Zen Moment of the Day: History

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I really love history.  Last semester the history class that seniors are required to take, civics, wasn't anything I'd like to do again.  In reality it wasn't the class itself, but how it was taught that me struggle through the semester.  This semester, I have to history classes, T (United States Topics, deals with U.S. history from the end of World War II to present day; this is the other required senior history class) and AS (American Studies, junior history course that I have to retake from missing it last year when I was out for surgery); both of them are fantastic, mostly because of having the same teacher that cares not only about his students but about helping them learn.

As I sat here and finished my assignment from Monday to turn in for T, I realized that when I'm working on my history assignments I'm completely relaxed.  I have no problem reading from a textbook and answering analytic questions about events that took place.  Maybe I have too much of having no problem doing it, I tend to have at least one page longer in all my assignments because I elaborate so much on everything.

There's something about being completely indulged in what I'm reading that I just naturally relax.  It's really nice, especially since I've been ill and have been stressing about getting caught up in my other classes, it's nice to be able to just lose myself in one or in this case two classes and enjoy myself.

Link of the day: Quote of the Day I love reading the QotD on GoodReads. Since I don't know if this will continue to link directly to this specific quote I'm going to type it out.

"After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the colors of the sky during the setting sun, or smell of a warm summer's breeze on their face, they should reserve as much praise for themselves as they do for the writer - perhaps more."

~ Jasper Fforde

days until 01/15/12: 4

days until Valentine's Day: 34

days until graduation: 128

BEDD 5: traveling America

I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, that I want to travel through all 50 states in the United States and our territories.  I want to do this even more since I've narrowed down my options on my major for next year.  I've decided that out of all the history of the world, I want to study that of my favorite country and the one that I call home.

I find wars extremely interesting, although many believe that the wars and conflicts that we have been in through the years shouldn't be spoken of, I completely disagree. I believe the extreme opposite. We should learn everything we can about the wars we've been directly and indirectly apart of, including the views of others in other countries on the war in question.

The most interesting wars I find, which is difficult for me to pinpoint because of them are completely different in many senses, is the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.  Both of these I automatically think of when I think of my future plans to travel through all 50 states and territories.  Without the Revolutionary War (and Civil War) we wouldn't be the country that we are today, and we wouldn't have any significance to places on the east coast where so many people lost their lives.

Anyway, back on track. There for a bit, I was considering of deleting this blog. I don't really know why, but I was strongly considering it.  But then when I began to think about the conversations I've had with my brother about traveling during and after college and university, I decided not to delete it after all.

Bit of a ramble, and not really completely finished with in thoughts, but I think this is all my brain can handle for now, I'll continue on Saturday maybe...

Link of the day: Wayne Moran Photography is just awesome. I don't even know how I found such awesomeness, but I did. I am just in love with this photography I could probably spend all night just drooling over these photos.

days until ACT round 2: 5
days until I become an adult: 34
days until graduation: 166

10DYC: three movies

This was quite possibly the easiest one to do, just for the fact that I have three favorite movies, and I just can not chose a favorite of the three.  My reasons behind why I love them so much, well, they're a bit difficult to explain.

1. The Great Debaters

Besides the fact that I love debate, I love this movie because of the historical references that they included.  The acting is just fantastic and I can simply watch this movie over and over again. Plus, it's a Harpo film, if that counts for anything.  Another one of my favorite quotes comes from this movie, and it's also currently at the top of this blog.

"We do what we have to do,

so we can do what we want to do."

2. Soul Surfer

I first saw this movie with my youth leader and one of my friends from church when it first came out in theatres.  I didn't really know what to expect going into the movie, but I had an open mind about it.  I remember at one point, crying during the movie and I still do at the same part.  I love this movie because I feel a connection to the story line, it has also explained things to me that no one has been able to do.

Sidenote: we're actually doing a bible study group over this movie in our church youth group.

The outline for the group is supposed to last until the end of December if I remember correctly.

Once we finish the study over this movie, I'll write a full review over it and explain exactly 

what I thought about it.

2. The Ultimate Gift

I can't even begin to explain this one.  I can say that I cry, without doubt, every single time I watch it.  I also have a form of a connection to this story line as well, though in a slightly different sense.  I seriously can't even explain my reasons why I love this movie because they're so complex that my brain hasn't even completely comprehended them.

Today is awesome because tomorrow is Friday!

days until ACT: 29
days until the fall musical: 53
days until I become an adult: 107
days until graduation: 238

10DYC: seven wants

Preface: as per normal, these are in no specific order.

1. Spend Time With Family

Our family is actually quite large if you count all of the cousins, and there are a lot of the great uncles and aunts who are getting into their older years, and I really want to spend time with them all because as I've learned a couple of years ago, you may never see them again and tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

2. Good Health

I want to continue to be healthy, hip replacement aside, I'm pretty healthy; and I hope that continues so I can continue to live life to it's fullest.

3.  To Travel The World

There are so many places I want to travel to that it'd just be easier to say I want to travel the world, which is actually quite accurate in many senses.  Some specific places include but are not limited to: London, Zambia, Moscow, Copenhagen, Greece, Scotland, Germany and Hawaii.

4. Make Something Of My YouTube Channel

As of now, my YouTube channel has no uploaded videos on it. I'm wanting to get some content up within the next year because as internet based as I can be at times, I think I could really enjoy YouTube from a vlogging standpoint and not just be a "watcher".

5. Laugh Often And Be Happy In General

I want to be in general happy with myself and life; and to laugh often because it usually leads to me being happy.

6. Go Fishing Whenever

Practicallity of this one? Hardly. But seeing as fishing keeps me calm, I'd love to go fishing whenever I wanted/needed to.

7. Acquire PhD In History

This has definitely been a goal for about a year now, I love history so much that I can see myself devoting most of my life to research.  Among all things that come with a doctorate in history, I just want to be able to express the importance of history to younger generations so they can appreciate life more.

Today is awesome because: it's been raining most of the day, and it's basically been raining for three days now. I'm in such a good mood right now, mostly to do with the weather status.

days until ACT: 33

days until the fall musical: 57

days until I become an adult: 111

days until graduation: 242

BEDA 18: it's a national holiday

As promised, today I'm going to explain Mulvane Old Settlers to you.  It's actually quite a pretty easy concept to grasp. It's basically like a county fair, but just for Mulvane celebrating our town.  It happens every third August, no matter what the wheather is like.  There's been years where it's flooded most of Saturday, and other times when it's hotter than hell out.  The latter I'm most positive is what this year will consist of.

Old Settlers first started way back in 1873 as the quad-county fair.  Eventually though, at some point it became Mulvane Old Setters, or often referred to as Old Settler Days, or just M.O.S.  I think having Old Settlers is a great thing to really appreciate the history that there is in this town.  The train depot at the end of Main Street once was an extremely busy place when the railroads where the major transportation.  The small town that most think Mulvane was back when it was first settled wasn't all that small compared to other places.  Mulvane was a railroad town, we had even had the Santa Fe Railroad Memorial Hospital, and let me tell you, it wasn't a small hospital.

We had an opera house, a hotel, and a movie theatre at one point.  Although all three of these things and the hospital are long gone there are still several remains of what there was before.  Looking back in the historical museum that is actually in the old train depot, there are photos of Mulvane through the years since a bit before it was even settled by Joab Mulvane.  There are several buildings on main street that are actually still standing there today.  The old movie theatre, the building is still there, but it's been converted into our public library.  And the hospital, it was eventually taken down and a nursing home was built in place of it. If it hadn't been for the fact that so many things needed changed in the building, I honestly think that the hospital might still be there today.

Among these buildings, one that really stood out to me in my research over the summer of Mulvane, is the two story school house that used to sit on the play ground of our current grade school.  The places I mentioned above, I can pretty easily picture in my head how they would have looked all those years ago, mainly because everything is still in it's place as it was in the photos taken.  But for the two story school house, that just seems insane to me because up until recently I had absolutely no idea that we even had a two story school house at one point, and it's just hard for me to imagine it really being there. Of course though, I think that building too might still be standing if there hadn't been a fire...

Among all this, Old Settlers is just a way of celebrating all of the history of our town.  Over the years I've learned things about Mulvane, but not as much as I did when I researched this past summer, it really gives a lot more meaning to a lot of the things we do during Old Settlers.

Old Settlers starts the third Friday of August and includes Main Street and Main Street park being shut off for the entire weekend.  We have a decent sized carnival that includes the same rides that my brother remembers all too clearly riding when my parents and brother first moved down to Mulvane several several years ago.  One of the most interesting and traditional things, besides the food booths, that happens during Old Settlers is the wide variety of booths that are set up.  It's just interesting to walk through the park and look at every single booth, the majority of them sell clothes and jewelry, but each one has something different from the last.  And the merch sellers are really friendly and chatty.

And of course, what would be a fair or town celebration without a parade?  The parade has always taken place on Saturday in the morning.  There's such a wide variety of people and things in the parade I couldn't even begin to describe it.

Mulvane Old Settlers is a big deal around here.  Even for a few of the surrounding towns, though we're the only ones who get off a day early from school for the festivities.  It's a holiday to us, we've never gone to school the third Friday of August, EVER.

Sorry if this was too much rambling. I enjoy sharing the things I know a lot about and this is one of them.

Today was awesome because: everyone is getting their booths ready down town for Old Settlers, and even though it's a pain in the but while driving because you have to take the detours around Main Street, it's still really exciting.

days until the fall musical: 59
days until I become an adult: 141
days until graduation: 274
steps taken today: 4,251+

BEDA 3: big girl decisions

Tomorrow I get to meet my mom at school to enroll for my senior year of high school.  And let me tell you I'm extremely excited, I've been waiting to be a senior for nearly four years now and it's finally MY time.  I'm ready to get to finally start making decisions that will ultimately end up affecting my future because up until now it has always seemed that there's that one thing or someone who is holding me back from really going for what my heart and gut are telling me to do.

My mom just came home on her lunch break and before she left she came into my room and sat on my bed.  She told me that one of the school counselors, the one that I worked a lot with last year when we were trying to figure out my schooling situation when I had my hip replaced second semester; she said she had an enjoyable conversation with her.

When I found out that this school counselor had called my mom this morning, I was surprised, because I thought she would have been really busy with day one of enrollment being today.  I knew though once my mom told me she had called that this couldn't be good.

Mom started with telling me that she was just making sure that I would be back at the school for sure this year, yadayadayada.  She had asked my mom if I was ready to go back to school, yadayadayada.  Then she told my mom that I had to either finish my history class online that I didn't finish from last semester, before Thanksgiving (our fall holiday basically) or I had to give up forensics second semester so I could take both the English III class I need and American Studies.

WHAT?!

And of course, my mom is leaving it completely up to me to decide, she didn't even give me her opinion when I asked, she just told me it's my choice.  I mean, one side, I prefer to take the American Studies class at the school then finish it online, just for the fact that it's better in basically ALL aspects and I prefer to learn, especially when it comes to history, by lectures, not reading a never ending assignment that doesn't even go chronologically on the computer.  Then there's the fact that I've been really involved with our NFL (National Forensics League) chapter and I'm really excited for the forensics season this year because last year I didn't get to compete because I had my hip replaced.  And though I'm sure my coach will allow me to participate from outside of class, it just makes things easier if I were in the class.  But obviously, I have to chose one or the other.

As for right now, I don't know what I want to do. I think I might need to sleep on it tonight and see how I feel about it tomorrow, because honestly, there's pros and cons to both sides of this.  I'm sure though, whatever I do decide to do that I'll be fine with it, because honestly, I just want to get through senior year and graduate. That's my goal.  And I know it'll all work itself out eventually.

the story of my nerdiness

Hello internet! Long time no blog, eh? Sorry 'bout that. I've been in one of those funks again, or maybe it's just the fact that it's summer now and I can do whatever I want...regardless, I feel guilty for not blogging as often as I know I should be.  But today we're going to be discussing the history of my nerdiness, this mostly pertains to the Harry Potter series. You have been warned.

I have always loved reading, I just always have.  I remember when I really started reading though, more than just the occasional book outside of class.  It was fifth grade when I really got into the Harry Potter series.  I kept a stack of books on the corner of my desk in home room.  The stack always had a Harry Potter book in it some where, I remember it took me a long time to read them, but I loved them regardless; and then there would be three or four other books stacked as well.  I remember I got a Star Student certificate for being, and I quote, "A lean mean reading machine."

Out of all my friends, I would venture to say that I am probably the nerdiest out of all of them.  Don't get me wrong, I think EVERYONE is nerdy about something or another, but I'm really the only one that doesn't care if my nerdiness shows.

In middle school, I went through a hard core Harry Potter craze, it got to the point where my best friend just nodded her head and listened to me talk and talk for hours. There were several occasions when in English we'd have to write certain things, and nearly all of them can be traced back to my Harry Potter crazed stage.  Even now, as a senior in high school, I still have a very deep love for Harry Potter.

I've had a rough child hood, and I could always remember having the Harry Potter books to read and to help me escape whatever it was that was going on.  I felt like I was in a new place and I could be anyone who I wanted to be.  It was a nice feeling to just to let go and let my imagination roam.  I think, had I not discovered the Harry Potter series, that I wouldn't be the person I am today; I'm a friendly and open minded person.  There aren't enough words to express how much J.K. Rowling's writing means to me, she developed something so magnificent that I think even the fans don't even know how much it really affects us all.

On to other nerdy stuff, I absolutely love to write, although writing is one of my weaker points when it comes to keeping up with it.  I tend to start a project and get side tracked, never end up coming back to it.

I have however, have become obsessed with Doctor Who over the last couple of months, and though I just recently started Season 3, I freaking love it.  My goal is to get caught up with the series by the time school starts.  And since I'm talking television shows, I've also become addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I plan that I'll have Buffy finished by school starts as well.

What's your nerd history?