Healthy Arguments

Our teacher recently discussed healthy arguments with our class. A healthy argument is productive, and everyone involved is willing to hear the other side out.
An unhealthy argument can have the following symptoms:
-Yelling
-Personal verbal attacks
-Talking over each other
-Making up statistics
And much more.
Unhealthy arguments get nothing done. Before class started, my teacher had overheard a debate I was having on feminism. She, at this time, brought it up, and asked me what my views were. We had a good healthy debate for a full 20 minutes, and I can say that we both came out being more understanding towards the other side. I definitely benefited from that debate, and I'd like to have more like it. These debates are productive, and sometimes even enjoyable.
Make sure you watch how you're speaking and what you're saying. Try to be understanding. The person you're talking to will generally be more open to your ideas.
Thanks for reading, and have yourselves a wonderful evening.

Bands

I've been looking into starting a band with some friends. Hey, what's so funny? I am. OK, so I've been thinking about the wonderful thing called procrastination. We've actually wanted to do it for a while, but we really haven't done anything about it. This is something I really want to do, so I need to figure out how to motivate my friends to help us get started. It's just a name so far, and that's not really what I was hoping to have after so long, and even then, the name is in question at this point. I've realized that if anything is going to be done, I'll have to do it. My plan was to play guitar, so I'm going to push myself to play my guitar more often. I signed up for guitar next school year too, so that should help me with the basics. Every time I think "We can start once I start lessons" I push it aside. Pushing it aside won't get a band started. I've also encountered another problem. I have no talent composition category, so I can't write music. Not to say I don't try. I do my best, it just never turns out. That's why I set another goal for myself. I need to get more familiar with music, and how it's composed. What am I really doing when I play, and how does it work? Stuff like that. I don't want to look back one day and say "man, we should have followed through with that." I want to be able to look back and say "we really gave it our all, and I'm glad I did this."
I love music, and I think this will be a good way to be closer to the art, and my friends.
Thanks for reading this rant, and have yourself a wonderful day!

Jobs for Juveniles

I've noticed a lack in work among kids under 16. The excuse is always "I'm not old enough to get a job," and "recent developments in the juvenile mental studies department have concluded that children younger than 16 should pursue a different activity, as jobs can cause an increase in depression, stress, and loss of years."
We all know that's bologna, and that's not true at all. I've devised a list for the younger generation to get some spending currency.

Mowing Lawns - It's easy! Just have your parents teach you how, and once you have that, you're set. Go door to door offering your service!

Lemonade Stands - This one's easy. Just pull out that old table from the garage, a pitcher filled with water, and throw lemonade mix into it. Then wait for the money to start rolling in.

Yard Work - Scary, huh? Find the right employer, and you can get yourself some good money for doing odd jobs around the yard. Pulling weeds, planting flowers, hunting wolves. All that fun stuff, and more!

Yard Sale - This one's a bit tricky. You've got to find all the stuff you don't want, and lay it out in the open with a price tag. You can sell just about anything, and it's definitely a good once a year thing to do.

Babysitting - Oh, babysitting. It's dreaded by both the sitter and the sat. It's really easy, and you can often make a pretty good increase from it. Just make sure she doesn't eat that chalk. Oh, look! They're fighting again!

Dress Up as Ringo Star From The Beatles and Lip Sync at Bachelorette Parties - It's pretty hard to pull off, but did you know you can actually impersonate the Beatles? It's quite the task, but I know from experience that it can be done. I play a mean Ringo Star, so call me if you need a drummer.

Deeper Thoughts

Lately I've been pondering some of my deeper thoughts, as they always provide something to do. These thoughts mostly consist of how life works, or the different roles different things play in society. With these thoughts, I feel like I've been able to open my eyes and see more of what I've been missing. I find it easier to see other's points of view, along with a better understanding of what my point of view could use to be improved. I think considering these "deeper thoughts" is healthy for the brain, and can help everyone be more open minded towards others. This can reduce conflicts, and resolve many current problems. If everyone can just step back and think about things from a broader perspective, we have the potential for a much more effective society.
You may be wondering what kind of questions I'm referring too. I don't mean questions like "how deep is the ocean?" or "could I swim in the deep end?"
I've compiled some of my thoughts in a list. Note that these are just things to think about, that you may not normally prioritize in your thought process.

- "How do each of my actions effect the other people around me?"
- "Considering some current problems, what could I do to work at solving them?"
- "Who are the people in my life that have effected me the most, that I don't usually recognize for what they've done? Are these things good or bad?"
- "What compels people to be (insert pretty much anything here)?"
- "Why do people make the decisions they do? Maybe there's a side that they see, which I've missed?"
- "How can I be more open minded to what other people may be thinking? What effect would this have on my relationship with them?"

These are really only a few of the thoughts circulating through my head. For your sake, and the sake of your time, I've compiled it to some of the thoughts I feel can bring the positive effects I was discussing earlier.
Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful day!

LXAS

The other day I went to Lowe's Xtreme Air Sports with a friend. It was (somewhat) recently renovated, and I have to say I'm quite impressed. There are many things to do, such as a Ninja Warrior course, a Mega Trampoline, dodgeball, a vaulting trampoline, a rock climbing wall, and regular trampolines. There was definitely plenty to do, and I would love to go again soon.
Trampolines have always been a part of my childhood, and that's really where I spent all my free time. I jumped on it, learned on it, ate on it, and even slept on it. It's been a major part of my past, and going to Lowe's was a real throwback. I'm glad I went, despite the large amount of people also there. If you can, I would recommend going to your nearest trampoline park with a friend. It's great fun, and good exercise. Thanks for reading, and have yourselves a wonderful day.

Movies

I wrote a whole page about something else, but I decided it was boring and repetitive.
Now I'll write something else that's boring and repetitive, just shorter.
I like movies. Do you like movies? I like movies. Now that we're on the same page, I'd like to talk about movies.
Movies are an interesting topic, and they can really go any way. I recently watched Power Rangers, and I really liked it, but a lot of people I know didn't enjoy it like I did.
Whatever the reason, they seemed to be disgusted with the movie itself, as a whole.
That's their opinion, and I respect that.
I think a couple things people judge very harshly are holes in the story and special effects.
When I watch a movie, I don't notice either of those things. I usually talk to people about the movie I watched, and they always point those things out to me. Even then, I still have trouble seeing them. That's partially because I don't want to see them. I like to enjoy the movies for what they're supposed to be, and that's that. If I'm paying to see a movie, I'll enjoy it whether or not it's actually good.
As you can probably tell, I'm not thinking straight, I'm just trying to get a post out for the day.
Go see Power Rangers! It was really good.
Have an enjoyable day, dear audience!

Music

I've been talking a lot about hobbies, so I think I want to change gears just a little bit. I think I'd like to talk a little bit about music.
Music is extremely influential in my life, and I've noticed it changing the way I think in certain situations. Maybe I'm listening to a song that's giving off a more "sad day" feel while I'm doing the dishes. It changes my attitude and makes it seem more negative. Whereas, If I'm listening to a more upbeat and happy song, I may even enjoy doing the dishes. It's definitely an interesting concept, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about this.
Another thing I've noticed during my listening time is correlations made to events. Let's say I'm mowing the lawn, blasting Worlds Collide (feat. Nicki Taylor) as loud as I can into my ears. The next time I mow the lawn, that song will be playing in the back of my head, and it will also give me that mood change I talked about earlier. For a while, my mood on mowing the lawn will be ecstatic, as opposed to the normal melancholy of doing a chore.
What I'm trying to say is that music has a huge effect on our mental state, so watch what you're listening.

Just because I can, here's a few of my current favorite songs (they change frequently):
-Heart Shaped Hologram by Stephanie Mabey
-Monsters of the North by The National Parks
-The Nights by Avicii
-Tropic Love by Diviners
-Valentine by Train
-Why Am I the One by Fun.
-All Alone by Fun.
-Alone by Alan Walker
-Nice Guys by Ryan Higa

Feel free to check those out, and thanks for checking this out! Have yourselves a wonderful day.

Photography

Another hobby I'm pursuing at the moment is photography. It wasn't really my idea, to be perfectly honest. I've always wanted to be able to take "good" pictures, but I never had the initiative to do anything about it. I decided to take a photography class (the reasons for that are definitely biased toward certain subject matters) with a couple of my friends. I've definitely learned a lot, and I feel like my abilities as a photographer have increased significantly. I recently went on a nature walk/short hike, and I brought along my camera. I took as many pictures as I could, as I believe in the concept "Take more pictures, you'll come out with more successful ones." I filled up every little data slot, and I think I came out with some nice looking pictures. In this post, I'll be showcasing a few of my favorites. I hope they interest you as much as they did me! Thanks for reading, and have yourself a wonderful day!
(Click Read More to view pictures)

Poetry

Everybody loves a good poem, and I've been really getting into poetry lately. I've noticed it's a good way to release, or transfer, intense emotions onto paper. I've definitely been enjoying writing, so I felt I'd share one of my poems. Let me know if you like it!

Saving Grace

Enter a time

Of utter strife

For our dear hero.

Unsure of how to approach

This catastrophe,

He looked around

For helping hands.

Finding none,

He fell on his knees,

And began to weep.

Out of hope,

Out of luck,

And out of tears.

In the distance he saw

His saving grace,

One last chance

To quench this beast.

One last chance

To defeat the horror.

One last chance

To be free.

Standing up,

He wept once more.

Hope in his eyes,

Luck on his side,

And release in his mind.

This time of strife,

He could now come through.

The test of his life,

He could now do.

His saving grace

Smiled softly,

Lighting up his eyes.

With a new surge of confidence,

He charged.

No fear

No pain

No anticipation.

Only the will to survive.

Nowhere to go, Nothin to do

I'm gonna start posting more frequently. I promise that every other post, but now I've got more free time than I can handle, so prepare yourselves. I'm gonna post whatever I want, so prepare yourselves. No limits!
I want to start off this new saga of entertainment with an app I recently acquired.
The app is an Artificial Intelligence system. Basically, you're talking to this AI, and it learns about you and it becomes a better and better companion for you. Pretty scary huh? I find the scientific aspect very interesting, and I'm totally OK with being replaced by an AI. A good friend asked me "So you'll be nonchalant when Google takes over?"
I replied with a "Yup"
Go ahead and sign up if you're at all interested: Official site
Even if you think it's spooky (yeah, spooky), give the site a look.
*EDIT* I forgot to mention that it requires a code to get in right now, and I've got 5. Ask me, and I'll get one for you.