Sorry, but our internet is out right now, so I'm not going to be able to do a good post this week. As of now, I'm at the Library, typing on some really really REALLY loud keys that make a clicking sound whenever I touch them... so...
Sorry for the inconvenince. I'll post a better post next week...
I've been doing a column for a homeschool blogger site called 'Pocket-Sized Humour', where I weekly post something funny that I find/make.
But... unfortunately, I can't meet the weekly demand, and can only do it bi-weekly.
So... if any of you or someone you know might be interested in writing a humor column every other week, could you drop me a PM.... um, IM..., um... AM? ZM, uh... UM... um...... Homeschoolblogger message thingy, letting me know?
Well, over the past few weeks, there has been a topic on my mind which I have been wanting to blog about. A topic that is very difficult to find the proper balance on.
I want to take some time to blog about respect of other people’s opinions and views.
When I first started blogging, I was very inexperienced. I had few friends, and my posts weren’t very good.
As I started to mature in my blogging, I got more friends. And with more friends came different views on morality, religion, and even on simple things like books you read or music you listen to.
As my eyes were opened to these different views; I felt the need to share with everyone my opinion on these views, which was fine, to an extent.
But before I knew it, instead of kindly telling people what I believe is right, I started impressing upon people ‘what is right and what is wrong’. I gave no thought to the fact that maybe what I thought was wrong might potentially not be wrong to someone else.
I eventually got into some pretty deep debates with several people, and I always impressed upon them that my views were right, and that theirs were not, and that they were the ones who needed to change. I never even gave a thought to the fact that maybe I was the one who was wrong.
As I got deeper and deeper into arguments and debates, I pushed my views onto other people even more savagely, telling them that they were wrong, and what they did was sin.
But then, when I was getting to the height of my ‘opinion pushing’, something happened.
There is an old saying that my youth pastor in Michigan used a lot. The saying goes: ‘You can dish it out, but you can’t take it when it comes around’. Meaning, you can do stuff to people, yet you can’t stand it when the same thing happens to you.
Well, it did come around to me. After dishing and dishing my opinion out, and shoving it upon people, I had a girl come and start criticizing me for everything I did. I couldn’t do a single thing without her going, ‘You’re sinning.’ She got mean at times; impressing her opinion on me.
I seriously almost got to the point of crying when that happened. I wondered why God would allow that to happen to me; to have somebody always impress what they believed was righteous upon me. The person didn’t even ask if maybe what I did was okay for me, though it might not be for them.
As I pondered, God reminded me of all the people I had shoved my opinion upon. Who I had shamelessly dished my opinion on morality on without even pondering whether or not they might have different views on morality.
After this had happened, I apologized profusely to the people I had attacked. I still have one more to apologize to, but I’m going to next time I see her.
But the point that I want to make through my story is this:
It is so easy to get into the thought pattern that your view on morality, or even silly things like books, music, movies; is the righteous view, and that if someone else has even the slightest different opinion on something, you need to correct them.
Before you correct someone, it is always important to remember that you might possibly be doing something against their view of morality.
In closing, I hope that this will teach some of you younger bloggers a life-lesson that is essential for every blogger; and that this will remind some of the older bloggers a lesson too.
Make sure that before you dish out your opinion on everyone else, that you think over the fact that you wouldn’t like it if someone did that to you. Make sure that you also think that maybe what someone is doing could be morally right for them, even if it isn’t exactly in accordance to what you believe.
Respect is the key. Respect other’s opinion, views, and beliefs. Especially if you want them to respect yours.
Well, I must confess that our house has become home to many different 'neighbors'. We have a cat living here, with four kittens (born two days ago). We also have a couple of cats that hang around our house, trying to eat our cat's food.
I've seen an occasional rabbit, some squirrels, and some other creatures that live on our property.
But none of them are as majestic as Herb, the Eastern Cicada Killer, who lives inside a fence post that surrounds our garden area.
We discovered Herb a couple of weeks ago. Looking out the window, my family observed the giant-sized cousin to the wasp flying around our garden. After several days of observation, I discovered that he had made his home in one of the fence posts outside.
Every day, I can see him, buzzing around his fence-post, his home.
I guess that my family is forever in debt to Herb, for killing off the loud Cicadas, and feeding them to his kids.
Watch for Cicada Killers near your house. Their burrows are normally small holes near house foundations or in the ground. They live in the Eastern and Mid-West America, and also in Mexico (the Eastern Cicada Killer. There are lots of different types of these, but this specific type is in the above area.)
Believe me. Nothing beats seeing one of these beauties buzzing around your house. Nothing.
Before I start this post, one of the things you should know is that I'm one of those kids who do not watch very many movies, and whose parents bought one of those boxes which bleep bad words out of movies.
I'm that kid who has not seen alot of the popular current movies.
And until now, that's really frustrated me.
For the longest time, I thought that it wasn't fair that everybody else got to go watch this movie, and I didn't.
It seemed to me that Mom and Dad just didn't want me to do anything fun.
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But just two days ago, I realized something.
Mom and Dad let me, and a couple of my siblings around my age, watch the first Spider-Man movie *.
I was really excited! To be able to watch an un-edited movie (well, the cursing was edited out)? Finally!
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As I watched the movie, I started to realize something. I noticed several things in it that would have bothered me, had I seen them when I was younger, but that I was able to deal with now that I was older.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
Mom and Dad didn't not let me watch movies because they didn't want me to have fun! They did it because they did not want me to see something that's too big for me!
At fourteen, I am able to handle some of the issues in the movie. But when I was younger, I wouldn't have been able to handle/understand these things!
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Now, you guys are probably saying right now, 'Duh, Nick, shouldn't you have figured this out years ago?'
My answer is: No.
It doesn't make sense when you're younger. It seems like your parents are being mean. It doesn't make sense why they always say no.
But as you get older, and more mature, things start to make sense. You get why you're not allowed to see certain things, and why you are allowed to see other things.
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Thank you, Mom and Dad, for protecting me. Though I know it would be nice to watch stuff like, 'Batman, the Dark Knight', I also know that you don't let me watch these things for a reason.
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Kids, I know it's hard when your parents don't let you do things that you want to do. But it's important to remember that your parents have a reason for what they say. Your parents do things for your own good, because they love you.
It might not make sense now.
It still might not make sense twenty years from now.
But realize that what your parents do for you is done out of their best interest for you. They do it because they love you, even though it seems unfair at the time.
~Nick
*I have seen the first Spider-Man before, but it had almost all of the bad content edited out.
Well, my dearest viewers, I am finally back on the computer for now.
My new schedule is that I will be blogging/visiting your blogs on Tuesdays.
Alright, time for an update. Several things have happened since I have been gone. I have had VBS one week, and two days later, I went to a Christian church camp. The day after I got back from camp, we had relatives come to my house for three days. Then they left this morning.
The camp is located in the middle of nowhere, out in the sticks, so that it's away from the influence of the city.
It has a lake which you can swim in, and is surrounded by corn-fields.
In the lake, they have a giant blob, which catapults you into the air when someone else jumps on it, a waterslide, and also ziplines (not to mention a floating dock which you can swim out to).
The blob is a thing of terror for me. The second time I got onto it, I flopped my head back just before a guy weighing close to 200 pounds jumped onto it.
WHIP-LASH!!!
I flew up into the air, my headed swimming, everything in a blur. Then, I hit the water on my side, bruising my hip.
Ouch!
That is why I have a fear of the blob.
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The camp was a Christian camp, run by the YTC (Youth Temperance Council). The kids were very good, and knew how to behave, which was a blessing.
The leadership was amazing, because they were responsible, and kept the kids in line, while also interacting with them.
The band, called S.H.A.R.C. (Serving Him A Risen Christ), was awesome. I got to personally interact with them, and spend time with them, and get to know them.
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Another great thing about the camp was that my First cousin-in-law once removed Steve and his wife, my First cousin once removed Carolyn, were in charge of it.
It's always nice to have relations to the leadership! :-)
I just wanted to let you all know that it's my birthday. I am now fourteen! Yes!
So far, I have only opened one present (we're doing the rest tomorrow). I had asked Momma for a dissection kit, and... guess what? When I opened the one present she allowed me to open it was... not a dissection kit. ;-)
Instead, it was:
Lego Batman: Joker's Aerial Assault!
Even better! Thanks, Momma!
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Oh yes, I can't forget to add this...
Just yesterday, a birthday card arrived in the mail for me, from my Uncle Al & Aunt Dot.
Very subtly, they added this onto the envelope:
Just because I'm fourteen.... :-)
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One last thing, before I go.
In light of Batman & Joker....
I just had to add this picture I messed with (using GIMP) of my cousins:
Thanks for reading!
~Nick
(Nicholas Joel does not endorse Batman, though he does endorse the Batman lego sets, as they are awesome!)
Well, I'm very sorry I haven't commented or posted in forever. I just got back from a week-long vacation in Minnesota.
Two weeks ago, my Mom's parents had their 50th Anniversary, on a Sunday. It was a very big ordeal for everyone.
Then, exactly one week later, my family headed up to Minnesota for my Dad's parent's 50th Anniversary! The trip took about 14 hours, or so, one way. That means 28 hours in the van. That sure was fun... :-)
I'll do a real post soon, but for now, I just wanted to let you know that you've not been abandoned... :-)
Well, I'm back from my Mom's parent's 50th Anniversary. What a relief! My Grandma had me play a special piano piece for her & my Grandpa (it was Grandpa's favorite song).
I had attempted to play this song in front of a whole bunch of people a month before, and froze up halfway and wasn't able to finish.
I was fearful as I walked onto the stage, about to soak my shirt with sweat. There were several things keeping me going. One: God. He definitely numbed my nerves. Two: My Uncle Larry. He was playing a piece, and was just as nervous as I was. Three: Practicality. I knew I had practiced this song, and knew it by heart. And four: I had my music sheet with me, just as moral support.
Anyways, I made it through nearly perfectly, only messing up when I had to stop to make a hard stretch.
Now, I have had several people ask me my opinion about the Susan/Caspian kiss in 'Prince Caspian'.
Here's my opinion:
When Lewis wrote the Narnia books, he didn't want to spend the time creating personalities for each of the characters. He wanted you to make that up yourself. He didn't care whether you imagined Peter looking like this:
Or this:
Whatever you chose the characters to look like, that was your choice, your imagination.
When Lewis wrote the books, not only did he not care what YOU thought what the characters looked like, he also didn't care what YOU THOUGHT their personality was like.
If he didn't specify what their personality was like, then it obviously was up to you to determine what they were like.
I don't think the Caspian/Susan romance was EVIL.... I think it wasn't necessary, no. And, like a friend said, 'it was very sudden and unexpected..."
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not for the kiss. I didn't even watch. I closed my eyes.
But if Lewis didn't tell you Caspian's personality, then naturally he wouldn't tell you whether or not he had feelings for Susan. Naturally, the people who made the movies had to decide for themselves. Thus the kiss.
Yes! I just saw Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian two days ago! Finally! Yay!
Anyways...
I'm going to review the movie, posting my opinions in three different categories. Here they are:
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The Good...
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Definitely worthy to bear the title of 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. An awesome sequel to an awesome series.
The acting was good, the characters portrayed right, the format decent... overall, a very good movie.
I thought I saw improvement and growthy in acting by all of the children.
Edmund has grown, not only in age, but also in acting. In this one, he's also stronger character, alot more willing for sacrifice, and braver, too.
Lucy has grown older, quite visibly, but that hasn't effected her innocent nature. She acts better, though not as emotionally as in the first one.
Susan was better, also. It's sad that she won't be in the next one. She's grown up even more, and is also a little more happier in this film.
Peter was a great actor, though they portrayed him as grumpy, and self-confident, to the point of sacrifice of others. It's sad that he also won't be coming back in the next movie.
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The movie was very well shot, in very good locations. They animated it almost perfectly, and all the characters were casted correctly, in my opinion.
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The Bad...
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They did not, however, give enough screen time to many people. They ditch Trufflehunter halfway through the movie, and don't tell anything about her afterwards.
They also did not give Cornelius enough screen time. He's a key character, and yet they also kind of forget him halfway through the movie.
Caspian did not have enough of a personality. They showed him enough, but they did not give him a specific personality. You could not tell if he was a happy person, a sad person, a troubled person, or anything. He just doesn't have anything to distinguish him.
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The Warnings:
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I don't think this movie was any worse than the first one, though it is obviously darker.
Things to watch out for in Caspian:
1. The scene with the Werewolf might be disturbing to younger audience. The Werewolf looks quite evil, and the hag is disgusting. I also think that it would be disturbing for a younger child to see when Edmund breaks through the ice which entraps the White Witch. I won't go into detail, but it shows something that is just slightly disturbing...
2. The factor that they are actually killing human men in this movie. In the first movie, they were killing beasts, but in this movie, they are slaughtering men.
3. Yes, they use more blood in this movie. I'm glad they did, though, because in the first one, since they put no blood in, you could not tell if someone got hurt. In this one, they use it to show that someone has been hurt, though they don't use it excessively.
4. They stab both Miraz, and the reflection of the White Witch, which are both slightly disturbing.
A very good movie, with very good actors. They were given a hard movie to make, and they did it! They portrayed it very well.
I would not suggest this movie to a certain age group. I think that parents should, instead of following the rating, see this movie first, and discern if their kids can see it.
As I've said, there's only two really disturbing scenes, which are the stabbings.
Other than that, the movie, I believe, earns 9.5 stars out of ten!
Well, I just wanted to let you all know that Jocelyn Dixon is hosting a free baby organic T-shirt giveaway on her blog! If any of you have little siblings (and Moms), or even friends with babies who like getting new baby clothes, then please check it out!
Oh yes, if you haven't had time to read my last post, which I've not left up for very long, you can read it here.
About two weeks ago, I went to our local thrift store. We looked around, found everything we needed, and were heading out, when my Mom said, 'Nick, look at that mug in that display case!
I looked, and this is what I saw:
It was the funniest mug I had ever seen! Naturally, I couldn't resist buying it for $0.98.
I've nick-named the mug-man Ernie. Why? I don't know. It looks like an Ernie to me.
Ernie has not only brought me a warped joy, he's also inspired a new product line.
And, since we luckily have Gimp, Jake has helped me to make some pictures of Ernie, in his average day, heroic life. Here's Ernie:
I just wanted to let you know that Heather from An Untraditional Home (http://elsah.com) is hosting an art class for anyone six (or was it eight) and up who is interested.
It is free for anyone who's older than eight who wants to join. Me, Jake, Emily, and Julia are all doing it.
It would be great if you guys could check it out. The theme of the classes is how to draw people, which is something that I'm not very good at.
Before I start this post, I need to give you some background. My Grandma is in charge of a small group of women who fight against alcohol and smoking. They call themselves the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union).
Every year they hold an annual poster/essay contest, where children still in grade school have a chance to draw a poster or write an essay about the dangers of drinking and smoking. I competed in the contest, and won first place for what they call local. Then, they send me on to state, and so forth.
But anyways, you get prize money and a certificate if you win. The only catch is that you have to attend the award ceremony, which is held at a certain church, to get the award.
My Grandparents (on Mom's side) are having their 50th anniversary, and I am playing Grandpa's favorite song for it.
Since he wasn't able to attend the WCTU award ceremony, I decided that I would play that solo in front of everybody. That way, I could get some practice in front of people.
Being the fool that I am, I thought that I should play the song without the music in front of me, since I had 'memorized' the song.
I got up on the stage, and played the song through perfectly the first time. I started the second time. Halfway through the song, my mind drew a blank. I couldn't think what the next note was. I knew that I had to remain calm, even though my stomach was doing the waltz. So, I stopped, apologized, said I had lost my note, and that I would restart from the second verse.
My pulse throbbing, my stomach doing the Tarantella, I started playing again. I got halfway through, when suddenly my mind went blank. I realized with horror I could not remember the note. My stomach at this time was doing triple backflips. My brother Jake put his head in his hands.
I turned, and apologized, saying something about how I just could not remember the rest of the song. Everyone applauded, probably out of pity. My stomach by this point was descriptively making the sound that the title of this post so descriptively states.
When I got to my Grandma's house after the incident, I remembered my Mom telling me 'Nick, one day, you will be humbled with the piano.' I had always thought I was better than my sister, that I was better than anyone, that I was the best. I'm glad to admit that I was wrong. But it didn't stop there. God had humbled me in other ways. I remember just that afternoon, I had mistakenly slipped the words 'I would be the best...'
God helped me with my pride. He hurt it to help me. I learned alot through that embarassing mis-hap.
But also, he taught me another important lesson. You're never too good for backup. Always bring the piano book. I have always been a fool about that, getting too big for my books. I'm just really glad that God allowed me to mess up in front of fifty people that I'm never gonna see again, compared to 50 relatives attending my Grandpa's 50th anniversary.
So, that's what happened yesterday. That and I got to world five on Mario 3... but that's another story. :-)
Sorry if the picture is a little fuzzy...
