For Lack of a Better Title

Um….

I’ve been keeping up on Mr. Thompson’s blogs, and I wrote one sort of on the same topic line, but now I feel really lame and dumb.  I keep meaning to post a comment, yet now it seems like every time I’m going to, there is either another profound comment on his writing, or it’s what I was going to say, just worded differently.   I read these, and I do not want to ruin it with my own little quip.  So, I would post something deep, commenting on your AMAZING blogs, Mr. T, if only I could find something to say.  

The "Easy Way Out" in Farenheit 451

Recently I have been keeping up on the Fahrenheit 451 blogs that Mr. Thompson has been doing, and I’ve decided to talk about this book.  

I’m in Barney’s English class, so we didn’t read the book.  We’ve been doing individual writing and reading, and I was curious to see what the other class was doing.  Many ninth graders were walking around with Fahrenheit 451, and I realized that that was one thing happening in their class.  I went to the library and promptly got a copy of the book. After I got it, I became so entranced with it that I didn’t get to bed until 2 hours later than I usually do.  I couldn’t put it down.  It was an excellent book, and I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, stop thinking about it.  Throughout the whole book, comments kept hitting me like a load of bricks.  I kept wondering if I was guilty of the things mentioned, and I hoped that I wasn’t.  The culture seemed so warped, yet it is scary how similar it is to ours.  People feel that anything worth waiting for or thinking about isn’t worth it.  I kept thinking about “the family.”   This is how people live their lives.  They are willing to drop everything to watch some “crucial” TV episode.  I also thought about how everything was so loud and distracting.  People don’t know how to sit still, be quiet, and think!  It’s scary because you see it at school all of the time.  People make noise in class just to hear themselves.  They don’t care how it will affect others.  They just can’t stand sitting still.  Everyone constantly tries to take the “easy way out.”  (Just a quick paragraph to explain this because it’s a concept that I understand more and more as I watch people).

In life, people are always looking for the easiest way to do things.  They put things off, or they choose the easiest term project, or they try to get out of everything.  People never look for the way to improve themselves or their surroundings.  They look for what appears to be the easiest.  A guy in my neighborhood told a story about one of his summers, and then he made an analogy.  

“This summer, it was very hot.  It was my job to mow the lawn every Saturday.  Well, one Saturday, I began mowing the lawn.  I mowed the front yard because that is what everyone sees.  Then, as I was moving to the backyard, I realized there was something I wanted to watch on TV.  Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just watch the show and then finish the lawn next week?  It isn’t like anyone’s going to see it…  This continued for several Saturdays.  The front yard always got mowed because that is what people saw, but it didn’t matter that the back wasn’t done, since no one but his family saw it.  I rationalized that I was taking the “easy way out.”  I only had to do half of the work, and the rest didn’t matter.  It wasn’t hurting anyone, and I got to watch everything I wanted.  Then, the day of judgment came.  I had to mow the backyard, but now instead of it taking twenty minutes to do the whole thing, I had to stop every ten feet to empty a filled bag.  The lawn took me hours and hours to do, instead of the short twenty minutes each week.  I hadn’t taken the easy way out.  I had taken the long, hard way.  At the time, I didn’t realize what I was really saying when I thought I was doing it an easier way.  I had to pay for my actions later, and the consequence was greater than I could have anticipated.”

This greatly applies to the society in Fahrenheit 451.  At the time, it appeared everything was going fine, but eventually there is going to be a great price to pay for their actions.  Sure, it is important to have fun and be entertained, but that is not the reason we are here.  It is more important for people to learn and experience things that can help them in life.  If they don’t, they won’t be able to handle life’s challenges.  Ignorant and lazy people do not do well in these circumstances.  They will eventually have to make up for their lack of knowledge, but it will probably be too late.  They will not be able to recover, and, because they tried to take the “easy way,” they are going to have many harsh consequences.              

While I was reading this book, I couldn’t figure out why the message seemed so familiar, and then I realized that we had just read Anthem.  Do you think Mr. Thompson’s trying to get some message across??  

Tu resembles a une vache!!

The title of my blog is what my French teacher, Mrs. Comiskey, always says to students who chew gum in her class.  It means, literally, “You look like a cow.”  This may not be the kindness thing to saw to students, but she really means it.  She HATES gum, and she is pretty good at catching students who try to chew gum in her class.  I must agree with her, though.  It really is a disgusting habit.  There are so many people who chew gum, while at school.  First of all, this is breaking a rule!  It is well known that you are not allowed to chew gum at school, for many reasons, which are all very good.

First of all, gum ruins things.  For some disgusting reason, people think that they can neatly dispose of their gum by sticking it onto things or under something.  This does no good.  It ruins whatever it is stuck to, plus is grosses everyone else out.  No one wants to put his or her hand down and have it stuck to someone’s pre-chewed gum.  It is nasty.  Then, gum ruins any other substance it comes in contact with.  It is nearly impossible to get gum out of carpet.  Most of the time is just has to be cut away, which leaves ugly, “bald” patches.  And lastly, gum is AWFUL to get out of hair.  First, you have to pick out as much as you can, but this is an unpleasant experience because it really hurts to have your hair pulled on.  Then, the next resort is the peanut butter method.  Peanut butter is spread liberally all over the hair with gum in it.  It sometimes gets it out, because of the fat in it, but generally the desired effect is not achieved.  If none of the previous methods work, the hair has to be cut.  This is the worst option, but if often has to happen.  One time, a friend from elementary fell asleep with gum, and when he woke up, he had gum stuck to his eyebrow.  His parents couldn’t get it off without sacrificing half of his eyebrow, so for a large part of sixth grade, he had only 1-½ eyebrows.  It was quite funny for the rest of us, but I’m sure he did not enjoy it.

Those who often chew gum are not discreet about it.  I have nothing against people who chew gum, in an inconspicuous manner, to freshen their breath.   This is one of the great advantages of gum, but those who chew it, and really look like a cow, should be stopped.  It’s a great disgrace to Americans because they’re sometimes portrayed as not so bright, gum-chompers.  I certainly don’t want this description attributed to me.        

PS- Sorry that I didn’t put the correct accents on my title.  I couldn’t figure out how to get it there….  

The Screwtape Letters

I recently read the book The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  It was an excellent book, and I really enjoyed it.  In it, a devil leader is sending letters to an underling devil, his nephew.  During these letters, he describes different ways and tactics to get people to do bad things.  I was typing up this list for my dad, and, since I didn’t want to do another blog, it’s getting posted.  

The Devil’s Tactics, as discussed in
The Screwtape Letters

1. Do not show things as true or false.  They can be practical or silly, but should not be seen for what they really are.

1. Distract with the senses. Cause men to remember their lunch or how tired they are.  While at church, have them concentrate on how bad someone smells or how ugly his or her clothes are.  

1. Do not allow men realize truths about the Church.  If they don’t realize that it is an eternal thing, they can be led to believe incorrect things.  They can also feel that it is true or not depending on if they think of the preacher or if they like others in the congregation.

1. Encourage hard work at the beginning, but allow it to die out.  Cause men to work hard, to the point that they become exhausted, burned out, and eventually gives up.

1. “The Enemy” loves men, so he will allow us to struggle and learn to support themselves.  Since He loves them, He allows them to learn.  People sometimes feel abandoned while this is happening, but they are really just being tested to see whether they will remain true.

1. Cause little differences to become big problems.  Make habits that aren’t usually noticed stick out, which will cause men to become peevish and annoyed with each other.  Relationships that usually are strong, such as a mother and son, can be ruined by needless picking.

1. Draw the mind inward.  If people are selfish, they will not care about others and will get farther and farther from “The Enemy.”

1. Make prayers becoming wordy, without having great meaning.  Have men pray for the “state of someone’s soul” and distract them from other things, such as their health and general well being.  This can cause people to become detached, being able to pray for someone, without really meaning it.  Cause them to ignore what is really important in their lives.  While they are praying, instead of asking for something, make them think they are asking for it, while really they are just asking to try to “feel it.”

1. Cause men not to think about what they’re saying and to say things that are truly hurtful.  The worst kind of these words are the ones that look fine written on paper, but when they are said, they cause at least as much pain as being physically hit.

1. Bring past misconceptions to memory.  Remind men of how silly their prayers were before, such as during childhood, and make them wonder if it really is doing anything more now.

1. It is easy to distract from “The Enemy” when the mind is filled with fear and doubt.  During times of difficulties, it is easy to cause distraction because fear begins to preoccupy the mind.  Especially during war, turn thoughts away from peace and hope, concentrating them on fear, instability, and hatred.

1. Hatred can be used to cause bitterness and resentfulness, even when the target of this hatred is not the real reason for this.  When someone comes in contact with a problem, it natural to try and blame it on someone else.  The thought that things have been caused by other people or groups can bring feelings of hatred.  If allowed to grow, this hatred can be used to cause people do not awful things, in the name of “revenge.”

1. Be aware of people’s soft sides and discourage it.  People can think that they have strong feelings against someone, but these are not always realistic and can be ruined by acts of kindness.  “These are creatures of that miserable sort who loudly proclaim that torture is too good for their enemies and then give tea… to the first wounded [one]… who turns up at the back door (Lewis, 27)”.

1. Misdirect feelings.  There is both malice and benevolence in every soul.  Cause the malice to be brought forward to his neighbors and close associates, since he is often in contact with them, and cause the kindness and charitableness to be given and felt towards those poor souls who are suffering far away, of which they will never come meet.

    

Just a couple notes, in case you found some of this confusing:  this was written like it would be from the devil’s perspective and “The Enemy” is God.   This is also just information from the first seven chapters, out of 31, so I may be writing more on this topic later.  

Big Families

“There are eight kids in my family.”  Anytime I make that comment, people tend to go over the edge.  The first reaction is disbelief, and then a few things usually follow.  I tend to either get “Really?  How cool!” or “I’m sorry!”  Then, if they find out I’m the oldest, I get the latter line even more.  It’s awful to get.  Why do people feel sorry for me?  I don’t even feel sorry for myself!  It is a great experience to be in a big family.  So many things are learned that cannot be taught anywhere else.  One of the greatest things I’ve learned is selflessness.  It is nearly impossible to be selfish when there are a lot of kids.  Sure you can have the “my” attitude, but this tends to make life miserable.  This attitude is how the media portrays life.  Someone owns everything and the only way to share is to be grudging about it.  That is not reality.  It’s great to be able to share your things and borrow other’s stuff, without having it be a problem.

Another thing learned in a big family is hard work.  I won’t try to deny it.  It takes TONS of effort to keep everything going.  The house has to be constantly worked on.  There is always someone who needs to take a bath or someone that needs help with homework.  People need to be taken to tumbling or picked up from somewhere.  Having all these crazy times makes you appreciate when you get to relax and be together.  One of our favorite traditions is to leave on three-day weekends.  We don’t go very far, but we just get away.  The last three, short trips we’ve taken have been to Pocatello, Boise, Salt Lake, and Logan.  We don’t have to have any connections with anyone at home, and we’re just all together.  While we’re together, we play games and laugh.  We love to be in the pool together.  While we were in Logan, we did Chicken Fighting.  I don’t know if you’ve ever played that game, but while you’re in the pool, two people climb on two other people’s shoulders, and they “fight.”  Since we have more people, we have lots of people up on shoulders, and it usually turns into controlled chaos.  It’s hilarious to watch because everyone’s trying to pull the other people off, without getting knocked off themselves.  It is great fun to play, but most of all, it’s great because we’re together with our family.

The last point I wanted to make was, and this is especially to oldest children, be happy to be the oldest!  It is the best position in the family.  Though there are many perks, the best part is being able to watch your siblings get grow and develop.  There’s nothing better than going to see a new baby in the hospital, and then have them come home and be able to hold and love them, or listening to a two year old learn to talk, or watching a kindergartener excitedly go to school for the first time.  Those experiences are the kinds that make everything worth it.

My Ducks!!

Behind Fairfield, there are some wetlands.  My house is situated right next to them, and it is so nice.  When we first moved into our house, my dad was enamored with the idea of having a “pond.”  Whenever he rained, he would go out in the wetlands and dam it up, so it would fill.  We’ve had many experiences with these wetlands.  In our first years, there used to be a lot of frogs out there.  They would croak happily all summer, and it was great to listen to.  We also had geese that lived there with their goslings, but sadly, a dog came in one day and killed some of them, and they’ve never come back (sorry that was besides the point).  When it rained a lot, the wetlands would flood, and it would cause a river to run down our backyard.  

In the past few years, an engineer came in and built up a barrier, so that it wouldn’t flood.  This has been great, because it has caused the water level to rise greatly.  Right now, the wetlands are very full.  Now, here is the best part, we now have a pair of mallard ducks that live there.  They are both incredibly beautiful, but the male duck is amazing.  The feathers on his head are a lovely greenish/blue color, and he just swims around all the time.  Sometimes two other pairs of ducks join them, from a pond that is higher up in the wetlands, but usually these two are alone, besides a family of muskrats.  I do not usually like small, rodent-like creatures, but I’ve developed a certain fondness for this family.  They swim and chase each other around.  Occasionally they also swim after the ducks.  This is fun to watch because it causes the ducks to swim faster, to avoid them.  I have decided that these animals are going to be my pets.  My parents don’t like having pets, so now I’ve adopted these ducks as mine.  They’re so cute, and I can’t wait until spring develops more.  I’m REALLY hoping that they will have ducklings.  There is nothing cuter than a string a baby ducks swimming behind their mother.