I get defensive when somebody talks bad about actions. I like to live life by my actions, and I like people to judge me by them. If somebody doesn't like my actions, I have no problem if they complain about them or criticize it. Just don't do it to my face. If somebody does, then I feel I have justification to defend what they are attacking.

This is a question that, in my experience, is asked often. For me, I'd say no, but my opinion isn't set in stone. I don't personally believe that there is a God, but I could be wrong. If I'm going to believe in something, then I like to be able to touch and see and feel it.

I believe that love is something that can be many things. A person can love their friends and family with all their heart, because those are the people that influence them the most. A person can be in love with another person for other reasons too. But true love? That's the kind of love that everybody in the world searches for. True love is when you care about somebody or something so much that it hurts so badly. If a person has true love, sometimes even the thought of rejection is enough to send them to tears. I think that's why so many true loves go unanswered.

Normal can really mean anything for a person. What some people may see as 'normal' others may find odd. Really, it's just a matter of perception. For me, I'd say that 'normal' is unpredictable. As a normal day goes by, I have no way of knowing what is going to happen. I haven't a clue about how my pals are going to act or what I'm going to wind up doing. Sure as water is wet, normal can definitely be unpredictable.

I'm waiting to discover if, when I go to college, what will I major in? I mean, I know I want to major in secondary education, but which kind of class do I want to teach? I've narrowed it down to my two favorite subjects, history and english, but I don't know which one I enjoy more. If I could only know for sure which one I'm going to wind up choosing, it would make things like which scholarship to choose or which classes I need to be prepared for so much easier.

Right now I am reading four books. The first one is a fantasy book called "Through Wolf's Eyes". It's about this girl who's family was caught in a fire when she was small. She grew up with the Great Wolves and is now about fifteen years old. Now though, she is being brought back to the more civilized life. It's really quite interesting, but I don't want to give much away.

I'm also reading a biography on the actor Jimmy Stewart. He's my favorite actor and he played parts in many of my favorite movies. I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but I think it's going to be a worthwhile read.

The third book I'm reading right now is a book about the American Civil War. It's written by the historian Shelby Foote, so I know it's accurate. I'm up to the election of 1864 right now.

The last book I'm reading right now is William Shakespeare's Complete Works. Since it's a complete works, it's pretty big. Right now I am reading "Richard II" and it's not that bad. I actually read "Richard III" before because of an English class I took, but it doesn't really matter. I highly reccomend these books to anybody who feels like it. They're definitely worth the time. I think so at least.

"This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"
- Henry V

Somebody holding a door open for me, getting a 'thank you' after helping someone out, being around the people I like, or just talking to people.

I think I take my friends for granted. Sure I have a group of people I hang around with, but I only have two real and true friends. The're the only people who I can say "Ustedes son mis amigos verdadero. You are my true friends." Most people are lucky if they can find one person like that in their life, and I have two.

Yeah. So today at lunch I was arguing with my pals Mike and Josh about who could beat the other one in a fist fight. Indiana Jones or James Bond. I was saying Indians Jones would win because he's in so many fist fights. I mean, okay so is Bond, but for Jones the other guy usually has a shovel or airplane or something. That, and Bond usually breaks out one of his gadgets or something. In the end, lunch was over, so we hadn't come to a final decision. I still say Jones would win though.

I had another argument at lunch today. This time it was with my mentees Aeris and Seth. We were discussing which characters from the Final Fantasy series made up the top ten biggest BA's. In the end we settled for this:
1) Auron
2) Cid Highwind
3) Paine
4) Vincent Valentine
5) Barret Wallace
6) Balthier Bunansa
7) Armarant Coral
8) Seifer Almasy
9) Shadow
10) Zindane Tribal 

If I could combine two of my interests, I would probably combine working hard on a building project with relaxing. I love the rush I get from both of these activities. It's not like the work bothers me or anything. I really like it in fact because it keeps me occupied. Yet, relaxing is pretty self explanitory. I can't think of how those things could be combined, but if they could, I definitely would do it.

For certain, the thing about this community that has helped me open up is these QaR's. I try to answer one every day, and I really like it because it gives me a chance to put my opinion out there without a fear of being attacked for stating those opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion here, and I like that.

This is an easy one. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about my childhood home is water. I used to live in a small island-town called Winthrop. It's a small suburbian town near Boston. Well, my home was the basement of an apartment building about twenty or thirty yards from the ocean. There was a breakwater wall meant to stop the water during storms, but it never really worked well. Being in the basement apartment... well, lets just say it flooded a lot.

I'm now sure if I love any thing right now. I do think I love this girl at school though. The only thing is that I don't want to be a bother to her. So I've been avoiding her all year. I mean, sure it hurts more to not be around her, but I don't want to know what it will be like if I get together with her and then leave at the end of the school year. That, and because she's so smart. I'm not stupid or anything, but I'm not as smart as she is. I don't want to drag her down.

The event that altered my life most dramatically didn't actually effect me until about six years later. When I was nine, my grandmother on my dad's side died. My grandpa had died four years earlier. Then, when I hit fifteen, I realized that I never really knew them at all. I didn't even know their first names. That realization made me see that I only have one grandmother and one grandfather left. Since then, I've been getting really close to both of them. I know that I've got a close bond with both of them, and that's the way it should be.

The biggest project I've ever taken on is High School. I'm not quite done with it yet, but I will be soon. I must say that I am looking forward to the outcome though. 

I've been missing my free time. For practically a year now I've always been busy doing at least one thing. Homework, essays, college stuff, drivers ed. It all just piles up. What free time I do have is in between things, and usually doesn't last long. I can't remember the last time I read more than two or three pages at a time in any of the books I'm reading. My friends can't come over my house because I've always got so much going on. I definitely need some free time again.

The first memory that I can think of is when I was three years old. My dad and I used to walk down this mud path that cut through town from our street over near the high school. We'd walk this path and go to the convenience store near the other end. My dad would buy me an ice cream, and we'd walk home. I'd eat my ice cream, and my dad would talk to me about different stuff. I can't remember all the stuff, we did it so many times. I do remember he told me how golf balls were made, why weeping willow trees bent over. Little stuff like that.

The most important constant in my life is the constantly building pile of work that I need to do. I'm not saying that I enjoy doing all of it, but it is important. And not always just to me, but sometimes to others too.

It's nothing big, but in my life, the thing that is being reborn is my ability to use my yo-yo. I found it the other day in a box and started up again. I had forgotten how much fun it is to work out some of those tricks. I also didn't know it would be so frustrating to relearn how to do the Around the Corner trick.

Out there, I don't know what it is. I mean, we're matter, but is it matter out there? If out there were say, supernatural, would it be supernatural matter, or vice versa? Human knowledge extends far, but it only extends so far.
Seriously though, If I had to choose on my own I'd say there are more galaxies and planets and the like. Are there other life forms? I'd say not. I know there have been all these alien encounters and such, but I don't believe it. I could be wrong, but like i mentioned on the "Do you believe in God" question, I prefer to have concrete proof if I can.

If one is true, then the other must be as well. So often we put up shells of lies to protect ourselves. But at the same time, we try to see through the shells of others, and when we do, we find out the truths about that person. It isn't the falsities that we find beautiful about somebody. It's the hidden truth. And since we are finding beauty in that truth, it is in that truth that we find that beauty.

If I were to undo one rule, I'd undo the rule that all kids are required to go to school until they are sixteen. Instead, it would be until thirteen or fourteen. I know it sounds bad and all, but there are so many kids who go to school for no other reason than they have to. They're the ones who are always causing the trouble, doing all the complaining, and vandalizing the bathrooms. I know it's kind of mean, but I want them out. They have clearly stated that they don't wish to be there, and I know that they never act like anything but a pain in the butt for people who do want to be there. If you wanted to go, then you would. If you didn't, then you wouldn't get in the way.

Get to know your grandparents because they won't be around forever. I learned this a few years ago, and I wish I had learned it sooner. I've lost both my grandparents on my father's side, and I never got to know them well enough to even know their names. Don't let it happen to you. Because if it does, someday it will hit home, and when it does, it hurts so much. I'd place a wager that it hurts more than battery acid in your eye. Now, I don't know two of my grandparents, and the chance to do so will never come again.

I think I am pretty tolerant. I'm not going to say that I am happy to let anything slide though. I can't stand it when somebody openly considers themself to be better than everybody else. They brag about everything they've done (many of which I don't believe are true) and talk down to others. I try to tolerate a lot of things, but if I see that coming from somebody all the time, then I think they are low. REAL low.

I am addicted to video games and books. I don't want to give up either of them. What I try to do is play games and read books after, and only after, all my work is done. That way, I don't feel so bad about reading or destroying robots on a television when I'm supposed to be doing something else.

The reason I get out of bed in the mornings is kind of comical. If I don't wake up in the morning, my mom will send the dog upstairs to give me kisses. Now, I don't like slobbery dog kisses, but that's not what the dog does anyway. What she'll do is jump up on my bed and SIT ON MY HEAD! My dog isn't huge or anything, but forty pounds of border collie butt in my face is not a pleasant way to wake up.

It takes a long time for someone to earn my trust. I need to get to know that person well and keep my eyes and ears out for any sign of...lies (for lack of a better word) I don't have a set period of time or anything, but I like to know for certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I can trust this person. Only then will s/he earn my trust.

As far as storms go, I'd say the biggest one I've ever had to go through was a thunderstorm. I was up in New Hampshire with my cousin. We were doing what we usually did, hanging out in the woods, when the clouds seemed to split apart. Sure enough, we were right in the middle of it. One moment it was clear, and the next moment we could barely keep together. What we wound up having to do was hang out under a tree. We knew you aren't supposed to, but its not like a tree in the woods is like a tree in the middle of a field. We wound up not having any problems with trunks falling down on our heads, but the pine needles did nothing to stop the rain at all. Yet we were to frightened to leave our tree and lose track of each other on the way back to his house. So we waited for two and a half hours (it seemed like eight) in the middle of the pouring rain, soaking wet, holding onto a pine tree, hearing nothing but the rain and thunder. Now that I'm older, I don't think I would mind it so much, but when you're little, stuff like that is scary.