Final Short Story (based on the song "First Love" by Murs)

Sam Higgins

Period 2

From the moment their eyes met, there was an immediate connection. He didn’t understand it. It was Luke’s first party during his first week of his freshman year in college. He had anxiously looked forward to this night for a long time and he wanted to take full advantage of his new sense of freedom. Sweltering hot air, alcohol, and raging adolescent hormones made up the atmosphere of the party. Luke looked through the hazy air of the packed dance floor and saw her. He didn’t know who she was but that didn’t surprise him because besides his roommate and the guys who lived in the rooms next to his, he didn’t know anyone. With a little help from the liquid confidence, he walked across the room and introduced himself. They talked for the rest of the night but it didn’t escalate into anything serious. They exchanged phone numbers and he went home that night feeling good about the party. His mind was racing.

Over the next few weekends, the two started to hang out a lot and would have long conversations. It was starting off just like any other relationship. Luke was really starting to like this girl but he wasn’t looking for anything too serious because after all, it was his freshman year and he was just looking for a good time.

One night at a party, the two were hanging out and talking like normal when Luke went in for the kiss. It was all downhill from there and things started to get hot and heavy. One thing lead to another and Luke found himself waking up next to her the next morning.

Luke rubbed his eyes and got out of the bed. She was still asleep for he figured that she needed her rest and Luke left the house to walk home. On the walk back to his room, Luke just shrugged off the night before like no big deal. “It was just the booze, nothing serious” he thought to himself. Later that day, Luke got a call from the girl asking him to go to lunch with her. He said yes without missing a beat because he really liked spending time with this girl. They got to the restaurant and it started off with just some normal conversation. Everything was going smoothly until she started asking questions about the two of them and where their relationship stood after the night before. These loaded questions frightened him so he tried not to answer them. He danced around every one of them and ate as fast as he could so he could just get out of there.

Over the next few weeks, Luke started hanging out with this girl much less frequently because of his fear of commitment to her. He was afraid to be tied down by just one girl and stopped answering her phone calls. He started casually going out with other girls and kept true to his motto “Nothing Serious”.

On the day before winter break, Luke was walking by the lake and his phone slipped out of his hand. The silver Blackberry Curve hit the concrete sidewalk and bounced into the lake. Luke was pretty upset about the loss of his phone but he figured he’d be able to go a few weeks without his numbers. He’d go home and get a new one over break and then come back and get everyone’s numbers again.

During his first night of being home, something happened that Luke never would have expected. He had a dream about his first college party and the girl he met that night was in it. He woke up the next morning and remembered the whole thing. From that point until the end of winter break, she consumed his thoughts every day. He couldn’t get her off of his mind. A feeling of regret kept coming over him because I couldn’t believe how badly he treated her. Luke finally decided on the last day of break that he loved her and he needed her in his life.

As Luke stepped out of his car and was finally back on campus, his heart was racing. He couldn’t wait to see her. On the walk back to his dorm, he walked by her best friend and stopped to talk to her. Luke explained his phone situation and asked her for the girl’s phone number so he could call her and talk to her. But as soon as the girl’s name left his lips, tears started flowing from the best friend’s eyes. What came next devastated Luke and changed his life forever. She started to tell Luke the story but the only words he could understand were “accident”, “drunk driver”, “no one survived”.

Class reflection Journal

There are a lot of positive things about this class. I really liked that we did all of our writing on a blog. This was a new experience for me and it was nice to not have to just write everything down in a notebook and turn it in. the lyrics assignment was a cool thing to do because it allowed us to look at poetry in songs that we listen to everyday. I was dreading this class when the quarter began but my mind quickly changed. Creative Writing actually became my favorite class this quarter and I looked forward to coming in and writing everyday.

I think it would've been cool if we could have done more with music and lyrics but I'm not sure what we would have done. I don't have too many criticisms about the class because I really enjoyed it. if I had to choose, I'd say I liked the poetry unit more than the short story unit. It seemed like we went more in depth into the poetry unit and then just kind of threw the short story unit in at the end because we covered all of the types of poetry.

Worst restaraunt experience Journal

The worst experience I have ever had at a restaraunt occurred at Perkins when I was younger. I was out to eat with my mom and my older brother. It was dinner time but since we were at Perkins, I ordered pancakes. I've never been a fan of Perkins because the service is usually pretty slow and the restaraunt is usually filled with smelly old people. But on this night, the workers were taking forever to make our food. When the food finally arrived, I was starving. I cut into the pile of steaming pancakes to find an unpleasant surprise. There was a white string at the edge of the pancake. I curiously pulled the string and it just seemed to keep going. It was spiraled all the way through my pancake and by the time I pulled the whole thing out, the whole pancake was torn apart. I looked at the string and realized it wasn't a string. It was dental floss. I immeadiately became disgusted and refused to eat the pancakes. I lost my appetite and Perkins will never be the same to me. Now every time I go into Perkins, the haunting image of dental floss winding throughout my pancakes comes back to me.

Restaraunt Journal

If I were to open a restaraunt, it would be on the beach in either California or or Hawaii. We would serve burgers along with many seafood items since it would be so close to the ocean. The floor plan would be very open and most of the seating would be outside. There would be live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. On nights where there isn't live music, background music would be playing over the speakers. This music would consist of a lot of old-school hip hop and "summer music", such as Sublime or The Beach Boys.  It would be a local hangout with a laid-back, relaxed vibe. The seating would be very comfortable and the restaraunt would be very beach inspired due to the location. Colored lights would be strung across the ceiling to give the restaraunt a fun feel.

Chair Picture Journal

The scrawny old man grabbed for the chair as his overweight wife sprinted into the kitchen, running faster than she has ever moved in the past 20 years. The old man lifted the chair high above his head; he was determined to catch this mouse. The room was dimmly lit by one lamp but he could still see the mouse scattering underneath the rug. This has been a weekly occurence ever since the mouse moved into the house half a year ago. The man and his wife would be watching the evening news and the mouse would appear out of nowhere. You could swear that the wife was part elephant. Partially because of the way she looked, but also because of her reaction. She would become extremely skiddish and would run away as if Michael Meyers were chasing her. The chair was still held above the man's head, ready to strike, but the man knew this wouldn't do anything. Next thing he knew, the rug laid flat on the floor again and the mouse had disappeared into the wall. This battle would happen again, and the man secretly looked forward to it. It was the one piece of excitement in his otherwise boring and monotonous life.

Science Fiction Short Story

Sam Higgins

Period 2

2150

The sun rises over the never-ending skyline on a warm summer morning. The booming metropolis is already bustling in the early hours of the morning as a new day begins. On the roads, cars drive themselves and no longer need to be control by the driver. Sidewalks move in order to speed up pedestrians’ travel. Business men and women use these methods of travel to get from their homes to work. For most people, it was just another normal day. But for one man, it was a new beginning.

            “Welcome back James”, said an old man in a white lab coat with a smile on his face. He was standing in front of James who had just woken up from being frozen for 100 years. James, standing at 6’2” with brown hair and a muscular build, looked extremely confused.

            “Where am I?” asked James, lying back in the capsule he was frozen in. “What year is it?”

            The old man replied, “The year is 2150, James. The world is a different place from when you left it. New technologies, new leaders; everything had changed. I know you have a lot of questions but I need to run some tests before I can answer them. Please stand up James.”

            James stood up and faced the old man. The old man had James walk around the room to make sure that he was healthy and could move around safely. The old man started walking and gestured for James to follow him. The two men walked through the building and out the front doors where they stood on a street corner, surrounded by towering skyscrapers.

            “Everything’s a lot bigger than it used to be,” said James as he stared upwards towards the sky. “Geez, and I thought New York City was big back in the day! That feels tiny compared to this.”

            “Like I said, the world is a different place now,” said the old man. “The whole Earth is like this.”

            “Wow. Everything seems so fast paced now,” James said as he gazed at the self-driving cars racing down the street and the moving sidewalks.

            “Yep, the government thought that the world needed to be more streamlined and efficient. Because of that, there are no longer separate countries and governments. Now, there is one government for everyone. They figured that the world would be a more efficient place this way because they wouldn’t have to waste energy, resources, and people on fighting wars with each other.

            “Well, I guess that idea makes sense. But one government for the whole world?” questioned James. “Isn’t there unrest amongst the citizens?

            The old man replied, “Not really. The government has complete control so the citizens are kind of trapped into doing what the government orders. And anyways, most of them are too caught up in their non-stop work to even notice. Most of them live quite peaceful lives.” The two men started walking down the sidewalk.

            “So there’s got to be a park or something around here. With all of these skyscrapers, the people must need somewhere to get away to.”

            “Nope. No parks,” said the old man. “All nature was destroyed because it was deemed as a ‘distraction’ to the citizens.”

            “But doesn’t nature provide people with things they need to live such water and oxygen?

            “Everyone still needs those things but anything can be made in a factory now so they didn’t need nature anymore.

            “So the entire Earth is like this? Just endless cities with people working for the government?” James asked curiously.

            “Yes. The Moon and Mars are the exact same way” replied the old man.

            “Wait, did you say the Moon and Mars?”

            “Yes I did, James. With all of the new technology that has been invented, the average life span is much higher than it used to be and the population soared. Even occupying the whole Earth, there still wasn’t enough room for everyone. So we started sending people to live in space.”

            “I want to see this. Can we go there?”

            “Yes we can leave this afternoon.”

            By the time the afternoon had came around, James couldn’t wait any longer. He still couldn’t get over the fact that the human race was living in outer space. He couldn’t wait to see it. The old man said that it was just another infinite metropolis like the Earth but James refused to believe this. As a child, he grew up always dreaming of one day going to the Moon or going to Mars. The mystery and wonder that lied beyond the Earth’s atmosphere always astonished him. Now, after being frozen at the age of 25 for 100 years, James was feeling like a child again. The old man and James climbed inside the small shuttle and prepared for takeoff. Butterflies consumed James’ insides and he could barely sit still. The shuttle flew through the stars with blinding speed and James zoned out into a daydream. While reminiscing about all of his childhood fantasies about outer space, he had completely forgotten what the old man had said.

This was apparent when the shuttle landed on the Moon and James asked, “Are we already back from the Moon?”

“No, James. This is the Moon. Like I said, its just like Earth. Nothing but skyscrapers and streets all at perfect 90 degree angles to the one next to it.” The two men walked for awhile without conversation. James had a look of disgust on his face. He had finally achieved his childhood dream of exploring space and it had been ruined. All of the mystery and wonder about the Moon that had consumed James’ childhood fantasies had vanished. The whole planet was covered with cookie-cutter skyscrapers and streets. No parks, no trees, no lakes, no beauty.

The two men stopped at a street corner nearly identical to the street corner that they had been standing on just hours before on Earth when James muttered, “I can’t believe this.”

“I completely agree,” said the old man. “I had similar childhood fantasies to yours. I always had dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Outer space astonished me as a child. I hate seeing the universe like this. It breaks my heart.”

“You had dreams of becoming an astronaut? But weren’t there already colonies set up on the Moon when you were a child. A city like this couldn’t have just popped up over night and you’re not exactly young. No offense.”

“Oh none taken,” replied the old man. “But yes, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I actually achieved my dream too. I was working at NASA when they decided to freeze me just like they froze you.”

“Really? Why were you frozen?”

“They said that they would need to save some of the great minds for the future because they would be needed when people started to live on the Moon. I didn’t believe them when they said that people would one day be living on the moon but I trusted that they had the technology to freeze me for 100 years so I figured why not. I thought it’d be cool to live in the future but when they unfroze me and I saw this, I discovered I was wrong. I miss the nature of the Old World and all of the personal freedoms we had. None of that exists now and nobody even stops to realize it. They are too caught up in relentlessly working to even notice.”

“What are they even working so hard for anyways? It’s not like the companies are competing against each other since they’re all owned by the government now.  Why doesn’t anyone stop to relax and ‘smell the roses’?” asked James.

“Did anyone before? We were blessed with a life on a beautiful planet and many people took it for granted. Even back in our time, many people were too focused and concerned about working that they too forgot to stop and ‘smell the roses’. That’s how we ended up where we are today.

"Behind him the noise escalated" Journal

Behind him the noise escalated. The announcer exclaimed his name and the crowd jumped to their feet and roared. He gave a slight acknowledgement to the stadium full of adoring fans as he started the walk from the on-deck circle to the the batter's box. The stadium lights were very bright and the spring air was crisp. He held his hand up to the umpire signaling that he wasn't ready for the at-bat to start yet. With his hand in the air, he shifted the dirt around in the batter's box and set his feet. He was taking deep breaths as he attempted to calm his nerves. His mind was racing with excitement. It was the first at-bat of the 2011 MLB season. He dug in his feet and looked to the pitcher. And here comes the pitch... The season has begun.

Clock Journal

The clock winked... what does this phrase even mean? I'm not sure where I can take a story by starting with this phrase. To be honest, this wasn't much of a prompt so I'm just going to use this 10 minutes to free-write. One thing that has been on my mind lately is the idea that in a week, it will be fourth quarter of my senior year of high school. This idea excites me and freaks me out at the same time. In about 3 months time, I'll be graduating from the school where I've spent the last 4 years of my life and moving on. It's going to be a huge change. Another thing that has been on my mind lately is the spring musical. I am involved in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie and it has been getting stressful lately. It's about 3 weeks until opening night so "crunch time" is starting. Between rehearsals and finishing up our required 12 tech hours, I feel like I live at school some days. I was at school for nearly 14 hours yesterday and I'll be here for the same amount of time today. It's a huge time commitment.

Spring Break Journal

Over spring break, I went to Olathe, Kansas. I took the 8 hour drive there with my mom because we have relatives down there. We stayed at my grandparents house and my aunt and uncle also live in the same city. We stayed there for 4 days. My favorite day was when we went out to breakfast and then drove to Rockhurst University in Kansas City to watch my cousin play 2 lacrosse games. It was 80 degrees outside that day and it felt really good to sit out in the sun. That night, we went to the Plaza in Kansas City to eat dinner and walk around. While we were down there we spent a lot of time with family so that was nice. During the 8 hour trip each way, I got to watch movies on my mom's laptop. I got to watch some good movies during the drive such as The Breakfast Club, Fight Club, The Other Guys, American Pie and a few others. We stayed in Kansas from Saturday till Tuesday. I spent the rest of the trip at home which was kind of depressing because of the crappy weather and not many other people were home. I worked out a lot because I got bored very often. I also played Wii Sports quite a bit. One day, I went shopping with my mom. This isn't usually my ideal day because it's usually boring but it was fun this time. I bought some good summer clothes like lax pinnies and basketball shorts. Too bad I can't wear them yet because its still too cold outside.

Spoon In a Dishwasher Journal

I am in great need for a shower after last night's bowl of chocolate ice cream. The door closes and the darkness surrounds me. I can hear the shower starting up and the water soon starts to flow. The water and soap mix together as the wash cycle starts. The water flows over my body and I am now shining clean. The dry cycle has now started. It gets very warm in the dishwasher but it dries off all of the excess water. I am now ready to be used again.

Invention Journal

If I could invent one thing to help mankind, it would be to be able to travel somewhere immeadiately. This would would cut out the long plane rides or car rides that just waste time. Whether the person was going to help with a national disaster, going to an important meeting, or just going on vacation, everything would be more efficient.

Dream Journal

I once dreamed that one of my friends died in a car accident. It was a really freaky dream because I am friends with both her and her older brother. When I woke up, I vividly remembered the whole dream and I called her brother to tell him about the dream and make sure it wasn't real. I thought it actually happened when I woke up because it was such a clear dream and I remembered the whole thing. Also, it was a realistic dream so it was a situation that could actually occur. I think I had this dream because I was at my friends' house that night and he was telling me that he had almost gotten in a car crash a few days before and he was pretty freaked out about it.

Sci Fi pre-writing

Setting

• The year 2200, but looks like colonial America
• Awakes at sunrise
• Citizens are oppressed by the governemt but don't realize it because it is all they know

Plot

• Time has moved forward but society and technology has moved backwards
• The government knows of the technologies that used to exist (computers, cell phones, etc.) but is keeping the citizens in the dark about them
• Main character is also aware of these technologies
• Main character is a fugitive because the government fears that he will share his knowledge with the citizens and empower them

Characters

• Main character is male, 6'2", brown hair, age 25 (same age as when he was frozen)
• He meets a woman who lives in the society who helps him gain the citizens trust because they think he is crazy at first until they see evidence of the truth.

I wish someone had told me... Journal

I wish someone had told me what to write this journal about. On most days, I would make up some random thought and run with it but I was rushed this morning so I forgot to "turn my swag on". This has been my learning experience for the day; always listen to Soulja Boy's advice. Not really, in reality that would be an awful idea. Ugh we still have 5 more minutes to write. I enjoy this 10 minute free writing time everyday though. It gives me a good opportunity to jam to some tunes for 10 minutes everyday. I'm listening to "Alive" by Pearl Jam currently and I think I'm feeling some Beach Boys next. Its' gonna be a good day.

Science Fiction Ideas

One idea that came to my mind was that I was frozen for 100 years, society decayed and moved backwards 100 years technology-wise. Cellphones, computers, ipods, etc. wouldn't exist. This would make my character stand out as an outsider because he knows about all of these technologies but no one else does. i think this would be an interesting topic to explore because it would be unique from everyone else's ideas. If I decide not to follow this plot, I would just invent something in my story that would drastically change the world such as time travel or something.

Big Shoe Journal

The waiting was finally over and it was my turn to get on the ride. I stepped into the big shoe painted to look like a brown leather dress shoe and sat down. I buckled my seatbelt and I was ready to go.

"Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times" announced the amusement park worker.

The ride started off just like every other time I had been on it but then after the first hill, something went horribly wrong. The car in the shape of a shoe was moving much too fast and flew off the track! I was now trapped in this shoe as it rolled uncontrollably through the amusement park. Terror shot through my body and all I could do was cover my head and watch as my giant shoe destroyed everything in its path.

My Journey on a Pirate Ship

We were sailing on our yacht off the coast of the Florida Keys on a sunny summer day when we had a life changing experience. A gigantic wooden ship pulled up next ours and we didn't know what they wanted at first. Their ship made our yacht look tiny. Before we knew it, they were ambushing our boat and we were being taken onto their ship. We were being held hostage by the pirates. They held us at gun point and demanded for all of our money and valuables. We quickly handed over these items out of fear. They took us underneath the deck and locked us in a holding cell that was pretty much a prison cell. We stayed there for nearly a day before one of the pirates walked down and threw some food into our cell. They were looking to receive a reward for our return so they had to keep us alive. We spent the next two weeks living in these desolate conditions. We were all at the breaking point when a man in a uniform walked down and freed us. Our suffering was finally over.

Giant rabbit journal

To be honest, I don't even know what to say about this picture. I'm still amazed about how freakin' huge that rabbit is! I was speechless when I first saw the picture. That rabbit is at least half of the size of the man holding it, if not more. I'm wondering where this rabbit was caught and how it got that enormous. I wonder if that man caught that rabbit in the wild or had it on his farm. If the rabbit was on his farm, maybe he fed it some special mix of food or something. If it was caught in the wild, that would've been a truly strange happening.

Ari Gold Journal

As Hollywood's super-agent Ari Gold is basking in the glory of his magnificent office, his assistant tells him that he has a phone call. After verbally harassing him, he tells the assistant to send the call through. E is on the other end of the phone and he tells Ari that the crew is coming into visit him for a business meeting. 30 minutes later, E, Vince, Turtle, and Drama stroll into the office. As they walk through, everyone else in the office stops and stares. They walk into Ari's office and tell him that they have some bad news for him. Vince is firing Ari as agent. Vince has been unhappy with Ari lately because he feels like Ari hasn't been keeping his promises such as finding Johnny Drama a new acting role. Devastated by this news, Ari begs and pleads to Vince that he will change and that finding Drama a new role is his first priority. Vince is Ari's biggest client and losing him could potentially ruin his career. Vince isn't buying it and storms out of Ari's office with his entourage following closing behind him. To blow off some steam, Ari throws a temper tantrum and verball harasses his assistant some more because that always makes him feel better. He starts frantically making phone calls and he is determined to get his star client back.

Shredder Journal

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" screamed my friend Electric Bill as he slid into the paper shredder. It's been a rough day in the paper stack because today is spring cleaning. This day comes around once every year and if someone gets too old, they are deemed not needed and are exterminated. I've lost many friends this way and I've grown to fear and hate that gruesome machine named the "Shredder2000". As I am forced to sit and watch my friends die, I wonder if today is going to be my day. I'm about a year out dated so I'm growing quite frantic. Who will take care of my family if  I die? Next thing I know, I'm at the top of the pile. I'm next. I start saying my goodbyes but before I even finish a hand picks me up...

The End

Marian and Joey Journal

Marian Bartsch and Joey Catsalgi met on his first day of work. From the moment their eyes met, they had an immediate connection. Without having spoken a single word to one another, it felt like they already knew each other. This happened every day for the rest of the week until on Friday afternoon, Joey finally mustered up enough courage to ask Marian out. He walked up to her with a racing heart and sweaty palms. He was nervous but he knew that if he was ever going to overcome his trust issues, he was going to have to keep putting himself out there. Joey has always had a rough time getting close to women and it all started with his mother leaving when he was just a little kid. Growing up without a mother figure was tough and he was often lonely since his dad was always at work. In high school, Joey was frequently rejected by girls whenever he would ask them out so he just stopped trying. But when he saw Marian, he didn't exactly know what it was, but he knew this was different. She said yes when nervously mumbled, "Would you like to go get dinner tonight?" and he knew that this was the first step on the road to recovery.

Final Poem

Creative Writing, you are a great class
You introduced my to blogging
As my inspiration changes, so does my background
You give me the freedom to write about whatever is on my mind
10 minutes free writing, daily lyrics, assigned poem
That's the daily schedule
You're chill and laid-back
I look forward to 2nd hour everyday
You're nice to come to after the confusion that comes with AP Calc AB

Perfect Day journal

Since I would have unlimited resources, the first thing I would do on my perfect day is buy a transporter so I could travel anywhere I wanted without having to waste time by sitting on a plane. I would go to Hawaii and spend some time on the beach thinking about my life because that would be a peaceful and relaxing way to remember all of my memories. I would then go back to Minnesota and go frolfing at Alimagenet Park with my friend Alec. I would do this is how we spent the majority of our summer days. After that, I would go to my grandparents house and spend time with all of my family members. My family means a lot to me so I would need to spend time with them on my last day.  To cap off the day, I would throw a huge party with all of my friends. At this party, I would thank everyone there for all of the good times and memories we had together. I would also bring in a big name music act to perform and make sure the party would be a very memorable one for everyone there.

Villanelle

The team showed up to the field
A few hours before the game
Stomachs full from the pre-game meal

Looking to seal
The season with a championship so people remember the name
The team showed up to the field

Excitement and nervousness was all they could feel
This game was different, it wouldn't be the same
Stomachs full from the pre-game meal

The moment important game of their lives will take place on this field
They wouldn't trade the memories or brotherhood for fortune or fame
The team showed up to the field

Taking it all in, In the corner of the dugout one player kneeled
Win or lose, they all knew that this team was special, there wouldn't be shame
Stomachs full from the pre-game meal

No one knew how how the game would turn out, only time could reveal
Drawing closer to the opening pitch, waves and waves of fans came
The team showed up to the field
Stomachs full from the pre-game meal

10 most important moments

1. Confirming my enrollment at the U of M-Twin Cities for Fall 2011
2. Hitting my first homerun
3. New york choir trip
4. Passing my driver's license test
5. Opening night of my first Bravo show
6. Having to put my dog Hank down
7. My neighbor Bryan's funeral
8. Having to quit baseball
9. Cliff jumping
10. Having my first job

Etheree

It
is my
favorite
activity
during the summer.
Its fun and relaxing.
Frolf is a good way to spend
a few hours during the day.
Alimagenet is the best course.
Talking with friends and soaking up the sun.

Ridiculous Journal

How ridiculous I was as kid going from sophomore to junior year in high school. One memory that sticks out in my mind was when some friends and I decided to sneak into the waterpark. After we twisted over the slippery fence, we ran over to the diving board like silly little schoolgirls. When I was very young, I was afraid of the deep end because I used to think crazy sea creatures like octopus' lived at the bottom. Anyways, I was long past that fear and we jumped off the diving board over and over again. Something about that night made me feel invincible and fearless. Nothing could stop us. After about an hour, we climbed our drenched bodies out of the pool and climbed back over the fence. We sprinted to our car even though there was nobody else around. We were running due to the adrenaline rush. It has been one of my favorite memories from high school and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was a spontaneous risk and everything worked out perfectly.

Acrostic

Sam is the preferred name of Samuel.
Almost 18 years old.
Man,

He enjoys spring and summer.
Its just something about being outside.
Going to the beach or
Going for a late night walk,
Its simply a happier time.
Nothing like it.
Swag

Changing the world journal

One change that I would want to see in the world is that everyone would have mutual respect for one another. This isn't saying that everyone would have to agree on everything or have the same views but everyone would have to respect the people around them. It would make life a lot easier and it would make the world a better place. It wouldn't even be a difficult change to make. I know I'm just a 17 year old kid from the sheltered Minnesota suburbs so many people would probably disagree with me but it just seems like nothing seems worth it to going to war over. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be blessed with the life that I have and not have to face the hardships that tons of people in the world have to go through everyday but I everything would go a lot more smoothly in the world if everyone just helped out one another instead of always fighting about it.

House Journal

"The house is made of brick, wood, and concrete" said the tour guide. I could tell this old house meant a lot to him from the twinkle in his eye when he spoke. My eyes however were squinted because he chose to stop and talk with us facing straight into the bright midday sun. He was as gabby as tour guides come. I love history but I wasn't really sure why we took a class trip to go see some old house wobbling on the top of a mountain. I guess it was pretty cool though how this house was still up there. It was pretty impressive in fact. What was nearly as impressive was that back when people still lived in this house, they would drive a wagon up and down the steep mountain path everyday. Our modern schoolbus had a difficult time climbing the bumpy road so I can't even imagine what the trip would be like in a wagon.

Sonnet

Shall I compare you to the seasons
Everyone has a different liking
Preferences vary and so do the reasons
Some like snowboarding and some like hiking
Oh music, you mean something to everyone
Play different roles in everyone's life
But you're there everyday like the sun
You're there for the good times, there for the strife
Pounding beats in my head through my headphones
You are as essential as my heartbeat
You are always there so I'm never alone
My love for you is intense like the summer heat
Like the seasons, you are always changing
Old playlists, they need rearranging

Dinner table Journal

If I could invite three people to the dinner table, living or dead, they would be...
1. Lupe Fiasco- I would invite him because he is a favorite rapper of mine. He writes lyrics with actual substance and I respect that a lot. He has a lot of talent and it would be cool to chill with him.
2. Rob Dyrdek- I would invite Rob because I loved watching his shows and he seems like a really chill guy. He would have some hilarious things to say and he would bring some interesting conversation to the table.
3. Frank Sinatra- I would invite him because he is such a classy guy and he is a legend.

Assonance

He drags his exhausted body out of bed
He thinks to himself, "Ugh.. Another day of this"
He clumsily stumbles to the bathroom to shower
He nearly falls back asleep as the warm water flows over his body
After getting dressed, he strolls downstairs where his parents are sitting at the table
They are way too awake and energetic for 6:30 in the morning
They attempt to start a conversation but he quickly shuts them down
He grabs his breakfast, throws himself into the dark maroon reclining chair, and turns on the TV
For the next 20 minutes, he immerses himself in SportsCenter and Boy Meets World reruns
As 7 o'clock rolls around, he goes back upstairs to brush his teeth
He packs a minuscule lunch for there is nothing good to eat at his house
Driving to his dreaded destination, he can only think about how much he wants the school year to be over

Lyrics Assignment

Song Title : "Real World"

Artist : Matchbox Twenty

1. Why did you choose this song? Why is it important to you?
I chose this song because Matchbox Twenty is one of my favorite bands and its a catchy song.

2. What is the story in the lyrics?
The story in the lyrics is that the singer is feeling like he doesn't have control over his life and he is wondering what it would be like to be someone who is in control and can do whatever they want. In the last part of the song, he is speaking to someone who means a lot to him and is saying "please don't change" because that person makes his life better when everything else is going wrong.

3. What is the structure?
This song is mostly free verse with only a few examples of rhyming

4. What is the emotional tone or mood?
The mood of the song is that the singer is frustrated

5. What is the message or lesson?
The message is that a lot of times in life, things won't go your way and you'll be upset but there's always someone or something that makes everything good again.

6. What is the intention of this piece of music?
 The intention of this song is it an outlet for the singer to vent his frustrations

Scary moment journal

A time in my life when I was really scared happened this past summer. My friends josh, alec, and I were looking for something to do on a boring afternoon. After awhile of brainstorming ideas, we finally came up with our acivity for the day. Cliff Jumping. We hopped in Josh's car and drove for at least 30 minutes until we came to a park and got out. I didn't really know where we were but it didn't matter to me because my adrenaline had started flowing. We had to hike for a few minutes past a few "No Trespassing on the cliff" signs to get up to the cliff. We climbed up and looked down and thats when my fear kicked in. I had never realized my fear of heights before this moment. It was about a 50 foot drop but it might as well have a 100 story tall skyscraper. Josh went first because he had been there before. Then Alec went and I was left alone standing on the top of the cliff. I told myself it was "time to man up" and just jump even though it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. So I ran to the edge and jumped off. Time seemed to stop as I was flying through the air. As I was in mid-air, I looked around and realized that I was at the will of gravity. I flailed my limbs about and nothing but air was around me. I crashed into the water and I was kind of in shock about what had just happened.

Wordle

Music Journal

I start and end every day with it. It comes into my life multiple times during the day. I'm not sure what I would do without having music in my life. I wake up every morning and put my iPod on my iHome while I take a shower and get ready for the day. I do the same thing while I get ready for bed at the end of the day. I'm not really sure what it is about music that I love so much. On some days, it amplifies my mood while on other days, it changes my mood (usually for the better). On bad days such as yesterday, all I wanted to do was listen to music and be by myself. Nothing particularly horrible happened yesterday, but I was tired and I just didn't really feel like dealing with other people. My iPod is my best friend on days like these because it provides me with a way to escape to a different world for awhile. I constatnly have songs stuck in my head and it feels like even my heartbeat has a musical tendency to it. Music surrounds me constantly and I wouldn't have it any other way. My iPod library isn't complete yet and it never will be because I honestly enjoy listening to pretty much every genre of music.

Alliteration

Its a beautiful thing that the baseball season has almost begun
Spitting sunflower seeds and cheering for my team
Spending the summer sitting under the shining sun
Twins fans respond to a towering homerun with a triumphant scream

Watching a game at Target Field is like a warm wonderful dream
Spring Training starting is a sign of summer drawing near
The Minnesota Twins are my team
The stands swarm with people and the suffocating stench of hot dogs and beer

Childhood Memories

Growing up, I was always a very active child. I loved being outside and running around. When the weather was nice, my favorite activities were playing baseball, playing backyard football, playing basketball on my neighbor's SportCourt, riding my bike, and going to the waterpark. I would usually spend all day outside during the summer. During the school year, as soon as I got home, I would go over to my neighbor's house and play basketball.  On Sunday afternoons during the fall, my neighbors and I would all put on our NFL jerseys and go in my backyard and play football. During the winter, my favorite things to do were having snowball fights, going sledding, playing baksetball, and playing PlayStation. My neighbors and I used to have big snowball fights in our yards and play king of the hill on giant piles of snow. The big hill behind Andy's Market is right by my house so I used to go sledding there a lot during the winter.

Fourth of July Poem

Fourth of July
Red, White, and Blue
Colors of the American flag
Warm weather
Fireworks, laughter, national anthem singing
Grills cooking food
Hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato chips
The Fourth of July is a great summer holiday enjoyed with family and friends

Cold Night journal

 A man walks out into the cold night air. His hands are shaking from what just happened. This man is named Ray Allen. His adrenaline was still pumping through his body. Just an hour earlier, he made the game-winning buzzer beater in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It was the biggest shot of his life and it went in, nothing but net. Tonight he lived up to his reputation of being a clutch shooter as he dropped 30 points and sealed the Celtics second straight NBA title.

Parts of Speech Poem

A baseball
Round and White
Throwing and Catching
Baseball Field

Free Writing Journal

As the weather slows climbs back into the positive digits, all I've been able to think about lately is summer. It has consumed my thoughts nearly 24 hours a day. Seeing snow for 5 months a year is pretty depressing. Nothing really beats the clear blue skies, warm weather, and freedom that go along with summer. Plus, there's no school. It just seems like everything has been so monotonous lately. Wake up, go to school, go home, do homework, go to bed, repeat. Life is lacking variety. What I love about summer more than anything is being able to wake up every morning and having the opportunity to anything I please with my day. As I lay in my bed at night trying to fall asleep, all I can think about is being at the Alimagenet Park frolf course throwing my discs.

Cinquain

My dog
Frequently lays
On my bed when I'm gone
Like a person in a coma
She sleeps

Pain Journal

I wake up and try to take a deep breath, but the deeper the breath the more severe the pain. The ground is hard beneath my back, and I feel a dull pain in my arm. My vision was shaky and the bright lights on the mountain were blinding. The last thing I remembered happening was flying through the air without control of my body. I slipped as I flew off the jump and the rotation of my body and my snowboard was completely off. From this point on, I was simply a projectile flying at the will of gravity. Still laying in the snow, the paramedics were huddled over me, making sure I wasn't severely injured. I heard them say that my arm was broken. In addition to my broken arm, my head was throbbing  and pulsing with pain. I glanced over to the giant replay screen and watched the replay of my fall. It was painful to watch myself fly helplessly through the air and crash into the ground.

Metaphor Poem

Life is a rollercoaster
It has it's highs
It has it's lows
It can change direction quickly
Sometimes you don't know what's going to happen next
Sometimes you throw your hands in the air with excitement
Life moves fast so buckle up and enjoy the ride

Best Friend Journal

My best friend is Alec Knop. Alec is a tall, red-headed guy with a skinny build. While he is goofy and fun to be around, he is also very responsible. There have been many times in our friendship when I haven't been thinking but he was always there to back me up. A good example of this was a few summers ago. It was an abnormally hot summer day and we biked to Subway to grab some lunch after Super Group. I was sweating heavily but I thought that it was just from our morning workout. We got to Subway and I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded and my vision became blurry. What I didn't know was that I was dehydrated from my baseball game the night before and I had heat exhaustion. I ended up fainting in the Subway after a few minutes. I was going to bike home because that was my only transportation but Alec was being responsible and smart and he called my mom to come pick us up because he realized that it would be very dangerous for me to bike home.

Simile Poem

My trip to NYC this past weekend was the closest thing to a perfect weekend as I have ever had. It was like a dream. Even waking up early every morning like a bear coming out of hibernation couldn't ruin the trip. My favorite parts of the trip were dancing at the Cotton Club on going on the dinner cruise. The fact that these were my favorite parts of the trip came as a huge surprise to me. It was like a total underdog team coming through unexpectedly and winning the championship. I wasn't really looking forward to these parts of the trip much like a child who doesn't want to eat his vegetables. In the end, these 2 nights were extremely fun and I think that partially has to do with me not expecting them to be fun. On the dinner cruise, I danced like an fool without a care in world. At the Cotton Club, the charming gentleman in me came out when I asked girls to dance and I really surprised myself.

Change Poem (Spring)- (absent)

The
snow
slowly
melts

It
is
brown
from
cars'
exhaust

The
grass
starts
to
show
more
and
more
every
day

Spring
is
on
its
way

Similie Excercise

1. A calendar is like a mirror because it reflects everything that you have done.
2. A sandwich is like a piece of artwork because everyone prefers something different and it can be breath-taking.
3. An ice cube is like a cookie because they can both be craved.
4. A knife is like a whisper because they can both be painful in certain situations.
5. Kissing is like a careful collision because they are meant to be.
6. A basketball feels like a peeled grape.
7. Damp clothing feels like leftover spaghetti.
8. Falling in love sounds like a professional orchestra because its moving and beautiful.
9. A dentist’s drill feels like finger prick because both are uncomfortable.
10. Tomato soup tastes like bleeding hearts because neither are appetizing.

Out of the dark...

Out of the dark we came, into the the breath-taking glow of Times Square. Brightly light screens and people were everywhere we looked. We had just come from the side streets which can be dangerous at night if you aren't careful. Taxi drivers honked their horns that squealed like horribly out of tune trumpets. The streets reeked of cigarette smoke and sewage. We were in a hurry so we had to be crafty as we waded through the enormous crowds of strangers. It was quite the adventure back to Times Square but we made it back just in time to make it to the show we had tickets for.

Bucket List (absent)

1. Travel Europe -This is on my bucket list because of my love for history and travel.
2. Own a cabin or lake/beach house-I love summer and spending time outdoors so this would be the perfect place for me
3. Skydiving-I'm an adventurous person
4. Go scuba diving-I love the ocean and it would be cool to explore it
5. Meet Elton John-He is my favorite musician and it would be really cool to spend a day with him
6. Go to Hawaii again- I went to Hawaii a few summers ago on a family vacation and it was incredible. I'd love to be able to go back
7. Learn to play the piano-I love music and it would be helpful and cool if I knew how to play
8. Work for Rolling Stone magazine-This would be the coolest job ever because I would be able to listen to tons of music, go to concerts, etc.
9. Go to Lollapalooza- Lollapalooza is a music festival held in Chicago every summer and its one of the biggest music festivals in the country. It would be insane to be able to go
10. Learn how to skateboard-Skateboarding has always been an interest of mine and I think its one of the coolest sports out there. I suck at it and it would be cool to actually be able to do it

Limerick

There once was a kid named Ryan
Who claimed that he was Hawaiian
They thought it was real
But then he revealed
That he was only just lyin'

10 Years from now

As I rise up out of my bed, I walk over to the curtains. I throw them open, slide open my door, and step out onto my balcony. I place my hands on the railing and stare. I am looking out to the horizon with the ocean and my private beach in my view. I reflect on some thoughts and ponder about what today will contain. I walk downstairs into the kitchen of my isolated, tropical vacation home. I get ready for the day and get dressed. I brought some friends with me out to my vacation home to chill with so we all pile into my car and make the 20 minute drive into the nearby small beach town. Here we grabbed some lunch and played a game of pickup basketball at the local courts.

Ode to Summer

Oh summer, you are my true love.
Frolfing, beach volleyball, no school
You have it all
I love your feeling of freedom and joy
The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky
You are care-free go with the flow
Each day brings with it an opportunity for excitement and adventure
I look forward to you all winter long

Most Embarassing Moment

My most embarassing moment happened earlier this year at Bravo rehearsal. We had just finished running the Polar Express so the full cast was walking off stage and I was the last one off stage. The choreographer then said to come back to our spots so we had to turn around and I was in front of everyone. I was goofing around while walking back to my spot and I had ended up tripping on the stairs onstage. I tripped and fell down in front of the whole cast. I got up quickly and started laughing and clapping to play it off as it not being a big deal. My friends gave me crap for it for the rest of rehearsal but I was a good sport about it since everyone has had a moment like that in their life.

Auto-Bio Poem

Sam

Honest, Goofy, Loyal, Adventurous

Brother of Jacob

Lover of music, laughter, adventure

Who feels fulfillment when helping others

Who needs music and laughter everyday

Who gives encouragement, laughter, support

Who fears failure, loneliness, and clowns

Who would like to see happiness for friends and family

Resident of Apple Valley

Higgins

Lion Journal

As the lion turns and starts running my way, I would instinctively run away as fast as I could. If possible, I would try to find a diner or restaraunt to go into because due to the "No shirt, No shoes, No service" rule, the lion wouldn't be able to come inside. If I just happened to be on desolate piece of land with no places of business, I guess I would just have to fight it with my bare hands. On most days, I would call myself a lover instead of a fighter but this situation is a little different. Even though I'm used to only fighting grizzly bears, a lion doesn't seem like it would be much different. In fact, it might actually be a little easier. After I put a good ol' whooping on the lion, I'd tame it and keep it as a pet to show off to my family and friends.

Haiku Assignment

Flying through the sky

The ball landed in a pond

My only homerun

Thank you note

I would to thank my parents for all they have done for me. I know that's the cliche answer but it's really true. Throughout my 17 years of life, I have learned a ton from my parents. Whether they are just helping me with my homework, or having a conversation about life, no one else could have taught me the things they did. If I had to choose one thing that I am thankful for in life, I would choose my family. I am blessed to have loving, supportive parents and a great brother. I would not be where I am today without them. I ocassionally take this blessing for granted but I know I am incredibly lucky to grow up with the family I have. They have been there to support me through everything in the past and I know that this will continue in the future.

Most Memorable Events Brainstorm List

• Hitting my first homerun
• My dog Hank dying
• Opening night of Bravo
• Passing my driver's license test
• Sneaking into the waterpark
• Receiving a Superior Rating on my vocal solo freshman year
• Snorkeling in Hawaii
• Donating blood for the first time

Free Writing 2: Best place I've been

The best place I've ever been was the North Shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. My family traveled here a few summers ago and it was unlike any other experience I've ever had. Driving up to the North Shore from Waikiki Beach, which is on the southern end of the island, was a peaceful and relaxing drive. Lining the road on one side were jungle covered mountains and on the other was the deep blue ocean that stretched to the horizon. Once we reached the North Shore, we stayed at a resort named Turtle Bay Resort. We spent nearly the whole first day there just walking around and taking it all in. This paradise was vastly different from home. Waking up every morning and being able to just sit on the balcony and stare out at the ocean is something that everyone should experience sometime in their life. It was the perfect place for a man to kick back, relax, and collect his thoughts.

Free Writing

In Creative Writing I am hoping to learn a lot. Today was the first time I have ever created or used a blog so that in itself was a new and valuable experience. I would like to learn how to write down my thoughts and ideas in abstract and new ways of writing that I am not typically used to using.