New Tradition

Ok, so I was just remembering how I did Quotable Fridays, and I decided to come up with a new tradition. However, I'm having trouble letting go of that last one (despite the fact that it only lasted about two weeks) soooo, I'm going to start TWO new traditions! One is this...periodically, I'll have a quote at the bottom of my post (like I used to do) and if you know what it's from, say what it's from in your comment. The second tradition is this: I will write a short narrative and then go back and remove at least some of the following: verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, etc. and have one of my family members fill them in (without seeing the story if course) and then I'll post it. So, here goes nothin'

Jim walked through the cool, blue forest, eating a weird, circular ice-cream cone. Beautifully he heard a yellow-orange sound in the distance. It sounded like a plaid CD. Freaked-out, he ran his ice-cream cone down and moved towards the sound. Finally, he came to a clearing in the barf-y forest. In the clearing he could see a crunchy girl and 1 million ligers. They were slicing her and she was gushing blood profusely. Jim intensely dropped down on his hamstrings and eyelids and began to fly towards the little girl. When he finally got there, he killed the ligers and picked up the girl.

"Are you okay?" asked Jim

"Ya, my grandma's house is just through those leaves, can you take me there?"

"Sure" replied Jim.

As he flipped along the path with her, he heard a fart behind him, turning around he saw that it was a graceful, horrifying unicorn. Slowly, he pulled out his huge, rosy ninja star and fought the unicorn off until it went away. After flying -1 miles, Jim saw a long fairy standing in their way. Summoning his icy board powers, Jim out-magicked (so what if that's not a word) the fairy and trampled it's tongue. They walked 21 more miles and Jim saw a uncomfortable, comfortable cottage.

"Is that you're grandma's house?" asked Jim.

"No, that's where all of the the demented centaurs live" replied the little girl

"What the crap is wrong with this unusual, striped forest?" thought Jim as an awkward, demented centaur emerged from the long grass. He fought the centaur combining his pretty strength and his icy-board powers to defeat the awkward centaur. After flying 35,000,000 miles, Jim saw a freaky looking cottage.

"What lives in that?" Jim asked, scared.

"My Grandma" replied the little girl.

And that is the story of how Jim saved the day in the slippery, dangerous forest.

Special thanks to Nate for his adjectives, adverbs, nouns and numbers.

If...

If there is a shortage of posts from now until school starts up again (or later). Blame it on this.





YAY!! :D

Christmas

Sorry to those who are expecting an addition to my story, I'm not in the mood today. Since it's Christmas, I'm going to do a survey I got from my dad (who got it from my cousin). However, because most of my answers will be similar to my dads, I'm going to do it twice, once by answering the questions in the form on the song title that comes up when I'm on shuffle, and once normally. (Sorry if that didn't make sense to you.) (Oh, and sorry if this doesn't really work out, I'm just giving it a shot)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 7 Minutes in Heaven
2. Real tree or Artificial? Put Your Head on my Shoulder
3 . When do you put up the tree? Here (In Your Arms)
4. When do you take the tree down? The Power of Gold
5. Do you like eggnog? Anxious
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Angels We Have Heard on High
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Stuck To You
8. Hardest person to find a gift for? Nocturne
9 . Easiest person to find a gift for? God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? 52nd Street
11. Snow or Sunshine on Christmas morning? All Of Your Love
12 . Favorite Christmas movie? I'll Follow
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Song for the Asking
14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Barbara Ann
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Come Fly With Me
16 . White lights or colored on tree? Cutlery
17. Favorite 3 Christmas songs? Eensie Weensie Spider, Sway, Please Come Home For Christmas (Weird, one of them actually was a Christmas song, I just don't like it that much)
18. What gets you into the holiday spirit quickly? The Christmas Tree
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Play the Game Tonight
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Big Man On Mulberry Street
21 . Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Roll With the Changes
22 . Most annoying thing about this time of year? Flake (Ok the truth is that the song that actually came up was "Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy" a song I have sung by InsideOut, but it didn't seem right to put on this question.)
23 . Favorite ornament theme or color? Cling and Clatter
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Falling Over
25. Favorite Christmas memory? Blind Frail
26. What do you want for Christmas this year? Bridges
27. What Christmas-y thing would you like to keep all year round? Blind

Ok that didn't really work very well, but it took way too much work to just erase it all, so here goes the real one.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Whats the fun in a gift bag? You don't get to rip anything up, I thought that that was the whole idea, get out your anger because you didn't get what you wanted.
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL! My parents want us to get an artificial one next year, but I'm going to get a real tree, or die trying.
3 . When do you put up the tree? ASAP after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? NEVER! Well, I wish we never did anyway, something about the tree brings the Christmas spirit.
5. Do you like eggnog? HOW DO PEOLE NOT LIKE EGG NOG??? To quote my dad, "I wish there was some vital nutrient that you could only get from egg nog"
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably when we got a nintendo 64, I was convinced my parents would never get one.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? If I had time, I'd count them all, but it's got to be over 600.
8. Hardest person to find a gift for? I have yet to learn the art of Christmas shopping, pretty much everyone is hard for me.
9 . Easiest person to find a gift for? My brother matt, if it's wrapped, he likes it.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Snow or Sunshine on Christmas morning? SNOW! (8) I'm dreaming of a white christmas (8)
12 . Favorite Christmas movie? Without a doubt, It's a Wonderful Life, although I do love Elf as well.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I can shop for 24 presents for 24 people in 24 minutes on Dec. 24th
14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think I ever have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Egg Nog, no question
16 . White lights or colored on tree? White
17. Favorite 3 Christmas songs? Just 3? The Gift (The King's Singers) Patapan and Farandole (The King's Singers) (It's a you-have-to-be-there kind of thing with that one) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (no preference of artist)
18. What gets you into the holiday spirit quickly? The Tree
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yep
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, come on, it's symbolic
21 . Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present on Christas Eve, the rest on Christmas, does anyone do it differently?
22 . Most annoying thing about this time of year? I have to agree with my dad on this one, that sappy song "Christmas Shoes" Blecht
23 . Favorite ornament theme or color? Rich, natural colors, none of this bright fluorescent (sp?) crap.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Stuffing.
25. Favorite Christmas memory? hmm Waking my parents to notify them that we had gotten a sled for Christmas (Elizabeth and I had snuck out to look at the presents. Consistently getting together with my cousin Alex every Christmas to try out our new stuff together.
26. What do you want for Christmas this year? A Wii (Pray hard, donations will be accepted)
27. What Christmas-y thing would you like to keep all year round? The spirit and the anticipation.

Sorry for the length, I tried to keep it interesting.

Trepidation Part 8

In case you haven't been able to tell, I've sorda been avoiding writing this next part because I don't want to ruin this story. I really like it, but I can't think of what to do with it. I've thrown in enough twists, I think it's about time to start the curve where questions will start being answered, not asked, (of course, I'm probably going to write this next part and solve nothing, and confuse everything, and there's really nothing wrong with that, as long as I can bring it all together in the end, which is my problem isn't it? hmm, maybe I should stop accepting the twists to just keep coming, maybe I need to have the attitude that I'm really just digging myself in a deeper hole, hmm....) Well anyway, bear with me, this could get interesting.

Later that night, Rick laid in his bed thinking,

"I'm no Jason Bourne, or Ben Gates," he thought, "This isn't going to be easy to figure out, I know that, but that doesn't mean that sitting and waiting for something to happen is going to help anything"

And with that thought, Rick lifted himself out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans and the same black hoodie he had been wearing the night this had all started. He eased open his window as carefully as possible and lifted himself out. He was lucky, because he had his own room and he was in the basement. Once he was in the window well he gently eased his window shut, leaving it open just a titch (I don't really care if that's not a word).

He went through the back door into the garage and grabbed a shovel (oh man, that would be a sweet place to leave you all hanging, but I have only written like 2 paragraphs, and I want to see where this goes just as bad as you do). Quickly he crossed the street, trying to stay in the shadows as he headed toward the spot where he had seen the picture and the knife (holy crap, I've still got to work the knife in somehow, wow this is going to be fun).

It took him almost three hours, plus a lucky guess as to where he should start digging so that he would come right down on the two objects. His arms were burning, and he quickly shoveled the dirt back in. He had been careful to lift the newly-laid sod off so that he didn't destroy it, and now that he was done, he put it back over the dirt, which was about an inch below the grass around it. Once he was back in his room he turned on his reading lamp to get a better look at the objects. The knife was a fixed hunting knife, it was made by the "Buck Knife Company" as the handle specified. It felt fairly sharp to Rick, though he was no knife expert. It was clear to see, however, that it had been well taken care of through several years.

After just a few minutes of examining the knife, Rick turned his attention to the picture. The printout was clearly recent, more than he could say for the woman in the picture next to him. It was laminated, and the excess plastic had not been trimmed. There were bubbles in the lamination,

"Whoever laminated this must have been in a hurry." thought Rick,

He recognized the image of himself that had been photoshopped into the picture, it was of him on the first day of school.

"Wait a second, I posted that picture on my blog!" he thought, "That's where they must have gotten it! Man, you might as well call me Bourne, he's got nothin' on me!"

As he dwelt on this lightening thought for a moment he thought to look on the back of the picture. There were just two words written in scratchy handwriting:

Find him.

A question and some pictures

Who do you think Jane is?







This is one of the best soccer players in the world. Bonus points if you can name him. (Hint: He plays for Brazil nationally)




This is the best drummer in the world. His name is Neil Peart. Bonus points for anyone who can name what band he's from.












WOW! Super bonus points if you can name this guy, I don't know who he is.

Trepidation/Sidelines of a Cemetary Part 7

Ricks breathing became heavier as he walked endlessly around the cemetary, hoping against hope that the board had been at some other spot. As he rounded the corner on the south side of the cemetary he saw the man, the creepy guy, walking behind a tree. Rick quickly looked away, but glanced back every couple seconds to make sure the man stayed in that spot. The man hadn't seen Rick looking at him, and Rick quickly thought of what to do. He walked straight for the tree, acting as though he was still searching for the hole.

Just as he came within arms-length of the tree, he concentrated all his energy on hurling himself around the tree and hitting the man as hard as he could.

He was successful, he planted one right in the man's gut. The man was holding a baseball bat,

"Big suprise," thought Rick as he lunged again at the man, grabbing the bat and ripping it from his suprised enemy. He held up the bat threateningly and said,

"All right, now I want you to tell me everything" The man turned quickly on the spot and began to run. Rick swung at his legs, but missed horribly, he never was very good at baseball. He tossed the bat aside and gave chase. He caught up and tackled him from behind. This time he took no chances, putting the man in a tight headlock and bashing his face with his other hand.

"TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Rick screamed, giving him three good blows to the cheeks and chin. He stopped to allow the man to talk.

"I'm sorry," the man said, "I can't tell you anything"

Rick lifted his leg, threateningly over the man's man-parts.

"I'll do it," Rick warned, "I'm in control here"

"Ok, her name is Jane, and I laid the sod"

"Jane?" Rick thought, "What is he talking about"

As Rick thought, he loosened his grip just enough for the man to deliver a blow to Rick's diaphram which allowed him to escape. Rick tried to get up, but could not for several seconds.

When he did, the man was gone.

Trepidation Part 6

"Where were you?" asked Rick's mom.

"I went running," replied Rick,

"In this weather?"

"Ya, but it wasn't coming down quite as much when I went out" Rick said, rubbing his head and grimacing.

"What's the matter?" asked his mom

"I hit my head"

Rick's mother examined the back of his head and gasped at the size of the bump.

"Ya, it really hurts" said Rick.

"How did you fall?" asked his mom

"I tripped over the ball." said Rick

"This was from the pavement?"

"Ya."

"So you just went for a little run in the rain, huh?"

"Just like I always do."

"What is it with you and rain?" she said, more to herself than to him.

"Oh and mom, when I was running there was a freshly dug grave, but it had a piece of plywood over it, so I lifted it up-"

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"I just lifted it up to see if there was anything under it, and there was a knife."

"A knife?"

"Ya."

"Ok I think you've had enough fun teasing me for tonight, why don'-"

"No mom, I'm serious."

"Mmhmm, I know, now why don't you go shower and wait till your dad gets home to look at your head."

"Mom, I'm not lying."

"Just go, you're soaking wet."

The impact from the shower water hurt his head, and the water stung the bloody wound. He didn't use shampoo, figuring that if the water stung, fragrant soap was probably not going to feel like a fluffy pillow on his head either. Suddenly it worried him, when would he be able to wash his hair? Well, without immense pain at least. He got out and tenderly dried his head, thinking about what to do now. He hadn't lied, but he hadn't told the whole truth either. He went into his family room and turned on "Who's Line is it Anyway" and soon fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day he awoke to the smell of eggs and bacon.

"Is there a better way to start off a day? Especially a Saturday." Rick thought, "Maybe I should set up a George Foreman in my room."

He pulled himself up the stairs, driven by the juicy aroma of the bacon. He got upstairs and dished himself up more than his fair-share of bacon and eggs.

"Thanks Dad" he said, hoping that his dad realized that he really was grateful for a good start to his day, especially after the day he had had yesterday.

He killed a couple hours by watching T.V. and surfing the internet. At about 11 o'clock he went upstairs into his living room and glanced out the window. It was still wet and lightly raining, and some city workers were there digging a grave somewhat near the hole he had visited yesterday.

"Perfect timing," he thought. He had been waiting for someone else to be in the cemetary, so there would be witnesses. He slipped on some sweats and the same hoodie he had been wearing yesterday. He quickly jogged around, so it didn't appear obvious. He jogged around the same way he had before, avoiding the neighbors fence this time though. As he approached the spot he saw that the plywood was gone. But not just the plywood, there was no hole, no fresh soil, just grass.

Nothing but grass.

Just FYI

I now have links on my posts, so you can see all the sections of my story if you click on the link "my story." So, uhh, ya! :)

Trepidation/The Antics and Adventures of Rick Rick Ricky, Ricky Raccoon Part 5

The ride was strange and his head throbbed. He thought about trying to keep track of how many turns they took and how long between each turn, but after a while he realized that according to the turns he was keeping track of, they were going in circles.

After what seemed like hours the car stopped and the man finally spoke,

"Get out" he said.

Rick took off the blindfold and saw that he was just a block away from his house.

"You could drive me the rest of the way if you wanted to." said Rick, trying to lighten the mood and make the guy happy.

"Ha.....Ha......Ha" the man mockingly laughed, "Just shut up and get out of the car"

"Sheesh, who peed in your cheerios?" Rick said as he jumped out of the car and ran off with his ball. He glanced back and saw that it was an old tan Acura Integra without a license plate.

It was late and the rain had really picked up. As Rick passed one of his neighbor's houses he glanced inside to look at their massive clock. 9:15.

"Wow, I must have been blacked out longer than I thought." Rick rubbed the back of his head and nearly fell from the excruciating pain. He couldn't remember ever going through that amount of pain. He glanced at his hand and saw that it was covered in blood.

"Oh man," Rick thought aloud, "I didn't realize that it was cut open" He wiped his hand on the wet grass and shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie.

"What am I going to tell my parents?" he thought. As he approached the corner where his house was, he sat down on the curb and thought about what he could say. He didn't know if he really wanted to tell them. He figured it was the right thing to do, but it just didn't feel right.

"What would they even do anyway?" he thought, "I have no proof, no way to lead them anywhere, just a story, that's all, just a story."

Suggestions, Anyone?

Dear Reader,

I desperately need suggestions on a name for my story. The time to name this thrilling tale has long since past, and my canty ability to creatively name stories seems to be running dry at the moment (or maybe it's just cause I don't know where it's going). If I don't choose to use your idea, it's probably because it sucks. But don't feel bad, skills that I have are not given out like candy. After all, if we were all as creative as I, then no one would be creative at all.

Sincerely,
Josh "shua" Crowley

Part 4

Ok so I told my friends that this can't just be a "and then he woke up and saved the day" type of story. It's got to be unexpected, intriguing (sp?), high-flying, exciting, adventerous, thri-ok I think you get the point. I've got christmas music playing, light's on, it's a near-perfect creative-juice-free-flowing environment (I would have a cup of Egg Nog next to me, but I'm going out to eat in not too long, because of a BYU vs. U*** bet I won with my young mens leader). Anyway, at this point, as I'm typing this very sentence, I have no idea where this story is going. So say a quick prayer and (hopefully) enjoy.

As Rick came-to, he heard an unfamiliar voice,

"This yours?"

His eyes slowly adjusted and he saw that the creepy hooded man was spinning his ball on his middle finger. Rick's immaturity shone through as he wondered if the man was spinning on his middle finger for any particular reason. Up close Rick could see that the man was probably no older than 26 or 27. He had black hair, and those deep, cold, piercing eyes. He had some stubble on his strong chin and high cheek bones. He looked like a guy who had been through a lot.

He was laying on hard white mattress that reminded him of the hospital. The room wasn't big, but not small either. It was actually kinda homey (don't laugh at that word, if you do, you're...dumb). The walls were a warm, tan color and the carpet was a clean, inviting, yet creepy shade of black.

"Umm, ya. But you can have it if it'll get me outta here." Rick hoped that he sounded, mature, tough-like.

"Haha," the man chuckled, "I imagine this is all really strange for you."

"What is "This"?" Rick asked, scared and annoyed.

"For now, I just want to ask you some questions, then I'll take you home"

"Umm, okay" Rick said, figuring he was in for more than just some questions.

"Why do you like soccer?" the man asked.

"It's fun" Rick replied, not wanting to go into detail.

"Go into detail"

"Ok, it's unique, simple, you can always get better...it kinda defines me" Rick said

'What the crap' thought Rick 'I wonder if this has anything at all to do with what I saw in the cemetary.'

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green, do you want an explanation?"

"Yes"

"It's rich, has depth, and makes me smile."

"Interesting, what is your greatest fear?" the man asked.

"Not having control"

"Why?"

"Does it need explanation." Rick replied with an edge in his voice, he tried to make it more of a statement than a question.

"What do you think about death?"

This caught him off-guard.

"Death?" Rick repeated, trying not to sound scared, though he knew he did.

"Yes"

"It's sad, and I think interfering with it is a big mistake" he hoped the man got his message.

"Ok, for safety I need you to wear a blindfold, or I can just knock you out again"

"I'll wear the blindfold"

"Fair enough"

Part 3

Rick felt his stomach crash into his tonsils with a bang.

Those eyes.

It felt as though they were piercing his soul, and corrupting it with creepiness.

"What do I do?" He thought, turning around and walking the other direction as though he had intended to.

"He's in between me and my house, I have nowhere to go, it's raining and I'm in short-shorts." He looked over his shoulder and saw that the hooded man was gone, leaving only the bench he had been sitting on behind him. Rick released an apprehensive sigh of relief and turned around and started the now eternally-long walk home.

As he walked he could not stop invisioning those eyes. They stayed in his mind like tree sap stays on your hands forever. He remembered a time when he had foolishly carved a pine stick with his new pocket knife and covered it in sap. He had taken the knife inside and started washing it off. As he rubbed it with his fingers, he had suddenly slipped and sliced open the heel of his hand. At first it hadn't hurt too much, but then searing pain had entered his hand and gone up his arm. That's how these eyes were, searing in his brain and filling his whole body with their image.

As Rick remembered this experience he came closer and closer to home. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move behind the tree he had just passed. Before he could turn around, something hard hit him in the back of the head and blackness took over everything.

Except those eyes.

Ok, I really want to continue my story, but I have a couple of things on my mind that I would like to share. The two ideas are completely unrelated, but that's okay, right?

Something my teachers quorum advisor said during quorum meeting on Sunday has really stuck with me. He said,

"There is always someone around to benefit from your courage to do what's right." That has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever heard, and I assume it's almost always correct. Whether or not it seems like someone has benefited from your courage to stand up for what you believe in and do what's right, I'm sure there is someone.

In a kind of backward, it's-only-going-to-make-sense-to-me sort of way, this concept reminds me of something Elder Ballard once said (this is not a direct quote),

"Sin will always result in suffering, it may come sooner, or it may come later, but it will always come." I shared this concept (the one my advisor shared) in my home-teaching lesson yesterday, and I gave one of my favorite examples from the book of mormon and if you don't have anything to study tonight, may I suggest Alma chapter 48.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now on a completely seperate note, I'm feeling a little guilty and yet defensive. To show why, I'll tell you a story.

There once were 3 boys, Josh Crowley, Tyler Wolfley, and Kory Carlson. Josh was a BYU fan and Kory was a Utah fan, they enjoyed good-spiritedly trash-talking during math class which they had with Tyler.

Neither Kory nor Josh really knew Tyler and rarely talked to him, and never about anything besides math. One day, after a particularly gratifying BYU win over Utah, Kory jokingly told Josh that he didn't want to talk to him today. Josh laughed and half-said, half-sang,

"Go Mighty Cougars!"

"SHUT UP" said Tyler, unexpectedly. Josh chuckled and figured that Tyler must be a Ute fan as well.

"Tell me to shut up again, come on" Josh jokingly taunted. Turning in his chair to face Josh, Tyler said,

"You know what, I'm a cougar fan too, but you're the most flippin' annoying kid I know!"

Completely befuddled, Josh blew off the comment and figured that he didn't really care what Tyler thought about him, he didn't even know him for crying out loud.

The End

As I'm sure you all noticed, this wasn't a pretend story. :) It was real and it happened to me in math today. Now while I still don't really care what Tyler thinks, because he hasn't gotten a chance to know me, I have since remembered something I said on Thursday that I regret.

I said that my motto was "Kill the Utes." I really didn't mean it, I'm just a really big fan of BYU as I hope you all know, but I definitely need to watch it, some people may not be very thick-skinned, and could easily take offense to things I say.

So why am I telling you this? I don't really know, I guess it's kind-of an apology and an explanation of the fact that I really don't lose respect for anyone who is a utah fan. I really don't hate ute fans or players, I'm just very strongly-oppinionated and I think I sometimes need to turn it down a notch.



I'm not the most annoying person any of you guys know, right?

(Yay! 17-10, What a great game!)

Need Ideas

HOLY CRAP!!!

The BYU game is tomorrow! I'm on the 40 yard line, 20 rows up! I can't concentrate on anything! I really need ideas of how to pass the time. Please help a desperate soul.

Sincerely,

Josh Crowley

In This Week of Needed Inspiration

As you all know, Saturday is a special day, but this Saturday is far past special. BYU vs U***. 'Nuff said. So, in this week of ultimate anticipation and holiness, I will now share with you my three favorite poems of all time, which all happen to be inspiring, a much needed emotion this Saturday.

1. The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost (1874–1963)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
 
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
     
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
        
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
      
As cool as this poem is, I have a really hard time interpreting exactly what he is saying, so if you have an idea I'd love to hear it.

INVICTUS

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

I love this poem, so inspiring. But, this next one is cooler.

The Soul's Captain
by Orson F. Whitney

Art thou in truth?
Then what of Him who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood,

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear--
The God who died that man might live
And endless glory share.

Of what avail thy vaunted strength
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul! Forsooth,
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine--free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that "head unbowed,"
Small part of life's great whole,
And see in Him and Him alone,
The captain of thy soul.

As you can probably see, Orson wrote this poem in response of William Henley's poem. What an awesome poem!



Conference Championships over the last 30 years:

BYU: 23
U***: 2
 

Plan of Happiness

My uncle died last night. I don't really know what emotions I'm having if any. I loved him, and still love him, with the greatest love possible for someone who I never really knew. It's hard and I know that most of you who will be reading this will understand the situation. But through all of this, I'm just glad that I know that I can see him again, that he is happy, and that he didn't die at some random moment, Heavenly Father took him back at the right time. I know that, and I'm so glad that through this hard situation, I have the knowledge that our savior loves us and died for us and someday, I'll see my uncle John and get to know him and see what a great guy he was.

Who indeed can harm you if you are committed deeply to doing what is right?
- I Peter

My Story That Has Yet To Be Named Because I Don't Know Where I'm Going With It; Part 2

Ok first off, for the ridiculous amount of comments regarding "Kylie" aka Camille, my next door neighbor: I'm over her, but that doesn't mean I can't think she's attractive. From this moment on, "Kylie" was never in the story, and I don't want to hear any mention about it. Sheesh! I make one reference to a girl and all the teenage guys (and my dad!) have to make some smart comment about it.

Rick jumped out of the hole and then was suddenly glued to the spot.

"What now?" he thought as he looked back in at the knife and picture, "I've seen them, and I can't just pretend I didn't, it'll haunt me for years"

He quickly scanned the area to see if anyone was watching him. When he saw no one was around he thought,

"What am I doing, it's a frickin' picture and a knife, they're not going to attack me."

Gently he lowered himself back into the hole and picked up the picture. He wiped off the mud with the sleeve of his sweater and held the picture up to see it in the dim light. What he saw caused him to drop the picture as if it were on fire.

It was him! He was in the picture with an old woman who he had never seen before.

After a minute he again he regained his composure and managed to pick up the picture again. As he looked more closely, he could see he had been poorly photoshopped into the picture. The proportion of his body to the tree next to him was all wrong.

"What the crap!?" he thought slowly, "I'M IN THIS PICTURE!"

Having lost all feeling, he slowly lifted himself out of the hole and covered it with the plywood as it had been before. He started to walk home when he something caught his eye.

A hunched figure staring right at him from across the cemetary.

Presenting: A Josh Crowley Original Series *Revised Edition*

When I was writing part 1 of my original series, my plan was to go back and add more detail, proofread, make better word selections, etc. However, my sister needed the computer RIGHT NOW!!! So I didn't, but I'm going to now, probably more for my sake than yours, but hey.

Rick Somner swung open his front door and inhaled deeply the heavy, pre-storm air.

"Perfect timing." he thought.

He slipped on a sweatshirt and some just-a-little-too-short shorts, in hopes that Kylie, his incredibly attractive next-door neighbor might glance out the window as he jogged in the lukewarm rain.

He stepped out the door and felt the first raindrops fall on his nose and eyelashes,

"Why do I love this so much?" he questioned, for as long as he could remember he had loved running through the cemetary in the cool, thick fall air of a rainstorm. Something to do with the heavy, wet-asphault smell and the colored leaves that fell as he jogged by absorbed him.

As Rick jogged through the cemetary, he thought about life. He enjoyed school, couldn't wait to date, and appreciated things most teenagers didn't. He had worked for the first time over the summer and was still enjoying the all-powerful feeling of his strengthened muscles. He loved sports and soaked up a good game like a sponge. Soccer encompassed him, (see, this is already becoming a narrative about my life) and felt that soccer in a way defined him. Unique and fascinating, soccer took a completely different mindset from most other sports. Yet it was so simple, put the ball in the goal.

As he rounded his lap around the cemetary, he crossed the street and grabbed a ball from his backyard. He lifted the ball to his face and, for just a second, stood and smelled the ball and the grass and the rain.

Back in the cemetary, he took a couple juggles of the ball to warm his legs. When he felt his muscles get warm and stretched out, he trapped the ball with immense precision on the asphault in front of him. He envisioned his opponent and took a touch forward. He faked right and went left, going full speed, he popped the ball up with his foot, took a touch off his thigh and WHAM! he smashed the ball into a vine-covered fence, across the cemetary.

"Hey! You 'bout gave me heart attack. You're going to put a whole in my fence you little terd! I'll call the cops on you if you ever slam a ball into my fence again!" said an deep, old voice behind the vines.

"I'm so sorry!" Rick replied, scared half to death.

"Ya you better be" replied the old man.

Rick scampered off, wishing he hadn't kicked the ball and cursing the old man under his breath.

"It's a freakin' chain-link fence" he thought "I mean, I can see that I scared him, but come on! What a loser." As he gave the incident more thought than it deserved, he noticed a plywood board laying in an empty part of the cemetary.

"That's weird" he thought. He remembered a time when a funeral had been delayed a couple of hours on a rainy day and they had layed a board over the hole. He had assumed at the time that they just didn't want the soil muddy. But today, it was already 5:00, they wouldn't be doing a funeral tonight.

"It must have been planned for today, but postponed till tomorrow" he figured. "Wait a minute, tomorrow is Sunday, surely there won't be a funeral tomorrow." Out of curiosity, he went and lifted up the plywood to see if there was anything underneath.

The clouds had blocked out most of the light and he had to lift the board off the hole to see inside. He saw the corner of something sticking out of the dirt at the bottom of the hole. He jumped in and moved some dirt around with his foot.

His heart stopped at what he had uncovered.

An old knife and a muddy picture.

Presenting: A Josh Crowley Original Series

Lately I've been thinking about how the name of this blog is Creative Corner, and none of my posts are really that creative. Usually when I write, the most creative things I can think to write about are: Soccer, Waterskiing, and BYU football, as you can already see from my previous posts. I'm going to make a valiant attempt to get you, my readers, and the rest of America hooked on an original Josh Çrowley series. No really, I'll do my best, but I do not profess to be a great writer, so bear with me as I venture off into the world of creative twists and turns, in what will probably turn out to be a pretty cliche, boring story.

Rick Somner opened his front door and inhaled deeply the pre-storm air.

"Perfect timing" he thought. He slipped on a sweatshirt and some just-a-little-too-short shorts, in hopes that Kylie, his incredibly attractive next-door neighbor might glance out the window as he went running in the lukewarm rain.

He stepped out the door and felt the first raindrops fall on his nose and eyelashes,

"Why do I love this so much?" he questioned. For as long as he could remember he had loved running through the cemetary in the cool, thick fall air of a rainstorm. It had something to do with the heavy, wet-asphault smell and the leaves that fell as he jogged by.

As he jogged through the cemetary, he thought about life. He was about ready to start dating, enjoyed school, and could appreciate things most teenagers didn't. He had worked for the first time over the summer and was still enjoying the all-powerful feeling of his strengthened muscles. He loved sports and had a real passion for soccer, (see, this is already becoming a narrative about my life) and felt that soccer in a way defined him. It was unique, fascinating, and took a completely different mindset from most other sports. Yet it was so simple, put the ball in the goal.

As he rounded his lap around the cemetary, he crossed the street and grabbed a ball from his backyard. He lifted the ball to his face and, for a second, just stood and smelled the ball and the grass and the rain.

Back in the cemetary, he took a couple juggles of the ball and then let it drop. He envisioned his opponent and took a touch forward, he faked right and went left, popped the ball up with his foot going full speed now, took a touch off his thigh and WHAM! he smashed the ball into the vine-covered fence, across the cemetary.

"Hey! You're going to put a whole in my fence you little terd! You about gave me heart attack and I'll call the cops on you if you ever slam a ball into my fence again!" said an old voice behind the vines.

"I'm so sorry!" Rick replied, scared half to death.

"Ya you better be" replied the old man.

Rick scampered off, both wishing he hadn't kicked the ball and cursing the old man under his breath.

"It's a freakin' chain-link fence" he thought "I mean, I can see that I scared him, but come on! What a loser." As he gave the incident more thought than it deserved, he noticed a plywood board laying in an empty part of the cemetary.

"That's weird" he thought, he had seen that done before, when a funeral got delayed a couple of hours on a rainy day. He had assumed at the time that they just didn't want the soil muddy. But today, it was already 5:00, they wouldn't be doing a funeral tonight.

"It must have been planned for today, but postponed till tomorrow" he figured. "Wait a minute, tomorrow is Sunday, surely there won't be a funeral tomorrow." Out of curiosity, he went and lifted up the plywood to see if there was anything underneath. His heart stopped at what he saw at the bottom of the hole.

A knife and a picture.

Stealing Ideas From My Aunts Blog

For one of her posts, my aunt gave 30 blog posting ideas. One was to describe what it's like to argue with you, and another was to list your obsessions. I am going to combine these and post my first real BYU post, because today we have a HUGE game that I'm psyched about.

First of all, I don't recall ever losing a BYU vs. U*** argument, it doesn't happen. Now I'm going to list stats, my opinions, and anything else I can think of explaining why BYU is the better school. Please don't let this offend anyone, I just love BYU, and if it offends you, grow up.

1) Heisman trophy winners: BYU 1; Utah 0

2) Ty Detmer All-Time Passing Yards: 15,031; Utah All-Time Passing Leader: Not even close to 15,031

3) National Championships: BYU 1; Utah 0

4) Steve Young went to BYU

5) Record between BYU and U*** from 1972-1992: 19-2

6) Current Coaches: BYU: Stud, Bronco Mendenhall; Utah: Traitor, Kyle Whittingham

Don't Read this Kate:

7) Doesn't the church run BYU?

8) U*** fans make the arguement that President Hinckley went to Utah, who named BYU's Stadium?

9) U*** fans make the arguement that Brigham Young founded U***, DUH! BYU is named AFTER him!

10) U*** fans always make the arguement that U*** holds the all-time record. Ya, but you know what, the biggest reason is because back before anyone who is currently living was born, BYU was horrible! CONGRADULATIONS UTAH! BACK WHEN FOOTBALL DIDN'T MATTER, YOU WERE GOOD AT FOOTBALL! WHOOPDEE FRICKIN' DOO!

My last current, off the top of my head, listable reason:
11) 89 words:

Snap to John, John backpedals, plenty of time, plenty of time, plenty of time, he's moving to his left, shuffling, shuffling, shuffling, all kinds of time, now the heat comes, he's gotta run to the right, John Beck is on the run, he throws behind him it is...CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! JOHNNY HARLINE GOT IT FOR THE SCORE! HARLINE, BY HIMSELF IN THE ENDZONE! THE COUGARS WIN IT! ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME!
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!

Go Cougars.

List of 15 great books I've read in no particular order.

(I would put authors, but I'm not sure on all of them, if you want to know who one of the books is by, say so in your comment [because I know ALL of you are going to comment] and I'll see if I can find it for you)

1. Princess Bride

2. The Alchemist

3. Bleachers

4. The Harry Potter Series

5. The Firm

6. The Giver

7. My Brother Made Me Do It

8. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

9. The Alex Rider Series (I haven't read all of them..yet)

10. The Outsiders

11. Number the Stars

12. Hatchet

13. Petey

14. My Side of the Mountain

15. Guts

We are like tea bags - we don't know our own strength until we're in hot water.
       - Sister Busche

Some Quotes and a Story.

Have I really not posted in a week? My sincerest apologies, (although apparently only two people read my blog). I even missed quotable Friday!

"You could open my heart and you'd see that it's true."

"Merry Christmas you old building and loan! Merry Christmas Mr. Potter! Merry Christmas Mr. Bank Examiner! I know isn't it great, I'm going to jail!"

"And I know (echo: and I know), yes I know that it's plain to see, we're so in love when we're together."

And now a story from Friday.

I'm sitting in AP Euro, trying my hardest to keep my eyes open, and thinking about the 1 zillionth king of England, when all of a sudden I hear a voice,

"Can I borrow Josh for a minute?"

It was a girl from the symphonic band.

Ok, interjection here. At the beginning of the year in band, we had a placement tryout. Symphonic band is the highest, then concert band, and then there are the people who just want to be able to say they play drums and they don't even get to be in a band. I tried-out and I thought that I did horribly. I did not play well at all. But, I now know that it must have been very interesting for Mr. Chaston, my band teacher, because some of the tryouts...well how do I put this...they can't hold sticks, let alone play the music he gave us. Anyway, shockingly I made it into Symphonic Band. Which is quite an honor for a sophmore to make symphonic band. But still, I'm the ONLY sophmore in symphonic band, not just the only sophmore percussionist, I'm the only sophmore in ALL of symphonic band. Anywho, I have mixed feelings about this, I'm getting to play way more fun music than concert band is, so I guess it's pretty much okay.

Now back to the original story.

"Sure, you can borrow Josh" My teacher said.

I stood up and followed her out into the hall.

"We're playing "Ghost Train" for the assembly and you need to go set up" she said

(Ghost Train is the piece we had played for the concert the night before, and now, without warning, Mr. Chaston wanted us to play it for the Harvest assembly.)

"Okay" I said.

So after I got down there, I started getting equipment out, and we realized that based on the assembly schedule, we needed to get the timpani onto the stage a different way than the rest of the equipment. So I was wandering onstage, trying to see a way that we could get all of the timpani past the many props and scrap wood that is backstage. It was pitch dark, because they were testing a movie on the projector that they were going to show in the assembly.

Somehow I wandered my way onto the front of the stage with another kid from percussion. When we got to the front, the stage crew started screaming at us.

"GET OFF THE STAGE! HURRY UP! GET OFF RIGHT NOW! COME ON! GET OFF!!!"

Now, I still don't know why they wanted us off stage. I have no explantion. Needless to say, I was afraid that I might be hit by a train any minute. I started hurrying toward the front of the stage to get off. I didn't think I was anywhere close to the edge, but I was.

So yeah, I fell off the stage, hit the first step on my knee, and skidded down the second and third steps on my shin. I have a big old scrape and I was bleeding all over and stuff. No one really saw me, 'cause it was dark but I still feel really embarassed, so EVERYONE who reads this should make really comforting, I've-done-that-same-type-of-thing comments, so that I feel better about myself.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.
-Anonymous

Percussion!

Last Wednesday was Elizabeths first concert, since then I have been thinking a lot about Mr. Wolf, my old band teacher. He was so cool, he was the perfect teacher. He understands exactly how students will react to his criticism and compliments, plus he knows what he is teaching. I'm going to share some of my favorite Mr. Wolf memories.

In one of our last concerts of my 9th grade year, Mr. Wolf did an improv vibraphone solo for jazz band. It was so cool! He is amazing, his tie was flippin', hands flying, and veins bulging. He is always really modest in class, and that was the first time I ever got to see him really go at it. AWESOME!

Iron Cross. This was one of Mr. Wolf's favorite punishments. It involves: bending the knees until your thighs burn, extending your arms out, wrists up at a 90 degree angle, thumb and index finger in an "L" shape, back and neck straight, and pain.

One time we were practicing out in the hall, and got really bored, so (without thinking) we started playing flies up with our practice pads. Mr. Wolf came out...Iron Cross.

In 9th grade, our band had the chance to play in St. George in a big competition that was a really big deal. We worked REALLY hard. We had at least 2-3 two and a half hour rehearsals a week. We played really well in the festival, and we sent the recording in to a national competitions of Jr. Highs and High Schools. We finished in the top ten.

Mr. Wolf's favorite saying is "Good is the enemy of great." What a great life lesson.


"Good is the enemy of great"
Heath Wolf, "Wolfman"

Quotable Friday!

I've been sick all day, but I'm feeling better; however, if the quotes seem abnormally easy, blame my sick tummy.

Jimmy quit, Joey got married, shoulda known we'd never get far.

He might be okay, (Big explosion) Well, probably not now.

Despite the low comment numbers

Despite the small amount of comments, I'll trust that there are people still wondering about the two "Quotable Friday" answers.

I believe there is a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own.
Summer Highland Falls by Billy Joel. Really hard to say but this might be my favorite Billy Joel song, which means it might be my favorite song.

If you give me 99%, my job will be very, very easy.
From the movie, "Miracle" He is telling the players that they better give him everything they've got, or else he'll cut them. Great movie!

I HAVE AN A- IN AP EURO. EVERYONE CHEER LOUDLY! I HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ANY OF THE EXTRA CREDIT FOR THIS TERM YET! ("yet" being the keyword!)

"Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it."
Anonymous

Quotable Friday!

Hey, sorry that last post didn't work, I wasn't really thinking about what would happen when you all commented. But that last post did inspire me to start a new tradition:

Quotable Fridays!

Every Friday I'm going to quote 1-3 movie, tv show, or music lines and hopefully they will be hard enough that it'll work. We'll see. But first things first: (sorry, for some reason my computer won't let me italicize or bold anything so it might be hard to move from music line to answer)

1. This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name.
Remember the Name by Fort Minor. This is a great "get pumped before a game" song, I know it from BYU highlight videos.

2. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet, just a man and his will to survive.
Of course, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, again, a great get-pumped song.

3. Join in the fight, that will give you the right to be free.
Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables. I don't really like any other music from musicals, but I really like Les Mis

4. Lift me up so high that I cannot fall.
Flood by Jars of Clay. I really really liked this song for a while and now I'm a little burned out, still a cool song though.

5. You've got me stealin' your love away, 'cause you never give it.
Time For Me To Fly by REO Speedwagon. What can I say, I'm my fathers son.

6. I don't know what it is, but I have to laugh when she reveals me.
She's Got A Way by Billy Joel of course, I used to love the Rockin' Billy stuff (still do) but I'm coming to appreciate more his mellow classics.

7. Did you think that I would cry on the phone?
Swing Swing by All-American Rejects. Of the small array of newer music that I have, this is one of my favorites, I had to throw some in that you old-timers wouldn't know.

8. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
Time Of Your Life by Green Day (actually I just found out that they didn't write this song, but I've never heard the original and I don't know who its by) one of my favorite songs.

9. We should get jerseys, 'cause we make a good team.
Must Have Done Something Right by Relient K. This is another song in my small "newer" collection. Awesome song.

10. I think sometimes you forget where the heart is.
Empty Apartment by Yellowcard. I like this song, but not as much as most of the songs on here.

(I am really enjoying this, so I'm going to do 5 more)

11. Reaching ever upward to the light, no growth for them has come with ease.
Constance by My Uncle Jesse (hmm thats going to sound like it's the band name) no really, it's by my uncle, whose name is Jesse. I think it might bug him or crack him up (correct me if I'm wrong Jesse) but I still like his older stuff)

12. I'm your only friend, I'm not your only friend, but I'm a little glowing friend, but really I'm not actually your friend, but I am.
Birdhouse in your Soul by They Might Be Giants. If you like comedy style music (like Weird Al) you have to listen to They Might Be Giants.

13. Move like a jellyfish, rhythm is nothing, you go with the flow, you don't stop.
Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson. Currently, this is in the 18 way tie for my favorite mellow song.

14. What will it take till you believe in me, the way that I believe in you?
Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel. What can I say about Billy, he says it all in his songs.

15. Have you ever heard the sounds in the shadows of a song?
Every Ship Must Sail Away by Blue Merle. Blue Merle holds like 5 of the 18 top mellow song slots, they're awsome.

Hard to say who the winner is, Matt got all but 3 (in the comment I deleted) but he googled all the ones he didn't know and I don't totally trust that he knew all the ones he said that he didn't google. I hope that was fun though!

Quotable Friday Mystery Quotes:

I believe there is a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own.

If you give me 99%, my job will be very, very easy.

Music is Great

In case anyone hasn't been able to tell, I think a lot. And I love things like quotes or songs that me think and get inspired/excited. Today I'm going to write some of my favorite lines from some of my favorite songs and you guys see how many you can name the song or artist.

If I had money to burn, I would offer some kind of prize, like a gift certificate or something, but unfortunately I don't have money to burn so your motivation is how happy you'll make me by commenting.

1. This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name. (for those of you who know this one, don't worry, I listen to the clean version)

2. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet, just a man and his will to survive.

3. Join in the fight, that will give you the right to be free.

4. Lift me up so high that I cannot fall.

5. You've got me stealin' your love away, 'cause you never give it.

6. I don't know what it is, but I have to laugh when she reveals me.

7. Did you think that I would cry on the phone?

8. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

9. We should get jerseys, 'cause we make a good team.

10. I think sometimes you forget where the heart is.

(I am really enjoying this, so I'm going to do 5 more)

11. Reaching ever upward to the light, no growth for them has come with ease.

12. I'm your only friend, I'm not your only friend, but I'm a little glowing friend, but really I'm not actually your friend, but I am.

13. Move like a jellyfish, rhythm is nothing, you go with the flow, you don't stop.

14. What will it take till you believe in me, the way that I believe in you?

15. Have you ever heard the sounds in the shadows of a song?

After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
-Aldous Huxley

P.S. Sorry, I didn't think about how you will all be able to see what other people guessed, so just write the ones you know (i.e. I know 3 for sure, and I'm pretty sure about 12, 4, and 8) and tomorrow I will reveal the answers.

Juggling

I know I've already mentioned it in several posts, but I L-O-V-E soccer. The uniqueness (is that a word) of the game, the conditioning it takes, the feeling that you must play as a team and yet one person can make a difference in the game.

One of my favorite aspects of soccer is juggling. The concentration that it takes and the way it really does improve your performance of the field facinates me. I still remember when I first started juggling:

My dad and I would go out in our back yard at our old house, and juggle between us. We would keep track of our record, but we allowed one bounce. (I hope that made sense to everyone.) I didn't really like it at first, it was hard and my dad was better than me and I was usually the one who screwed things up. I think our highest record was 13, and when we got it we were ecstatic!

I beat my personal record again on Friday, now it's 710. Although I know I should be thrilled with that accomplishment, I'm not. The biggest reason is this: Another kid on my team is also really good at juggling, although we aren't super competitive, it is always my goal to beat his record when his is higher than mine and vice versa (sp?). Reubens record is 721. I missed it by 11. Ya, frustrating. But it's ok, Reuben is Columbian, he's better than me by birth :-)

Anyway, as I have been thinking about juggling lately I have realized how similar to life it is; no matter how good I get, I still drop it sometimes. Sometimes I make a really bad mistake, I juggle for 710 times, and all of a sudden, I drop it!

Sometimes in life we think we've got it all figured out, left-right left-right thigh-thigh left-right right-left. We've got a great rythm going and then...BAM we drop the ball. We screw up.

It can be frustrating when we realize we're never going to juggle for our whole lives, we're going to drop it, no matter what, at some point we're going to drop it. But the great thing is that when we do, the ball will always be waiting for us to beat our record again, and we get better every time we try.

The ball is always waiting
- Josh Crowley

Daniel Powter

Bad Day. More like a bad mood, but it's kind of a bad day too. My blog won't let me customize anything, I'm getting agitated with people easily, I have a slight headache, and I don't really want to go do my chores. So I'm going to try to write my emotions all out onto this blog and be happy for the rest of the day.

It is the drive when you can't go on
It is the strength to stand when you know you will fall
It is the power when power is lost
It is the force that lifts you through the blood, sweat, and tears
It is the intensity in the veins of a winner
It is the concentration required for the victory
It is the knowledge acquired after hours of intense practice
It eats Wheaties for breakfast
It lays awake at night
It knows no boundaries
It hears no whistle
It dwells deep in the heart of a champion
Waiting to be called upon
What is it?
It is will
It is determination
It is desire
It is passion
It is ardor
It is love for the game

Joga Bonito-The Beautiful Game

(I want a really sweet soccer picture right here, but unfortunately I'm on dial up)

I beat my juggling record last night, 564.


"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
Vince Lombardi

P.S. If you like to read my incredible blog, but I don't know you, SWEET! But I would like it if you told me if I should know you or if you just happened to come across my blog and you like it.

The Amazing Mr. Woo

Thanks For Commenting even though it was misleadingwhen I saw that there were 7 comments because thomas and matt both posted twice

Fine dad, I won't be *just* like you. I'll only be *mostly* like you. Jk, thanks to everyone who commented.

I wrote this in 9th grade.

Oh What Fun It Is To Water-Ski

I hear the zipper and now I’m awake
My muscles are sore and I’m starting to quake
Soon I remember, the sooner the better
Quickly goes on my black, hooded sweater

A little hot chocolate I quickly sip
And I try to forget about my sore hip
After a bite of muffin, we’re on the lake
And the feeling I’m getting is sweeter than cake

I slip off my shirt and I want to dose
A whiff of smoke softly brushes my nose
I remember last night, with the music and laughs
A little more sleep could’ve helped my calves

I quickly dive in, and catch my breath
The soreness in my muscles now feels like death
I surface the water and slip on my ski
Ah! Now it’s warm, I just went pee

I’m on top of the water and it’s smooth as glass
No boats to see, no boats to pass
This feels like heaven, I’m totally free
My soreness forgot, I don’t feel so achy

With freedom of motion, I zig and I zag
The tighter the turn, the less the sag
As I make a cut, my body moans
I’m gonna hit the water, I feel it in my bones

I hit the water, as hard as concrete,
Again my body and the soreness meet
I was just getting dry! Now I’m all wet
I search for my ski, which I swim to get

I’m limp and tired and back in the boat
Oh, how grateful I am that it can float
“Give me a rest!” is my body’s plea
Yet oh what fun it is to water-ski


"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

My 100 things

I am going to attempt to think of 100 things about myself.

1. I love the rain

2. I catch myself thinking about thinking, which I then realize is really thinking about thinking about thinking, which I then realize in thinking about thinking about thinking about thinking, then I realize tha-oh you get the point.

3. I love to write poems, but they usually aren't that great.

4. Today in computer tech, I hit 78 words per minute! I think thats a high for me. (Of course, it was just typing a pretty simple sentence over and over, but hey, I'll count it.)

5. Along with eternity, my mind cannot comprehend how people can't see that BYU is the best school ever (ok that sounds a little over the top, but I'm serious, it doesn't make sense to me)

6. One of the best feelings in the world to me is right after you've thrown up when you're sick, it feels so relieving.

7. I'm maintaining a B+ in AP Euro!

8. I really hated 7th grade, every aspect of it

9. I believe in this quote from a book I just read called "The Alchemist", "When someone is striving to reach their personal destiny, the whole universe combines to help them achieve it"

10. I think a lot.

11. I really love my Crowley Family

12. I really love my Nilsen Family

13. My jr. high band teacher is one of my heroes.

14. I always plan celebrations that I'm going to do when I score a goal, but when I score, I think about it and I always think it would make me look way braggy, so I just get this dumb little smile on my face.

15. If I could go back in time, I think I would first go to my grandfathers shop when my dad worked there

16. Then I would see what my mom was like

17. Just recently, several people have told me that I am the most easy-going person they know

18. I don't think I am easy-going

19. I LOVE my new 30 gig white video ipod

20. Last night I decided that my new favorite song is Bubbly Toes by Jack Johnson

21. I think my dad is really cool.

22. I don't know if it's really called Bubbly Toes, on our itunes, we have it listed as bubble toes, but he says bubbly toes in the song, but I don't really care, it's just a cool song.

23. I don't really view myself as a disobedient teenager even though I think I sometimes am.

24. I keep going back and forth between putting periods at the end of each of these and then leaving them off

25. Am I really only 1/4 of the way done?

26. One of my favorite feeings is being in a tent or a car while it's raining really hard.

27. I think that a soccer or BYU football highlight video with a good song and good clips is worth my time, anytime.

28. I hate it when I put in extra information in parentheses and then continue on with my sentence afterwards like you're supposed to but it doesn't make sense unless you go back and read it without the parentheses.

29. My soccer juggling record is 515 (if you don't know what soccer juggling is, you should get on YouTube and look up Mr. Woo's halftime show, he is mostly doing juggling tricks, but juggling is simply keeping the ball in the air without your hands, which you can tell by watching that clip).

30. Whew, those parentheses were really long

31. I can get really nervous around cute girls.

32. I sit by a really cute girl in ceramics.

33. Maybe that's why my projects don't look good.

34. I got away with working a whole summer at a car shop without knowing anything about cars.

35. My Grandfather is one of my heroes.

36. My Grandma cracks me up, I think I crack her up too.

37. I don't know much about my Grandma Nilsen, who I never met, but I can't wait to meet her.

38. Occasionally, I get choked up thinking about my Grandpa Nilsen's funeral.

39. My cousin Gary is one of my heroes.

40. I have lots of heroes.

41. Jim and Dwight are also among my list of heroes.

42. I love the scriptures.

43. "The Contender" is one of the best books I've ever read.

44. Even though I don't wrestle, I hate it when people say that they think wrestling is creepy, and it really lowers my respect for them. (I know, that's horrible)

45. As much as I love my extended family, I think I will have a really hard time getting into geneology (sp?) when I get older.

46. I love listening to music, plus, music is one of the ultimate conversation starters.

47. Of all the people I really got to know at all in jr. high, probably the 3 I like the most went to Davis.

48. When people try to explain to me why they like Utah more than BYU all I can do is laugh.

49. Both of my little brothers are heroes of mine.

50. Halfway there

51. My mom is one of my biggest heroes.

52. I couple years ago, the Christensens (as in Jim, sorry if I spelled the last name wrong) gave us a DVD of my dads ward growing up, I think I could watch that dvd all day long.

53. I have a lot of respect for those guys who run the 100 meters in like 10 seconds, that's freakin' amazing.

54. I love to drive.

55. A couple weeks ago I drove all the way down to provo!

56. I LOVE HOT CHOCOLATE!

57. When I waterski, I feel like I'm on top of the world.

58. I think that for me, spirit paradise might be Lake Powell.

59. Addition to list of heroes: My uncles James and Jesse. They amaze me.

60. My mom is really funny.

61. I can probably fall asleep faster than anyone reading this.

62. I fell asleep in AP Euro today, falling asleep in an ap class, is that like double sin?

63. My 9th grade seminary teacher brother west is one of my heroes.

64. You are my hero for reading my blog!

65. Some of the kids in my new percussion class make me want to cry with their technique.

66. Why didn't Ronaldinho play well in the world cup? That makes me very sad.

67. Sometimes I convince myself that my fan status changes how BYU plays.

68. Pretty much the only people that I have no patience for are those that do things because they know it will get them negative attention.

69. When I make omelettes, I think about what I'm putting in and how I think it's going to taste...it never tastes that way.

70. I know I've said it once, but Nate is one of my biggest heroes. He's so cool.

71. Mr. Wolf my jr high band teacher had a way of making me feel good differently that anyone else.

72. I can kick a soccer ball up, catch it on my neck, take my shirt off, and put my shirt back on while the ball is still on my neck. (Sorry if that sounds really braggy)

73. I need to figure out a way to get more people to read my blog without making it sound like the world revolves around me. Because it doesn't.

74. I've gotten stitches twice in pretty much the exact same place.

75. I can give myself shots pretty easily.

76. I cannot watch other people get shots, I hate it.

77. Sometimes when I try to think of 100 things about me, it's really hard.

78. Once when I was at Lagoon, I lost my moms cell phone (actually I asked my cousin thomas to keep it with him while I went on cliffhanger and he lost it on wildmouse)

79. We got it back.

80. As much as I hate to admit it, I love to pop zits like my mom. Not because she likes to, just because I think it's weird =, and yet, it's so fun and rewarding and addicting.

81. I love to hear other people's stories, that is, if they're interesting of course.

82. Sometimes I am suprised that I get along with some of my friends.

83. My friend sterling was really fast when we were little. He was on my soccer team and he could probably outrun (is that one word) anyone in our league. Since then, most of us have caught up to him, he's still fast, but he's not leaps and bounds (no pun intended) ahead of everyone else. I think thats how I am with brains, I used to be really smart, way ahead of most kids my age. But now, I'm just a pretty average, maybe a little above average student.

84. I finished my eagle project last saturday!

85. I like my name.

86. If I had to change my name, I would change it to rick.

87. I used to say that if I could do 1 thing to change the world I would cure diabetes. I don't know if that's what I do now.

88. i right alot pf tYPos.

89. I hate high school musical

90. I hate pretty much every disney channel show or movie.

91. AP Euro is really hard for me.

92. I love Christmas music, like my dad.

93. Probably my favorite book series is Harry Potter.

94. I think I'm breaking the 2nd Commandment. I worship the Office.

95. I know the whole dance to "My Little Buttercup"

96. An ancestor of mine founded Farmington.

97. I lost my first tooth in an dunking for apples booth at a ward party. I didn't know I had lost it, but I found it in the bottom of the bucket later that night.

98. I want to be just like my dad when I grow up, that includes occupation-wise.

99. Soarin' Over California is one of the coolest rides ever! Probably the coolest ride I've ever been on.

100. I'm pretty freakin' cool!

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
Denis Waitley

That took me 2 hours and 8 minutes.

Thanks for reading!

Ipod Shuffle List

I really should be doing ap euro homework, but I really want to do this, so...

1. It's Only Love by Sheryl Crow
When I was first putting songs on my 30g Ipod Video, I felt overwhelmed by the space. While I was loading it, if I saw a song that I liked I just put all of the songs by that artist on. This must be what happened with this artist, I don't think I've ever heard this song.

2. Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy
I quite like Fall Out Boy when they are appropriate, the question is whether or not this one is.

3.The Wrong Company by Flogging Molly
Wow! This one came up when my dad did this on his blog! Great song!

4. You're Only Human (Second Wind) by Billy Joel
One of the few Billy Joel songs that I don't know by heart.

5. Look Away by Chicago
I like Chicago, I just don't listen to them a ton.

6. Meant to Live by Switchfoot
I was actually debating today if this is the greatest song ever or not.

7. Constance by 30 Life Code
Yep, this is Jesse's old band, I still love to listen to the 4 or 5 songs that I have on here.

8. Track 14 by Nickelback
I only like a couple songs by Nickelback, I usually have to change it whenever they come on. I got a bunch of songs from my friend tanner and I don't know the name of the songs

9. Maybe Not 30 Life Code
Wow, thats weird, of my 776 songs, 2 songs come up from the same artist (an artist whose songs I only have like 5 of)

10. Books in the Book of Mormon by Insideout
Insideout is an acapella group of returned missionaries as I'm sure most of you know.

"We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond."
Marcel Proust

Thanks for reading!

D&C 58:26-27

Ok, this is a follow up of my last post.

I only worked with Shawn for 2 days before he left on his mission (he's in Jamaica). So, after he left, obviously I was working, but Abe also came to work. (Ok his name isn't really abe, but I feel cool holding information from you). So me and Abe were left to do the same type of jobs Shawn had been doing. Now I'm sure most of you have met a one-upper, but you may not be familiar with the term. Allow me to familiarize you, a one-upper does not lose...EVER!!!...however, this basically relates to stories, meaning, if I tell a cool story, he has a cooler one, which probably (probably is an understatement) isn't true, but he presents it as true (wow that was a huge run-on sentence, oh well, it's my blog).

Abe, however, was not just a one-upper, he also didn't work.

At all.

Ask Grandfather and he will tell you of countless times of inviting Abe into his office and telling him that if he wasn't related, he would fire him, and begging him to start working harder. Now, Abe to me became comical, some of his stories are...hmm...how to put it...incredible...UNBELIEVABLE...amazing...RIDICULOUS...oh did I mention, NOT BELIEVABLE. So, I'm going tell you some of his stories and also some of the strange things that he would do at the shop.

At the shop we had one of those cool water dispensers, that has paper cups on the side, a big jug of water on top that you switch out, and it dispenses hot and cold water, you know what I'm talking about (I hope). One of the weird things that Abe would do was he would get the paper cups and cut the tops off, draw all over them with magic marker, and not clean up the mess. Paul (Who was basically our boss, he basically does the same jobs that we did, he doesn't rebuild the trannies.) anyway, Paul would often ask him first to pick up, and second why he cut the tops off. Abe said that he did that so that he could remember which cup was his; however, I know for a fact that he cut off the tops of several cups a day.

Then, at the end of the day, he would often get a cup of hot water from the dispenser, now this wasn't like lukewarm water, this was so hot that it melted the wax off of the sides of the cup and you could see it on top of the water!, AND HE WOULD DRINK IT!! I always asked him why and he said because it woke him up. AT THE END OF THE DAY! We've been moving big, heavy trannies in 90+ degree heat, all day long, and you're drinking scalding-hot water at the end of the day, to WAKE YOU UP?

Ok so now for some of the stories.

One time he was up in wyoming with some of his friends lighting fireworks for the 24th or something. They apparently had bought a complete firework store, because after they had lit fireworks to their hearts content, they still had a huge box of fireworks left. So they decided to light them all at the same time. But they weren't going to just light the box on fire, that just isn't enough fun, they cut a hole in the bottom of the box, made a gasoline fountain (???), lit the gasoline fountain (I swear this is exactly what he told me), and ran. He says that bottle rockets were flying past his ears, he is diving like he is in a James Bond movie barely dodging these fireworks that are shooting every which way. WOW!

One kid that went to his high school apparently found a way to make money grow on trees. He drives a dodge viper to school during the week, and his weekend car is a lamborghini murcielago. According to Abe, there are 3 Lamborghini Mucielago's in Utah and they own 2 of them. Ya, that right there is ridiculous, but it gets better.

So this kid that went to Abe's high school, he must be a really bad kid. So Abe told me that he got a ticket for going, BRACE YOURSELF, 145 mph in a BRACE YOURSELF, 25mph zone. He told this while, Abe, Nephi (one of the rebuilders) and I were eating lunch. I didn't even to try to stop myself from laughing. I just busted up and I told him that I had a really hard time believing that.

"I've seen the ticket!" he said.

I said, "I highly doubt that he would just get a ticket, I'm pretty sure he would get his license revoked and get arrested for reckless driving"

No response. "Besides," I said, "where is there a straight piece of road that is a 25 mph zone?"

"Oh, it's just over on the east side of sandy"

"Hmm..Wow...That's pretty crazy"

We went on talking for the rest of lunch, and as our lunch break ended I said, "We should probably get goin Abe" I let him go first and after we walked out I stuck my head back in the breakroom and said, "145 miles per hour-" "In a 25 mile per hour zone?" Nephi finished for me.

You'll probably hear a lot more stories about Abe in days to come.

A life lived in fear is half lived.
       - Anonymous

Have a great day!

Alma 5:16

This past summer after school got out, my parents started hinting that I really needed to get a job.

I said, "Ok"

I thought, "Oh no"

So after probably about 2 weeks of doing pretty much nothing to try to find a job, my dad said to me, if you haven't found a job by the end of this week, I'll find a job for you.

I said, "Ok"

I thought, "Oh no"

So I put in an application to Bowmans, ignoring my cousin, Alex's warning that they were not hiring. "Maybe they'll change their mind when they see my incredible application!" I thought. Well, about 2 weeks went by and one night my mom and dad wanted to talk to me. "Josh, come here," they said

I said, "Ok"

I thought, "Oh no"

We had a nice long discussion about what I had done to find a job and how it usually takes several applications before one gets accepted. My parents said that I needed to learn how to work. I argued that I had lots of chores, I worked hard in soccer, and I almost always work hard when given something to do. Yet, alas, the parents won again, my dad said that he had already talked to my grandfather about having me work for him in his transmission shop and that he was ready for me on monday.

I thought, "Oh no"

I said, "Oh goodie"

So Monday came and I went in and was introduced to Shawn. Shawn showed me around for about .27 seconds before we went outside and I started bringing over pallets while he fired up the forklift. As I lifted the first pallet off of the pile I thought, this isn't going to be so bad, all we had to do was move some transmissions (which I will now refer to as a trannies because thats what cool guys who have worked in transmission shops call them) off of their shelves, load them onto pallets, and break down the shelves.

I watched as Shawn showed me how to load the transmission onto the cart, transport it with the cart over the the pallet (which was already on the forklift), and load the transmission onto the pallet. Why couldn't we just move the forklift over to the shelves and load the trannies directly onto the pallet? Because that would be just too darn simple of course! So I stepped up to my very first transmission, stared it down, and kissed my biceps goodbye. I grabbed the tranny (which is difficult, they aren't made for handling) and attempted to budge the stupid thing. "I think its stuck," I said. "Naw, they don' get stuck" said Shawn. So he stepped up, basically threw it onto the cart and told me to get the next one. "Hmm" I thought, "that's weird, one minute it wouldn't move, the next minute, it jumped for Shawn! thats really strange."

Already long story, which could easily get longer, made shorter, I realized how ridiculously heavy for their size trannies really are. It took me a long time until I could easily move them and even now I'm no expert.

I started working there around June 24 if I remember right and worked for pretty much the rest of the summer. Obviously with summer camps, efy, boating trips, etc, I missed a lot, plus I only worked Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but I really truly know that I learned how to work hard more because of that job than any grocery store job, or chores at home could have ever taught me.

Now am I going to work there next summer? I don't know, I haven't really thought a lot about it yet. I have to admit there were some REALLY long days, that I thought would never end, and most days I didn't really want to go in to work. But whether or not I end up working there next summer, I have found myself missing that shop. I often wonder what paul is doing right now. How many trannies Jason has rebuilt today? How many "shippers" do they have today? I really did like it, I really did learn some great lessons and I'm grateful to my dad for talking to my grandfather that fateful day.

On a completely seperate note, I, like my dad, really love inspiring quotes, and I think it would be totally sweet to add one at the end of every post, so I'm going to.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." --Thomas A. Edison

Have a great day!

Stumped Already

Ya so I am already not sure what to post. I mean, I have plenty of ideas, but I don't know what ideas will be worth reading. So this is a short narrative that I wrote in 9th grade. We had to write a twist into a fairy tale. Enjoy! (I hope)

Happily Ever After?
Pete Pig here, the second pig, stick house, you know the one. I’m here to set the record straight on this so called fairy tale. This is the way it happened.
So all of a sudden somebody stomped on the porch, they stomped at the front porch because any knock loud enough for me to hear inside will knock the house down. So I gingerly opened the door and there was my idiot brother Patrick standing there quivering and shaking like a little baby.

I’m about to ask him what he did to get mother angry when I see an angry wolf flying down the path towards my house. I grab my brother and throw him into a chair. I slam the door without thinking about what would happen if I slammed the door. The impact from the slam loosened and cracked the mud and three sticks fell from the roof. This made me even angrier and I began to scream at my brother asking him what happened.

He told me that the wolf had knocked on his door asking him if he could come in. Without even finding out what it was the wolf needed, my brother called him brainless buffoon and told him to get off his porch and never come back. Now as everyone knows, wolves have very short tempers, and obviously the wolf got a little upset. He then knocked his house down. I don’t know where the “huff and puff” came from but the record shows that he just ran my brothers house right over.

Just as Patrick finished telling me this, there was an angry knock at the door followed by the sound of a slobbering wheezing wolf. He then screamed to my brother that he was not going live to see the next day. Thanks to the wolf knocking on my door and screaming, my already unstable home collapsed in a heap of dried mud and sticks. At first all I could do was sit and stare.

THAT HOUSE TOOK ME YEARS TO BUILD!!

I then called the wolf something I shouldn’t have and ran for my life to my brother Parley’s house. When I ran inside, Parley, AKA Einstein, was playing some Warcraft game, unlocking some super-mega ultra ninja man that could wipe out any guy in the game with his 3 billion point thunder fire power attack. To put it short my brother is a nerd. Regardless to say I was grateful for the warmth and safety of his expertly designed brick house.

At this point the story has been confused with the wolf trying to climb in the chimney some other weird endings to the story. What happened was that he simply knocked at the door asking for me. I quickly hid in a closeet as my brother began to explain to him some complex story involving the square root of the hypotenuse of the distance from my house and so on and so forth. Eventually the wolf just asked bluntly if I was in the house or not. My brother told him that I went through the back. The wolf then dashed through the house, out the back door and kept running, never to be heard of again.

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting my new blog! I'm way excited to have my own blog. Hopefully I won't vent too much here, but I look forward to talking about soccer, school, life, waterskiing, and other random stuff. But for now, I'll leave you with an inspiring quote:
If you ride towards the west hard enough and fast enough, the sun will never set for you.

Have a great day!