back to school

Monday was our first day of school, and since then it's been pretty good. The schedule and timing has been pretty confusing, but it ultimately works. My concerns below were addressed accordingly, and I'm taking my necessary math class and Bible at the same time. I couldn't take Advanced Math at the same time even if it were available, since Algebra II is a prerequisite. I'm hoping to do some good work in the Math Lab and finally catch up with my peers in that area.

On Monday, I met with a high school counselor to discuss my next two years, and I pretty much have it all figured out. I'll get my required courses, and then some. I was really freaking out in my previous post regarding the school schedule, and for that I'm sorry. I really need to be more flexible with stuff like that. I also need to remember that God has it all planned out anyway, so whatever happens, happens because He wants it to. I always have to remind myself of that.

I'm happy to say that my hopes for starting a school newspaper are about to become a reality. We'll have the computers on Monday and have our first issue out by the 7th of September. We're going to make printed copies, which is a wonderful thing. I was worried that we would only be allowed to post it on the internet, which would not make it very popular at all. Most people don't want to log on to the Alma Heights website (no offense to Mr. Quiring) and read whatever the latest edition is. Sure, people could subscribe to an RSS feed if we decided to do something like that, but most people don't even know what that is and aren't going to bother learning just so they can read our bi-weekly paper. Having hard copies is a great way to make people interested and read our materials immediately, AND it would give them motivation to check out the online version, which would be (hopefully) loaded with media options and more extensive information. The 6th period will be dealing with the electronic version of this paper, while Joe and I will be working with the printed edition. Both of our groups will be gathering materials for the paper, and it will be released bi-weekly (every other week). Mrs. Bernsen plans to have a lunch period where all yearbook/newspaper students meet together to collaborate. We plan to start interviewing and gathering information tomorrow at the Half-Day Retreat, so be prepared to be interrogated!

School's been great so far. God has blessed me with a desire to learn, and I'm starting to take interest in all of my subjects. Certainly, this year looks brighter academically than last year. I just wish I had felt this motivated my since my freshman year. I also hope that my desire and resolve do not fade as the year progresses and as things get harder, particularly with the college application process and the SAT's.

I'm very happy to see how far the Alma Heights High School has come since I started as a freshman. The scheduling this year, though mixed up and not perfectly convenient for everyone, is more efficient than last year's, and allows for a better use of time. I only wish we had one more period (even though it would add more time to our day), so that the schedules were more flexible. I think it would wonderful if we could make Spanish a normal class, so that I have two electives periods. But I'm sure there's a reason for all of it which I'm not aware of. Alma Heights is always in my prayers. I'm very thankful for all the hard efforts and cooperation of the faculty during this momentous transition, and am truly sorry if I have seemed ungrateful.

By the way, if you happen to be looking for a great read, Check out The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. It's a really great book, and talks about how a Christian should live a life of holiness, and how God's Grace ties into it. It's theme is along the same lines as Mr. Quiring's post on holiness. I haven't finished it (due to homework), but really like it so far. You can buy the book for cheap on Amazon.

oh oh oh oh oooooh!! i can't breathe!! ooooh!!!

LOL OMG THE SOUND SHE MAKES AAAAHAHAHAHA

N.T. Wright at the City Church Open Forum

N.T. Wright is a brilliant apologetic of the Christian faith, who I had the privilege of hearing when he visited our church for an open forum in the spring. In this discussion, he talks about his latest book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. You might notice similarities between his themes and those found in C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.

confused, frustrated, and everything else

What a kick-start to the school year I've been having.

Today was registration. There are ways to describe it. Organized to a degree, yes. But I'm very distressed about the scheduling. I know that it's confusing, that they're going to change a lot before school starts, but still I worry.

This would mark the third year that because of unforeseen circumstances, Yearbook is unavailable. That's only if they don't switch it to 7th period.

Also, what's up with the electives? How is it that ALL of the electives that I'm interested in are in 6th, and all the ones that I've already taken or have little to no interest in are in 7th? I can't take anything except Spanish 2 during 6th because I have to have another year of foreign language. Of course, if I had been able to take a foreign language my freshman year, this wouldn't be a problem. I'm happy that they're changing that now, but I wish it had happened a long time ago.

And then there's Bible class. There are two Bible periods, 3rd and 4th. In 3rd period, I have to take Honors Literature, giving me no choice but to take it during 4th. Only problem is, Algebra 2 isn't offered as a course, so I would have to (and actually would prefer to) take in a Math Lab, so I can go as fast as I want. Also, I would be able to take Advanced Math simultaneously, which would fulfill my goal of taking Calculus my senior year. But I can't take Math Lab, and without Math Lab I can't take Advanced Math (which requires Algebra 2). What's the problem? Bible class is the problem. If the schedule doesn't change in that regard, I'm going to have to say goodbye to Bible class and take a course that actually matters for my education, which is Math. I receive plenty of Bible instruction from qualified experts who have been to a seminary at my church, every Sunday and throughout the week. I appreciate the concerns and care of the faculty for the spiritual life of their students, but the school must remember that they are first and foremost a school, an academic institution, not a church.

If they can make Bible class fit into my schedule without conflicting with the best possible academic options, I'm fine. I'm sure they'll figure out how to get me into my Math class without having to skip Bible, but I won't be able to take two math classes at once like I had hoped. And I see no reason why I shouldn't be permitted to do so. I'm paying tuition at Alma Heights, not to receive Biblical instruction, but to receive academic instruction and knowledge in the liberal arts. That's why I go to church! So that I can receive sound instruction on the Bible and it's teachings, in a community of believers. If evangelical outreach is the school's concern, I would question whether requiring a course on the matter is best idea, much less GRADING them for their performance. Something about that just doesn't seem right at all.

As far as colleges go, they're not going to look at my application and wonder why I didn't take any Bible classes!! I'm pretty sure they're more interested in what kind of math classes I've taken, my foreign languages, extra-curriculars, etc.

Again, things are always confusing before school, and i'm sure things will work out, but I'm frustrated at the moment, and thought that I would share that with anyone who cares. I'm sure most people will disagree with me on the Bible class issue. But I already know your arguments, so before you tell me that we need to be "nurtured in a stable christian environment" in order to grow, I'd like to state in advance that I entirely disagree, and believe quite the opposite. I'm willing to expand on that, but only if called upon to do so. I'm hoping people will just "get it", but most likely that won't happen.

making some changes

I've made some changes to my blog, which I think are refreshing and more exciting. Compare that to the dull, blue, tired look of my old blog.



Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh. I really did like the old layout, but I got tired of it after a while. I suppose I'll get tired of this one too, and change it eventually. But for now, I really like it. If you guys absolutely hate it, I can always switch back, since I saved the template code in a text document. I also finally figured out how to put a little divider under my "Quote of the Week" section, so it doesn't look like it's attached to the "Links" section. I had tried to do the horizontal rule (hr) code, but the line ended up being too thick. The key is to make it an unordered list (ul), which is what all the other sidebar sections are.

announcing: the student council website

The website is almost finished, but I thought I'd go ahead and make it public, for your previewing pleasure. Mr. Quiring, I'm especially hoping for some good advice from you :) Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think, how improvements can be made, etc. This website has undergone several changes/"facelifts" since it's original conception, and overall has a more consistent theme and feel than before. Some pages still need information to be filled out/corrected (such as the "Offices" page), but that has to wait for when I get my hands on a copy of the constitution (which Mrs. Travis doesn't seem like she's going to email it to me like I asked, though there must be some reason for it). That page does have the layout complete, so you're getting a good idea of what the finished product will look like. Here and there, different pages have bits of missing information, but all of that will be filled once we determine what committees we'll be having, who will lead them, etc. Also, some SC members don't check their email, or they do and never respond to mine, making me unable to fill some of the gaps on the "Leadership" page.



I'm hoping this will become a useful tool for students and not a complete waste of my time. Every picture used in the heading (except for the "Upcoming Events" page) is an original, which obviously curtails any copyright issues.

The easiest way to get there is by going to ahcouncil.blogspot.com, which will redirect you.

jmix tees

I'm thinking about ordering some JMix t-shirts, but don't really know if anyone would buy them. It would be less of a profit thing (in fact, I'd probably lose some money) and more of a "getting the word out" thing. They'd be fifteen bucks a pop.





Eh? Eh?
I think it's pretty cool.

Nutty-Honey sandwich

While lamenting over what was sure to be a boring lunch, I decided to experiment with some of my available ingredients, and the result was what I like to call the Nutty-Honey sandwich.

Ingredients:
Two slices of bread (duh)...whole wheat recommended
Pistachio nuts (Trader Joe's has them already shelled)
Honey
Cashew Butter (Peanut Butter works, but Cashew Butter has a creamier taste, and is better in my opinion...you can get it at Trader Joe's)

Toast your bread. After it's toasted, spread on a thick layer of Cashew Butter, then a layer of Honey (fairly thick, some like it sweeter than others), and finally some pistachios for a nice crunch. Add as much or little as you want, depending on your taste. I've tested it on my siblings, and they llike it quite a bit. It's a sticky sandwich, though, and goes best with a tall glass of milk.

Colbert interviews Senator Eleanor Holmes Norton

reflections on the summer

Yesterday I arrived safe and sound at the San Francisco International Airport. It's good to be back home.

The day after Senior Graduation, I flew to Florida, where I would spend the majority of my summer with extended family. The second and third weeks were our beach weeks, where we spent time at our usual spot in New Smyrna Beach, near Daytona Beach (where they have the race track and more importantly, the Krispy Kreme). After those two weeks, I went directly to a camp called "Elevate", held by Southland, a youth conference organization in Florida. The actual camp was held in Lookout Mountain, Georgia at Covenant College. It was fun, but I hardly knew anyone that I went wiht (except for a few, of course), but didn't find it to be a life-changing experience. Wayne Kerr's worship jams were getting pretty old.

After three weeks of nonstop activity, I was pooped, but preparing for yet another youth conference the following week at RYM (Reformed Youth Movement). Though the camp itself is supposedly wonderful, I was too exhausted and unmotivated (due to the fact that I wouldn't know anyone when I got there), and dreaded yet another week of camp. Luckily, that week was cancelled because of transportation complications. That week (the fifth week) and the four weeks that followed were spent with my cousin, Jeremy, hangin' out and just being guys. We must have driven in his truck to get slurpees from 7-11 at least a thousand times. We had a good time together.

There were a few notable activities in those last four weeks. The 21st-23rd of July were spent in Fort Myers (the most abysmal city on the face of this earth) for my cousin's wedding. Fort Meyers is absolutely the last place I would want to live. There's one main road, and it leads to everything, but it takes forever to get anywhere because of constant heavy traffic and ridiculously long stoplights. The wedding was fine, a bit cheesy/awkward at times, but enjoyable and memorable indeed.

My sister, my friend Jessica Thompson, and I spent a few days in Universal studios the week before the wedding, and we had a great time together, though Universal Studios was generally a disappointment. Most of the rides were pretty stupid. We had some great Lebanese food, though, which I have constantly craved since that day. If you ever get the chance to try that stuff, don't miss the opportunity, it's pretty amazing. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Nothing else really happened. Jeremy and I hung out, got a lot of slurpees, watched a lot of TV. That's a good snapshot of what I do every summer. This one has been the longest.

What is Lakeland like, some of you might ask? It's not a podunk little town, though it is small. Because of various franchises (ownership of Publix, which is like our Safeway), Lakeland is a wealthy city. It's a nice place to live, and it's clean. The city council has some strange obsession with abstract art, randomly placing gigantic steel somethings in random places. One in particular is in front of a lake, and looks like a bucket of confetti is being dumped into it.

Lakeland doesn't have much of a restaurant selection. They have some decent places, like Chili's and some other chains, along with Palace Pizza, which is one of the most exciting places to eat pizza because it's NOT a Pizza Hut, or a Dominoe's, or a Papa John's, or a Hungry Howie's, all of which have horrible pizza. Palace is decent, but you would think it's the best thing in the word by the way people talk about it and the frequency of their visits. I ate at Palace Pizza at least twice a week, often three times. Generally, though, there isn't much variety, and that's a bit disappointing. People who live there, generally speaking, don't like to try different foods. American food, Italian food, crappy Chinese food, and Mexican food are plentiful, but not much of anything else. My grandmother orders a plain salad with ranch dressing almost everywhere she goes, and she eats out every night. I had two home-cooked meals; the first was tacos, the second was taco salad (which is tacos without tortillas). One girl said she would give me five dollars if I ate a slice of vegetable pizza, as if it were some kind of huge feat or dare. I looked at her, stunned, disbelieving, but she was completely serious, and cringed when I said that I had already been considering a slice. Not everyone is that extreme in their pickiness, but most are very reluctant when it comes to trying new things. It's frustrating to have people constantly gag and moan at the mention of some of my favorite foods, especially when they haven't even tried it (which is almost always the case). San Francisco has made me appreciate a variety of foods, from a variety of cultures. My Aunt, who will remain nameless, was ordering Cuban food from a menu with my Mom's help, and refused to order an impanada, which is a delicious, crispy pastry (about the size of a taco, but not a corn tortilla) with seasoned ground beef inside, sprinkled with sugar. It's one of the most divine dishes in the world, and I could probably eat twenty of them without thinking twice. Without even thinking, she scrunched up her nose and insisted that she didn't like it. "Have you tried it?" my mother asked. "No." The point is, God didn't make all kinds of different foods for us to never enjoy it. He meant for us to have countless possiblities in our diets, and I know that because he gave us taste buds. If He wanted us to eat the same, we'd eat gray hash every day.

Gay jokes get old. Whenever I meet new people, they seem friendly enough, but usually they act differently upon discovering that I live in "Satan's Vacation Home", otherwise known as San Francisco. "Wow, so you must know some gays." That's usually the response I get. That type of thinking among Christians is so twisted and anti-gospel, I can hardly contain my frustration. All the time, pastors from our previous denomination (the PCA) would ask my Dad, "So, what are you doing about all those gays?", and in response, my Dad would ask, "Well, what are you doing about adultery?" Homosexuality, for some reason, is held on some high pedestal of grand importance above all other sexual sins. San Francisco is the political seat of the gay population, but certainly not the most populated. There are more gays in Atlanta, Georgia than in San Francisco, California. And that's a city in the south, where you would think there are no gays at all, by the way people talk about them. Not that the amount of gays even matters. I'm tired of my city being regarded as a more sinful place than anywhere else. It's un-Christian and anti-gospel to think otherwise.

I love living here, but I hate it when people are out of touch with reality, particularly Christians, who should know better.

thankyou for clarifying

I knew there had to be more to it. That makes sense, though I guess I won't be able to take photography AND yearbook :(. Oh well, yearbook it is. Thanks Mr. Quiring!

please, clarify

Mr. Quiring!! I have just now heard that there won't be any electives and that it will be replaced with economics and family living instead. Please, clarify this decision, because there must be something I don't understand. Aren't electives required? Don't we have to have 2 years of art? I wanted to take photography!!!! Please, please, explain.