Ahhh, the school year. Take that as a scream of horror or a sigh of contemplation, however you view it. After 11 years of seeing this school system make a mockery of education, I have finally reached the level in which they consider me worthy of true teachers who can teach. For almost the first time in all the years I've been going to school, I am looking forward to a year with these teachers and coming out of my classes with an increased awareness of my capabilities and increased understanding of the world around me. It's funny that they don't think we should recieve this at the first levels of public education. Instead, the only time you deserve to learn is after you have reached the highest level.

Alright, I'm being a little unfair. I had a few excellent teachers before I reached the A.P. level, but I still think the government, federal, state, and local, could do much better. Two years ago, I entered high school life. As I came to fully realize the workings of the schools and school systems, I finally understood just how bad of shape California and the nation's educational system is in. And now, as the state hits a financial crises, what do they cut first? Education. Probably the most vital thing to saving this state is its future politicians, scientists, and everyday laborers, and what does the government do to this vital tool for ending power crisis like this? They cut funding. How can they do that? Why not use all the money from the lottery like they are supposed to? Oh wait, they took that away and put it into other things. How about cutting the salaries of state workers? Just take away a few cents or dollars and millions could be saved. Or stop wasting money on dumb research projects and tests telling us what we already know: our school systems need help! or we are getting fat, or the nuclear family is falling apart. Why not stop wasting money to officially find this out and use that money for solving the problem. Anyway, by being a little frugal, the legislature and Davis would be able to save education and still ride out the crises without going bankrupt. Please, if you have views on this, e-mail me at ldskidsix@hotmail.com.

I fixed my computer. The system finally became so unstable that it completely crashed. I ended up having to reformat my hard drive. Luckily, I was able to back up my files, so everything important has been saved. It's late here, so i'll only write a little. A difficult thought for me lately has been whether we all are equal. We do all deserve the same rights and oppurtunities, but people don't have the same abilities and skills. Have we, as a nation, been taking equality too far? One easy is example of overdoing it is what is happening with women. They have broken a social barrier and been able to vote and work and lots of other stuff, but now they are fighting to remove the woman image from the mother image. Is this a good thing? For all of recorded human existence, women have been the caretakers and men have been the providers. It is in our genes. If you don't see this by the way each sex acts, you've got to work on your observational skills. But, now women are trying to break this pattern. And this is one of the forces out of many that is tearing apart our society. So are men and women really equal? Well, yes, importance wise. But as far as what each of us is best at? No. Men are naturally better at providing for the family and being the head of the household and women are naturally better at taking care of the home and family. That is fact. Sometimes it isn't like that and that's ok, but those are rare cases.

Painting...So, we finished the mural today. It looks pretty good. There are a few spots where it's a little messed up, but what do you expect of choir students? We may have talent musically, but as far as using our hands...only a few of us have any talent there. The important thing, though, is that we are done. We don't have to go back and paint any more. It was fun, but it was taking away from time which I need to be spending on AP summer assignments.

Socializing...Today was a good test of how my social skills have improved. I had a chance, after we finished painting, to meet two girls named Ashley and Marie. They helped me remember how easy it is to talk to new people, even at school where I'm not surrounded by other Mormons. There is often this fear high school kids have of talking to new people. I think it's either a fear of being rejected or a pride they have. Many think, "Oh, I don't need to talk to these people. I'm better than them. The only people worthy of my conversation are the 'popular' friends I already have." But it's suprising how easy it is to meet and talk to new people. And how rewarding. Once, back in junior high and the beginning of high school, I had a difficult time with friends. I didn't have any one to really hang out with, no group which I could call my own. Many of the friends I hung out with at school would plan tons of stuff during the weekends and on holidays and I was often left out. Now things have changed, though. I have a circle of friends, many of them I consider close friends. We get together a lot of times and I've found a way around not being invited. It's very simple- plan everything yourself. By doing this and my being more outgoing and as good a guy as I can be, my social life has made a complete reversal. Now I'm never lonely and I'm invited every where with my friends. Patience and a perseverence and just being who you are pays off, though the rewards may not be immediate.

Painting...I didn't used to enjoy it, especially when we did my house, but now I'm having fun. It probably has to do with the amount of painting and the environment. The past two days I've been helping paint a mural on the wall of my choir room. It's been fun hanging out with friends and, as I said, I've enjoyed the painting part. ...this is a boring topic.

Making a stand...Being with friends has been fun, but it's a little weird being back with people who think so differently from me. For most of the summer, when I've gone camping and on trips and stuff, I've been surrounded by fellow Mormons. They all have the same belief and though each of us have varying opinions on things, we all pretty much agree on the basics of what's right or wrong, such as seeing rated R movies or homosexuality. I've had that in common with all these people. Now, being back with friends from school who come from either a variety of religions or no religion, I have to deal with people who have no qualms going to see movies like American Wedding and who don't see anything immoral about homosexuality. It's interesting to hear their thoughts and opinions. I think I'm going to learn a lot this year. Now, I'm never going to think seeing R movies or being homosexual is ok, but I think I'll learn to deal better with people of the opposite persuasion.

Homosexuality...I figure I broached the subject, so I better persue it and explain my ideas on this extremely controversial subject. Just to make sure, I am stating my own opinion on the matter. I do not speak for the church. I use church doctrine for the basis of my answer, but my answer is my understanding of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I first have to say that the Lord has commanded us to love all men. And I do my best. I am just as willing to be friends with a homosexual as I am to be with a hetero. But I will never accept their sexual preferences. God ordained marriage between a man and a woman. Within a marriage, we have been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. This is the purpose of sex. Not pleasure, though that is part of this wonderful gift of God, but the giving of life. Misusing of this gift of life is up there with murder, the taking away of life. So, performing homosexual acts, or in other words, misusing our sexual organs purely for pleasure, is going against the commandments of God.
"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife." -The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Here's a quick post. I've been thinking about people's opinions. I listen and respect the opinions of the people I know and I agree with many. We have great discussions about politics, religion, all that great stuff. I usually come away a little gratified, knowing that I'm not alone in what I think, or I learn something new and my opinion changes. Of course, it's not always like that. I am human and I have disagreements. But they are never serious and I only come away mildly annoyed. And then I read the newspaper. I swear, the letters in the opinions page are put in their specifically to inflame anger. I'll agree with some of them and be able to ignore others, but most of them make me so angry that I can't read anymore. It's all those people who can only complain about what a terrible job Bush is doing and what a crime it was to go into Iraq and men are evil destroyers of the environment and how evil America is. Those are the opinions I don't understand. It would be ok if they offered alternatives. I mean, it's simple. I don't like choice A(representing Bush, or the war in Iraq, anything, you name it) so I propose choice B because...and the reasons are given. But people who just keep harping about choice A, they get on my nerves. If you don't like it, then tell me what's better! If they do that, I probably still won't agree with some of them, but at least they will be a whole lot less annoying.

Status of computer: Doing a little better, yet a little worse. Instant updater for VirusScan has been fixed with a quick reinstall, but now my computer crashes every 15 minutes or so and blue screens. Heck, what am I writing this for, this is for tech support, not a blog.

A little more about my summer. Being Mormon, I went to EFY in June. It's a big youth camp that has classes, provides oppurtunities for service, and is just about the funnest thing I've ever done. I learned alot about my self and began going out of my way to meet and get to know people. I've learned, through that experience and throughout the rest of my summer, that people and friends are extremely important. They make life what it is. Not classes and grades and computers and swimming, but people. "Well, duh!" you say, "Everyone knows that." See, the strange thing is, I didn't know that. I knew it intellectually, but many things you just have to experience to really know. And I think I'm not aone in this world in not realizing this simple little fact of life. If I were, I doubt wwe would have so many problems. I mean, if Saddam knew that people make life what it is, would he really have been a mass murderer and cared so much about oppressing people to keep on power? And would so many politicians be so intent on keeping issues alive so they can use them for elections, rather than solving them. These power-hungry men and women don't understand that they are hurting the poeple that could be making their life wonderful. Maybe someday those who come into power will understand, really understand, how improtant it is to have principles.

Principles...people and interactions with them give life meaning, but principles are what make life happy. I remember reading a book called 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens or something like that. This book proposed that the only way to have a stable and happy life is to center life on our principles. By centering everything on ideas like honesty, charity, kindness, and stuff like that, anyone can be happy and successful. I agree. Those ideals are hard to live by, but being raised a Mormon and being in the Boy Scouts, I have been taught to live in this way all my life. And am I happy? Not all the time, of course. No one is. But I look around at my friends who live different lifestyles and I can see the pain and troubles they go through. It's harder for them. Now, maybe life put them down a tougher road than me. That's probably true, but I think I have avoided many of those problems and snags in the road because of the way I live.

Hey, this is my first entry. check out my site at www.geocities.com/ckmgtnr. That'll give you my background. at least a little. More will come out as I write. And I will write. I love to write and I have an opinion about everything, so I have plenty to write about.

First, frustration with computers. My computer has been crashing and blue screening all the time. So, system instability. Typical windows, right? Then I discover it may be hackers. Well, my brother, the computer engineer, tells me it is probably just instability. And then I find out about that dumb blaster virus. And guess what happens right around this time? Virusscan stops instant updating. So tomorrow I get to spend my time figuring all this out when i should be enjoying my last week of summer.

Summer...this has been my best summer ever. I've made tons of new friends and grown so much spiritually. I have grown to realize I can speak out and even though others may not listen right away, my words, or what is behind them, can get through and touch them.