2007, a Year in Review

As you probably know, today is the last day of 2007. It has been an eventful year for me.

Highlights of 2007 include in no particular order:

My two week trip to LA
-Deal Or No Deal taping
-good food, and lots of it
-Dodgers game
-Disneyland

Becoming a member of the Blogger society

Turning 18
-Finally getting my drivers license

Christmas 2007
-at home and in Portland
-my Christmas present to myself, upgrading to an HD TV

Fishing Trip with my Uncle and Cousins
-riding on a train for the first time
-catching a "$30" fish

Going to a few Mariners games
-sister's first game, and autograph
-finally sitting in the lower level
-the homerun ball my father didn't catch

These are just a few of my many highlights of 2007. Last years New Years Resolution? To run a 1/2 marathon, not accomplished in 2007. Maybe 2008?

Running Out

Time is running out. Not only my break time, but also my high school life. I need to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life, well, more like the next couple of years which in turn affects the rest of my life. This is much easier said than done.

The reason I started thinking about this is all the deadlines coming up. Registration for colleges ends soon, and scholarships end sooner. How can I fill out my scholarships if I don't know where I am going to school? How can I know what school I am going to go to until I know what I want to major in? How can I decide what I want to major in until I know what I want to do for the rest of my life? These are all very good questions, ones I am running out of time to answer.

The Last Saturday

Today, I came to a sad realization, my break is almost over. And therefore, so is the glorious holiday season. We took the tree down, are back from our trip down to Oregon, and have to start thinking about returning to school. It's not that school is so bad, it is just that break is so great, and it is almost over.

Fuel or Finish?

Today, I realized I have finally overcome my addiction to the Toy Shoppe. While I may still play time to time, it is no longer an impulse I can't stop. Now, I can easily walk by the Toy Shoppe and have no desire to play. But, I almost always check out the arrangement of stuffed animals, how they are stacked in, and which ones look ripe for the picking, this I can't stop. I just no longer feel the need to play and try to win the ones I notice are easier to get. There is quite a science to the Toy Shoppe.

But now, I have stumbled into something completely different. Having recently turned 18, I can now buy scratch tickets. It may have been a bad idea when I first inserted money into one of those machines. I now feel like I could get addicted to this new phenomenon. Which seems strange to me, it isn't like me. I am a very mathematical person, maybe that is why I liked the Toy Shoppe. The angles, distances, and size of the stuffed animals. Scratch tickets are the complete opposite. It involves random chance, and being a mathematical person, I should realize things such as probability are against me. Yet I have purchased a few tickets.

And let me tell you, this addiction could add up much quicker than the Toy Shoppe. The Toy Shoppe was 50 cents a pop, scratch tickets are $2, $3, $5, $10, or $20 a hit. I really enjoy the excitement of the scratch, it almost negates the negative feeling of the money I have wasted.

I just am a little worried what this habit may lead to, I don't think it is a very good one. I don't want to become a compulsive gambler and waste all my money. I must admit however, today for a Christmas present to ourselves, my brother and I purchased 8 scratch tickets. We won $13 dollars, not bad, but it was $20 worth of tickets. I am not sure if this event will fuel or finish my habit. Maybe I need find a better/cheaper hobby, and one that doesn't go against mathematics.

The Runs Continue

Today, my Uncle took me on a challenging run. Well, it was challenging for me, not sure how challenging it was for him. Basically, I haven't been jogging lately, as in several months lately. Today was day two of my jogging streak.

Today's run was a trail run, up a steep "cliff". It was also near freezing when we started. I jogged for as long as I could up this steep incline, but after a fairly short while my body shut down. My lungs hurt, my legs burned all over (not in a good way), I had a stomach ache, and felt nauseated. I was able to walk, barely though. It was a semi-brisk walk, I think if I would have stopped completely, I would have to had been carried or rolled down the trail.

Eventually, I felt better. I was able to jog the last bit, and get to the top of the two mile trail. At the top, we had reached snow level. There was an inch or two of snow on the ground, and it was snowing. I spotted a drinking fountain, but it didn't work. Going back was much easier. I was feeling better, and had finally warmed up. That, and it was all down hill. After the run, I felt good. I think it shall become a habitual activity of mine. Thanks Uncle Jim.

For your viewing pleasure, or displeasure, there is a video of me jogging my Uncle made. Now, if you watch it, take into consideration at the time I was short on oxygen, energy, and water, and the dialogue was improvised. You can visit his blog, and watch the short clip right here.

And if you enjoyed that, you can watch the previous episode right here.

Maxed Out

Today was the annual day after Christmas jog. Every year, my father and I jog with our uncle. Today, the tradition lived on. We went two miles braving the near freezing temperatures and scary squirrels. It becomes scary when little tiny rodents are not afraid of you, and actually act semi-aggressive towards you. I lost count after 15 of these scary squirrels. I hope to continue this new one-day habit of jogging. You can watch a movie clip here.

I also went with my family and cousins family to downtown Portland. There I met the MAX. I when I say meet the MAX, I mean meet the MAX. The MAX actually almost hit me. You see, the crosswalk was a blinking hand, the sign to hurry out of the crosswalk. We ran across, but as we were about halfway across, the hand stopped blinking, a do not walk sign. We hurried across, and literally seconds after we had crossed, the MAX went racing by. It was close, especially since I had not clue a train was fast approaching, it was too close. The MAX is a silent killer, you don't even hear it coming.

Yes, it was an eventful day. A life altering, and life flashing before my eyes sort of day. Tomorrow, it is supposed to snow. I am also planning to go on a long run with my Uncle, we shall see how this goes.

Christmas Blast

Today was a white Christmas of sorts. It was snowing when we left our house, and snowed on our way to Oregon. Once at our destination, only an occasional flurry, with no accumulation. I can't remember the last time I saw it snow on Christmas. The Lofthus family annual Christmas gathering was fun. Highlights include a gift exchange, games, pool, and a rival Sonics vs. Blazers basketball game. Overall, Christmas was a blast, both literally and figuratively.

Eventful Christmas Eve

Today was an eventful Christmas Eve. Last night/early this morning I was up late/early watching a show with my siblings, so I slept in this morning/early afternoon. Once I got up though, things really got busy.

I stopped by the bank to get some money, this is usually something that comes in handy during the holiday season. Next, I'll admit, I went to Wal-Mart again. Needless to say, it was extremely crowded. As in cars circling the parking lot looking for a space to park crowded. I had wisely parked in another parking lot, and hiked in. Actually, it wasn't that wise because I almost got ran over, seriously.

After purchasing some last minute gifts, I drove my sister to drop off a gift at a friend's house. After finally getting back home, it was time to wrap gifts and peel potatoes. You see, we were having a "Thanksgiving" meal for Christmas.

The meal was amazing. I hate to say it, but it was better than the Thanksgiving meal. I mean, the Thanksgiving meal was fabulous, and I am not trying to take anything away from it, but it just shows how great today's meal was. After stuffing myself, we stopped by a relatives house, and said "hello".

Now, it is time to open presents. I believe most people do this Christmas morning, but we don't. Every Christmas morning we drive down to Oregon to be with our relatives, so we open our presents Christmas Eve. After opening the presents, cleaning up from opening the presents, and packing for the trip tomorrow, I think today will have finally come to an end, a very eventful end.

Great Gift

The past few days, I have been Christmas shopping. Today was no different. Although, I found something out today. Not all gifts have to be wrapped and placed under a tree to be meaningful. One of the best gifts you can give someone is doing random acts of kindness that show them you care about them. This gift means more than anything you can wrap or put a bow on.

Mauled or Malled

Today, I went to the mall. Probably not the best time to go to the mall. It was the Saturday night before Christmas, three days before. Needless to say, it was packed. It was the fullest I have ever seen it. People everywhere, trying to find that last minute gift for someone. I looked around, but just couldn't find the right gift. Or better put, couldn't find the right gift at the right price. There is always tomorrow to find the perfect gift, yet this won't work much longer. I am running out of tomorrows before Christmas.

Break-Fast Asleep

Today, I slept in. This has basically been the norm every day of break so far. Yes, there have been a few exceptions where I have gotten up at a set time this break, but not many. It feels nice to not wake up to an alarm, and sleep in as late as I feel.

Yet, a balance must be achieved. If I sleep in too late, the day is wasted. Well, it isn't wasted, but nothing productive is accomplished. I find it much better to wake up at a decent time, actually get up, and do something productive with my free time. While it is better, it is oh so much harder.

Family Free

Today, was the last day of school before break for my father and sister. This meant it was very hectic. Presents for the students to wrap, last minute details to finish. The school had their annual Christmas program, it was nice. Now, all the family is finally on break. It didn't' quite feel right to be free while some of my family wasn't. Let the fun begin.

Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

It seems to me, just a few years back, saying Merry Christmas wasn't a big deal. Now, to be "politically correct" one must say Happy Holidays. It seems every company uses this slogan to not be culturally unacceptable.

I don't have anything against Happy Holidays. It acknowledges a bunch of different holidays, and can be us all the way from Thanksgiving to New Years. It focuses more on a season of Holidays, not just one.

But, it seems it has evolved to where it is no longer appropriate to say Merry Christmas. Almost no company says Merry Christmas, I don't remember this being the case when I was younger. Maybe I was deceived or naive, but I remember places and people saying Merry Christmas. I don't even think Happy Holidays had even been "invented" a couple years ago.

I think a balance should be found between the two. I am not a militant pro Merry Christmas anti Happy Holidays supporter. I just think it is a little ridiculous in trying not to "offend" a very small percentage of the population, you bother a larger percentage of people. I mean, I even see Santas saying Happy Holidays. This is more offensive than Santa just saying Merry Christmas. I mean, if you were going to be offended by Merry Christmas, wouldn't you also be offended by Santa Claus? I just think this issue has blown out of proportion. It should still be okay to say Merry Christmas if one wants or Happy Holidays. People should have the right to chose, not have it chosen for them by society.

Party Partaker

Today, I joined my father and his second grade class in their Christmas party. It was fun for them, and fun for me watching them have fun. As with most other class related events, I was the designated photographer. I got a few good shots.

The students and their parents decorated cookies, same some songs, and played a game together. The students presented a readers theater for their parents. The above mentioned game consisted of a present wrapped in many different layers. Music was played and the present passed around, if the music stopped and you were holding the present, you unwrapped a layer. The person to unwrap the last layer and uncover the present, won the present. It was quite entertaining to watch, partake and capture the party.

I Was Legend

First off, I think I should clarify about yesterday's post. When I said I wasn't wearing any pants when I was hunting for a Christmas tree, I meant long pants. I was however, wearing shorts. I just thought I should clarify in case anybody thought I was tree hunting without any form of "pants" on.

Today, I led my father's class in a game of silent ball. The game consists of students sitting on the top of their desks, they then toss a ball to each other. If they don't catch it, or they make a bad throw, they are out. The last person standing, or sitting in this game, is the winner. And the name of the game is silent ball, you are supposed to be quiet, I mean it is a game played in school.

I love this game. Back in my glory days, I was the king of silent ball. I was almost unbeatable. In the 6th grade, I had a 6 game win streak, unheard of back in those days. Unfortunately, 6th grade was the last year my classes ever played this game. Leading my father's class in the game, passing it down to the younger generation, is an honor and duty I gladly accept.

Christmas Tree Crusade

Today, our family finally got a Christmas tree. Every year, it seems like such an adventure to find the right one. Sometimes, it seems like the right one finds you. Maybe it is the one you run into, or can't see at first, yet it somehow draws you to it. It was fun looking through all the trees, trying to find one with the right shape and size. Next year though, I will wear pants. My legs are scraped up, its not major, but is definitely avoidable.

Breaking it Out

It is nice to be on break. No worries, or deadlines, no waking up early, or homework. The list goes on. But, it is even nicer to share the break with my family. To do stuff together, or do nothing together, whatever we want. Just being together as a family is nice. So is sleeping in and staying up late. I love breaks.

Last Leg

Today, I drove further than I have ever driven in my life. 180 miles to be semi-exact. I also drove faster than I have ever driven in my life, I finally hit the stretch of highway that is 70. I was driving this long way to meet my brother, and give him and his friend a ride home from college. One of their friends had driven them part way, and I was the "last leg" on the journey home. Everything went fine, and it is nice to have my brother home.

Mall Musings

Today, I went to the mall. Well, more like I went in the mall. I didn't even go in a single store, I sat on a bench while I waited for my sister to finish her shopping. Now, I must admit, I am not a big mall fan. It is just too hectic. And, a lot of times it is rather depressing to think of so much money being wasted on pointless things.

As I sat on the bench, I saw person after person walk by weighed down with bags full of stuff. Now, I like the Christmas season, and gift giving, but I feel like it has taken over, and evolved into a monster. I wonder if the people have enough money to afford the things they buy. Sitting on the bench contemplating all these things must have been the reason the old man stopped to mumble some incoherent nonsense to me about needing to be happier, maybe I had a bewildered look upon my face, or maybe I just wasn't doing a good job of waiting patiently for my sister.

My sister did make a nice purchase, I just thought I should throw that in.

Penny Pursuit

Today, I learned the value of a penny. Many people will not even take the time to pick up a penny if they see an abandoned one on the street. I usually will, but I will admit, I don't always. There are even some groups of people who say the penny has become obsolete, and should stop being produced. Yet today, when we were buying dinner, we needed 30 cents. 20, 25, 29 almost there, but we were one penny short. One penny. So for all the times I pass a penny by without even giving it a second glance, hear the stories about how the penny is obsolete, I will remember the time I was one penny short for dinner. Long live the penny.

Author's side note: If you ever see a 1943 penny, you may be rich. That year, for war conservations efforts, they minted the pennies in steel. When people see these "silver" pennies, they think these would be the ones worth money. No, the original 1943 copper penny is the one worth money, over $100,000 dollars to be exact. Even though there were only a handful of these ever made, quite literally, the next time you see a penny on the ground, just think, it may be worth 100 grand.

Pickleballing

Today, it was time to dust off the old pickleball paddle and don my pickleball uniform. Yes, I could finally return to those hallowed courts. You see, Tuesday and Thursday are pickleball days, yet my schools haven't seemed to realize this. But now I am finally on break, so I can play to my hearts content.

I must admit, it showed that I hadn't played for a couple months. My game was a little rusty. Although, I think it helps that I am the youngest one there by 50 years. Youth is on my side, but don't get me wrong, those "old" guys can ball. In the first game, being a little over zealous, I pulled a muscle in my leg overextending on a dink shot. This was nothing major, and yes I did return the ball over the net, but it eventually hindered my game. So did being low on water, oxygen, and energy. After 2 hours straight of battling, it was time to call it a day. And what a glorious day.

I was glad to finally be able to play the sport I love so much again. Rustiness aside, I made quite a few good shots. The best news of all, the next pickleball battle is just a few days away.

Glorious Day

Today, was a glorious day. At first, I was really nervous before my Spanish Final. After I took it, I was a little anxious about how I had done. Then, reality sunk in. The quarter was over. I am now completely free, what a glorious feeling, and an even more glorious day.

What You Don't Know...

Sometimes, it is almost better not to know certain things. But that being said, I don't believe the saying "what you don't know can't kill you", I couldn't disagree agree more with that statement. What you don't know can/will kill you. Germs, bacteria, viruses, amoebas, toxic gases in the air, carbon monoxide/dioxide, the list goes on. Yet, I think there are times a version of this statement is true. Such as when you have a Spanish final you need to take tomorrow. You heard it was really easy, so you have had trouble convincing yourself to study for it. This is one of those cases where it would have been better not to know. As for the killing part, maybe my grade could get "killed", but I don't think my life is in danger.

Lesson Learned

Today, I learned an extremely valuable life lesson. Over the past few days, I have had some issues with someone I was letting fester inside. Once I final actually told the person how I was feeling, I felt a lot better. It took a lot of courage to do so.

Actually, the things I was troubled over, I myself had blown out of proportion. Both parties actually wanted the same solutions, and were feeling the same problems. I learned that it is good to be a good communicator, if you don't tell someone your problems, they won't be fixed. It is hard to get up the courage to talk to someone and apologize, but it is worth it. In the end, you may find you were mad because you misunderstood someone, or they misunderstood you. You will also feel a lot better when you do so, that is a guarantee.

Paper Problems

With today being my last day of classes for the quarter, I had a major essay due for my Writing 102 class. The topic, why/how the Seattle Sonics should stay in Washington, but that is not relevant to this "story". What is relevant, the essay was due today. This means last night/early this morning I had to put on the "finishing" touches.

Now, while maybe I procrastinated a little bit on the time I started finishing my essay yesterday, I had been diligently working on it for the past couple of weeks. I was finally done with the essay, it was all polished up. I thought it was almost time to go to sleep, much needed sleep. But I was only deceiving myself.

I had problems formatting the Works Cited page, I finally allowed the machine to win. Now, time to print. Oh wait, no paper. Well, there was legal paper, a bunch of it. I really have no clue why we only had legal paper in such large quantities. So, I had to hand cut my own paper to size. Okay printing. Wait, one little error in the formatting I have to fix, time to cut more paper. Now time to staple, where is the stapler? After all that, I needed a paper clip, one measly paper clip. After searching high and low, I was finally able to find one paper clip. I could finally go to bed. Not only had I finished my essay, I had learned a valuable lesson in patience and paper procrastination.

"Free" Meal

Today, I got a free meal. Literally, I mean a free meal at a fancyish restaurant. To be more precise, an all you can eat Chinese Buffet. Why was the meal free? Well, if I went to a "presentation" of fire safety, I would be able to stuff myself at the all you can eat buffet while the speech is going on.

Basically, they want to sell you something. In this case, a "high-tech, submersible in water, cleanable, super sleek" drum role... fire alarm system. So, in a way the meal wasn't free, I had to sit there and listen to his speech for an hour and a half. Now, I will admit, the man was good. Although, his scare tactics, movie clips, and lighting of things on fire didn't impress me too much. It was actually slightly humorous to be sitting through a meal watching a slide show of houses burning down, while loud, I assume fire related, noises were going on in the background.

Unlike my father, I don't think the annoying answerer-blurter-outer lady was planted in the audience. I just think she was annoying. Speaking of which, not the annoying part - but the audience part, I would say the average age was 65. I am serious. Overall, I think it was worth it for the food. I have to wait though to see if I am able to finish my homework for tonight to decided how "free" this meal really was. It was also disappointing I didn't win any door prizes. I was all ready to yell out the answer 55.8%, the supposed failure rate of "average" fire alarms, but I was sad I didn't win.

Break not Brake

Today, I came to the realization that it is almost winter break. Okay, I didn't just now realize that, but it kind of struck me how close it is. I have one more major event for each class. A writing essay, a history test, and a spanish final. That is it. Yet, now is not the time to coast into the break. No, now is the most important couple of days, more of a last sprint to the "finish line". But oh how nice that finish line will be.

4 Squared Stop

Today everything practically returned to its normal state. Thankfully, my English teacher allowed me to give my speech I missed yesterday today, and reschedule my meeting. My Spanish teacher also let me retake my test. Yes, it was a very good day. What wasn't normal though, was a 20-way stop. Yes, I am not exaggerating. In Olympia, one of the major intersections didn't have power, it was a basically a huge "4-way stop". It was really backed up. Other than that, everything returned to normalcy today.

Un-Perfect Storm

Today, I couldn't make it to school. Was I sick, was school cancelled, no and no. A huge storm struck where I live. Of course, the school I go to was one of the only ones still running on schedule. It just wasn't safe for me to try to go to school. Normally, I would be glad to miss a day of school, even a bit overjoyed, but not when I had a speech to give, a important test, and a meeting with one of my professors. Not a good day to miss.

Turns out, I probably couldn't have made it to school if I tried. A mudslide covered the highway on the way to school, and there was a ginormous backup, as in a several hour backup. Basically, all the snow from the weekend melted, high winds (50+ MPH gusts) and unheard of rainfall (over 6 inches in 24 hours) all struck at once. Roads were flooded, mudslides abundant, trees falling down, not your average storm. Then, our power went out. Not only was I missing school, stuck at home, now the power was out. After 7 hours, the power came back on, but not before my entire day was wasted.

Homework Hopelessness

It continued to snow at my house today. It was very pleasant. What wasn't though, was having to do homework all day. Literally, I have been doing homework since I woke up, and will continue to do so until I go to bed. The sad and ironic part, I probably won't get everything done I need/want to. I guess that is what happens when you have one week of school left until winter break. Oh yeah, and finals week after that, but that is the last thing I want to think about at this moment.

Confined Condesation Convergence Conundrum

Today, it snowed. It was amazing, it even stuck to the ground and started to accumulate. Where I live was a convergence zone of sorts, places just a couple miles away didn't have any accumulation.

I actually was able to use the snow shovel I got for Christmas a few years back for the second time ever, although I am not sure it was necessary to shovel off the driveway. I also made a small, rather pathetic snowman of sorts. It may snow some more tonight, at least that is what the "man" is saying. I was just happy to be able to watch the snow, getting to play in it was an added bonus.