bryan1

Hey Guys this is my video. check it out.

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Justice: The Webster’s Dictionary defines justice as conformity to truth, fact, or reason. I think that’s patially right. It also has to do with what is right. Making decisons based on your gut instinct, the facts, and not on your personal vendetas, prejudices, and beliefs.
The amount of injustice on the base of prejudice in our past it’s sickening. Things like the Holocaust, the reclocation of the native Americans, the Civil Rights Crimes are all disgusting and twist my gut that people could possibly be so cruel.

Empathy: Empathy, as my mom describes it, is putting yourself in someone else’s place and understanding what they’re going through. In TKAM Atticus tells Scout to ” put yourself in their shoes and wald around in them.” That pretty much defines it perfectly. I think that being empathetic is one of the best things a person can do. It keeps people from jumping to conclusions and thinking they no exactly what they’re talking about before thinking the situation through. I can’t specifically remember the last time I felt empathy for someone in particular. Empathy should be an everyday practice and habit so that it gets to where you: 1)donht have to think about being empathetic and forcing yourself to do it and 2) can’t remember the last time you did it specifically because you do it every day.

Prejudce: Well I think this one is obvious! PRE-judge. It means that you immediately make a decision anout someones character not based on how they act or what they stand on but on what you see. Prejudice and hate are concepts that I really have trouble grasping. I can’t figure out how it’s so easy for some people to lash out without feeling remorse or sorrow. Those are the only people i actually “hate”. Sure I’ll make a joke every once ina while that probably wasn’t need but don’t ever mean them and I usually feel kinda bad about it afterwards.

Personally, I like texting. It’s just become a part of my life. I don’t text a whole lot. Only about 15 a day. It’s just an easier way to keep in touch with your friends and especially those who live farther away. I think that if some people start talking text that’s their own fault and they need to get a life. It’s not that hard to speak and write normal anyways so I can’t personally see how people can do that. I think there’s a time for texting in schools if the kids can be responsible. If the teacher is talking it’s not that hard to wait, and I guarantnee that your text isn’t that important that you have to read it that very second. Texting has’t changed face to face conversation that much unless you’re trying to talk to someone at the same time. Thats kinda rude anyways. If you don’t care enough to look the person in the eye when you’re talking to them then shut up. Texting is also a way to have a conversation with someone without the whole world hearing.

hey guys. this is it.

the-snowhill.doc

The Snowhill

This story is about the amazing imagination of little kids;  the thrills they find in the simplest things.  This is also a story about me.  Looking back, some of my best ideas came and experiences happened when I was very small.
The story takes place in the tiny town of Lakeview, Oregon; a real life middle-of-nowhere. Every winter the amount of snow is amazing.  So, mixing massive amounts of snow with a child’s imagination creates a wonderful tale:

“Vroom!  Grrrrr!  Mrrmmmm!  Beep!  Beep!  Beep!” the giant tractor with the big scoop in front shoved the snow around like a bunch of my toy cars when mom tells me to pick them up.  It drove around in circles in what my dad called a Cooldee Sack*, piling the snow into one HUGE heap in the middle.

“Mom,” I pleaded. “Can Michael and I play on the snowy mountain?  Pleeaase.”

“We might go sledding this weekend honey,” she replied.  “But not now.”

“No, look outside in the big turn-around.”

She turned. “Oh. Sure, but put on your snow bibs first.”

Michael and I hurriedly put on our over-sized snowsuits, for mom always buys our clothes big because, “ Don’t worry.  You’ll grow into it.”  We ran outside and stared at the gigantic mass before us.

“Race you to the top!” I yelled.

“Sure,” Michael said. “Ready!  Set!  Go!”

We scrambled and clawed our way up the monster until we reached the top.

“I win!” we declared at the same time.

“Race you down!”

“Go!”

I jumped without thinking and slid down the side of the hill.  Michael tried running but tripped and rolled the rest of the way down.

“We should make some stairs,” Michael said brushing himself off. “So I don’t fall again.”

“I’ll get the shovels!” I said.  We were so proud of our new plastic snow shovels that we had just gotten for Christmas.
I returned from the shed with our latest treasures handing Michael his red one. Mine was blue.  We hacked at The Snowhill until we had created a line of crooked and winding lumps that resembled stairs.  I let out a triumphant grunt and marched to the top.

“We need a wall,” I said looking at our mountain.  So we set to work building a wall around the top of our fort.  How much time passed I can’t recall, but I know I was sore when we were done.  We admired our two-foot tall wall.  It encompassed The Hill except for a “doorway” where the stairs were.

“Let’s have a snowball fight,” Michael suggested.

“No,” I said.  “We still need a way to run.  Let’s make a slide.”

“We can just slide down the side.”

“No’ we can slide inside!”

I ran to the shed and grabbed the pointed shovel then ran back up The Hill.  I walked to the side opposite the stairs and begun digging.  Michael must have caught on because he went and grabbed the other pointed shovel and begun digging the exit of the slide.  When we finished our escape route, it was wide enough for both of us to slide through and it was perfectly slick.  Next we dug a cave that was about four feet in diameter and five feet deep.

“Now let’s have a snowball fight!” Michael yelled gleefully.

“Not so fast,” a voice called from behind us.  It was mom.  “Do you realize how long you two have been out here?”
As a matter-of-fact, we had no clue.  “No,” we said looking at each other.

“Well, you asked to come out here at noon.  It is now six-o-clock.  Time for dinner then bed.  You both have school tomorrow.”

We both whined and fussed but all to no avail.  As we walked home, I turned to look at our project one last time before bed.

The next day at school, all I could think about was our Hill.  What if it warmed up and melted?  What if the big tractor came and knocked it down?  What if, what if…?

As soon as the bell rang to end the school day, I grabbed my snow gear and backpack out of my cubby and met Michael outside the school.

“Snowball fight!” we both exclaimed.

“First one there gets The Hill!” I said.

Michael won and exclaimed, “I’m the King of the Hill!”

“Not for long!”

I made snowballs and threw them up The Hill while he threw them down.

“Charge!” I ordered my imaginary army.  I sprinted up the steps with hundreds of men in tow while being pelted by thousands of the enemies’ projectiles.  I reached the top and tackled their leader.  We wrestled until he yelled, “Retreat!”  Then he and his men slid down the slide.

This went on for some time before Michael woke us from our imaginary battle.

“Grandma’s coming!”

Oh no!  Grandma is babysitting! I thought.

I dived headfirst down the slide and crawled into the cave.  Michael laid on his belly behind the wall.

“Boys!  I know you’re there!  Come out this instant!  I’ve been worried sick!  You know you’re supposed to come straight home!”

We came out from hiding like a couple of whipped dogs and were told to go inside, dry off, and stick our noses in the corner without a snack.

That night it rained and the next morning our masterpiece was no more than a glorified mound of slush.
The Snowhill was no more.

            This is a hard one.  The book I’m reading is a hard one to find an “understanding” in.  The fact that I’m not very far into it and the nature of the story itself are what make it so difficult.  “The Two Towers” is  hard book to analyze.  I guess you can find the classic moral of never giving up and supporting your friends, but that seems to generic.  Since I’m trying to get this post done on time for the required grading dedline, I’m going to leave you with that.  Don’t wory though, I’m going to look for something and a good quote once I get further into the book so stay tuned.

sorry

             Blogs can be used for almost anything.  Most teens and kids use them for social reasons like chatting and expressing themselves.  The dictionary definition of a blog is: “an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log“.  I can’t recall where I first heard about a blog, but I’ve known about them for a while.  Blogging is really easy for me because I’m a very fast typeist and I’m great with computers.  I’ve taken several computer courses here at Thurston and elsewhere.  I mainly use computers for e-mail, myspace, and games even though I can do a lot more with them.  Most of my friends use them for the same stuff.

             I like writing a lot when I’m writing about something I want to.  School essays and stories bug me because I’m not usually interested in the topic I’m writing about.  I like it when teachers give a choice as to what style and topic you are aloud to write about.  Personally I like fictional writing the most. I’ve written several short stories and I’ve been working on a long novel with a friend of mine from Eugene since 7th grade.

             I think the reason people are so concerned about kid’s safety on the Internet is because there’s been so many online predator cases.  I don’t think the Internet is dangerous if you know how to use it.  Take the predator problem for instance.  These predators make profiles and blogs pretending to be someone they’re not and become others online “friends”.  I think its common sense not to talk to people you don’t know in the first place.  And then especially when they tell/ask you to meet them somewhere, red flags should be going up immediately.  If you’re smart, and most of all use COMMON SENSE, its really easy to be safe online.

           I’m not quite sure what to think of this whole blog thing yet.  Kudos to Ms. Hoke for taking a step out there and trying something new.  I just hope she keeps the topics interesting.

I chose to read The Lord of the Rings; the Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien because we’re required to have a book for silent reading and I keep leaving mine at home. I picked this book off the shelf because I’ve been intending to read it anyways.