Finals

To be honest my finals started a couple of weeks ago. My grades slipped and I was in a rush to recover them before finals came around and it was too late. So I worked hard and blew off some things that I really wanted to do, and still did some things I really wanted to do. It's all come down to this week. Going into finals I had one study hall and four A's. So I took what excemptions I could and decided to do what I could towards turning my other grades into A's. My first final was english and I did well on the final and ended up with an 89.45% for the semester, 0.05% off of an A. I figured it was better to write some extra blogs and get bonus points and more KEES money. I did the math for one of my other classes, IB Computer Science, and discovered that I would have to make a 122% on the final to make an A, an impossibility. So I will lose my 4.0 but if I can get a 98% on my algebra II final then IB Comp Sci will be my only B. We'll see how it turns out, but no matter what I'll deserve the grade I get and I won't complain.

Lie Detector

So my parents got this gift for Christmas, a lie detector that shocks you if you lie. I was, of course, skeptical and really curious to find out exactly how it can tell if you are supposedly lieing or not. This is a simple machine so I really doubt that it can check heart rate or moisture of your skin and certainly not pupil dilation. The only thing I could figure was that maybe it senses the pressure of your hand pushing down on it. Theoretically if you know something will shock you when you lie you will try to avoid being shocked and so if you lie you will try to pull away from the thing that will shock you. So if you lie you should release pressure on the device. If it senses that then it might think you are lieing and shock you. That's my theory. So I tested it out. I managed to shock my brother and my dad by having them release and apply pressure a certain way. I can't think of any other factors so I believe that that is how it works.

Same Sex Marriage?

OK so my solution is pretty radical, but I think that it could work.

Before I get on the subject of where I stand on the subject I'll mention two points that I believe to be true.
1. Marriage is an institution of the church
2. When any citizen is being considered for any government stipulation age, race, and gender should not be considered.

So here is where I stand based on these two points:
Since marriage is an institution of the church, and their is a separation between the church and state, the government should not issue marriage licences. The government involves itself in a matter of the church and this goes against much of the views and policies that our nation was founded on and has been ruled by. But there is a problem here, states can't just stop issuing marriage licences. There are many factors that depend on the state recognizing a union. So I propose that all state recognized unions be "civil unions" rather than "marriages." In truth I am simply saying that we should change the name.
Don't think it would work? Well consider this, the government should not consider age, race, and/or gender when a citizen is applying for something. Therefore if two citizens apply for a marriage licence, the government should not take into account age(assuming both citizens are adults), race, or gender. So while if a heterosexual couple comes in to get a marriage licence the government should say, "citizen 1 wants to marry citizen 2, OK." Likewise if a homosexual couple comes in the government should again say, "citizen 1wants to marry citizen 2, OK." I don't believe that anyone really has a problem with this. The problem is that many people feel that homosexuals getting MARRIAGE licences destroys the institution of marriage; I agree.
But whats the problem with having state recognized unions between two citizens? I don't see one, as long as it's not connected to the church. So if marriage is removed from the government it can still be between a man and a woman while any two citizens can be protected from discrimination.

I bet you are thinking that this is a menial change that won't do any good. Well maybe, but the thing is that I believe that the government shouldn't be involved in this sort of a problem. Is homosexuality immoral, or just socially unaccepted? That shouldn't be the government's decision, it should be society's. Society doesn't have to play by the rules government does.

Proposition:
Remove marriage from government; never take age (if an adult), race, or gender into account when government is concerned; and let society make the decision on homosexuality.

By the way I am anti-homosexuality but pro-separation of church and state and anti-discrimination, but I see this as the only solution.

Favorite Christmas Decoration

I think that my favorite Christmas decoration just might be Christmas lights. My family doesn't really decorate much, just because of money and because we usually don't have it at my house, but I still enjoy seeing other people's Christmas lights. I like to drive around neighborhoods and look at the lights. Seeing all the different ways everybody puts them up and the colors and everything is just really neat. I also enjoy the lights shows at the parks. Those shows always are very well done and just very Christmassy if you will. I saw this one lady putting up some light on a tree on day. The lights she was using were red and it made the tree look like a holly tree with the little red berries. I thought that that looked really nice on that tree. The best lights are in the welthier neighborhoods, which makes sense cause they have the money to do so. Even though I like those I still like more simple decorations as well. There is this one house on Lewis Lane that usually spelled out the words "Merry Christmas" on a chain-link fence using Christmas lights. I always thought that that was very neat and I am rather sad that they haven't done it this year. I also think that it's neat that back in the old days before electricity they used to put candles on trees. I always thought that that was both funny and awesome. Anyway I really like Christmas lights.

Broke before Christmas

I hate being broke before Christmas. I currently have about $7 and I have not gotten presents for any of my siblings or even my girlfriend. The only thing I have gotten has been a movie for my parents, and that was only $11. I really can not stand not getting people stuff. I feel like a jerk when someone gives me something and I don't have anything to give back to them. But of course this year I won't be able to give much of anything. So I think what I'll do instead is make something. I'm not going to make something stupid like macaroni art or anything like that, I think that instead I will record myself playing some music and make cd's for everybody. I know that my sibling will enjoy this and it's not like I could buy them anything better. I mean I would be able to spend like $2 on each person if I bought them something. Yeah thats not going to happen. I guess the only other thing that could happen is that maybe I could get some Christmas money early. I doubt this is going to happen in enough time to get people things and besides that I doubt I will be getting much as far as Christmas money. Oh well, the cd it is.

Christmas Eve tradition

My family isn't really big on traditions. We go to so many different places to celebrate Christmas that it is pretty difficult to have any real traditions and follow them. Some years we go down to Texas and celebrate with my mom's sister. Other times we go out to the family farm. While other times are spent either at my dad's sister's house or at my house. The only Christmas tradition we follow is that we read Luke chapter 2 before we open presents.

While we may spend Christmas at a variety of different locations we always follow a certain Christmas Eve tradition. My mom has family in Oregon, and in Oregon there used to be a place that made cheese, so every Christmas her family would send us cheese. So for Christmas Eve we would have a meal of cheese, crackers, apples and chicken. I can not remember a Christmas Eve that we did not have this meal. The place that made the cheese has closed and so now we go to Wal-Mart and buy cheese there.

This year we will continue the tradition with my brother, his wife, my sister, and her husband. I am looking forward to continuing the tradition and to seeing my siblings and their spouses.