C is for Indestructible

Where's the solution?

2011-03-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

Where does my true potential lie?

The question that underlies all the following concerns.

I show interest in small engineering projects. They mostly promise money to me. Will I enjoy jumping into a business setting head first?

Electrical engineering catches my interest. Well, it isn't even the cool part of engineering that interests me. I get sucked into the boring things of electrical engineering. The cool things, like circuit boards and flashing LED's and complex computer tricks, barely make me bat a lash. Rather, its the dorky and rather uneventful things that I find my mind wrapped around. I love the math behind things. I love seeing the equations, and I especially love the physics. The professors and the students alike both seem to skip over my interests, mostly because its tedious and frustrating to them. I get upset when I don't get clear explanations, and often I wish I could have days where I could sit down and just explore the physics behind what we learn. (I have a problem of doing that without a nervous feeling surging through my body that says, "I have so many things to do! I can't waste time!")

What part of this involves my career? I've told Thad a thousand times that I would like to jump on the wave of this wireless electricity transfer, I believe its call electro-magnetic induction. However, I haven't done much to get myself started in this. (Once again, I have so many things to do!) The idea appeals to me. Wirelessly charging your cell phones, maybe even your cars! It all feels so futuristic, so fresh! I'm in the right era to be an active contributor, too.

I feel like I could be successful and ambitious in the app industry. The problem comes when I try to define success. I would be creating video games. Do I want to support the growth such an obviously destructive and addictive form of media?

I know video games and computers mentally crippled me along with many others. I don't think I could count myself as successful if I know that some large percentage of my audience could be addicted to my software, and could possibly lose sense of who they are or what they want in life because they get sucked into my artificial gaming reality. I want to help man-kind progress. I don't want to create a drug (which is what I could classify many of today's games).

Though my view towards video games are obviously negative, I have an obsessive passion for them. I can't help it. I truly love the idea of creating a video game. At least one! And though my mind is conflicting, this is probably what I'm going to do as soon as I can, make an app.

I would love to make videos again (I filmed myself for a whole day, thinking I would start posting daily vlogs on here. Ends up I just carried around a camera and confused people for nothing. No video). I would love to start capturing beautiful things in life. I want to explore. I would love to explore this Earth and just experience cool things.

Progress.
It doesn't seem to be coming quickly enough.
I want to be rushed by it, and carried as if I were in a river.

I'm interrupting this blog.
It isn't feeling right.

I don't speak about it much, but inside, I am becoming more and more religious. I needed to stop the blog because I prayed not too long ago and realized something. I am trying to move forward and asking the Lord to follow along and support me.

I don't know the way.

It reminded me the feeling that, yep, I am lost after all. Why haven't I been looking at it in the other direction? Lord, lead the way. I'll go where you ask me to go. You're the boss. You're success.

Hey, reader. I can't believe you've made it this far. We should get together sometime. Where? Anywhere. Just tell me how you want to communicate. The internet could be a place to start. Got any cool ideas, something you've been wanting to do? We should do it right now. Give me a comment.

A quick thought

2010-10-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Who says an artist can't find the cure for cancer?
Who says a businessman find the secrets of the galaxy?
Or a doctor fix the economic crisis?

We shouldn't limit the mysteries of our existence to the professions they belong to.
Taking the problems from multiple angles and through multiple minds could solve the problems quickly.
I think we should have days or conventions or contests set where a ton of professions try to solve these problems in their own way.
I think we would get to the solution faster.
Just a simple simple thought that interested me for ten seconds.
I'll say no more.

Homework

2010-09-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

For the past week I have had this thought of working thoroughly and diligently on my homework for a day or two and getting ahead. I could be finished with homework and school and have time to focus on the fun stuff. Sharing this concept with Thad as we were driving home from church, he mentioned that homework is never finished, but it would be good to have an edge on it.

I took his words and gave them good thought for a day. Like words often do, they started to take a different meaning. In my thinking, I was viewing homework as an assignment--something to get out of the way. I should have viewed homework as the process of learning, and I should be learning constantly. If not, I'm wasting precious time in my short life. Learning is never finished, but it would be good to have an edge on it. Assignments, usually viewed as the creators of stress, become something less overwhelming, and hold more meaning. It becomes something to enjoy, another activity to flow into the ever-exciting world of new ideas.

By incorporating my original mentality, I would be cheating myself out of the opportunity to learn the way I should be. Essentially what I would be doing to myself is stressing myself out for a few days on stuff that I feel is mandatory busy-work, then switching my mind to a state of inactive dormancy. There will be days where I could be learning new things and getting deeper into subjects, but instead, I would just be ignoring school and making no progress. Yes, I could have fun, and wander around and kill time once again, but the homework will just come back. I'm essentially procrastinating, except moving the actual work part to the front of my schedule.

Homework can go beyond the assignment. There is usually a concept, phrase or word in every assignment that I don't fully understand, that I could explore deeper. And after exploring that, more questions will be on the page of that new task, and the pattern could keep going. I could learn and learn and learn and build this amazing pattern that is endless, that becomes an addiction.

I think that is what successful people get trapped in--learning addictions. Everybody has addictions. Successful people just get addicted to questions. They are explorers. Explorers of knowledge. I want that title. I want homework to be the gateway to my exploration, and I don't want my questions to stop.

For Mckenzie, who just got asked to Homecoming Dance by someone she doesn't know

2010-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

This news is super impressive and super weird! It is more shocking that you didn't even know the guy. I thought you may have had a band class with him. But I can assure you that this is good news. Anyways, here is my High School Survival Guide to getting asked to homecoming dance:

Jump in and join the party.
"Roll with the punches." This is a perfect intro into a new environment. If you are reluctant to jump in, at least go with the flow. Let someone escort you through a day of opportunities.
Don't get dragged to a place where you are too uncomfortable. Stay at the party, and stay away from drugs! You are my little sister, and I love you with all my heart, so be safe!
If you do get dragged into a situation, always call for help. Remember Dan Clark's rule about call for help because its being true to yourself? Well, yes he is right.
Just have fun!!! Laugh and all that stuff! It's a dance!
If he has an older brother with the same last name, run! It's Thad's arch nemesis! Beware!
He's probably scared for his life, use that to your advantage. If you are nervous, just know that he is probably just as or more scared.
If you get in tough situation, start a conversation about Pikachu. Why not?
Plan ahead of time on what you are going to be doing. Figure out where you guys are going, what you will be doing and how you should dress to the occasion. Speaking with him beforehand will make this a whole lot better.
Accept his offer in a more clever way. Show him you mean business. Just don't throw a rock through his window.
Be Mckenzie. Because Mckenzie rocks, and honestly nobody can defeat you. Feel free to walk like an Octopus and speak like a Pterodactyl.

There is my advice. I hope it KICKS BUTT!! I will see you next weekend! On Labor Day!

The beginning

2010-08-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I feel so full of energy and excitement now, so it is the perfect time to write a blog. I warn you, this blog WILL be long. I still encourage you to read because I feel passionate about it. College has been a fantastic experience for me already. It's weird, how you can walk up to a person and talk to them for five minutes, and the friendship already feels stronger than any that I spent years building in High School. There are so many people to meet, and I haven't found an unwelcoming one yet. I think I'm going to like it here.

With a new life comes a new name for my blog. I will shortly be deciding on a name after this post. Conducting Life doesn't fit my description anymore. I no longer have the title of Drum Major, so the double meaning is lost.

Recently I attended a two day leadership program called Aggie BLUE. The camp not only taught me secrets of leadership and true friendship, but it made me understand myself. Below is a list of notes from a lecture made by Dan Clark. This man was exceptional in his speech, one of the best that I have heard, and if you did a background check, you would know that he is very successful in his life as a whole. I may post his background on the bottom of the article in small font if you have the patience to read it. What he had to say was more important, and the what he did say is below. My notes:

Actions speak louder than words. Ask a group of people to put their hand in a funny way, demonstrating how you want it. Then ask them to touch their chin while you demonstrate by touching your cheek. See what happens. The biggest way to influence somebody is simply by taking a specific action.

Every action holds some influence—either influence to do good or to do bad

You can’t TRY to do anything. You can only do and not do. He asked a girl to try to shake his hand. When she did, he said, “No, you are. Try.” When she stopped he said, “Now you are doing nothing.” So she made it look like she was trying he said, “Now you are simply twisting my hand. What are you doing?”

You CAN do what you want, no matter the conditions; it’s all just where your priorities are

If you identify yourself for what you do rather than what you are, you are a human doing rather than a human being. Don’t make your career your life. You are not your career and your career is not you. Living life every day just trying to finish a task will leave you empty. This was one of his largest arguments and what he got passionate about. At the end of the day, it’s not what you do it’s who you did it with.

When you hit rock bottom, one of the hardest things to do is to try to climb back up—ask why you are the way you are. Keep asking until you find an answer. Once that answer comes, you will begin to climb.

There is a big difference between depression and being discouragement. There is a good chance that you aren’t depressed, so don’t tell yourself that you are. Then you will not take the initiative to fix your discouragement.

Play by the rules. Don’t be the player who runs out of bounds so that he won’t get hit. Anyone can run out of bounds. You will gain more respect from your peers and yourself if you face the obstacle in the way every time and take the hit.

We don’t need the chump who lives on the “wild side.” “Give me a freaking break!” he said when mentioning this. Going outside the line to “prove yourself” is NOT leadership.

Pressure is something that isn’t there; it isn’t living. It is something that is created by you and only you.

Find yourself. You won’t just stumble upon yourself on the street one day and shake your hand. You have to create it yourself. Change is created, not discovered. If you don’t like yourself, change it.

No matter what bad situation you are in, call for help. When you ask for help, you are being true to yourself.

FINISH what you start

Be loyal to those who are not present

It’s not about the team: it’s about you. You make a difference for the team but the team doesn’t decide you.

Dan Clark is an internationally recognized Professional Speaker, Certified Trainer, New York Times Best Selling Author, Songwriter/Recording Artist, CEO of Clark Success Systems--a multi million dollar speaking, publishing, sports performance and business-consulting firm, and alumnus of the University of Utah (Psychology). Dan is the author of twenty of his own bestselling books on leadership, management, team building, humor, public speaking, and personal development including "Common Ground" and Forgotten Fundamentals," and is a primary contributing author to "Chicken Soup For the Soul" series. Dan's world famous story "Puppies for Sale" was made into an award winning film at Paramount Studios starring Jack Lemmon.

As a master storyteller, Dan has been published in more than 30 million books in 30 languages and has been featured in Entrepreneur and Mayo Clinic Magazines and as the cover story in Millionaire Magazine. In 1982 Dan was name An Outstanding Young Man Of America. In 1999, Achievers North America and Achievers Europe named Dan one of the Top Ten Speakers in the World, and in 2005, Dan was inducted into the National Speakers Hall of Fame, receiving his "CPAE" --Council of peers Award of Excellence. To date, Dan has spoken to over 4500 audiences, to more than 4 million people, in all 50 states and 40 countries.

Once on his way towards becoming an NFL star, his life was suddenly changed when he was paralyzed from a tackle during one of the practices. After a year of being in a wheelchair, he decided to change his life for the better and direct his attention more towards a motivational speaker.

To give back, Dan serves on the International Board of Governors of Operation Smile, on the National Advisory Board for OK Kids Charities, on the Granite Education Foundation of his local public school district, helped coach Skyline High School to the Utah State 5A Football Championship, and in 2009 coached his daughter's "Powder Puff" team to an undefeated tournament and All School Championship!

Frustrated

2010-08-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Can someone give me the definition of a discouraged worker because I sure feel like one right now.

I didn't get the job at Lowe's. As a matter of fact I was never pulled in for an interview.

I've gone up to twelve applications, and asked around twenty stores, but I haven't grabbed one interview yet. (Now that I look at it, it doesn't look like I've done much.)

There's only one thing to do now:

I'm going to the fast food world.

It may not be easy. It may not be fun. But I need that money. I'm nervous though. I'm nervous about balance between school and work. I'm nervous that I'm not focused enough nor strong enough to succeed.

On other news, Nathalie (my computer) was discouraged, too. She had problems waking up today, like I did. I loving having a computer that has empathy.

Scriptures

2010-08-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

I realized today how tall I have become.

I am no longer a child, with the small stubby arms and legs.

And the big head.

It made me wonder two things,

Where have I been? Did I still think of myself as a child?

And

How did I grow up so fast?

I have been reading scriptures today.

Religion is a big part of life and it gives us balance,

It is necessary to have religious fulfillment in life.

And I read this today,

(After my wonderful morning stretches)

In John 12:35:

Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth

Last month I would have smirked at this phrase.

It seems so common sense.

But today, it felt different.

Partially because it reminded me of what Melissa said the other day.

As to how her and I weren't really thinking about where we were going.

And we were "dull," referring to our spirit.

I have been walking in the dark.

And yet I was thinking I could see clearly.

In the BKE

2010-08-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

and loving it. The only problem is that I don't have a job yet.

I've applied to less places then I should, so I shouldn't complain about not having a job, but it is still an annoying task and has me worried. Working in a bookstore would be ideal. However, it seems to be to ideal for me. I feel like I should set my standards lower. I also desire a job on campus, mainly because they will be more willing to work around my school schedule. I'd take anything I can there, its just a matter of getting the applications into the job center that is the tricky part.

I've read quite a bit of my Connections class book Outcasts United. I'm currently on page 200 out of 300 something, and if you know me and my reading skills, this is quite an accomplishment after a few weeks of reading. I'm marking it Fish style, with notes and underlines. This ended up being very wise, considering the research I'll have to do later on the book for my essays. Thank you, Mr. Fish. You were helpful.

The BKE is nice, I live in the basement area, taking Bret's room. I've made it nice and comfortable. Soon I will have pictures up and Melissa's sculpie figures on a shelf. I'm excited about settling that room. It's one thing that is hard to wait for.

Utah State University is beautiful. The people are nice and very willing to help me. I think the education there will be fulfilling. I only hope that I picked the right major.

I play Ultimate Frisbee every Tuesday and Thursday, and I have met quite a few people there. I am the youngest of the group by far, so I can't say I fit in perfectly. However, I enjoy the environment and the exercise.

I miss my family greatly, and yet am still excited to be here. It will definitely help me grow up a bit. I have a lot of that to do.

Chapter Two and a new kitten friend

2010-06-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm back again!

Today was an eventful day, considering that I went everywhere but school!

It's exam week, and you know what that means...

I'll never be going back to High School to learn!

And since this was the first week day of never-going-back-to-high-school years, I decided to call this CHAPTER TWO of my life. I don't have a title for my chapters yet, but I plan on naming them once its all over. I'm thinking of calling CHAPTER ONE "Lab Rat," partially because that explains what I was for 18 years. I was put in various environments, mostly teaching labs, and adults executed various disciplinary and educational experiments on my innocent mind. Afterwards, they pulled out note-pads, poked me with their worn-down erasers and watched where I traveled in the metaphorical maze of life. Seems about right, no?

Anyways, I went to the library today, which was actually hilarious.

Ends up they have no record of Clint Chelak in their logs.

I haven't checked out a book ever since the old library was in town, which almost a decade ago.

So I checked out a book on how a mathematician thinks.

In CHAPTER TWO, I begin conducting specialised research in a specific field.

I also tried to fill out invitations for graduation, but I got rudely interrupted by food and orchestra practice.

At night, Harrison tried to get together a group for capture the flag. A little kitten interrupted our fun on game two when he came pouncing across the field. Of course Melissa ran to it and it jumped on her shoulder instantly. It looks like its under six weeks.... soooo we kept it. For a day at least.

He goes by Dumbledore.

Rufus Dumbledore.

Melissa is feeding him milk now.

Hello Again, an Update

2010-04-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted In centuries it seems. Writing this essay for my English class helped me realize how much I need to start writing--somehow, someway, any way. The quality of my work is dramatically decreasing with a lack of practice.

For some reason, getting on here and typing feels like a chore to me. It didn't feel like that in the past. It is intriguing, frustrating and mysterious how things come and go so easily. Friends come and go, hobbies come and go, and even my personality comes and goes. I feel like things are changing so fast.

Solid things in my life:

My relationship. People may argue that it isn't the best thing, but it definitely unchanging, predictable (let me explain), safe. Even in its unpredictableness (if that is a word), I feel like I can judge the wind well. I understand Melissa, and I can empathize with any unpredictable behaviors she throws. I like Melissa many many muchness. As I unit, I feel pretty solid and secure. I think I need some of that right now.

My lack of focus. It refuses to back down. Every moment I am distracted. Right now I am distracted. Homework never seems to get finished. Ever. Sentences rarely ever get finished either. Paragraphs, stories, pictures, movies. If one thing is consistent, its this inconsistency.

My friends aren't so much of friends any more. I tell myself that is alright; I'm going to college soon far far away and I will never see them again. I tell myself its for the best. But to leave here alone is like to die alone, with a thousand acquaintances and no true friend to come to your funeral. I am cordial but distant. Friendly but without a friend. I will change when I am closer to family, I say.

Going closer to family means moving from family. I will be with cousins whom I barely know, but know they are great people. I will be leaving cousins I know and love dearly. Moving from Joey actually depresses me greatly. I tell myself that I should contact him like every week, but my poor habits treat him like one of my friends. Cordial but distant. Joey, if you read this, help me break this habit.

I forgot to inform you guys of important news. I'm into Utah State. I've signed up for classes. I have the schedule here in front of me, as it always is when I'm on the computer:

Writing

Computer Science afterwards

Calculus

Electric and Computer Engineering

Ultimate Frisbee

Philosophy

Connections

I'm really excited for the coming of college. New friends, new people. I'm worried about adapting mostly. And my major. I'm so confused about what I want to do. Curiosity tells me to venture into Engineering. So does Competition. So does the Economy, but Heart pumps with art. I love to draw: comics, sketches, animations, movies. I love to draw with my mind. But Reality speaks out as usual, saying you cannot focus enough to make a living off it. Stream on consciousness comic writing would be cool, but I don't think many people would buy into it.

BYU told me that I still have a chance. It said that I never signed the form saying that I have obeyed and will continue to obey the code, after I finished my interview with the church. All I have to do is print off the paper and sign it, nothing more. But I will not do it. Some part of my mind laughs at the fact that I never signed that, for it says the Lord is telling me I'm not worthy of it yet. I'm not mature enough yet. I'm not ready to pretend I am worthy either. I shave once a week. I swear under my breath constantly, especially in Physics (irony?). I am clouded with cynical, evil, doubtful and unclean thoughts. And I don't go to church. The Lord is crying for me to come into his arms, and I'm crying the same, but its just hard for me to be consistent and persistent. I would read a paragraph of the bible, and then feel like I have to do other things--now!

Wow, it looks like I have a lot to say. I needed this I guess.

My essays for BYU were crappy. They were just like this, thoughts thrown at them in no particular order. My essay for Utah State's honor's program is unfinished. I hate essays. I prepare so hard on them, trying to get them so perfect, working so hard on the technical stuff and never finishing them.

Do I sound depressing? Good. A venting session is a grand thing.

Good things:

I'm loving nature right now. The pollen is killing me but everything is great over here. I'm going to miss the South for that reason. "Smiling places, beautiful faces."

I'm kicking butt in track. I grabbed a first in the 800 yesterday at Seneca. 2:10 the third time I've run that event. I'm shooting for a 2:06 by region. That will get me going to state qualifiers.

My grades are coming back. I had all B's at one point, but I am about to drag everything back up to the A rank. The only thing holding me back is English and this...

(Only positive things!)

I can fly, I figured this out yesterday.

Anyone jealous? They should be because I can fly to the moon.

youth retreat

2010-02-19T17:24:00.001-08:00

Clinton and mellibaloo here
On a bus to Charleston with my church. its the first time I've been.
We're both really tired, and kind of bored, so we made this:

...we can't get the pics up. that's funny.

we're running really late, and though you may think its my fault, i wasn't the main cause. the other church was more late than we were. we're riding with Our Saviour Lutheran Church. They are interesting, all colors of personality. I'll try to keep you posted on the rest of the trip. but for now, peace.

Disney Trip part 4

2010-02-14T08:10:00.001-08:00

I don't know what ever happened to part three of these posts. hypothesized evaporation.
This is the final day at Disney, and on top of that, Valentine's day which piles a ton of pressure on my shoulders. I didn't BUY any gifts this year. I asked if we should worry about that because of the money we were spending on the trip, and she said we shouldn't. I feel like I really should have, though. A poem and a comic is my back-up.
The trip itself has been a blast. We moved extremely slow yesterday, only covering half the park. Honestly, none of us really cared. It was just animal kingdom, and shopping and chilling was satisfying. Everyone agreed with this theory except Brendon. He REALLY wanted to see the animals.
Mood is pleasant so far. Brendon says he's sick, but I theorize that he just lost his money. He's always forgetting things on the rides. Poor kid. Everyone else in the party have been consistently in high spirits. I just hope Melissa isn't too disappointed. Wish me luck.

Disney Trip part 2

2010-02-12T06:51:00.001-08:00

I just woke up and did my workout with Elliot, Melissa, Taylor, and Alex. Other than my abs stabbing me in the abs, I'm feeling great. Yesterday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. we had a group of five, with Taylor,Nic, Melissa, me and Jessica at first but brendon later. Bippy kicked Brendon out of her group halfway through, like she normally does to people on these sort of trips. Greatest ride of the trip so far: Buzz Lightyear shooting ride and Melissa's high score of 9999999, no lie folks. Well rested, I am hoping for a more energy-packed day at EPCOT. Yay foreigners!

Disney Trip part 1

2010-02-10T19:16:00.001-08:00

day 1, more like night one of the band trip to--yes, you guessed it-- the best and most commercial land in all of America, Disney World. I wasn't too excited up until this point. School really bogged down, but, as I started packing, I got a feeling of joyful joy joy, and I started to dance around the house.
The bus is comfortable--to an extent. I won't maximize sleep on it, but I knew that and prepared for that beforehand... kind of. I was supposed to be well rested before the trip, but I selectively forgot such advice and stayed up... well, let's just say late. To my left is the gentle giant, brendon. I'm not being too polite digging my nose into the phone, but ill fix that shortly.
I have one concern about this trip: the large quantities of followers and tag-alongs in my group. from the looks of it, it'll be a large party, and personally, I'm a fan of a small hang-out.

Lab Lurks

2009-10-05T04:36:00.000-07:00

A little project that had to be done for my Physics class.
It turned out better than I was expecting it to.

There was a huge flaw in our calculations.
We forgot to half all the times inside the kinematic equation, so the results and the percent error should be much smaller.

Utah

2009-07-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Butter Knife estates at the moment, thirty minutes in counting before we head off to church. I get to have a taste of the Mormon life. I find it will be a thrilling experience.

I'm sorry I haven't posted my vlogs, yet. I have so many of them to edit. I just haven't edited them. I have Daily Dairy Show 2 coming. The editing program never saved my work, unfortunately, so I will have to redo all of it.

I'm loving my family here. I love Utah. The colleges here were cool. Dave did a real good job on getting me hooked to go to BYU. He made it really sound like it's the place to be. I will apply to it as soon as I can.

I haven't had the time to read other people's blogs, though I really want to. I read some of Mck's, and it made me laugh, but I couldn't finish reading it. I just didn't have enough time. I miss everyone. I have to go to church now.

Daily Dairy Show 1

2009-07-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

New blog. I was really worried about the outcome of this one, but through its nonsense, I find it quite hilarious
I highly recommend you watching this twice,
once without pausing
and the second
Well... with pausing:

There's going to be a second one, lol
I had to split the clip into two videos, it was too long.

Drum Major Academy

2009-07-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Back from Drum Major Academy!
I go from one place to the next!
It's crazy!
This camp was absolutely amazing, no doubt about it.
I've learned 2000lbs of information and matured faster than an egg sitting out in the sun.
I didn't get much footage of the camp, but I worked with what I have, and what I have is below.
So enjoy:

I love you guys
Really do
Bloop!

Fight for the wear wolf fever

2009-07-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

This one was a blast from start to finish.
It was even worth staying up this late to edit.
Fight the wear wolf fever,
By Math the Band:

Speed bumps go way too fast for the pigeons to get a safe take off.

2009-07-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

These are my friends, my fellow men of war.
Ready to battle against the evils of poor snack time,
Bubble poppers, and crayon thieves:

Do Re Mi

2009-06-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

The kids are doing this cute little skit.
And we loved it so much, we wanted to do it ourselves.
Here is our impersonation of the kids impersonation of the Sound of Music:

Cool, huh?

A poem? A poem.

2009-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking Ideally, being naive.
And thought--I wished--that the world could be just right.
With enough effort from every person.
If we all remained open, sharing every thought to the world.
But doing nothing that you'd keep a secret.
The world--ideally-- would be pure.
But immediately this idea collapsed, of course.
Starting with thought of death.
So I wrote a poem, this poem:

Brittle Bones

How find purity, with beast like death,
A beast that takes and darkens and dulls,
That troubles hearts and steals the souls
Weakens the art, makes one—alone.
Tires the eyes and aches the bones.
So how do we fight to be pure and true,
When a thing like death can easily intrude?
The birth place of bad, the start of sorrow.

We will put greatest minds to work,
Philosophers, doctors, poets and king
To solve and subdue the evil thing,
But even to these greatest heroes,
Death too will take that beautiful rose,
That preservation of life and joy,
And contort perfection to a chewing toy
In the mouth of cruel cruel fate
Makes so alone, at the approaching gate.
The only way to look— an eye looking back,
And hope there is a friend who shields the back—
And plants new life from brittle bones.

I may read this post in two days, and ask myself, "what was I thinking?" ...Like I normally do.
And be confused by this poem, or find it trash.
But at the moment, I'm proud of my achievement.
And will soak up the feeling of this strange philosophical awakening.
Or this great accomplishment,
That I don't really understand, nor probably never will.
Because it is a silly hamster.
Yum, it says as it eats its sun flower seeds.

Reggae and Turbans

2009-06-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

New vlog, hope you enjoy.

Harrison is Ze Frank.
This is funny because I know nothing about politics.
(notice how his mouth pulls to one side... Harrison)
I change my mind... Harrison is not Ze Frank.
I underestimated Ze Frank... which therefore means I overestimated Harrison... right?
Harrison is the Green Brothers.
Though I haven't seen his happy dance...

Childrens Theatre Workshop

2009-06-24T22:54:00.001-07:00

Because I have had good reviews from family and friends
And I have a new camera (Thank you family! I love you all!)
I have decided to keep up the video blog deal.
I hope you enjoy this little blog Meredith and I did while writing a script for the young ones.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Harrison

2009-06-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hope you could sing along.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Pepper.

Ideal Career Job

2009-05-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

Like most juniors, I have been forced to think of what to do with the rest of my life. I formulate all sorts of ideal jobs, but every time I scratch them out saying its just a dreamer's thoughts. Lately, a career has captured my heart, and I'm beginning to change it from dream to game-plan. I told my mom a couple days ago that I dream of having a toy store. Like a busy worker elf, I'd make my own little gifts and gadgets in the shop where customers would be entertained.

...I think this idea could work. I would need some understanding of mechanics and gears-n-such. Maybe a mechanical engineering major or something? With a little creativity, craftsmanship, and love, I could catch the eye of many around the nation with my cute, clever, cunning knickknacks.

Thad, I hope you read this blog because I know (I think--I think I know) you are going into mechanical engineering. I would love to hear you view on the subject, know what its about, and what you can do with it. I think I am going to major in engineering of some sort, but I haven't decided what branch I will take. Your advice and wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Last to note, I would like to announce that I chose to take up another year of being drum major. Through countless nights of confusion and trying to understand myself, I made the decision to take up the job again. That means one more year of stress and pain and pain and stress. Tears will flow, arms will hurt, friends will become distant again, but it will all be well worth it. I feel confident that my decision was the right one, and I will thank myself for the choices I make in the future.

And, well, I miss everyone.
I miss you Harrison.
And, I love my family.
All of it.
Every molecule of every cell of every relative.
I hope to see you guys this summer.

Far behind

2009-05-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Being a diligent student, I have geared all focus towards trying to keep up my grades and running. Taylor kept a pretty stout blog about how the track season went, so I don't think I need to recap.
Right now, before I actually start posting blog entries, I need to read all of the blog posts that I've missed over the past month. I've just read Thad's post from April 30th, which means I only have thirteen more to go! (woot!)
I hibernated in an academic nightmare for too long, but Clinto is back! Boy does it feel great, too!

Track Meet

2009-03-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make posts here and there, but I never get around to it. In the car or during a chemistry lecture, one of my entertaining thoughts decides to greet the sun from ground. Though by the time I get to a computer, that idea looks at its shadow and buries itself back in the cool, moist dirt.

Today was our first real track meet against Pickens. The scrimmage before wasn't too promising. After running the 400m sprint, I once again plopped to the ground. I will need to go to the doctor.
I long jumped and triple jumped today, placing third with a 17' 5" jump in the long and second with a 34' 0" jump in the triple. Neither of these are personal records, but they both are promising jumps for the beginning of the season.
I surprised everyone in the 400m, coming from what appeared to be a slow start. On the the back curve and the final stretch everyone was shocked when I threw the monkey off my back and sprinted to an impressive first place! Personal record my first meet of 56. 2 seconds. I could have not been happier. All I had left was the 4x4 relay-- if my illness didn't catch me again.

I threw up behind the coaches truck-- a gatorade and banana fiasco. New symptoms this year are a rattling and buzzing of the gums, light-headedness, dizziness (vomiting of course), and weak legs. Any help or advice would be appreciated. I'm going to the doctors though. Let's hope they don't address my lungs as problematic again.

Clemson beat Virginia

2009-03-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

in basketball, thought you should know. Clemson>UVA

Today

2009-02-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

I got my hair cut.
Finally..
(Thanks mom! You make my day a happy one!)
And I practiced my flute for the first time in three weeks.

And now I will hold a blogging conversation with myself:
What's up?

Cake, Cake, Comedians, and Kidding (and Alliteration)

2009-02-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Valentines Day
Day of loving and snuggling
And baking cakes
Melissa and I bake a particularly interesting cake:

Abstract at best

We never get along when it comes to baking
And we got in a cake fight:

I got some in her hair, she got some on her hoodie that I was wearing, a double fail for her.

And here is a picture of dad jumping six feet... sitting up:

But after the cake, we went to go watch a Souther Comedian be babtist.
And watch him be fat.
And laughed when he was making fun of me.
For eating a banana for breakfast.
Melissa got called smart by the other comedian for making him pay
five dollars for a snickers bar
That I had to run across the building for.
He payed two dollars and a free CD
Nice man.

Mck's birthday arrived and left.
We had cake that day too, but it wasn't as cool.
I got her a leather journal.
Which I was proud of.
I told her that its only as great of a present as she makes it.
So if she writes lame stuff in it, my present, consequently, is lame.
But I have faith in her.

School is good.
I'm dying.

Rising and Falling

2009-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, tired I was today, and consequently I falling asleep in a dark room of the church during basketball practice...

Last night, I closed up a project that consumed every hour left of my weekend. Due to my Chemistry teacher's lack of planning assignments properly, we had many due dates that met up on the same day. And by many due dates, I mean a lot of due dates. More due dates than the amount of times I said due dates in this post. I tackled Princeton Review first, an AP Chemistry practice book. In this book, I untangled the thirty multiple choice riddles and the fifty-four free response questions. My brain actually broke a sweat trying to translate the unreasonable language of equilibrium and kinetics. Yes, it developed sweat glands and produced fluids which made my brain burn and shrivel due to an over abundance of salt. I felt accomplished after seeing the four pages I covered front and back, but after I moved on to the next assignment, I found that I only scratched the surface of assignments. ...At two thirty in the morning, I completed the take home test, and the thirty four Zumdahl problems, but I still had a lab write up to do.

The next morning I was saved! I had a physical in the morning and I got out of the first three periods of school. Taking this break was like dodging a fat man's punch! It was fantastic! I would have a strange doctor touch me in strange places any day if it got me out of school! ...That's a bold statement. I take that back... *shudder*

Track practice was brutal. Ferguson made us run... a lot. And by a lot I mean many many many. More many's than the amount of many's in this blog! (I'm guessing many is a unit of measurement now, Clint) 600, 400, 200, 100, 600, 400, 400. If that means anything to you blog writers. And then I had basketball...

Yes tired I was today, and I commenced to falling asleep in a dark room of the church during basketball practice...

Normalcy

2009-02-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

People have a tendency to favor normalcy,
And society has named the normal King,
But if you accept the common-place,
The boring and simple,
As the correct way to live,
The greatest minds never shine,
The newest thoughts never live,
And the most brilliant cower under primitivism.
So I encourage you,
Stun, Shock, Startle, Impress, and be Hated,
Let your greatest mind be the Revolution,
Or else become Normalcy too.

--A message and reminder to myself and to those who enjoy listening

Sleep

2009-02-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I changed it again!
I hope you like the new title.
Today was a bit better, so no worries. Today, all that's on my plate is napping, like Meredith (thank you random twitter texts!)

Peace!

Silly shower thoughts after the game

2009-02-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Losing always triggers self doubt in me. I know I didn't perform to the best of my abilities today. And in that case, I-- along with the entire team who played poorly-- deserve to lose to middle school children today. I point the finger during the game. Why didn't you rebound? Why didn't you score? We can't continue to turn the ball over like this. I feel immature. Leadership has taught me nothing. Leadership is trash. I am weak. I am weakness.
Why do the arrows to the right always point down? It makes me angry that they don't point the opposite direction sometimes, or at least side-ways to humor me. And "Conducting Life" is a poor title. I would never view myself as a conductor--an icecream salesmen maybe, but no conductor. And does it mean I am conducting other people's lives, or just my own? Either of those descriptions don't fit myself. I follow people when they call my name, without ever considering my personal time: a definite marcher i am. I am spread thin. My mind is jumping from one spot to the another. Track basketball band band school girlfriend track track band leader leader leader friends band basketball...
Where's my time? Who am I? Who do I want to become? I wish I could answer that. The answer is in the mirror: I just choose to ignore it.

A Story

2009-02-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

You are an undercover reporter from the northern caps of Spain writing an article about the issues in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. Your notepad empty, the words spoken in the market are as dry as the roads you shuffle your worn shoes in. You notice a boy carrying an object rapped in cloth. At first you merely brushed him aside as another errand-boy, small and unclean and bustling everywhere. But on one corner of the object, a glimpse of gold catches your eye. You immediately follow. The boy takes a sharp left into the alleyway of two popular fruit stands of the city. Passing by them, you grab a pomegranate, a poor choice of fruit to grab on the go, but you had no time to turn around. The boy took another sharp left into a dilapidated lodging. As you peeked into the window, you saw the boy unravel his cloth. With a gasp and a quick duck, you fled from the area and filled your notepad with facts.
Weeks later back in Spain, you have become famous through your article. Spain sees you as a hero. What were your findings and in what ways did they benefit your country?

Poetry from a Friend

2009-02-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

As you may know already, Melissa is now a a member of the blogging family. You can find her blog by putting in http://mellibaloo.blogspot.com/ Let us all welcome her with open arms.
Under her request, I have decided to post a poem she wrote me during her Psychology class. I hope your enjoy her poem: Evolution of Man:

There once was a man in a shoe
And sadly, he had nothing to do
to my surprise, he went in disguise
And founded the Kingdom, Peru

There once was a king of Peru
And sadly, he had nothing to do
To my surprise, he lit up the skies
And turned them all a bright blue.

There once was a sky bright blue
And sadly, he had nothing to do
To my surprise, he went in disguise
And made the ground have dew.

There once was a ground with dew
And sadly, he had nothing to do
To my surprise, he started to cries
And created a boy like you.

I felt it was a great poem, a work of art. And anything that makes me smile when I read it deserves to be posted, wouldn't you say? If you don't know Melissa, its about time you get to know her. She is pretty dang awesome.

Thoughts

2009-01-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

Drugs, smoking, beer. What a dumb way to bend a friendship. I have lost some respect for my friends.
Basketball depresses me. One moment I think I'm good. The other moment I get called for seven travels.
Being a Jedi would be convenient: butter would be more fun to slice.
Being in charge is different than being in the way. Sometimes it appears I'm viewed as both at once.
Pretending to be an Italian Plumber would be a good excuse not to shave.
I think about people more than I think about myself, until I actually start talking to the person. When I actually have to speak, I think more about what I should say than the person.
Dedicated yet absent-minded am I.
Bakers would struggle in algebra.
Sandwiches always help me during half time.
Fatty is like a really old man. He poops whenever, talks whenever, and sleeps whenever.
Fatty meows words of wisdom.
Fatty should be a heavy-weight wrestler.
Fatty.
Billy had a dozen sandwiches. How many times will he cut the sandwiches in half in order to feed forty-eight people? Solution: 13(2^x)=48
Silly bakers and their dozens.
Sleep?
Yes Clint.

Conducting a Long Post on my Life Recently

2009-01-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Disregard the other few posts entirely. Especially that last one. It was like a disease on the page. Though it was a quote of Mckenzie at that very minute. Even the title. I should probably address that on the entry. I'll do that now.
My life as a musician has been having relative success. I placed first in all-county (over Kristen Baer and a Korean girl), sixth in region (I've never made region before), and first in CYS (though I got "pwned hard" by an eighth grade girl). The fambly has been doing well too (yes fambly). Mckenzie-- well you can just read her blog. And Taylor is still regarded as a beast. Reputation. That's all that matters. And Chelaks are making quite the impression.
Life in a relationship has been a little rough. Keep Melissa in your prayers as she deals with family-- misunderstandings. Give support and prayers to her please. Life sure hasn't been easy. I shall share no more.
Life in school has been decent too. Though I had to take a hard blow to the face in english, a zero on a major test grade, I have managed to maintain a decent grade. No I didn't cheat, nor did I fight with the teacher. I merely turned in a major assignment in a day late, do to the fact that I missed school from an unfortunate morning. I stayed up until 6 in the morning trying to cram assignments in that night, and I found all of my efforts worthless the next morning when I could no longer function. But anyways, I still managed to come across with an 86 at the end of the semester. It's low for me, but I'm not complaining.
I visited my guidance councelor today about my US history teacher (an 80 in that class, and no I am not content). It is my only College Prep class and I have the lowest grade I have seen in a while. I could have easily taken APUSH and gotten out of there with an 88 at the lowest. Its hard for me to be patient with new teachers. It's my GPA suffering, not his. Guidance only subdued my boiling temperature. Nothing is fixed in there yet. I'll report on you on my success in there.

poopoopopopopbuhbuhbum

2009-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

"today Mkkennnzie's chao was amazing because i lost to it and it was fast
i likeed hiss climbing abilities.. huhuuuhuhuhhuhuhuhhh... uhhhh-- *choke on spit* uhhhhhuihuh" -Mckenzie Chelak

The ghettochet

2009-01-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

This video was supposed to be posted on the eighteenth of this month, but since I have failed to finish a task in a reasonable amount of time, I am posting it now.

This was my trebuchet project. It was originally Harrison's Christmas gift from me, but it never got far.
I finally got it to launch a good distance, and I am still tweaking it.
...If only I had a bag of marshmallows.
But anyways. I hope my trebuchet out-launched joeys. We'll compare some time.

Charting Old Soil

2009-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

Every day that I walk on this earth, I come to some strange new enlightenment. My mind calculates a new quote, words it in the way of philosophers, and discovers the thought has already been recorded prior to mine by some great mind.
But lets say that I have quoted the same discovery as, lets say, the great Thomas Jefferson, almost word for word. And without ever reading his text. Surely he is a man with a brilliant mind, with poetic heart. His words are genius, his philosophy just. But is my thought no less valid? Is my mind no less brilliant? Or are my words of lesser importance due to order of time and author of words? With my words, could I be no less important? Could I too be called a poet? Or am I just a boy, a boy displaying a thought that thousands have created in the past?

Last Day

2009-01-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well, its over. Today was Harrison's last day, and it wasn't quite the ideal celebration that many had desired. Personally though, I felt there was no other way. It wouldn't have felt right to have the last day spent with a fantastic pass-the-love-around day. It ended up being a normal Chelak day here: wake up late, watch some reruns on the television, play some videogames, have friends over and go out to eat. It may have felt like a waste of a day, but I think subconsciously we all wanted Harrison's last day here like any other day. We wanted it normal. Nothing could be out of the ordinary. And to me it felt right, it felt like a pleasant goodbye. And it seemed very Harrison to spend our last day fitted lazily between the coushins of the couch.
It is tough to believe that Harrison is going. Its tough to believe that his childhood has passed and the moments I had to spend time to live with him as a little brother are possibly gone for good. Though times may not have been an explosion of extreme joy, I feel that I have just lost something very close to my heart. I have to cherish the people around me while I still have them. And of course, when something leaves my reach and is out of my life, only then do I realize the gift that God (or whomever you believe in) has blessed me with.
Harrison, I'd like to say that you were a great brother to me, and I hope you have success in life. I will miss you. Take care. I will see you again soon.

2009-01-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years everyone.
This is a little video I did for the Chelaks.
Please send feedback.

Back to Life

2009-01-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

After I shaved my New Years beard, my cousins vanished and I can't seem to find them anywhere. Virginia is too long of a walk to retrieve them.
Time to go back to the ring and fight the bull that I failed to finish last time. I need to write an essay for English before I go back to school, and I need to practice my flute before an oriental prodigy kicks my tail again.
Life sure can be a bum cake sometimes. I'm going too fast to complete anything I dream of doing. Looking on the positive side, I only have a year and a half left of high school.
But looking on the negative side.... I only have a year and a half left of school.
I need to plan my two years as a kid wisely. I won't be able to say that I am a child soon. Might as well use my childhood for all its worth and play in the leaves.

Back on the Holidays

2008-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! Clint posted something on his blog for the first time in months! I wonder where he has been, what he has seen, who he has met?
Well, after traveling Old Guinea for rare African truffles on the shores, I thought it was time to visit family on the holidays. On the flight home, I met up with an old traveler, Joseph Chelquen. He was in a worn leather coat and had a brown pack on his shoulders. All he had in his pockets were two pesos and tickets to the Georgia Tech, Virginia basketball game. So on December 28th we entered the swamps of Atlanta city in the Thriller dome. It wasn't a safe experience, creatures from the depth slithering all around us.
We took note of the people and found interesting facts. From a poll of 100 people, we judged them according on their appearance as either normal or abnormal. Thirty-three were shown to be normal, sixty-six abnormal, and one HOLY CRAP!! This was a clear 2:1 ratio. And one out of every 100 people are undefinable.
To top off our research, we decided to observe the environments with the same judging system. We found two environment to be fairly normal, only because there was nobody around... On the other hand, there were seventeen abnormal environments. Twelve of those abnormal environment were brainwashing attempts by Georgia Tech.
The game was exhilarating. It went into over-time, resulting in a Virginia win 88-84.
So Joseph Chelquen and I took the long journey home, taking a canoe up the river to my back yard. We killed a dear and gave it to the family as a gift.

And then the Lord blessed us with video cameras.
Today we attempted to make a movie. All we could think of was a chase scene. There was no plot, it was just us running on a mountain. But heck! It was cool!
Concluding sentence.

My Head Esplode!!

2008-09-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ahhh!!! I don't even know why I'm blogging right now! I'm feeling the stress build already. Today (sunday) was an interesting day... and the last day of my only free weekend for a looong time. Band competitions start next week so we will have no life starting after today.
Right now I'm frantically trying to jam in AP Chemistry, AP Language, and pre calculas all in one hour... I will tell you now that I may not be blogging too often after today. My AP Language teacher, Kathy Duncan Grant, thought it might be a good idea to make us write a journal entry every day of our life, and when you think about it, that is basically blogging. So bye-bye fun! She is making blogging feel like a chore now... fantastic.
As for what has been going on in my life, I've been doing auditions. One audition was for wind ensemble, and although I was surprisingly confident this time, it still didn't go so well. If you don't know already, I have bad luck when it comes to auditions. I ended up getting last--you heard it--last chair on my audition. He said the only reason was because of my airy tone. That shocked me... My tone has sounded pretty awesome recently.
Today's audition was for CYS. I don't know how well I did on that, but I will find out some time soon. I have a feeling those little eighth grade demon children from Mauldin kicked my tail again...
So yeah, that's my life. Woot woot raise the roof! I shall talk to you folks soon... I hope.

Falling Water

2008-08-18T11:13:00.001-07:00

There is nothing interesting going on today. Just work. I'm going to go to band soon and so on. I still need a few more comments from that last blog. I'm not quite satisfied yet.

I was on a mountain just a few days ago looking at a waterfall. As I watched those little crystal droplets fall from the heavens like an endless rain, I began to wonder... where does all that water come from? Considering the gallons and gallons of water falling from that rock every second of every day all year in a nonstop flow, you begin to wonder what can truly supply such a thing. No matter what science thinks it knows about such a mystery, I won't believe it. So, I shall leave it up to you, my readers, to unravel the puzzle behind these crystal falls. Please, I need you people to make up something clever so my mind can stay at peace. Was it an over emotional goddess shedding her tears of sorrow and joy? Is there a cult of evil villains using an army puppies with bladder problems to rain down havoc upon the mountain? ....Not too sure where that one came from, heh. ...So, if you have a brain that functions, please contribute towards solving the mysteries of the Earth! Come up with some odd and witty answer so that not only I, but the rest of the world understand the magic of a waterfall more!

Back Home

2008-08-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from the camp and all I can really say is.... Ehh... This week I felt awkward... considering the fact that I am a Junior and I was with kids ranging from the fourth grade to ninth grade. I shall say no more on the subject, due to the fact that I am not a complainer and shall make the best out of what appears to be the worst situations...

Well now I'm back home and reading. Two days left of summer... And I frantically have to finish the second book, Friday Night Lights, and write those thirty pages of dialectical journal entries that have been lingering in my mind like a rotten cloud of stench.

To relieve some stress and boredom, I've come up with a game. Its just one simple question... and I expect a good freaking answer:

What is the most accurate word or phrase found on a cereal box that describes your personality?

It can be located anywhere on the box, even on the ingredients. Creativity makes me smile!

Summers and Bummers

2008-08-15T12:28:00.001-07:00

Here I am spending my last few hours of summer freedom writing a post...

In about... an hour and a half we'll be off to good ol' CYS camp. Wee! Stab me in the head multiple times with a banana! It's not that I don't like CYS (Carolina Youth Symphony), I just don't like sitting for hours playing half notes in an hot and sweaty environment watching a lady conducting with her elbows. Well, now that I think of it, I guess you can say I don't like CYS. I'm hoping by next year, I'll be out of the smaller orchestra. I'm hoping. I could always get beat by 4 year old Asian folk again.
Harrison is now in Utah and I actually kind of miss him... Yeah, its a little awkward. Its awkward being the oldest kid in the house for a change. The Core Four are now going separate directions too. Except Austin. I guess I can hang with that kid... Gaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
HeHe, your welcome Austin.

Drum Major is going good now, thanks for asking. Last night during the Jamboree, I fell off the podium at the very end because I guess I was trying to be acrobatic or something and I missed a step. I ended up landing on Mr. Roaper's head while he was trying to bend over to get his drink. And now it hurts my left hand to type. Sorry Nate, though you already said I don't have to say it again. I'm not saying it, but blogging about it.

So yes, Muchas fun in South Carolina for little Clinto Beans. I see you peeps later!
Pi!

Band Band Band

2008-08-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

Our first full week of band camp is over... whew. I survived without getting eaten alive by sweaty band chilluns! Woohoo! We are making some pretty swift progress, I must say. The end of the first week and we have our first two songs on the field! Oh, and I get to conduct the ballad... with a baton! Bam! Eat that inferior drum majors eight miles down the road! Waha!
We had color wars this week in honor of the Olympics. Each kid belonged to a color team. Unfortunately, I got the black team which isn't bad because we pretty much were the coolest group alive, but it can be a pain running around the field in one hundred degree weather looking like a bunch of sweaty goths. On Friday, we had competitions like relays and such. The black team lost them all... except the picking up trash competition! Its good to know we make good janitors. Overall we placed third, but we still make a dang awesome team! For my spirit, I did a variety of face paints. One was a fairly accurate interpretation of Jean Simmons from KISS (thank you Lauren). I looked like a freak! Well, that's not much of a change but still! I looked more of a freak than I normally do! But I'll have to admit I wear the black lip stick quite nice... If I can figure out how to get the freaking pictures from my phone you could observe. I also had nice five o'clock shadow since I am not manly enough to grow my own. Oh, and I painted the Joker on Jared's face. I went all out with the face paint. It got many good reviews by the band folk.
Our ultimate plan was rudely destroyed when we came into the band room all looking like ninjas. Mr. Mainieri stopped us like three feet from the entrance because of a misunderstanding... Oh well, you can't win them all.
I've got some work to do on the conducting, and my authority seems lacking in my opinion, but I shall clean up these problems soon...
Harrison has told me I have been conducting in my sleep. So once again, my band illness is back. During band camp I think of band 24/7. Last year Mr. Mainieri called me to attention in my sleep and I couldn't go down until he told me to relax, so many times I was sitting up in my bed crying, "I can't do it, Mr Mainieri! I just can't do it! The band needs sleep!" Sorry Harrison for having to put up with these... special moments... from night to night.
Lastly, I'd like to encourage any readers to go outside and look at the things around you every once and a while. I think we all need a general reminder of what's right in front of our face from day to day. It's looking beautiful and greeeeen and nice... It would be good to respect the wonders of ever-growing nature while its still with us.

Carrots And Parrots

2008-08-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings people who actually read this sort of stuff! I don't know how long I can keep up with this or what I will talk about, but I will try! Well, today kind of has been the perfect day to start a blog! So many things... So many... Where should I start first?
Telling by the title this day had something to do with carrots. It's quite a funny story actually. It involved, of course, a carrot and... oh I'll tell you later. I have to leave you in suspense for the best part. I can start with my experience of falling down the stairs. Its been a rather clumsy day...
As I was running around the house mindlessly today, like I usually do, I thought it would be a good idea to walk down a flight of stairs, like I usually do. Well this flight of stairs wasn't in a chipper mood today and decided to take out its frustration on the stupid guy walking down him, like he normally does. So as I zoomed down the first step, he tripped me, but being the clever guy I always am, I caught myself. Well... not really. I ended up frantically running down the stairs and hitting my knee against the pole and my toe against the wall... Afterwards, I resorted to laying on the floor speaking gibberish for a while.
That just triggered my clumsy day. For lunch, or dinner, or something like that, I decided to have a carrot (containing 230% of your daily intake of vitamin A! Ho ho eyesight!) Now you have to realize that I am allergic to all sorts of ripened fruit. I'm not too sure what it is, but what I'm sure of is that its getting worse. I've been eating a full carrot daily, which makes my lips and throat swell pretty bad... Imagine this swelling going to the eye... Yeah, it happened. When I actually ate the carrot, I surprisingly didn't swell at all for once! Yeah awesomeness! But as i cut it, a tiny droplet of flavoristic substance flew into my eye! Soon my pretty little left eye was red swollen and disturbing. As Austin put it, it was "all fricked up!" I got a few pictures of it and I will post them soon!
Well later, I went to Melissa's house. For the first time ever I did that little thing that you do with wine glasses and it makes that cool sound and it makes you flip out! Oh my gee! It was pretty dang sweet! We had like twenty cups and we tuned them to make different notes and we played pretty music! Yeah, other than that, I talked to her new bird Chowder and taught it arithmetic! Long story, that darn bird needs a freaking education if he wants to get out of that cage and make a living! So now Chowder knows how to count to ten, and knows what 1+1 through 1+4 is... Smart birdie! (I would like to make note that Chowder is not a parrot but rather a cute little yellow cockatiel. I just needed the title to rhyme. A blogger would understand that a clever title is mandatory)
Another clumsy moment was while I was texting Twitter while lying on my back, the phone hit me in the face. He was in a sour mood too....
At the end of the day the Core Four plus Chelak family talked about who seemed oldest. I said Austin, but i now take that back and say Meredith. Austin looks oldest though! We later picked best friends! I'd like to announce that Emma is still my best friend! Get it Emma! Holla!
Last but not least, I closed up my day with another clumsy moment. Pim killed a gerbil today, so I decided to punish her for getting near the gerbils any more. I hid upstairs under a sleeping bag in the girls' room and waited until the cat got on the cage. ...The girls soon ran up the stairs and came in the room without knowing I was there. Mckenzie, wondering why Pim was clawing at a sleeping bag (my feet) went to go get the cat. She ended up stepping on my face. Thank you Mckenzie.
Well, this is a rather long blog, but a good first blog to start me off! I challenge any reader to have a more eventful day than this yo! But I shall see you now! Peace!