are having a great day. Be safe!

Food

I don't understand why I am hungry after I just ate something. I had supper and I ate a Chicken/Mushroom Pot Pie. I could only eat half of it because I was, "so full." I may have been full because I was eating peanuts and cheetos before hand.... but that's not the point. I finished that, and then Michael decided he was going to cook pizza. I told him that I may have a piece if he made some. When it was ready, I took my piece...which turned out to be two. I was doing homework at the time, so I ate my pieces while trying to figure out the average of these silly numbers. You know what? I was still hungry! Did I take that as a sign that I may be eating out of stress or comfort?!? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I went and got some Pop Tarts. Then while having Pop Tarts, I decided that I need something salty to counter-balance it. Therefore I am here now eating pop tarts, and cheese its. At least I decided to lay off the Cherry Coke for right now and am drinking sugar-free cherry Kool-Aid. Thanks mom!

I also broke two of my drinking glasses today and ran out of paper plates :-( I can get more, I just felt like announcing this to the blog-reading world. While I'm announcing things, I'm singing along with "My Favorite Things." Does anyone have a problem with that?!? As Julie says, "When I'm feeling sad....I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!"

Procrastination!

I am Procrastinating! I have thought it over, and I think that I can go over my English before class, and I can do my History Homework between the time of lunch and class. This whole weekend I was trying to get myself to do it. Then I got distracted by the TV, internet, going places, and my doggies. I think Binks and I are starting to bond again. We have been talking, and I think he understands where I am coming from. I offered my apologies and truce to him by scratching his really itchy places. I know where at least 3-4 of them are. He was very grateful, often thumbing his foot or making expressions with his doggie face.

You want to know what I do when I procrastinate? Well, first off let me tell you that I collect tiny aliens. They are these little alien figurines that you get out of the quarter machine at Wal-Mart or Kroger. Michael has a Darth Tater. It's basically a Mr. Potato Head that looks like Darth Vader from Star Wars. What I did was put these little aliens all over his head and make it look like he is being attacked by a bunch of little aliens. Then I got my picture phone out and took pictures. Michael joined in the fun, and we also put a little umbrella in his hat and at various times took pictures of him with an MTSU shotglass, levitating various objects, and of course Michael listening to me put on a play with it.

Given the choice of History or playing with Mr. Potato head that looks like Darth Vader....I pick the later. God speed to you all!

P.S. While Michael and I were watching TV, a mouse ran across the floor. I don't mice or rats or little furry things that run around the house.

Welcome back, Scotter! (Part Two)

Feeling very stressed on my first day of school, it seemed like there was only one way to go. Actually, it was more like praying that it wouldn't get any worse! The next day I had three classes. I had Research and Argumentative Writing, College Algebra, and Survey of World Civilization II. In the words of the famous announcer Dierks McPunitar, "Let the Games Begin!" (I made up that name because I have no idea who first said it)

My first class was Argumentative Writing. I didn't feel that it would be too bad, because I enjoy writing. Something weird and unusual happened. I picked the same time for this class that I had picked for Expositry Writing last semester. I was looking for my room number and it turned out that I am in the exact same room I was in last semester! Interesting, isn't it? My professor for that class was very jovial. He was obsessed with someone's laptop that was brought in, but overall I can see that this will be a good class.

With that feeling resonating inside of me, I went out to go to College Algebra. I didn't know what to expect of this, because I haven't taken Algebra by itself since 8th grade! Don't get me wrong. The last course I took in math was Calculus, so it's not like I haven't used it! It was in the nursing building which took me forever to find. It turned out to be an interesting class. The women that is teaching it is a little hard to understand because of her accent. Despite all of that, I understood what we were talking about! Looking on my day, everything was good. Now it's on to History.

I got into class, and was worried that it would be really difficult. It will be a lot of work, but the professor is really cool. He seems like a funny guy, and he is willing to help. Right when I got home, I opened all of my books that were still pre-packaged. I am not dropping any classes!

Things seem to be going well. I'm pretty happy with how everything is going. Michael and I even got to play some darts last night. It kind of bummed me out that he beat me 3 out of 4 games.....oh well. You can't win them all!

Welcome back, Scotter!

I was worried about today because it's the whole, "Calm before the Storm" theory. To start off with, it stared raining last night and continued throughout the day. My first class wasn't until 1:00 this afternoon, so I did have some time to sleep in and relax. However, there was also a lot of time to worry about where to find the classes, what the professors would be like, and so on. Finally the time came to go to school.

I had two classes today. Topics in Physical Science and Survey of United States History II. A friend of mine is in Physical Science with me, so that is pretty cool. I don't really know what to make of that class. The professor seems really nice. He is very passionate about learning, science, his family, and he told us that we will leave the course learning not only physical science, but also philosophy and asking and answering the really tough questions of life. He was a football coach, an athlete, and an actual research scientist. He means business! It's the class that you are afraid to sleep in our give the wrong answer...at least so far. As he put it he is either, "All wet" or "a lot of fun." Either way it will be interesting.

After that class, I walked in the rain to history, with my broke umbrella. History class is REALLY big. Roll itself took more than 5 minutes. I got in there and this women professor is....well....let's say that she is very enthusiastic about what she does. We went over expectations and all the homework we have to do. A certain amount of chapter(s), a book outside of class, then exams and paper(s) coming up. In the midst of this, I was feeling very overwhelmed. Then I just laughed. I wrote in big capital letters, "BRING IT ON!" Ha! TAKE THAT STRESS!!! The professor seems really nice and is willing to help. I just have to take a deep breath and say, "It's college."

I have three more classes to go...hopefully in those classes I will find something that a little lighter. If it's all nuts this semester, then I may be gaining the freshman 15 in the next 4-5 months! I will just say this....BRING IT ON!