Our Life on Stage

My religion teacher showed me this video and I couldn't help but see how real this video is. This is our life shown in a skit.

Nothing too exciting

It has been a while since I last posted something, so I figured that I needed to write something. Nothing too exciting is going on here. I am just studying my brains out for finals next week and trying to make it so that I can get the grades I want in the classes I have been struggling with this semester. Although it will be nice to have a break from school for a few months it will still be difficult to leave. New friends have been made this semester that will hopefully last at least a few more semesters. Papers have been written that make we grateful that I believe what I believe. Choices are needing to be made about what I should do this coming year. Hopefully, all will work out in the end.

p.s. the picture was taken waiting in line to eat In'N'Out. Yum yum yum.

Downtime between classes

I was sitting in one of the buildings at my school waiting to talk with my Psychology professor about the latest test and what I can do to further improve my grade when I visited a website about genocide awareness. I didn't realize or know how mnay different places there are that are in danger of genocide. The website is www.ushmm.org. I highly recommend visiting it if you want to know more about what can be done to prevent another holocaust from happening in our lifetime.

Halloween 09

What an exciting Halloween this year. On Friday myself and two other friends went to the movie store to go and get scary movies for our marathon. Unfortunately, the majority of the scary movies left were either rated R or were just plain stupid looking.

After scouring the store we managed to get The Grudge, The Ring Two, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Red Orchid, White Noise, and Disturbia. Upon returning home we decided that we should make a tent in the front room. After pulling the sheets off of our beds and lots of thumb tacks and duck tape we finished our masterpiece.

After finishing our masterpiece we decided to make some popcorn and watch one of our "scary" movies. Hoping to get scared we put in The

Grudge. For those of you who don't know what this movie is don't worry about it. The Grudge had its moments, although they were scarce and few, where we got scared. But the possibility of losing sleep because we were just to scared wasn't a problem. We all slept like babies that night or morning. Upon waking the day was spent watching the rest of the scary movies in our house. Which turned out to be really fun.

Our costumes for that night had been planned out for almost the entire semester. We were going with the ninja turtles. Since there are only four ninja turtles two of us got the challenge of coming up with something else. I drew the short end of the stick and was given the opportunity to come up with my own costume. I chose to be April O'Neil, the carrot topped girl that helps the turtles out. How do you think I did?

I chose to do a mixture of the new April and the old April. So my hair is more orange than red and I don't have a sword like the new April. The shoes were some sneakers covered with white duct tape that wrapped around the bottom of my pants as well. How was your Halloween?

Becoming a Bibliophile

Anyone who knows me knows that when I was younger I hated reading. The only way anyone could get me to read a book was by reading it to me out loud. The following story is how I became a bibliophile, or a lover of books.

“You need to read something,” my mother states for the hundredth time. “Miss Butler has required you to read a certain amount of pages, and reading If Only I Could Read over and over again doesn’t count.”

“But I hate reading, you know that.” I answer, ready to come up with any excuse to get out of reading the book my mother held loosely in her hand.

“Miss Butler recommended this book.” She says, hoping that my admiration for the teacher will win me over. “She said the school library won’t order this book so if you want to read it you need to get your own copy.” Seeing the look on my face she adds, “and one book isn’t going to kill you.” She holds the book out to me before continuing her battle with an eleven-year old girl that despises reading. “And you never know, maybe this book will be different than the others. I’ve heard great things about it. Your brother enjoyed it.” My mother waves the book in my face trying to get me to take it.

“Please, Nik will read anything you put in front of him.” I state rolling my eyes at the fact that my mom is trying to get me to read a book by saying my brother liked it. That boy will read any book no matter what it’s about or how long it is.

“We’ll read the first chapter together.” she compromises. “If you don’t like it, then I’ll find a different book for you to try out.” She holds the book out to me again, her eyes pleading with me to agree to her compromise.

“Fine, but I’m not going to like it.” I defiantly state as I grab the book from her outstretched hand and head over to the old, red couch to begin my session of torture for the day. I take a quick peek at the cover trying to find out what I have gotten myself into. The name Harry Potter written in funky, gold lettering catches my eye. Looking further down I see a young boy flying around on a broomstick trying to catch what I believe is a little, gold ball with wings. “Is that a unicorn?” I ask myself, and “what are the heads of three dogs doing on the cover of this book?” I sit myself down on the couch ready to see what this book apparently has that the dozens of other books were missing.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling,” my mom begins, praying that this book will spike my interest, and that I will finally see the world I am missing. “Chapter One: The boy who lived. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.” My mom continues reading as I am unknowingly sucked into the Harry Potter universe.

“So, what did you think?” my mother tentatively asks as she closes the book only to have me snatch it out of her hands. “What are you doing?” I ignore her, open up the book and begin reading from where we left off. “I take it you like it.” My silence answers any questions she may have about me enjoying this book. “I’ll just leave you to your book,” my mother states as she gets up off the couch and heads out of the room.

“Paige you need to come into the kitchen for dinner.” my dad calls from the doorway.

“Huh?” I ask. I just barely started reading. How in the world could it be time for dinner already? I mark the page and reluctantly close my book. With book in hand I walk into the kitchen and sit at the dinner table.

“How are you liking your book?” my mother asks.

“It’s all right.” I’m hoping that my mom won’t notice the lie. Seeing her knowing smile, I add, “Truth is I can’t put it down. I’ve never read a book that has done this to me.” My mom smiles at me and I know that I will never hear the end of how I couldn’t put a book down.

“I love Hagrid,” I think to myself while taking a break from reading. Giving Dudley the tail of a pig is absolutely brilliant. Even though Hagrid is eight and a half feet tall, he just seems like he would be so cuddly and fun to talk to. I just know I am going to end up liking him.

As the days pass I find myself falling more and more in love with Harry Potter. Getting to school by train and going to a school that has ghosts and moving pictures seems like my type of school. Plus, it’s hands on learning at Hogwars. How can I argue with that?

“Why does Ron have to be such a jerk?” I mutter to myself. I know that Hermione is a know-it-all and it would be insanely annoying to have someone like her tell you you’re pronouncing something wrong; but I don’t understand why Ron has to be such a jerk to her. Just because Hermione is a little bit different, it doesn’t give Ron the right to make fun of her and then not even care when he sees that he has made her cry.

“Yes!” I yell out. Harry and Ron have saved Hermione from the troll. A mountain troll. Imagine that. Finally, Ron has done something that’s actually useful. Hermione took the blame for the three of them not being in the common room, which kind of surprises me. Plus, it was Harry’s idea to go and find her so he just went up a whole new level in my book.

Quidditch, now that sounds like a cool sport. Flying around on broomsticks and trying to catch a little, gold ball called a snitch seems difficult enough. But add in avoiding two balls that seem to have minds of their own called bludgers seems way more complicated than my simple game of soccer.

“What the heck!” I cry to myself. “What is Professor Snape’s problem? What did Harry ever do to Snape to deserve having Snape try to kill him?”

“Paige?” My mother asks as she tentatively sticks her head in my room. “Is everything all right?” Not noticing that my mom is talking to me, I continue muttering to myself about how idiotic Snape is. “Paige, what is going on?”

I look up from my book and notice my mom standing in my doorway. “Nothing is going on. I’m just reading my book. Can you close the door for me?” I quickly say hoping she will leave me to my new addiction. She nods her head and closes my door leaving me to continue exploring my newly found world.

I went into the bathroom today and was disappointed when the mirror didn’t show me my heart’s greatest desire. I’m dreaming about flying around on broomsticks and using a magic wand to make things hover above the ground. Is it normal to do that when reading a new book?

I can’t believe it. Professor Quirrel is the bad guy, not Professor Snape. I was positive that Professor Snape was the one trying to steal the sorcerer’s stone; but now that I look back it actually makes a lot of sense that it ended up being Quirrel. Professor Quirrel wouldn’t touch Harry when they first met. Plus, he was with Snape and Professor McGonagall when they found Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the bathroom with a knocked out mountain troll on the ground. “Oh, Quirrel is supposed to be really great at controlling trolls huh. Ha ha I just got that.”

“Yes!” I yell to my audience of stuffed animals. “Gryffindor won the house cup. Dumbledore went and gave a ton of points to Harry and his friends to make it so Gryffindor would win and not Slytherin.”

I didn’t know a book could do this to me. I have entered a world I didn’t even know existed until a few weeks ago. I know that saying a book has changed my life is kind of weird, but it’s true. I don’t know if I will ever be the same, but I do know this. A few weeks ago my mom told me I would like a book if I read it, and as much as I would like to prove my mom wrong by saying I hated it, I can’t. I enjoyed reading a book. Strike that, I loved reading a book. I can’t wait to continue my journey with Harry Potter and find out what happens next. My name is Paige Porter and I recently learned that a book can open up a whole new world. All you have to do is open the book and keep your mind wide open.

Are you like me and need just one book to suck you into the world of reading? Or are you like my brother who just always loved reading?

By the way, my sweatshirt in this picture is for Fred and George Weasley's joke shop.

I Believe

Music: The Universal Language

Since the time that I was a small child, music has been a part of my life. Around the ages of five and three, my brother and I would go to a music class every Tuesday and Thursday. At this music class called kinder music, we were taught rhythm, allowed to play the xylophone, and were introduced to classical music. In the world today we use music as a form of therapy for severely mentally handicapped individuals whose minds are like a small child’s. As you watch the handicapped individuals listen to the music and play their instruments you can see them change right in front your eyes. Smiles find their way onto their normally impassive faces, and their wheelchair bound bodies may even start swaying to the music. And if you’re lucky they may even start singing for you.

However, that is not the end of music’s power over us. Although we may not realize it, music has a huge effect over our emotions. If you played sports then you know that many times a song would be blasted over the speakers to get you pumped and excited about the game. Why is it that while at church hymns are sung and special musical numbers are performed? The answer is nothing controls what we feel more than music. When you hear an upbeat song you find yourself wanting to jump around, dance crazily, and scream the lyrics at the top your lungs. Have you ever watched an emotional scene in a film without the music present? If you have, you know that without the music present, it is nearly impossible to feel the emotion of the scene. For example, without the music present it would be nearly impossible to feel the emotion that Rachel McAdams’ character in “The Time Travelers Wife” is experiencing while watching her husband die from a fatal gunshot wound.

Henry David Thoreau, a famous American author and poet stated, “In a world of peace and love, music would be the universal language.” No matter who we are or where we come from we can always understand the language of music. We can feel sadness, heartache, excitement, empowerment, and so many other emotions just from listening to a song. I adamantly believe that nothing is more powerful than music. It transcends culture and language barriers to bring us all something we desperately need, the chance to communicate with everyone around us.

What do you believe in?

Compassion and Honesty

So I was reading a blog of someone else and she asked what it meant to be compassionate and to be honest.

What exactly does it mean to be compassionate and to be honest?

What does that mean. People today seem to be stepping all over each other trying to get ahead and when something happens they show no compassion towards what is going on around them. They move on and don't worry about what is going on in the world and just seem to work towards their own better good then the worlds. How do we show compassion for someone we don't know? Is honesty only telling the truth or is there something more to it? Does honesty only come about when asked to do something or asked a question or is there more to it?

So what do you think? What does it mean to you to "be compassionate" and to "be honest"?

Near death experiences, laughter, and sunburn.

On the 24th of July my family and I decided to try something new. Although a few of us had been before the majority found this new opportunity exciting. After blowing up one raft and four innertubes we set off for the Provo River. Upon arriving we all entered the water one by one. Exclamations of how freezing the water could be heard and the quite funny site of one innertube deflating not long after its rider (Nik) sat down. Josie started floating down the river and in an attempt to stop herself she found herself hanging onto a tree branch while her tube continued its journey down the river. We raced down the river to recover her tube and Miranda decided she would climb on it instead. Along the way the four people in the raft realized that Muri, being the smallest in the group, should get out of the tube and into the raft so that Hannah, the tallest of the girls, could get in a tube. Now that was interesting to pull off.

A bridge or two we had to go under. We conquered one but got beat by the other. The raft decided to turn over and send all its occupants into the water to fend for themselves. After going through some not so fierce rapids we managed to get the occupants back in the raft but the river was not done. It had stolen two of our three oars. But we managed to navigate the rest of the river without further incident. With battle bruises and scrapes from the rocky bottom and slight sunburn on the shoulders. Feet and legs that you know are there, but you can't feel them so you hope the river didn't steel those as well.

Are you serious

I was doing my daily reading of the multiple Twilight fansites when I came across an interesting post on the site newmoonmovie.org. The post was a link to an article someone wrote. All I can say is that I am hoping this was all some big joke on the writers part. Enjoy

Sexy vampires are destroying our nation's children

Movieweb.com

Buy photo

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (center) and the cast of "Twilight."

By John Houder

Published: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 8:05 a.m. 
Last Modified: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 8:05 a.m.

There has been an illness spreading across America recently that is more virulent and insidious than mad cow disease, swine flu and monkey pox combined. It’s spreading viraly through emails, blogs, text messages and tweets and infecting countless tweens, teens and young adults. While the disease has not yet proved to be fatal, there is no known cure and the symptoms can be terrifying and painful. The disease I am referring to, of course, is vampirism.

The epicenter of the most recent outbreak can be traced to the vampire-based Twilight book series, which has sold more than 42 million copies and spawned an equally popular movie adaptation. Young people across the country have been seduced by the story of a high school girl’s star-crossed love affair with a 107-year-old vampire and the pasty yet attractive actors who portray them. What’s more troubling than the pedophilic relationship between a 17-year-old girl and a man 90 years her senior, however, is the fact that the popularity of vampire culture is on the rise.

Another culprit in this vampire epidemic, or “vampidemic,” is HBO’s hit series "True Blood," which will begin its second season on Sunday. Many critics and viewers have been drawn in by the tale of a telepathic waitress in a small, fictional Louisiana town and her interactions with a contentious vampire community. Thanks to a synthetic blood alternative called TruBlood, vampires in this series no longer have to bite humans for food and are able walk the streets along with mortal citizens with minimal fear of persecution. Even before the show aired, a viral marketing campaign was implemented to spark interest by creating fake advertisements, Web sites and products aimed at the also-fake vampire demographic. Some avidly morbid consumers were distraught to learn that the TruBlood drink advertised online was not an actual product available for consumption.

While this kind of fervor has been seen with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, an interest in witchcraft and wizardry is ultimately harmless as most of the characters in Rowling’s novels are positive role models. The worst that happens is kids spend their allowances on wands, memorize cryptic incantations and start trying to summon dark spirits from the depths of the underworld. In other words, pretty typical kids’ stuff. With this latest trend, however, kids may be inspired to dress in black, dye their hair, start wearing eyeliner – or the sad male alternative, “guyliner” – and avoid the sun, leading to a crippling vitamin D deficiency. They may also be inclined to mimic vampire behavior by speaking in antiquated Victorian English, drinking exorbitant amounts of Kool-Aid or other red beverages packed with high fructose corn syrup and listening to techno music. Although vampire fashion is unfortunate – and “guyliner” borderline criminal – the real problem with children idolizing these bloodsuckers is that vampires are just creepy jerks.

Some cultures view vampires as pale, gaunt creatures lurking in the shadows, but many Europeans believe they have a bloated, ruddy or purplish appearance, most likely from the combination of decomposition and recently imbibed blood. Imagine how much more authentic but less popular the "Twilight" movie would have been with a puffy, red-faced Meat Loaf as the male lead instead of the dreamy, hollow-cheeked Robert Pattinson. Be advised, parents: Using attractive actors to play these otherwise offensive creatures is just one of the despicable tactics the pro-vampire propaganda machine will use to try and recruit your innocent children.

What they don’t want your impressionable kids to know is that the life of a vampire is anything but glamorous. In addition to resembling a chubby, blushing Larry King, vampires are relegated to a mostly boring existence. Most waking hours are used to quiet the constant hunger pangs caused by a liquid diet, and any free time is likely to be during late-night and early-morning hours, so running errands to the bank and most other businesses is extremely difficult.

Most people also hate vampires. In the Aftican country of Malawi during late 2002 and early 2003, mobs stoned one person to death and injured four others, including Malawi Governor Eric Chiwaya, because they thought the government was working secretly with vampires.

Despite the recent influx of vampire-related content into the mainstream media and the youthful enthusiasm that accompanied it, vampirism still remains a dangerous threat to our nation’s children. Unchecked interest in vampires can lead to unfortunate summer wardrobe choices, rickets and diabetes. We can’t afford to lose our kids to these flashy, sexy, fly-by-night vampire impersonators who continue to fill their heads with untruths about the vampire lifestyle. Do your part and get your kids hooked on something safe like street racing or “sexting” instead.

Wow!!

Well it sure has been along time since I've posted. Every time I have thought of posting I have been just to darn lazy to do it. But something came up that I can't avoid posting about. It was just too exciting to pass up blogging about it. 

What a series! Six overtimes in seven games. WOW!!!!!! Ray Allen, how about those amazing shots, that seemed impossible to make. 51 points in one game. Unfortunately the team I wanted to win, failed to pull everything together in game seven it was still an amazing series that will be, in my opinion, an instant classic.

A Broken Heart

4:32 kickoff time. My dad and I were glued to the tv for a total of four hours. Halfway through the game my team was down by ten and then they came back and got a three point game. The opposing team scored and gave the Cards less than one minute to score a touchdown. Ten seconds left and Warner goes to through but loses the ball while throwing. Officials ruled it as a fumble, but it wasn't an incomplete pass. On top of the Steelers getting a penalty against them. There should have been enough time for the Cards to make one play. Throw a deep pass into the endzone and pray that Fitzgerald would make one of his many impossible catches. But by not reviewing the ruling the referees basically gave the Superbowl win to the Steelers. Cries of frustration could be heard from our house as we screamed and yelled at the television trying in vain to get the officials to hear what should have been done. However, I feel that the Cardinals did a great job in the game and I will be cheering for you next season. Well done Cards you guys did a fantastic job. 

A New Beginning

Wow. It took me a while to actually get this post up. I have spent all week thinking about Obama and what he will do as our countries 44th president. But before I talk about Obama, can I just say that the performance for My Country Tis of Thee wasn't the best I have ever heard. However, follow that with a performance by Yo Yo Mah and I was in heaven.

 While away at school I saw people who believed the most absurd things. One friend firmly believes that Obama wishes to make the United States a more communist country. "He wants to get a nationa

l police force." Some people even believed that he should not be president because of the color of his skin. I would be lying if I said that I didn't have my doubts about Obama, but he was elected by the people so shouldn't the people give him a chance. We are told t

o not judge others, yet people judge Obama before he has done anything. 

I will give Obama the chance he deserves. And may our country protect him, and may he lift up our falling economy. Good luck Obama. My prayers our with you President Obama.

GO CARDINALS

After years of heartbreak and cheering for a team that no one said could ever win, a day of celebrating was in order. After last weeks game against Carolina I couldn't believe that the Cardinals were going to the championship game. Last night cheers could be heard from our home as the Cardinals scored over 30 points against a team that had the 3rd best defense in the NFL and moved on to the Super Bowl. Go Cardinals, my dad and I will be cheering for you in two weeks.

Will it ever be enough?

Driving long distances has never been something I have found enjoyable. Being a person who was cursed with car sickness, I will usually try and find a cheap flight to my destination, than be tortured by the  inability to do anything in a car. After having forced myself to sleep on more than one instance of the car drive, and braving a blizzard we finally arrived at our destination. Good, sunny Arizona. Upon seeing the faces of smiling cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents the ten hours in a car was well worth it in my eyes. 

I inhaled Mangos stuffed enchiladas, and after receiving my burger from In'n'Out I was in absolute heaven. I was spending time with my cousins who even 

though almost every single one I "chill" with is either in Elementary school or Junior High I couldn't have been happier. I got slobber monsters from Zach, hugs from old friends, and remarks about how glad a certain young boy was that I didn't spend forever in front of a mirror in the morning. 

The family gathered together and laughed with each other while playing the Wii fit. Everyone played, whether it was the young kids, the parents, or the grandparents, the cheers and laughter could be heard. Names were chanted to convince aunts, uncles, and grandparents to get up and show us what they got. 

Monday evening was an absolute treat. Spent with both Free families we ate food, played games, and of course watched Avatar. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally be able to talk about avatar and not receive weird looks. I guess it is 

a little bit weird that a girl who loves action films, fantasy novels, and tv shows with guns, things blowing up, a doctor who could care less what people think of him, would be so passionate about a kids animated tv series. Nevertheless I show my love for Avatar proudly. To be able to go up to a friend and touch her forehead and say "stole your bending" was like Christmas all over again.And having people around me actually knowing what I was talking about and people who knew who Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Toph is something I think I will never take for granted ever again. And seeing Twilight for the who knows what time with two very close friends was a treat. Lifting a friend out of boredum was a pleasure. 

The time however just wasn't enough. The morning of departure was a bleak one indeed. Cousins were sad and clinging onto each other and promising to visit soon. Let me just say that even two weeks more would not have been enough. I would still have felt like I had only been there for a day and would still wish for the opportunity to see them all again.