Updates......

August 22

I just wanted to let y'all know about a new addition on my Passages page, and it's called A Formula for Life. Go check it out, it's hilarious. I've also joined Matt's web ring, and you can find that on my Links page. Other than that, continue to watch my LiveJournal for updates about my life, etc etc, especially as I move into this horrible thing called Senior year....oi vey.....

August 20

Well well, it's been all summer. And I haven't posted. Oh well.

I am posting to let all of you know about the latest update. When I was talking to Matt H, I went to his web site, I found a little clock thing. Then I borrowed the code to the little clock thing and put it on my Guestbook page.

So go check it out, it's pretty darn cool. Other than that, nothing much to say. I don't want summer to end, because it was fun. School? Starting so soon? Nah, I'll take some more summer break, thanks.

June 5

As Nick suggested, I will be using this Updates page to tell you about long, rambling things that have been happening that people may not be wanting to have to read in their LJ Friends windows. I will use this area for the long, "dull" stuff, and leave my LJ for relatively short, fun things. But this still should be written in.

In fact, this is a supplement to my LiveJournal. I'm infinity_plus_1, by the way. Anyway, long rambling update of my life thus far.....

May 15 � 16:

It was a hectic morning, but I was very excited. When we got there at 7:30, the canopies were being set up, and Justin, his mom, Dad, and I were all sent off to get ice from Biba's downtown (Justin's dad is the manager, so it becomes very easy to get ice for the troop when we need it). We drove to the back of the alley (the most I've ever seen of the restaurant) and walked in with a number of ice chests and ice containers. People in chef's attire were bustling about the kitchen, creating ravioli, baking bread, and making other high-quality Italian food. Stainless steel counters were everywhere, and every cooking utensil you could name. There was even a large amount of whisks on one counter. I've never seen so many.

Well then the head chef came up to us, and since he knew Justin, started bugging him for taking too much ice. "My ice maker's almost empty. There's no way you're going to take THAT much ice from it!" he said. So we were cajoled into taking only two ice chests full, and drove back to Fry's. By that time, all the canopies were set up, and already Mrs. Ashby's voice was booming. This year, though, someone was smart: they put caution tape around the kitchen area so no one could just walk up and get a hot dog at will.

So the cycle was pretty cylindrical. Cold hot dogs were taken out of the shopping cart, unwrapped, then thrown on one of the four grills, cooked, put in a large metal bin, and shipped over to another table. Buns were taken out of bags, opened, set up in paper trays, put in grease-spotted cardboard boxes, then those boxes were moved over to where the hot dogs were in their metal bins. Once all the buns in a box were filled, they were moved over to the distribution table, where they were handed out.

Really, it all went very well. I think the biggest order we had was for an order of twenty, which was quite a few. Of course, that meant that the person also got twenty sodas to go with his twenty hot dogs, but wha�eva. Dad and I stayed all day. Dad did a lot of the cooking (on his precious barbecue) and I did a lot of sales pitching to customers out of the store. It was great fun, and I stood out there all afternoon. I was very hot by the time we were done at about 4:00. But the day wasn�t finished yet.

I went with Justin from the smell of hot dogs and down to the riverside, where huge trees swayed in the breeze and the sounds of the river rushing below were right around the corner. A friend of mine lives there, so we went over to his house where our patrol gear was all set up and spread out over several large tables out underneath the big oak tree in the backyard. Some Dutch ovens were sitting in a designated fire area, and most of the patrol was there, all in their green shirts and the like. Well we got our foodstuffs together and started slicing, dicing, chopping, and stirring. While the adults sat on the porch and chatted, and the little siblings leaped on the trampoline, the patrol and I cooked dinner for all of them. Dylan and I worked on chicken casserole, and the recipe called for a lot of soup and mayonnaise. We scooped it into a large bowl, and when it was gently shaken, it was absolutely nauseating to look at. It took several hours (using Dutch ovens is no quick task), but when it was all ready to eat, it looked great. I think for the future, some Dutch oven food might come in handy�

Sometime in the middle of all of that, Courtney came outside and watched us work, and we talked for a while. Then she went in and got all Gothified for a concert she was going to that night. She is so much fun to talk with, and yeah. I ought to get over there this summer, to��um��go waterskiing. *cough cough* I know what YOU'RE thinking, Justin....

That night, I stayed up for all hours working on a poster about Astronomy, cutting out and pasting pieces about different constellations that I had learned about at Camp Cody, and creating the pictures of the sky out of little hole punches on the black poster. Miles and Rossy even came over at around 11:00 to give me the poster and some materials, and we talked for a while.

That next day, I went off to Sac State to the Sally Ride Science Festival, a science fair with many exhibits geared towards getting little girls involved in science. Many different organizations and businesses relating to science were there, along with a robotics club, a flight pilot training facility, and a hot air balloon, which blasted its rockets off every so often, among other things. The booth for the DHS Astronomy Club was underneath one of the wooden verandas, with vines growing up in and around it. (There were only four people present, and I guess you could say that constitutes the entire club.) It was fortunate I was there, because I was one of the people who was most willing to talk, along with Miles. (Rossy and Michael weren�t that keen on talking to the public.) We had our posters set up, and as girls and their families came by, we talked to them about our particular area of expertise relating to Astronomy. Mine was constellations and the stories behind them, as well as where they could be found in the sky. Other topics included black holes, and the eventual collapse of the sun. Fun, eh?

Actually, it was a lot of fun. So we talked to people for a long time, and they enjoyed our lectures, giving many compliments. I didn�t realize until after the fair was over, but we were one of the few booths that wasn�t an organization trying to sell something. We were just there to give information. All the other booths were there to publicize their businesses. After we had lunch, (for FREE) we walked over to where Sally Ride was talking about her experiences. It was obviously motivated towards little girls, and so the guys of the club weren�t overly interested. So we left early.

May 17 � 21: Nothing on Monday or Tuesday. On Wednesday, I took a field trip to the State History museum in Sac, but I had to drop off my English project early. That museum was extremely hands-on, with inviting exhibits that were colorful and well built. There was an incredible array of artifacts, as well as various other forms of media. All in all, the museum was great fun, and not something that the ORDINARY History people get to do! Haha!

Then on Thursday in science we experimented with urine. SIMULATED urine. We were testing to see whether certain elements were present in it. But it was hecka nasty because it was foamy and stuff. Oh, and we watched Bowling for Columbine! Man, that�s movie�s hilarious.

On Friday, I brought my little calculator link into my TA period and uploaded a whole bunch of games onto Lindsay�s calculator. She�s a big Tetris fan, so it was the least I could do. Then that night I went to Allen�s Eagle project and helped dig a hole for a bench that would be put in the next day. We all went to Round Table afterwards and watched Thomas kick @$$ at a racing game. Yeah, that was fun.

May 22-23:

Bright and early the next morning, I drove into town to Thomas� house, where Justin and Mr. G were waiting. Then we dropped Thomas off at a baseball game and drove to a new school out of town, where a Jamboree 2005 meeting was held. Mr. Ishikawa was there, talking about the many activities that would be happening at the Jamboree to a big auditorium full of Scouts and parents. Afterwards, we broke up into our separate troops. Troop 1 Scouts are all going to be in Troop 5, and I�m going to be the Third Assistant Scoutmaster. We all met each other with the Two Truths and a Lie thing, and then broke off into smaller groups and met. All in all, it looks like it�s going to be a good group of kids. It�s also nice to be established as an adult leader right from the beginning, because it will certainly help when we get to Virginia.

Then all the Scouts left, and we had an Adult Staff meeting, where we just discussed more specific details. All in all, the adult staff seems like they�ll be nice enough. I met our Troop�s Second Assistant Scoutmaster, so that was cool. Then Mr. G bought Justin and I lunch, and we headed back to his house. During the day, Dad had built a check in counter for Grad Night, making it look all Victorian to fit in with the theme of the front entryway. It was huge and beautiful, and he was really proud of it. It looks all cool and Victorian too.

On Sunday, Dad and I arrived at the flight cage to find that many thorny weeds had popped up, so we picked them (CAREFULLY, they had thorns) and set to work. The work involved tightening the cables over the top, drilling in more pieces for the sliding door, and finally putting the other piece of plastic over the other end of the cage. It looked that day as though it would only take another day�s worth of work to complete it.

Nothing of importance happened during the week of May 24 � 28, except on that Friday. Dad had spent all day working on the flight cage, but when he came to pick me up after school, he forgot where he was supposed to go and drove around for an hour or so. Then I persuaded him to take me out there at 5:30 or so. Wow, a lot had been accomplished in that one day. Dad had finished the sliding door and started work on the other door. We both stayed until around 8:00, drilling the last few nuts and bolts into the cage. When the sun set, it was finally finished. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. But I had to get home and go to bed early.

Which I didn�t.

May 29 � 31

Troop One always has such great outings, and this one was no exception. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ride down to Monterey with Justin�s family, some of the nicest folks I�ve ever met. They�re always fun to drive on outings with, but I think Justin and I could help a little more with navigating��.if either one of us were in the front seat. Instead, we sit back and listen to our CD players as the car went rolling through the vast dry prairies of Southern California, past the reservoirs and through the winding hills to the Elkhorn Slough Visitors Center. We had lunch, then played some Frisbee, walked through the mini museum of the wildlife preserve, and then took a walking tour around the muddy, marshy slough. (Not into it, mind you.) The trails were established, but the natural plants were all around us, with big shady trees, and tall grasses swaying in the wind. At one point, we stopped and observed people cataloging some shark-like things in the slough. They looked a little like manta rays. Bat rays, I think they were? Anyway, the sloughs were in low tide, so a lot of the muddy parts were visible. It was a nice, easy, relaxing hike, with nature for everyone to see. (We watched a snake devouring a mouse alive. How cool is that?)

After an hour more of driving, we went to Manresa State Beach, where our campsite was under some really big trees. Thomas had gotten there early and set up the tents, so while the other patrols were setting up tents, I kicked back. When tents were up, we headed down through a ravine to where it opened up onto a sunny beach. The waves were at their best, crashing against the shore. I couldn�t resist getting on a wetsuit and walking out into the waves, then jumping into them and swimming through them. At the end, I ended up with massive amounts of salt all over me, and sand everywhere, but it was well worth it. (Besides, there were showers, so it was all good.)

I started to eat some bread and I had a cup of clam chowder, but I set it down to go take a shower. When I came back from my shower, though, dinner had been served, and my bread had been taken away from off the table and carelessly thrown in the fire. I was furious. I had no dinner, and worst of all, MY BREAD WAS IN THE FIRE PIT. Do not get in the way of Scarecrow and his food, it is not a good mix. Naturally, I was angry and very hungry. Luckily, they discovered some leftover chowder, so I had that. But still, I was mad. I guess Jacob had come over and taken some.

Which brings me to Jacob. From mid-afternoon up until then, Jacob and David had met some girls from over in another campsite, one of which was fairly appealing, and one that wasn�t. I think their names were Heather and Danielle, but Justin nicknamed them Stockton and Boulevard. Anyway, Jacob and David spent way too much time socializing with them all throughout dinner, not helping with cooking or cleaning at all. Just talking to those two girls. David was acting like a dork, too. They were being all friendly with the girls, setting themselves apart from the troop so they could be with them. Well, when nightfall came, that�s when things got out of hand.

I was at the campfire bowl with Noah and Mr. G, and after I did my Munchkin voice, (to many rounds of applause) we headed back to camp. Noah, a first year who�s soon going to be in our patrol, decided that on Sunday morning it would be nice to have a campfire going so the patrol could sit down and warm up before the sun rose. When night fell, Jacob, David, Stockton, and Boulevard waltzed right into our campsite and sat down to talk. Jacob then helped himself to our pile of firewood and threw it in the fire and lit it, so the four of them would have something to sit around. Pretty soon, he burned the entire pile, and then scattered marshmallows all over the ground. When Noah and I returned, he saw the damage that had been done. He went into his tent, crying because all the wood had been burned. Remember that this was Noah�s first outing, and at 11 years old, having a 17 year old do something like that to you can be pretty traumatic. Well those four left our campsite at once, but Mr. G was not pleased�..at all. He talked about it with Mr. Brozek, and Mr. Brozek was none too happy. He sat down with Jacob and told him in very serious tones that this wasn�t acceptable Scouting behavior, or acceptable at all. Jacob would owe Noah a bag of a pile of firewood two times the size of the one that had been there originally, an apology, and a bag of marshmallows. Things didn�t get better though. After the fires had been put out, and the only light left in the campsite was that of the moon, Jacob and David invited Stockton and Boulevard into their tents, where they stayed until about 2:30 AM.

Next morning was Sunday, although it felt like a Saturday. It was a very nice feeling. We woke up, had breakfast, and then met in a circle. David and Jacob had Stockton and Boulevard in the circle with us, which made me really mad. Those girls should have realized that they were not at all welcome among us and that they needed to back off. I really wanted to go and block them out of the circle, but I�m more mature than that. I know better. Anyway, SPL Andy divided us wisely into two groups, one group to hang out at the beach, and another to drive and go canoeing. I was in the group to go canoeing first, and so we drove down to another part of the same Elkhorn Slough, unloaded the canoes off the trailer, and lugged them to the water. The first years, Eric and Michael, struggled with one of the ends of the canoes, but Michael�s dad was carrying the other end, and they managed all right. When we all got in the canoes, Mr. Woodward did a demonstration as to how to canoe for those people who hadn�t canoed before, and we set off. Against my better judgement, I brought the digital camera in my canoe, and I canoed with Justin, which was a kick. Justin volunteered us to be the last canoe and make sure that everyone got ahead of us. So while everyone else paddled furiously through the water, Justin and I were the last canoe, allowing the first years to take their time paddling. It was a beautiful day out onto the water, just breezy enough, with the bulrushes treading slowly in the water and every sort of waterfowl drinking lazily from the water or beating their enormous wings overhead.

As we paddled along, our canoe seemed to gravitate toward each stray piece of seaweed that we found floating in the water. Naturally, Justin had to pick each piece up with his paddle and plop in the floor of the canoe. Canoeing with Justin is awesome. The entire trip was spent paddling near kayakers and listening to Justin ask, "You guys want some cookies?" We got a few strange looks, but then he'd say, "Just kidding, guys.." and we'd paddle away. However, there were many kayakers that day, fleets of them. Nevertheless, the slough was wide enough for the lot of us. A few times, we ran aground where the deep water would suddenly morph into squishy slough-bottom and we'd find ourselves temporarily stuck near some birds quietly feeding off the plants. Then we'd have to stick our paddles in that thick, dark mud and push our way backward out of it. Then we'd be off again, paddling through the weeds and seaweed, with an occasional otter or crane floating or flying near. Soon after we got out of our next jam, we lost the rest of the group, entirely. All except for David and Dean, a first year. He was trying to paddle his hardest, but he didn't know the right techniques to allow the canoe to go its farthest. David was getting really exasperated and asking me over and over again if I'd switch canoes with him. I had to keep telling him no, for one because I knew that he needed to learn to deal with younger Scouts. Two, because if I tried to switch canoes with him, the expensive digital camera might fall out and get wet. So we stayed with our canoes. They soon paddled ahead, and since Justin really needed to take a leak, we paddled over to one of the sides and he got out. Well, that mud was so thick and rich that his foot sunk in, swallowing up his shoe and making it nearly impossible to move his foot. At one point, his shoe was stuck in the mud, filling up with water. So after he had done his business, he had to take about ten minutes to get large portions of the mud off his shoe.

We kept paddling and paddling, and by this time, I was getting worried. The group had gone on ahead of us, and all around were distant shorelines with indistinguishable people and boats. Were they banked out on the left? On the right? We couldn't see them anywhere, so we kept paddling out to the ocean. Not only did we not see our group, but the incoming ocean currents (which we were fast approaching) were steadily getting bigger. When we finally got to the mouth of the ocean, we didn't think that they would have gone out there. We turned right near some dilapidated seaside restaurants and saw the metal canoes out on the beach on the right. At long last! We paddled, reached shore, and had lunch with everyone else. As we ate, the next canoeing group rolled up, and our canoeing group drove back to the campsite, where we had the rest of the afternoon to enjoy ourselves in various ways on the beach. There were many people out and about that day��.many female people�� 'Twas delicious eye candy.

Except for the entire time, Jacob had taken my towel and not told me, and then he didn't bring it back until the end of the day. It really made me mad, the fact that he could be so careless and have that much disregard for other people's feelings. I guess that reflects on what kind of person he is.

Dinnertime rolled around, and as usual Antler Patrol's cooking dominated; an excellent blend of angel hair pasta and sausage sauce, expertly prepared by Justin. (I keep telling him he needs to look into a culinary school.) Dishes were difficult to wash, especially the pasta pot that had many things sticking to the bottom of it. As usual, Morgan's patrol had everything cleaned up the fastest, which really impressed me. He did a fantastic job leading them on this outing. The patrol leaders all sat down when the sun was sinking and discussed the unresolved issues of the day, which seemed to revolve around Jacob. Mr. Brozek, normally so genial and jubilant, was now firm and a little cross.

That night, after I had talked to Mr. Cargile for a while about Cody (55 days!), I went to sleep. However, David did not. At around 10:00, he and Stockton went down to the beach by moonlight and slept out on a bedroll that David had brought. Apparently, the ranger said it was OK to be on the beach at that time of night, all the way up through 12:00. Well, when Mr. Brozek went around and did bed checks at 11:30, and asked Jacob where David was, he was infuriated at the answer. He stormed down to the beach, and met David halfway down. Then it began to get really chaotic. Boulevard was dismissed, and David's dad was awakened, and was none too happy. But I knew of none of this until the next morning after breakfast, when David told me that the consequences were that he maybe wasn't going to be a JO, and Jacob as well. However, this was still all in deliberation.

My JO Staff is dropping like flies around me. Mr. Cargile wanted a smaller staff this year, eh? Well, it's certainly happening.

So then there was breakfast, packing up, and leaving. At the very end, there was even beach time, with crashing waves, salty surf, and sand sculptures. The waves were nice that morning, and everyone enjoyed their last moments of peace before we loaded up everything into the cars. Justin's parents, Justin, and I heavily discussed the David-Jacob complex on the preceding outing, and what ought to be done about it. When I got home, it took me a long time to unpack things. I was tired, but not overly.

June 1 - 4:

Well the first yearbooks were distributed on June 1, and huge lines could be found at every time of the day outside of the H-wing. I decided to wait until my college comparison paper was finished until I even got my yearbook, because I would be too distracted by it to get any work done. I had a very long talk with Katie Tuesday night, in which I was awake until ungodly hours of the night talking about all sorts of fun stuff.

Mrs. Coulson's Biology classes also began work on a fetal pig dissection unit, a project that left many girls nauseated. They couldn't even bear to look at the things, let alone cut them open. For the rest of the groups, the cutting was easy to do and enjoyable, as well as interesting, which was good.

They weren't alone, though. Next door, I dissected a huge yellowish rat for Physio / Anat. Although its organs were easy to see, the thing was enormous, and its tongue is permanently lodged sticking out of its mouth.

Oh, and then Wednesday morning, the Yearbook Staff found that they had had their room vandalized. A burglar had come in during the night and smashed a computer, destroyed all the yearbook cameras, and worst of al, taken all the money made off the first day of yearbook sales. It looks like they were going to try and rob the teachers of the H-wing, since their classrooms have no doors and no secure walls, but that they were scared off by something. Anyway, it's been a major disappointment for the school.

Today I took the SAT II's at HJ. Man, there were soo many DHS people there!! It was great! I saw Peter and Mike too, both testing that morning. It took forever to have a classroom assigned for us, and our proctor was a bit odd. Nevertheless, the test format was relatively simple and the test long and dull.

Oh, I also know what happened to Jacob and David. It's been decided. But I'm going to let Mr. Brozek make the choice as to when to make the announcement. Now it's Sunday morning, reeeaaallllyyyy early, and if I want to wake up before noon, I'd better go to sleep now. Goodnight folks. My brain is tired.

March 21

Now, although I have a really long update from March 14 that I�m going to post tomorrow afternoon, I just wanted to give a shoutout to all the Biology folks in S-2, you know who you are. I grade your papers, remember?

4th period is getting sort of noisy. There are all sorts of little side conversations going on that irritate Mrs. Coulson a lot, but luckily there aren�t so many and she isn�t as stressed out now that some grades have been turned in. As for me, I sit back in the TA room, grading packets that the class turned in last Friday. It�s a monotonous task, but it�s made easier by the fact that many of the kids do their work, and do it well. So I�d like to praise those students who are doing their work, because it makes my life a whole lot easier.

I don�t know about you, 4th period, but the school projectors are pretty difficult to figure out. I have yet to see Mrs. Coulson successfully turn one on in a single try. But that could be because the darn things don�t come with any directions.

Anyway, hang in there, the school year�s nearly over. What is it, eight weeks until we�re done? Only eight more weeks of torture�.yes�..

As for the rest of my friends and patrons (or maybe only Sasha) I�m done talking to 4th period. My update from the end of February onward will be posted soon. I PROMISE. I'm aware that I haven't updated in a while, but I'll tell you all about it in a day or so.

Did I mention that our patrol has a new three burner stove? Oh yes, that's right, we rock. Thanks to Justin and his gourmet cooking, we'll be eating like kings........or keep on eating like kings, haha....

I'm back. I'm sitting in the library today during 4th period with Mrs. Coulson's class, and they've decided on what their biomes should be and they're working. Some people are in the main library, pulling books off of shelves, and some, like me, are in the computer lab making PowerPoint presentations or researching their biomes on the Internet. I've got to go.

March 10

12:03 PM

Well, it's about two minutes before lunch, and because I have a lunch to eat and places to go, I can't sit here in S-2 typing about all the things that I need to talk about. So I'll do it later. (Haha, I'm such a procrastinator...)

February 25

So after the project, I was basically dead tired. On Sunday, I slept from 1:00 or so until about 5:30, and when I woke up, my sister had her friends over to make skirts for The Hukilau, and Dad was finishing up the new wooden floors in our back entryway. So then I call up Sasha, and she and Katie are over there having a girls night out, and we get on three way calling. And Sasha read Green Eggs and Ham to me in Latin, which was cool. Yeah, it was fun. Then I showed up at a party four hours late. Yeah, maajor blondeness.

I went to the troop meeting and many people told me that they would be attending my Eagle project on the 6th, which was good to hear. I went down to Fly Fishing and tied another fly, which was cool. When deciding on what patrol I should be in, Zane once again isolated me, as he usually does. Funny thing is, I'm not sure he's aware of it. But I'll have something to say about that. I also turned in my application to become a part of the J.O. Staff, and specifically J.C.D. I hope Mr. C likes the application, because he was slightly raving about the fact that I had four pages. Well, I think it's important to pay attention to detail, so there you go. I couldn't fit all the stuff I needed to say in four pages anyway.

Yesterday was Articulation Day, and so Vickie, Kai, Iggy, Dani, and I all went to Ding How. I think we ordered too many vegetable dishes and not enough chicken, which is odd because usually we order too much chicken and not enough vegetables. Oh well, it was all good. We went to Baskin Robbins afterwards.

Today when I woke up, the rain was coming down in a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing the rain nearly sideways, and I decided that I would not be riding my bike to school today. So Mom drove me.

I'm in fourth period at the back of the room typing to y'all, and it's amazing how many people wear cotton when it's raining. About half the class look like drowned rats, but some know better. 4th period is so noisy, I don't know how the teacher puts up with them. I hope they learn to quiet down so they won't have to stay in their seats for the rest of the year. I better go back into the prep room...goodbye.

Oh, did I mention I have an in-class essay 6th period on Huck Finn? Yeah, it's not good. Oh well.

10:51 PM

Well Justin called me a few times about J.O. stuff. Dude, it's so awesome that he might be on the Staff this year, especially since it's my last year at Cody at a Scout....NOOO.... And yeah. I clicked through Katie's TOD and read her latest entires, which brought a smile to my face. (OK, Chili's, at old people's dinner time. I'm so there.) I think 'blonde' is spelled with an 'e' for girls, and for guys who are too masculine to tack on extra 'e's, the spelling is 'blond.' But that's my opinion. However, I have edited the last entry to correct what SOME people *coughKATIEcough* believe is the right way of spelling. Whatever. Oh, and tonight, I was listening to 107.9, and Maroon 5's 'This Love' came on, and it was exciting, because yeah, I knew it. Another one of those little subliminal connections that I adore so much.

During English class, I was able to crank out five pages for my in-class essay on Huck Finn, so we'll see how that went....hmmm....

And then I read Nick's LJ tonight. Needless to say, I was blown away. It was one of the most touching tributes to a group of friends that I've ever read. His tribute could perhaps only be surpassed by what people say about their deceased relatives at funerals. He basically thanked all of his friends, past and present, for what they've done, and it was very well written. It was heartwarming, complementary, and completely Nick. I don't know what he must have thought of me today while talking to me in fourth period Physio/Anat, probably that I was an ungrateful little *bleep*. But then, I hadn't read it yet. For those of you who don't know Nick well, don't believe the things I say about him in this Updates page. Lately, I've bashed him for some reason. Unfortunately, that's not who he is at all. I always enjoy telling my friends from Sacto that 'if you haven't met Nick, you've missed out, because everyone needs to meet Nick at some point in order to have a fully complete life.' A life without Nick is much more empty, and he posseses rare abilities that truly better us all. It may be only our little cow town that benefits from knowing him as a person and friend, but someday soon he'll go out into the world, ..and the world..(and the world..) will be a better place...

In so many words, thank you.

We turn our music down, and we whisper...
We're sitting on the ground, and we whisper...say what you're thinking out loud...

February 22

I....am....SOO......blonde. Wow.

After yesterday's meticulous planning, I blew off the whole Katie/Sasha/me thing AGAIN. Ohhhhhh, this sucks. The one weekend Sasha exists in the valley and isn't up in the mountains, skiing, and I forget about it. Oh, this irritates me. :(

But on the flip side, Katie wrote a very nice entry about my Eagle project yesterday, with "brack blamblers" (black bramblers) and all.

Now the difficult part of my project arises: how to thank my excellent work crew. They did so much for me out of the kindness of their hearts, and I have to find a proper way to thank them.

Oh, and did I mention GIRL SCOUT COOKIES HAVE ARRIVED? YES! They're here! It's very exciting, there are cookies all over the house.....later....

February 21

Friday was Friday. Get over it. We're moving on.

I worked on my Eagle project all of today, which is building a flight cage for injured birds of prey at the Raptor Center in my town. I've included the highlights below.

Crow's Saturday in a bulleted list:
-Got up at 6 AM and loaded Eagle project stuff up into multiple cars.
-Arrived at the Raptor Center to find that the gates were locked.
-After half an hour, the gates were opened, and by 9, energetic people arrived.
-We picked a lot of weeds. Some were brambly, some were thorny, and all needed to be picked. However, it hurt to pick them if you had no gloves.
-We also had fun with shovels and rakes and got quite a bit of vegetation up that way. Kai's new nickname is 'Shovel Man.'
-We all picked up the pieces of the flight cage and moved them over onto the side to make room for scaffolding. When water poured out of many of the poles, it looked at though several people had had 'accidents.'
-People went up on top of the scaffolding, and we began putting the cage's crossbeams across, 3 on each end.
-Below, the weeds and vegetation were removed from the gravel so the cage ground would be fairly clear, and then we had lunch.
-Several people left, and those who stayed spent the next two hours with me helping to smooth out the uneven gravel surface of the cage by wheelbarrowing loads of gravel to all corners. We spread out a huge amount of gravel away from the pile that was at one end. It was dull and tiresome, but we were all productive.
-Finally, at around 2:00, exhausted, but yet still happy, people leave. Dad and I stay until 5:30 finishing up small tidbits of the flight cage.

I'm looking at a picture I took of the cage's building site in January, when we hadn't done anything, and a picture I took today after we finished working. The differences are dramatic and very nice looking. It'll give me a good feeling to see the progress made from the beginning to the end. However, even the differences between these two pictures are striking so far.

I'm also glad I have a day off on Monday, because I certainly need it. I'm very tired, and since it's already 10:10, I'm going to get offline and go to bed. Thanks again to all those of you who came to my project...it's very important to me, and you have no idea how grateful I am that you guys were there. Thank you.

Also, I hope Katie got her coffee when she got home, and that her show goes well tonight. Bummer that the Track-a-Thon is only for kids who go to the school, though, because I'd be all over that. And sorry to hear that Nick had 21 innings of baseball today. That really sucks...

I also find it amusing to click Sasha's LJ Friends thing and read through different entries, reading about people's lives when I don't know who the words belong to. Every now and then, I'll see a name mentioned, or a place, and that little touch of familiarity will intrigue me. Perhaps that's all it takes.

*falls asleep on keyboard*

February 19

Well here I am in the library third period, and it's rather noisy today. Classes are coming in and going out, and the librarians are chatting. It's been a few aggravating days thus far since I last typed, but I'll tell you a little bit about my life from last Friday until today.

The morning was more beautiful than any we had seen for a while, frosty obviously but very pretty, with the sun throwing its glourious shades of orange, yellow, and red upon the clouds. However, the day soon turned drab and foggy, as it had been for many months. In English class, we had a pre-Valentine's Day party of sorts, in which many people brought food and drink and we ate for about half the period, then discussed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn all the rest. That night, we traveled to Hiram Johnson High School, where my sister was in a dance competition. Dance companies from all over the state were there, performing all sorts of dances from contemporary to classic. My sister's company did a number of dances; one that involved girls in shimmering green gowns doing ballet movements, another with French girls shopping and buying things, and also a dance with fairies clad all in white, who danced slowly and meaningfully to the music. Some of the other dances were racy, and some were moderately degrading, but my sister's dance company had the most creative dances by far. They were excited to win a few small gemstone awards, and thrilled when their teacher won a choreographer's award, and estatic when they won a trophy that was taller than most of the girls. Afterwards, I went out onto the stage to get that stage euphoria that's so wonderful, and it was very nice to be back out under the spotlights. A few girls in the audience even applauded when I strolled out onto the stage.

Afterwards we took the girls to Vic's Ice Cream on Riverside, and although some of the parents who were control freaks protested (because THEY didn't decide where we went after the show), the girls loved it. I think the Vic's staff was very tired, though, and noisy little girls was the last thing they needed. They were very noisy at that. Hoprefully our family isn't permenately banned now...

Valentine's Day came, and Mom and Dad went out to breakfast, then went to Lowe's to get some new wood flooring for the back hallway. They also brought my sister and I these enormous cookies, which were nice. Then Dad spent the better part of the day putting in the new flooring, but he's stopped at the bathroom because he'll have to tear out the toilet, a difficult task. Sunday was dull, but Monday was nice, with no school. At the troop meeting, we actually began tying flies for Fly Fishing, and it was amusing watching retired old men happily show Troop 1 members how to wrap and tie the different flies. I won the drawing this week also, so I get to keep my fly tying kit.

Up until this point, the weather had fluctuated from sunny to gray throughout the weekend, but by Tuesday, the rain came down in sheets. When I returned home from school, there was a lot of rain coming down. Worse, the gutter on the side of the house had clogged up, and a lot of water was pouring down onto the shed because it couldn't go down. I was given the unhappy task of putting my hand in the gutter and attempting to unclog it, which didn't work. As the rain came pouring down, the gutter filled up even more, spilling over. Seeing as I was on a tottery ladder, this was no good. My hand was starting to get cold, too. I tried several more times to unclog it with my hands, but then Mom got a metal snake to possibly unclog it, and so I shoved it down, determined to get it to work. However, when it was 1/3 of the way in, it stuck fast and refused to budge. I tried pulling it out unsuccessfully for 15 minutes, and the rain kept falling all around me, and now also on top of the gutter. I was getting very frustrated by this time.

Finally, I realized that it would be no good to keep yanking on the snake, so I pushed on the gutter a little. A small stream of water came flooding near the top of the mouth of the gutter. I pulled a little more, but the drainpipe would not give way. I was getting angrier and angrier, and so I gave the drainpipe a number of hard kicks. It loosened more and more, until it finally broke almost free, but the cord was still holding it back. I climbed off the ladder and tore the drainpipe away from the wall, causing it to fall off onto the pavement, with the snake firmly lodged inside of it. I dragged it into the garage, and the water poured straight down from the gutter's hole to the ground, without any pipe there. I was infuriated.

The rain was still coming down when Dad came home, took the drainpipe apart and pulled several handfuls of dense blackish sludge out of the pipe. There were bits of rooftile and Christmas light clips stuck in there, and then he reassembled it and put it back up against the house. I was still ticked off, but strangely that drove me on to clean the garage out, because it was very messy and no one had done anything about it for a long time. The rain and thunderstorming continued on into the night.

Yesterday the weather was wonderful, and I only wore a thin windbreaker to school because it was sunny the whole day. It was a very nice change from the weather that we'd had previous. I went into Mr. Williams' room to see if there was a meeting for the Lack of Talent Show (which there wasn't), and he said, "Hey, it's the Munchkin Man. Your performance last time made my week, really. It was awesome." That was nice to hear. Then I went to Japanese Club, where I was given a folder to decorate for one of the exchange students who are coming from Japan in a few weeks. The folder would be for their English class.

I started up an LJ a while back, but the stupid thing wouldn't let me validate my account. Probably because I started off by giving them an email address that no longer worked....hmm..... Anyway, because I want to keep the username, I have to let this account die first, and then I'll try for the same name again in about 30 days. (I know, Nick, I won't have one until then, but this page on my site works fine.) Nick is always complaining about the length of my updates, but at least they actually say meaningful things, things that I can look back on and remember what I did. He believes I ought to keep an LJ for entertainment, and that's logical, but for now, just read this. For those of you who do read my lengthy updates, thank you so much for taking your time. I appreciate those who take time to read about what I'm doing. For those who don't, I can say whatever I want about you because you won't read this anyway. But I won't. I'll get an LJ when it's convinient for me, and with my Eagle project coming up and the J.O. application deadline approaching, I'm much too busy and stressed out to be concerned about something like this. So stop whining already.

I find it amusing the way this page was never entirely about Updates or Announcements. I rarely talk about updates to this website, because there aren't very many, and I don't usually make announcements here either. It's evolved from what it was supposed to be to what it is now. On the other hand, the Passages page is kind of the same way; the passages aren't by me, but whatever. Today, it's very cold, but the sun in shining. I'm calling the Raptor Center today to find out about Saturday, and making a tentative list of people who may come to my Eagle project for this first round. I'm also watching the weather reports daily on four different sites, and so far, they all predict a sunny, rain-free Saturday. Let's just hope it stays that way. Scarecrow over and out.

As an afterthought, I'm also working on a new updated pictures section for this site. Yeah, that's all.

February 12

I went to the Kings game on Friday night. I forgot how loud that place was. The governor was there, and it was retro night, so all the players were wearing red white and blue, as well as their headbands and knee socks. Unfortunately, they played like the olds days too, and lost miserably. Everyone was dressed in retro stuff, it was highly amusing.

I went and spent the night at grandma's house, then the next morning I went down to 21st and J and helped move all the stuff from the troop room upstairs to downstairs. We were able to put tents, cooking gear, stoves, books, binders, and filing cabinets easily into the newly installed elevator, but it took a while to load and unload, and if the door was open for too long, a loud buzzer would go off for about ten seconds. This wouldn't have bothered us too much, except for the fact that there was a morning music session going on next door. So we had to do all our thumping and bumping of gear quietly. We had a heck of a time getting that shelf out through the door and into the new room, which is downstairs away from the library and in a little room off the alley.

Inisde, we found water-stained floors, a wall of circuit breakers, and very little space. Clearly this is not the place to store our old historical artifacts, which go back to the 1930's and could get water damaged. The filing cabinets were tilted in first, and Mr. Sherman had the idea of stacking one in front of the other with enough space to open the back one in between, which was sheer brilliance. Then the wooden shelf, with legs newly sawed off by Mr. Hyde, came in, and the adult cooking gear, the tents, and the historical stuff went there. The many awning poles, which made a lot of noise as we brought them clanking down the stairs, were put near the circuit breakers, which we must be careful never to touch. Then the shelves, and the binders, and the many merit badge books, and finally a big old box of miniature historical things came in. The old troop room looked very empty and cheerless, and I wondered why they've moved us downstairs. But nevertheless, we still have the room. If the historical stuff gets damaged, though, I'll be extremely angry. Thanks to the small but sincere work crew who came down and got it done in about three hours; we did well.

The next day, we went to the Duffy home, where a plate of delicious cinnamon raisin cookies were waiting for us, and packets of info about the trek through the ice and snow of Mt. Shasta that would be coming up in May. However, afterwards Jack locked his keys in his trunk. So Dad got an old coathanger, put it inside the window, and got the car door open. Of course, that's no hobby of his...so he says.... :) Then Katie and I had a rather lengthy convo, starting out slightly melancholy and getting more and more hilarious. My favorite part was the whole thing about the kittens who had no one that pet them, and the sticky note armada. Man, she and I have, LIKE, the best phone conversations ever.

Monday, I remembered that I had not yet filled out the planner for my Senior year, and so I began crossing off all the classes which I had taken or did not want to take. Soon, there were many X's throughout the planner. Next year, I'll fill up all seven periods again, but I guess it's easier to drop classes then than it is to add classes later. But there are so many classes I want to take! It's hard to decide, but I turned in my planner on Wednesday.

When I handed it to my counselor, I realized that it was the last high school planner that I would be submitting, and time stopped for a minute as I thought this to myself. It was the "first of many lasts," as I had discussed in my English class.

Anyway, I went out to lunch after grading a few more packets in Mrs. Coulson's room, and told Nick that I was still debating about whether or not I ought to do men's volleyball this spring. Instantly, he burst out laughing. So, I will not be doing volleyball. That's that.

But I did audition for the Lack of Talent Show. I sung 'Lida Rose' in my Munchkin voice, and while I was singing, the entire room was absolutely hysterical: I knew quite a few people in there who had no idea I could do this, and scores of other people who were dying of laughter all around me, even the teacher who ran the club. I saw my U.S. History teacher even poke his head in. When I finished, I got an absolutely riotous applause from the class. Even better, I think I may have gotten in.

When I got online, Justin said I ought to join RCRC. But I really don't want to. In fact, I haven't been in any sports for quite a while now, and there aren't any sports that I'm interested in joining. Throw suggestions at me, people, because I don't know what to do. I ought to just run a mile four days a week.

Tonight, my sister's over at Emerson practicing for a concert, and Mom's at the 'owl school' decorating for the Teacher's Appreciation Lunch, which she really gets into. I'm supposed to pick her up at 5:00, so I ought to go over there in a little while. It's 4:48, after all....

I may as well just run a mile or so when I'm over at Emerson anyway. I need to stay in good shape for the Mt. Shasta climb, and the 50-mile hike in July as well. Oh, and did I mention that the fog has gone away? Yes, we've had sun for the past several days. It's excellent. Although it's rather icy in the morning....hmm.....

OH! Closing note: I want CD's of people's favorite songs. So far, I've got them from Iggy, Nick, and Katie, but there are still many more of you out there. (And then I have MANY CD's from Sasha, but yeah, if you want to, you may.) Details at eleven....

Sing us a song, you're the Piano Man,
Sing us a song tonight,
For we're all in the mood for a melody,
and you've got us feeling all right.

.....9:26 PM

Well, I went to my sister's concert over at Emerson. She decided to switch over to flute after feeling the wrath of the satanic Kim Cole. (boos and hisses from audience.) She played very well, and the songs were very long too. Although it was a bit odd being back in the Indoor Commons, and that stage. I once performed Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream there. It was the same stage that I once chased Hermia around on, and where Puck once put feathers into the curtain mechanism by accident, causing us to have to run around the curtains and push them to one side. That was only three years ago, but how long ago it seems! How different everything is from then! I am not the same person I was three years ago, I know that.

I thought to myself, my sister will now know Emerson like the back of her hand, and eat lunch in these very Commons that I stand in now. It seemed very weird to think about, that my sister has grown up so quickly, and that I have as well. Time stood still, for a moment, then I finished listening to the music and watching them play. Then we headed home, and I got online for a bit and spoke with a dear friend of mine.

Of late, I've been listening to this #1 Classical Album that I found on return from Cody. My favorites are the Greensleeves remix, and especially Tracks 2 and 8. Track 2 is this awesome Russian sounding waltz, and then Track 8 starts off like a funeral song, then has some beautiful vocals by a woman who ends up making the song triumphant and bittersweet. It stirs emotions in me such as I have never felt before.

Tomorrow, we're eating food in English class, and I've got a Valentine's Day Jack Skellington to draw for Darcey. Only a few more days until my Eagle project, so I need to prepare myself for that. Then again, I even need to get ready for tomorrow. As it's 9:37 now, I'll save my work and let Mom have the phone. I do have some more stuff to finish...bye....

February 3

I have much more to say than what I'm about to say, but this is all I can type about now.

Remember We Like The Moon? Well, I just saw those two little howler monkey things on TV!!

Quiznos must have discovered the monkey things and paid the people to use it, and now those two little monkey things sing about Quiznos! With the same little derby hat and guitar, and the same freaky eyes and mouth!!! It was soo awesome!!!

We Like the Moon has merged media. YES!!

So yeah, that's my bit for tonight. Bye...

January 31

Well today I went park hopping. Good times all around. Except Nick didn't do his Top Twelve for today.

Not much to say otherwise, but I hafta put more stuff underneath and behind the closet. I think two pictures that are supposed to go on the walls got packed away though. Baad times.

January 30

The week has been alright. You'll see why once I'm finished. Well, my grandma and I spent the better part of Monday together. I did a bit of homework, and then she took me out to the Raptor Center to have Mr. Stedman sign my Eagle packet. It was a dreary day, as usual, and I was a little worried when I walked past the display cages and exhibits and into the empty office that he might not be there. Obviously, Grandma wasn't thrilled, so I walked around for a bit and waited to see if he would turn up. He finally came walking out with a few other people, and he was carrying a huge net. We went into his office, and he put down the net and took out a felt pen and signed it, all in the span of about fifteen minutes. We then went into Sacramento, and the skies had become cloudy and gloomy once more. I was not fond of winter weather, but we went out to eat at Vic's, and Grandma showed me where she had grown up on Seventh Avenue. Night began to fall, and I watched Chicago, which was interesting and jazzy. Then I went to the TLC meeting, where I showed my Scoutmaster the plans and tslked it over with him. He liked the idea, and signed off everything he neded to. However, the troop committee chairman wasn't there that night. I was a bit worried because I was meeting with the district member the next night, and I needed everyone's signatures before I could begin. However, the committee chair didn't show up. Nervously, I was driven home, but then we gave his house a call at about 8:30, and I went over to his house and he signed it.

The next day, I went over to Mr. Kimball's house at about eight o clock. He was a jovial, wheezy sort of man who was also surprised that I didn't live in the city where my troop was located. Nevertheless, it took about fifteen minutes to talk to him, and for his to sign the paperwork required. Wedneday and Thursday passed without major incident, and today, Friday, has been the worst. I'm here in the library on my free third period, and I'm typing because of my horrible morning. I rode to school as usual, but my shoes, socks, and pantlegs got soaking wet. So now I'm standing here in damp shoes, irritated. What's worst, once first period ended, the rain stopped. So as you can imagine, I'm not too thrilled with the weather. I'd better be going, I've got homework to do, and I don't want the librarians to think that I'm checking my email. Aloha.

.....and a few minutes afterward......

Mom dropped off my hiking boots and wool socks as I asked when I called her this morning. My feet are still a little cold, but at least they aren't wet anymore. I've got about three minutes left in the period, so away I go.

January 26

Well, it turns out that I didn't exactly clear my Updates page until today. Oh well. I haven't even posted a whole section yet, about my trip to Maui, Hawaii over Winter Break, so you can click here and go read about that. Then come back here and read about all this stuff.

On January 3rd, Nick drove a whole bunch of people into Sacto to go see Tim�s Burton�s latest movie Big Fish. My parents were a little worried about him driving all of us (as parents will be) but he drove very well, even while blasting Michael Jackson and yelling at Yan to put his head down so that Nick could see in the rearview mirror. We got there just as the movie started, and the movie was a good one. (Although I won�t spoil it for you if you haven�t seen it.) But afterwards we went to Leatherby�s, and Alexa and Julie were semi-appalled by the grilled PB&J sandwiches on the menu. I guess it was good though, because Paddy ordered one. Sasha ordered a banana split and it turned into a huge gooey pile of ice cream before the end of the night. All in all, good times were had by everyone.

Well of course everyone absolutely detested me when I got back to school and told them that I had spent two weeks in paradise, but they quickly forgave me. I turned in the book report that I had worked on all over break, and my English teacher launched us into her three week curriculum based solely on grammar. She�s a grammar fanatic, and any sentence she fancies will end up on the chalkboard will be diagrammed for us without us even asking. The week was tiring, especially since I had a Grapes of Wrath project due at the end of the week.

But that weekend I starred in a movie that some friends of mine were filming for Video Film class, and I was Prince Walter, the Accountant Soon-To-Be. It was a hilarious movie. The king played on his pipe organ and sung very horribly, and I went on a quest to find a can of SPAM. But Prince Charming (who turned out to have a thick French accent) rides in on his nonexistent horse and saves the day by slaying a dragon (turtle with paper wings) with his handy six shooter (instead of the huge sword that he has at his side). Unfortunately, the first six times he tried to shoot the cap gun at the turtle, it didn�t make a click, and so we had to redo that scene several more times. But it was great; I met Laurel�s mom and got to see their magnificent home, I got to see their birds, rabbit, and two dogs, and I got to play a part in a movie. I learned a grave lesson, however: never challenge Gretchen to a game of foosball, because you are asking to play against a ruthless foosballer. (To this day, she still hasn�t let me forget that she won.)

The next week was drab, as most are, except that I got the plans for my Eagle project. That weekend, however, was our troop�s outing into the heart of the Yosemite Valley. Since certain people *coughNICKcough* complain endlessly that my updates are too long (and they are) I�ve given you the bit about Yosemite in a different color, so if you�re Nick, you can scroll on past it. For the rest of you, feel free to read it.

The weather that morning at the Target parking lot was gray, and the skies were cloudy, as they had been for weeks. Remember that as you read this article, for going into Yosemite allowed the members of Troop 1 to be rid of that fog for at least a little while. After driving for a long time, we finally began to reach the foothills, and the bright sun shone all around us. The hills were full of pine trees and that reddish sort of dirt that we had seen in Malakoff, and once we drove a little higher, snow could be seen all around us as it lay on the ground in thick layers. Trees and snow surrounded the road, but once we rounded a bend a gorgeous view of a canyon and trees in the distance met our eyes. Further on, an amazing view of glacial erosion met our eyes, and patches of snow, trees, and an occasional waterfall dotted the hills. We drove down into the valley, and the enormous moutains loomed over us, while the large trees rose high above, and the snow covered ground was all around. We stopped at a parking lot in a woodsy snowy area, got on warm clothing, and met in a group.

Our first mini excursion was up the trail to the foot of Bridal Veil Falls, and it was icy. Those who went on the outing will know what I�m talking about, because the whole cement paved trail was frozen over with a sheet of ice, making it easy to glide over if one has ice skates on. Well, we all had hiking boots, and while some people tried to go around the trail to walk more easily, some attempted to walk carefully on the ice, and often would end up sliding back down. The hardest part was the last, because it was a gradual uphill climb, and there were poles for people to hold onto, which came in handy as they pulled themselves up. Eventually, we reached the falls, and the water cascaded down the black rock in misty sheets, while around it the reddish rock stood silently. We enjoyed the sight for a while, then walked (or slid) back down the trail to the parking lot. Mr. Woodward was there waiting, and surveyed the boy�s wet knees on their pants from falling. It was the slickest trail I�d ever been on. We then drove back to another parking lot by a tunnel and ate lunch, with a panoramic view of the Yosemite Valley stretched out before us. The trees lined the valley like a green carpet, and the steep mountains of El Capitan and Half Dome closed in around the valley in an impressive manner. Snow was on many of the mountaintops, and the skies were cloudless and sunny. We drove back down into the valley, and on the way stopped to take pictures of the picturesque landscape that was all around us: the bare trees, the icy streams, the steep mountains and the cascading waterfalls.

Our next stop brought us to a congested parking lot in front of Yosemite Lodge, and once we were all ready, we met as a group and made the walk to Yosemite Falls. This is the waterfall that first fell from a steep cliff up above, and met with the ground at a second waterfall so many feet below. Well, we got very near to the lower set of falls. But then we saw other people going even closer, onto the rocks right below the falls, and in a manner of minutes, the boys of Troop 1 had scrambled over the boulders and up to the fool of the falls. We could feel the spray from the falling water on our faces, and appreciate the beauty of the majestic falls up close. Once we had clamored back down, we waited about half an hour as boys that had wandered off to the parking lot were gathered up again and brought back to the main group. Since we had used up so much time, we could not go on the short hike that had been intended, and so we drove a short ways out of the valley and the snow, up a little ways to the Yosemite Bug Hostel.

Had we not been going to the hostel itself and driven past, I might not have realized it was there. Back on a windy sort of road, the Yosemite Bug Hostel is a series of cabins built on a slightly sloped hill tucked back away from the road. There are cabins dotted all over the hillside in a fairly close cluster, and they�re up among the bare trees, giving the whole place the feel of nature. Once we all pulled up, we received our cabin assignments, unloaded our stuff into the different cabin�s bunk beds, and headed up to the kitchen, where we�d be doing our cooking and eating. Dinner that night was excellent, barbecue chicken and garlic bread that was bought by Mr. Brozek and prepared by Mr. Smith, and after Morgan Dahl had dismissed the last people from KP, we went to the Bug Caf� and relaxed for the evening.

Now, the Caf� is not only a restaurant, but also a common room for the people of the Hostel to relax. It�s fairly large, built out of a medium color wood, and lighted with chandeliers made out of wagon wheels and glass chimneys to give it a rustic sort of look. There�s a small fireplace with a boar�s and deer�s head mounted on the wall, cozy chairs positioned around the fireplace, several big round wooden tables for diners, and a few couches off to another side with a big wooden table. All these, including the addition to the building off to one side with more tables, were open to Troop 1 after dinner, and Scouts found a variety of activities on the shelf of board and card games: Life, Clue, and even a guitar. Loren and Nick spent quite a while playing Jenga, and it stayed up for a long time before it finally fell. Then at about ten, we were rounded up back to the cabins, and went to sleep at a decent hour. We did have a long day ahead of us come Sunday.

Well Sunday dawned as clear and sunny as the day before, and once Zane had made sure that everyone was actually awake, we headed up to the group kitchen once more and had another warm meal for breakfast. Then afterwards, people divided into two groups: one group that would go hiking through Yosemite Valley, and another group that would go skiing. We made our lunches and got our warm clothes and gear together, then I joined Mr. Woodward in his van to go skiing.

We drove back into Yosemite Valley, where the midday sunlight illuminated the snow and the valley, making it even more spectacular than it had been the day before. The air was crisp and fresh, and as the van climbed higher and higher, our vantage point of the waterfalls and steep rocks grew only better. The snow was thick when we arrived at Badger Pass, a small ski resort tucked away in the hills. After a while, we rented our equipment, and set off to do some skiing. I hadn�t skied for many years, but with a few quick pointers, David Woodward helped me regain my skiing knowledge. I was soon going quickly down the smallest slope, the snowboarders falling all around me and the people on the chairlifts waving. Sam Hyde then thought it was about time I tried out an intermediate slope already, and we headed up the bigger chairlifts to the top. Up here, the mountain was much steeper, with the paved paths for skiers and snowboarders and small forested patches in between. I looked back behind me and saw the ski lodge growing smaller behind me, and then it disappeared below the hill. We were up the biggest mountain there. I skied down the ramp, and stopped for a minute to take in the surroundings all about me. The jagged mountains were all around, and the evergreen trees stood tall. In the distance, I could see�..the ocean? No, I realized, it was the Central Valley, obscured by a sea of fog and clouds. But up above all that, in the mountains, the sun still shone, and the natural beauty was in abundance as far as the eye could see.

Then Sam threw a snowball at me and I snapped out of it. We skied partway down one of the moderate slopes in the trees, and I found that once I began moving, it was very easy to move because I was just going down at a steady rate, depending on how I turned my skis. The trees parted to a steep snowy slope, and a beautiful view of the mountains. I headed down the hill, swerving back and forth on the slope, my skis cutting into the snow. I was going so fast, the air blew my face and the wind whipped my jacket. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings I�ve ever had; of speed, of freedom, of happiness. I felt like I was flying, and it was amazing. I zoomed down the hill�s off shoot with some other skiers onto the main hill, which was very steep. I went flying down the mountain, keeping up good speeds all the way down to the end, where I skied out of the exit and stopped neatly in the line for the next chairlift.

It went on like this all afternoon: enjoying the calm and beautiful views of the trees and mountains as I ascended the ski run. Next, I�d be taking in the view of the skiers and snowboarders cutting through the snow far below my feet, taking in the views at the top, and then racing down the many different snowy runways with ease and agility. I joined Zane, Jacob, and Sam at the top of the biggest hill a few times, and saw Mr. Woodward racing down effortlessly. On occasion, I even caught up with the Cranes. I went up the different ski runs countless times, and no matter how the ski courses differed, those same wonderful feelings that can only come from racing down a snowy hillside came back to me again. It seemed all too soon that it was four o�clock, and our group collectively met up and headed back to the hostel.

It was nightfall by the time we returned to the Bug, for Mr. Woodward had graciously driven us through the valley in order to let us see Yosemite�s beauty at sunset. After a hot shower (second nicest feeling in the world) dinner was ready; a succulent combination of spaghetti and chicken, or spaghetti and sausage, depending on your taste. I had thirds because everything was so good, but we ended up having quite a bit more pasta than we needed, so Mr. Smith gave it to the Australians who had cooked alongside us in the group kitchen. Then it was back to the caf� for another night of games, and this time it was Taboo, a game in which you must describe an object without saying five closely related words. It�s a tricky game, but once you get the hang of it, it�s fun. As it got late, we took it back to our cabin, and played it until about 11:00, when we finally fell asleep.

After breakfast, we packed up our gear and put it into the various cars. Then for about forty-five minutes, the chaplain could not be found to discuss the Scout�s Own service, and so I was asked to step in and lead. Once people had searched for a bit, he was found, but no one was exactly thrilled that no one had known where he was. Our Sunday service was in the wooden benches down near some of the cabins, and we sat in the cold morning air and listened as speakers gave their reflections in turn and reminded us of how lucky we were to be where we were. All the gear was packed into cars, and after the cabins had been gone through one last time, we drove back down into the clouds and stopped at a museum that highlighted the bygone era of gold mining. It had many rock specimens of all different colors, as well as many exhibits about mining, a walk through simulation of a mine, and all sorts of tools and artifacts from the days of the Gold Rush. It was a nice conclusion to a great weekend in Yosemite.

When we arrived that afternoon back in the Target parking lot, the gray cloudy skies were the same as they had been when I left. I think I, as much as everyone, was glad to have seen the sun for a little during these long winter months, and I felt truly fortunate to have seen it in such an incredible setting that�s more commonly known as Yosemite National Park.

When I got home, I unloaded all my gear and transferred the pictures onto the computer, and my mom and dad were amazed by how beautiful it was up there. Our family hadn�t been to Yosemite since my aunt and uncle had been married, and I was glad that I got to go back. Anyway, I went over to Iggy�s house, and since it was Finals Week the next day and we had our history final, we studied for a good three hours. Only once did Tumbles (Iggy�s dog) come in and jump on the bed and scatter our papers everywhere. Otherwise, we spent the rest of the time talking about the �city upon a hill,� the Boston Massacre, the Mayflower Compact, and other stuff.

Well Tuesday was the history final, and I don�t know how I did. I got a 99/100 on my book report from over break, but the fill in the blank part of the test was a little hard for me. The next tests on Wednesday were for math and English. I had to stay after the two hour block to finish my math test, and for my English final, we had to write a page about our favorite book, photocopy the cover, laminate the two pages, and get up in front of the class and talk about it. We did this for the whole two hours and ate food the whole time, and it was fun. I found out about some pretty cool books that I wouldn�t have read otherwise.

On Thursday, the first final was Psychology, and we just had a test on one chapter. That took about fifteen minutes to finish, and for the next hour and a half we ate bagels, donuts, orange juice, and other foods and talked. Lexi, Katie S., and Vivian decided to take a nap during the rest of the period, and so they were sprawled out on the floor in front of the door until 10:45. Bummer that I don�t have Psych anymore, I�m going to be soo bored without that class! Then a half-hour break, and then a loong two hours in science with one hundred multiple-choice questions. I felt semi confident about how I did. It was really long and very dull, but after the test was over my teacher brought out some old yearbooks from the school from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and those were cool.

Friday, we took the second part of our Japanese final. Our teacher asked us eight questions, and graded us based on our replies. Overall, with written and oral exam scores for Japanese, I got an A, so I was happy. But then for the rest of the period we watched Spirited Away, and that was a weird movie. It was sort of like a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland, with a little Tim Burton thrown in here and there. My last final was for C++, and I had gotten an A on my last C++ packet. So then we took our test on computer programming, binary, and the history of computers online, and I finally finished my Flash movie of Cody Lake and one of the sailboats. I sent it off to the webmaster, and now my Flash movie resides on campcody.org on the Pictures page. It was sad leaving Mrs. Meizel�s class, because she�s been such an enjoyable teacher over this last semester. She was sad to see me go too, and I thought that was nice. That night, I spent about two hours talking to Sasha and Katie. We talked for such a long time, wow, it was amazing. I've only had a few convos like that before. Anyway, it was great. On Saturday, I headed over to my grandma�s house and she took my to get my map of Maui and my Pacific Whale Foundation pictures framed. My parents were off at a wedding anniversary party, and they got back just as I was beginning to watch Chicago. So then I headed back to Davis, and at 12:15 that night, Nick came over and drove us to In �n Out. Why, you ask, did he do that?

Well because a half hour�s drive away, the McClatchy high school Junior Prom had just concluded, and a large group was coming to our town to eat at In �n Out and meet us there. Nick�s cellphone rings on the way there, and we find out from Sasha via her cell phone that she�s been named Prom Queen. With this wonderful news in mind, Nick raced off on the freeway, and from the offramp from my house to the onramp of downtown Davis, it only took us three minutes. Yeah Nick, you had a need for speed. So we get there and hang out for a few minutes, and talk about the Play-a-Thon that�s going on that night. Suddenly, a Subaru and two limousines pulled into the parking lot, and I knew it must be them.

The rearmost door opened, and Sasha stepped out, complete in her prom dress, tiara, and PROM QUEEN 2004 sash, with a huge bouquet of flowers. She was positively beaming, and strolled out with David, who was dressed to impress, at her side. Then several more guys in suits and tuxes get out of the limos, and girls in all colors of dresses with their hair curled step out with them. The total count was twenty-five, I believe, and many people were introduced to us. I was surprised that I remembered Katie, Meghan, and Lindsay, although when I saw them, I knew who they were. They all looked fabulous, of course, and the group proceeded to go inside and order. The line was out the door, though, and the people in the restaurant didn�t know what to think. Soon, the prom-goers had occupied three fourths of the room, with girls in their nice dresses eating burgers and fries, and guys in their best clothes filling up on soda. Everyone was talking and laughing, and it sounded from everyone that I talked to that it had been a great night so far.

Meghan and Lindsay had the same song stuck in their head somehow, and Sasha and Katie were attempting to fix Sasha�s tiara, without luck. It kept falling off, and Katie couldn�t see how it had stuck in there in the first place. Nick seemed a little shy at first, not knowing anyone, and he was quiet and glared at me in that Nick sort of way as I greeted people that I knew and those I didn�t. I felt comfortable with Sasha�s friends, felt as if I had been at Prom with them all night, and when you�re around people like that, you can�t help but feel good. One of the girls, who wore a light green dress and had red curly hair, asked me if I was a senior, and couldn�t believe that I wasn�t.  Soon, people finished, and the limo drivers were ready to get on the move. I called my parents to ask if I could go glow bowling, but it was much too late for me to be staying out, they said, especially with the half-hour drive. So I walked back in and Nick had left, apparently thinking that I was going with them, but that was alright since Katie could give me a ride home. I said goodbye to Sasha and congratulated her again, and said goodbye to everyone else on the way out. As I was going, I heard a girl in a red dress and a girl in a white dress talking: �Yeah, that Nick guy is the tallest guy I�ve ever met.� �Yeah, really.� I smiled again. The limos pulled away, bound for the Country Club Lanes, and Katie B. navigated through my hometown, while the three of us (Katie B., Katie H. and I) talked about stuff. Finally, we arrived on my dark street, and Katie handed me a CD of �bumpin� tunes� that she had made for me. I said goodnight and went into the house and listened to it until about 2:20, when I fell asleep at last.

I woke up this morning (well, at noon) and basically did nothing. Although I did find the camera charger that has been lost for two years, right where my parents left it, so I guess that counts. All in all, it�s been a great weekend, but it doesn�t stop here. I�ve got a day off again tomorrow, and who knows what that�ll bring. For those of you who made it to the end of this long series of updates, thank you, and to those who didn�t��well, may you be smitten, I guess. I�ll try to update more frequently, because it�s 3:25 now, and I don�t want to wake up at that time tomorrow. Besides, my feet are cold. Time to go to a nice, warm upstairs�goodnight�.

. P.S. When I typed this all out in Microsoft Word, font size 10, from December 23�s entry onward, it took up eight pages. Major hand cramp�

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