No Deal

A couple months ago, I went to a taping of Deal or no Deal. (read all about it here) It was an interesting experience, and it finally aired tonight. It was much more exciting watching it on TV. In person, it wasn't as excited when it took several hours to tape, you couldn't always hear what people were saying, see everything clearly, and were basically forced to clap when they told you to. It was completely different watching it on TV.

I kept waiting to see myself wildly cheering in the stands on national TV, but it never really happened. Several times, I saw what I thought may have been half my body, or where I was seated. I probably was on TV, but just such a small speck in the audience I couldn't clearly notice myself. Isn't this how life goes though? One small speck in the sea of other spectators. A little bit disappointing, but not completely unexpected.

Debatable Debate

Today, I went to a debate at the college for extra credit. Now, I must admit I wasn't excited or interested in the topic at all. It was about private vs. public funding for election campaigns. I almost didn't get to go at all. I mistakenly went to the wrong room, and was watching the wrong presentation. I figured it out soon enough to make it to the debate one door over.

Speaking of the debate. I found the topic very interesting, and actually really enjoyed the debate. I am not sure exactly what I believe about the topic. I was swayed to one side more, but I think that was because I liked the speaker better. This got me to thinking, What influences one more, content or charisma?

One speaker was rude, arrogant, and abrasive. The other, kinder and humbler. Did this sway my thinking? Should it have? My answer to these questions, debatable.

The Weather Man

I have learned from prior experience not to get my hopes up too high. It seems every time the weatherman says it is going to snow a bunch, it doesn't. Most the time, it doesn't even snow at all. The "man" just makes a big deal out of nothing to get innocent victims sucked in to what he says will happen.

I remember last year the man talked about how much it was going to snow. Schools announced a late start a night early. There was no snow on the ground whatsoever. So, when I heard the man saying it was going to snow tonight, I proceeded with caution. I have learned when you put your trust in the weatherman, you get burned.

Driving me Crazy

Today, I wonder what that clan of people thought of me. They were socializing in the front of my neighborhood, not unheard of. But, what is unheard of, is one man passing them 5 times in a short amount of time, especially unheard of when said man is in a car. Yes, it was me. I was running people around, in my car so not really "running" technically, all over the place. I was driving for around two hours, but I was happy to help people out. Not so happy to be stared at funnily by a horde of hooligans, well I don't really know if they were hooligans, or a horde for that matter, maybe they weren't even staring at me. Maybe I had driven myself to insanity.

Snowy Bliss

Today was rather uneventful for the majority of the day, at least until it happened. It was amazing. It started snowing, not only that, the snow started sticking to the ground. After snowing for an hour or two, it stopped. Sad, but not as sad as when it started raining. Hopefully, this snow is a sign of things to come, such as in a few weeks when winter break starts.

Back to School

Today, my brother had to return to college. Devastated emotionally? Yes, a little bit. He is fun to have around. It was nice to have him home for the short Thanksgiving break. While waiting for his ride to pick him up in Olympia, we had fun hanging out. He will be home soon for winter break though.

On a side note: I can't wait for winter break. Literally, I can't wait. If I had a time machine I would transport myself forward 3 weeks to the break. Actually, this would cause a big problem, there would then by two of me running around. I guess I would have to destroy one version of myself, but at least I, or at least my future self, would be on winter break.

Boggle War

Today, our family had a game night. It was a Boggle war. Even my little sister played, she even got a few words. I didn't even know she knew how to spell silver. My mom was the winner, I think she reads the dictionary in her spare time. It was fun having the whole family together, battling over a game of Boggle.

Cinder

Today was a rather sad day. Our family dog, Cinder, past away sometime last night. It wasn't unexpected though, she had been extremely sick the past few days. I am glad she is no longer suffering so much. She was a great pet for 13+ years. I can't even remember life before Cinder. Even though she may have been small in stature, she was big when it came to heart. She was a very loving dog, always happy to see you. I miss her. She is gone, but not forgotten.

Thankful for Thanksgiving and its Food

Today was Thanksgiving. A day to remember what you are thankful for, and share it with your family while devouring good food. Oh man was the food good. I still am full from the "lunch" I ate 8 hours ago. It was also nice to host Thanksgiving at our house this year. Some of my dad's siblings and their children (my cousins) made the trek up to Washington from Oregon. It seems almost every year we end up going down there. I felt more free to fully stuff myself, if I got sick, at least my own bed was near by. But no, I didn't get sick. Overall, Thanksgiving was a great time spent with family. Now I just can't wait for it to be Christmas.

Home At Last

Today, my older brother returned home from college for Thanksgiving break. I finally got my room clean to welcome him back home. I don't remember how much I miss him, until he comes home and reminds me. It is so fun when he is here, when he leaves again he will be missed. Thankfully he won't be gone too long this time, he will be back for Christmas break.

Almost There

One more day. That is all I need to get through until Thanksgiving break. Actually, it is more like half a day, just 3 hours of classes. The only bad news, a Spanish vocab quiz. Other than that, freedom is so near, I can almost taste it. I need a break and turkey quickly.

Sad Salmon Cycle

Today, I went with my father and his class on a field trip. They went to see the salmon spawning before they die in a creek. Rather interesting experience, lots of fish. Some were alive, most weren't.

Rather pathetic lives those fish live. Out of the three thousand eggs that are fertilized, only two will make it back to the stream they were born to continue the process. The rest are eaten by birds as eggs or as small fish, or eaten by other fish on the way to the sea, or even bigger fish once they get in the sea. After three years, on the way back, many of them don't make it. They die on the way, they get stuck in shallow water, or caught by a predator. And those that do make it, they die eventually anyway. Today I learned a good lesson, be glad you aren't a fish.

Number 11 Fan

Today, a special faithful blog reader (or bleader as I like to call them) of mine is having a birthday. Yes, my cousin Nate is turning 11. What a glorious age. I remember when I was 11, back in the 5th grade. Pokemon was still cool, Y2K had just happened (more like not happened) and I wanted to be a major league baseball player when I grew up. Good times. Happy Birthday Nate.

MudBowled Over

Today, I partook in the first annual MudBowl. It was also my first football game ever played. Well, I guess it depends on which futbal you are talking about. Did I play as well as I expected? I don't know, literally. I had no expectations, nothing to judge or know how well I did, nothing to compare to.

It was a fun game of flag football, adults vs. students. My personal highlight was the one time I was passed the ball, and I caught it. Not only did I catch it, I ran with the ball quite a ways down the field, and stiff armed two opponents in the process. I was also the quarterback for one pass. Well actually, more like quarterback for one sack. I didn't exactly know the play we were running, and the next thing I knew, someone had ripped off my flag.

Unfortunately, my team didn't win. The "old men" team won. Disappointed? A little bit. Our team got crushed as did my face. I mean I probably took at least a dozen shots to the cranium, none hurt too bad, but compounded they did a little. Thankfully, nobody out there died or got hurt badly, which is a little bit surprising. Although it was flag football, it kind of broke down into tackle after a while. I mean, after you tackled them, it was much easier to remove their flag. Thankfully, the weather stayed decent. After the game ended, it started raining fairly hard. Symbolic, I think so.

I would deem MudBowl a smashing hit: by the adults to the students ego, the final score 32:24 or 32:16 depending on who you ask, by the time I got elbowed in the face, but most of all by how much fun it was.

Now You/I/They Know

I learned/reaffirmed a good life lesson today. I was in Spanish class, it was my last class of the week, end I desperately wanted it to be the weekend. At the college, they were protesting the war. Our teacher said you could skip class if you wanted to protest the war, and she wouldn't take away points. I was tempted to join the others leaving, but what would the point of really been. I wasn't going to go protest, and had nothing better to do if I wasn't in class. Turns out, I was glad I stayed. While the teacher didn't "take away" points for skipping, the people who did aren't going to get the extra credit the people who stayed got. So in a way, they did get points taken away. Lesson attended, and lesson learned.

Big Bad Bus

Today, I had to ride the bus home again. This usually isn't terrible, but today came pretty close. Let me explain. I get done with my classes at 10:52am. I then ride a bus done to the Olympia transit station, this takes around 10 minutes. Then I wait until 11:30ish to catch a bus from Olympia to Shelton. The bus is supposed to drop me off downtown at 12:20pm. Today was different.

Everything was going according to schedule. In 10 minutes I would finally be free of the bus, and "home" in Shelton. Not today. There was a major accident. We got stuck in traffic for a long time. Lots of cars were turning around to go an alternate route, but not our bus. Nope, we sat there forever. Let me put it this way, people got off the bus to walk the near mile to the next stop. Other people got off the bus for a smoke break. The whole time I was hungry for my lunch, and on top of that, had to go to the bathroom. Eventually, I got home though. I had spent two hours on a bus I had waited 30 minutes to catch to get 7 minutes away from my home, and a grand total of 30 minutes away (if you drive straight to the college from my house).

It could have been worse though, way worse. I could have been in that accident, or had a friend or family member who was. I hope nobody was seriously injured in the accident. So what is a few hours on the bus compared to my life? Well, the answer is obvious, but still, spending two hours on a bus is no cup of tea (especially when you have to go pee).

Plebeian Problems

Some days, you just seem to have that task you just don't want to do. Today, it was my writing homework. Other times it is tasks such as cleaning my room, doing the dishes, and/or going jogging. Even though it may not take that long, or be too hard, it can be really hard to muster up the energy to do these simple tasks.

Thankfully, I am done with my homework, my room is fairly clean, and I am contemplating going jogging. Now, if only the same could be said for the kitchen being all the way clean. I guess there is always tomorrow.

But jobs seem to be perpetuating into infinity, there is always tomorrow as far as the kitchen job is concerned, same with my room. It never can stay perfectly clean for more than a instant. Maybe these jobs can never truly be done, only continued. Maybe I can never escape from the evilness that is the never-ending, mundane, annoying, daunting, monotonous, plebeian jobs that consume me.

Homework, Holidays, and Hope

Right now, I am tired. I just want to go to bed. Alas, I still need to continue studying for my Spanish test tomorrow. Yo tengo que estudiar mi Espanol la prueba manana. Well, I am actually almost done studying as you may or may not be able to tell from the above sentence. Thankfully, for this test we get to use notes for the first time. Yes. Also, thankfully today is not truly Monday as it feels. I love having Mondays off.

Disposing my Schedule

Today, my day was fairly productive. I followed a schedule, and felt I got a lot done. I did everything on my "list". This time, I decided to schedule stuff in my mind, rather than on paper. I felt this would allow me to be a little bit more flexible. Another thing I learned, don't break glass into the garbage disposal. Another lesson, don't turn garbage disposal on while the broken glass is still in it.

Veterans Day Off Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I don't have school. With today being Veterans Day, there is no school tomorrow because the holiday was/is on a Sunday. Speaking of Veterans Day, I would like to thank the past and present people protecting our country. With the extra day off, I would like to get a lot accomplished. I think I shall try using a schedule again, only this time, not plan it down to the exact minute. We shall see how it works.

Not Sick Saturday

Today should have been a lot different than last Saturday. You see, last Saturday I was ill. You would think not being sick, my Saturday would be different this week. No, it was basically the same. I slept in really late, watched TV, and basically didn't do much of anything. This is basically how my Saturday went when I was sick. The only differences were I wasn't feeling terrible today, and actually ate food. I guess the moral of the story is that I don't do much of anything at all most Saturdays.

Real Skates

Today, I accompanied my father's class, well more like entire school, to Skateland. As the name implies, it is a place you skate. For the first time ever, I tried "real" skates. Not the fake rollerblades. No, the things with four wheels that look like miniature car for you feet. I must admit, they were harder to use than I thought they would be. Worsening the matter, was the fact the brake system didn't seem to work. Basically, it was me and a bunch of little kids flying all over the place, ground included, and me trying to dodge them on a new form of transportation that didn't have working brakes. Needless to say, I had to be careful.

Back to the Bus

Today, I was reacquainted with an arch enemy. I had to ride the bus home from school. I had almost forgotten how much I like having my drivers licence. I noticed some of the same people on the bus, some new. What hadn't changed though, the smell. The overpowering stench of bus people that gives you an instant headache. Somethings will never change. What has changed, I no longer am enslaved to the bus and its stinkyness both literally and physically, maybe even mentally.

Rogerian Beast

Today, I had an essay due in my writing class. So far, I am really enjoying this class. In this class, Writing 102, we have been focusing on different styles of argumentative writing. The newest style, Rogerian. In this style, you really try to sympathise with your audience. It is best to use with really hostile readers. My essay was on the hazards of iPods. Maybe I shall post on this topic sometime. For now, I am glad my essay is done, and was pretty happy with how it turned out. I shall have to wait to see what grade I got though to tell you just how happy I am with it.

Got to Vote

Today I partook in one of my most basic, yet advanced rights as a citizen of the United States of America. That is right, I voted. Being 18, I can finally do so. How did I feel doing so? My feelings are mixed I felt old, well maybe mature is a better word, and slightly confused. Should I vote for or against this measure, approve or deny that measure. Overall, it left me feeling rather patriotic and impatient for the vote results.

Fall Back: Evil or Excellent?

Fall Back was yesterday, I think. I guess it officially started at 12:00am Sunday morning East Coast time. This would mean it happened at my house at 3:00 am. I have always wanted to stay up to see my atomic clock "travel through time". No way that was happening when I was sick.

My thoughts toward Fall Back are conflicted. On the one hand, I love having it feel like it is an hour later when I wake up in the morning for school. I tried to explain to my youngest sister, that no, we don't get an "extra" hour of sleep. But I think the whole concept is rather confusing for her. This "extra hour" of sleep is only a temporary feeling though. What isn't temporary, is it getting dark before 5:00pm. Not cool.

Lasting Letter

Today, I got a letter that was written to me 18 years ago. It said, " To Daniel, not to be opened until you can understand it." Why did I have to wait until I was 18, would I have not understood it before. Well, basically it got lost, so it was just found today. Still stapled shut after 18 years. Wow, that is not your everyday occurrence, nor will it probably ever happen to me again.

Sickening Saturday

Today, my family was supposed to go to Oregon to visit my brother. Notice the keywords, supposed to. We didn't end up going. Both my father and I got sick. Yes, it was not a very fun day. Being sick is never fun, especially when it makes you miss a trip to see your brother. Not fun at all. Thankfully, I am starting to feel better.

Change My Ways

Today, I went to buy dinner for our family. Not majorly bizarre, but not your/my ever day experience. Dinner was $21.37 + $1.29, totally unheard of? No. Yet it is when I only had 39 cents afterwards. That is cutting it close. I would like to think that I planned it this way, but that would be stretching it a little too far. Next time, I need to not cut it quite so close.

Strange Thursday

Today was a bit of a strange day. Yesterday, I didn't have school. It made today feel like a Monday, but is was really a Thursday. It just felt weird. I also had a guest lecturer in my Spanish class who played the banjo and rapped in Spanish, not at the same time mind you. All in all, just a rather strange day.