Hey guys! Today I walked into my Law class (which is also my Psych class) and looked at the board. It said that my Psych project was due today. Apparently, I can't read. I thought the project was due on Wednesday. Note: Monday is not Wednesday.

That basically means that I won't be posting anything today (unless I can beast-mode this project tonight). Hopefully, I can post what I want to very soon!

Playlist of My Life #5

Viva La Vida by Coldplay

The noise coming from the dining hall could be heard from a mile away, or so it seemed. Everyone was banging on the sticky, white tables to the rhythm of Viva La Vida by Coldplay. “Oooooooh-Oh! Ooooooh-Oh!” The older, better known guys started to sing. This occurred every meal, between courses, for the entire summer. It didn’t matter that there were different campers every week, as long as there were a few of the same staff members, it was guaranteed. Everyone always left the dining hall full of joy as well as great food, no one could complain. There isn’t one thing that I would change about this event. Every time that I hear Viva La Vida, I instantly feel happy, remembering the great times that I got to have and the great memories that I got to make.

The “so what” of Viva La Vida is this: Don’t seek satisfaction in the world and don’t live just to gain worldly possessions. “One minute I held the key, next the walls were closed in on me.” Often times, I think that “Oh, if only I could have______, I would be so much happier,” but I have come to realize that only God can satisfy. The most important lines from this song are: “For some reason I can’t explain, I know Saint Peter won’t call my name.” Most people would just explain that since he’s been such a bad guy, lying and whatnot, he’s obviously not going to get into Heaven. However, no matter how bad of a person you are, if you accept that Christ died to save you from your sins, you will be saved. As it says in Romans chapter 10, verse 9,” If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”- The Bible, NIV.

Playlist of My Life #4

Our God by Chris Tomlin

“Water You turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind. There’s no one like You, none like You!” I smiled at the lyrics of this song as I turned to look out of the old, fish fly covered window. The chapel building had been there longer than I could remember, but you couldn’t tell due to the renovations done a few years before. The chapel building was no more than 100 yards from the shore of the beach, so I took advantage of the beauty of the waves crashing against the sand. When I think about this song, I’m reminded of God’s love for all mankind and the sacrifice that He made to save us all. I’m also reminded of my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ. The only things that I would change about this moment would be that 1.) It wouldn’t have to end and 2.) More people could have been able to be there to worship Christ with us.

The “so what” of this song is this: God is greater, stronger, and higher than any other. Man cannot come anywhere close to God, but He loves us and gave His life for us anyways. “Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, God, You are higher than any other!” This song fits my life experiences because I have chosen to follow Christ since He has given His life so that I may have eternal life. The most powerful lines of this song are: “And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?” I’m slowly learning to trust God more and more to take care of me. Whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually, He will provide me with what I need. Sometimes, it feels like everything is crashing down around me, but through it all, God has kept me safe and has shown me His power.

Playlist of My Life #3

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

“But Greg, I don’t WANT to listen to this!” I said in my whiny 15 year old voice. My brother, Greg, and I were stuck in a moving truck with our dog, Abby, while our dad was driving another moving truck, and our mom was driving our van with our little brother for the next 3 days. Greg, Abby, and I would be stuck in the truck, moving all of our worldly possessions from Texas to “The Peg”. For those three days, I was forced to listen to The White Stripes, because, as Greg said, “I’m the driver, you’re not, so I get to pick the music!” I actually really like The White Stripes now, but as a 15 year old, they were “not my cup of tea”. When I think about this memory, I have mixed emotions. I was excited, at the time, to move back to Canada, but I often miss Texas. If I could change one thing about this time, I would probably change how I felt about Texas. Leading up to the move, I couldn’t wait to get out of Texas. Looking back, I miss my friends, my teachers, and many other things about Texas.

The “so what” of Seven Nation Army is this: If you truly believe in something, you will fight for it as long as it takes and as hard as you have to. “I’m gonna fight ‘em off. A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back.” These lines of the song talk about not being held back, fighting “’em off” in order to stand up for what you believe, what you feel is right. This fits into my life experience because many people don’t agree with many things that I believe. I believe that abortion is wrong, it’s murder. I believe that Christ died and rose again to save my soul. “That ain’t what you wanna hear, but that’s what I’ll do.” This line talks about how people don’t want to hear it, people don’t want to hear about Jesus because they just want to keep on doing what they feel like doing. No one wants to be told that they’re wrong or that they’re sinful, but it’s the truth. We have all sinned, we’ve all fallen short of God’s glory, but that’s why He sent His Son- to rescue us from our sins! The most powerful lines in this song are, “I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding, right before the Lord.” This line is easily connected to Christ’s death on the cross. God had to forsake His Son and let Him die so that our sins could be paid for. Jesus died to save us from our sins!

Playlist of My Life #2

Getting Into You by Relient K

It was a cool summer night. There was a slight breeze, cooling us off after tossing a football around. A couple of the guys had started a bonfire. Everyone gathered around the fire, sitting on home-made benches and lawn chairs. Someone passed around supplies for s’mores while a couple of the guys got their guitars out. We sang worship songs for quite some time before people started to leave. It was a Sunday, so most people had to get up early for work the next day. My brother and I, however, did not, so we stayed a little bit later than most.

My brother went to talk to some of his friends before leaving, so I stayed near the fire. Still being the most awkward, quiet person ever, I didn’t go talk to anyone. While I was sitting by the fire, I heard one of my ‘now-friend, then-assumed-enemy’s talking to one of my brother’s friends, “Tyler, play “Getting Into You” on guitar!” Tyler really liked this girl, so he did. He had a great voice, so she asked him to sing it too. Surprisingly, he refused. Later that summer, Tyler and I “liked” each other. Truth be told, I really can’t stand to listen to this song anymore. If I could change one thing about this whole summer, I would probably choose not to like Tyler, or anyone for that matter. It just ruined friendships that I can’t fix no matter how hard I try.

The “so what” of this song is living for God. Many people take it as if Matt Theissen (lead singer of Relient K) is singing to a girl, but if you really look at the lyrics, you can see that he’s singing about, almost to, God. “I’ve been a liar, and I’ll never amount to the kind of person You deserve to worship You.  You say You will not dwell on what I did, but rather what I do. You say, “I love you, and that’s what you are getting yourself into””. At the time, I was barely 15. I didn’t know what the lyrics really were, I didn’t understand what they meant, and I don’t think that I really cared. I thought that I was going to marry this guy. Stupid, right? The most powerful line of this song is, “When I made up my mind, and my heart along with that, to live not for myself, but yet for God, somebody said, ‘Do you know what you are getting yourself into?’” because living for God and not just for myself is really important to me, even though it’s hard to do.

Playlist of My Life #1

Last year, I had a project in English class. I had to write about songs that triggered various memories. I ended up having to write about 5 songs, all with the same theme. I chose "Summer" as mine. The second paragraphs are the analysis, the "so what" is basically just the point of the song or the message. I might end up writing about more, but for now, I will leave it as just these 5. Here's the first one:

 Enough to Let Me Go by Switchfoot

I was sitting on my bed, hugging my stuffed unicorn. It was well past midnight and the cold that I had had all summer was killing me. My throat felt like I’d eaten nails for a bed-time snack, my head felt like the Hulk had thrown a brick at it, and my nose ran like a faucet. I had a pile of used tissues next to me and my supply of Halls was running dangerously low. My fellow DVBS workers had decided to pull a prank on the boys (not a very clever one, though), so I was alone- finally. One of the girls had left her iPod and dock turned on and it was going to play until they got back or I got up and turned it off. The latter was not going to happen, though, I refused to move. I was trying my hardest to fall asleep when Switchfoot’s “Enough to Let Me Go” came on. It reminded me of my brother, the girl he liked, and the fact that he was finding a new best friend. The tears flooded down my cheeks faster than if I had been decked in the face a couple of times by my brother’s friend, Tyler, who was comparable to the Hulk. The only thing that I would change about this would be this: Realizing that I needed to let him go earlier. Not to push him away in any sense, but to let him go when he needed to be let go and to hold onto him when he needed me to do so.  

The “so what” of “Enough to Let Me Go” is that when you truly love someone, you’ll let them go if that’s what is best for them. “I’ve still got mountains to climb on my own. Do you love me enough to let me go?” John Foreman (the lead singer of Switchfoot) sings about loving him enough to let him go, as if talking to a girlfriend. I think that this song can be sung to anyone, really, though. My brother and I have grown close over the last few years, he’s definitely become my best friend (on Earth that is). The thought of him driving another girl to hockey games, having someone else ride “shotgun”, and making inside jokes with someone else sparks some jealousy. I’m not proud of being jealous, I’m working on it, but it’s tough. The most powerful line of this song in a lot of ways is, “But every seed dies before it grows. Do you love me enough to let me go?” I’m sure that no matter whom he ends up with, my brother and I will still be close, if not closer. A friendship may need to be cut off, or die, for a while before we can be as close as we will be.

Reading Tweets: Character's POV

Book: Saint
Author: Ted Dekker

@SAINt: Training's getting pretty tough, but its so much fun! #AssassinLife #TopSecret

@SAINt: Killed a couple in a fancy hotel today. Pulled it off w/ ease. #SorryNotSorry #TopSecret

@SAINt: Not too sure who I am any more. Working on figuring this out. #Confused #NoWorries

@SAINt: Beating @Englishman won't be too hard. Im doing this for @Kelly_Handler after all(;

@SAINt: Managed to survive the #ElectricChair. #NuffSaid

@SAINt: Done my training! Time to show off my shooting skills! #LookOutWorld

@SAINt: Tracking and planning. Tracking and planning. Tracking and planning. At least I have @Kelly_Handler to keep me company!

@SAINt: Let the countdown begin! #Excited #NoNerves #JustBreathe

@SAINt: Screwed up. On the run. Going dark. I'm sorry @Kelly_Handler

@SAINt: Im not sure what I want people to call me. Carl? Johnny? Saint? Chaplain? #IdentityCrisis

@Just_Johnny: Just call me Johnny! It's what Sally named me, it's what I want to be.

@Just_Johnny: Gotta go save the world (and @Kelly_Handler) again. Pray for me! #PleaseAndThanks

@Just_Johnny: Time for a #ShowDown, hey @Englishman?

@Just_Johnny: Apparently, I've gone "blind". On the plus side, @Englishman is dead and @Kelly_Handler is safe

@Just_Johnny: I do believe that @Kelly_Handler and I have a date w/ the desert. #Heat #Sand #HereWeCome

QuickWrites #2: The Perfect Human

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/page/2

When describing the perfect human, I'm sure that most would say something like, "Blue eyes, sandy hair, blah blah blah. Attractive." This is totally incorrect. The perfect human has already existed and still exists today. This person is kind, caring, and compassionate. He has never been dishonest, he has never hit anyone, and he is great at listening. This man has been a fantastic carpenter, but that was never his main goal. This man values each person's life as well as their feelings. He has a deep love for everyone, even the "scum of the Earth" types. This man's name is Jesus.

No one could ever go as good as him. Ever. The cool thing, though, is that He died to save us. He knows that we could never be as good as God, so He gave his life in order to cleanse us from the sin that separates us from God. He loves you and wants to bring you into his eternal family. Isn't that just beyond cool? I couldn't possibly compare myself to him, I would never be anywhere close to that good. Thank the Lord for Jesus, because without Him, I'm screwed.

Quickwrites: Robot Servant

My robot would be about 6 feet tall. He would have many different accents that he could speak in. Why? 'Cause accents are pretty freaking awesome. My robot would be able to do tons of cool stuff. He would climb trees, train animals (for good!), and would cook a lot of fantastic food. My robot would also be a super great cleaner (my mom is always telling me to clean stuff, so he would take care of that). My robot would have very springy legs for jumping, he might even have actual springs for legs, so that we could jump over houses and whatnot. I would also have my robot play with my little brother, because that kid is turning into a lazy bum from the gamer era. I would also have my robot talk to my older brother, Greg, about cars (I'm not very good at that). So, basically, my robot is super nice and super cool! :D

Digital Footprint

I realize that this is WAY over due. My apologies. I think most of these pictures are pretty self explanatory, but if not, feel free to ask about them(:

6 Word Memoir De-brief

What did I learn about storytelling?

The six word memoirs helped me to learn a few things about story telling. I learned that you can use punctuation to get the point of your story across better. Punctuation helps to make the meaning of your story more precise. I also learned that, when story telling, visual aides are very helpful. With out a visual aide, it can be a lot harder to help a reader understand a story.

Where did I show my knowledge about using storytelling skills?

I showed my knowledge about using story telling skills quite a bit in the six word memoirs. In each six word memoir, I used pictures and text that were relevant. I also used punctuation to enhance the story and to make the message clearer.

What did I learn as a reader, writer, thinker, storyteller?

As a reader, I realized that sometimes, less really is more. I always find myself so consumed by a story that I will read hundreds of pages and be fine with all of this time wasted. In reality, I've found out that some of the best stories are only one sentence. One picture+ one word= A short, sweet, and to the point story. It's crazy! I've learned tons about a bunch of friends just from 6 words apiece.

Character iPhone

This iPhone represents the character "Carl" (AKA Johnny) from the book "Saint" by Ted Dekker.

Apps and explanations:
-Gun Facts: "Carl" is an assassin that has a wide knowledge of guns and weapons.
-1,000 Ways To Kill: "Carl" is an assassin. He needs to get creative sometimes.
-Bullet Trajectory:"Carl" is an expert marksman. Carl can calculate where a bullet will go very quickly. He's probably got an app for that.
-Questions For Life: "Carl" found out that he's been living a lie. His name is actually Johnny. He needs somewhere to put his questions until the time comes to ask them.
-Target Practice: Carl/Johnny needs to keep his aim sharp.
-Face Swap: After a mission, "Carl" needs to get his face changed so that no one will find him. He might like to try on other peoples' faces.
-The Pit: This Pit is the only place in the world that Carl is comfortable. The Pit is the only thing that Carl loves other than Kelly. It's a deep, dark hole where he loses himself.
-Pick-up Lines: Carl has a thing for Kelly, but he stumbles over his own words. This'll help. (;
-Target Tracker: Carl and Kelly have to track their target that they must eliminate. Extra help never hurt.
-Escape Routes: Carl and Kelly will have to get out of situations quickly. Whether they're running from other assassins or the cops, they need a way out.

6 Word Memoir #8

This is a picture of a butterfly that I found while I was at a work-bee for camp. It was early in the spring, so I didn't expect to see anything like this. I really love the colors on the bottom of the wings (the blue and red). "Eye Spy" is a game that I used to play a lot as a kid, so the text brings back a lot of memories, just like camp. I love to find cool things in God's creation, this butterfly included! I picked the cursive look for the font that I used, because it is elegant and sophisticated just like this graceful butterfly. I liked how the font had thinner letters, so that, even though the text is black, the text wasn't overpoweringly bold. 

6 Word Memoir #7

In this picture, a guy and a girl walk along the beach very far apart from each other. This picture looks like a couple that has broken up and wants absolutely nothing to do with each other. I cropped this picture to make it look more awkward and more like a broken up couple. Before cropping it, there was another guy (to the right of this guy) and another girl (to the left of this girl). The four (along with another friend and I) were walking to Elk Island from Victoria Beach. We had just met this girl and she and her friend weren't exactly being social that day. I really enjoyed getting to use the "cursive" text. This font reminds me of the classic "Dear John" kind of thing.  

6 Word Memoir #6

In this picture, my bother and I were jokingly trying to be "cool". A while back, it was super popular to post things like "Haters gonna hate" and "Haters make me famous". I'm not looking for fame, and "haters" will hate, there's no doubt about that, but if you don't care for me, please don't make a big deal about it. The only editing that I did was a little bit of lightening. The text is in bold, making it a lot easier to read, but still sticking with black.

6 Word Memoirs #5

The image and the words appear to fit together, but, truthfully, they don't. This hockey player looks like he's not impressed with himself, he expected to do well and he failed once again. In reality, this hockey player is one of the best on the team, a real leader. I just put a quick little filter on this particular picture to enhance the appearance. I used this filter to tone down the lighting a little bit to make a greater impression upon the reader. Once again, a period to make the tone more sombre.

6 Word Memoirs #4

This picture is all about growing up. I realize that it doesn't seem like it, but it is. This picture is from 2011, everyone in this picture has grown up quite a bit since then. The guy in the mask recently got engaged and same with the girl with the bow tie (not to each other), I've gone through quite a bit as well as the two others. This photo was already edited (and taken) by the guy in the mask, Eric Senecal, so that was pretty nice for me. Even though I'm keeping the font black, another reason is to go with the whole "terrifying" thing. Black represents fear, sadness, and death. Be terrified.

6 Word Memoirs #3

This 6 word memoir is about my future. I have absolutely no clue as to what I'm supposed to do. This picture is from my Sophomore year, photography class. Some of my classmates needed to take pictures for an assignment and wanted me to do stuff out in the snow. This picture relates to the text because I have no clue what I was doing out in the snow dressed like that. Once again, I didn't do a whole lot of editing, because I'm just not a fan of tons of editing. I used a period to punctuate this sentence to make the emotions clear. It's not a confused feeling, it's more of a drab, "oh boy" kind of feeling. Once again, I used black for the font color. I just really like the classic look of black and I like how easily it will stand out. 

6 Word Memoirs #2

My friends and I like to joke that we'll be "Bachelorettes until the Rapture (Christ coming back)". This is pretty much the equivalent of saying that we'll be "forever alone". This picture features me eating McDonald's (or as I like to say, McDeath's) french fries is a rather attractive (sarcasm) manner. I only lightened the picture a little bit for editing. I know I'm crazy (and a little bit backwards to all of the "edit crazy" Instagram-ers), but I'm not a huge fan of a lot of editing. My punctuation choices weren't super big. I just wanted to get my point across. I put the text at the bottom, kind of in ad fashion. Just to clarify, though, I don't mean for it to be an ad at all!  

6 Word Memoirs #1

The reason that I chose the words "Don't judge me by my family" is because I have quite the family. Last year while visiting my brother and his wife in Minnesota, I picked up a sign from Hobby Lobby that says, "Don't judge folks by their relatives". This sign reminded me of the fact that I often do have people judging me and comparing me to my brothers. This picture is from Christmas 2010.At that point, Greg (the guy in the blue) and I (the one who was thrown up on by the 80's) were not close at all. Nic and Hannah (the on-lookers) were only dating, and were much more distant from the rest of the family. In terms of editing, I didn't do a whole lot. My brother was in charge of the Christmas pictures, including editing, so I didn't really need to do much. The reason that I ended this sentence with a period is because I often get a little upset when people do judge me by my family. I feel like I'm not as good as some members, or I'm expected to be awful like others. I put the text up at the top as a bit of a title. I made the text black to be kind of harsh (like the period).