I have to say I actually haven't thought too much about what I want my life to be like in the future. I just want to go with the flow, see where life takes me, but to make Mr. Ross happy I will describe to you a draft of my ideal life – take note that this is kind of spur-of-the-moment.

First part would be where I lived. It would have to be somewhere with a beach, and I am a city guy. I guess it depends what age we’re talking here, cause I think I would want to retire in Miami, Florida, but let’s say we’re talking about my prime years (after college or around 30 years old). I’d have to choose Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s a burgeoning city that has a nice climate: really hot in the summer and snow in the winter. I’ve only been there a few times, but the bath-temperature lake has won me over. The houses are also really nice and really cheap.

Next would be my job, which I still don’t know what I want to do. Our education system is set up so that I don’t even have to think about my career yet, so if Mr. Ross isn’t happy about me not answering this question, he can take his complaint to the government.

I would want to have a family, a wife and two kids, one boy and one girl. I’m not going to talk about how I would raise my kids and parenting styles I would use, because that would be a whole essay in itself.

Since I am a guy, I would also need a nice car. I think something along the lines of a Mercedes, that’d be nice.

I have to say that I am not looking forward to writing this blog. Just thinking of my style from back-in-the-day gives me the shivers. It was an embarrassing period of my life.

The farthest back that I can remember having a specific style was way back in the time of 4^th grade. I just went from the transition of regular, tight-fitting jeans and t-shirts, to the long, way-to-long, way-to-baggy jeans. I bought jeans that I could hide my entire body in one pant leg, and the sweatshirts that went with it were worse.  Thinking back on it, I could relate myself to an Eskimo. That was the start of my “ghetto” phase.  That phase went up through the middle of 6^th grade. I’m not exactly sure why, but it was around that time that I started to wear warm-ups. I would come to school in a matching jacket and sweat pants. Maybe I wore them because I thought they were just so comfortable, but it was probably because I thought I looked sexy – just saying that is an embarrassment in itself.

In the middle of 7^th grade – after I stopped wearing  “slickies” (the name given to those type of pants by my friend) – I finally moved on to jeans. It was a hard transition, partly because I had absolutely no clue on how the size worked. I was so used to small medium large, and numbers were just alien to me. I then conquered the system for the different sizes, but now the problem was that jeans were just a lot less comfortable; it felt like I was wearing sandpaper.

I have now gotten used to the sandpaper-feel of jeans, and I don’t think I’m going back to “slickies”. I also don’t see myself being very embarrassed of my current style, but then again, I didn’t think I was going to be embarrassed in my past, middle school years.

I can’t believe Mr. Ross is making me do this when I could be sleeping right now.  School starts way too early for me to be going to bed later than 10 o’clock. It’s ridiculous. I always fall asleep during school and it makes my grades suffer. I got to 3.3 this semester, but I got my classes changed… so I think I could almost easily get a 3.8 for next semester, Mr. Ross class will be the only class where I didn’t get an A (hopefully). Mr. Ross’s class is really difficult; I wrote an essay for class about just how difficult it really was. We also have to write a paper on a genre short story for Wednesday. I haven’t started it yet; I have no fucking clue on what it is going to be on. I haven’t even decided what genre yet. What the hell its only been like three and a half minutes. That is ridiculous. I think my brain is going to dry up and I’m not going to be able to write for the whole twelve minutes. I ll probably end up writing blah blah blah. Matter of fact… blah blah blah blah. Alright got that out of my system. So today my dad went looking to buy me a car... Actually he went looking to see which car I’m going to buy. I have to pay for the car with the money I earned working. I have two jobs, one at the village doing baseball field crew. It’s pretty good pay, 12.50 per hour under the table and I also get to work with my friends at the same time. My other job is at my mom’s work, blue heron catering company.  That’s even more pay because of tips. Now I feel dried up, I don’t know what to write. Today I watched the superbowl. I was rooting for the Giants but I didn’t thing they’d be able to pull it off. I was pretty effing juiced when they did though. It was a ridiculous comeback.. they drove up the field with less than two minutes on the clock to win the game by 4. Football is not my favorite sport however; I would have to say soccer is about ten times better. You’ll notice I’m not using actual numbers... I m spelling them out because I haven’t really practiced typing numbers and I’m pretty slow at it. But back to soccer. Soccer is by far the worlds best sport, but I’m not going to dwell on that because I have already written a blog upon that topic. I probably could rant about that sport.. and how it frustrates me for the rest of the time, which is minutes, but I’m not going to do that either. On Tuesday we have the high school exit exam, which I’m not really looking forward to but I heard it was extremely easy so no biggee. I’m not going to study for it either. I’ve only really studied for a test once, and that was last year for the French final… the advisory before I took it. I’m not very big on studying, it’s really boring and I usually do well enough without studying. Times almost up and I haven’t even cramped up. I haven’t cross trained either.. unless you count talking on aim cross training, or maybe writing those fatty essays Mr. Ross gives us.. I’m not really looking forward to spell checking this seeing as there are a lot of errors. TIME IS UP!!

Maltese Falcon Mixtape

Track 1: Black Eyed Peas, My Humps

These lyrics found in the beginning of the song, “I drive these brothers crazy, I do it on the daily, they treat me really nicely” connects to, in my opinion, Brigid O’Shaughnessy and how she manipulates men to do her bidding. In the novel she is constantly manipulating, from Thursby to Spade to Jacobie. “I say no, but they keep givin' so I keep on takin' and no I ain't takin' we can keep on datin'” These lyrics remind me of how Miss O’Shaughnessy leads on Thursby and Spade into thinking she loves them, outright telling them she does, to get what she want, regardless if she actually does or not.  “She's got me spendin' – spendin' all your… time on me” Miss O’Shaughnessy makes Thursby and Spade feel very strong feelings toward her; feelings verging on, and even possibly being love. In the song there is a connotation that Will.I.Am (the male singer) is being played by Fergie (the female singer), but he has the feelings regardless.

Track 2: Boyz N Da Hood, Don’t Put Your Hands On Me

This song relates to Spade’s relationship and attitude towards people. “You can talk all the fuck you want (don't put your hands on me) betcha ass gon' get stomped (don't put your hands on me)” relates to how Spade never likes to be touched. Only once in the book does somebody hit Spade, and that’s Dundy. Spade wants to hit him back but is swayed not to by Polhaus. Spade knows that talk is cheap, and isn’t pushed by things people say, but when stricken he is a loose cannon. “Who gives a fuck bout where you hang and who you hung with” relates to Spade’s relationship with Wilmer, the gunman. Wilmer thinks he is this big hotshot because he’s close to Gutman. Spade dislikes Wilmer because in reality he is nothing more than a tool that is used in Gutman’s plans.  “You can huff and puff like the big bad wolf… you can flabber jack, jaw jack, talk back…. but betta not touch me” again reiterates Spade’s defensive nature. Spade’s attitude is that he can’t be messed with. Spade runs San Francisco; he even puts the police in their place.  Spade uses his muscle to intimidate others; to let them know that he is a real threat.

Track 3: Foo Fighters, The Pretender

This song relates to many aspects of the novel, The Maltese Falcon. “Keep you in the dark you know they all pretend, keep you in the dark and so it all began” the book begins with Spade being told various lies from Miss O’Shaughnessy and Cairo. Spade is told what to do step by step; he doesn’t know why or what he is really doing. He is being kept in the dark. Brigid O’Shaughnessy pretends to be many different people, all with different stories. She lies and schemes, you never know if she’s telling the truth or not. In this song Miss O’Shaughnessy would be the pretender. “What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?” reminds me of Miss O’Shaughnessy talking to Spade at the end of the book. She begs him to not tell the police of what she has done. Asking him if he loves her, she pleads saying that she played Thursby, but she really, truly and honestly loves him. “Oh well the pages that were print they are not permanent they're temporary, temporary – same old story” is more of Miss O’Shaughnessy’s pleading. Her past in not permanent, she has changed. She says that she played Thursby, not him, and that he should trust her if he really loves her. “Same old story” would be Spade’s response to her. This song also has a very aggressive attitude that connects to Spade’s character.

Track 4: Ludacris, Tell It Like It Is

The very first line of this song, “Thangs ain’t always what they seem or cracked up to be” can be related to how in The Maltese Falcon everything is underlined by deception. Nothing is what it seems at first glance. “Give it to you straight no chase I’ma tell it like it is/Look you straight in your face and I’ma tell it like it is” reminds me of Spade’s take-no-shit attitude. Spade always cuts to the chase, forgetting all formalities by being as direct as possible. The lyrics “We got a special task force of police on our ass” can obviously be related to how officer Dundy has it out for Spade. Dundy is there at every turn to impede on Spade’s work. Dundy is constantly getting in Spade’s way, accusing him of various murders and crimes.  

Track 5: Lloyd Banks, Warrior Pt. 2

As stated earlier, Sam Spade runs San Francisco, and this is captured in the lyrics “He's like a king, but he don’t rule a thing”. Sam Spade is, metaphorically, the King of San Francisco – he commands an authority where he can’t even be touched by the law. “He don’t want the fame don’t want the loot he's in this for a sport” Spade is a private detective less for the money than he is for the fun of it. When offered to travel with Gutman to get the real Maltese Falcon, he declines saying that his true place is in San Francisco; that he couldn’t live in a different environment. Spade is dependent on his job and environment. The lyrics “He wont surrender he'd rather give up a rib to break” reminds me of the constant time that Spade could have given up on the case of the Maltese Falcon. He could’ve dismissed it saying the profit isn’t worth the trouble, yet Spade would have never surrendered because he’s not in it for the money, he’s in it for the game – which connects back to the last set of lyrics.

The burger - an American innovation in the world of culinary arts – is a giant stepping-stone in the history of mankind. The burger is a safe haven for all; whenever you are at a restaurant, and are unsure of the quality of their food you know you can’t go wrong with a burger. With infinite combinations to satisfy the taste buds it is nearly impossible to become bored with the burger. From bacon burgers to double cheese burgers, to chicken burgers; – I know the classification of the chicken burger as a burger is controversial, but it does have the word burger in it’s name – you can pretty much grab a piece of meat, two buns and slap anything you want in-between.

There is, however, the burger destroyer. Fast-food restaurants (excluding In n’ Out) give a bad name to burgers. When the piece of meat is less than half an inch thick, we have a problem (again excluding In n’ Out – just because it tastes good); although I must confess to having a MacDonald’s quarter pounder last night.

             My two favorite burgers: the barbeque bacon burger, and the Santa Fe chicken burger. The barbeque bacon burger is self-explanatory, a thick juicy ½ pound of meat, two lightly toasted, slightly crunchy, sesame-seeded buns, burnt-to-an-almost-crisp bacon, and savory, tangy barbeque sauce. Imagine that said in that deep, narrated voice you hear so often on T.V. Hungry? The Santa Fe chicken burger is piece of grilled chicken slapped on top of two more, slightly crunchy buns, with the same burnt-to-an-almost-crisp bacon, with fresh slices of avocado, and salsa fresca added for a little kick. (the chicken burger can be found at your local Barney’s).

If I could invent one thing it would be a teleportation device. There have been so many times where I wish I could just be somewhere else at that very moment, but I couldn’t. For me, I live in Richmond, but most of my friends live either in Albany or Berkeley. It’s about a 20-minute walk to the bus stop from my house, a half hour bus ride, and a 15-minute walk to Albany after that. Being able to teleport would only take seconds (I think) and it would give my legs a rest.  I’d be able to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, the sky would be the limit… actually, I could probably go to the moon or farther.

 There would be no use of airplanes, cars, or other public transportation, which is ruining our environment by putting carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Nowadays global warming is a growing problem, people say that it caused Hurricane Katrina, increased the devastation of the tsunami in Sri Lanka, and is now starting to kill marine life in the ocean. There is substantial proof to all of this, and it is becoming almost impossible to deny the effects of global warming, but that’s another story.

Also, all of my family, besides my parents, lives outside of California. Actually most of my family lives in Europe except for a few of my uncles that live in North Carolina, and I don’t get to see them very often, only once every few years. I’m not very close to any of my family members, something I wish I could change. Being able to teleport would enable me to see them whenever I wanted.

How awesome would it be to be able to go to any country you wanted to in a matter of seconds? World relations would be completely different. People would be able to go to and from where they wanted, with no restrictions of a visa or green card. People would live intermingled, everybody being a minority. There would be less fighting and discrimination based on race, possibly even less wars, if there was such a thing as a teleportation device.

If I created a teleportation device, cash wouldn’t really be a problem for me; I have a feeling that a teleportation device would sell. Right now I’m saving up for a car, if I created a teleportation device, I’m pretty sure I could be any car I wanted, I also wouldn’t have a need for a car, transportation wouldn’t be an issue.

1. What is your favorite book?

 My favorite book is A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I like it because it was the first book I read that wasn't fiction. It was about a real person with real problems and I thought that was cool.

2. If you could/had to live in any country besides the United States, where would it be?

If I could live anywhere outside the U.S.A. I would chose to live in France, because I have a lot of relatives over there and I don't get to see them much.

3. Who is your favorite superhero?

 My favorite superhero would have to be Superman because he is almost invincible, the only thing able to stop him being kryptonite. I own a lot of Superman clothing too.

4. If you could change any one law, what would it be?

If I could change one law, I would change the death penalty. I wouldn't abolish it completely, but I think in the U.S. we are to quick to sentence people to death.

5. Is life a matter of reality or is it all just based on perception?

I think that life is a matter of reality, because I get to confused when I think of it as perception. 

6. Is it better to be too hot or too cold?

It's better to be too hot, because I've been so cold before that both of my legs cramped up, which actually hurt, and when it's hot, it's nice to have a cold drink. 

7. Which is better: to get in a car accident that isn't your fault and lose a leg or to get into a car accident that is your fault and kill an old lady?

8. Do you believe that pain and suffering is a necessary part of life?

I do believe that pain and suffering are necessary parts of life, because they make us learn from them, without it, there would be very little consequences. 

9. Is animal testing acceptable?

I believe that animal testing on rats is acceptable, but not on other animals such as monkeys. I'm not sure why I believe this, but I just don't think of rats that highly. 

10. Do you believe that ghosts exist?

 I do not believe that ghosts exist, but I'm not sure what happens after you die.

11. Do you believe that you can never have too much of a good thing?

I don't believe that it is possible to have too much of a good thing, if you have too much of it, it can't be 100% good.

12. Do you believe that school is the best way to make a person smarter?

I do not believe that school is the best way to make a person smarter, but because it would be nearly impossible to set a curriculum based on every individual's need, it is the best way to make a people smarter.

13. Do you believe that Free Market Capitalism is fair? If not, what would you suggest?

14. Do you believe that war can be justified?

 I do believe that war can be justified, if there was somebody that came into power such as Hitler, I believe he should be stopped.

15. If you could switch your gender, but it had to be permanent, would you?

I would not switch gender, I'm fine with being a guy. You just don't have to give birth, and theres also less sexism against men. 

To the people that say futbol, or soccer is a bitch sport:

Futbol is the most popular sport in the world. Right now there are millions of people around the world playing futbol. If you think that it is only like this because all you need to play is a ball, you are very wrong. That would just be street soccer, and you can play street football with only a ball as well. Rugby is played with just a ball, baseball can be played with a ball and a bat. It’s not the little cost of futbol that makes it so popular. It’s the game itself.

There is a grace to the sport that no other sport has. From no-look passes, and chip-shots to bicycle kicks and volleys, futbol contains an elegance that makes it beautiful to watch.

I started playing soccer at a very young age, and joined a team when I was four years old. I started playing at a competitive level at the age of 10, moving from class 4 to class 3, and on to class 1. I feel a passion about soccer that I don’t feel when playing or watching any other sport.

Futbol brings people together, creates a sense of a family among players and fans. The frustration, the pride, the struggle, all of it brings people closer, creating bonds with people you may barely know.

And don’t get me started on the fans. In America, the fans barely know what they’re talking about when they claim that the referee made a bad call. Even football fans seem mild when compared to futbol fans around the world. If you go to a soccer game, say in South America, and you are sitting in the stands, you will be put in a cage, not to shame you, but so that you won’t get injured, or killed, from the fans of the other team.

I think that I am most closely related to a wolf. A wolf runs in a pack, constantly surrounded by the ones closest to him. I wouldn’t say I’m mean, angry, or viscous. But I think that wolves only do what they need to survive, that they aren’t as bad as they seem, and that they can be loving too.

I think that I am most closely related to a wolf. A wolf runs in a pack, constantly surrounded by the ones closest to him. I wouldn’t say I’m mean, angry, or viscous. But I think that wolves only do what they need to survive, that they aren’t as bad as they seem, and that they can be loving too.

I was 6 years old. I had just watched the movie Gremlins with my parents, probably not the best movie to show a 6 year old... Watching the movie itself wasn’t that bad, a little scary, but I had my parents there with me. It was the weeks after I had watched the movie that was the worst. Every night when I went to bed and turned off the lights, I thought that the black shadows in my room were little gremlins creeping up on me. I would hide under the covers with my heart pounding hoping they would go away. The only problem was that it always got too hot under the covers, almost impossible to breathe. So I had to dare the outside, I’d shut my eyes and poke my head out as little as possible, just enough to breathe.

It took me a while to get over my fear of gremlins, and it didn’t help when my parents, un-knowing of my fears of gremlins, wanted me to watch the second one, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. I didn’t even want to tell them of my fear because I knew that it was silly, and that the gremlins in my room were really just lamps and piles of clothes in the dark.

Gone Going – Black Eyed Peas

The song Gone Going by Black Eyed Peas is about the problem with material possessions. The song is about Johnny, a singer and guitar player, that becomes a star, but the fame gets to him, and he changes his style. Instead of talking about the things that are meaningful, he sings about material possessions. The song is about how Johnny’s life changes because he becomes obsessed with material possessions. The Black Eyed Peas are trying to communicate the message that love, friends, and family should come before material possessions.

“You're fiction like books
You need to go out to life and look
Coz... what happens when they take your material
You already sold your soul and its...” In this part of the song the Black Eyed Peas say that Johnny is living a false life. He has changed to fit the stereotypes of a ‘rock star’ and he is ruining his life by forgetting his friends and family, and only caring about his career and material possessions. He has sold his soul to the devil, the devil being the music industry, and instead of being a something different, somebody that actually talked about something, he has conformed with the rest of the rock n’ roll industry.

“That nice little Miss gonna be gone
That whip that you roll gonna be gone
And what's worst is your soul will be gone” Johnny’s wife leaves him because he stops paying attention to her, obsessing over his material possessions and making more money, he has no time for family or friends. And because he changes his style, his fans stop listening to him, and he loses his material possessions.

At the end of the song Johnny is left with no money, no possessions, and worst of all, nobody to be there for him. The message of this song is that material possessions corrupt, and we should worry more about the people around us than getting a new, expensive car.