Garbage
It's appalling how much garbage some people generate. There are houses on our street that fill up a 90 gallon garbage can every week. And every week, the garbage truck comes along, and hauls it all off to a landfill. Where it sits. And sits. And sits. This huge mound of waste will just sit there and do nothing for years, simply taking up space. Why is there so much waste being created? All of this mass comes from somewhere, but it seems like it's blowing up bigger than ever before. Why is it that some people throw out of their house more than they bring in?
I would not say that we're a tree-hugging re-use-everything save-old-socks kind of family. Sure, we do do quite a bit of re-using. We re-use all of our large ziplock bags, if they're clean. It they're very dirty, or had something oily in them, it's not worth cleaning out. We do throw out socks with holes in them, but if we want a quick rag, there's always a holey-sock to be found somewhere. We recycle a lot, too. Our local garbage service also has a recycling program which we make full use of. We receive two sets of newspapers, so both of those get recycled every two weeks (minus the coupons, of course, which we clip out). Cans, milk jugs, bottles, anything that can be easily recycled, is. Recycling is collected once a fortnight, and garbage collection is weekly. Sometimes, we'll have so little garbage that one garbage sack suffices. The most that we've ever had at one time was three. The garbage company charges by the size of our garbage can, and we're already downgrading for the second time.
I'm not a pack-rat, either. If there's something that I truly should get rid of, then I'll throw it out. But if I think that I still might be able to use it someday, I'll keep it. I think a lot of my garbage-consciousness comes from being in the outdoors all the time. When I'm backpacking, everything that you pack in must be packed out. Every little slip of garbage, including the little corners that you tear off packets, must be disposed of properly. There's nothing more annoying than hiking into a pristine campsite to find that there are wrappers inside the fire-pit. Band-aids are even worse, and for some reason, we found a lot of those when we were at Philmont. Garbage-awareness also comes in handy when you are packing for backcountry trips. I like the one-package meals, while I tend to stay away from multi-course ones. Multi-course meals just generate more and more garbage, and you'd be surprised at how much room it can take up after a few days.
There's one thing that I find kind of amusing. There's a finite amount of mass in our world, and everything that you throw away has to come from somewhere. But it seems to me that the houses that generate the most garbage are always then ones that have the most junk piling up. Their garages are full, the closets are overflowing, and they need more than just one garbage can every week. If they'd just try to be more efficient about their consumption, I think they would surprise themselves how much of a difference it would make.
thinkandrew
Exam time
This week, I took three tests at SPSCC, though one of them is technically defined as a quiz. I had one in each of my three classes, and were all on subjects that we have gone over in the past two weeks. I've mentioned in previous posts that I never really get the test-taking-jitters (in fact, it was my
third post on this blog), but I do take all of my tests very seriously. Everything I'm doing in class affects my grade, and I'm trying very hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA for this quarter. I even listed that as one of my goals for the next 12 months, which is posted on the sidebar. I'm pretty sure you can't get a 4.0 if you decide to throw a test out the window.
I do not have Physics class on Friday, so I took my physics quiz yesterday. The examination was defined as a quiz, and not a test, mainly due to the fact that the quiz only had five questions, and we only had forty minutes to do them. As far as math went, it was basically just plugging numbers into equations. The tricky part comes when you have to figure out how to set up the problem. The answer to the third problem is used to determine the fourth and fifth answers, and if you don't have the answer to the third, there is a number provided to calculate the fourth and fifth. None of the problems were too difficult, and I was able to finish them quite fast. With five minutes left on the clock, I decided it would be good to go back and check over my work. That's when I noticed that I had made a huge mistake in the interpretation of question number three. And that left no time for fixing that one, I only had time to finish four and five. Even then, I was scribbling as fast as I could as the next class came in on the hour. Test-taking-jitters I do not have, but hands will shake no matter what when you finish the quiz in the very last second.
This morning, I had a Japanese test (a test this time, not a quiz), which proved to be no problem whatsoever. I have a fairly good memory, and am able to retain information quite easily. The exam simply tested us on our ability to recall what we had gone over in class. As long as we had practiced them and paid attention in class, it would be no problem. In fact, I was done with my test within ten minutes. And once we were done with our tests, we were free to leave. I'm pretty sure I aced it, though I will find out for sure on Monday.
The fact that I got out so early from my Japanese test gave me extra time to study for my Math test. There is a two hour gap between my Japanese class and Math class on Fridays, but because I got out early from Japanese, I had nearly three hours to study. I was fretting a little over this test, because as I read my textbook, I realised there was more and more that I had forgotten how to do over the summer. As I picked up my test to begin, though, I realised that my fears were unfounded. The extra studying that I did certainly helped, but there was nothing that was beyond my ability to do. I finished this test in about 30 minutes, with only one or two that I had trouble on. I'm pretty sure I got all of these correct, too. Just to make sure that the function I had written out was correct, I decided to graph it on my new calculator. I never knew that a calculator could make so many beeps from so many error messages. Note to self, learn how to use it before using it in a test.
So my next test (a real Physics test this time) will not be until next week. That gives me plenty of time. 4.0, here I come!
thinkandrew
Pictures
I take a lot of pictures. If you've been with me on any trips, you'll probably have noticed that. I carry my camera with me on all of my trips, whether they're backpacking, car-camping, or city-touring. The average trip for me consists of 40 - 60 pictures a day. I often take two or three of the same shots, just to ensure that I have one that is worth keeping. This way, if one turns out blurry, I'll still have two that I can post on my blog.
I literally take my camera with me everywhere. If I'm ever on a trip, you will not find me without my camera slung over my head. I even bring it with me on my backpacking trips. On hiking trips alone, by camera already has almost 200 miles on it. I'm really impressed with how rugged my camera is. 200 miles of backpacking can be pretty rough on a camera, as the body is starting to show. The metallic paint has rubbed off on all the corners, as are the words beginning to on the buttons. However, the camera itself still works perfectly fine. In fact, the largest trouble for me when hiking with my camera was finding out how to wear it properly. My camera comes with a neck strap, and I like to make use of it, to keep my camera readily accessible. After all, picture-perfect moments don't wait for me to take off my pack, take the camera out, then snap the picture. I like to have it right there, and have been able to get some great shots by doing so. But the thing is, when I wore it over my neck, it would tend to bounce against my chest, leaving a lot of bruising. Thus, I wear it over my neck and one arm, which restricts it's movement, while still allowing enough freedom to aim it at anything.
Batteries are also a concern with digital cameras, as you can run out fairly quickly when you're snapping as much as I am. My camera has a fairly substantial battery life, but when you're snapping over 100 pictures in just two days, you end up having to replace the batteries quite a lot. When I was at Philmont, I took over 700 pictures. I was quite surprised when my camera's batteries held up for so long, and I only needed to change them once the entire trip. To conserve power, though, I always use the viewfinder instead of the screen. I also limit reviewing the pictures. If I have enough memory, I can deal with deleting bad pictures when I get back home.
Most of the time, people can't stand it when I stop to take pictures on the trail. A lot of people almost like to run the trail. While getting into a campsite early is certainly favorable for me, I also like to enjoy the scenery while I'm there. Fortunately for me, the guys in my Philmont crew seemed to agree with me while we were down there in New Mexico. In fact, among all of us, we took well over 1200 pictures. Unfortunately for me, I was nominated to sort all 1200 of those photos, as well as create a slide-show with them. I've already organized all of them by day, and will get to putting them in a slide-show tomorrow evening. Then we'll be able to relive those memories once again.
thinkandrew
Math-Aids
*Note - The post that used to be here has been replaced. It just felt like very poor writing to me.
Math is fun. At least for me. I want to get that out in the clear right now, where everybody can see it. No more hiding around the corner, under the stairs, or in the closet. No more trying to avoid it like the plague. No more excuses of "I'm just not good at it" or "I'll never need it". Math is fun. Math is useful. Math should be learned.
In my family, we have a trend which I suppose you could call stereotypical of Chinese families. We just love math. Mom and Dad both took higher-level math, as have I. I just think it's really neat how everything fits together. There's always a right answer, no matter what you do. The harder it gets, to more exciting it becomes for me. It's like figuring out a puzzle. When you're done, and you check your answers against the answer key, you get that "warm and fuzzy feeling" to see that you're right, as my math professor likes to say. There's just some really cool stuff that happens.
It's never been too difficult for me, either. Math involves a lot of problem solving skills, where you have to train yourself to be able to see certain ways that you can manipulate the problem. If you can do those well, then math should be no problem at all. And fortunately for us, there's always more than one way to get it right, as my physics professor says. Unfortunately, he adds, there are an infinite number of ways to do it wrong. But if you just learn how to think like a mathematician, you should not have a problem.
At SPSCC, there is a Math Lab where people can come for help if they have a problem with math. There are tutors hanging around there all day, ready to help anyone who is having trouble. The tutors there are very sharp, too, and can almost always help you find the right answer. This year, I'm tutoring there as well. What I really like about the environment there is that I feel like we're really helping people understand it, not just giving them an answer. If you just hand them the right number, they'll never learn anything. It's nice to watch people's faces when they suddenly get it. And then, they can't imagine why they didn't see it in the first place. It's like teaching someone my favorite game, a game that I enjoy playing immensely.
What bugs me, though, is when people are just too afraid of math to even attempt it. People may not be very good at math, sometimes they just can't see how the solution presents itself. I can definitely accept that. You may be poor at math, but I'm poor at history. It's just how people are. But what annoys me is when people use the "I'm bad at math" excuse as a crutch for not trying. I feel that everybody should understand at very least basic arithmetic (this includes fractions, by the way). It's a necessity for education. Nobody says "I'm just bad at English" and is allowed to skip Writing 101. But for some reason, people are comfortable with letting math slide. Why is this? After all, math is a language that is understood universally. Every country has people who understand math. It crosses borders and unites them.
Don't just hate it without even trying it. I think the real reason that people say they're bad at it is because they're just darn scared of it. So scared that they won't even try. I'd be willing to bet that if you cracked past the shell and actually made a serious attempt at it, you'd be surprised at how good at math you are. And besides, as a mathematician, you'll get to use cool gadgets like the HP 50g. I just got my graphing calculator in the mail today. You know how much I love math when I order a calculator through the mail.
thinkandrew
Court of Honor
An Open Door
Our troop holds three Court of Honors a year. One takes place during the winter, one during the spring, and the last one during the fall. What a Court of Honor is is a ceremony at which all of the awards that have been earned since the last Court of Honor are presented. These awards are things such as rank advancements, merit badges, and whatever else may have been earned. It's quite a big event, with much of the troop showing up. One just happened this evening.
Court of Honors are fun events. Almost everybody shows up, and you and your friends cheer each other on when your name is called for an award. This Court of Honor, I was awarded my Life rank advancement, five merit badges, the World Conservation Award, and a Scout Spirit Award for my work as Philmont Crew Chief. To earn the World Conservation Award, you simply have to earn the Citizenship in the World, Environmental Science, and Fish and Wildlife Management merit badges. It is not a very difficult award to get, especially since the first two merit badges are required for Eagle Scouts already. But it is another patch that I get to wear on my uniform. I don't think that scouts ever tire of getting more patches to wear. Often times, we'll end up with so many that we have to put the extra into some drawer at home. The Scout Spirit Award is a certificate for which you have to be nominated for, and I received this one from our Scoutmaster. I am quite honored to receive it, and am glad that my hard work as Crew Chief actually left an impression.
Court of Honors usually aren't terribly long; the normally last a little over an hour. Being a large troop, there are usually many many awards for us to present. However, we always have particularly more at the Fall Court of Honor. This is the first Court of Honor after summer camp, and that's where the majority of merit badges (among other things) are earned. With over 100 scouts in our troop, it takes a long, long time to list out all of their achievements. With each scout averaging around 5 to 6 merit badges, it can be difficult to sit still for the entire duration. I think every scout in the room took one trip to the bathroom, if only to have an excuse to get up and walk around. The entire Court of Honor lasted almost two hours today, and we were all glad when it was over. And I am glad now, because that finally means that I can go to bed.
thinkandrew
Selling Popcorn
It has been quite discouraging for me to sell popcorn for the past few days. As you guys know, I've been trying to get out as often as possible. On the very first day that the popcorn sale began, I had already spent almost 2 hours going door to door. It was all very exciting; the thought of being able to go to my summer camp without having to pay for it. Sure, I would have to sell a heck of a lot of popcorn, but it would be better than dishing out a few hundred dollars. I was doing really well, too. On the first day, I sold $125! But for reasons I cannot explain, sales have slowed down a lot since then.
In the past 18 days that the popcorn sale has been going, I have gone out to sell on 14 of the days. Every time I go out, it's at least for an hour. In the first 6 days, I sold nearly $600 worth of popcorn! Considering the fact that I get back a percentage of my sales, the incentive to sell was and still is very high. I'd normally ride my bike to different neighborhoods to sell, or mom drops me off at a neighborhood on the way to my brother's choir rehearsal, her shopping trips, or my brother's swimming class. Then, when whatever she was doing was done, she comes back and picks me up. Sometimes I would sell with my little brother in one neighborhood, with me hitting one side of the street, and him the other. This way, we could cover double the ground in the same amount of time. It works really well, too. Then we would split the profits in half.
But time after time, my little brother would come up with a large sales number, while I received practically nothing. We both worked the neighborhood the same amount, so we would share the sales. What was discouraging was that for an hour's worth of selling, he would sometimes turn up as much as $150, while I barely made $35. This happened many times, too. We were on opposite sides of the street, but I think it would be unfair to say that he had a "good" side of the street, and I had a "bad" one. More likely to be true is the fact that I am so much older than my little brother. While he works equally as much as I do to earn our popcorn money, you have to agree that it's much more difficult to say no to a younger scout than to a teenage one. Who couldn't resist the sales pitch of a 12 year old? But being in highschool already, it's just that much easier for people to shut the door and say no.
Not that everyone is like that. I have gotten sales from many people who tell me how much they support the Boy Scouts, and would love to buy some popcorn. In fact, I've met quite a few former Scouts, Scoutmasters, and fathers of many generations of Scouts. It's always nice to talk to them, and to see how I am part of a great, continuous program. But then there are the people who say no from the window, saying that there's no soliciting to be done in their neighborhood. Or that they don't support the Boy Scouts in any way. Or that selling popcorn is a cheesy idea, and that I shouldn't be wasting my time. Honestly, don't those people have anything better to do than to degrade a kid who's trying to work his way towards a summer camp?
But today was an encouraging day. I sold for about an hour and a half, and sold $135! That is the highest sales number I have had for a single neighborhood in over a week. I'm not even done with the area yet! I'll be sure to go back there, and maybe with my brother. But I've got to hurry, there are other scouts selling the same stuff!
thinkandrew
Hair Cuts
I got my hair cut today. I must say that I had it coming, as I haven't had my hair cut since I left for Philmont. That was nearly 6 weeks ago. It didn't grow a whole lot, but it grew enough that it started to become a little messy. I've got nothing against long hair, but it tends to look kind of funny when you're in the in between stage. So I had it cut.
My dad cut my hair. Dad has always cut our (our meaning my brothers' and mine) hair while we've lived in the US. He learned the basics of hair cutting a long time ago, and has been practicing on us ever since. There are plenty of pictures of us in the family photo album, with us sitting on a stool, wrapped up in some sort of sheet, making ugly faces as dad cut our hair. It's not such a painful experience, but sitting still for half an hour can make you quite antsy. Dad does a good job, too, and hasn't made an unrecoverable mistake yet. Here's to hoping that he never does.
Another good reason for having dad cut our hair is that it's an incredible money saver. With haircuts ranging from 8 to 14 dollars, it's simply ridiculous to have to pay so much for just a standard haircut. I'm not looking for the utmost fashion in my hair, I just want something that will keep it out of my eyes. However, I did say that my dad cut our hair only when we lived in the US. When we lived in Malaysia and China, haircuts were much much cheaper. It looked good, it was cheap, and it got done fast. There are hair salons everywhere for you to go to, though we normally stuck to one specific one. Having our hair cut would normally be a family trip, with everyone piling into the car and heading to the salon at the same time.
Nobody in our family cuts dad's hair, though. He's the only one in the family that regularly cuts hair, and I don't think he's ever tried cutting his own. But since his frequent travels take him to places where getting your hair cut is cheaper, he normally does it that way. In fact, he normally comes back with a new hair cut after every trip.
By the way, this the 150th post on my blog. If you count the days from when I started on April 19th, it will probably be a bit more than 150. I missed a few days here and there, especially when I went camping. Most of them will be my posts, as well, though some will belong to people who helped to keep my blog running while I was at Philmont. Hope you guys have all enjoyed my blog!
thinkandrew
Lower Lena Lake, Revisited
Lower Lena Lake is a beautiful place. I've been there once before as part of a Boy Scout training hike. Nestled along the border of the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park, it's but a 2.3 mile hike from the trail head. The total distance covered is not that great at all, but there is a 1,200 foot elevation gain. I went up with my Youth Group today, and it was a lot of fun.
Lower Lena Lake was formed many many years ago by a landslide that dammed Lena Creek, a stream that runs into the Hamma Hamma River. Fed mostly by snow and ice, the depth of the water changes from season to season. In fact, the water was probably about ten to fifteen feet lower than it was when I first visited it in April. It's really beautiful, with many campsites that are practically on the water. On a clear day like today, you can actually see stumps of old trees that used to grow in what is now the bottom of the lake. The trail up there is not a very difficult one, and it is quite picturesque. If you're hoping for a nice swim at the top, though, be prepared to swim fast, as that's the only way to keep warm in the frigid water.
Our Youth Group was scheduled to have an outing today, and I suggested going to Lower Lena Lake. It's not a very difficult hike, and it is a very fun one. In the beginning, there was confusion over who would show up and who could drive, but in the end, everything worked out fine. A group of us showed up at the leader's house this morning, and we drove up to the trailhead in 3 cars. We hit the trail around 11 am, and reached the lake by 12:30. We must have spent about 3 hours up there, divided between lunch, playing games, and swimming.
Speaking of swimming, I had mentioned just now that the lake is FREEZING. It was much colder than the water in the San Juan Islands, when I went swimming on the Curtis trip. There was talk the whole way up there of getting in the water, but once everybody had dipped their hands in, the changed their mind. Except for four of us. Two other people in the group and myself decided to brave the water, and all jumped in. We immediately began swimming as hard as we could, as the water was incredibly cold. I couldn't even stay in the water for any more than a few minutes, as I would start to lose the feeling in my toes after that. Our Youth Leader came in as well, as he had promised that he would, if any of us did. And he showed us up, swimming all the way out into the middle of the lake. But he's Canadian, so he's used to cold water. But I probably shouldn't say that.
We played a few more games on the shore; mostly run-around-and-catch-someone games. Then it was time to head down. Being downhill all the way, we made it back to the parking lot considerably faster than when we hiked up to the lake. Then we all hopped back into the cars, and took the long drive home. It would be fun to come back. I probably will.
thinkandrew
Gone away
Today was the day that my brother moved away. Now, he no longer lives in this house. He's picked up his roots, and moved into a dorm room at the University of Washington. Then again, I suppose it would be unfair to say that he has picked up his roots. More like grown them all the way over. Home will always be home, but it will be different, because he won't be here anymore.
Him going off to college has been a long time coming. We all knew that it would happen eventually, as it will happen for myself. But it's just one of those things that you never really accept as happening until it does. The steps toward this day were pretty obvious. He applied to the University, turned in his application for dorm rooms, and signed up for classes. He got accepted, got assigned his room, and is going to start his classes on Wednesday. But none of that really
happened until he moved today. Instead of all being on paper, it's suddenly a reality. It's really not that large of a step. After all, he hasn't been home for more than half of the summer. But since he's been here in our mindset for the whole time, changing that mindset has been quite abrupt.
And it's not just for us, either. Now that he's no longer at home, he'll have to fend for himself. It's always been his life, and he's been able to as independent as he wants, but now he holds the responsibilities for everything. Meals won't be put on the table anymore, he'll have to go look for them. No one will say that we're going to the bookstore today, do you want to come along? If he wants to go, he'll have to find time and do it himself. Lots of people talk about how much they want to get away from home. Teenagers dream about living lives away from home, and doing their own thing. My brother didn't do that, though, because I think he understood early on what others don't get until it's too late. Once you're gone, you're gone. Suddenly, you're shoved into an adult world, where you have to take care of yourself. And I don't mean just general taking care of yourself, I mean
everything. If anything needs to be done at all, you have to take the initiative. It's your life now, and it may be more than some people can handle.
My brother won't have a problem, though. He'll do fine. He's always been on top of what needs to be done, and this small transition shouldn't be much of a problem at all. Life will go on for us as well. Like I've said before, family members missing from the table is no huge deal for us. But this time, it's more of a deal than it has been before. I guess it's mostly because we understand that while he may come back to visit, he won't be coming
back anymore. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that we're going to miss him. A lot.
thinkandrew
I have a family of chauffeurs
I don't drive. As I've said in
previous posts, I don't think that I would like to drive for a long time. I feel no urge to drive; to feel the freedom that others claim it gives them. Like I've said before, I can go just about anywhere I want to with a bus pass and a bicycle. But most of the time, I have a need to be driven. If I want to get to my Scout meeting on time, without leaving 45 minutes before hand, I need to be driven. To get to my piano classes on time (it's not anywhere near a bus stop), I need to be driven. But since I don't drive myself, I need someone to drive me. And since there are three people in my family who can drive, it's normally not too hard to find someone who would be willing to do so.
For as long as I can remember, my mom has driven my brothers and I to our various events. These range from piano classes, to scout meetings, to Tae Kwon Do lessons, to violin classes, and even to school for a year. Without her driving us, we wouldn't be able to do half of the activities that we do. I guess sometimes we forget how much time she really spends driving us around. We used to have Tae Kwon Do lessons (when we lived in Malaysia) inside a small room, no larger than 500 square feet. While that may not sound like a small room, it is when you've got about 10 people in it. It was really hot inside, with terrible ventilation, and only a small sofa against a wall to sit on. And these were two hour lessons. So mom would just sit around, wait for us to be done, and then drive us home. Pretty incredible, isn't it?
Lets think about the total time that she drives us for a moment. 20 minutes to and from my first piano class. 10 minutes to the second. 7 minutes to my scout meetings. 10 minutes to my brother's violin class. 15 minutes to his swimming, and 20 to his art class. Add it all up, and you end up with 3 hours and 15 minutes a week. That's just for chauffeuring us. And that doesn't include the time she spends waiting for our classes to finish.
Dad drives us around, too, but not as often as mom does. When my brother and I attended a public highschool part time (this was two years ago), it would normally be dad driving us there in the morning, and mom picking us up after it was over. School started at 8 am sharp, so we were normally out of the house around 7:40. Cold, frost-laden roads are not to most fun to drive on on a winter morning, but it had to be done. Fortunately, this year my school is only 0.6 miles from our house. That way, I either walk or ride my bike down. Riding my bike, I can get there in about 5 minutes.
My brother drives too, now. When he drives me, though, it's always to a place that he needs to go too. He hasn't been driving for that long, so it hasn't happened very much. But like today, when we both had jazz piano class, he drove both of us, so that mom or dad didn't have to.
But today was certainly my most chauffeur-esque day. I walked down to school. Dad picked me up, and took me to a highschool to register for the PSAT. My brother drove me to jazz piano class. Then my mom picked me up to take me to my classical piano class. Then she drove my younger brother and I to go sell popcorn. 4 different car trips, 3 different drivers. Man, I've got it good.
thinkandrew
Family Gaming
I think that most people enjoy playing games. I certainly know that I do. We've always played games as a family, though not very often. However, we do have a myriad of boardgames in our basement, and we do play them together when we get the chance. It's a lot of fun, and I think that we all enjoy doing so. And for the technologically inclined, when I said "Family Gaming", I meant board games, card games, and other types of games. Not just fraggin' games. Though we do do that sometimes, too.
We've always played card games quite a bit. In fact, those were some of the first types of games that we played. However, when we were little kids, it took us a while to figure out what playing cards were in the first place. I remember we received our first pack of playing cards as one of those things that airlines used to hand out on their flights. It was pretty exciting to get them, with the pictures on the back and the fancy design on the ace of spades. When we asked my mom what they were for, though, she gave us a discouraging answer. "They're for doing math", she said, as those were what she had used in her statistics classes in college. It took a while before we got interested in them again. Mostly, though, the card games are played between my brothers and I. My older brother has a Hoyle's Book of Games, which he'll flip through occasionally. Not only have we gone about playing card games, we've also began collecting decks of cards. They make a nice souvenir when we're visiting somewhere, and Dad used to be able to get them on his frequent air-travels. However, with airlines becoming more and more economized, we get them much less. But I believe we have over 60 decks of cards, most of them from Singapore Airlines.
We also have many many board games, but we didn't play those as often, until recently. Ever since my brother got back from his trip to China, he's been on a real kick on Chinese Chess. The same thing happened last year, when he got back from his previous trip. I think we've played more in this two weeks that he's been back than we have for the past six months. It's been fun, but I don't think that he always realizes that I can play when I'm doing my homework. Or practicing piano. Or washing the dishes.
Scrabble is a family favorite, though. It is probably our second most played game, after Chinese Chess. We've been playing for as long as I can remember, from the time when Mom had to help us form words longer than 4 letters, to now, when scores often reach above 200 points with three or four people playing. Mom is still undoubtedly the best in our family, though I have beat her a few times. A few times means few enough that I can still count them on the fingers of one hand. But we still enjoy it a lot.
And yes, we do duke it out over the computer sometimes, too. Playing a live opponent over the Internet can be a lot of fun, and I enjoy it quite a bit. Computer games are both time consuming and addictive, so sometimes it's a better idea just not to play. But every once in a while, I do enjoy lobing grenades through the window that my brother is hiding in. It makes it kind of difficult that the two computers we are using are right next to each other, so he can peek over and see exactly where I am. Once he moves to college, he won't be able to do that anymore.
thinkandrew
My Face Hurts
It's amazing how just a twenty minute orthodontic appointment can cause my whole face to hurt for the rest of the day. It's amazing how just tightening the bands on my braces can cause my sinuses to become sore. It's amazing how just closing my mouth to the point where my lower teeth touch my upper teeth causes discomfort. I think I have a love/hate relationship with my orthodontist.
I usually don't have any trouble whatsoever with my braces. Sure, for about the first week after I got them, I was eating porridge. It hurt pretty bad then, too. Probably a lot worse than it does now. But this month marks a whole year with braces, and it really hasn't been that bad. I've grown very accustomed to them. In fact, I've been told that I no longer need to wear elastic bands on my braces, and it feels weird without them on. Brushing after every meal is more critical than it used to be, but I suppose it's a good habit to nurture. There hasn't really been anything that I haven't been able to eat with my braces, except whole apples. I've also stopped sucking on ice, too, which is probably a good thing. It doesn't get as hot here as it did in Malaysia, anyway. But all in all, I've been able to live with them in comfort.
Every once in a while, though, my orthodontist will do something that will leave me smarting for a few days. Today was one of those days. In fact, today was the largest increase in pain since I first got my braces. I believe what he did to my teeth is called "proximal reduction". Essentially, he ground down the edges of my teeth slightly, because they were just too darned big. Actually, it's so that my bite comes together nicely-er. The amount he took off on each tooth is so little that it's hard to see, but when you tighten it back up, you can certainly feel it a lot. Hopefully, it will feel better within a day or two, like it has in the past. If not, I'll be eating porridge and yogurt for quite a while.
It's kind of hard to realize the good that this treatment is doing right now. After all, the increments of benefit go so slowly, as straightening teeth takes a long time. It never really looks that much better week after week, but when the treatment is done, you're suddenly blown away at how good it looks. I'm certain that I will be very appreciative of my braces once I get them off. Right now, I'm following all of my orthodontist's orders to make my treatment go as fast and as smoothly as possible. I guess that for now, I'll just have to bite the bullet and bear it. Or not bite, that might pop a bracket off.
thinkandrew
Unexpected
This day didn't go quite as expected. You know how it is sometimes, when you're really psyched up about something, and you have every little thing planned? And then all of a sudden, when it's about to happen, BOOM! Everything changes! That wasn't what I had. Well, it wasn't
quite what I had, though elements of it were part of my day. It wasn't that I had a bad day, it's just that things didn't turn out quite the way that I thought that they would.
I thought that I would be ready to leave at any time this morning, for the first day of school. I rolled out of bed, took a shower, checked my e-mail, then realized that I was missing about half of the school supplies that I needed. I was running around last night, looking for a backpack that I could use, and I didn't even think of anything else that I might need. Fortunately, I had woken up relatively early, so I was able to get my pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, a binder, a pencil-case, and a calculator, all of which I had forgotten to get last night. This kind of thing only happens once, though, as everything I need is now sitting in my backpack. I think.
I knew that my Japanese class would be in Building 22, which is the College Center. What I was expecting was a standard classroom, pretty roomy, with the whiteboard in the front. What I got was a standard classroom, a bit smaller than I was used to (okay, very small), with a whiteboard in front. What I didn't expect was that it would be between two automotive tech labs. It took me a while to find the classroom, and I almost turned back out when I saw it. Surely this couldn't be the place, with the noises of welding and banging coming from the rooms on either side. But it was.
My textbooks are extremely heavy. This is the first time that I've really had to carry any of my textbooks around. With my Physics book weighing in at around 5 pounds, it was a struggle to lift it onto my back. I figured that it would be best to bring all of my textbooks to school today, even though it's the first day, where it's mostly just going over the class-syllabus. I was elated to learn that we wouldn't need to bring our Physics books to class, as the Professor would be giving us reading assignments to do at home. Whew!
Life is full of expectations. And sometimes they aren't quite met. Sometimes, though, it's hard to remember that things aren't going wrong, they're just going differently. After all, I still had a day of school. There was very little instruction, but I still learned things. And I'll be better prepared for tomorrow. I declare my first day of school a success.
thinkandrew
Anticipation, and the First Day of School!
Everything is better through anticipation. While waiting for something may be painful in the act, it's always better to get it after you've anticipated it for a very long time. You keep on reaching for it, and reaching for it, and you imagine that you'll never actually get there. But then, when you're least expecting it, it is suddenly attainable. The built up excitement definitely adds to the experience.
School starts tomorrow! It will be the first time that I've actually attended a regular classroom setting in almost 6 years! I started homeschooling right after the fourth grade, so it's been a long time since I've had a teacher that wasn't part of an extracurricular activity. I'm already running around the house to find a backpack, as all of my books need to be carried around somehow. I hope that I'll be able to find all of my classes without any problems, too. SPSCC has a fairly large campus, with many many buildings. I have three classes, all of which are in separate buildings as well. They're not too far from each other, and fortunately, I have a hour long break between the two where I'll have to cut across campus. I've been waiting for this day ever since I first registered for Running Start in June, and I really can't wait for tomorrow. I'll be going to bed a bit earlier today than I normally do, so that I can make sure that I'll be up and ready for school. I'm feeling really really excited right now, almost as excited as when I was about to leave on the Curtis trip.
At SPSCC, I'll be taking three 5 credit classes. Japanese 1 starts at 09:00, Engineering Physics 1 starts at 10:00, and Calculus 1 starts at 12:00. On Wednesdays, I have a Physics lab from 13:10 to 15:15, but other than that, my day is just about done right around 13:00. There's still a lot of work that I have to do, once I get home, though. Calculus and Physics are pretty homework-intensive courses, I'm told, and I'm wondering how much I'll actually get. The first day tomorrow will be a pretty hectic one, as I rush around to find all of the right classrooms. I've only met one of my professors so far; my Calculus teacher, Professor Smith. He's a pretty nice guy, with hair like Einstein. I'm also really looking forward to meeting some of my classmates; I haven't really had any classmates for a very long time. I'll probably try and get to know some people better during my hour long break.
It really seems like I have waited forever for school to start. It's a great feeling, now that I'm finally here. I certainly waited long enough, and the anticipation has been killing me. But now that it's about to be over, I can rejoice! There were times when I thought that this day would never arrive. For some odd reason, school at SPSCC starts on the 18th, while most local high schools started on the 6th. I felt it was both lucky and unfair that I would be starting later than everybody else. Unfair in the sense that I would have to wait nearly two more weeks to get to start school. Lucky in the sense that the extra time has allowed me to work on projects such as my piano, the popcorn sale, and the lording over my friends the fact that I have extra holiday time. All that's about to be over, though, starting at 09:00 tomorrow.
thinkandrew
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge
This morning, I attended a photography walk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is about a twenty minute drive from where I live, and it's not difficult to find. Being right off the highway, we were able to get there at the 8:30 time scheduled without a hitch. Actually, we arrived a bit early, and waited for the program to begin.
It was pretty chilly out when we got there, actually. Summer is over, and the air is really starting to cool down. Last night, it actually dipped below 50 degrees, 10 degrees for all of you that use Celsius. So it was pretty cold when I stepped out of the car, and I was glad for my extra jacket. I was equally glad when they finally opened up the visitor's center, where we would be having the first part of our program. It was much warmer inside, and there were hot drinks and donuts for us to eat and drink. Needless to say, I got my donut the moment I had the chance. The tea I had smelled wonderful, but didn't taste nearly as good. It's funny how that works.
Anyway, the start of the program began with a brief introduction on the differences between film and digital cameras. Some of it I'd heard before, some of it I haven't, but it was still somewhat interesting. I don't think that this class was designed to be much of a photography class, because the leader of the walk never actually went into any aspects of improving personal photographic technique. He showed us a nice slide show of some pictures he had taken; quite a few were from places that I'd hiked to and recognized. I guess imitation will help me get better, but I wish he had gone into the finer points of photo composition.
After the slide show, we began the rest of the program. The rest of the program consisted of a walk on a trail that runs through the Refuge, with stops to take photographs whenever we wanted to. It was quite nice during the morning, and the sun peeked out behind the clouds every once in a while. This made for a lot of nice lighting, and some of the photos I was able to get were quite stunning. I didn't take a whole bunch of pictures, though; I'm not sure why. 29 people showed up for this walk, so people were constantly clicking away. There were some pretty serious amateur photographers as well, who brought in large SLRs with even larger lenses. My personal rule of thumb is that you've probably gone a bit too large when your camera is mounted on the tripod by its lens, and you have no intentions of going pro. My older brother and my mom were there as well, and between the three of us, we were able to snap some nice shots.
The original plan was to walk the 5.5 mile loop, which started and ended at the visitor's center, while taking pictures all along. It's a perfectly viable plan, if you intend to spend the whole day there. However, it's pretty ambitious when the walk is scheduled to end at 12:30, and you don't start until 09:00. There were 29 people clicking away the whole time, too, so by 11:00, we hadn't even gone a mile. I was very happy with all of the pictures I got, and it was a fun time. But since I had a 14:00 meetings scheduled, we figured that it was time to turn back. I've posted one picture of an American Bullfrog so far, and expect a few more of different subjects in the days to come. It's been a while since I've taken any pictures, so expect some fresh subjects.
thinkandrew
Why must all good things be expensive?
A better question: why must all things that I want be expensive? We live in a very materialistic world, where people are willing to pay exhorbitantly high prices for just about anything. See that bike over there? It's made entirely out of carbon fiber. I think that I should pay $7,000 USD for it. Or how about that really awesome backpack, I could use it when hiking! That one is worth $279 USD. Or maybe that
diamond-studded cellphone? A cool $54,000 USD. Okay, so maybe the last one is a bit useless. But the other things I mentioned are bought on a regular basis. If money was not an object, I'd probably buy them too. But money is an object in this world, and that just won't go away.
Of course I do like materialistic things. Everybody likes materialistic things. There is not a single person I know that would not accept free stuff. It's just in our nature. Every once in a while, something new and exciting will come out, and we'll just have to have it. I own an iPod mini; I've had it for about a year and a half. This last Tuesday, Apple released a completely updated line of iPods. They're all incredible devices, and I would love to have one. But I already have one, albeit an older model. But the new ones are cooler! Smaller! Better! Do you see how it works? Everybody thinks that at one moment or another. It may not be about an iPod, it may be about that designer purse in the store. Or it may be the new Dyson vacuum cleaner, which I happen to really like.
But admittedly, some materialistic urges are a bit more justified than others. The diamond-encrusted cellphone doesn't have any real use, after all, cellphones are just meant to make phone calls, not show of jewelry. As much as I like it, I have to admit having an iPod is not a neccesity either. But when my mom wishes for a new oven, is that considered materialistic? Of course it is. But it has more reason and use behind it. Our old oven was pretty junky. It didn't work very well, and burned everything I tried to bake in it. It's useful in the fact that we'll be able to cook more. Sure, we could make do without it. But having it would make life more convenient. And it will have more of a practical everyday use to it, unlike diamond cellphones.
In the end, however, none of this is really required. Why have an oven? We can just cook over the stove instead, and not bake anything. Why have a vacuum cleaner? We could just live outside. All of these modern conveniences are very nice to have, but people in undeveloped countries live their entire lives without ever experiencing indoor plumbing. We have been greatly blessed to be able to live our lives in such comfort, and I try to remember that every day.
thinkandrew
Textbooks
I'm really really looking forward to the first day of school. While most public high schools around here started on either the 31st of August, or the 5th or 6th of September, my school year (at SPSCC) does not begin until Monday. I've had almost two more weeks than everybody else. It has certainly been nice, especially since it has allowed me to finish up my piano project. However, I've really been itching for it to start. My first real glimpse of the actual starting of school came yesterday. While I was not home, the UPS man (or woman) came by our house and dropped a package at our door. My textbooks were here!
We have always been a family that really loves books. Being home schooled, we have built up a massive collection. When we lived in Malaysia, there was no public library either, so if we wanted to read a book, we would buy it. This has lead to an entire wall of bookshelves in our basement. I still get the jitters when I get a new book. It's been a while since I've gotten a brand-new textbook, as well, since I've been using ones that my older brother home schooled with in past years. And now, they've finally arrived! I ordered a Single Variable Calculus book, with Student Solution Manuals, as well as a Japanese textbook, with a workbook.
SPSCC has a small bookstore in their Student Union Building, and it has a lot of business around the beginning of the quarter. It's right around then that the book lists are released to the public, also when the books are placed on the shelves for sale. The books are sold at list prices, which is usually very high. I can't imagine why anybody would be willing to pay over $100 USD for a physics textbook. Fortunately for me, my brother had used it last year, and we won't have to buy a second one. I really think that such a high price is pretty ridiculous. It's a physics textbook, and a book on physics doesn't really need glossy paper, color pictures, or any other of the "special features". All that it really needs to have is the information presented. While knowledge is priceless, I also feel that it should be widely distributed, without a prohibitive price.
So, I went shopping online for my books. I was not surprised at how easily I could find them, but I was surprised at the drastically lower prices they were listed at. I purchased both my Calculus and Japanese textbooks on eBay, both for at least 30% below list price. The Japanese textbook and workbook were brand new, so they were a really good bargain. The calculus textbook was listed as used, but in "like-new" condition. When I received it, it was certainly almost brand new. My mom says that buying textbooks from lazy students is the best, because they're always in such good condition.
However, I don't know if I'm looking forward to lugging all of my books down the hill to school. All are very large volumes, and weigh at least 10 pounds together. I'll probably find out which ones I need to bring, and when, after the first few days of classes, but the physics and calculus books are still hardcover editions. I hope my shoulder survives the quarter.
thinkandrew
Piano Moving
Well, the big day finally arrived. After over a year of just sitting in the garage, and an entire summer of hard work, I've finally done it. Sure, it's not totally finished yet, but it's darn close. Right now, if I walk into our garage, I'm genuinely surprised by how much space there is. It's been so long since the piano hasn't been in there, that it feels like a whole new room without it. That's right, I've moved the piano. No longer is it sitting in pieces in the garage. Nope, now it's sitting in pieces in our living room.
While it's still in pieces, every piece has already been stripped, sanded, and refinished. The entire cabinet of the piano has been done over, and I'm ready to put it back together! However, it is still sitting in pieces because I can't figure out where all of them go. I know what each piece is supposed to do, but I'm having trouble figuring out how they fit into each other. Not to mention that when I acquired the piano, a lot of the hardware was missing from it. I am short on several nuts, bots, and screws, so I'm going to have to make some measurements and take a trip to the hardware store. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get an exact match for everything I need. Once I get the cabinet finished, then I can move on to finishing the piano action. That will probably take longer, as there will be a lot of small parts-repair that will be needed.
Since the main part of the piano was finished already, I decided that it was time to move it into the house. This is no small feat, as the piano weighs probably around 300 pounds, and we needed to carry it up 4 steps on our front porch. The piano (an upright Howard) rolls around on small metal casters, and it has large handles on the back side for lifting. With the help of my entire family, including my younger brother as a photographer, we were able to lift it over the steps, and slide it into position in our living room. Now, I'm just waiting to put it back together.
This is certainly not the first time that we have had a piano moved. In fact, we have moved pianos quite often. Obviously, there was the time when we first bought our new upright piano here in Washington; it is a upright Boston. That was interesting to watch, as it was done by two professional piano movers. They must have gotten it into the house within five minutes of pulling into our driveway. They really do it like clockwork. We also have an electronic piano (notice I said piano, not keyboard) which we have moved quite regularly. When we lived in Malaysia, there was normally a lack of a quality piano for use during music recitals. Our piano, while not an acoustic, usually performed better than the acoustics that were available. And that meant that we would move them to the event location in the back of our van. It's quite heavy, though it can be moved quite easily. It's just a simple matter of unscrewing the top from the bottom, and lifting it in two different pieces. We've also used it here for two-piano performances, where a second acoustic piano was not available.
By far, though, the most unique piano moving we've ever had done is when we bought our piano in China. We bought it from a small piano store in Beijing, and we were told that it would be shipped to our apartment that afternoon. Due to heavy traffic, we weren't able to reach our own home by that afternoon. Assuming that the truck that would be shipping our piano would get stuck in the same traffic, we weren't expecting it for a while. Imagine our surprise when it showed up at the same time we did, in the back of a large tricycle. Instead of being shipped in a truck, it had been taken on small roads on the back of a tricycle! Then it was up, up, up a flight of stairs, and into our apartment. It was certainly quite a site.
Well, my personal piano project is just about finished. It's certainly been a long time since I started. It's been one of those things where I looked at it in the beginning, and thought that I'd never finish it. And yet, now, I'm almost there. And I can't wait for a new piano that I can play.
thinkandrew
Senior Patrol Leader
Scouting is a large part of my life. It is one of the highest priorities for me right now, and I throw myself into it fully. I enjoy it very much, and readily participate in all the activities that I have the opportunity to attend. However, I also like to take a leadership role in Scouting, so that I may push forward what I believe Scouting should be about.
The individual "unit" in a Boy Scout troop is the Scout. A scout belongs to a patrol, for which there is a patrol leader. The patrol leader's responsibilities are to his patrol; he is supposed to lead patrol meetings, organize patrol events, and ensure patrol participation in troop activities. One step up from patrol leader is senior patrol leader, or SPL for short. The SPL is the scout who is in charge on the entire troop, and he answers to the Scoutmaster. The SPL is in charge of conducting all troop meetings, annual planning conferences, troop events, patrol leader councils, and whatever else needs to be done. He could be considered the "head honcho" of the troop, so to speak. It is a very large responsibility, as he decides almost everything that happens. I ran for SPL at the troop election a few hours ago.
I haven't been in our troop for that long, I've been here only since October of 2004. SPLs are elected every six months, so we have gone through 4 since I joined. We've had some good ones and some bad ones, though all of them have done at very least a fairly decent job. I have a lot of respect for the position of SPL, as it certainly entails a lot of work. The SPLs we have had are certainly looked up to, as well; I joined my patrol because the current SPL was a member of it. Anytime there is any question about what you're supposed to do, the SPL has (or is supposed to) the answer. His position is certainly very important in the troop, and helps to make it run smoothly every week.
The election is done by secret ballot, which takes quite a lot of time in our troop. It's not that we're inefficient in our proceedings, it's just that it can take time to distribute and collect ballots from around 100 scouts. This election was quite unique, though, as it came out as a perfect tie. The Scoutmaster discussed this with the other candidate and myself, and we agreed to do a re-vote. What was kind of disappointing, though, was that there was actually an odd number of votes. The reason that the results came out as a tie was because some joker had decided to write "eat my short" on his ballot, instead of a proper vote. It doesn't really matter in the long run, but that vote would have decided who would be the new SPL. It was certainly a waste, and a re-vote had to be conducted. This time, I won the election. I'm now the SPL of our troop, a long with all the responsibilities it entails. I certainly do not take this job lightly, as there will be a lot of work to do. I know, though, that I can do an excellent job. I will put my all into it, and hopefully, other people will see that as well.
thinkandrew
Internet Down
For some odd reason, my connection to the Internet was shut down last night. All access was cut, including my ability to post on my blog. Expect a regular post tonight, unless the internet shuts down once again.
thinkandrew
My brother is back
My brother is now home from his trip to China. He's been gone for a while, almost one month. I haven't seen him for longer, though, as he left while I was at Philmont. It's been a pretty busy summer for the both of us. While I was at Philmont, he went to California, came back, then took off for China. By the time I got back from Philmont, he was already gone. But now he's home. And dad's home too. Which means that this is the first time that we've actually had everybody in the house at the same time, since early August.
It's pretty hard to look back over the summer and count everything that we've done. So many things have passed by this year; it's almost overwhelming. I've only been in the house for about half of it. The only people that actually spent most of their summer at home were mom and my younger brother. When it was just me and them, the house was pretty quiet. Dad was away on another one of his business trips, and my older brother was off in China. While I wasn't particularly missing anybody (read previous posts on travel), it felt kind of strange none the less. Only three settings needed to be placed on the table at every meal, and there were always excessive leftovers, as we weren't used to cooking for so few people. I only had to wash three plates, and whatever serving dishes we used. Now that everyone is back home again, we once again have to wash five settings, cook for every meal, and set the table with more utensils. I'd gotten so used to having few people in the house, that it became almost normal. Living with four other people, instead of two, is almost unusual.
We went up to SeaTac International Airport to pick up my brother this morning. While the time between his plane touching down and him meeting us in the terminal was quite long, we got there eventually. Lunch was at the great Chinese restaurant that I mentioned in yesterday's post. The drive home was rather uneventful, and I actually went to sleep once we got home. Then, I went out to sell some more popcorn, and when I got back, my brother, mom, and dad were getting ready to go see friends and tell them about my brother's trip. Even when everybody's home, we all have so many different schedules that we're only all at home in the morning and at night.
Even that's not going to last for much longer. My brother will be moving into his dorm room at his University in another 2 weeks. It won't be far, though, only an hour away from our house. But there will be one less person at home. Things change, I guess. We grow more and more independent, with more and more things that we need to do. We start to see less and less of each other, too. But eventually, we're all drawn back together once again. At least for this hour, that's the way that it is.
thinkandrew
Choices
It can be so difficult to decide what I would like to do. There are so many opportunities out there, and I intend to take advantage of as many as I can. As I've said in previous posts, I have lists and lists of things I would like to accomplish. But those were all long-term goals. There are also things that I would like to do now. But when the scheduling for those things conflict, you have to sit down and decide on which one you are going to go for. Unless you can be in two places at once. Which I am increasingly wishing that I could.
Tomorrow, I have to opportunity to go to my OA Chapter's fellowship gathering. They've gotten a special deal at the Evergreen Gun Club, where they can have as many people as they can fit come in and trap-shoot from 10:00 to 16:00. It sure sounds like a lot of fun, and it's been in the workings for almost a month now. I got an opportunity to trap-shoot while at Philmont, and I was instantly hooked. There's something satisfying about pointing a gun at an object, and watching it blow up when you hit it. With all the things I've been incredibly busy with the past few days, it would also be a great way to relieve stress. Not to mention that it will be a heck of a lot of fun. My OA Chapter got a discount on shooting, too, so now the price is only $2.50 for 25 shots, including the cost of the skeet themselves. I've only recently joined the OA, and it will also be a fun chance to meet up with some scouts, and possibly make a few friends.
The other option I have is to go with the rest of my family to pick up my older brother from the airport, who is currently flying home from China. The airport is in Seattle, which is about an hour north of us, so there is no way that I'll be able to do both of them. If I go to pick up my brother though, I'll get to (besides the obvious fact of picking up my brother, whom I haven't seen in over a month) look forward to a great Chinese meal, as we'd be stopping in one of our favorite restaurants on the way home. We don't go to that restaurant very often, as it is near to the airport. It's really a great place, and I would love to eat there.
But my problem lies here. First and foremost, the fact that the OA is holding an event on Sunday morning means that I will not be able to attend church. I guess that point is sort of moot anyway, because I would have to miss it if I went to pick up my brother as well. It's quite a drive up to Seattle, and his plane lands in the morning. The thing is, if I go to the trap-shooting event, I won't have anyone to drive me back. I don't drive myself, and all the drivers in our family will be up in Seattle. I could ride my bike back, as it's only about 12 miles. The question lies in whether I really want to go trap-shooting that badly. I would love to go, but it would involve a lot more work than my other option. I'm not averted to work, but do the benefits outweigh the costs?
The decision won't really matter in the long run, but it certainly matters to me now. Choices like this can be tough to make, as there are so many things that I would love to do. It's important to weigh each option against each other, to make a final decision. Another problem arises when you make the decision, move with it, and then look back. I do that a lot. You look back and think, man, I would've loved to do that too. That may well be true, but you can't dwell on it forever. What's past is past. You made your choice, and you stuck with it. You can't do anything now. That's something I have to learn, to be able to enjoy it after it's over, while looking back without any regrets. It only happens once. You don't have to decide on it twice.
thinkandrew
Clean Hands
Our hands are wonderful things. They are capable of so much. Things are made and destroyed by hands. The great empires of the earth were created by hands, and many things were felled by hands, too. Throughout some one's life-time, their hands help them accomplish everything that they have ever done. From their first steps as a child, where their hands are used to steady themselves, to the first steps of their children, where their hands are used to guide others. They are certainly wonderful tools. Almost everything we do involves our hands. We work with them, we play with them, we lead with them, we also pray with them. It is no wonder that tools of such importance to us are also what we are judged by.
I saw a pianist the other day. He didn't tell me that he was a pianist, but I could tell. His hands were slender, his nails were trimmed, and his fingers were all clean. There was also the fact that he was playing the piano. But had I seen only his hands, I would have guessed that they were the hands of a musician, or a fine artist. We can tell so much about people by the way their hands appear. The slender fingers of a musician are very clear, as are the stocky and strong hands of a construction worker. Hands may be rough, or smooth, depending on what they do every day. The repeated action of routines tends to wear on hands different ways, so that certain characteristics become apparent. But this does not mean that we should judge by them.
I met another man over the summer. His hands were definitely not clean. They were scarred, but strong. Layers of dirt caked onto his fingers, and under his nails. Many scratches lined his skin. If people heard this description of hands, most people would assume that it is someone who doesn't take much pride in cleaning himself. Hands like those must be busy in some dirty work every day, of which there cannot be much pride. These hands were dirty, to be sure. And while the work that this man did involved dirt, it was certainly not dirty. For 3 months out of the year, the man with those hands lead hundreds of Boy Scouts throughout the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. He would take scouts out into the backcountry, where he would teach them about hiking and camping skills, cooking, survival, wildlife, and many other things. He teaches scouts how to protect themselves from bears, how to stay away from hunger, and how to protect the wildlife around him. Maybe his hands weren't clean because he didn't have time to clean them. He was always busy teaching others the way of the backcountry. His hands were dirty with the learning of others.
My hands are very dirty right now. My fingertips are stained, and you can clearly see a line where the dirt ends at the edge of my hands, where the palm meets the top. There is a sheen on them from the oil and resin that has dried onto my skin. I have blisters on my fingers, some of which have broken. My hands are normally clean, but now I'm finding it difficult to clean of the dirt which has caked on. The reason that they are dirty is because I am busy restoring a piano. I am re-creating an instrument which will provide music for all, once it has been fully repaired. To do so, I have to first remove the old dirt. Most of it has now been removed, and I am applying the new finish. It's dirty work, but it's creating a work of beauty.
A man's hands are his tools. They may be clean or dirty, but they are always used for certain purposes. A man with clean hands may be doing something dirty, while a man with dirty hands may be working on a thing of beauty. You can often tell what a man is doing by the way his hands appear. But not always. Don't judge a man by his hands. Judge him by his work.
thinkandrew
Wanna buy some popcorn?
It's that time of year again. Once a year, Boy Scouts from all over the country go from door to door, selling popcorn as part of a national fundraiser. Running a council and maintaining a troop takes money, and what's not generated through dues, needs to be generated through fundraising. Tens of thousands of dollars worth in popcorn is sold and delivered each year, by kids ranging from 6 to 17 years old. All of these generated funds will go to support local councils, troops, and individual scouts.
Many people start selling for the first time as young Cub Scouts, and continue selling throughout their high school years. This year will be my first time selling, though I helped my little brother sell the year before. Like most fundraisers, it's a pretty standard deal. You knock on the door, describe your product (in a friendly and polite manner, of course), take an order, collect the money, and deliver the product a few weeks later. We've all done this before with any variety of fundraising products, though it may not have been popcorn. The way the popcorn selling program is set up, though, is that door to door is not the only way to sell. A "show-and-sell" campaign is also set up, which is essentially the same as selling Girl Scout cookies in front of grocery stores. Boy Scouts do the exact same thing, except with popcorn. The Girl Scouts seem to get more publicity, though, as my little brother was asked several times last year if he was with the Girl Scouts. It made me wonder why, as it was pretty obvious that we were selling popcorn, not cookies, and that he was a boy, not a girl.
What we have to deal with when selling popcorn is getting out there early and getting out there a lot. With thousands of Scouts selling every year, you have to hit the streets pretty early if you don't want to be out-sold. Almost every neighborhood has at least one Boy Scout living in it, and if you want to sell your popcorn, you need to start before everyone else does. The sale officially started today, on September 7th, and I've already been out for 2 hours, in which I have sold over $200. My goal is $4,000, so I'm already 5% of the way there. Did I mention that up to around 30% of the amount sold goes into the Scout's private account, for use in things like summer camps and equipment?
You have to get out there a lot, too, because this time of year is definitely the fundraising season. Not only the Boy Scouts are out there selling their popcorn, but Olympia High school is out selling Bear-Cards (discount cards). Local middle schools are selling magazine subscriptions, local charities are selling pizza-coupons, and of course, the Girl Scouts are selling their cookies. With so many different things to choose from, you've gotta get out there fast and a lot. That's why I started today, the day the sale opened. There are probably people that started selling before the official start date of September 7th, and while nobody is likely to ever find out, it's not really the most fair thing to do. Jumping the gun like that is giving yourself an unfair advantage in fundraising, and I don't think that it really follows the true essence of Scouting Spirit. I suppose it's no huge deal, but there are rules that you have to follow.
So, there's quite a line-up of different products to be sold this year. We have microwave popcorn in 3 different varieties, as well as several different kinds of tinned-popcorn. The tinned popcorn comes in a decorative holiday-tin, with candied-popcorn and nuts inside. They're all very tasty, and they last forever, so I recommend stocking up as much as you can fit in your pantry. The price ranges from $10 to $50, USD, of course. So if anybody feels like they would like to buy, leave your contact information in a comment. I'll be happy to sell some to you. And remember, all proceeds to go benefit the Boy Scouts!
thinkandrew
Speak from afar
For as long as I can remember, my dad has traveled a lot. His job requires a lot of international travel, and he's normally gone for one to two weeks at a time. He's been doing this since forever, and our family has become quite accustomed to it by now. It's become so routine for me, now, that when he, or any of my brothers, leave for any variety of reasons, the only difference it really makes in my routine is that I have one less plate to wash after dinner. Normally when myself or my brothers are gone, we're off to somewhere inaccessible by phone, such as the backcountry or summer camp. I try to send postcards every once in a while, but not too much. Dad normally tries to call home once every one or two days, just to check in and say hi. Making international phone calls is expensive, so they're not very long. But now, with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), we talk all the time. Sometimes for so long that we have to think really hard for things to say.
Years ago, we discovered one of the hottest new technologies for use on the Internet,
Skype. One of the newest VoIPs available, it had the clearest sound quality that I had ever heard in a "talk" feature for an IM. This is great!, we thought. Now we would be able to talk with Dad when he was gone, talk with my brother when he goes to college, and talk to friends that live internationally. It was really exciting to be able to use it. However, our early attempts at long-distance communicating didn't work out so well. Our experiences were plagued with faulty equipment, i.e. we forgot to bring them with us at all. But before long, a computer microphone became a permanent member of Dad's packing list.
Eventually, we began talking with each other on Skype. It was a lot of fun, and novel, too, to be able to speak with someone on the other side of the world for free. We could chat for as long as we wanted, about anything at all, without worrying about racking up a monster of a phone bill. In fact, most of our calls lasted for at least half an hour. I talk with my friends in Malaysia, too, though not as often. Dad uses Skype a lot to talk with his business associates from around the world, too. It's quite useful, as it is completely free. Dad will make a phone call to his associate, and say just one word: Skype? Then he'll shift over to the computer, where they can talk for as long as they want.
It's not just Skype that we can use, though.
Google Talk is another powerful VoIP that I use commonly, though not as much as Skype. In fact, Google Talk is regarded as a more powerful program by many. Unlike Skype, though, it does not have video capabilities (Dad brings a webcam with him, too). I also have some sort of a loyalty to Skype; I've been using it for so long. I'll probably continue to use it, too.
No longer are we paying 50 cents a minute just to talk to family and friends. Now, we can do it for free! With such programs, we've been able to keep in close contact with people that we might never have heard from again if such technology were not available. It's been great fun.
thinkandrew
Life Scout
Standing Dead Forests
I just passed my Life Scout Board of Review this evening, and I am now a Life Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Being a Life Scout means that you've worked hard, made it this far, and am committed to the furthering of your own Scouting career. I am but one step to Eagle, though that step is large and foreboding. It's going to be hard to reach it, and it will take a lot of work. But I know that I can make it. I will become an Eagle Scout.
When I first joined the Boy Scouts in October of '04, it didn't seem that it would be possible for me to rise up through the ranks. There were so many requirements that had to be fulfilled, and so little time. I had joined just as school was starting, so there were few events or meetings where I could accomplish these requirements. However, as spring and summer hit next year, I was able to advance in leaps and bounds. And now, barely two years later, I have made it to the crook of the apex. It took a lot of determination. Many Scouts in my Troop are Life Scouts, most of them younger than me. Almost everyone of my peers was either Life Scout or Eagle already, and I had to play catch-up quite a bit. I finally made it, though. I'm now a Life Scout, ready to take on the mountain that is Eagle.
While becoming an Eagle Scout is one of my highest goals in Scouting, it is definitely not the end. Everything else may seem downhill after that, but the trek keeps on going. Four Eagle Scouts participated in my Philmont Crew, and they kept on trekking along with the rest of us. When they reached the rank of Eagle, they weren't "done" with Scouting. They continued to benefit from Scouting, as well as giving back to it. Scouting is a lifelong journey, with the intention of creating better people. When you have reached Scouting's highest goals, it is your charge to help other people up the mountain. If you just leave them hanging, you yourself will fall back down. Live it, don't just say it.
thinkandrew
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
It's hard to imagine how great a force of nature would be required to eject over a cubic kilometer of material. To imagine a force that could reduce a mountain's height by 1300 feet. To imagine a force that blew rock-filled winds at over 400 miles per hour, pulverizing everything for over 250 square miles. That force happened on May 18th, 1980. It was one of the most violent eruptions in North America in recent history. And Mount St. Helens is now the smoking crater that we see today.
Nearly everybody in the US has heard about Mount St. Helens. Everybody recalls the massive eruption in 1980 that killed 57 people. But not everybody gets to visit the site of the destruction. It is a mere hour and a half drive from us, so we went up to take a look. Once covered by dead and fallen trees, ash that was more than a foot thick, and layers upon layers of small rocks, the area has now been reclaimed by vegetation and animals. Alder trees litter the landscape, and the occasional elk stands majestically upon the pumice fields. The area around the volcano has been named a National Volcanic Monument, and is being managed by the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA has done nothing to replenish the landscape since the eruption, as they are studying the natural reclamation of the blast-zone. And while people were predicting that it would take decades for anything living to even establish a foothold in the destroyed area, there are already forests of trees lining the hills.
The USDA has established two observatories and visitor centers on two ridges near the volcano. One is at Coldwater Ridge, and the other is at Johnston Ridge. We had been to Coldwater Ridge on a previous trip, but Johnston Ridge was shut down at the time, due to increased activity from the volcano. Coldwater Ridge offered a nice visitors center with quite a few interesting exhibits. There were also several ranger talks, of which we participated in. However, we had arrived relatively early in the day, and there was a wind coming from the east that was bringing ash and smoke into the air. Thus, the view of the volcano was fairly obscured. We headed up to Johnston Ridge during the afternoon, and the view had cleared up significantly. The mountain was incredible. As were the crowds! Literally hundreds of people were mulling around the visitor center, watching the film, and just drinking in the view. There are not many places that people can go where you can just drive up to within 5 miles of an actively erupting volcano.
People talk all the time about how they would like to tour the world, see the sights, and experience different places. But it doesn't seem to me that people ever realize what is in their own backyard. To many, Western Washington is just an area that gets a lot of rain, only grey skies in the winter, and is very very green. But there is so much to see! Mount St. Helens is an active volcano within 100 miles of our town, not to mention the only actively erupting volcano in the lower 48 states. It is an incredible landmark in our corner of the country, yet most people never appreciate the fact that tourists come from halfway around the world just to see St. Helens. I have certainly come to appreciate the magnitude of such an incredible force on this Earth. I have also come to respect it greatly. It is an incredible God that can create such a thing.
thinkandrew
Family Camping
This weekend, I will be gone on a family camping trip. It will only last for 2 nights, so we'll be back on the day after tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun, we're going with some friends to a state park down south, near Mount St. Helens. This is going to be completely different from the camping that I usually do; it will be quite nice, actually.
All of my clothes and stuff fit into one small duffel, with my sleeping pad, tent, and trekking poles to be put in the car-top carrier. When there's so much room, you might as well just pack everything that you want to bring. When I'm backpacking, though, space is quite limited. All that you can bring is what you can carry on your back. If it's too much, don't expect anybody to help you out. I got by at Philmont with only two sets of clothes, for the entire 12 days. While people in "civilization" might find that rather disturbing, it's what everybody else was doing at Philmont as well. That's what everybody does when backpacking, actually. You realize that you can wear the same clothes for much longer then you thought you could. Everything has to fit into your pack, too. My tent goes inside, my sleeping pad goes inside, and my sleeping bag. Since I'm using my trekking poles, I can't carry anything in my hands. And trust me, you don't want to be carrying anything in your hands when you're hiking. It gets old, really fast.
We're going to have working plumbing this weekend, too. All state parks have running water and more "modern" conveniences. While "modern" is a relative term, and may mean just a pit-toilet with hand-sanitizer, at least there's hand-sanitizer provided. I normally have to bring my own. In outhouses in the backcountry, you have to take a stick and knock around in there before you sit down, too. This is to dislodge any spiders that might want to give you a nasty surprise.
We're going to be camping on a lake this weekend, so I'm looking forward to some fishing and swimming. I know very little about fishing, but maybe I'll get lucky. We went out to buy some worms at the grocery store yesterday, and they came in a small styrofoam cup with the words "not for human consumption" on the top. The large mouth bass that live in the lake we'll be at are probably safe from me. If I have any luck at all, maybe I'll at least get some of the trout that live in there too.
There's a visitor's center at Mount St. Helens, and we haven't been there since the last eruption. It should be an interesting visit, and I can't wait to go. It's gonna be a fun weekend. See you all on Monday!
thinkandrew
SPSCC Classes
I'm taking three classes at SPSCC for fall quarter, and I must say that I'm looking forward to all of them. It's not a heavy class load at all. In fact, some people might consider it on the lighter side, even though they are all 5 credit classes. SPSCC only offers 18 credits of classes for free, any more and you have to pay for them. There aren't many 3 credit classes offered, so it's unlikely that I'll do more than 15 credits in any given quarter. Although I might do a 20 credit quarter, if there's a required class that I need to take. But I digress. Three classes this quarter.
School starts at 08:00 at all the local high schools, so I purposefully scheduled my first class to start at 09:00 so that I could lord it over all of my friends. Actually, it just worked out that way. For a while, it was looking like my daily schedule would start at 10:00, but 09:00 still gives me enough time to recheck any homework that I didn't do the previous day. My first class of the day is Japanese 1, which should be fun. My brother took it last year and enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to it this year as well. It's a useful skill, especially for me since I would like to get into the engineering and robotics arena. With so much technology coming out of the Far East, being fluent in both Chinese and Japanese will come in very handy. Not to mention the world of Japanese comics that will be opened up to me. SPSCC offers Japanese 1, 2, and 3, and I intend to take the whole sequence this year. It will make my schedule very simple, to be able to just pick the next class down the line and schedule for the next quarter.
My second class is Calculus 1, which I'm also looking forward to. I've been using a Singaporean math syllabus for my entire homeschooling life, which is a very strong syllabus. Unlike the math taught in high schools here in the US, I didn't take Geometry one year, Algebra 2 the next, and Pre-Calculus the third. I learned bits and pieces of every subject every year, and all of it was combined to be used together. I feel that this approach really helped me understand how to use different forms of math together. This past school year, I did quite a bit of entry-level calculus, even some differentiation of trigonometric terms. Thus, this first quarter should be somewhat easier for me. But I'm not putting all of my money on it. I really don't know what to expect for this coming class, though I am really looking forward to it. Every thing about the class appeals to me. I've met with the professor, and who wouldn't want to take a math class from a professor who has hair like Einstein? Like with Japanese, I will be taking an entire sequence of Calculus this year.
And I will be doing the same for Physics, as well. I took some high school physics last year, though I didn't focus very much on it. I spent more time on economics and math. My brother also took this class last year, and it was also one that he had a lot of fun in. I enjoy physics, and I'm willing to bet that this will be one of my favorite classes. And when there are only three options, I'm willing to take those odds. The class comprises of a one hour lecture every day except Thursday, with a two hour lab on Wednesday. Being home schooled, I've done very little lab with specialized equipment, so lab should be quite interesting. I really can't wait for it to start.
I'm really looking forward to school right now, it almost seems unfair to me that my friends start next Wednesday when I'm forced to wait another two weeks. Most people I know would trade that position with me in a heart beat, but I'm not going to give up my position in Running Start. It's an incredible program, and I can't wait for school to begin.
thinkandrew
