Procrastinators UNITE!!

...tomorrow.

Life Soundtrack Game: Round1!

Okay, I know some of you may have seen something like this elsewhere on the internet as a forum game or something like that, but I thought I might be nifty to do one as a blog post if for no other reason than to give you a taste of my music library.

Here's how the game works: if you have a MP3 player (handheld or on your computer, it doesn't matter), set it up to play your entire library or playlist and set it on shuffle or random and record the song title (and artist/band if you so wish) in each slot as it comes up. Have fun!

Opening Credits: Toby Mac - Love is in the House [Muckala Remix]; ummmm, not the most apropriate way to open up, but whatever, it's a good song
Waking Up: KJ-52 - Dear Slim Pt.2[True Story Remix]; he woke me up
First Day At School: Toby Mac - Yours[Linney Remix]; appearantly I went in with a bang (or at least looking like one of those extreme hardcore alternative kids, LOL)
Shopping: Seventh Day Slumber - Every Saturday; ...ummmmm...I didn't know shopping was such an intimate activity for me, LOL! XD
Hanging with Friends: Nichole Nordeman - Grace; <_<>_> this is a bit too intimate for just hangin' with friends
First Kiss: United Live - Shine For You; We were at a Hillsong concert that night
Birthday: United Live - Majesty; didn't know what to make of this at first, but I'd totally have Hillsong play live at my next birthday!
Party Scene: KJ-52 - KJ Five Two; cuz I know how to keep it bumpin' an' chill at the same time
Falling In Love: Grits - Open Windows; ...ummmmm...this totally doesn't fit the mood, like, at all
Fight Song: The Innocenc Mission - The Brotherhood of Man; ...What??!
Breaking Up: Demon Hunter - Fire to My Soul; sounds a little too intense for a break up, must have been some pretty extreme circumstances
Prom: Haste the Day - Fallen; because nothing says prom night like moshing to death metal, right? (actually, this is the kind of prom I'd totally go to, LOL)
College: Falling Up - Arch of Achilles; yeah, college actually was pretty chill for the most part for me
Life: Toby Mac - Fellin' so Fly; Lovin' life, baby!
Mental Breakdown: KJ-52 - Dear Slim Pt.2; can anyone say comeback montage?
Driving: KJ-52 - Outro/Gimme Dat; I was high on dew that night...
Flashback: Sanctus Real - Beautiful Day; depending on the flashback, this would work rather nicely
Getting back together: Falling Up - Helicopters; a bitter-sweet reunion
Love Scene: Toby Mac - Made to Love; I did not plan this, I swear, but it totally works like a charm! XD
Wedding: Toby Mac ft. Nirva Dorsaint - No Ordinary Love; hip-hop wedding, why not?
Honeymoon: Haste the Day - Walls and Fears; this doesn't fit at all
Birth of Child: Grits - Save Soul; (again)...What???
Final Battle: Haste the Day - Bleed Alone; short, sweet and to-the-point
Death Scene: Starfield - 40; nice; not my first pick, but it works
Funeral Song: KJ-52 ft. Donnie - Pick Yourself Up; okay, I'm dead now, move on
End Credits: Seventh Day Slumber - Broken Buildings; nice little wrap-up

A'ight, now post a comment with your own life soundtrack based on the outline set above, or come up with your own, and remember, no cheating!

JAck out.

This is your life; are you who you wanna be?

This song kinda sums up what I've been feeling a conviction about today. Why? Well, as I may have already stated before in previous posts, I've been in something of a rut, a slump if you will, of apathy, though I think of it more as a kind of lethargy. It seems like I've subconsciously fallen into a state of what I like to call a "sugar-high" mentality. In other words, I get hyped up on the pastor's message on Sunday morning and Wednesday night and then as soon as I get back home I crash. Does this mean that I've become (*GASB*) a "Sunday Christian"??!
I must confess, I've been pretty lukewarm in the faith for a while now. Every time I hear a good word that moves me to an emotional high as it were, I promise myself that I'm gonna change, that I'm gonna do it this time, that I'm gonna pursue that purpose for my life. Then, of course, I go back home and subconciously slip back into my old routene and it quickly gets gently pushed to the back burner. I hate this feeling of saying all the right things but not really meaning any of it based on my actions. I wish I really were a man of my word at all times, that I didn't have this gnawing addiction to hop on the computer and spend the entire freaking day on facebook or youtube because I have "nothing to do" and don't want to deal with real life. I kills me to think I've become the very thing I swore I'd never be since a little kid filled with a spark of faith and passion. Where did that fire go? Why did I wait so long to learn these lessons? Why couldn't life just come with a rewind button or an edit option? Oh, what I would give for a second chance at life, to go back and do over all those mistakes and total screw-ups of years past!
As I sit here writing this out, I can't help but be reminded of Solomon, who, in his great wisdom royaly screwed up much like David, his father, and look at my life and think "so this is what gaining wisdom feels like."; OUCH!
Well, I guess sometimes the University of Hard Knocks is one of the best, if not the most painfull, teacher of such life lessons on lying and how to drive a car. Sometimes you almost have to push the limits to learn where they are and their standards.
(*sigh*)
Thank God of amazing grace.

JAck out.

fhqwhgads

(pronounced: fa-hoo-qwoogads)

The title says it all.

A psalm for weary traveler

A beaten path it is I trod, difficult and many have been the trials I have faced, grating on the nerves.
Cannot I live through one day without the temptations of a selfish, carnal heart?
Cannot I pass through one day of this hellish journey unscaved by the lusts of my flesh?
Is there not relief for my soul in all the world for even a moment?
Yet, still I must push on, for higher a goal do I seek to achieve, to higher at road have I been called, to run in such a way as to win the prize at the end of this long road traveled so many times by those before me.
How long, oh, Lord, 'till you rescue me from this labyrinth of monotony, this hell of misunderstanding that is the world? When will it all end?
Yet, you answer, not with instant rapture, nor with a quick fix, but rather a drop of your infinite wisdom in your own perfect time, a small reminder of your amazing grace and a loving, correctional hand to guide me back to the straight and the narrow.
Show me, oh God, the way in which I should proceed in my journey to the end that I may fulfill the perfect plan for my life you composed and wrote before the begining of time.
Remind me, again I pray, of your perfect love, your beautiful grace and mercy that have save such a wretch as I that I may glorify your name above all else.
Show me the way

Z-bread t' go

Now I just woke up, a little fuzzy in the head
so I slap my alarm and then roll outta bed
As I stumble to my feet I'm like the wakin' dead
just wanna go back t' sleep, so I shake my head
as I shuffle out th' door slightly zombified
I start t' catch a wiff o' somethin', make me open my eyes
I smellin' freshly baked goods an' feelin' hungry inside
step into my Momma's kitchen an' t' my suprise

She makin' Z-bread, y'all
I cain't lie, it smells good
She make the best dang Z-bread in th' neighb'hood
She makin' Z-bread, her kitchen is th' place t' be
t' git yo'self a good loaf o' bread made with zuccini

I grab a loaf, kiss my momma on th' cheek an' roll out
peel the tin foil back, my taste buds are whiggin' out
I open up an' take a bite, an' without a doubt
I just git lost in th' flava, makes me wanna shout
Now, y'all might think it strange fo' a fella like me
to bounce offa' th' walls for bread that's made with a veggie
But that's just fine 'cause that means more fo' me
Now can I get me a loaf o' Z-bread t' go please

I luv my Z-bread, y'all
I cain't lie, it taste good
my Momma makes th' best Z-bread in th' neighb'hood
I luv my Z-bread, no matter how strange it may be
I like t' git a good loaf o' bread made with zuccini

I am OFFENDED!!!

The second word I want to touch on, in regard to my previous post from yesterday, comes from a pastor in my church (no, not the senior pastor, the young adult's pastor) whom I will simply call PT, since that is the nickname all the young adults have given him and because this is the internet. Anywho, this particular word of PT's was recomended to me by someone whom I'll refer to as dad since that's who he is. (btw, click the title of this post to hear PT's message)
And now that we've put all the preliminary repetative hoakieness behind us, bear with me as I forge ahead to reviel the contents of PT's said word. In his spoken word, PT basically started by talking about how some people leave the church, or at least a particular church, because they get offended by someone or by a word the pastor speaks or for any number of reasons. This also seems to be a somewhat common occurance here in America, probably due to the influences of both conservatives and liberals, not only in the political and pop culture realms, but within the church body as well. It's this kind of thing, PT explained, that has created so many denominations within the church body itself, why we have specific groups called Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, Protestants, Calvinists, etc., etc. and so on. The progression seems to go like this; whenever a group of people feel they've got God figured out or the reach a place in their walk where they feel comfortable, they seem to dig in, settle down and get comfortable with where they are and stay there, refusing to move on any further into the inheritance God has for them. At that point, God moves on to the next group of followers that's willing to go a little further with his plan until the find a comfy spot to stop and say "okay, that's good enough", and the cycle continues. At least up 'til now... I think. Don't quote me on that, though, I have been known to be wrong. The point is, some of these denominations have missed out on some of their inheritance by staying put where they are in their walk with God. They became too content with a certain level of holiness or religiousity and basically said "nope, this is good enough for us, thanks, we don't need anymore." PT went on to say that God "...doesn't want to improve me, he wants to remove me so that he can live through me (and we all go owwee!)"
What does that mean exactly? What the Bible says, and I'm not quoting this exactly as it appears in the book, God didn't come hear to make us feel better and give us all our heart's desires and make everything all puppies and rainbows. God came hear to earth, to die and atone for our sins with his own blood, to bridge the gap between us and him and give us another shot at a new destiny. That means no longer living up to our eyebrows in sin, no longer conforming to this world, it means trusting fully in him and dying to ourselves, to lay down our wants and needs and allowing him to transform us from the inside out. Simply put, God came here to earth to perform a massive overhaul of the way we think and feel, spiritually, and to perform open heart surgery on our souls so that he can use us and mold us into tools to reach other lost children. He wants to bring us back to himself and give us new life and a true joy and comes only from him. For him to do that, we have to be open and honest with him, completely, as in being fully vulnerable before God and hiding nothing from him and allowing him to prune us, much like a tree, to remove all our defitiancies and impurities so we can grow stronger in him.
Another example of this, which can be found in the Bible, in the refining of gold. What does the refining of gold have to do with the pruning of trees you ask? Actually, more than you think. Pruning cutts away fruitless branches, things in life that just weigh us down, and forms the tree, us, any way the gardener, God, desires. Purifying brings impurities to the surface and burns them away, leaving only the pure gold substance that can then be easily molded into whatever shape the goldsmith, God, desires. So, while pruning deals with what's on the outside as apposed to what's inside like refining, they both help to remove from us our imperfections and shape us in the hands of the Father. We just need to allow God to come in the perform surgery on our hearts and make us his.

(Still to be continued...)

Plan A... or Plan B?

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare affixed within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

*sigh*
So I've been in something of slump spiritually, as well in my current employment situation, and I've been thinking lately about a some words spoken in recent weeks by three particular people in my church, all of whom I look up to with much respect. I say slump because that's pretty much what it is. As far as a job, I've gone through a lot of prospects but I either never hear back or it just doesn't work out. Meanwhile, spiritually, I've kinda slipped into a bit of a apathetic lethargy and I've let other things take priority over my spiritual walk with God. This has made it a little hard to seek him lately on a an important life decision I have to make rather soon. I've been meditating on these aforesaid spoken words and trying to apply them to my current situation .

The first word came from one of my young adult leaders durring our four-day outting at Lake Roosevelt the weekend before last. The first night he spoke, it was actually the second night of the trip, he talked about how there's been a lot of talk about my generation being called the "Joshua Generation" and how that's basically a huge missnomer in that it sets a high expectation on us to do great things now. He explained how it's really very unrealistic to expect teens and twenty-somethings right out of high school and college to do a bunch of great signs and wonders in the name of Christ right off the bat. For the most part, in general, we're still very inexperienced in how to do this propperly, we're still greenhorns to borrow the old colloquiallism. Sure, there were Josiahs in the Bible that did great things in God's name in their teens and twenties, but, as my good friend points out, there were even more examples like Moses and Elijah in their forties and older who where not only far older, but one could speculate they were also far more experienced and had walked with God longer. Simply put, don't let people look down on you because of your age, but don't try to grow up too fast either. We have a great inheritance as sons and daughter of the most high, but perhaps we should take a lesson from the prodigal son's story and wait until we're truly ready to move out into that inheritance.
The second night, he took his message a step further and disected the story further by saying there's a plan A and a plan B we can take. God has a plan for our lives, each and every one of us; that's plan A. As perfect as His plan is, though, we, in our simple-minded human thing, sometimes think we've got a better one, that we've got God all figured out and that we know more than he does. Indeed, it almost never fails that you even overhear someone telling themselves or others how they are God. Now, I don't know if you got the memo yet, but...
YOU'RE NOT GOD!!!
Contrary to popular belief, you didn't create the universe and it certainly doesn't revolve around you! If you were God, you wouldn't have the inherent ability to trip over you own shoe laces when you forget to tie them. There's only one God, He's got one plan and the fact is, it's the only perfect one. If we stray from God's plan A, we're then choosing our plan B, a plan which can take any number of forms. God can still work us back into His plan A if we come back to Him, but, like the prodigal, we will no longer have the full inheritance he planned to give us had we stuck to his plan A. In other words, keep trusting in God alone and eventually you will recieve his full inheritance for you.
This spoke to me on a number of levels, showing me how, because I listened to a lot of talk about how my generation is the "generation of change" or something like that, I had come to expect great things of myself when I still did not know what exactly those things were or even how the heck I was supposed to acheive them. Maybe I trying to hard to make my own plans come true. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough to listen to God. All I know is, I'll never get it right if I keep trying to do this thing called life on my own outside of the original plan A. So, I'm asking God to help me trust him better and grow closer to him.

(To be continued...)

Why do I even try?

I'm kinda feelin' a lot like the Apostle Paul when he said "...what I hate, that I do."
For the last couple of months I've been stuck in a rutt, unengaged with life, either sittin' on my butt at home on the internet or lookin' of a job; and failing to ever hear back. I see lots of opportunities, but I just can't seem to land anything (for very long, if at all). Even when I get a lead on a job and try to follow up on it, I botch it horribly, even when I plan ahead. What makes it worse? I make the most obvious mistakes like a wrong turn. I feel like an idiot, I can't do a thing right, even when I do everything according to plan.

Am I a failure? Why do I even continue on with this life? What's the point?

Why don't you just give up on me, God? What do you see in me?
I know you have a plan for my life and I know you have a destiny laid out for me and I know why you sent your son. I just don't know why I keep screwing up so bad lately. I haven't listened to you very well and so far I've botched every job opportunity I've pursued. I know you have great plans for me and I've got big dreams of my own, but it seems like every step I take just digs me further into this hole of failure I've been digging lately. Oh, despicable me!

Why do I even try?

God, I can't do this on my own, the only thing I seem to be good at is botching my opportunities and wasting time. You're the only hope I have left right now. You know me better than I know myself, you see everything I do, everytime I've screwed it up, everytime I've failed at even the simplest tasks. Speak to me, if you really care. Show me your face, reveal to me your true plan. Show me what to do. I can't do this without you.

Still lookin' for a job...

Whoa, hey, I'm back. So sorry about the long absence peoples, just been so preoccupied with graduation and, as of late, finding a job for the summer. First off, I'll give you a quick run-down on how graduation went down.
1st) Tuesday night, around about after midnight, picked up my grandmother on my mom's side from the air port, Wednesday I had my college graduation (just a quasi-casual dinner banquet and a short ceremony which saw me recieving my AA degree and giving a somewhat tearfull farewell to my teachers and counselors who were part of the program I went through), picking my mom's dad up from the airport that night around the same time as we'd picked up grandma, Thursday we had my all-out graduation party with my family and friends from both my old church and the church I'm currently attending all day long, Friday was my official High School graduation ceremony (much more professional in its setup than my college graduation by comparison) followed by a night out with a few old school friends of mine and my cousin's to dinner and then a failed attempt to go bowling, Saturday found me at my cousin's graduation party at her house, and Sunday, after church and my little graduation ceremony there, my family rendevouzed back at my cousin's house again for my uncle's birthday and my parent's aniversary all before taking my grandparents to the airport to catch their flight back to Iowa Monday evening.
Anywho, since then I've been looking for a summer job to cook up enough cash for me to hopefully be able to pay for the GL program I'm planning to attend at my church out in Maple Valley come this fall. Even if I do get the money, my enrollment is still kind of up in the air for the moment. Anyways, whilest I'm workin' that out, I'm going to my older brother's wedding out in Florida in a few weeks for about three days or so. God really came through for my family on that one. Basically, financially speaking, my family isn't in the best shape to be helping me pay for college or GL, much less a trip to Florida and it was going to take a miracle just for my dad to go. So, low and behold, whilest my brother's fiance is feeding us deals for round trip plane tickets, my dad's mom calls up and basically offers to pay for tickets for the rest of us to accompany her to Florida while we helped dad pay for his ticket. So, it looks as though everything has been opened up in our favor, thanks solely to God almighty himself, and I don't say that lightly.

Well, I guess it's back to the job hunt for me, for now. Until next time, keep on truckin'.
JAck out.

Of ninjas and midgets

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare affixed within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

Yes, the Shilohan ninja has returned from his unavoidable distraction known as homework *GASP*.
Down to beeswax, which, by the way, is rather sticky business if you ever happen to get caught in it. That's happened to quite a few people I know, actually. Hillarious reminissings aside, this week we'll take a deeper look into the deffinition of the ninja, among one of my favorite subjects of all time.
To begin with, the ninja are a humble and mostly invisible sort with strong tendancies toward secrecy, stealth and espionage. Because sneeking around is in the job description, though, we tend to be misunderstood and are frequently stereotyped as martial arts masters who run around at night in black pajama jumpsuits all the time, slicing foes with katanas and throwing stars when we're not practicing our Nth degree black belt ninjitsu on them. While we do have a habit of being very skilled in hand-to-hand as well as long range combat, we don't always defeat our enemies with fists, feet and blades. We ninja like to have a little fun with our enemies if we can, so practical jokes are popular tatics for us ninja. These can take just about any form imaginable, from snares and sabatoge to mind games and optical illusions, anything goes. This, however, also depends on whether the ninja pulling such a trick on his or her unsuspecting victim is willing to let said trick kill, maim and or incapacitate them. In essence, the limit to what a ninja can do to capture or kill a person is a combinations of their morals and their imagination. After all, it takes a little imagination to take out a dozen hitmen with a paperclip and a foam cup.
Another common generality of the ninja is that we're all asian. Not true. If you've seen the russian ninja video on youtube, you'll know what I'm talking about, although he's more of a show-off than a ninja. True that he's got mad parkour skills, but ninja usually don't just go free running around town topless. Besides, that's just kinda grose, even for a athletic, muscular guy like that. Ninja still have a sense of honor and dignity to uphold, after all. If there's one thing Japan taught us, it's that honor is one of the most important atributes of any person. This was especially true of the samurai and the ninja, though even more so notably with the samurai. This, however, is because the samurai were more visible, more commonly seen, or rather, more commonly identified in public as what they were. They, along with warrior monks of varying types and skills, are kind of like the pharacies of the martial arts, as it were. Ninja are the unsung heroes of battle, those brave souls who worked behind the scenes their entire lives, making sure their masters were protected, respected and honored, scoping out the front lines, utilizing the element of suprise and invisibility to help take out invading armies from behind and below, the secret to success of all great militant victories. Sure, we fight ginormous three headed dragons for breakfast lunch and, occasionally, dinner, but under the cover of smoke bombs and in the depths of the shadows is where we do our best work, and the best part is, we don't have to be nocturnal about it either! Take that, Batman!
Now, in truth, Batman is hecka ninja and is good at what he does, but because of his custom schtick, he's confined to working the graveyard shift all the time. It just wouldn't be the same in broad daylight. He's not as cool, or as menacing in the case of his enemies, in the middle of the afternoon as he is around the bewitching hour. That's just how it is. That's his element. His only element, the only one he can work in effectively. Ninja, however, are not confined to the element of night alone. We are a versitile bunch that can work under any conditions and any sercumstances. That being said, ninja can also come in all shapes, ages and sizes, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, income or species, becoming a ninja is an equal opportunity experience, though not for the faint of heart. Because of this little fact, there are 'rinjas', 'scinjas', 'germinjas', 'afro-ninjas', 'irinjas', 'slovinjas', 'ausie-injas', and teenage mutant ninja turtles. These are just a few examples of ninja-kind across the globe. But, probably the most lethal of all ninja are those who would be classified as 'minja', short for midget ninja. So, what, you might ask, defines a midget?
Before I get into that, it should be duely noted that midgets are a bit different from pygmies. The main difference between the two is actually size. According to wikipedia, a pygmy is a person of short stature, generally being shorter than 152 cm, or 60 in. (5'), why a midget, interchangably known as a dwarf, is shorter than 127 cm, or 50 in. (4' 2"). Some midgets have been known to be shorter than even 24 inches, making it easier for them to hide, should they be a ninja. This also makes them harder to hit, for obvious reasons. So, while ninja midgets are more commonly known as minjas, ninja pygmies are known simply as, well, just that, ninja pygmies. They're not called pinjas, mainly because that is one of the classifications of ninja pirates.
Well, there you have it, the true job description of the ninja and all their forms. We're a lot like Transformers, more than meets the eye.

I look forward to killing you soon. Peace, Godbless and may the Force be with you.

JAck out.

Coming toward the end an' I'm still doin' homework!

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I got it outta my system, we're good to go.
Anywho, I had a first this week: three, count 'em, 3 week nights in a row that I spent outside the house for a change. I was pretty happy with that, myself. Wednesday night was youth group night, which was awesome as always; we continued to discuss what the mission statement will be for our youth group, which we've decided, somewhat unanimously, to call 'Frontline'. Thursday night saw me paying a visit to my youth pastors' house for the biblical new year celebration with the singing of songs, the praying of prayers, the reading and discussion of favorite bible verses, the eating of much icecream, carrots, grapes, tangerines, cheese and crackers, and all followed by the animated chatter of us youth group kids and the watching of hilarious youtube videos. Then, just this evening I got back from a bible study, or rather the preliminary breifing of what will be going on in said bible study, preceded and followed by the playing of video games and loud excited chatter of middle school-aged teen boys high on energy drinks. Yep, it's been a good week, I dare say. I will miss it so.
Oh, yes, in case you haven't noticed, I am now on twitter as of, like, 20 minutes ago or so. So, hit me up, or find me on myspace or one of the other forums I frequent.

Until we text again,
JAck out.

As I slash my way through the library...

Okay, kids, debate time:
What is your inner-animal?
I know, I know, weird question, you've probably only heard it about a bazillion times already, but just bear with me think it over carefully. If you're a little confused as to what I'm talking about, I'll give you a little allegory as a guide line.
Studies have shown that there are four main personallity types:
a.) Lion - Leader of the group, outgoing and likes to take charge ("Git 'r' done!")
b.) Beaver - Detail-oriented, very organized ("Don't rush me! Speed matters less than acuracy")
c.) Otter - Class clown, care-free, happy-go-lucky ("The wonderful thing about Tiggers...")
d.) Retriever - The helper, sees and heres those in need, good listener ("Sit down and tell me all about it")
Some people are lions, some are otters and so on. Most of us have one of these traits that is dominant in our personality. I would venture to guess that we all have a little bit of each in all of us. I'm mostly a retriever, kinda quiet, good listener, a servant at heart. This doesn't mean I don't like to take charge once in a while, I'm just not comfortable with it on a daily basis. I'm not always as organized as I'd like to be, but I do have an eye for detail in my artistic writing. I also have a thing for being a spazz at times and I have a great sense of humor. It's in my genes, I've been told. I just kind of runs in the family. Another thing that runs in my family is a facination with heated political debates. We love to just sit around the table and argue over democrats and republicans over dinner or a good game of cards, another heretitary pastime we enjoy.
Well, there you have it. Comment and let me know what you think your inner-animal is.
Happy texting,
JAck out.

Notice: Winter quarter @ Highline ends today

IT'S OVER! HUZZAH!!! Hallelujah, even! It's over, it's done with, and now I can go back to my life! *WOOOOOOT!!!* Thank the good Lord it's over!
(...now that I got that outta my system...)
With my newfound ten-day freedom, comes time to reflect upon life, time to further finish my culminating project, time to write up my essay for next quarter's lit class, time to go to Grandma's! It's been a wild and crazy week, folks, but the JAck is back and ready to get somethin' started. I'm thinking of starting a new resolution (kinda late, I know) of posting a new debate for you to ponder in your spare time; I'm thinking maybe once a week or at least every other day for starters. It all depends upon what I can find in my spare time. I'll try to find some good ones for ya, but be forwarned that some of 'em might be kinda silly or far out there. Again, it'll all depend on what I can find to write about. This, of course, will be in addition to my regular (if somewhat random and or haphazard most of the time) postings in which I give you a glimps of my life at random. Anywho, that's the current plan in the works at the drawing board, back in the lab. If you have any specific topics or ideas you'd like to discuss or want to see on my blog, hit me up via email or myspace or leave a comment on this entry. I'll handle the rest (after the general screening process, that is). Until then, I'll be on the interwebs, conjuring up info from Google and Yahoo! for reference and future debates.
Until we text again, my friends,
JAck out.

Finals week: In the home stretch now

Just finished the first of my finals today and I still got three more to go. Tomorrow, I present my CGG final for the rest of my peers and Thursday sees me taking a final for Chinese early in the morning, right around 8 in the freakin morning and an art 100 final later that afternoon. At least I get it all done before Friday, leaving me a whole 10-11 days of absolute freedom! (Okay, so I still have a paper to write for Lit and pages to read for history, both of which are happenin next quarter, but relatively less than what I had to put up with this quarter)
"So, what the heck is CGG??", you ask? Basically, someone's idea of a great culminating project class. (In reality, all it is is an excuse to get us to give a hundred hours of our summer break to community service and then tie it to a random social issue of our choosing and present on it. Don't get me wrong, I'd do the community service all over again in a heartbeet. I just would've dropped the CGG class right afterward and gone for something more interesting and more common occurance durring the week on Highline's main campus.)
Anywho, just wanted to get that off my chest and move onto spring break. I can't wait!
Until I text again, peace out, rock hard, Godbless.
May the Force be with you,
JAck out.

In the home stretch

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare affixed within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

The week is finally over, the weekend has officially begun, and I am at least halfway relieved. I have about one week left of nothing but finals, debriefs and overviews of next quarter and then I have a full eleven, count 'em, 11 days to kick back, relax, and do absolutely nothing academically related whatsoever. I'm actually pretty pumped for spring break, to be quite honest. Am I worried about next quarter? Heck-to-the-freakin' no, baby! With three classes on a constant daily schedule with familiar instructors, I have nothin' to worry about. This last quarter of my running start carreer is a garunteed cake-walk! I am feelin' fine. About the only other thing I gotta worry about now is my culminating project; that shouldn't be a problem. Ah, for once this year, things are looking up. Good thing, too. I was this close to losing my sanity altogether.

I think we're going somewhere
We're onto something good here
Out of mind, out of state, tryin' to keep my head on straight
I think We're going somewhere
We're onto something good here
There's only one thing left to do, drop all I have and go with you
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind
My problems fell out of the back of my mind
We're going and I'm never knowing
Never knowing where we're going
But to go back to where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressin' on
Pressin' on
All minor stress is going, going, gone
Pressin' on
Pressin' on
And I won't sit back and take this anymore
'Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door
And to go back to where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressin' on

*(Yes, I'm also a Reliant K fan)*

CAA: Home of the Lair

CAA (Christian Anime Alliance) is, by far and large, one of the largest and most successfull forums on the internet for Christians who happen to be lovers of anime, manga and video games. It's simple, yet elligent layout is easy to navigate and not as siesure-inducing as some other forums on the interwebs. For the last year or two, it has been a home of mine in the good old world wide web and has provided me with many insites and plenty of good yucks along the way. I have personally found it to be a pleasant distraction from my daily frustrations and the hustle-n-bustle of the week's hum-drum-ho-hum-age. Especially in the Goof-Off threads, many laughs and good times are had by all in attendance and much randomness and anarchy is to be expected at all times.
My other main favorite section of the CAA boards is the role playing section, of course. Again, many good times and much unintended hillarity and drama goes on in this intense, family-friendly place of creative writing fraught with anime references by the truck load. I personally enjoy the friends I've made here too. Lots of wacky, zainy and brainy people hang out here and we always have a blast.
I would have to say, though, that the Lair of the Order of Ninjas is one of my favorite Goof Off threads. Maybe that's because I started it. Anywho, If you're a ninja, ninja-in-training, a ninjaphile or a ninja-wannabe, come and check out the Lair. (Well, after you sign up on CAA, that is...)
Consider this your official invitation to join the ranks of Christ-following, anime-luving ninja in the Lair. I look forward to killing you soon.

JAck out.

Just when I thought things couldn't get much worse

By now you've probably all heard about the rough economic times we've been having here and how a lot of people are getting laid off because of it. It really kinda sucks, especially when it could've been prevented, had the government not idiotically tried to bail out all those stupid banks that lent out more than theyed ever see come back. If they'd been thinking ahead, like they should have, this wouldn't have happened. True that the bank are mostly to blaim for this economic cunundrum, what with all the wreckless lending they've been doing, knowing that they'd never see that money ever again! It's a wonder they're still in business! You would've thought they would be more conciencious and planned farther ahead than this, but appearantly we were all wrong.
So, if these banks made idiots of themselves, then why in God's name did the government bail them out?! They should've known that something like this would screw us over and kill us in the long run, right? True that it's not another depression era and I don't think the problem is nearly as horrific as these liberal-minded newscasters make it out to be, but honestly, now, this whole mess could've been completely sidestepped if the government had just said no to those banks. Let 'em go bankrupt for all I care! More business for the little banks! Besides, they're the banks that actually care about their customers for a change.
And as for that whole schpeil about investing in gold, it's a load of freakin' bull crap! Just ask Dave Ramsey @ www.daveramsey.com
Anywho, all of this to say an uncle of mine is getting laid off soon. Here's hoping things go well and he finds a new job soon. Until next time, QUIT FREAKIN' OUT!!!

JAck out.

Yesterday

...was so BOMB! I had just got back to the Federal Way satelite and sat down at a computer to eat lunch. A classmate of mine, we'll just call 'im Pat (since that's his name anyway), was sitting at the computer in front of me doing something (Lord only knows what) when he pipes up, much to my dismay (sarcasm), and comments on how glad he was it was Monday since he hadn't done his homework. Confused, I asked him why, thinking he was either high on la-la land or being sarcastic. That's when he said it: "Stats is canceled!"
I stopped dead in mid-forkfull of fried rice in disbelief. Could it be true? Was stats class really canceled and I could go home? Or was he just pulling my leg for kicks as a cruel joke?
"Really?" I asked inquizitively.
"Look at the board, dude." He said, pointing to it. Plane as day, 'Diana's Class Canceled' was written in big green letters. Yep, if it had been a snake, it would've bitten me for five minutes straight. "There's even a note on her door that says so."
"Sa-WEET!" Now I was excited. I could go home early and no one would care. I was FREE!
With a new-found vigor, I wolfed down the rest of my fried rice, packed up my stuff and took off like a shot for home. It fealt soooo good not to have to wait around for another hour and a half for another boring class and be dog tired by 2:00!
Of course, I wasn't nearly as lucky today, having two classes that are way worse than any math class back-to-back. At least I had the luxury of leaving directly afterward. Bottom line, yesterday was a good day. End of story.

Hope you had a happy Monday, too. (Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!)

JAck out.

Back in the Lair...

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare affixed within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

...And we're back. Man, feels good to be able to just take off after class and get home early for a change. It's not that I necessarily hate school in general, but there are some classes that I don't especially enjoy all that much (namely art 100). I just like being able to get away and do my own thing, ya'know? I mean, it's not like any of us wants to be restricted to academia 24/7, right?
Anywho, the creative juices are kinda starting to flow on the art midterm, so I guess that's a good sign. Now to finish the other three or four pages in the story board (great).
It's also time to get going on my physical therapy for the spine (faulty lumbar that's half joint). It acts up and bugs me now and then. I should also get in my quiet time tonight, maybe after I finish with this post. Anyways, If you find something interesting for me to write about, leave me a comment or shoot me an email of something. 'Til them, rock on, rock hard, and watch out for drunk moshers (I hear those guys can get pretty vicious).
Now get out and be popular,
JAck out.

Bored as all heck...

Okay, maybe not today. At least I don't hafta listen to the art teacher for two hours straight, thank heaven!
Anywho, school is okay for the most part. Appearantly I'm struggling in several of my classes, though it sounds like I still have enough time to turn that around if I act now.
Moving on, my group is working on logic models in health class. It's pretty intense and totally related to health...
I'm kinda really really bored right now. I'll write later when I have something interesting to write about.
JAck out.

Love is in the air: Singles Awareness day is coming!

Valentine's Day is nearly hear and I'm single... and I could honestly care less one way or the other. I remember the origional reason it's celebrated: in honor of St. Valentine, of course. Well, okay, it's not an actual 100% for-sure which St. Valentine the holiday celebrates and is not celebrated by all on February 14th. Apparrently, the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates this holiday in early July on the 6th. Go figure.
Anywho, getting back to my origional point, Valentine's Day has, for many, become just another overly-hyped mass-consumer shopping event to see who can get the best deals on the best gifts and holiday parafernalia before said holiday comes. If you ask me, it's just another excuse to go on a spending spree at all the latest sales for gifts and crap that you wouldn't think or even dream of buying any other day of the year and to me, that's kind of pointless and depressing. I mean, if you realy love that special someone, why don't you try and do something nice like flowers, cards or chocolates every day? Why wait until a holiday or their birthday or something like that? Why not just show them how you feel right now? In fact, why not just put down that mouse and keypad and get out and do something with them right now? Is that really so hard to do on a regular non-holiday day? Is that too much to ask?
If you want my advise, don't go out and buy a card and waste five bucks on something you could make just as easily in under five to ten minutes. If you really want to show someone you care, give them something they'll actually apreciate. Sure, there are good gifts out there you can buy if have the money, but try and make something with your own two hands. Put your heart into it (making it, I mean).
Okay, there's my holiday commercialization rant for the day. Stay tuned for the next post (which, hopefully, is soon).
Until then, have a great Valentine's Day!
JAck out

A day in the life

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare afficked within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

Anywhos, onto the drudgery that was my day.
Today started a little differently than usual; dad was already at work. The only reason I found this odd is that we usually ride in together in the morning, I drop him off at work, and I have the car the rest of the day to head back and forth between classes. Today, however, he had to be at work by three in the morning. It didn't cramp my plans too badly, though; we have two cars.
Anyway, I got to sleep in a little, which was nice since every other weekday saw me getting up at the ungodly hour of six in the mourning to ride in with my old man. It's not that I don't like doing it in the morning, I do. I'm just not what you would call a morning person per se. I'm more of a night owl by nature and that's kinda just how I roll. Moving on from my rabbit trail on human nature...
I went to my first class, CSL102 (Chinese as a second language), which was kinda fun and somewhat interesting, which is normal especially with the teacher I have. He's very animated and fun to work with, not like some teachers that are strict, monotone and boring. He actually tries to help my class learn the material instead of just randomly assigning a lot of boring, worthless busy work. Plus, not only that, he's a chinese native! That class couldn't be anymore perfect right now... well almost. I struggle a little with getting my homework done for that class, but I'm improving in my speech and understanding of the language and that's what counts.
Anywho, after finishing up with CSL, I hopped in the car, popped a Demon Hunter CD (these guys are on the top of my favorite metal groups list, by the way), and high tailed it back to Highline's Federal Way satelite facility, Puget Sound Early College (affectionately reffered to by all the students and staff there as PSEC) to kill a little time before my stats class at noon. The class itself was short, as usual, running only about an hour as aposed to the two hour span it's supposed to run (theoretically), which was totally fine by me. It's not that I hate the class or anything, don't get me wrong on that. I just like not having to sit through two hours of back-to-back class lectures and crap like that. So after that, I decided to update the myspace, check the email, watch some hilarious, side-splitting you tube videos and just kind of unwind from a full day of academic mayhem. So now here it is, nine PM and for once I have no homework done! Yeah that might be kinda bad, but it won't hurt me too bad, at least not tonight. Now I just gotta stew over the freakin' art homework I gotta have finished for my super extra boring art class. (*GROAN*)
Anywho, on another side tangent...
The junior an senior cohorts seems to be more closely knit this year than last year. My class ( the senoirs), which has thinned out significantly since last quarter alone, has seen more personal interaction with the younger cohort of juniors then last years seniors ever were with us. I've gotten to know quite a few of the juniors and see a good number of them on an almost semi-regular basis, every Monday through Thursday. I'm not just talking about knowing them by face or class, either. I actually know a handfull of them by name AND face. They're a good bunch of crazy kids that were just like we were last year. There also seems to be more of them. It kinda makes me feel bad for 'em that PSEC won't be around next year, what with Highline's buget cuts taking place this year after Spring quarter ends. This doesn't really affect me all that much as I'll be graduating this year, but I still feel bad for the juniors. It just kinda got sprung on 'em at the last minute and left 'em hangin'. They still have options, to be sure, but they won't get another opportunity like PSEC. It was fun while it lasted and the program will be sorrowfully missed by all who were involved, from the program director to the janitor. We had some good times, didn't we...
"good times... and good times were had by all, and they ate Sir Robin's minstrils."
Yay, Monty Python!
Okay, there's my multi-rabbit-trail-infested post for the day. Just another day in the life of JAck, the Shilohan Ninja.
Until we text again, courage and Godspeed! And may the Force be with you!
JAck out.

And so it begins...

*A red and white clad figure deftly steps from the shadows in silence, a piercing stare afficked within his deep blue eyes, his right hand upon the hilt of his sword ready to strike*

Pretty neat, huh?
Anywho, it's my first post on the new blog so I thought I'd start it out with a bang. Other than that, I'm just kinda chillin' here on the lappy, puttin' mah uber-ninja skizz-llz to work on, wait for it, ...homework. Lame, I know, but I don't really have too much of a choice since it's all due in a day or three. Who knew art and stats could be so great. Whoo-hoo. Big excitement.
Such is the life of a teenage ninja college student. Get up, get dressed, drive dad to work, drive to the main campus, sit around invisibly pwning the ever-loving crap out of enemies and demons as I wait with my daily Starbucks in hand for my morning Chinese class to begin, sit through, by far, the greatest class ever taught by the most amazing inscructor ever, drive out to the college satelite fifteen minutes away, chill out for about two hours meditating as I stun from affar evil ninja pigmis whilest casually checkin' on teh myspace, sit through one or two of three of quite possibly the most pointless classes ever invented by man, retreat to the confines of the second story tower (a.k.a. the lounge) for a few hours, and finally pick up the bacon-bringer in time to get home for dinner, expertly weaving in and out of traffic all along the way before hitting the books once again and hitting the proverbial hay.
If this sounds at all familiar to you, you might be, or at least may have been in a past life, a college student. If so, I feel you pain. Hit me up on the myspace sometime and we can swap horror stories about that chemistry teacher that bored you out of your mind with all that greek algebra from the periodic tabel.
Well, I guess that's all I got for now.
Until our next encounter, sleep tonight with one eye open. You never know when the gnomes may be planning to jack your stockpile of ramen, ya'know. Blasted gnomes...
Courage and Godspeed,
JAck out.