I was talking to my friend Allison the other day, and she read to me something she had written as a class project a few weeks back.  Something that stood out to me was one of her ‘personal philosophies she wrote.  It got me thinking, and I really needed to hear it.

“I believe that a person should do what they think is right, and not have to worry about regret later.”

That’s exactly what I’m doing.  I’m worrying too much about what I’m going to be doing in the future, or even what’s easiest for me.  I’m a bit better then that.  Staying at home, I really am taking the easy way out.  But, see, to me, Public school right now isn’t even registering in my mind as a place to learn; just as a place to socialize.  But maybe that’s what I need.  I’m so confused about the whole situation.

Allow me to present you all with the pros and cons.

BACK TO SCHOOL

PROS
- Get to see everybody again
- More interesting atmosphere and more things to do.

CONS
- Threatening enviroment
- Teachers (Like ‘em or hate ‘em)
- Do not get to learn as much
- I don’t get to finish school early
- I might not know exactly what I need to know.
- I get NO FREEDOM like I do here
- Terrible hours
- Stressing over diabetes
- Transportation
- Food situation
- Five whole days a week, eigh whole hours a day.

STAY AT HOME

PROS
- Learn more
- Faster learning
- Freedom of speed
- Freedom of time of day to work
- Self-paced
- Diabetes easier to control
- No stress over ‘missed days’
- Relaxed atmosphere
- Food Situation
- Only four days a week, and only four hours a day!

CONS
- Alone.
- Bordom
- Future regrets
- Repetitivness
- Dealing with ‘home stuff’

__________

That’s pretty much the list.  Wow, look at it.  You’d think that the choice would be so obvious, but amazingly I’m have so much trouble deciding what to do.  I miss everyone so much at school, but is it worth dealing with that huge list of cons just to see people again? 

…

I don’t know.  Seriously,  I don’t know.  And who’s to say I can’t have people come over or go somewhere to meet people?  I just never know what to do because everyone’s always so busy with school.  Oh, what do I do?  This is all very confusing.  Argh.  Someone make the choice for me.

Ah, ur, well, um… *sigh*  I guess I’ll go think aboUt this some.  Pray for me

-Matt

But, please, read this carefully.  Do not vote, or even support Obama for president.  He is a seriously flawed individual, and there is not way he is fit to run a country.  I have no problem with the man himself, but just the ideas, methods, and beliefs he has are just plain wrong.

Most Liberals think that abortion is okay.  Well, it’s not, and we all know this.  It’s a very standard Christian belief that… well… killing unborn babies is bad.  Sen. Obama is pro-choice, which ,as you may know, means he is for the legalization of abortion.  Now, Sen. Obama claims to be a ‘Christian,’ (Who can forget him pastor and spiritual mentor Rev. Jerimiah Wright?)  but can someone who believes in this seriously classify themselves as Christian?  Hardly. 

But aborion is just a tiny speck on this man’s ideal list.  Apparently this man just loves to kill babies!  Did you know is also for ‘partial-birth abortion?’  You may be asking, “What is that?”

Partial-Birth abortion is where the mother goes into labor, and, (if she doesn’t want the baby) the doctors can inject a fatal syrum into the poor baby’s head to kill it before it comes completely out.  The baby is on it’s way, and the mother gives authorization to kill it before it maes it ‘all the way out.’  Obama loves this idea!  How absurd is that!?  He is actually SUPPORTING this!

Is that all when it comes to the killing of babies?  Not for Obama!  Abortion is pretty bad.  Partial-Birth abortion is even worse, but, my friends, Obama does not stop there.  He supports something beyond partial-birth abortion.

If the partial-birth abortion does not work, by some miracle of God, Obama supports the idea of the mother actually neglecting to care for the baby until it dies.  This means not feeding it, or not caring for it until it dies, which wouldn’t be long seeing as it’s a newborn.  HE SUPPORTS THIS.  It’s like, “Okay, well, the baby didn’t die when we squirted kill juice into it’s cranium, so, Ms. Jones, if you don’t want this baby, you can just toss it in the corner if you want.  President Obama made it legal!”  Are you kidding me!?  This is just one of the many., many, MANY reasons Barack Obama should NEVER be President of the United States.

This is just part one of a many post-series that I will be doing.  There’s such much terrible things about Obama that it will take mroe than one post to tell you about them all.

I’ll just leave you with this.  If you’re old enough to vote, and you don’t want corruption in the White House, vote for ANYONE but Obama.  I don’t care if you vote Nader!  Just please don’t vote for Obama.  I don’t want you all to think I’m a racist or anything like that, but this man is crazy.  Seriously crazy.

Thanks for reading,
-Matt    

Of course you realize, the above are not true, but are common stereotypes. How many times have you heard make a witty remark about a teenager, or someone explain why a teenager is distressed by using the term, “teenage hormones.” These drive me insane, mostly because I’m a teenager, and because I know how annoying they can be. In this post, I will address the most common ones.

Every Teenager Does, or will Experiment, with Drugs
This is obviously false, but isn’t it a common stereotype that teenagers are druggies? That they ‘huff paint fumes,’ or ‘get dope from school,’ or ‘pop pills because nobody understands them!’ Think to all those ‘anti-drug,’ ‘truth behind the curtain,’ ‘whaddafxupwitdat,’ or ‘Sunny side of truth’ advertisements you see on Television. All Teenagers, directed towards teenagers, even starring teenagers. These are completely absurd, and deserve no mention in society, yet sadly, they are.

Teenagers are Awful Drivers
Again, there is no logic behind this. People think that just because teenagers haven’t been driving as long as everyone else, that they are bad drivers. Sure, a bit of inexperience comes into play, but saying that teenagers ‘can’t drive’ is a terrible thing to say. I speak from experience when I say that, as a teenager, I probably drive better then most older people, BECAUSE of my inexperience. I’m more attentive to the road, and pay closer attention because I haven’t been driving long. Teenagers can drive perfectly well, and it’s crazy to think otherwise.

Teenage Girls are emotional roller coasters
Even though I’m not a girl, and I don’t have one as a daughter or anything like that, but I’ve heard enough, and have know enough, to have a valid opinion on the subject. I don’t think I have to describe why most people have this stereotypical ideal. People contribute a girl’s moodiness to, well… ANYWAY, this is another stereotype that is false. A person can choose to act however they want. Hormones can effect them, but ultimately a person decides what to do and what to say. Saying that a girl is crazy just because she’s a girl is rude, disrespectful, and completely idiotic.

Teenage boys are Sex Addicts
I have had this stereotype placed upon me plenty of times. Why? Because I’m a guy, and I’m a teenager, therefor, I must be a sex addict. Saying that all guys can think about are girls and sex is just ludicrous. Most people think this way because, again, teenage hormones. I know, speaking from experience, that all a teenage guy thinks of is NOT sex. I don’t have to explain my views on sex, lust, or any of that stuff; I’m a Christian, and I believe what the bible says about such. If you’re curious, look it up yourselves, but what I can tell you is that sex is not even on a list of priorites of mine, and I’m proud to say it; as I believe it is with many other guys.

Teenagers Don’t listen to authority and are disrespectful
This is probably the most common of them all. Why? I don’t even understand where this one comes from. Think of our jails; how many people in there are teens, compared to older people? Who’s more likely to say ‘yes ma’am, yes sir’ to someone older then them, a teen or someone older? Disrespect comes with a personality, not an age.

That’s my short but sweet rant about stereotypes.

See, though, the thing is that us, as teenagers, are just furthuring these stereotypes by behaving like this. Now, now, I know that you’re thinking that I just made a complete hypocrit of myself, but I’m serious. Even though I don’t think that many of us do that, but it’s true, some do.

Do teenagers everywhere a favor: DON’T fall victim to these stereotypes, and don’t become just another statistic. Be the best person you can be, and teach people how to respect you by being respectful yourself.

That’s all I have to say now. Thnaks for reading,
-Matt

So, where to begin?

I feel so young compared to my other friends.  Having a Late-Summer birthday, I’m almost always the youngest amoungst my peers.  I’m still fifteen, for crying out loud, and everyone else i associate with is sixteen.  I guess I’ll just have to wait until the last day of July when I graduate from being a young-teenager to an older one. 

I finally got around to getting my learner’s license last week.  Driving’s great.  I have yet to have an accident or even a near-accident experiance, which is excellent.  A few months ago, as I may have mentioned before, my grandmother gifted to me an ’89 Oldsmobile.  It drives great, excpet for the small issue of the coolant leaking in the air-conditioning mechanism.  i don’t know anything about cars, nor do I pretend to, but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s wrong.  it gets swelteringly hot whilst driving down the road in this bizzare 95 degree Summer weather.  Oh, well.  It’s Georgia.  What can I expect?

Hmm… Wait….  I know why it’s so hot.  GLOBAL WARMING! Al Gore warned us about this, but we failed to heed the all-powerful creator of the internet’s warning, and now we’re paying for it!  Oh, Gore help us.  Gore help us all.  (The entire preceding paragraph is satiracal sarcasm, of course you realize.)

I got a new puppy.  Bernie.  He’s a miniature Schnauzer, and he’s adorable.  In fact, as I’m writting this, he’s sleeping on his stomach with his back legs stretched out like a bear-skin rug.  i’d take a picture, but that’s more trouble then it’s worth right now.

Oh, and my camera, thank God, works again!  I’m overjoyed with this fact, and i can’t wait to get out there, and start filmming again.  The video page on here is… empty, isn’t it?  I promise I’ll fill it up soon enough.

Well, that’s all for right now.  Welcome back, Blog.  Welcome back.

Thanks for Reading,
-Matt

Well, they decided to take off again, but I decided to stay behind.  So… I’m bored.

The End.  :p

Last night, I was in  movie-watching mood.  I watch ‘Karate Kid; part II,’ which I had never seen before.  That was good, and a classic amoung films, I’ve been told.  Then, I watched the Geroge Clooney classic, ‘Batman and Robin.’  Then, I thought I was done with movies for the night, so I got in the hot-tub.  I always feel at peace in there, and I can really think, and just relax.  Well, then, after that, at 3 in the morning, nothing was on the television, so I began to sift through all the cheap, $5 DVDs we bought at Wal-Mart the other day.  We had ‘Terminator 2,’ which I had seen numerous times, ‘Legends of the Fall,’ which I had no interest in, and then I came across ‘Stand By Me,’ which, I was told, is a true classic.

I popped it in, and watched it.  This film… I cant even begin to describe how I felt while watching it.  Seriously.  I’m not even gonna try.

The four main characters in the film were friends.  They were there for each other, and could always know each other was there for one another.  I used to have friends.  Until I made a choice, which was both a good and bad choice.

In October of 2006, I decided to become homeschooled.  Why?  Because I was just so tired of the public school scene, and I wanted to learn at a speed I was comfortable with, and learn things I knew I really needed.  I left, and I loved homeschooling.

But, as of this year, 2008, I’ve jsut felt… empty.  Not spiritually, heck, I’ve been closer to God then ever this year, which I am SO thankful for, because I was not being the person I wanted to be, but in an emotional sense.  I did not miss school in the least bit, but I was beginning to severly miss the people I had come to know.  My friends, and even my enemies.  I missed them dearly.  But that’s just it.  Homeschooling shouldn’t have taken away from my social live, but it did; badly.  I never made any friends outside of school, because… well… I was always so busy with school.  All my friends were at school, and I had virtually none outside of those classroom walls.  Not because I was unliked, or socially akward, but because I never had time to make any.

After watching ‘Stand By Me,’ I saw what true friendship was.  It is really something I never had, outside of school.  That’s why I want to go back to school.  Or do I?

What do you do when you have two choices; one is wise and helps you, and one is something you could do without, but you feel you need?  My choices are stay homeschooled, have a bright future, finish school early, or go back to school, deal with all sorts of drama, and a potentially dangerous atmosphere, but have those friends I miss dearly.  It’s so tough, especially since I do actually love homeschooling, but I really want to speak with…. people again.

In ‘Stand By Me,’ the four friends went on a little expedition.  When it was over, they knew that was the last time they’d ever do something together again.  This part was so powerful and sad to me, because I could so connect.  Back in school, I had a tight bunch of people I’d consider to be my best friends.  Around 6-7 people.  I had to leave, and say goodbye.  Saying goodbye, no matter who to, is one of the hardest things anyone has to do ever.  Whether it be to a girlfriend, your parents, a home, material things, spiritual things, or good ol’ friends, it’s SO hard. 

I… just don’t know what to do anymore.  I really miss all my old friends.  ‘Stand By Me’ is the film that has made me think more than any other film.  It shows friendship, trust, and acceptence.  I really just miss everyone. 

It’s a descion I have to make soon.  I need to face the fact that I’m growing up.  I will not be young forever.  The internet, though good for making friends, is not a substitute for real relationships with people.  What do I do?

It’s something I’ll need to think, pray, meditate, and focus on, and make a choice soon.  If you haven’t seen ‘Stand By Me,’ I seriously encourage you to do so.  It’s rated ‘R,’ simply for language, but if you can overlook that, it’s a, literal, Must-See.

Anyway, that’s it for today.  I haven’t written in a while, because I was in deep thought about such things, and watching that movie just brought it all out.

So, thanks for reading.  See you around.

-Matt

Last night, me and my internet-friend, Mike, Brawled, while playing the game.  See, formally, this is impossible with the old version, but now Nintendo has outdone themselves by including Nintendo WFC (WiFi Connection) with their game.  Mike lives many, many miles away, but we were still able to fight in real time.  It was very fun, and I must say, Mike was quite the worthy opponent.   

So I just wanted to say that if you guys ever wanna play online with me, just drop me a line in the comments, and I’ll be sure to whip you’re butt. 

-Matt

“He is risen!”

Then the other person would reply,

“He is risen, indeed!”

See, they knew who Jesus was an what he did.  Greet someone like that today.   Two days ago, Jesus did something for us that we never could or will deserve.  He died for us the most agonizing death imaginable.  For all those who followed him, it had to be a pretty bad day.  They had lost hope (something the our Pastor, Steve, elaborated upon).  Could you imagaine?  The one you thought was the Messiah!  The one who would free  Isreal from the Romans, and destroy the evil dictators!  The one you thought was the great anointed one, and there he was…being killed.  And then he died, and was put into a tomb, and then sealed.  Boom.  The End.

Then, could you imagine the next day, Saturday?  Jesus really was DEAD.  He was gone.  There had to be little or no hope going around that day for the believers.

Then, Sunday came.  Everyone was most likely still very depressed.  What they didn’t know is the the one they had hoped would free them had conquered the most powerful enemy of them all; sin and death.  He rose from the grave!  He… got UP!  To those who saw him, it had to be such an awe-inspiring, amazing experiance. 

The bible talks about two former disciples (as in, followed him before he was crucified) walking down the road, and the resuurected Jesus comes up behind them.  They talk to him, without looking back.  Jesus asks “What’s wrong, guys?  What’s got you down?”  They procede to tell Jesus, not knowing who he is yet, “Man, didn’t you hear!?  They killed Jesus.  We had hoped he would be the one to save us, but he is now dead.”  They had lost hope, but then Jesus revealed himself to them.  Needless to say they were extremely happy.

See, we need to remember that our Savior lives.  He died, but he lives now!  He defeated the grave, and showed the world he is our savior.  And guess what!?  He’ll let you live with him, in heaven, for all of eternity, if you confess to him that you are a sinner, and that you believe he died for you, and you have faith in him!  How great, huh!?  No matter what you’ve done, what you’re doing, or what you will do in the future, Jesus paid it ALL.  No need to get saved over and over again, because the bible makes it abundantly clear the even though we may give up on Jesus, he will never give up on us.

So, with that, I want to wish all of my readers ‘Happy Easter,’ and say to you one thing.

HE IS RISEN!

If you know me, even though I tend to practice all fields of filmmaking, I tend to work with Live Action stuff a lot.  Me and my camera are tight, but I really want to get into computer animation a bit.  You know, stuff like the famous Youtube video ‘Kiwi’ or the Pixar animations, like ‘Finding Nemo,’ or ‘Toy Story.’  You know, it’s not flat animation, but in X,Y,and Z. fields – three dimensions!

So, I’m basically going to try to work with my good ol’ 3-D animation program, Anim8or, like I used to, and try and turn up something by the end of this week.  If you’ll notice, these have little to no dialouge, and are funny, with a bit of irony in them.  I’m trying to  think of something funny and ironic, but am having no luck.  Oh, well.  I promise when I’m finished, I’ll post it here.

So that’s basically it.  Thansk for reading. 

-Matt Walker

Anyway, I’ve recently gotten into the MMORPG scene.  For those of you new to game/internet lingo, an MMORPG is a Massive Multi-Player Online Rold Playing Game.  The first one I ever played was, I guess if you consider it, Neopets.  I gave up on that long ago, and tried Runescape, then went on to Gaia online, then Tales of Pirates, and even tried City of Heros, but I gave up on all of those.  Now, I’m playing the totally free, and totally fun ‘Maple Story.’

It’s free to sign up, free to play, and it’s really awesome. I have my friend Jonathan to thank for introducing me to the game and showing me the ropes. It’s your average RPG. You have to pick a class after a tutorial, and those are Warriors, Archers (called Bowmen, I think), Theives, and Mages. Yeah, I know; every RPG in history has these, but Maple Story is great; trust me. The thing that is different about this game is that it’s not top-down view, nor is it 3-D; it’s side-scolling. Yeah, a side-scrolling MMORPG. But, the people at Neon have realy outdone themselves in trying to pull this format off. It works flawlessly, and, like I said, is great fun. You should try it.

Well, my mother is sick, and my neice is sick. Yes, my mother caught that dreadful cold/flu I just got over, and my neice… well, it would seem she’s got everything in the book. Cold, Flu, Stomach Virus, Vomitting, and the doctor said she has two ear infections, and may even have Asthma. That’s a lot, huh? But, seeing as how she’s three-years-old, her happy-go-lucky attitude and positive outlook keeps her always smiling, despite all the sicknesses she’s contracted. I sometimes think that if everyone would think like that, we’d all be a lot better off.

So, anyway, that’s about it for now. Of course, I could always come back later and write something. It’s my blog; I do what I want. :p A recent example of such is I just deleted every post except the one about Oprah and the first entry. Yeah; sorry. I dunno why I did it, but I did.

Anywho, thanks for reading.

-Matt Walker