Science Fair Winners

My mom's 11th year of sponsoring the St. Joseph Homeschool Science Fair. My grand finale was a chemistry experiment with a Bunsen burner. Using $10 worth of Copper Sulfate and granulated Zinc, I was able to produce about 4 grams of copper flakes and win 2nd place in the high school division. Dorito's experiment practically burned down the church. "Boys like to blow things up!" Dorito said, after he got 3rd in the high school division.

500 Days of Summer

Add it to the list! This movie made the cut!
From the opening lines of the movie, I was hooked. "This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate.' This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."
I laughed, I cried, and it was wonderful. A few more quotes like: "It's love, not Santa." and "What do you know about PMS?"-- "More than you, Tom." added to this wonderful film.
While some will say that I had an epiphany about the meaning of life and my life in general, I think that is romanticising it. While my thoughts about love do run deeper than most, I found this movie believable. We wake up, and live our lives. Most days of the year are unremarkable. They begin and they end with no lasting memories made in between. Most days have no impact on the course of our lives. But there are days that have great cosmic significance. Days that do change the course of our lives. If I've learned anything, it's that these life altering events are usually missed by our own sheer blindness. We don't see them because we aren't looking for them. Now I do understand that some days we receive huge bill-board-signs showing us the course of our lives, but usually these events happen upon us by simply not opening a college letter for a few (or three) weeks.
When I'm undecided about my mood, I usually put my iPod on shuffle. Not because I think it does an exceptional job of making playlists, but because it finds the first song for a list I will later make myself. At any rate, I came across the song 'This Is Your Life' by Switchfoot. I don't mean to go all 'A Walk To Remember' on you, but I was feeling rather emotional. It astounds me how some days I look in the mirror and have no idea who I am. It's like when I was a little kid and my parents told me to "be myself." I remember thinking, "Well, who else could I possibly be?!" The truth is that the pressure is everywhere. It creeps in on us when we forget to expect it. Then suddenly, we realize that the life we've been leading isn't anything that we want.
With the decisions of college coming up in my life, I'm shocked at the options I'm faced with! Some times I look at a college and my future becomes a white void (someone please explain this to me...). It's a scary thought that this single decision will alter the entire course of my life.
I'm sorry if this post holds only questions, and not many answers. Honestly it's the state my life is in right now.
I leave now to go back to an ice rink, and to continue living my life as the person I want to be.

The Other Boleyn Girl

After three weeks of this movie sitting on my desk, I finally found a free block of time which I could use to watch it. My senior year history studies covered this time period, and my mother approved of me watching this "big girl movie." They did an excellent job choosing the actors and actresses for this film. The parts were played wonderfully, and the story line was easy to follow. As far as accuracy is concerned, it was on and off. But for Hollywood, I suppose it wasn't too bad. As a Catholic, it was interesting to view the other side of the story. Kolbe tends to be slightly prejudiced when it comes to topics of the Catholic Church (not that I'm complaining!), but it's nice to have a rounded view point. It clearly depicts the seduction story, so I can't safely recommend it. If anyone has seen the movie, I am interested in if the ending is what actually happened to Anne Boleyn?

Senior Song

Being home schooled, I get to have my own slide show at graduation with pictures of myself and a song. However, this is going to be a long, painful process; so I'm letting you all know now. Music is one of my favorite things in the world, and therefor picking just one song, is going to be a huge problem. I want a female singer, and would like something with piano. Since it is graduation, it should probably be a somewhat happy song (another problem). I'm all for crying, and I like a well-written love song; but that doesn't work so well for this event. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Trustful Surrender

I was on a great roll with Theology today. This year's course is extra (as well as History) because I already have enough credits. Thankfully Kolbe understands that this is true with all their students, and has put together something special for seniors. The last year of high school is filled with decisions and busy times, and your prayer life is an easy thing to let drop off. They started us off with reading St. Francis de Sales' book "Introduction to the Devout Life," and this week we're reading "Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence." These are some of the notes I drew from the reading:

The Lord says: you would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.
We trust doctors to cut us open, and even pay them to do it! But yet we don't trust God?

The Lord says to Zebedee: You know not what you ask -- O blind of heart, your ignorance saddens me. Let me manage your affairs and look after your interests. I know what you need better than you do yourselves. If I paid heed to what you think you need, you would have been hopelessly ruined long ago.

Us not trusting God is crude after all He's done for us, and continues to do. When the pain seems like too much, it's because God was meant to carry that cross, not us.

Giving everything to God is the ultimate freedom. Fear no longer exists for us. We will be constant, unchangeable, and endless.

The Holy Spirit says "Blessed are those who suffer." Whoever asks shall receive. God has promised us, so why do we doubt? We can ask God for anything, but the request will effect the answer He gives. Solomon asked for wisdom, and this was good in the Lord's eyes. Do not be shallow, but bold in request. Never stop asking or praying. God is outside of time. What if someone prayed for the same thing every day for their entire life? That would please God greatly! Christians have become apathetic. We pray "God give me patience," but instead we should pray "God! Let me detest with my entire being losing my temper!"

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I have a huge problem with getting stuck in the stereotype category of "senioritis" since I happen to be in my senior year of high school. I believe the biggest mistake young people make is trying too hard to "find themselves." Our culture tells us that we need to take a year off of college, or travel the world to find out who we really are. If there is anything I can say that I've learned this year, it's that staying where you are and diving into Christ is the best place to find everything you're looking for.
I've been so blessed to have great events that have assisted me with my journey. I'm still attending Bible Study with some home schoolers, and it's been even more of a blessing to be able to take Reid along with me this year. We're using the Focus on the Family's "Truth Project" videos for this year, and they have been extremely interesting. We've studied different world views, and ways to live in society.
I'm learning every day that I have so much more to learn. Tim had a great way of explaining this. He held his arms shoulder length apart, thus making two sides of a box. He said to imagine that this box contains all the knowledge that anyone in the world has ever learned, or ever will learn. Now imagine how much of this knowledge you will learn in your life. Makes you feel pretty small, right? People have dedicated their lives to a single topic, learning everything they can about it. But maybe a few years later another person will find a missing piece of information that makes the old information meaningless. Scientists are constantly discovering new cures and medicines. Remember in Jane Austen's day when they thought bleeding would cure people of their illness? Now we know that this in fact makes it worse!
I find myself disturbingly immersed in college applications. As my dad likes to remind me, when he went to college he just told Kansas State he was coming and sent them a check! My how the times have changed... The University of Dallas requires four short essays, one long essay, a letter from my teacher, AND a letter from an outside influence! This was the first of my undertakings, and the process still hasn't ended. I'm flying down to Dallas on Wednesday for an interview with the French Department. I know it's a lot of work, and at 11pm, I'm wondering if I should be spending more time on other schools, but right now this is where God wants me to be. I think the people who regret their college experience didn't include God in their decision. Just like in some marriages, we make the decisions and then ask God to bless them. Oh how great the world's joy would be if we reversed this process!
We we're blessed enough to have the National Catholic Youth Conference come to Kansas City last weekend. My mom took a group of six boys and girls down for the Thursday through Saturday events. Jason Evert and his wife were two of the main speakers, and I was moved by their talks. Anyone who knows me knows that the subject of Love is one of my favorites. I would love to give chastity talks in the future. After waiting in line for about an hour, I finally got a signed copy of their book "If You Really Loved Me." I'm still reading it, so I'll post more when I finish it.
French class is still going good, and I've decided to continue taking it in the spring. There are some really great people in my class, and we have a great coffee study group started.
Finally, I'd like to share my thoughts on Thanksgiving. Before this week I've only told this story to one person, but I felt like my Blog was a fitting place to share it. I'm against most holidays. In fact Halloween is about the only one that I fully understand. If you need a day to tell the people in your life how much you love them, you don't deserve to tell them. If you need a day to be thankful, you don't deserve to say the words! Understand what I mean? So for everyone that reads this, I am just as thankful for you all today as I was yesterday, and as I will be tomorrow. You are all wonderful people, and I've been so blessed to have you in my life.
I hope this catches everyone up on what's been going on in my life, and that you had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Shelly and Lord Byron

N.B. Percy Shelly, his wife Mary Shelly, and Lord Byron often vacationed at a summer house of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. One summer they agreed to each write a ghost stories and see who could come up with the best. Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" won.

She Walks in Beauty
by Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

College Lessons to Learn Now

From Monsignor James M. McDonald
Dear Friends:
There will be a lot of high school graduations this weekend and many of our Catholic High Schools have already conducted theirs. Now there is that last summer at home and the preparation for the big move in late August or early September. I thought in this letter I would like to talk realistically to our new graduates and soon-to-be freshmen. You have serious responsibilities to yourself and your parents and certainly to Christ.
Those of you who are going away will be entering a far different world. You will have to make adjustments and compromises with roommates; in short you will have to learn to live with people other than members of your own family. Some of these people may be great but others can be annoying and definitely unpleasant. I'm hoping that you get a roommate who is a decent, considerate human being. And by the way, be that kind of roommate yourself. You represent your family and all the values you have been taught in your home.
That very different world of college has very definite moral problems. Often enough, the atmosphere is poisoned by immorality. Practically every school considers itself a big drinking school and there is enormous pressure to fit in with an established pattern of drinking that is a considered a part of college life. Don't! Any dope can be a drunk in college - it takes no ability and is an indication of a lack of moral backbone.
Drunkenness kills and if it doesn't do that immediately, it destroys lives through the tragedy of alcoholism. You are a follower of Jesus Christ and not a follower of the world. Be different! You will find others who share your same point of view.
The sixth commandment, which forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage, is not suspended by God during the four years of college. No matter how lonely you may feel or romantically inclined you may be, you are expected to be a living image of Christ at all times. Your parents brought you up with distinct and definite moral values. Please don't disappoint them! Happy marriages do not begin with college immorality.
You have a definite responsibility to go to Mass each and every Sunday or Saturday evening. I'm counting on you to go even if an awful lot of others don't. I urge you to participate in the campus ministry program and make yourself known to the chaplain. Help prepare for Mass if you are fortunate enough to have Mass on campus. Try to participate in the ministry programs. You should meet some wonderful people there.
Finally, you are in college to study. Do it! And, oh yes, use that cell phone to call mom and dad very, very frequently. They will be missing you more than you'll ever know.
In Jesus and Mary, Monsignor James M. McDonald

Directions for Cultivating One's Mind

1. Furnish yourselves with a rich variety of ideas.

-Teach your self to weigh and judge things, discern things into an order, better arrange your ideas and thoughts, obtain a rich store of thoughts and arguments for all occasions.

2. Use the most proper methods to retain that treasure of ideas which you have acquired.

-Recollect every day things you have seen, or heard, or read which may have made any addition to your understanding.

-Talk over these things, this will make a fresh impression on your memory.

There is a vast difference between reading and understanding. Write down your thoughts. Put them in order, and decide what you think.

"Alas! how many hours, and days, and months, have I lost in pursuing some parts of learning, and in reading some authors, which have turned to no other account but to inform me that they were not worthy of my labor and pursuit! Happy the man who has a wise tutor to conduct him through all the sciences in the first years of his study, and who has a prudent friend always at hand to point out to him, from experience, how much of every science is worthy his pursuit; and happy the student that is so wise as to follow such advice!"

(Isaac Watts' General Directions)