Prom

Ahh, prom season, one of the most exciting times of high school. This year, it seemed to come and go quickly for me. It has only been two days now, but it feels infinitely far away. It was a night of dancing and friendship, and of relationships and smiles.

For me, it started at 2:00, when the first pictures were taken by my family and my girlfriend's family. We took pictures for about 30 minutes and then headed to a professional photographer. After another 30 minutes, we went to an hour long session of photo taking at a friend's house. I have a twitch in my cheek that happens when I smile too much. It's really sad, but true, and by the friend's house, the twitch was in full motion.

After all of the excessive photo shoots, it was dinner time. We ate a very large meal at another friend's house with about 16 people. It was a great way to ease into the dance, by socializing for a few hours over steak and soft rolls. 8:30 rolled around and it was time to go to the dance.

The dance was great, we spent the entire time on the dance floor, not one moment was sacrificed for a break. Just a group of friends having the time of our lives. It truely was an incredible evening. I threw out some killer moves like the sprinkler and the John Wall. Needless to say, I was a total hit.

After prom consisted of going to yet another friend's house and playing killer ping pong, a variation of ping pong where as many people as you want can play. This then lead to a break for a game of apples to apples, followed by an hour of mindless giggling and smiling at absolutley anything in the English language. His mother then made us breakfast and I was off to take my prom date home, and eventually, to get to my own bed. I fell asleep at 9 AM that morning and didn't wake up until 3 PM. Prom was amazing!

The concert of my life

Two weekends ago, I went to a concert in Cincinnati with James Shockley. The two bands were Angels and Airwaves and Say Anything, both of which we are huge fans of. We got in line, about 30 from the front 2 hours before the show, and luckily we were under a small awning, protecting us from the rain that pestered all of the others in line. Hunger began to set in, which led to us requesting some bread from another fellow queuer to hold us over. Finally, we walked in and were 3 people from the stage. Perfect position.

Say Anything came on to open with incredible energy, the band was great and really got the crowd going. The pushing got a little excessive, but hey, it was what we paid for, and we were willing to take the lumps. After a stellar 45 minute set, we were all drenched in sweat, some was our own, some wasn't. The band threw out a bottle of water and we caught it. Ahh, sweet nectar, no one but the two of us were going to get any of it.

Finally Angels and Airwaves came on. This was the part I had waited for for years. They lighting was amazing, and the sound was perfect. The crowd surfers seemed to be abundant, and eventually I was just too weak to hold them up. I was in awe; I was standing 5 feet away from 4 almost life long role models. At the end of the show, I was met with over joying excitment, it had been the show of my life, yet still disappointment because it was over. I never wanted it to end. It was a perfect show and a perfect night.

Soccer Refereeing

So, the spring soccer season has started, and that means referreing games! Yeah money making! I started reffing two years ago, and it quickly found its place in my heart. I am usually a sideline ref, so I run along my line, raising my flag for throws and offsides calls. It really is an experience. I get to listen to parents complain and whine about how the game is being called, as well as listen to thunderous applause when a goal is made. Today was only the first day, but I had one incredible call that I am quite proud of. There were 30 seconds left, and the attacking team was down by one. They pushed it forward, and made a pass. The person they were passing to was offsides by about five feet, so I raised my flag. The whole area groaned because a goal was made, and my call had erased it. It changed the game, and was a really hard call to make, but I am glad I made it. My assigner walked over to me after the game and told me about how good of a call that was, and offered me an extra game. I was so excited that my guts and ability to pay attention got me extra games!

I love refereeing, it's the perfect way to get outside and make money for doing very little, while gaining some exercise. Bring it on spring season!

Baz Luhrmann

This week I was completely changed by music. I have a friend named Garrent who showed me this guy named Baz Luhrmann. He is a director, a spoken word artist, a cinematograper, and a family man. Sound's like a politician! Well, he has a single song out, which is a speech set to music called Sunscreen. It is all about how young people don't recognize all of the possibilities that lay before them. He talks about how we should appreciate what is in our lives and use our bodies to the largest of their potential. I was completely moved by this speech. I have never heard of spoken word music before, but this single song has really gotten me interested in this new genre. If you're looking for a little youth-related enlightenment, this is a great song to listen to. It's full of wisdom. I'm sure older listeners will find that what is said is true and will be able to add to this amazing man that is Baz Luhrmann.

Sunscreen

Straying from my topic...

I have something a bit different from my usual blogs today. I know that I am supposed to be completing some type of a Bucket List, but this week I have something that really excites me.

I love music. I love everything about music. I don't enjoy every single genre, but I can respect the work that goes into creating music. My favorite band, Angel & Airwaves is a band quite different from mainstream music. What they do with music is kind of a blend of U2, Radiohead, and Pink Floyd. Their music can take you into space, and shake you at the core. They place imphasis on themes like love and war. This last week, they released their 3rd album, titled LOVE, on February 14th. The only thing different in this album from the last two, was that it was released FOR FREE. Radiohead did something like this a few years ago, but technology just wasn't ready for it, and it did not go over well. Now, Angels & Airwaves have released something incredibly good, and in just 3 days, they recorded over 350,000 downloads. If ANY album were to sell that many records in the first three days, it would be an instant hit and sensation.

This move for free music cames with a music industry that is ailing. Bands sign to record labels that sell their music. Sure, they gain popularity, but on that $12 CD, the band is only getting about 50 cents to a dollar. People now-a-days download songs for free, and quite easily, and this band's philosophy was that if you could just get the music out there, that they could sell tickets to shows, and even further, try to market the band themselves. They created a website called Modlife that allows bands to give pay per view events, for example, you could pay $5 and watch a concert from a camera they placed. You get interaction with the band when they do video chats. It's a really cool new way to try and market a band, without selling music, and worrying about music pirates. I'm placing a link at te bottom where you can download this album if you want, I promise you will enjoy it.

http://modlife.com/angelsandairwaves/love

If you enjoy it as much as I did, check out their other album, We Don't Need to Whisper or I-Empire.



Great songs to check out on youtube are:
The Adventure
A Little's Enough
Start the Machine
Heaven
Lifeline
Flight of Apollo
Clever Love
Soul Survivor

After all, we could all use just a little more LOVE...

Volunteer. Sort of.

This week, I was challenged by my friend in my Arts and Humanities class to do three random acts of kindness. It sounded like a great idea, something really different and heart warming. So, I decided that this weekend, I was going to make sure that I did not fail his task.

My first act of kindness was a weather related one. I took my shovel and shoveled my entire driveway for my dad without being asked... at 4:00 in the morning. I didn't want him to have to shovel his way out, so I got it done before he even woke up.

The second act involved, yet again, a shovel and snow. I walked down my street to an elderly person's house. I know that he rarely ever gets out because he is so handicapped by age. I shoveled his entire driveway and sidewalk. I hope he appreciated it.

My third act was different from the others. I left flowers on random cars in Walmart's parking lot. I know that sounds weird, but the flowers were cheap since Valentines day was over, and I simply left them on the cars. There's nothing more exciting than seeing something nice unexpectedly left for you.

I think there should be a law where everyone must perform a single act of random kindness a week. Imagine if all of the people in daviess county did something kind for another person, that would be well over 75,000 kind acts each week. The world would be such a better place! Maybe my dreams are too far fetched, but it's nice to imagine a better world. For now, I'll just keep to my own random acts of kindness.

Failure

This week was a total failure. I didn't even attempt to do something semi-interesting this week. I was boring and un-enthused.

I went ice skating on my back deck. I took the trash out shirtless in 28 degree weather. I drove home on a scarry slick road where there weren't any lines visible. I guess that could be facing one of my biggest fears. Not being able to see the lines while I drive is pretty scarry. I made it safe and sound back home, but I hated the experience. I slid multiple times, and my back side of my car came around once. Luckily I was on a lonely road.

This week though, I really did fail. I didn't seem to have the drive to do something different this week. I am very sorry to have to report this failure, but I can assure you that I will be on top of it this coming up week. For now, here's a funny video from the super bowl to atleast bring a smile to your face!

Do something extreme

I know this is basically a rehashing of doing something daring, but this week, the word extreme fits much better.

This weekend, my city experienced a nice 6 inch snow. I have spent the last two days sledding to the EXTREME, and honestly, my entire body is living proof of it. Bruises can be found on my shoulders and sides, scrapes can be found on my waist-line where my snow pants slipped down and my skin went slidding down across the snow/ice mix for 200 feet, and the aches and creaks from each step that just seem to glow with pain.

I have to say, all of my complaining aside, it was worth it. There's not much more of a rush on land that you can get than flying down a hill at 30 miles an hour on an inner tube or a fiberglass board. It's even better when you hit a short ramp at 30 miles an hour and get to fly for 3-5 seconds, that can get REALLY extreme.

I'm not much of an adrenaline junkie, but I think that I am slowly getting addicted to that rush that you get from an extreme activity. There's just sNOw better way to spend a weekend in the winter than on a huge hill with your best friends and a few boards. The bruises will last weeks, but the memories and fun will last forever.

Do something daring

This week, I decided to do something daring, and I went beyond anything I could have imagined.

For this daring act, I drew inspiration from my lifelong favorite NFL team, the Denver Broncos. They may not be the best team in the world, but the tradition and great names that come from that football program have always attracted me. From Shannahan, to Elway, to Elam, to Bailey, this team has always had a place in my heart. Now, you might not know, but the Broncos have always had two mascots, the Bronco, and Barrelman. If you don't know barrelman, simply look to the left.

I think that it takes an incredible amount of guts to wear solely a barrel. Needless to say, I was not as daring as barrelman, I wore shorts and a muscle shirt. It was incredibly cool creating my own barrel, I never thought of how much work it would take.

I went to my local Rural King and bought a 55 gallon burn barrel on thursday night. Immediately after, I went to work on it, for it would need to be ready by friday night for the big Apollo vs. Daviess County game. This is the biggest rivalry in the area, and everyone from both schools always break out the spirit. My barrel was going to be the next addition to the DC spirit family. I cut out the bottom of the barrel, and drilled holes to hold the straps in, and used some very nice (almost vintage-like) spray paint, and created my master piece.

I waited all day friday for the game, I was incredibly excited, and finally, after waiting for 13 hours for the game, I was able to suit up in my barrel, and race out onto the court with my fellow students. The game was intense, and because of my barrel, I had no chance to sit down, I had to spend two hours standing with a 45 pound barrel supported by my shoulders. It was worth it. We won, and the barrelman was a huge success.

I guess we can say that I am the Daviess County Panther's Barrelman. A title that I am, without a doubt, proud of.

The Bucket List

This Blog has been inspired by the movie, "The Bucket List."

A Bucket list is a set of goals that people have for before they "kick the bucket." I'm going to post every week on the goals that I have accomplished. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, but this list is simply for the last semester of my Junior year in high school.  As I go, I think I will find that there are even more things that I want to accomplish, so I will add goals to my list as well as complete them. First though, I must create the list, so here is my Junior year bucket list.

1. Play a match of Tennis

2. Play a full 18 holes of Golf

3. Take a road trip out of the state

4. All A's

5. Make a new friendship

6. Volunteer

7. Do something in front of a large audience

8. Do something daring

9. Face one of my biggest fears

10. Try a new food

11. Visit a College

12. Watch a sporting event live

For now, these are my goals. Hopefully I can attain each one before the end of this year. Wish me luck! If you have any great ideas to add to my list, I would love to hear them!