Snow

Snow is wonderful. I love the fluffy, powdery stuff. It make me happy to look out on a world blanketed in a pure unbroken plain of soft, white snow. It gives everything a pristine look, and the world just looks peaceful. Snow is wonderful.

However, it presents many problems to the functioning of a society that relies on roads and cars and other modes of transportation that rely on traction on a rough road to remain stable. Snow and ice together combine to make that rough surface unrough and hence take away traction causing cars to slide and hit each other, cars to run off the road, and many other catastrophes. It sucks.

But winter is one of my more favorite times of the year. It is very cold, this I know. But there's something about it that makes me like it so much. Autumn is a time of death to me, the trees start going into their dormant state to conserve energy, and everything just starts to look dead. By the time autumn is over, I'm just ready to forget all my morbid thoughts and what comes next? Winter. It can be depressing sometimes, the lack of sun, the cold, the snow, the ice, the dangers. But with winter comes Christmas, the New Year, Groundhog's Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Valentine's Day, and the hope and knowledge that spring is coming soon. Life will return to our barren world. The ice caps and glaciers will give up all the land that they took over during the long winter. The world becomes new again. Winter is the greatest season of the year.

And so we go.

Failure

You see it everywhere. The dejected kids on TV ads after they lose a game......and they're happy. What is wrong with this picture? Does having pizza after failing really make the failing worth it? Since when has our society moved that if you don't succeed you are still good? Where is the drive toward success that made us who we are?

America these days is a constantly changing, amoeba-like organism. But we've grown complacent with our place in the world. There was once a time in our history when, as a country, we were nothing. An insignificant speck on the face of the earth. Were we happy with that? Heck no! So what did we do about it? We worked hard, we innovated, we took pride in our success not in our failure. Did we fail? Yes, many times. Did we celebrate that? Heck no! We were ashamed of our failures, we did not let our failures define us. Instead we took them as teaching tools, and then used those experiences to motivate further success. That's what made this country what it is, desire to succeed, desire to be the best. So why do we see ads on TV that are telling the young generations of America that it is okay to fail, or to lose? It's okay to lose, you'll still get a pizza out of it. These ads sicken me.

Why do we do this? Why do we encourage this sort of losing mentality in the people who are going to be making decisions and doing things that will affect this country? Do we as a country really want to be losers? Do we want to live with failure? How can we possibly be okay with being any less than the best? Now, don't peg me as the guy who says only America should be the best. I'm not trying to say that at all. All I'm trying to say is that if we have a desire to succeed, a drive to be successful, we will be successful. And that doesn't apply to just this country, that is a universal rule. All you have to do is desire to succeed, and you'll be more likely to do so. Why live with failure? Why celebrate failure? Do we want to hold ourselves back?

Failure isn't something to live with. Does it happen? Yes it does. But there is a difference between letting failure define you and using failure to help you learn what not to do. Don't become complacent with failure. That's the first step down a dark path that you don't want to see. Success is good, success should be desired not looked down upon. Don't fall into the arms of failure, you don't want to go there.

And so we go...

Water

I love water. Let me be the first one to tell you, water is a great substance. And I'm not just saying that because I swim. Water is life-giving. And that's the real deal (that was for you Luke). Think about it, your body is over 60% water. 60%! That's more than half! That's almost three-quarters! That's a lot. Without water, our bodies would shrivel up and die. Have you ever seen a mummy? If you haven't, they are some sick looking creatures, it's almost like they're dead...anyway they are all shriveled up and dead looking. They look this way because to mummify a body, one has to dry up all the fluids in the body. Want to venture a guess as to what liquid is the most abundant? If you guessed blood, you're wrong. If you guessed brain fluid, you're wrong. However, if you guessed water, you would be correct. Water, along with some other substances, gives our skin its ability to stretch (to a certain degree).

Water isn't just important to the body though. What do you use to wash yourself in the shower (or bath depending on how you roll)? Water. What do you use to wash your hands? Water. What is the most abundant ingredient in hand sanitizer? Water. What is used to wash your dog when he is dirty? Water. Water is wonderful. It's everywhere. Over 70% of the planet and over 60% in your body. We cannot escape it. If we try, our bodies tell us that something is dreadfully wrong and we need to ramify and quantify and exemplify and Abilify our mistake with (you guessed it) water. Don't run away from your water problems. Embrace them. Are you addicted to water? Good! That's the best possible thing to be addicted to. However, do not overindulge on water. That is just as bad. If your body gets saturated with water it can no longer function the way its supposed to. So drink responsibly.

Water, its everywhere. Don't escape it, embrace it. Water. Get some.

And so we go.

Hmmm...What to call this one?

This is a question I face many times a day. Whether it be what to call my next blog, or what to call that one guy sitting back there in the corner of the room trying not to be noticed. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. Anyways, names have a very important significance in our society. They let people know what to call you, they can let you know when people are mad. Names, we just can't get enough of them.

Town names are important, though if you look at many town names west of the Mississippi River you may doubt that statement. Old days names (colonial times) usually pertained to important things that surrounded the town. People were creative with names, or they named their towns after famous people and whatnot. But as pioneer expansion turned westward, that creativity ran dry and we got names like Browning, Roy, Accident, Bird In Hand, Frankenstein, and Frostproof. I mean, what were these people thinking?! I know exactly what they were thinking. "Hmmm...What to call this one?"

People's names are also very important. One of the first things that parents are asked after they birth a child is, "What are you going to call it?" Names of people are very important for recording purposes. Names get filed with the hospital and all your records can go under your name. Names are important for birth certificates, which serve as the premier source of identification. But again, like the town names, there are some very interesting names out there. For instance, Tempest, Candy, Eustace, Hugo, Juan, Richard, and many many more. What were their parents thinking...I think I know. "Hmmm...What to call this one?"

Names. Nombres. Names. They are very important and powerful things. Use them well and administer them carefully.

And so we go.

January

What can one say about the month of January? There really isn't much to say. Outside of New Year's and Martin Luther King, Jr. day the month is basically barren. Oh yeah, there's always that nagging chance of snow and ice that will freeze everything to a halt and bury many states under snow, incapacitating governments that are used to working in sunny times with warmth and prosperity. Take, for instance, the Deep South just this past week. Many states in this region were faced with freeze warnings, ice, and snow and just general winter mayhem that a majority of the United States deals with every year. However, the Deep South remains relatively untouched by Winter's deathly freeze grip. Sure it gets cold sometimes, but ice and snow? Come on! It's the Deep South! But not this year. Florida has been battling freezes for some time, its winter crops in danger and most of the U.S. is wondering where they will get their winter oranges and grapefruits. Louisiana, just last week, issued a state of emergency BEFORE the weather even hit. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was shut down. All of this because January is mad that no one appreciates it. It's the lone winter month that nobody looks forward to. I mean, let's face it, at least February has Valentine's Day. January...don't be a cry baby.

And so we go.

Looking Forward To 2010

WOWIE ZOWIE!!!!!!! That is just your basic everyday run of the mill reaction to the end of 2009. Busy, busy, busy. That's all I've been this year. The end of fresman year was great, and I'm so glad that I'm no longer that hated person that people hate for no reason other than the fact that they're in the ninth grade. Summer was pretty cool. I didn't go anywhere, so I dedicated my summer to swimming and I had a great year on that front. The summer season is always so much fun, and I get so tan that the other guys get jealous. This summer was no exception, I was darker than a dark room in the middle of a moonless night in midsummer during a dark dream about death. I was really tan. And let's face it...I swam really fast last summer. The end of the short course season is almost here, and I'm looking forward to swimming really fast at both my state meets (high school and USA Swimming). Sophomore year will end soon, there's just one more semester of that. Everyone always says that sophomore year is the hardest, but I don't know what they're talking about. If it did get harder, then I guess I just rose to the challenge and did work and got done what needed to get done. Yes, I embark on this year, 2010, with high hopes and even higher expectations. It's gonna be a great year.

And so we go.

Remembering 2011

Man, what a year that was. 2011 was a great year. The end of junior year was awesome. I went to prom (my first one) and it was so much fun. Talk about a dance. It was really amazing. I passed junior year with flying colors, somehow managing to hold on to my 4.0 GPA. The times were fun, the days were short and life was good at the end of junior year. Then came the summer...man was it ever a busy one. I had barely gotten out of school, it seemed, when I was on my way with the church to New Orleans, Louisiana for a week of mission work. We got back and I barely had time to rest before I was on my way to GSP for the remainder of the summer. As I reflect on that summer of 2011, I always think about what I would've done if I hadn't made GSP. How would my summer have been different? Would I have had a job? How much time would I have spent doing things that I wanted to do? Who would I have met? Who would I have forgotten? Would relationships have been ruined? Would they have been made or repaired? There are so many unanswered questions from last summer, and sadly I won't have a chance to answer them. But then, before I knew it, GSP was over and I was back with all my family and friends and other various and sundry loved ones. Then the start of my senior year. What a whirlwind. No one could believe that we were now seniors, least of all myself. But I made it through the first semester, everything is going amazingly. And as I start this second semester I know that everything will continue to be amazing, through graduation, prom (again), and the start of college. I know 2012 will be a great year.

And so we go.