Things I Am Thankful For

I am thankful for the great outdoors.

I am thankful for my early morning swag.

I am thankful for those amazing views you can only find while going on a hike

I am thankful for my new best friend, Nicolas Cage.

I am thankful that my braces are gone.

And finally, I am thankful for my friends.

Well, The Sign DID Say 'No Trespassing'...

Along the road she was walking t'wards home
Living her life without a single care
However, this was a new path today
She quickly got lost, and a little scared

After a while, she found a warm cottage
Filled with lots of porridge, sofas, and beds
She briefly took a break from her voyage
And ate a large meal and rested her head

Once she was out, the owners returned home
To find the aftermath of her hunger
To search for clues of what happened, they roamed
And found the culprit sleeping off her blunder

To make up for having food no longer,
They ate young Goldilocks to rid their hunger.

I'm Getting Too Old For This

     *sniff sniff* What's that awful smell? All I did was sacrifice like I usually do. Boy, come and tell me what is wrong. What? What do you mean there's no fire? Wait, what do you mean it's seeping fluid? And where are all these birds coming from? This must mean only one thing. Creon. That hardheaded buffoon is really starting to get on my nerves. Why must he insist on always being right, even when he is obviously in the wrong? Doesn't he know that his stubbornness cannot possibly lead to anything good? Of course not! Because all he cares about is the unquestioned obedience of his subjects. And if anyone steps out of line, even his own niece, it's 'off with their head!' I mean, for the gods' sake, it is just a body! Someone has got to talk some sense into this man before he does something he will really regret.
     Of course, that "someone" has to be me. It always has to be me. Do you think this is the way I wanted to start my weekend? Of course not! Why must I always be the bringer of bad news? Why can't somebody else be the one to tell him that his pride is going to cause the deaths of everyone he has ever cared about? Do you think I like this "gift"? Why would I? All the people who I try to help always do is shoot me down, curse me, and send me away. They all understand that I'm never wrong, and yet whenever one of my prophecies isn't good for them, I am a fraud. I am getting too old for this nonsense. But, alas, it is my duty to inform the king of the consequences coming his way unless he changes, which he won't. I should just get this unpleasantness over with. *Sigh.* Come, boy. Take me to Thebes.

Smart Person, Not-So-Smart Decisions

     I watched as he walked down the street until he saw a car. He then proceeded to steal it, run over a bunch of people, and become involved in a high speed police chase. After a little while, he gave up and pulled over, but then proceeded to take out his gun and fight the police until they eventually put him down. And then he stopped playing Grand Theft Auto.
     But why was he playing GTA on a school night in the first place? It was because he had, once again, forgotten he had homework. He had a planner, but that didn't do any good because he couldn't find anything in his disorganized backpack anyway. So once again, I found him doing nothing, while his grades were slowly declining. I didn't understand it. He is actually smart, with an IQ in the 120's, but how was he still struggling to get a 2.5 GPA? All his parents and teachers believed in him, or else they wouldn't have recommended he sign up for his first advanced class. But still, why were his grades so bad? I realized, it had nothing to do with attention span, or anything like that. It was his priorities that were screwed up. He began in middle school not really caring, and of course, all those bad habits came with him into High School. As a result, as everyone is looking for which Universities to go to, he is stuck looking at Community Colleges.
     Seeing that he was depressed, I decided to have a talk with him. I told him that "Yes. You did screw up. But you can still change. Of course, not many places will be interested in you now, but if you can actually raise your grades and show you are willing to try, maybe some places you had never expected will have to look a second time at you. They will see that you have improved. Just remember that just because it's senior year, it doesn't mean theres nothing left for you. You should never give up because you never know what will be waiting for you if you just man up, take some responsibility for your short comings, and most importantly, change."

Personal Statement Rough Draft

          About 11 years ago, when I was 7 years old, I had just began learning how to play the piano by ear. I was learning how to play songs simply by listening to them over and over until I could play a song exactly like the recording. I thought I was only doing it for fun and there was nothing much to it. But one day, my mom and I went to Costco. While we were shopping, I came across a display keyboard, and decided to sit down and fiddle around on it. After a couple minutes of playing, i turned around to find a crowd of people watching me play! That was when I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
          I continued playing the piano, and when I was in second grade, my parents decided it was time to sign me up for lessons so I could learn how to read music. I hadn't realized what I was missing until I had finally learned how to play a song without having to listen to it a dozen times first. Some of my most stressful memories were preparing for recitals, but ever since my first recital, hearing people applause after you play makes all the stress and nervousness worth it. Though piano can occasionally stress me out, some of my happiest memories have occurred when I was playing the piano. I remember every day when I would come home after school, I would practice for 1 to 2 hours. Every day while I was playing, my dog, Spunky, would always curl up underneath the piano bench and fall asleep. It was very encouraging to be able to lull someone to sleep (even if it was a 14 year old dog).
          Music  has also helped me get through some hard times in my life. My piano became more than just a piece of wood that made different sounds. It became an emotional outlet as well. Halfway through my sophomore year, my parents got a divorce. As if that process wasn't hard enough, a little over 6 months later, on the day after Thanksgiving, my dog, who was a part of my first memories, had a stroke in the middle of the night and we had to put him down because he was literally brain dead. I remember throughout that entire year (even just after my parents got divorced) just locking myself in my room and plugging my headphones into my keyboard, and just letting everything, all my sadness and frustrations, come out of my fingertips. My piano was to me, what a therapist is to someone else. Sure I tried all that stuff too, but as an introvert, I found it much more therapeutic to just be alone in my room with a keyboard and my thoughts. The piano was great for me, as an emotional outlet, but unfortunately, sometimes I would be too caught up in my music and forget to do my homework, or study, and as a result, my grades began to decline.
          Of course, I do not only associate my music with sadness. It has also given me many  opportunities that I am grateful for. It's crazy to think that as a result of a decision I made in the 1st Grade, I have competed in 2 WSTMA state competitions and festivals, became a member of my school's Jazz Band, been given the opportunity to play the piano at The Mission Church, and recently, been offered a  job teaching piano to 2 kids (so far). Music is my passion, and I hope to pursue a career in either Performing Arts, Composing, or Teaching.  

Affirmation Solicitation

(Mrs. Myers, I gave out all 4, but I only got one back, sooooooooo yeah.)


Affirmers Name: Alex Hay
Relation to student: Friend

Descriptive character qualities of the student:
1. Kind
2. Loyal Friend
3. Determined
4. Hard Working
5. Smart


In your own words, please describe below what you believe this student has going for him/her, especially as it relates to his/ her character and personal qualities. Please be as specific as possible.

"I believe that Nathan is extremely smart and he is set up great for his senior year and for college. His kindness and ability to make friends will also help out in the social aspect. He is a great guy and I'm really happy I have gotten to know him these last couple of years."

Apparently, I am Helen Keller....

Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™
Your Type
INFP
Introvert(56%)  iNtuitive(12%)  Feeling(12%)  Perceiving(11)%
•You have moderate preference of Introversion over Extraversion (56%)
•You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (12%)
•You have slight preference of Feeling over Thinking (12%)
•You have slight preference of Perceiving over Judging (11%)


Famous INFPs:
Homer
Virgil
Mary, mother of Jesus
St. John, the beloved disciple
St. Luke; physician, disciple, author
William Shakespeare, bard of Avon
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Evangeline)
A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie)
Helen Keller, deaf and blind author
Carl Rogers, reflective psychologist, counselor
Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)
Dick Clark (American Bandstand)
Donna Reed, actor (It's a Wonderful Life)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis
Neil Diamond, vocalist
Tom Brokaw, news anchor
James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small)
Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)
James Taylor, vocalist
Julia Roberts, actor (Conspiracy Theory, Pretty Woman)
Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap)
Terri Gross (PBS's "Fresh Air")
Amy Tan (author of The Joy-Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife)
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Lisa Kudrow ("Phoebe" of Friends)
Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years")

Fictional INFPs:
Anne (Anne of Green Gables)
Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)
Deanna Troi (Star Trek - The Next Generation)
Wesley Crusher (Star Trek - The Next Generation)
Doctor Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
Bastian (The Neverending Story)
E.T.: the ExtraTerrestrial
Doug Funny, Doug cartoons
Tommy, Rug Rats cartoons
Rocko, Rocko's Modern Life cartoons

Copyright © 2012 by Joe Butt

Mere Christianity

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

To me, this relates to my life, (and probably everyone's life) because it is easy to know how our lives should be, but it is not so easy to be willing to change right away. The part about wondering what God is doing in your house relates to the fact that we never really know His plan for our lives no matter how hard we try to understand it. "The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of..." symbolizes that when we allow God to work in our lives, it can completely change us to the point where our changed thoughts and actions are almost unbelievable to the people who know us. 

I Am...Me

I am the person in the very back of a large crowd.
I am easily intimidated, incredibly awkward, and very easy to miss.
However, like many abstract paintings, there is more to me than what meets the eye.

Inside this quiet, awkward, introvert lies a priceless vase, sitting alone on a shelf.

Over the years, this vase has been carelessly knocked around, chipped, broken, and sometimes, even smashed to bits,
but there is always enough super-glue lying around to put it back together (for the most part).
For the average passerby, it is almost impossible to see the marks that forever remain etched in the glass

but upon a closer look, it becomes easier to see which parts of the vase contain the most glue.

It is also very easy to see the cracks that, no matter how long I've tried, are impossible to cover up.

Sometimes, it is easier to just not think about the damaged vase, and live my life as though it never existed. As though, I have never been broken. 

But I have come to the realization that it is ok to have that shattered part inside of me.
It, no matter how painful it is, has molded me into the person I am today, no matter how shy and introverted it has may sometimes even look at the shattered remains of the vase and be content with it.

Just like a person knocking over a priceless vase, the tragedies that have happened in my life are in the past.
It is time to buy a new vase.
The past is over. 

There is no way to change it

No matter what made me the way who I am today, I am glad
because I am Me.

Nothing will ever change that, 

No matter how often the only thing I can do,

is just open up another bottle of super-glue.

Turkey-y: by Nathan Collier

You are the pen and the paper
the desk and the chair
You are made by the hand of a bored student
and the prized possession of every LA teacher Nathan has ever had
You are the blank area on the back of a test
and the beautiful creation of a genius

However, you are not the rooster that crows in the morning,
the duck that swims in the pond,
or the eggs in the frying pan
And you are certainly not the boring doodle on the back of a paper
There is just no way that you are the boring doodle on the back of a paper

It is possible that you are the dinner we have for Thanksgiving
maybe even the meat in my sandwich the next day
but you are not even close
to being the potato salad

And a quick look in the mirror will show,
that you are neither the chicken
nor the duck

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am good at drawing you

I also happen to be the Champion of your species
the beak
and the stick-like legs

I am also the outline
and the rest of the picture.
But don't worry, I'm not the desk and the chair
You are still the desk and the chair
You will always be the pen and the paper
not to mention the ink and--somehow--the hand.