This class

This English class has been my most productive English class ever. All my English classes in high school have helped, but not in the level that this one has helped. With all the papers I have had to write for this class, I felt like I really knew what I was doing. With previous papers I just "winged" it. I also put more effort into this class and I believe that is why I got more out of it. I learned how to "Read Like A Writer" and how to correctly do a works cited page. I think the main reason for my success in this class is because of my teacher. She showed slot of effort into helping us succeed in the class. With all the papers she offered extra time to help us understand what we missed. She also let us turn in a rough draft before our final one. This allowed us to look at our mistakes and correct them before turning in our final paper. I know It seems I am trying to get some brownie points, but she really did help me a lot in this class. Unfortunately I don't have her for Comp 2, but hopefully I will have her again sometime while I am at AUM. I do wish I had stated on these blogs earlier than today. But my amazing teacher said if our last 15 or so are good, then she might accept only 60 posts instead of 70. I'm praying she accepts 60.

New Job

I recently had an interview with a doctors office here in Montgomery. A lady at my church works at the doctors office and knew that i was studying to be a nurse. She called me one day and said that they may have an opening for  lab technician when the new year comes around. She said I should come by for an interview. A little nervous, I went in for the interview. She said that if I got the job, I would get to see the patients in their room and take their vital signs. She said that they would teach me most of what I needed to know. I was very excited on what I would be able to do if I got the job. The lady from my church called me the day after and told me I did good. She also said I should be expecting a call from her within the next week or two. I still haven't gotten a call but my fingers are crossed. This job would help me in so many ways. I would get experience in the medial field and it would help me get to know what I liked and did not like about nursing. This will also look good on my application to nursing school at AUM. Wish me luck!

regrets

There are not too many things I regret in my life so far, except the things I did not do in high school. In high school my main sport was golf. I was pretty good at it so i dedicated my time towards it. Before I started playing golf, I grew up playing baseball. I was pretty good at baseball but I got burned out on it so I decided to play golf in high school. Looking back on it, I regret not playing at least one year of high school baseball. Another thing I regret not doing while in high school is playing football. I played when I was younger but never really liked it a lot. I was going to play in high school but decided not to because I did not want to risk getting hurt and ruining my season for golf. Looking back, I wish I would have played. Going to all those Friday night football games and having the fans cheer for you sure made me wish I had played. My high school days are over and I regret not playing those two sports that, deep down, I really wanted to play. The only positive thing about not playing those sports is that I became really good at golf. I would not be as good as I am now if I played baseball or football. I guess it was the right decision to not play those sports, but I wonder how things would be now if I had.

Highschool

My junior year in high school I had a history teacher; let us just say she was different. This woman was loud and rude. She would yell for no reason at all. I guess she just liked the sound of her voice. Although she was loud and rude someday she would be so sweet. It was a little confusing. I guess you could call her bipolar. She would say how strict and mean she was, but she would give us the exact tests the day before. When we had subs we could put anything, literally anything, down for the answer and get credit. Her class was very easy, but it was not effective. Unless you took it upon yourself to learnt he subject matter, all you were doing was memorizing it the day before. In a week all of that information was gone. I am so glad I never had her as a teacher again.

Test taking

I just finsihed my department final for psychology. This was one of those things where you have known about it all year, but you procrastinate and do it last minute. It happens, a lot, especially to me. I admit that I am a procrastinator. It must be in my genes because I really just cannot help  it. Anyways, I took the final and made an 85. That is an okay grade but I really wanted at least a 95. The part that really frustrates me is that I thought I had them all right.Even though I did wait till last minute I still put a lot of effort into it and tried really hard. So and 85 just is not okay. The department final does not tel you what you missed either; so now I am thoroughly confused on what I got wrong. Finals in general just stress me out and frustrate me. I cannot wait till Christmas break!

Dad

The person I look up to the most in my life is my dad. He has done so much for me. Far as I could remember I always did things with my dad. He took me hunting, fishing, to my first Alabama football game, and gave me my first beer. He always taught me to be my own man. Not to let anyone make my decisions. Today we do not get to hangout as much as we used to, but I will never forget all the things he has done for me. If it wasn't for hm, I would not be so into golf as I am now. I remember all the long days of him teaching me how to play. How he would be patient even after the long hours of me complaining. He made me into the man I am today, and I hope I can be as good as a father to my son as he was to me. He told me he is the man he is because of his father. My grandpa died when I was young so I dont remeber much of him, but because of my father, I know he must of been an amazing dad.

Taxes

One thing I am strongly looking forward to is getting my W2s back. As soon as I get them back I plan on filing my taxes as soon as possible, and by filing as soon as possible, I will get my money back sooner. Last year I did not get that much money back because I did not work as much. This year, however, I have made more money. I have been attempting to save up money for new accessories for my truck: lift kit, tires, and rims. I will be honest, I am not a very good saver. I spend way too much money on food and unnecessary items. Money just burns a hole in my pocket, but your taxes are like a secret bank account. You go all year with out the money and then poof you get it back! It is great! I will be so thrilled when I can finally buy all these things for my truck with my tax money!

Hardest class of the semester

This semester, my hardest class was easily Into to Psychology. Psyc is so hard to me because it is very broad. I had to learn so many things in that class it was almost overbearing. Each quiz was so hard. I studied for that class more than any other class this semester. The only thing that was a relief was the mid-term It was rather easy. What made it so hard is because our professor only lectured on certain things, but the things he did not lecture about, we were still responsible for knowing. Everything in the chapter would be on the quizzes. This class made me stretch my thinking more than any other class I have ever taken. Even though I am almost done with this class. I still have to take Developmental Psychology, which I have herd is just as hard as Into. But because It was such a hard class, I did learn a lot. I feel I learned more because of that class than any other. Even though it was a hard class, I am thankful because I am more intelligent because of it.

Black Friday

 The black Friday was my first black Friday I have ever went shopping on. Usually on black Friday I am 15 feet up a tree hunting. But this year was different. Me and my girlfriend decided to get up early that Friday and go shopping. Originally, my girlfriend was going to go shopping with her older sister and I was going to keep my happy butt in the bed. But of course it would not end up like that. My girlfriend's older sister cancelled on her the night before. So I get a call late Thanksgiving night saying I was going shopping with her the next morning. At first I said no! But a few minutes of her being really sweet got me to say yes. On black Friday I woke up at 4 a.m. Tired and cranky, I drove to pick up Hannah. Now Hannah is not a morning person at all. So once I cam to her house and woke her up, she was mad. The whole ride to the mall was her being cranky and mad at me. I almost turned the car around and headed home. But she eventually calmed down and the day turned out to actually be fun. Now for next year I hope I can go hunting but we will see.

First semester of college

My first semester of college is almost over. I can not believe that only a few finals stand between me and Christmas break. It seems only yesterday I was going to the high school for my first day as a freshman. That seems like it was only a few days ago. Now here I am almost done with my first semester of college. I remember being in high school and thinking " I can not wait to go to college". If I could, I would go back to those days in a heart beat. In high school the biggest thing I worried about is if that girl liked me or if what I was doing this Friday night. Now everything is changed. I have bigger responsibilities and more things on my mind. Yes I like the extra freedom, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss high school. I always hear high school students saying how they can not wait t graduate and go to college. If only they knew how much they would miss the very thing they can not wait to get away from.

What I want for Christmas

As Christmas gets closer and closer, I am starting to think about what I would want. When I started college, My dad gave me his truck as kind of a graduation present. It is a 2007 Toyota Tacoma and I love it. The best part is it gets way better gas mileage than my last truck. I saw this because I have to pay for my own gas. The reason I am telling you about my truck is because everything on it is stock. Eventually I want to get a lift kit, bigger tires, new grill and rims. So this year for Christmas, I either want money, or one of the things I want on my truck. Either would be perfect! But if even if I don't get that for Christmas, I will begin to save up for them this summer. I have been dropping hints though about things that would make my truck look so much better, so maybe they will get the hint!

Procrastinating

Procrastinating is something I have always done. Ever since the beginning of high school, I would wait till the last possible second to do a project or write a paper. A good example of me procrastinating on something is right now. We had 70 blog posts due by today and I am still not done. Our teacher said we can get away with around 60 if the last 15 were long enough. But even that didn't push me enough. This is my 48 blog of the year. I still have at least 12 more to go and they are due today. I don't know what time exactly they are due. I am hoping sometime later because I am still not even close to being done. Procrastinating is a very bad habit,  and I hope by being in college, that I can loose it. But so far I have not. When we were first told about the blogs, I told myself I would not wait till the last second to do them. You see, I knew already that I would probably wait till the end of the semester to do them. And now here I am with a dozen blog posts left, at least  I hope my wonderful English teacher will accept 60. If not, well I guess that is what I get for procrastinating.

SEC Champs

On one of my lasts blogs, I talked about the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Georgia. I talked about how how it would be an intense game and whoever one, would have earned their spot in the National Championship. If you watched the game, you know that it was a well fought game on both sides of the ball. One team would score, then the other team would score. It was back and forth all night. Finally, in the 4th quarter, things changed. Alabama got a crucial stop on defence and in return, had the ball. Alabama's quarterback threw an amazing pass to his stand out receiver for the lead. All Alabama had to do was stop Georgia on defense and they would be the champions. But Georgia would not go without a fight. They marched the length of the field as seconds were winding down. They had one play before the clocked expired. The quarterback dropped back and through the ball, but Alabama's defensive end jumped up and knocked it down. Alabama wins! I was screaming so loud when this was happening. For a second I thought we were going to loose. Now we face Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship game on January 7th. ROLL TIDE!

busy week

This past week has been the busiest week of the semester. Finals are next week so I have been studying extra to get prepared for them. On top of the studying. I had a test on Tuesday, paper due Wednesday, 2 papers and a test on Thursday. I was so stressed. Monday night I dedicated all my time to study for psychology test on Tuesday. Tuesday night I spent hours working on my Theatre paper due Wednesday. Wednesday night was the worst. I wrote 2 papers and I had to fix another paper that I had previously wrote. I also studied for a math test that was on Thursday. Every night, I didn't go to sleep till past 12. To add to all the chaos, my fraternity was doing what we call the "Teeter Totter" all week. This is where we ride a teeter totter for 72 hours straight in order to raise money for MDA. Each brother had two shifts they had to work. Mine were Monday and Wednesday from 5-9 at night. So some of those papers I wrote and tests I studied for, I had to do after 9p.m Monday and Wednesday. 3 papers, 2 tests, and 8 hours of "teeter totter" later I am here typing this blog. I still do not know how I got everything done and on time. This week as defiantly been the most stressful week of college.

Lambda Chi Alpha

Going into college, I had always wanted to be in a fraternity. I wanted to be able to party and have fun while I was at college. I was the typical person who thought fraternities were just a bunch of guys that partied and had a good time. I couldn't wait to be apart of that, but once I got to AUM, all that changed. As rush week started, brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha approached me. They told me what this fraternity was about and that they would like me to rush for them. I thought it over and I decided I would go for it. As the semester went on, I eventually became and associate. Other fraternities call their "new boys" pledges. At Lambda Chi, we use associates because being a pledge is almost demeaning. As an associate, you have every right as a brother, except knowing ritual. Another reason I chose Lambda Chi is because we do not haze. We believe you can not create a true brotherhood if you are hazing and disrespecting the associates. Now an official brother of Lambda Chi Alpha, I look back on why I wanted to join this fraternity in the first place. Now my mindset is totally different. I am apart of something bigger than myself and I would do anything for this fraternity. Recently I was voted High Delta. Meaning I am in charge of recruitment in the next year. I take full honor in my position because for the next year, I am in charge of the future of this fraternity. Joining this fraternity is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

SEC Title Game.

This Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide will face the Georgia Bulldogs in the South East Conference (SEC) Championship. Both teams worked extremely hard to just get to this game, but this game will not be the winners last. The winner of the SEC Championship game will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the BCS National Championship. Georgia played hard to get the chance to play in the National Championship, but Alabama's story is a little more interesting. About a month ago, Alabama was ranked number 1 in the rankings and was looking forward to going to the National Championship. The rest of their opponents were easy, except Texas A&M. Everyone knew it was going to be a tough game, but we thought we would win the game easy. As time showed, that was not the case. Texas A&M beat Alabama in a good game. Alabama fell to number 4 in the standings. Most fans had lost all hope in playing in another National Championship. The championship game is played between the number 1 and number 2 teams in the nation. This means that Alabama had to be at least number 2 before the end of the season. Everyone, including myself, counted Alabama out of the picture. The weeks went on and Alabama kept winning, but so did teams 1-3. As long as they won, Alabama would not play in the big game. If Alabama wanted any chance, they needed 2 of the top 3 teams to loose. It was a slim to none chance, but miracles do happen. One Saturday night, 3 weeks ago, that miracle would happen. The number 2 team in the nation, Kansas State, lost horribly to Baylor. I was ecstatic! But we still needed the number 3 team to loose. That same night Oregon played Stanford. The game was all ties at the end of regulation. Overtime would decide the winner. Stanford had one field goal to win the game and knock off the number 3 team in the nation. The kick went up and through the uprights! Amazingly the number 2 and 3 teams went down all in the same night! That moved Alabama into number 2 and a spot in the National Championship game, if they beat Georgia this Saturday. An amazing season so far, but it will all mean nothing unless they win this weekend.

Christmas Decorations

It seems as the years go on, the earlier and earlier Christmas decorations get put up. I know people who put up their Christmas tree the day after Halloween. That is just ridiculous. To me, Christmas decorations should be put up NO EARLIER than the day after Thanksgiving. That is a whole month of enjoying your pretty tree and lights. Now another hot topic is when is an appropriate time to take down your decorations. To me your decorations should be off within the few days after New Years. But as long as you get them off within a few weeks after Christmas, you are fine. But please do not leave your Christmas lights up all year. They are decorations, not house light. Another issue I have been noticing is that more and more houses are over decorating their houses. Please do not make your house visible from space. Lights edging your roof and on your bushes or trees is fine. But buying out Lowe's of Christmas lights and covering your house with them is just too much. Now when it comes to blow up decorations, a Santa here and a snowman there is perfect. Having your yard looking like the North Pole is tacky. Follow these simple rules and you will have a very successful Christmas

worst teacher

Out of all the teachers I have ever had, there is one that can easily be my worst teacher ever. My senior year, I had Mrs. London for English. What made her the worst teacher was her papers. Each week she gave us about three poems and by the end of the week, we had to have written an analysis on each one. Every one always made horrible grades on them. What made everyone mad was she would tell us what we were doing wrong, but once we fixed them, she found something else wrong. It was like she never wanted us to make and A on any of her papers. Another thing that I didn't like about her is she lost our papers a lot and tell us to write another one. The only thing we got graded on in that class was her papers and vocab tests. Which I didn't mind. But one time we had to read a book and take a test on it. What made everyone mad was that she never graded the tests. I know I made a good grade on it so I was especially mad. Even though she would let us watch movies sometimes, it still doesn't make up for all the little things that make her the worst teacher.    

Best Moment

I have been blessed with many things in my life. As I look back, many instances could be considered the best moment of my life. But one I think beats them all. My senior awards day was my greatest moment. That day was when all my hard work was recognized. Out of a honor court that only had three guys, I was one of them. I was ranked number 8 in my graduating class and I had a 3.8 GPA. That day I won many awards including the Terry McFadden award. This award is given to the student with outstanding academic credentials and character. This award is one of the most profound awards given by the school. When my name was called, I smiled so big. Another award I was recognized for winning prior was the category winner in the Joe Sewel award. The Joe Sewel foundation selects 4 student from each high school in the Elmore County. Being selected is an honor in it's self. Although I did not win the overall award. I did when the category award for Outstanding Church and Character award. Winning this award was just as exciting as winning the overall award. Seeing my fellow students, faculty, and family watching me on that stage was the greatest moment of my life.

sentence series

He is accredited for my actions, my successes, my failures, and most importantly my self-esteem.

Society is responsible for their actions, their ideas, their personality, and their future.

Thankful for...

As I become older, I pay more attention to what I am blessed with. I try to take time out of my day and say thanks to everything that I have. I have so many things to be thankful for, so this will be difficult. The first thing I am thankful for is my wonderful family. I was blessed to be raised in a family that is great. They always provided for me and showed me with love. They taught me everything I know today. I am so thankful for them. The next thing I am thankful for is my health. I am so blessed with my good health. It is sad to see children today with birth defects and it breaks my heart. I always thank the Lord for blessing me for my health. Another thing I am thankful for is where I live. It is so sad to see children in other parts of the world, and I am so blessed to have been born in the U.S. Another thing I am thankful for is our military. Freedom is not free and without our military, America would not be the same. I am so thankful for the millions who serve and protect this great country. There are so many more things I am thankful for, but I would be here all day if I talked about them all. These were my top things I am so blessed to have.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays ever. Between my family getting together or all the delicious food, Thanksgiving is the best. There is nothing better than sitting back and watching football while stuffing your face with really good food. Speaking of food, Thanksgiving has the best food. Here recently, my family meets over at my sisters house. Everyone brings all sorts of food,  but the turkey is left up to my sister. She smokes the turkey for hours and it is the best. Usually we would bake our turkeys but every since my sister smoked it a few years ago, we have always ate our turkey smoked. Another delicious food is one that my mom makes. It's called pineapple casserole. Its pineapples, cheese, and Ritz crackers. It might sound a little weird, but trust me, it is so good. She only makes it on special occasions, and Thanksgiving is one of those. One more thing I cannot forget about is my moms homemade mac and cheese! She spends hours on it and its always delicious. It's so cheesy and gooey. It will always be my favorite mac and cheese! From the food and family, top the football, Thanksgiving is easily one of my favorite times of the year!

Technology

One topic that I have seen come up more and more is, "Should children have more technology in schools?" This has been a discussion for some time now. I have thought about it alot and I think there are reasons for, and against more technology in schools. I believe that more technology is a good thing because it makes learning more fun ands easy. From the kids view point, it is easy to pay attention if the material is on a computer than on a blackboard. Using Smart Boards was way more helpful than watching the teacher write on the board. More technology also speeds up the class, allowing more one in one time between the student and teacher. But one reason why more technology is a bad thing is that it makes kids lazy. Now it seems if students cant type there paper then they are doomed. Some of the smartest people ever to live didn't have much technology. I believe why they were so smart is because they had to work harder to actually know the material. Yes technology makes learning easier, but sometimes if it is too easy, then the student wont get the whole idea. I believe there are many reasons for and against more technology. But I believe the schools that find a fair median of not too much and not too little technology seem to work the best

Holiday Memory

Over my lifetime, I have accumulated many memories. The holidays are the best time of the year to me. You have great food and all your family is around. The one memory I can remember the most is one Christmas about 7 years ago. In the months leading up to it, I have been saying how my friends four wheeler was so awesome. I would always go to his house and ride it. I never asked for one because I knew they were very expensive so I was not expecting one at all. I wake up that Christmas morning, and in my living room was a red four wheeler. It was amazing! It was just like my friend's and I was so happy. The best part of it all is that it was snowing that morning. So I went outside in the snow and rode my brand new four wheeler for the first time. It was so fun sliding all over the place. My parents said I was out there for hours, but I was having so much fun I couldn't tell. Out of all my holiday memories, that was Christmas was the best.

Hard Decision

I haven't made too many hard decisions in my life, but one that I can easily remember happned this past summer. I was working as a summer counselor at the YMCA. It was about 1/3 through the summer and I had a problem. Most of the kids I take care of start off bad, but eventually learn the rules and obey them. Well I had one bad apple. He would not listen to me or any other counselor. I was constantly putting him in time out and calling his mom, but nothing seem to work. Finally I could not take any more. I took him to my boss Shaun(which is a bad thing for the kids) and told him that this one kid was horrible and that I am tired of him. Shaun talked to him for a minute and told me. There are two things that can happen; You get kicked out of camp for the summer, or you get ONE more chance. The twist is my boss made me make the decision. "Your around him more than me so I think it is only fair you choose". My first thought was send him home. But I looked at the kid and saw something I have never seen out of him. I saw that he was truly sorry. He was almost crying and I could tell he wanted to be here. I told him this is his last chance. He hugged me and smiled really big. I could tell he was truly grateful. Ever since that day, he never acted up again.

Politcs

Now that I am older, I have been paying more and more attention to our nations politics. One thing I saw with the last election was that some, not all, but some African Americans voted for Obama just because he was "black". I think this is down right ignorant. If you were a African American and you voted for him because you had the same beliefs, then that is fine, but to vote for him just because he was black is ignorant. Another thing I have seen within the past few years is that people voting either Democratic or Republican no matter who the candidate is. Most people will deny this, but I know some people that who do this. I believe that you should vote on the person, not the party. Of course if you are Republican, then chances are you will normally vote for Republican, but do not let that stop you from giving the other party a chance. I will vote who I believe is best for this country, no matter what party he or she is from. People need to look past their pride and ignorance and look at what is best for their country.

The one chore I hate the most

With my oldest siblings grown and moved out, I am stuck with all the chores. Now I don't mind doing chores, except this one. Cutting grass will always be my least favorite chore. I believe the reason why is because my yard is pretty big. I have to cut around 4 acres without a zero turn tractor. The only time you cut grass is in the summer, so the heat makes me hate cutting grass even more. It's always around 100 degrees when I have to cut grass. Another reason I have cutting grass is I usually have to cut it during the weekend. I don't have time to cut grass during the week, so that leaves me stuck with doing it on a Saturday or Sunday. There is nothing id rather not do than waste my weekend cutting grass. Now cutting my yard takes forever. If I do it by myself, it takes around 2 or 3 hours. It is so exhausting. In my yard, there are some spots where the tractor can't get to, so I have to use the push mower to get it. I had using the push mower to cut grass. It always takes forever. One summer, our tractor was broken and I had to cut the whole yard with just the push mower. That day was one of my worst days ever. I don't mind doing chores, but don't expect me to get excited when you ask me to cut the grass.

My idea of a perfect vacation

My idea of a perfect vacation is a easy one. I have always wanted to fly out to Hawaii for a week and enjoy everything it has to offer. I would take a few of my closest friends along for the fun. As soon as we landed we would go find the perfect hotel that was right on the beach of course. The first day would be nothing but relaxing on the beach, playing volleyball and swimming in the ocean. As the night came we would go out and find a Luau to have dinner at. The next day, me and my buddies would go golfing. I love golfing, and I have always wanted to golf in Hawaii because they have some of the best golf courses on the world. After we had golfed all day, we would come back to the hotel and just grill out. The next day, we would all go snorkeling in the ocean. I have never been and what better way to start than on vacation in Hawaii. I have always wanted to go on an exotic vacation and Hawaii would be the perfect spot! between the beaches and the golf courses, Hawaii would be the perfect vacation

Alabama or LSU?

This Saturday, marks the key match up between the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. the LSU Tigers. This is one of the, if not the, biggest game of the regular season for both programs. Last year LSU came into Tuscaloosa as one of the nest teams in the Nation. Whichever team one, they were going to the SEC Championship. It was a close game all night. At the end of regulation, the score was tied. When it was all said and done, LSU won by a small 3 points. Bama fans shouted in grief, they thought their season was over. But time would eventually tell otherwise. As the season went on, Many high ranked teams lost unexpectedly. This allowed Alabama to once again move into the number 2 spot with only LSU above them. As the season ended, the only question unanswered was; "Who will play against LSU in the National Championship?" On a Sunday Afternoon that question was answered. Shockingly, Alabama was that team. A rematch for the National Championship was unheard of. But that was all Alabama needed. The second game was totally different. Alabama had a chip on their shoulder. Alabama dominated both sides of the football and won the 2011 National Championship against their rivals. Now one season later, the two teams match up. Bama is hungry for their 15th National Championship, but LSU looks to seek revenge against the Tide. Battle at the Bayou. Alabama vs. LSU. Only the strong will survive.

Rednecks

The term "country boy" tends to be synonymous with "white trash" or "rednecks" in many people's minds. They see rednecks as a big group of fools that only spit dip and have big muddy trucks. However, few country boys are living this life style for this reason. On the contrary, most are country because that was how they were born and raised. All they know is the simple life of living in the country. Most country boys I know are great guys that would go out of their way just to help you out of a bind. For the truth is that being country is a good thing. Most live simpler lives than those in the city. They live off the land and and seem to have less stress than other people. In this essay, closely examine the life styles of country people to that of city people. You might be surprised at how the levels of stress compare.  Now I know there are a lot of hell raising "rednecks" out there, but just because you see someone who is country, don't jump to conclusion that they are rednecks.

Is Torture Right?

In his essay, "The Case for Torture," Michael Levin argues that in some cases torture is the right thing to do. If innocent lives are endangered and the only way to save them is by torturing the criminal, the torture is the right thing to do. Why should we protect the rights of one individual, when innocent lives will be lost in the process. If a terrorist goes through with a crime and puts lives into danger, then he has lost all his rights. Levin stresses that he is not saying that torture should be a regular means of punishment, only on necessary occasions. Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to only using torture when it is needed. I agree if a criminal(s) puts the lives of innocent citizens in danger, and there is no other way of saving them, then torture should be administered. Torture is a very touchy subject, but if it means saving lives for the cost  one criminal, then it is the right thing to do.

Teacher that inspired me the most

The teacher that inspired me the most was my high school English teacher Mrs. Williamson. Mrs "Willy" as everyone called her was an amazing teacher. I had for 9th and 11th grade english. Going into high school I was very nervous ( as any freshman would be). I especially feared English because all I could remember about my older sisters thoughts on English was " Be ready to right a ton of papers." But I went into my freshman English class with a positive attitude. From the first day, Mrs. Willy made us freshman feel welcomed. She told us not to be afraid and that she would always be there to help us. Now going into my 11th grade English class I was more excited. But I did have one downfall, In my whole high school career I did not have to work hard for my grades. In 11th grade, Mrs. Willy taught us that college will be very different from high school. She taught me that I was going to actually have to work hard if I wanted a good grade. Mrs. Willy helped me prepare for college and if it were not for her, I wouldn't be the student I am today.

Work Ethic

In he essay from the late eighties entitled "Goodbye to the Work Ethic," social critic Barbara Ehrenreich asserts that the true working class is not really a working class anymore. It all started with the Yuppies in the eighties, who seemed to be overworked and overstressed, but really were not doing anything. They just had to seemed stressed in order to make people believe that they were really working hard for their money. Although I agree with Ehrenreich up to a point, I cannot accept her overriding assumption that just because you work in an office you do not work hard. My father has worked in an office for his entire professional career. If it were not for him, my family would not be as financially stable as it is today. My dad slowly worked his way up to the job he has now and without hard work, he would have never made it.

Best Time of the Year

Out of all the seasons, Fall is my favorite! From the weather, to the sports, fall will always be the best time of the year. One of my favorite reasons why Fall is the best is because of the weather. It's not too hot or too cold. It's perfect! I have a really big yard and every week during the summer I have to cut grass. Now that it is Fall, the grass hardly ever needs to be cut. I love being able to go outside and not automatically sweating, or freezing my butt off. The other reason why I love Fall is the sports. Football season is the best. I love nothing more than watching football games on Friday and Saturday nights. I look forward to watching Alabama football all year round. Another great sport that comes with the Fall is deer hunting. Hunting will always be an experience like no other. Ever since I could remember, I have always been hunting. There is something about the rush of seeing that big buck that keeps me wanting more. From the weather to the sports, Fall will always be the perfect time of the year.

Give Me that Old Time Feminism

In her July 2006 essay from the Huffington Post, "Give Me that Old Time Feminism," New York Times bestselling author Barbara Ehrenreich asserts that at times, feminism is blown out of proportion. While in other countries, women have close to no rights at all. She goes on two compare old school feminism with new school feminism. Back in the 1920s, feminist were fighting for equal rights as men, while new feminist are worrying about fitting into stilettos. I'm of two minds about Ehrenreich's claim that feminism is dead. On the other hand I agree that at least American women have rights. Compared with other countries where their woman have no rights and could never be out right feminist. I believe present day woman have as many rights as they do because of old school feminist. If it were not for them, times may be different for woman

Opinions Reviszed

Are you entitled to your opinion? Most people say of course, but is that entirely true? There are instances where both cases are true. Everyone is entitled to their opinion to some extent. If your opinion is on something that is debatable like, "Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla ice cream," then you have every right to that opinion. But if you use the excuse of "I'm entitled to my opinion" to argue over something that is completely wrong, then that is not the case. If your opinion is 2+2 =5, then you are not entitled to that. If you are arguing over your opinion that is completely wrong, then you are missing that point of your opinion. You have an opinion so that you can argue and back up your beliefs, not to just have an excuse to debate with someone

Patrick Stokes, lecturer in Philosophy at Deakin University. In his essay, "No your not entitled to your opinion," he claims that everyone is in entitled to their opinion, only if their opinion is arguable. If someone has an opinion that is completely false just so they can argue, then they are not entitled to that opinion.  Sometimes people use their opinion in order to say whatever they want, Stokes is against this for that reason. Although I disagree with much that Stokes says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that people should only have opinions if they are arguable. People should have opinions to state their beliefs, not to just be able to say what they want to.

Fear

As I have stated in some of my previous blogs,  during the summer I work as a camp counselor at the Grandview YMCA. Every summer the camp has a lock-in. This is where the kids get to stay all night at the camp. It starts at 7 and ends the next morning around 7. The kids look forward to this night more than anything else. We have pizza, play games, and go for a night swim. For the really brave kids, we take a midnight hike through the woods. Now at camp grandview, there is an old pool with locker rooms that is no longer used. It hasn't been used in decades and looks pretty creepy. The reason it is no longer used is because the foundation started to crack, but the kids don't know that. As counselors we made up this scary story of how a camper went crazy and killed 5 campers at that pool a long time ago. So when we told the kids that we were going to go explore the haunted pool, only a few went. Me and two other counselors took the brave kids down there and from the beginning, the plan was to scare them. At first the kids were fine, the started to believe nothing was going to happen, until we went into the locker rooms. Now these lockers even creep me out, especially during the night because it's pitch black. We walked through and the kids were scared, but nothing happened so they eventually lightened up, but I had a plan. I was the last person in the group making shore no kid got lost. So as we excited the locker rooms, I screamed and jumped into an old shower. The kids freaked out yelling, "Mr. Colby!!!" I continued to scream and started yelling, "Run! Its coming!" So the other two counselors played along and told the campers to run back and don't stop. As they all left, I took my knife and ripped my shirt to make it look like giant claws going down it. As I ran back to were the kids were, I laid down and knocked on the door. The kids ran to me freaking out. They asked me what happened and all I said was, " All I remember is a big figure attacking me, then I blacked out." From that night on, I Still don't go a day without a camper asking me what happened that night.

Library fun

Last week instead of going to class, we had to go to our library and find three books that had to do with three of our discourse comminitys. I first went to the online website and searched for my books. Once I found them, each book had a number which told you where the book was located within the library. This is when the fun began. There are 7 floors in the library, so finding three book was going to be an adventure. The first few numbers on the book lets you know what floor your book is on, and the rest tell you exactly where the book is at. I found the floors pretty easy, but I was lost from there. I went down rows and rows looking for just one book. I eventually found the row I was looking for, but each row has three shelves on it. The number told me which shelve it was on, but when I looked, the book was not there. I looked and looked but could not find it. The website said the book was not checked out so I was confused. I was almost ready to give up, when I saw one book who's back was facing the wrong way. I grabbed the book and turned it around and it was my book. After finding the first one, the rest of the book were a breeze.

opinions

Are you entitled to your opinion? Most people say of course, but is that entirely true? There are instances where both cases are true. Everyone is entitled to their opinion to some extent. If your opinion is on something that is debatable like, "Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla ice cream," then you have every right to that opinion. But if you use the excuse of "I'm entitled to my opinion" to argue over something that is completely wrong, then that is not the case. If your opinion is 2+2 =5, then you are not entitled to that. If you are arguing over your opinion that is completely wrong, then you are missing that point of your opinion. You have an opinion so that you can argue and back up your beliefs, not to just have an excuse to debate with someone.

facebook vs twitter

The big question; Facebook vs. Twitter? Ever since social media began, Facebook has been the superior front runner, but here within the past 5 years a new network is giving Facebook some competition. I have both Facebook and Twitter accounts and there are not to many differences. Both let you tell your friends, or followers, what you are doing. Both let you interact with your friends or followers. To me, the difference is if you are trying to meet new people Facebook is for you. Facebook is designed more so that you can meet new people easier. Twitter is aimed more for the younger audience who already have a lot of friends and want a "cool" way to communicate with them. I have noticed one reason why the majority of Twitter accounts are younger is because most adults are not on Twitter. Teenager can talk to their friends without a family member seeing. Facebook is more prevalent with the older audience because it is more professional. It is more acceptable for an adult to have a Facebook rather than a Twitter. So which one should you pick? It all depends on your age or your popularity. Meaning if you are a celebrity it is more helpful in having a Twitter. But for us regular folks out of high school, Facebook is the way to go.

weird day at work

For the past two years I have worked with the Grandview YMCA as a summer counselor. Dealing with kids everyday is always a weird time, but I can recall one day in particular that was weirder than usual. It was in the afternoon and the kids where getting their things together.The kids and the counselors were all tired from the long hot day and everyone was ready to go home. We get a call over our walkies that it was time for this kid to go home. We call for the kid but he is no where to be found. We search and search but cannot find him. By this time everyone is looking but he is still missing. The counselors begin to panic while searching all over for him. By this time the mother has pulled up waiting for her child. My boss goes up to her and explains to her the situation. She is very angry and has every right to be 30 min later the mother gets a call from her husband. The husband is calling to remind her that she needs to pick up the child from soccer practice at school. The kid never came to camp that day! The mother completely forgot about his practice and was very apologetic to the staff. We were just glad that it was a false alarm. That day was defiantly the weirdest day at work

best movie

If I had to choose the best movie I have ever seen, I could only narrow it down to two choices. Either "The Dark Night," or "The Dark Night Rises." Both movies are part of the Batman trilogy. "The Dark Night" is the second movie and "The Dark Night Rises" is the third movie. The villains in both movies are really what hooked me. The second movie had a villain by the name of The Joker. The actor that played The Joker did an amazing job. In the third movie, it had a villain by the name of Bane. This villain was very interesting. He had a face impairment that made him wear a mask around his mouth. It also altered his voice, so that he sounded very sinister. Another thing I loved about both these movies are that they were fairley long. When I go and pay over 10 dollars to see a movie, it is very disapointiong when the movie is just over an hour long. With these two movies, you deffinatly get your moneys worth.

revised

Ever since I can remember I have always loved helping people. I was always eager to serve other and I really enjoyed it! Once I started high school I really began thinking of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew I wanted to help people so I focused my profession in the medical field. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field but I was not positive which specific profession I wanted to be within the medical field. During this time my sister was and RN at Baptist East Hospital. From all the stories she told me my passion for nursing grew and grew. She loved the atmosphere of being in the hospital and having the opportunity to help others everyday. So I really looked into nursing and went to a view seminars to see if I would like being a nurse. Here I am now 4 years later at AUM pursuing my degree in nursing. After AUM, I plan on transferring to South Alabama to earn my degree for a Nurse Antithesis. I know it will be tough, but with my sisters help I will become a nurse in no time

favorite food

My favorite food is easily wings! either grilled or fried wings are easily my favorite type of food. I prefer hot wings, but there are so many other delicious types of flavors that I would would be happy with. I think one reason why I enjoy wings so much is because they remind me of football season. The best food to eat while watching football are wings. Wings are also good to eat during the summer at a cookout. Wings also bring back memories of me and my dad. When I was younger, me and my dad would also order wings while watching football on Saturdays. Wings are so delicious but also remind me of some good times I have had while eating them.

10 things that annoy me

1. Impatient drivers
2.Negative people
3.Cheaters
4.Annoying talkers
5.Rude people
6.Slow drivers
7.Spoiled kids
8.Disrespectful teenagers
9. Judgmental people
10. Laying in bed, about to fall asleep and remembering you forgot to do something

    Out of the 10 things that annoy me, there is a reason I put impatient drivers as number 1. Ever since I began driving, impatient drivers have always gotten on my nerves. If I am going the speed limit, especially over the speed limit, riding my tail is not going to get me to go any faster. If you are late, that is your fault. You should have planned out your day better. Do not bring me into your mess. I can understand if I am going slow that you would ride my tail, but not if I am going fast. If you ride my tail, expect me to brake check you. And if you cut me off, expect me to blow my horn at you also

favorite songs

 I love music so much that it is very tough for me to pick one song in particular to be my favorite song. But one song that always puts me in a good mood is "It's Friday". For the past two summers I worked at the YMCA in Millbrook. Every morning we do this activity called "opening". This is where every kid in the camp goes to this one building and we play games and listen to songs. This starts our day and is a lot of fun! Well every Friday we would play this song called "It's Friday". It's an upbeat fun song. It's perfect to dance to and just have a good time. I love this song because it's like a celebration. Hearing this song makes me so glad that the week is over and that it its time for the weekend. Between all the campers and all the counselors, whenever this song plays, everyone goes crazy! In the song, the singer talks about how it's been a long week and how she is going to party this weekend. I love this song because I can relate to the singer.

hiding from my ex

One time last summer, me and my best friend went to the mall in Montgomery. I was recently single because me and my girlfriend had broken up the week before. We broke up because she was a little on the crazy side. If I didn't text her back within five minutes, she would freak out. Or if I didn't answer her call, she would assume I was with another girl. So my friend wanted to take me out to the mall so I could forget about her and just have some fun. Now my ex was still obsessed with me at this time and was still telling everyone we were dating. She would follow me home some days and try and talk to me, she was crazy. I was just praying she wouldn't be in the mall. An hour goes by and everything is perfect. Me and my friend are having a good time, until I see my ex walk around the corner! I immediately run into the closest store. To my disadvantage, It was a Victoria Secret store. I say this because my ex loved those store and I just new she was going to stop in it. Well I was right. She walks in (still not knowing I'm here) and starts to look at clothes. She starts moving closer and I began to panic. I jump into the changing room and lock the door. I smile because I had avoided her and lived to see another day, so I thought. I hear a knock on the door, "Anyone in there"? I freak out because it was my ex! In my best girl voice I say"Yes". She believes it! I sneak out when the coast is clear and till this day she still never knew I was there.

Letter to my teacher

 Dear Mrs. London

 I am writing you this letter to inform you about my feelings towards your class my senior year. The only thing we did in your class was write papers on poems and take vocab tests. The only book that read, you never graded the test on it. You wanted to prepare us for college, but how is only focusing on poems going to prepare us for college? I believe that reading all those poems did help, but we defiantly need to broaden our learning. To be honest, I believe you were too lazy to teach us anything else. All you wanted to do was print out poems and let us write an analysis on it. Well that did help but what am I going to do when we have a book review? I just believe that in your future classes you should expand beyond just poems

                              Thanks, Colby

what I miss about high school

As a freshman in college I can easily name a few things I miss about high school. The first thing I miss is seeing all my friends on a daily basis. Seeing my friends everyday was the main motive for me going to high school. If I didn't get to see them everyday, going to school would not have been as fun. Now that I am in college  hardly ever get to see my friends that I grew up with. The second thing I miss about high school is the work. During the time, i though the school work was hard and I hated when I had to read something for homework. Now I am reading constantly. Every class I take I have to do some form of reading. In my Psychology class each chapter is roughly 50 pages and we have quizzes all the time. The work I am now doing is nothing compared to the easy work in high school. The last thing I miss in high school is the fun times. I miss the Friday night football games, the pep rallies, and prom. All those experiences were apart of high school and now I don't get to experience those anymore. Now that I am in college, I catch myself wishing I could somehow go back in time to when I was in high school.

weights vs treadmill

When looking into what to do to get back into shape, or just loose 10-20 pounds, most people don't know what to do. Some people say just work out, while others say just do cardio. Both techniques are very good for you, but which one will help you loose weight more? Most people say to just run/walk in order to loose weight. But if you really want to loose that stubborn belly fat, you have to do both. What most people don't realize is that muscle ways more than fat. So if you workout alot, you will begin to gain weight but it muscle you are gaining, not fat. Gaining muscle is a good thing. If you run and workout for your exercise routine, you will eventually see the best results. When you are running, you are burning off fat, and when you are working out you are building muscle. Another thing most people don't know is that when you are sleeping, your newly formed muscles burn off the fat in your body. So you are loosing fat in your sleep! If you are looking for the best way to get back into shape, or loose some fat off your tummy, make shure you hit the weights and the treadmill.

worst day ever

When I think of my worst day ever, one day pops. The day my puppy died. When I was a young boy, about 5 or 6, my parents got me a little puppy for my birthday. He was a Jack Russel Terrier and I named him buddy. He was my first dog I ever had and he was the best. Wherever I went, buddy was close behind me. There is something about the bond between a young boy and his dog that can't be broken and me and buddy had that. As I grew older I noticed buddy would not run around as fast as he used to, he was becoming old and I was just hoping he would be okay. dog. One afternoon, I started to notice how buddy was not himself, all he wanted to do was sleep all day. Shortly after that, he began to vomit. So me and my dad took him to the vet. One the way to the vet, buddy began to cry and shout. Once we arrived at the vet, his crying had become very loud. I carried him into the vet and the doctors took him away. Not long after, my dad came to me and said that they had to put to sleep. The doctors said that buddy drank some anti-freeze which tastes really sweet to animals but is very dangerous for them. That was the last day I was with buddy and I will never forget my very first

If I were in charge

I have always pondered the thought of being in charge of my high school. When I was still in high school, the though came across my mind more than you would think. If I were in charge, the first thing I would change would defiantly be the lunchroom food. No more nasty state lunches! I would have amazing food from Subway, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Zaxaby's. I never looked forward to going to lunch while I was in high school and if I were in charge, that would be the first thing I would change.The second thing I would change about my high school if I were in is allowing all the students get into athletic games for free. I loved going to all my high school's games but it came at a price. Baseball games were five dollars and football games were six dollars! I believe that students should get into games for free. At least the students who have made A-B honor roll. So if I ever could go back in time an become the principal at my high school, those would be the two things I would change immediately.

best day ever

When think about my best day ever, It is hard to put it into one day. It was actually a whole week. The best time I have ever had was when me and my friends went to the beach during spring break for an entire week. This past school year for spring break, me and half of my senor class went down to Panama City Beach. Everything about the trip was amazing. It all started the night before we went. Most of us stayed at the same house and spent the night so that we could all leave together in the morning. We ordered pizzas, watched movies, and stayed up all night talking about all the fun we were going to have. Once we finally got to the beach, we immediately started having fun. Between the beach, food, and the parties, my spring break adventure was easily the best time I have ever had.

Weather

One of the best days I have ever had was when it snowed a few years back. In Alabama, we do not get the opportunity to see much snow. But one cold winter morning I woke up to my whole yard covered with white snow. As soon I got up, I called all my buddies to come over. When they all finally got over, we started riding four wheelers. We were sliding all over the yard, and almost flipped it a few times. When then started to pull one another with the four wheeler using some rope and a tarp. It was so much fun to get slung around in the freezing cold snow. After our joy ride, we all started a huge snowball fight. Snowballs were soaring all around us, and a few hit me in the face! And what snow day would not be complete without a snowman? We all helped in making the largest snowman I have ever made. It was over six feet tall and stayed up for over a few days. Snow days do not come often around Alabama, so when they do, it's easily one of the best days of your life.

My other classes

 Other this this English class, I have 3 other classes I am taking this semester. On Monday and Wednesdays I have Theatre from 8a.m.-9:15a.m. and Psychology from 10:50-12:05. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take this class from 10:50-12:05 and Finite Math from 12:45-2. I only took four classes this semester because I did not want to overload myself with to much work my first semester of college. Out of all my classes so far, my favorite is Theatre. This is my favorite because we get to read plays and watch movies. Even though we have tests on the plays and reviews on the movies, it is still an exciting class to be in. The teacher, Mr Wallace, is always singing. He has a special way of teaching us so that the material is more exciting and fun. My least favorite class is Psychology. There are a few reasons why this is so. For starters, our tests are mainly on what we have to read and not on what he teaches. I don't enjoy having to learn out of a text book, I would much rather be taught the material. Another reason why I do not like this class is because Psychology is all about the mind and how it works. Learning about one's mind and why a certain person acts how they do is more confusing to me than my other classes. My other two classes are not too bad. My Math professor writes EVERTHING down on the chalk board. The class goes by so slow because he spends most of his time writing instead of teaching, but the material is fairly simple so the class is ok. My English class is very laid back. We do a lot of work with the computer, which I enjoy. The only reason it's not my favorite because English has always been my weakness.

Discourse Community

   As I have grown older I have realized that I belong to many groups or communities. I'm in these groups because the people in them share the same interests and views. To outsiders looking in we might be confusing, but to us it's an everyday thing. There are three specific groups that i am very fond of; golf, football, and fitness. Within these three groups I can connect with other members on a different level than someone who is not simply because we are bonded together due to our similar hobbies.
   My first discourse community I'm involved in is golf. Every since I was young I enjoyed the game of golf. It was not until high school, however, that i realized golf was my true passion. I grew up playing baseball year round and I was pretty good, but because I played so much I just got burned out. My brother invited me to play a round of golf one weekend with him and ever since then I was hooked. From there on out I was golfing every opportunity I had and I eventually became good. Now if you catch me with my golfing buddies you might be confused with our conversation when you hear words like slice, hook, fringe, or bunker. To you outsiders a slice is when you hit the ball and it goes from left to right. These words are everyday vocabulary to us golfers but to outsiders we might seem like we are from a different country.
   My second discourse community is football. Growing up in the south, especially in Alabama, almost everyone is a football player or fan. From birth my dad installed the basics of football, and as I matured the passion only grew. From touchdowns to interceptions and false starts to offsides, I could talk for days on football. For example, when a player "false starts" he moves before the ball is snapped. Now when it comes to The University of Alabama football, I can name player after player. The Crimson Tide have always been my team.
  My third and final discourse community I'm in is fitness. As a young kid I was not the smallest boy, I loved to eat . Eventually this caught up to me when I reached high school. I was overweight and unhealthy. I told myself after two years of being overweight that I was no longer going to live like this. I started running and eating healthier and soon enough the pounds started coming off. Now five years later I exercise five days a week. Exercising is a part of my daily routine. On most days you can find me in the gym or the track with my workout buddies. They help me stay committed and focused so that i will not go back to my old habits. If you are around me when I'm exercising you might hear me say, "I need a spot", or "I'm going to max today", which means I am going to attempt to lift the most possible weight. These are just a few examples of my everyday workout conversations that help we communicate with other people in the discourse community.
    These three groups are apart of my live on a daily basis. Without them I would defiantly not be the same person. They are not only apart of my life, but in my families. They help us stay connected with each other and truly have an important role.

How to read like a writer

In, "How to Read Like a Writer", the author wants us to read more in depth than we normally would read. The author gives the reader many tips and techniques on how to RLW. One of the first tips is to try and understand some of the choices that the author made in their writing. In other words, why did the author put this into their writing? One metaphor used in the article was to look at a book like a carpenter looks at a house, we must examine every detail in order to fully grasp the book in its entirety. The author also gives us some key points to think about before we start reading; Do I know the author's purpose for this writing? Do I know who the intended audience is for this piece of writing? These tips are just a few ways that the author is helping the reader be more detailed in their reading. We can no longer just read, we have to RLW.

what do I want to be when I grow up

Ever since I can remember I have always loved helping people. I was always eager to serve other and I really enjoyed it! Once I started high school I really began thinking of what I wanted to be when i grew up. I knew I wanted to help people so focused my profession in the medical field. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field but I was not positive which specific profession I wanted to be within the medical field. During this time my sister was and RN at Baptist East Hospital. From all the stories she told me my passion for nursing grew and grew. She loved the atmosphere of being in the hospital and having the opportunity to help others everyday. Here I am now 4 years later at AUM pursuing my degree in nursing.

previous english classes

My last English class was very interesting. Our grades consisted of only two types;vocabulary and papers. Our vocab tests were on every Friday. All the students loved the vocab tests simply because the majority of the class cheated. Now me being the great student I was, I never cheated.If you could not tell I was being sarcastic in that last sentence. Students always expected to ace the vocab tests and for the most part they did. Now the papers were a different story. At the beginning of the week our teacher would give us a handout of a poem, or two, of her choice. We would analyze the poems during the week and our paper would usually be due that following Monday or Tuesday. Now the strange thing is, we would go over the poem line by line with our teacher so each student knew what they were doing. But come the day when she had them graded, everyone failed. Her reasoning behind this was because we were doing it all wrong, yet she was the one giving us the information during the week before. Never the less I made an "A" in the class, but i will never miss that English teacher.