HOLY WOW! I AM IN AWE!!!!

5 things i'm thankful for:)
1. The Rocket Summer in concert at HOB Chicago
2. Forever the Sickest Kids in concert at HOB Chicago
3. My Favorite Highway in concert at HOB Chicago
4. Sing it Loud in concert at HOB Chicago
5. Vita in concert at HOB Chicago and being so epic! I love you Vita!

Quote of the day:
Nothing's bigger than love!
-My Favorite Highway

So today, WOW.
That basically sums it up.
I went to the House of Blue in Chicago for an absolutely amazing line up. Good news Utah TRS fans. Bryce DID NOT say, you guys are my favorite or you guys are the best or I love coming here. He really does love Utah:) haha, he's epic no matter where he does his shows. That's for sure. Anyways, I didn't get up to the front. I didn't even try. Didn't have the energy. Anyways, I stayed in the back. There was this ridiculously attractive girl in a cop outfit. I wanted to talk to her...but I was much too shy. When Bryce played he left the stage and went to the back on this little platform. He sang right at me. He stood right next to me. HE GAVE ME HIS PICK!!!! WOOT WOOT. I loved the show and took pictures and video via phone (cameras are not allowed. idiotic. I know) At the end of the show I went to look for my friends and to my surprise Vita was in the back!!! I think she is so absolutely ridiculously gorgeous. Like WOW. She was down to her last poster and I was far from the front of the line, she looked up, looked at me, we stared at each other and she said, "would you like a poster!?" I smiled and said, "of course!" She signed a poster for me wrote VITA XOX and gave it to me. It was her LAST poster folks. I think it's love. It's DESTINY! Anyways, the shoe was fantastic but I missed Club Sound. OH, HOB has a springboard floor, so when the crowd gets bouncin, you really get bouncin. It was a trip! OH, I loved the show!! It was amazing!. Oh yeah, mosh pits are better in Utah. I worked a few kids. haha!

p.s. TRS has a new bassist and drummer. Just sayin.
Also, TRS has a new banner.
ALSO, TRS has 6 lamps they put up that say, hurt, restoration, faith, hope, failure, triumph.
ALSO, TRS has 2 keyboards.
also, Bryce opened with his loop.
Also, Sing It Loud had a band member fall off stage! haha
Also, TRS dressed up like the Blues Brothers.

Here is a montage of all the pictures. It has Do You Feel playing as it goes.
you've been warned.




Video of the concert to come:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

I get sick at the right times...

5 things I'm thankful for
1. Cleaning my room.
2. Canada dry ginger ale
3. refilling a bottle of canada dry ginger ale with 7up
4. Knowing how to get better when i'm sick and shoving it in your face...sickness.
5. Realizing I get to go to a dope concert later today:)

Quote of the Day:
Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.
Patricia Sampson

I am really tired. I cleaned and did some laundry today. It makes me pretty happy. I am sick. I am tired. I am getting over my sickness though. That's a good thing. I get to see Forever the Sickest Kids, The Rocket Summer, Sing It Loud, My Favorite Highway, and Vita today! I'm really excited. I get to go to the House of Blues. I'm pretty sure that that was a goal on my bucket list. I hope it was. I can't wait to accomplish it. It'll be epic.

Love you all:)
I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

This Darn Blog

5 things i'm thankful for
1. Medicine.
2. Vitamin C.
3. Realizing I'm starting to get sick.
4. Knowing how to remedy that.
5. Knowing I need sleep and will shortly have it.

Quote of the Day:
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde

Okay, I was in bed and I was wondering why I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep because I knew I hadn't written in my blog yet. Crazy how epic habits are.

Anyways, it's bedtime. PEACE.
I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

I conquer you english paper, I WIN. Don't forget that. PUNK.

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Staying up til 6 am to write a paper.
2. Writing an epic paper for English.
3. Endless hours of revision on this paper.
4. College life, stayin up late to write papers...it's a party.
5. the fact that I notice the difference between 1-4 in the thankful things:)
6. The fact that I know Mom and Dad will probably fret because I haven't gone to sleep yet...:) But since I wrote this, you are no longer allowed to worry!
7. The feeling you get when you finally finish something.
8. The ability to break my own Blog rules.
9. Share my English paper with you!

Quote of the Day:
It is not worth an intelligent man's time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
-G. H. Hardy

James Porter
Professor H. Cramond
UCWR 110-057
22 October 2009
Justice
What is justice and how do we reach it? Is it possible to achieve justice? Justice can be attained through tolerance and acceptance, a desire for change, action orientated people and ultimately justice is achieved through education. If one cannot tolerate why would they look to bring justice for others? Tolerance is only the beginning. Tolerance alone is not sufficient. Beyond tolerance one must accept the people. Once acceptance is reached one can begin to care and understand which can lead you to want to make a change. Wanting change because you sense an injustice and you want to make the difference. It is not merely enough to want to make the change, you must be action orientated. Action orientated means that you will bring about change. You will do all that you can do in your power to make the difference.
Tolerance and acceptance, desire for change, and being action orientated—this describe the mission of Greg Mortenson. In a just society, education would be given to all who sought after it. Mr. Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute seek to do just that—bringing justice, through learning, to Pakistan and the Middle East one school at a time.
Mercury Reader devotes their first chapter to social justice. In “Arm-In-Arm for Justice” by Daniel Hartnett, S.J. four main steps are given “to form true leaders for justice”(p. 1). The four steps are experience, understanding, imagination, and action. Greg Mortenson goes through the steps and hence—according to “Arm-In-Arm for Justice”—is a true leader for justice.
Experience according to “Arm-In-Arm for Justice” is implying direct contact. In order to best help serve people one must get his or her hands dirty. The only way to help people is by getting to know them. Greg Mortenson stumbled into the city of Korphe where he was taken in and treated with incredible hospitality. He lived, learned, and loved with the people of Korphe. He gained his experience by being accepted by the people of Korphe. In the words of Bill Clinton,

He (Greg Mortenson) is the ultimate social entrepreneur ... a guy with a good idea, prepared to start small and stay with it as long as it takes to have a big impact and commit a lifetime to it. ... He is effective in an area where Americans are not popular, because he relates to people as human beings.

When his time to leave Korphe had come, Greg Mortenson related to the people and therefore came to understand the people of Korphe.
Hartnett says it perfectly, “It is not enough to empathize with victims of injustice” (p. 3). Basically, feeling bad for them is not enough. One must try to understand what is the cause of the people’s problems, what is causing them injustice and how can it be remedied? Greg Mortenson did just that. The lack of education was crippling the people Korphe. The solution was a school. Greg Mortenson provided the solution through—not just merely empathizing, but—understanding. He now understood what he needed to do, but how was he supposed to get funding for such a project? Alas, imagination!
Imagination is where great ideas are formulated. Mortenson used his imagination to figure out new and creative ways to increase funding and cut costs on first building the bridge and later building the schools. In a place that severely lacked in the education department there are now currently upwards of eighty schools in the Middle East thanks to the imaginative thinking of Mortenson and the Central Asia Institution.
Quite possibly the most important step of the whole process is the final step—action. Without action the other steps become a nice thought. Newton’s law of motion say that if an object moves or changes its course it is due to the fact that it was acted upon. Acted upon is the phrase that requires attention. Things do not change and will not until they are acted upon. Mortenson made good on his word. Mortenson made a difference because he acted. He put himself into action in order to make a better life for the people of Korphe. Greg Mortenson became a true leader of justice. In order to best exemplify the steps Hartnett sets Mortenson shows that he is able to tolerate and accept, he has a desire to change, and he is action orientated.
One might ask, how is this applicable to everyday life and how does this apply to us? In south Chicago on September 24, 2009 Derrion Albert was brutally beat and murdered on his way home from school, there have been forty-five deaths in the past twelve months, and from September 2008 to September 2009 398 students have been shot. In this school year alone [2009] four students have died. Due to the violence a safety and security strategy has been announced. According to this strategy they will target “high-risk” teens and get them mentors, part-time jobs and do what they can do in order to keep these teens off of streets. The $30 millions dollars funding this will come from the federal stimulus grants. The plan also has will provide students with a safe passage to school buy placing security personnel along the way. These safe passages have not yet been put into place. (Belkin)
Will this work? For some, yes, but unfortunately for the majority it will not work. The people responsible for the safety and security strategy are assuming that there is a one size fits all solution. This is not the case. They are going to be offering students low paying part-time jobs when the teens know full well that they can go out into the streets and make all the money from a paycheck in a matter of minutes. Their hearts are in the right place, the minds behind the safety and security strategy see a problem that they want to change and they are action orientated. Unfortunately they neglected the foundation, they do not understand the true issue here. They think that by offering part-time jobs, mentoring, and counseling they will successfully be able to lure the teens from off the streets. Regrettably the lavish life of the street is much too appealing to be dismayed by such a feeble attempt. It is unjust to try to propose a one size fits all plan for these teens. Understanding needs to become a main factor before proposing a plan and there will not be a successful change until this understand takes place.
A college education is steadily becoming more and more expensive. The cost for public colleges has gone up 6.5 percent and the cost for a private education has gone up 4.4 percent. It’s hard to comprehend how the economy can go down and we still see this universal increase in the price of tuitions. It is important to remember that the majority of the students do not pay the full price. These students tend to receive some sort of assistance. In fact, approximately two-thirds of college students receive grants. Two-thirds of grant money being given out is merit-based without even taking into account the recipients actually financial assistance needs. Grants are not sufficient; the amount of money being borrowed in order to pay for education has also increased. (Lewin)
The higher cost of a college education is fueling the socially-constructed-racial-monster. From the beginning minorities have it hard. The higher the cost of a college education directly translates to the lower the amount of minorities in said colleges. We know this because the depending on where the minorities are born—if they are born into a lower class area—they are redlined. As defined by Rachel Dwyer, “Redlining is a form of discrimination in credit markets where banks and financial institutions identify entire neighborhoods as too “high-risk” for financial investment in both residential and commercial property.” Property taxes pay for schooling. Since the area is redlined the property tax goes down. Since the property tax goes down, the quality of education available to the children of the area goes down. The lower quality of education you have at the most basic levels, the harder it becomes to gain entrance into higher education. Furthermore, the students that—by some miracle—make it through the system are living in a lower income area and therefore are unable to gain funds in order to pay for the rising costs of higher education. Although the families realize that the students aren’t paying the “sticker price” of their college education there is simply not enough money for these minority students to pay for the education. There is no justice in this. Justice extends a hand of opportunity in education to all equally. Raising the cost of college education does not take minorities into consideration and is therefore unjust.
Justice can be achieved through tolerance and acceptance, a desire for change, action orientated people and ultimately justice is achieved through education. The time for a change is now. We must be actively immersed in a good cause. It is time for a revolution of justice. The time for educational justice to reign supreme is now. Just is achieved though tolerance and acceptance. Justice is achieved through a desire for change. Justice is achieved through action-orientated people. The time for justice is now. Let us be “Arm-in-Arm” for justice. Let’s unite and bring forth this justice that the world so desperately needs.

















Works Cited
Anderson, Vicky, Heather Cramond, Jackie Heckman, Amy Kessel, Allison Locke, Margaret Loweth, Roxanne Schwab, Cayenne Sullivan, Sandra Urban, Paige Warren, Sharon Walsh, and Sherrie Weller, comps. Mercury Reader. New York: Pearson Custom, 2009. Print.
A Custom Publication for Loyola University

Belkin, Douglas. "Violent Deaths Shock Chicago Into Action." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 7 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Dwyer, Rachel. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. Ed. George Ritzer. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Blackwell Reference Online. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Lewin, Tamar. "College Costs Keep Rising, Report Says." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .
Marshall, John. "Bill Clinton speaks to P-I in advance of his latest trip to Seattle." Seattle PI. Hearst Seattle Media, LLC, 1 Nov. 2007. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Mortenson, Greg, and David Oliver Relin. Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time. New York: Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007. Print.
















Reflection.
This was probably the most difficult paper to write yet. This paper forced me to think probably more then I have in my entire college experience today. I had to figure out how to compare the two stories and then on top of that show the correlation to the current events. This paper was difficult because I was forced to write about something that I am extremely passionate about and keep a cool head. This is a very difficult thing for me to do. My temper tends to flair and when it does my writing goes downhill. I had to constantly remind myself that it was okay and I was just writing a paper.
The revision of this paper was quite rough. I probably spent 10 hours going over my rough draft. If you think it’s bad now…you should’ve seen it before! I have an addiction to comma splices and I am trying my hardest to avoid them and completely eradicate them from my writing. Comma splices are something that has plagued my writing since my ninth grade year. I never learned to remedy this atrocity and am trying my hardest to avoid them. Screw you comma spliced. Comma splices are the root of evil!
I can’t believe that I am finally finished with this assignment. With hard work comes great relief. I feel I have worked hard and am excited for my relief—sleep. Peace.








img src=” I love you all, goodbye.
I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

Exhausted and ready for bed

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Playing basketball after institute.
2. Being on a team with my institute teacher.
3. Being on a team with my institute teacher that went 2 for 3 on the night.
4. Exercise post institute style.
5. Being told I have a nice floater shot.

Quote of the day:
Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.
- Anonymous

Today I wrote something for institute. Here it is.

GATHERING TO THE LAND OF ZION

Something that stood out to me in this reading was that it seemed like whenever the Saints were going through the roughest of rough times, they were happy and content. It seems to me that it is as if with all the suffering they were going through they were always able to see the Lord’s hand in their lives and his blessing showering down on them. What they did must have taken so much faith. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult is must have been. They Saints were preparing for Zion and Zion’s potential so I see why they were happy and optimistic, but at the same time, it’s bound to be difficult when things are “inconvenient.” I did not know that Levi Hancock was related to John Hancock! That was something extremely new and exciting to read. I also did not know about the explosion of missionary work while the Saints were in Missouri. I thought that they focused all their attention on building Zion and preparing it but it never dawned on me how illogical it would be to focus solely on building Zion rather then branching out. We are a faith that branches out and tries to teach and give others the blessed enlightenment we have. Why would they stop? It makes complete sense.
The Lord has a reason for everything He does. He is the beginning and the end. He knows His reasons. He knows what He is doing. We are not required to know everything. There is a time and a place for all things. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He will direct us to where we ultimately need to be. It will not be easy. It will be difficult but He will bless us beyond our beliefs. I know this is true. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and cares for me. I know He wants the best for me.


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

No way...she's not sixteen, you lie!

5 things I'm grateful for:
1. My little sister.
2. My baby sister.
3. My younger sister.
4. My youngest sibling.
5. ASHLEY MICHELLE PORTER!

Quote of the Day:
A sister[Ashley] is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit,
a golden thread to the meaning of life.
~ Isadora James

My baby sister is...sixteen years old today. October 27th is her day. I can barely believe it. Ashley! You were supposed to stay my baby sister forever! Ashley, I am so happy that you're my sister. I know that I can turn to you. You're always there and whenever I'm having a rough time you do something sweet to help me. I miss being home and I miss being with you. It’s ridiculous in my eyes that you are already 16. I’m okay with you being 16 as long as you don’t go out on any dates…or drive.

Ashley, I love you so much. When I get home in December I want to take you out on a date. Just you and me, and we’ll go somewhere nice. I want you to know that I will ALWAYS be here for you. I am your big brother and will always have your back. I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything and everything and I’ll be there to help you and do anything and everything in my power to help you. If it came to it I would raise heaven and hell for you Ashley. I love you so much. Words fail express the way I feel. I love you with all my heart. I am so grateful that God has blessed me with such an amazing little sister and more importantly I am so grateful for having God bless me with my best friend. I love you Ashley.

P.S. NO DATING!!!

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

I Love You, Sleep.

5 things i'm thankful for
1. FBI hat
2. Huge Gatorade water bottle
3. My Basketball
4. A somewhat cleaner room
5. TWLOHA sticker on my electric guitar finally.

Quote of the Day:

Here's another song from Bryce!

Hills and Valleys

I'm on top of the world
I can see it all around me
Such beautiful words
Leaving and oceans
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
I can feel it
Never felt this before
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, yeah

I got a beautiful woman
We're coming off of
The hard end of harder times
Gonna be starting something
That gets us straight up outta here
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)

I can fix it
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, we leave at night
We stay by day

Say you're with me
There's gold ahead
There's golden dreams
And life's hills and valleys
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, will you hold on with me?
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Let me take us
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Away

We drove out to California
Straight through the desert of Arizona
Sweet Texas, I'll kiss ya
Hope to be back
But now I gotta leave ya
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)

I can fix it
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, we leave at night
We stay by day

Say you're with me
There's gold ahead
There's golden dreams
And life's hills and valleys
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, will you hold on with me?
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Let me take us
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)

I wouldn't know just how sweet this tastes now
No, if at first I deny, girl
The bitter times, the bitter places
I'll see you lata' the new battles
But, for now, we're here

Say you're with me
There's gold ahead
There's golden dreams
And life's hills and valleys
(Woo-hoo)
Yeah, will you hold on with me?
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Let me take us
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Let me take us
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)
Let me take us
Let me take us away
(Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo)

Listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqMRvd0t0bQ

Today I slept all day. It felt amazing. The funny thing about sleep is when you sleep all day, at the end of sleeping you sleep so much it makes you tired. I love it. Thanks extra sleep for making me sleepy. Due to the fact that I am so sleepy I will be turning in shortly.

P.S. CAMO IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!
I had no idea his mission was over already.. like what the heck man?! that was quick! I'm excited to go home and see him:)


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

Here is the video

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Rogers Park Halloween

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Hershey's factory hats.
2. Staying up til 5a.m. decorating for Halloween.
3. Going downtown and going to the Hershey store.
4. Bad acting in scary movies.
5. Uploading pictures!

Quote of the Day:
To know the road ahead ask those coming back.
-Chinese Proverb

A picture is worth a thousand words. So, basically I'm writing a plethora of thousands of words:)

The first pictures are of the decoration in my dorm hall. We won the competition for the best hall. We now get a beanbag in our lounge.Basically everything you see is drawn of done by kids on my floor. Amazing eh? YES! The next pictures are of going downtown. We went to the Hershey store. It was delicious. But it was also absolutely awful. I ate too much. It was painful. Haha. Anyways, Enjoy!

(the video isn't working I will try to post it up ASAP)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת

10k

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. 6pm.com they have great deals y'all.
2. When people from colleges email me back.
3. People commenting my blog and me finding out about it later:)
4. My choice of college narrowing down to basically one!
5. Everyone decorating for the kids from Rogers Parks for Halloween.

Quote of the Day:
Think of life as a terminal illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived.
-Anna Quindlen

it's 11:11 for me. I'ma make a wish!

Today I found out that it is illegal to trick or treat in Chicago...how sad is that? Simpson Hall (my resident hall) has decorated the entire building and tomorrow we having the kids from Rogers Park (the local neighborhood) coming over to trick-or-treat! Yes, it's completely epic. I know.

I've noticed something epic. College is a time to experiment, to learn, to "find yourself." I have found myself. I am learning. All is left is to experiment. While the majority of my peers choose to experiment with worldly things i.e. drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. I choose to experiment by testing my limits. Since I got to Loyola I have pushed myself more then I have ever before. I've run my fastest mile here. I've run my first 5k here and have run many since. I have been teaching myself MMA stand-up here. And today, I ran my fist 10k. I am pushing my body to extremes I have never known about before and am loving every second of it. I working out and teaching myself new things. It's enjoyable.

Oh, in other news. At the Flo Rida concert last night I dislocated my shoulder. Thanks to my new found love of working out, it's feeling pretty good. Yes it is sore. Yes it hurts, but the muscles are developing around it and is already recovering. I worked it out today and it was holding up quite well, for this I am happy:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

Flo Rida, not Florida!

5 Things I'm Thankful For:
1. Free Concerts!
2. Watching Flo Rida for free.
3. Rap....it makes me truly appreciate my taste in music, I can't wait til TRS!!!
4. Realizing my quote of the day stands:)
5. Dancing at Flo Rida!

Quote of the Day:
"You can't spell crap without rap!"
-I first heard it from Dad, but I'm unsure of who originally said it.

Today I went to a concert at school.

(wow, I wrote a good page on this. But unfortunately the computer flaked and I lost everything. it's three a.m.) I'll write about this tomorrow.

--10 minutes later--

Well, I'm having troubles sleeping so I'll just write about it now.

I went to the concert and it was honestly one of the most bittersweet things I have ever been to. I was rude. I shouted insults the whole night. But it was for good reason. I HATE being asked stupid questions. If I am at a show. Why wouldn't I want to hear another one of your songs? Why wouldn't I want to dance? That's obviously why I am there. Don't ask silly questions because if you do, I will reply with an answer you don't want to hear. "Do you wanna hear another song?" to which I reply. NO, Get off the stage and let a real musician up. "Do you want to dance?" No, I don't want to dance because nobody here can dance. These comments of mine went on all night. People around me were laughing...so it's all good! If I was up on stage, of course I would try to get the crowd going and work the crowd and all that jazz...but I would also try to do something motivational. If I were on stage, during the dull moments I would talk about a cause. I would try to raise awareness...That's why rappers aren't as fly as me.

I've decided that I want to be a rapper. They have the easiest job in the world. All they do is get on stage, take their clothes off, sign stuff, and throw it out to the crowd. You don't even have to be able to sing anymore...cough T.I. uses autotune cough... to be a rapper. All I heard tonight was, Yo yo yo, yea, yeah, yeah, uh huh, haha, yo, yeah. It takes quite a bit of musical genius to come up with their lyrics, "yo yo yo, When I say hollywood. you say hollywood." do that every song, at least 10 times and then you've basically got every single one of Hollywood Holt's songs down.

I'm not gonna lie I had a great time tonight. I love music. No matter how crappy it is. If it has a beat and I can dance...trust me. I'll dance. Everyone knows I love to dance...and it's even better when it's flo rida singing about apple bottoms jeans. Remember him Dad? That was the only rap song you'd listen to:) Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur. Yup, that's flo rida. Shawty got low low low low low. I know I'm no shawty, but I a'int afraid to get low low low low low. Dancing is fun. I almost lost my voice from singing along. I was with friends. I had a great night.



Here are the pictures(in video format hope it works:
(this video is silent, feel free to watch at work, at school, wherever you read.)



Here is some video from the night as well.

WARNING: These videos are loud. It's VERY loud. Turn down the volume. Throw up some headphones, put it on mute. Do what you gotta do. You've be warned.
video 1


video 2


video 3



Sorry for all the poor quality. This was all done on my phone.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

New Song by Bryce

5 things i'm thankful for
1. staying up all night for english
2. listening to new TRS music while doing so.
3. thinking of beautiful music to come quite soon.
4. the amazing lyics of you gotta believe
5. talent in that song alone that inspires me to want to do more.

Quote of the Day:

Bryce Avary's newest released record, from his coming EP, You Gotta Believe, to be released on October 27, 2009.

Lyrics:

Sir, excuse my rudeness
But I believe that I know something
That you don't because you are talking down to me
Like you think I'm a nothing
And I won't allow it, this pompous prowess
Though I respect you, even through the prejudice
You're blind leading blind, its not hard to see.

You gotta believe, oh yeah, don't fear, don't break it, you gotta be free
I hope your blinded eyes will see.

You can ask me anything,
I may not know the answer to everything
No I won't, and all I can do is speak from the heart, a valiant sentiment
And although you're clever with your endeavor
Try to prove me wrong I will remember
You're blind leading blind, its not hard to see, yeah.

You gotta believe, oh yeah, don't fear dont break it, you gotta be free
I hope your blinded eyes will see
You gotta believe, dont fear dont break it, you gotta be free
I hope your blinded eyes will see, yeah.

Whatever the cost, whatever I lost,
Whatever I gained, whatever I fought,
I knew was a test and I am the furthest from what you think and it is worth it.

You gotta believe, oh, alright, don't fear don't break it you gotta be free
I hope your blinded eyes will see
You gotta believe, yeah don't fear, dont break it, you gotta be free
You gotta believe, don't don't let them hold you down,

Come on, come on, sing it
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
Yeah, oh it hurt my eyes to see.

You gotta believe.

THANK YOU BRYCE!!!!!


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

I Think I'd be Happy If It Was A Saturday!

5 things I'm thankful for
1. Bryce singing Saturday:)
2. When random people piano while I'm in the piano room. It's beautiful
3. Taking some awesome pictures of the parking garage tree.
4. Singing along to Saturday
5. Learning about the Gathering To Ohio

Quote of the Day:
But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
-D&C 45:32
This scripture provides me with comfort when I see the evil in the world.

GATHERING TO OHIO

Many members in the church were thinking of going to Ohio. In December of 1830 the Lord commanded his people to move to Ohio. As I read this part it affirmed that the Lord gives personal revelation yet does not reveal revelation for the entire church—unless the revelation is to the Prophet. I may be wrong, but from reading this it seemed that some of the people knew that were going to Ohio. I personally feel that they had the revelation for themselves. They felt that they [personally] would be moving to Ohio rather then the whole church. It was until after December 1830 that they realized it was the church as a whole.
As I read this chapter it made me sad to see that Satan will try to needle his way in wherever he can. It’s absolutely ridiculous. When revelation was given that the Saints needed to move to Ohio people immediately began to murmur. The book says, “Not everyone at the conference was in harmony with this revelation.” The Lord does NOT give pointless revelation. The Lord has a purpose for each and every single thing he does. His words are not just mere words. They are words with meaning. We cannot be picky and choosy with what we obey. We can’t want to obey certain aspects of the gospel and not other aspects and expect to get a lot out of it. I’ve learned through personal experience that the more I invest in the gospel the result is the more I receive from the gospel We must do our part. The Lord always makes good on his promises. If we obey, we WILL be blessed. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. If there is revelation given, all we need to do is obey! A few weeks ago in class I learned that it was said (I don’t remember who gave the talk but I remember the general idea) that if we listen in conference and do everything we have been told to do we would be set. All we have to do is obey! It’s sounds so simple because in reality it is so simple. It’s just as easy to obey, as it is to disobey. It’s all a matter of perspective. At first obeying is hard. But once you start it becomes natural and becomes easier and easier. Is this to say that we aren’t tempted? No. But it is saying that we will be closer to our Savior and have a better relationship and therefore we will be able to make the correct choices. I know that this is true. I have experienced this. I know that when I put faith in Christ and I do my part I am blessed. It’s simple—obey!

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

What's Wrong With Optimism?

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Helpful people at stores
2. Liz being my best buy buddy
3. Seeing maserati's downtown
4. Taking pictures of said car
5. Talking to Karley on Skype:)

Quote of the Day:
We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.
-Richard Feynman

I find it funny that people have a hard time with my optimism. I am a happy person. No, it's not always natural. But I have been on the opposite side of the spectrum I do now what it is like to deal with pessimism and complete sadness. That's not the life for me. That's not the life I choose. So yeah, sometimes my happiness and optimistic display is a little exaggerated but if it is. It's probably because I'm feeling down and need to find joy in the small things. It's not my personality that needs a fixer. It's yours. PEACE!

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

Photoshop Princess

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Applying to colleges while in college.
2. When someone gives a talk and it was for you.
3. Meeting with your branch President and he tells you you'll have a calling soon
4. Writing songs and feeling oh so happy.
5. Mom reminding me that when I get home...she's the first date:)

Quote of the Day:
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top .
-Unknown

Today I wrote a song. It's called Photoshop Princess. Tell me how you feel about it?

You search the magazines trying to find the modern look.
The world has you, baby, you’ve bitten the hook.
They’re reeling you in, distorting the view of real beauty.
They’re transforming you into something unknown, someone I don’t know.

When I first saw you, you were wearing sweat pants, your hair was such a mess,
Your makeup was nowhere to be seen, the sweater you wore was oversized
Baby, that’s when I knew that you’re beautiful just the way you are,
Don’t you know you’re gorgeous? Don’t you know I love you just the way you are?

You take millions of pictures; you’re using billions of angles
Adjusting the light, trying to look the perfect height.
You take picture after picture deleting fifty to every one you keep.
Thinking, “ Am I just not good enough, can’t I be like the models I see?”

When I first saw you, you were wearing sweat pants, your hair was such a mess,
Your makeup was nowhere to be seen, the sweater you wore was over-sized
Baby, that’s when I knew that you’re beautiful just the way you are,
Don’t you know you’re gorgeous? Don’t you know I love you just the way you are?

You get on your computer; you plug your camera in. You scan through all your pictures.
Deleting every other picture saying that it’s, “just not good enough.”
Once you have the ones you want you open up Photoshop and attack them mercilessly.
After you’ve attacked it looks new. It looks nothing like…you.

When I first saw you, you were wearing sweat pants, your hair was such a mess,
Your makeup was nowhere to be seen, the sweater you wore was oversized
Baby, that’s when I knew that you’re beautiful just the way you are,
Don’t you know you’re gorgeous? Don’t you know I love you just the way you are?

Boy: I love the girl you used to be. Girl: fall in love, in love with this created me. Boy: you’ve changed too much, I feel I’m losing the real you Girl: I need you know more than I’ve ever needed you before.

[Harmonize:]
Boy: I’ll be the one to wipe away your tears.
Girl: Be the one to wipe away my tears.

Boy: I need the girl I fell for from day one.
Girl: I need the boy who wanted me from the start.

Come back, please, come back. Be the girl who knew her real beauty, be the girl who knew her potential. Run away from the world that drags you down. Turn away from the magazines that rip you to shreds. Come back and realize you’re more then I could’ve ever dreamed. Come back and realize you’re perfect in every way.

When I first saw you, you were wearing sweat pants, your hair was such a mess,
Your makeup was nowhere to be seen, the sweater you wore was over-sized
Baby, that’s when I knew that you’re beautiful just the way you are,
Don’t you know you’re gorgeous? Don’t you know I love you just the way you are?

I love you just the way, just the way, just the way you are.


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>

Black sweater makes me sweat.

1. my black hockey sweater that makes me sweat
2. working out for 3 hours
3. USC winning!
4. Norte dame losing!
5. Playing the piano while listening to TRS.

Quote of the day:
"There's no time for hating, what we hate we make."
-Bryce Avary

Just a heads up, I think I am going to start a new Blog. This one will remain the personal one. The other one will be one where I can critique and stuff. Just lettin y'all know. I need popcorn. Peace.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

13.8

Things I am Thankful for:
1. Flight to Utah:)
2. Emails from Dad letting me know of said flight.
3. Going 13.8 miles on a bike.
4. Starting to feel sore from that 13.8 miles.
5. 12:57 Popcorn.

Quote of the Day:
A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.
-G. K. Chesterton

I love reading. I haven't had the opportunity to free read that much. It's rough. I am going to try to start adding more personal reading into my life. It is late and I am tired. Sorry this is so short. I'll write something epic soon. That's a promise.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

What are you willing to read?

Things I am Thankful for:
1. Taco Salads with Chipotle sauce.
2. Getting free snowcones
3. Getting free pizzas
4. Watching pie eating contests
5. Watching people make fools of themselves on a mechanical bull.

Quote of the Day.
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe less so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together"
- Marilyn Monroe
I agree with this quote:)

P.S. I find it absolutely hilarious that I can type in Marilyn Monroe and have it be not get the red squiggly, I can even type in Jedi(as long as I capitalize the J) and not get the squiggly, but I can't type in the name of our President--Barack Obama--without getting the squiggles. I thought that was funny.

Anyways, I told you all about my paper for history. I have no doubt you all want to read it. I will therefore be posting it. Hope you enjoy.
The 1920’s were a time of great reform for women in America. Prior to this era women were considered to be chattel—granted they were not as oppressed as bad as the blacks or Native Americans—they were still not rich white men. The Women in the 1920’s lacked rights. They lacked the most basic of rights; the right to vote Even after the reform men continued to limit women's rights. Social scientists appeared in both print and oratory in an attempt to expand the roles of women in the home, workplace, etc. Their work both defined and reflected the identity of the “new woman.” The writings of the social scientists redefined sexuality, domestic jobs, and the workplace of the American woman in the 1920’s. Even after this redefinition of the “new roles”, Women still lacked equal rights.
One of the first points made in the papers concerning sex and sexuality of the American woman comes from William I. Thomas who states, “She is not immoral because this implies the loss of morality, but rather a-moral—never having a moral code.” Social scientists redefined the sex and sexuality of women in the 1920’s by showing women of this era as nothing more than a piece of meat waiting to be devoured by the next hungry male counterpart. We see this as the term “flapper” was coined in the 1920’s. The word “flapper”, in this era, brought to light a “brand new breed” of young women who broke away from societal norms. With the flappers came new style; they wore short skirts, they weren’t afraid to show a little skin. They had no problems openly disagreeing and dissenting with the societal norm of the 1920’s. Flappers were notorious for wearing makeup in copious amounts, smoking, drinking, and most importantly, having casual attitude towards sexual intercourse. They listened to the new music of the time—jazz. Jazz was to flappers as rock and roll was to hippies. It was freedom in sound. The flappers drove cars. They did everything that society had taught them not do to. One can argue that the social scientists were just writing about the time and how things were. Contrarily, it can also be stated that social scientists were fueling the fire and blowing this reform out of proportion. They were doing this to show that the new women coming forth in America was a bad thing and that this reform should be stopped. It is probable that writing and showing this to be more than it truly was, was the only way that the social scientists felt they could prevent this reform. The social scientists attempted to portray this new expression of sexuality of the “new women” in such a negative way as to try to ruin it. Prior to the 1920’s women’s sexual appetites were completely dependent on the man. Gerald Leinwand states, “sex was in the background and women were subservient to the appetites of men and only reluctantly partook of sexual intercourse.” This changed with the flappers. Flappers wanted equality in all aspects, not just economically when it came to jobs, but also when it came to sex. The flappers opined that if men could have sex freely that they, the women, should also be allowed to have sex freely. The women of the time became more and more aware of their sexuality and were freer with their sex and sexuality. They did not hide it like they once did, they were proud of who and what they were. Flappers were somewhat of the predecessors of the second wave for the feminist movement in the 1920’s. The flappers wanted equal rights and that is what the feminists fought for. Although they fought for equal rights, equal rights were not granted and have yet to be granted to women. The social scientists of this time redefined the “new American woman” by showing her as a “new breed” of women.
The domestic jobs of women were redefined by social scientists but merely reiterating them. At the time women were beginning to make strides, women were advocating change. The redefinition from the sociologists came from the belief that women should be housekeepers. Christine Frederick best shows this example by her sample schedule which states, “6:00-6:30 Rise and dress; start water heater.” The schedule is replete with similar chores and was seen to be the epitome of a woman during this era. This was an extremely sexist belief. In essence it is saying that if you are a woman, you belong in the house and that you should do all in your power to better yourself. An opposing view is argued by Lorine Pruette who declares, “The married woman who lets herself go upon the easy tide of domesticity is offering herself as a victim in a future tragedy.” This is saying that women should get as much education as possible and that domesticity is too easy and not suitable for the “new American woman.” The problems with Lorine Pruette’s argument come from Willystine Goodsell who provides a succinct summary of women’s absolute subservience in domesticity. Willystine Goodsell says, “Can it be in the divine order of things that one Ph.D. should wash dished a whole life time for another Ph.D. just because one is a woman and the other a man?” Why would a woman invest copious amounts of time and money in obtaining a higher education when it would just be thrown in her face and she is left to work at home? Women did not have rights in domestic jobs. Women were expected to put up or shut up. There was not a “new American woman” when it came to domestic tasks. They were expected to work full time at home and have everything ready for their families. Women who were not this stereotypical woman were not held in high esteem and viewed as being a bad wife and bad mother. The social scientists redefined the women of the roaring twenties by basically saying that their job was to be housekeeper and her ultimate job was to please her family, which was not a “redefinition” but an affirmation of the status quo.
The workplace in America can be pinpointed as one of the major sources of greatest inequality during the 1920’s. Women were seen in masses in the workplace because of World War I. Once the war was over, in the words of Alyse Gregory, “women were admonished to hurry once more home and give the men back their jobs. It was too late.” Workplace reform had taken place and it was there to stay. Women in the workplace liberated women. It allowed them to not have to be dependant on any other person but themselves. It gave women a freedom they had never experienced before. Although women had found a new-fangled freedom there was still a supreme lack of equality within the workplace. The inequality between men and women is blatantly seen through the graph provided by Alice Rogers Hager. While working in the factories the men averaged about thirty-two dollars a week. Conversely Women averaged a paltry seventeen dollars a week. Men were making nearly double the weekly salary of women. Women finally had financial freedom but men limited it. Women did not have the equal rights that they wanted so badly. The social scientists of the time redefined women of the 1920’s era as a woman who wanted to work and therefore have her independence.
Women of the roaring twenties were making strides, such as the nineteenth amendment, yet every way these women turned they were met with opposition from the opposite sex—men. These male-chauvinist-pigs prevented women from reaching their full potential. A lack of equality continues between and women in our society. Men still make more money than comparative women. Society is trying to tell women to, “just settle down and marry a man that will take care of you and let you focus on raising your children.” This shows that even though these papers were written and that these speeches were delivered, the inequality of women did not change, ultimately the writings of the social scientists of the 1920’s redefined the woman’s sex and sexuality, their domestic jobs, and their role in the workplace but it did not give them and still has not given them the equal rights which they deserve.


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

This Outline Won't Write Itself.

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Funny prank calls.
2. The relief of finishing my history paper.
3. Taco Salads from the Rambler room.
4. Letters from Elder Gregory Sanchez!
5. The ease of looking up information on the internet.

Quote of the Day:
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go. Oh the places you'll go.
- Dr Seuss

I need to finish up my draft and outline. I need to do this by tomorrow morning. It will not complete itself. I need to write. I am very sorry. I will write a good blog soon.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

A Sad Thought.

1. My ridiculous train of thought when I am doing homework
2. People "helping" me write my history essay.
3. Mixing it up when it comes to my history essay.
4. Energy to stay awake and complete my history essay.
5. Sleeping after writing a long thesis.

Quote of the Day:

"Behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
- Maryon Pearson

This quote is just funny.

Okay, so as I was doing my homework my train of thought began jumping from thing to thing. I thought about people who are confined to a wheelchair during a fire alarm. If you are not on the first floor, how do you get out? There is no ramp that will take you from whatever floor you are on the the very bottom? You cannot get on the elevator because that is one of the number one no no's during a fire. I read the fire post on the door and it says that you should assist the person with evacuation or immediately let authorities know so that they can assist them. The one problem here at Simpson hall is, we have had multiple fire alarms(we have to treat them each as real fire alarms because there are no fire drills here)and the firemen do not show. This leaves me concerned about the disabled. Just saying.

I am worried that there will not be assistance in time. I need to finish this essay up and then go to sleep. Maybe I'll post my essay as a blog for y'all to read tomorrow. Until then. Peace.


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

3:19 am

Things I'm thankful for:
1. Awesome history response essay #2
2. Stress due to number 1
3. the ability to feel stress because of number 1
4. friends helping me write number 1
5. it being 3:19am

Quote of the Day:
"Take them shoes of your teeth and stop running your mouth."
-lil wayne

Yes, he is a rapper. Yes I love this quote. Yes I blogged earlier today. Yes I am tired.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

The Universe Agrees

Five Things I'm thankful for:
1. Those days you feel the universe is agreeing with you.
2. Homegrown by Kings of Leon
3. Theology class not happening-->Canceled Class
4. My Alive twloha shirt.
5. My indestructible brown bracelet.

Today I woke up much earlier then originally anticipated. I was up by around 6:30. I first decided that I would go out and watch the sun rise. As I got dressed and got outside I realized that it was cloudy outside so I went straight to the gym. I ran three miles in about half an hour. After the gym I went to my room and read my scriptures. After reading my scriptures I went to eat breakfast. For breakfast I had 2 glasses of apple juice, 2 hard-boiled eggs, and 1 medium slice of banana bread. The banana bread was nowhere near as good as Khyrie's and just fyi I would like to consume copious amounts of that among other foods upon my arrival come November. While I was eating breakfast and after eating breakfast I read for my Theology class. After reading I went and showered. After showering. I got dressed and went to class and was greeted my a handful of peers standing outside saying class was canceled. I am now at the IC doing homework. I just thought I'd write a quick blog. I really needed this time to do some homework and it was given to me. I love the days when the universe agrees with your schedule. I am oh so happy. I love life:)


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Old Habits....

Five Things I'm Thankful For:
1. Learning how to better schedule myself.
2. Response essays in my history class.
3. Free wifi at places other then Loyola.
4. My phone that frustrates me to no end yet allows me to talk to Mom:)
5. Eye candy of the reading type.

Quote of the Day:
"Old habits die hard."
-English proverb. or. Unknown.

I find my quote of the day to be extremely apropos. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my new scheduling. I have consistently being getting better and better at scheduling myself and getting up at a decent time. I realize now that it goes both ways. I need to get to sleep earlier. I have yet to make the perfect schedule. I will be going to sleep at the close of this Blog and will then be waking up at around 7:15 to head over to the Halas Sports Center for my morning cardiovascular work out. I am trying to exercise as much as possible and I know that the morning--before you eat or anything of that sort--is the best time to work out. It is the best time because throughout the day you eat. When you eat you add fat to your body. Therefore when you work out for at least the first 20 minutes of your workout you are burning off the fat you have consumed throughout the day rather the working off the fat on your body. When you sleep your body burns fat from your last meal seeing as it has a handful of hours to do so. When you work out immediately upon rising from bed you are attacking the fat plaguing your body rather then the fat just recently consumed. I can not wait to go work out. I am trying to do better with my Cardio. On Friday I ran 3.2 miles. Saturday I cycled 8.7 Miles and ran 1 mile. I am excited to get back in the gym after tomorrow and work my body. It feels quite good.

As I was saying, I plan on getting to sleep earlier. It is now 11:00 pm. I need to read my Scriptures and some Preach My Gospel.

Scheduling. Gotta love it. Darn you phone, I wish you would sync with my computer to help me stay sharp! Oh well.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Inequality Makes Hot Dogs Taste Better!

Five Things I'm thankful for:
1. The gorgeous manager at Ralph Lauren.
2. Delicious inequality hot dogs.
3. Double char cheddar dogs.
4. Ralph Lauren not knowing about their discrimination.
5. Liz working on my blog with me and fixing redline to...red line. AND switching smack on the hand to slap on the wrist. (I couldn't remember the idiom{correct me if I'm wrong concerning the word})Thanks Liz!

Quote of the Day:
I did a quote earlier in the day from Nathaniel Hawthorne. I will not be doing a second quote. Sorry. You can't argue. It is after all Quote of the Day, that means only one remarkable quote per day. Sorry readers.


As promised in the Blog from last night, or early this morning—depending on how you choose to call it, I will be writing about my social experiment. Last night, Spencer and I decided that it would be a good idea to get an early start on the day. We decided to take off around 10. This morning I woke up at around 9:45. He texted me shortly after and asked if I was ready to go, I was not. I told him I’d need some time. I then proceeded to get ready for the day and as I started getting ready I was extremely disappointed that I had mixed up my shirts and realized that the one I thought was ironed was not. I then ironed my shirt. I then got ready. I wore my khaki pants, my light blue shirt, and a red tie. I wore my black shoes. I looked quite spiffy. I even put a part in my hair. Yes, I was fancy. We then got onto the red line and rode to the Chicago exit. That put us basically in the center of the Magnificent Mile.
The first store we went into was Ralph Lauren. The first thing we noticed was that the entire first floor had only Caucasian employees. There was no diversity. We went up to the other floors and we were able to find diversity there. My friend and I separated. Three times he was asked if he needed help. I was not asked once. It was almost as if I was an afterthought. As I was looking through the ties, an employee kept glaring at me, he did not follow me but I repeatedly caught him glaring. We then left the store and took notes.
The next store we went to was Banana Republic. We saw a “we’re hiring sign” in the front window. We decided to split up and ask for job applications. I went in first and asked. I was given a business card, a number to call, and told that the Internet was where this was handled. Spencer had a similar experience. The first thing I noticed upon entering the store was that there was instant diversity. On the first floor there was plenty of diversity. That made me happy.
As we left Banana Republic and were out on the street a lady came up to me and said, “Donde esta Illinois street?” I replied, “Yo no sé donde esa calle es. Lo siento, I’m so sorry.” The lady then said, “oh, ok. Gracias, ciao.” I said, “Sorry, have a great day.” As the lady walked away I processed things in my mind. The lady that I did not know had just walked up for me and assumed I spoke Spanish. I had missed an opportunity for an action step. Why did she think I spoke Spanish? Was it my skin color? Was it my facial features? Why had she assumed I spoke Spanish? I chuckled and realized I had missed a golden chance to educate someone on stereotypes.
The third store we went to was Tiffany & Co. on the first floor there was one non-Caucasian. He was the store security guard. The sales people were all white; there was a lack of diversity. I once again was not asked if I needed help. I then went to the second floor. Upon reaching the second floor, I was greeted and asked if I needed help. The employees of the second floor were predominantly “minorities.” As I was looking around on the second floor I was asked upwards of three times if I needed any help and that there were people to help me. A major difference between the first floor and the second floor was the price. On the first floor of the store the items being sold were extremely expensive. Things on the first floor were priced in the thousands as a start. Things on the second floor were priced in the hundreds. Was it purely coincidental that where all the expensive merchandise was held there were only white employees and that where the relatively inexpensive merchandise was held there were only minorities? I personally think it’s more than just coincidental.
The next store on the block was Saks 5th Avenue. We went in and to my contentment they were very diverse right off the bat. We then split up. As I was walking around I was politely asked if I needed help with anything. To my astonishment this happened on each floor. It was a relief to see that at least one company knew what proper customer service was. I was happy to see that they were not only good at customer service but they also were extremely diverse.
Spencer and I decided that we would go back to Ralph Lauren and discuss what had taken place earlier with a manager. We went in and walked around for a while. Nothing had changed. There was still a lack of diversity on the first floor and the man who was in charge of looking over the ties was still glaring at me. We went to the front desk and asked to speak to the manager. The lady asked if there was anything she could help us with. We were quite blatant about the racial issue and her jaw dropped. She said, “Yes of course you can talk to the manager…but that’s more of an HR thing.” She then called the manager to the desk. While we were waiting for the manager to appear I asked for the number of HR. She gave me the names and numbers that I should contact. The manager finally arrived. She asked what the problem was. We told her our concerns of the lack of diversity on the first floor and asked her if that was purely coincidental or if it was like this for a reason. She was completely dumbfounded with our question. She told us that it must be purely coincidental and that it was also because the first floor mainly consisted of those of seniority and tenure working the first floor. I replied with another question and asked her why was that group mainly Caucasian. She replied saying that she did not know why that was but that this was only one of the branches of Ralph Lauren and that there was diversity among its other branches. I replied and informed her that I was not shopping at the other branches and that I was shopping at this branch. The other branches were irrelevant. She asked us why we had these questions. Spencer then told her that he was asked multiple times if he needed any assistance or anything while I on the other hand was completely blown off. We noticed this and then one thing led to another and before we knew it we had seen the massive inequalities in Ralph Lauren. Spencer then said that he was worried that he was getting all the attention and then I would end up getting tailed or something of that sort. She asked if that had happened. I told her that no I had not been tailed but that I had an employee glaring at me each and every time I went through his department. She asked us who it was. Spencer then told her that we did not want to put anyone on the spot and get anyone fired or anything of that sort. I mentally disagreed with Spencer at this point but I did not voice what I had to say. If it had been up to me I would have told her who it was and brought it to her attention because he needs to be talked to and shown that this is not okay, as for his job security I doubt he will have anything worse then a little slap on the wrist—figuratively speaking—and that would be the end of it. Spencer went on to say that we just wanted to shed light on the issue. She immediately apologized for the lack of customer service and promised that she would talk to the employees and make sure that this was addressed. She then told us how sorry she was that this had happened and let us know that she was sorry for the discrimination we had seen and then she promised that Ralph Lauren was not a place of discrimination. We thanked her for her time and she apologized yet again. We then left.

After completing our great feat Spencer and I went to a little hot dog restaurant. It was fantastic! I got a double cheddar char dog with everything on it but pickles and hot peppers. It was amazing. I got my hot dog and to my surprise when they say double then mean you get to hot dogs in one bun! I was so excited. It was absolutely delicious. I will most definitely be revisiting that restaurant soon…with Liz.

I am going to possibly upload a lot of pictures so look for a pure photo blog. Maybe...Maybe not. Is the suspense killing you?

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

New Thing....

Five Things I'm Thankful For:
1. Friends who introduce me to new quotes
2. People who say amazing things
3. The ability to quote someone
4. Attack Attack!
5. Good remixes of songs.

Quote of the Day:
"Words- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

I am currently on Facebook talking to Kelsey Steed. Kelsey is one of my best friends. If you noticed, in one of the past blogs I said I was thankful for Kelsey. She recently sent me a message via Facebook Chat that read, "Words- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

I am constantly exposed to new and epic quotes. This is my quote of the day. If I have something impact me I will add have it be my quote of the day. It will go under the things I am thankful for. I hope this is a good tradition I am starting. Look for them:)

Gym

Five things I'm thankful for:
1. The ability to watch movies on my computer.
2. The ability to watch tv shows on my computer.
3. Watching tv shows on my computer with friends.
4. My black hockey jacket from junior year.
5. My twloha deon.

In my sociology class we are required to do something called action steps. An action step is when you do something confrontational to stop prejudice, discrimination, or racism. Tomorrow, Spencer (a fellow peer) and I will be having a social experiment, which will hopefully result in an action step. We will both be getting moderately dressed up--khaki's with a shirt and tie--and going to look for jobs on Michigan Avenue. ***Yes, this is a fantastic way to kill two birds with one stone, hopefully I can find a job and start getting income:)**** We will go to the same places at different times looking for jobs and/or applications. If there are any discrepancies, with the results as to what directions for our applying or anything of that sort, we will go to said place and speak to the manager or HR or whoever we need to speak to in order to point out what happened and ask why it happened. By law a company is not allowed to deny you an application due to skin color or anything of that sort yet it still happens. We will see the results. After we go to Michigan Avenue we are planning on going to Pilsen; Chicago's Hispanic community. We wonder if there will be any differences depending on where we go. It will be quite an eventful day tomorrow. I am more than excited. Tomorrow night I will write in with the results and fill you in on what happens!

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Did I Do That?

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. An American politics class where I'm required to formulate good arguments.
2. Hanging out with Dad and having him in Chicago
3. Studying with my friends for their American Politics class...not mine
4. My Bracelet that has green strings on it.
5. The dry ice burn on my hand.

I had my American Politics class. In class we were going over U.S. Term Limits, Inc. V. Thornton (1995)
The main question being asked in the case was, can a state add to the list of requirements in the United States constitution for Federal(National) offices?

The facts of the case are: Arkansas put restrictions on the house and senate that are not in the US constitution and they are not trying to change the requirements to run—that would be going against the letter of the law—they are trying to make additions to the constitution.

In the verdict the supreme court ruled that the constitution is very clear about what requirements are necessary for running for office. Any individual who fulfills those requirements stipulated by the U.S. constitution is able to run.

I was in favor of the majority. I do not think that the states have the ability to add more stipulations to taking a national office.

The majority of students in my class were in favor of the dissent. They thought that Arkansas should have won and should be able to make their own choices as to who is eligible for that national offices.

My teacher always brings forth or sheds light on the opposing side of what you argue--no matter what. I have grown to appreciate this because it forces me to be able to form a deep well thought out argument. He makes us force ourselves to see the other sides argument(s) and be able to prove our point further while keeping these in mind.

As we were wrapping up my teacher knew I was itching to get in one more final point (I had been one of the few in favor of the majority and was therefore able to speak a lot)before we moved on. He gave me the privilege of a final point...after he had said the speaker before me was the closing statement. I felt pretty special. He turned the time over to me, I said, "When a separate state set different requirements for taking office in a a national position they are in essence putting faith in separate but equal. They have separate rules for the equal position. They are separate...but equal."

I saw my teacher grin, he said, "I'm not even going to try to argue against that. You're trying to get me to argue in favor of "Dred Scott v. Sanford" and I'm not gonna do that. So basically you're saying that the majority has an entire other argument that they did not unfold on this. Nicely done."

I was very content! I felt pretty happy:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

I HAVE INTERNET!

5 things I'm thankful for
1. friends who let me use their notes
2. ham on a sandwich
3. 2 curly fries that made me laugh
4. 2 pineapple grilled slices that were tasty
5. hangin out with dad!

So, I was unable to blog last night because I did not have the internet. Tonight there will be a lack of long blog because I am exhausted! I'm sorry, I'll write something fantastic tomorrow! Goodbye:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Pizza from 7/11

5 things I'm thankful for
1. seven eleven
2. seven eleven working 24 hours
3. cheap pizza at seven eleven
4. Bonita making my pizza cause I'm too lazy
5. General Conference

Today I watched my first episode of General Conference. This is quite unfortunate, I know. I'm glad there is the internet and I can watch the episodes later on. It is going to be freaking epic. I am so stoked. Better news. I get to see Dad in about 12 hours! This is going to be one of the most fantastic things ever.

I am very hungry. I want to eat food right now. I have a pizza that just got out of the oven. It's going to be consumed...now

:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

I am so tired

5 things i'm thankful for:
mcdoubles
mcdonalds fries
ben and jerrys ice cream
crunch bars
the prospect of sleep

I love that now blogging has become such a part of me. It's a habit. I feel it is healthy to write.. and write a lot. I think it feels good to be able to release my thoughts.

I'm tired


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Mmm, Exhaustion.

5 things I'm thankful for
1. The feeling you get after leaving an exam and realize it's the weekend
2. Realizing it's more than just a regular weekend
3. Realizing it's finally fall break
4. Realizing there's not school for a while
5. REALIZING I GET TO SEE DAD ON MONDAY!!!

A, I am extremely tired.
B, I feel confident on my exams
C, I am very exhausted.
D, I am going to go to bed...early.
E, Thank you for reading my Blog
F, Everyone is gone because it's fall break
G, it's almost as empty as parent's weekend.
H, I had soup today
I, It was really good soup.
J, I thought I might be getting sick.
K, So I popped vitamin C like mad...and ate soup.
L, I really like soup.
M, I miss Mom's soup.
N, I might even eat it on a hot summers day.
O, Maybe not.
P, But it is that good.
Q, I really enjoy funny movies.
R, Cute girls intimidate me.
S, ...Again.
T, I got scared of cute girls.
U, ...Again.
V, My phone keeps randomly shutting off.
W, I am backing up my contact list to Microsoft Excel.
X, Manually :(
Y, It is slow and I realize I might have inputted numbers wrong. Dyslexia?
Z, zzzzz I'm asleep.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

In order to make up for last night...here is blog 2 of the night!

Another 5 things I'm thankful for
1. Mom worrying about me because I didn't blog:)
2. Dad writing on monotheism. Makin a shout out to you right here. I use a lot from you in this paper.
3. Staring at my free redbull and willing myself not to drink it.
4. Friends helping me study.
5. Friends offering comic relief while I should be studying...

Tertullian Trinity
Q: The Christian God is ineffable mystery that is known as Trinity. In other words, the Christian God is 3 person in One Substance. In this essay please discuss the Trinitarian program of Tertullian. Please detail what he meant by 3 persons 1 substance. How is "Person" to be understood? How does Tertullian's conception safeguard the Christian idea of monotheism, over against charges of polytheism? Why is important for Tertullian that Christians not subscribe to any notion of Monarchinism? And finally, how then, based on Tertullian's idea, can Christian call Jesus "God?"

A: Tertullian was the first to come forth with the word Trinity. Tertullian believed the trinity to be one substance with three separate personas—personas coming from the Latin word persona-meaning mask—or expressions. Tertullian believed in the immanent trinity. The immanent trinity is the way in which God exists in God self (before the act of creation). God possessed Logos and Sophia (wisdom). Although, God seems to be alone, God is not really alone. In creation the logos (word of God) is what creates. Sophia, or wisdom, helps in the creating by naming that which the Logos calls into existence. This focus on the trinity is the focus prior to the creation.
The belief of monotheism stands true with this belief on the trinity because it states that there is one substance. Not three. This one substance is God. The personas are just separate expressions of God. This safeguards the Christian idea of monotheism, over against charges of polytheism.
Monarchianism is the belief of God as one substance and one person. It is important for Tertullian that Christians not subscribe to any notion of monarchianism because if they do believe in monarchianism this completely ruins his stance. If there is Monarchianism there cannot be the immanent trinity and therefore Tertullian’s argument loses any and all power. In Tertullian’s eyes, Christians had to be one or the other because if they are not one or they other it does not work and of course Tertullian was in favor of the immanent trinity and the three personas within in one substance as is seen by him being such an advocate of it.
According to Tertullian’s idea, Christians can call Jesus “God” because the Logos (one of the personas of the substance of God) became Jesus Christ. Since Logos is Jesus Christ and logos is one of the personas of the Substance of God, Jesus Christ is therefore God.
Tertullian and I have very differing views when it comes to the Trinity. I believe the Godhead to be three separate and it is monotheism. One might ask, how can you say that is monotheism if you believe the Godhead to be three separate beings? There is only one God, our Heavenly Father. I worship Him and revere Him as my Father and the Supreme Being. Jesus Christ, His Son, is just that, His Son, the First Born of our Father's spirit children (of which we are all a part of) and His Only Begotten Son here on earth. We come to the Father through the Son because He is our intermediary with the Father. He, Christ, paid the price for our sins through the atonement. If we repent and take advantage of the atonement, we can be forgiven and become worthy to enter or return to the presence of our Father. All Christ did, all His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane when He atoned for our sins, when He took upon Himself all of our pain, failures, sickness, any and all bad things that ever happen to us, His crucifixion, death and resurrection allow us to come back to our Father and be with Him again as we were before coming here to earth to gain a body and to prove ourselves to see if we would be true and faithful to the commandments so that we could return Home to our Father. The Holy Ghost is another separate being that testifies of the veracity of the Father and the Son and lets us know that what we are doing is correct. He, the Holy Ghost, is that warm, fuzzy feeling when we hear something true, He testifies to us. That is why Christ told His disciples that He would send the Comforter after He left and the Comforter would teach them the truth of all things. There was no need for the Holy Ghost when Christ was with His disciples because they saw Him, lived with Him, worked with Him, preached with Him, witnessed His miracles. The Holy Ghost testifies to us of true things that we cannot see but we feel them and they are true. Just like now, if you are reading this with a sincere heart, pondering these words, you feel of their truth through the Holy Ghost. I know it happens because I can feel His, the Holy Ghost's presence, now testifying to me this is so. It makes so much sense. It is logical. There are three separate and distinct beings in the Trinity, they form the Godhead but there is only one God that we worship and that is God, our Heavenly Father. They are one in purpose but only one Father, Architect, Planner, Overseer, God and that is our Heavenly Father. See, monotheism.
The more I study the trinity and the more my world is opened up to differing views on the trinity the more confirmation I feel on my knowledge of the trinity. The views on the trinity I have known and believed my whole life are confirmed throughout my studies. I respect Tertullian and his view and read it completely open to what he has to say but I do not agree with him. I realize the impact he has had on the world and on Christianity as a whole but I do not agree with him.

VERY LONG. I know. I REALLY made up for missing a night:)

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.

Sorry for the neglect....

five things I'm grateful for
1. Theology studying
2. History Studying
3. Flash Cards
4. double paged notes.
5. Tests in theology and history on the same day that I need to study for.

Sorry for my lack of a blog yesterday I wrote about Kristy and it was extremely draining. AFter I wrote it I read my scriptures and collapsed in my bed. Sorry.

I'll post what I wrote.

Have you ever had the feeling that your heart was in your stomach? Have you ever had the feeling that your insides were scrambled? Have you ever felt the pain of death? Have you ever learned to truly appreciate this fragile thing we call life? I have.
As I sat on the yellow leather couch wrapped in my colcha de tigre—enjoying just another post-hockey-game-victory-celebration-movie night with Dad—wishing I was out sledding with my friends. I felt the feeling. When I asked to go out Dad did not say no. Dad simply said, “You hurt your shoulder tonight and you know if you go out with your friends you’ll probably make it worse. You’ve got some big games coming up James but it is your call, you know what you are doing.” As I sat there wishing I had not made the “right” call, I felt the buzz buzz vibration of my phone—text message received, and I felt the feeling.
I unlocked my phone and read the text from Melissa, “James, Kristy hit head sledding.” Every part of me wanted to say that everything was okay but the feeling was too powerful. I knew that everything was far from okay. I replied, “How bad is it?” Almost immediately Melissa’s response came, “They don’t think she’s going to make it.” My love hate relationship with Kristy instantaneously came to mind.
Kristy and I had one of the most complicated love hate relationships of all time. It started back in ninth grade when she dated my friend Nick. For some reason or another while they dated, we were sworn enemies. We both had extremely strong personalities that clashed quite well. During our sophomore year our mutual friends became one group and put us in the same circle of friends, we even more time together because of our mutual best friend—Melissa. Because of this time together, Kristy realized I wasn’t all that bad and fell for me. I wasn’t there to catch her as she fell, nor did I fall for her. I remembered the previous year and had some difficulties letting the past be the past. I made it more than clear that I did not like her that way and that I had a hard enough time being a friend to her at all. Near the end of the year things started change. Kristy started falling for a boy Connor and I realized that the past was the past and that I needed to move on. Junior year was a fantastic year for our friendship. Nearly every weekend was spent in each other’s company. We would joke together and our strong personalities seemed to highlight each others sarcasm and humor, which made for many epic nights filled with laughter and love among friends.
December 2, 2007 at around three in the morning. I lost an angel in my life. How could it be that I had hung out with her the night before, how could it be that I was supposed to be with her that night, how could she be gone? How could I have lost one of my best friends? How could Kristy be gone?
To this day it seems unreal. To this day I want to convince myself that it never happened and that Kristy is only a phone call away. This unfortunately is not the case. On that night I lost someone I love. I have learned from this tragedy. I now live every day as if it is my last. I live and try to avoid judging others. I live and now believe in giving more that one chance. I live and believe in the power to change. I live and try to live optimistically. I live and try to make everyday epic. I live and try to be a little more like Kristy. I live and I try. I live and I love.


I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.