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Goodbye

“You’re still here? It’s over!... Go home.” - Ferris Beuller

Well this is it everyone. Here I am at my last journal entry, big number 40. At the beginning of this assignment, I was excited to reach this point, excited to be done with this assignment, to not have any more work to do. But now, as I sit here typing this final entry, I am sad. My heart is heavy knowing that I will not be writing any more of these. It is bittersweet to see the end of the journal entries. Looking back at all of the memories I have made writing these, it truly has been an adventure. Making these excerpts looking into my thoughts and beliefs, my habits and my hobbies, the inner mechanizations of my mind. I feel as if I have grown with the number of journals I have brought to life. We have matured and bonded together, this journal and I. I have shared many a personal thought with this blog and I feel as if it has returned that trust to me. I hope that when I am long gone, erased from the memory of this planet, this journal lives on. I hope it serves as a reminder of what I once was, who I once was. Standing here at the mountain of progress looking down at the base, the start of my journey, I realize just how far I have come. These journals have truly been an adventure. Not only to me, but to any readers I have out there, however many or few there are. If anyone has been reading these, I would like to thank you for your time and attention as I shared my life with you. I feel as if I am letting a part of myself go, piece by piece, as I type these few remaining lines of text. These last fleeting ideas that will be immortalized on my journal. So, as with all good things that happen in the world, my journals must come to an end. Thank you for sharing such an amazing experience with me. May wherever I go after this be as enlightening as this journey has. Now as every good story closes, this one shall too. The end.

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Quotes

“I like to throw in a quote to spice up the entry, give it pizzazz.” - Ian d’Aquin

Alright guys, we are so close to the end now. I can smell it. As you may have noticed, I have included a quote in most every journal entry that I have written so far. I like to throw in a quote to spice up the entry, give it pizzazz. These quotes can be anything from a famous person, to a movie or TV show character, to even a song lyric. I find inspiration in each and every quote I type onto these entries. They give me the energy I need to keep going. Plus, they had a bit of quirk and personality to my entries. They are wake my journals unique and different from everyone else’s. I have loved finding these interesting quotes to tack on to my entries. My favorite one’s of course being ones from popular movie such as Rocky and Jurassic Park. I wonder what my final quote will be. I want to make it something memorable and melancholy, to add a sentimental touching goodbye to my last journal. Ahh, my last journal. Those words feel oh so good coming out of my mouth, errr rather my keyboard. What a great time it has been.

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Look How Far We’ve Come

Wow, journal number 38. I honestly cannot believe I have gotten this far along in the time I have been doing these journals. Looking back, all of the work I have put into this assignment seems like it spans a lifetime. We time for a personal reflection. I feel that I have grown as a person through writing these journals. I feel that I have learned the importance of completing work on time and adhering to due dates. From now on I swear to try my hardest to complete any assignment I have in a timely and quick manner, putting forth the best of my abilities in every word I write, or every problem I work, to reflect the absolute best of the best. Now is the turning point in my academic pursuits. I am a changed man. From now on it is early to bed and early to rise for this pupil. My schooling comes first and it comes above all else. Just kidding I am probably still going to procrastinate and push my work back until the night before it is due. But hey! At least I gave it a shot, right?

“Getcha head in the game” - Wildcats

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Netflix

“Today I don’t feel like doing anything.” - Bruno Mars.

Whew, these are just flying by you guys! I am gonna be done in no time! This time I wanna talk about the amazing invention that is Netflix. Netflix is a TV show and movie streaming company that brings joy and happiness to my life. Netflix is where I get a solid 80 percent of my media entertainment. It has all of my favorite TV shows and movies that I can watch whenever I want. In fact, I have been watching Arrow on my phone through Netflix while I have been writing these journals. I honestly do not know how I ever got through life without it. Being able to have an endless archive of watchable media on my phone is incredible. The possibilities are endless! Also, Netflix has now added a feature that allows you to download movies and TV shows to be able to watch without internet so you can watch wherever you go! I cannot express enough how much I love this company. So by some odd chance the creators of this godsend are watching, thank you Netflix creators. Thank you for the hours upon hours upon hours of entertainment gold you have brought to my life. I am forever thankful and indebted to you.

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College Class

“Smashing!” - Nigel Thornberry

Getting close guys, can you feel it? 4 more entries away from being done! This time I’m gonna talk about taking a college class in high school. Being enrolled in concurrent English has allowed me to take a college class and receive college credit while taking the class on my high school. At first I was intimidated by what this class might be like. Sure, I had taken AP classes before, but this was a bonafide college class. Would it be difficult? Would I fail? These were all questions I had and was not eager to answer. As the beginning of the year came, I nervously entered the class and found that I knew most everybody in my class! At least I would not be starting with a room full of strangers, that was a relief! As the year progressed I realized that this class was not much different from any other class I had taken already. The teacher had done an excellent job of flowing high school style class with college material to make the transition comfortable and easy. I realize now how lucky I am to have had such a facilitating crossover into my head start on my college career. This makes me feel a lot better about entering college next year.

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When I Grow up

“Who you callin’ pin head?” - Patrick Star

Hey guys, I am back with a brand new journal entry for you guys! In this journal I will be talking about what I want to do with my life. My ultimate goal in life is to be happily married, have one or two incredible children, and live in a nice cozy home while also going out and exploring the world whenever I have time, preferably with my family. Getting to spend time with my future wife and children is an absolute must for me. Family is important and we should spend as much time together as possible. Career wise, I would like to become a nurse practitioner. A nurse practitioner is very similar to a doctor, but requires less schooling to accomplish. Once I become a practitioner I will be able to make enough money to provide for my family and give the comfortable lifestyle that I want them to have. My  wife and I will teach our children how to enjoy life in a happy and healthy manner. We will stress the importance of good hygiene, eating habits, and physical behaviors. We will also make sure they are well behaved while maintaining a loving and positive relationship with our children. I am excited for what my future holds and welcome it with open arms.

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Speed Round

“You must be the dumbest, smart person in the world.” - Del Spooner

Hey what is up everyone this is a speed journal! I am going to try to write this journal as fast as I can! I am getting to my wits end with these entries and I am ready for them to be over. With only six more I can see the end. I can almost feel it. But, I am running out of ideas and I have no clue what the remaining journals will be about. And there goes my heater again, dimming my lights and making annoying sounds. Why can it not just be quiet? I am not sure why but that reminded me of the bladeless fans that Dyson made. Those things are really cool! I do not understand how they can make a fan that does not have any blades to push the air. I wonder if it creates a vacuum that sucks the air through. I really want a roomba whenever I buy my own house that way I will not have to vacuum, the small robot can do it for me. That will make life so much easier and convenient. But for now, I will just have to vacuum it by hand. This is has been a speed journal and thank you for reading!

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Distractions

“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?” - Joshua

What is up everybody? Ya boy Ian is back with another fresh journal entry. In this journal I am going to talk about distractions. So as I am lying in my bed writing my journals I am faced with many distractions. First of all, it is a solid 4 degrees colder in my room than it is anywhere else in my house so I am fighting back hypothermia as I struggle to finish these entries. Additionally, to combat this cold nature, I have a small space heater that cycles on and off in my room, doing little to raise the temperature. The noise coming from the small device is an inconvenience in itself as it is very loud and obnoxious. Not to mention the fact that every time it turns on, the lights in the room dim, making my vision appear shrouded. This would not be too much to handle if I did not also have to deal with my family in the other room has a very loud discussion over a photo album my mother has found. Well I ever be able to fully concentrate on these journals? The world may never know. But, probably not.

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Getting Close

“Everything the light touches is our kingdom” - Mufasa

What is up everyone everybody? It is your boy Ian here, back at it with the journals. How about that story huh? Pretty good right? I am so close to the end I can almost see it. I have had my doubts about me finishing this assignment but now I can definitively say, I am going to finish. With only 8 journals left I do not see how I couldn’t finish! A reflection over some of the journals I have written during this assignment. My first entry would have to be my least favorite because it was very short and lazily done. My favorite were either be the story series, because it was a lot of fun to write those, or the thanksgiving entry, because I enjoyed getting to reminisce on all of the good times I had during the holiday. Hopefully these last 8 entries will be just as easy and enjoyable as the other have and we will end with a bang! I would like to thank all of you for going on this wild ride with me and keeping up with sometimes lackluster comedy, I hope it has been as enjoyable for you as it has for me. So stick with me as we finish out what has been a great adventure trying to create all of these journal entries!

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Story Time pt. 3 Finale

The next day the boy woke up and proceeded to get ready for school. As he walked along the sidewalk he had a strange, unsettling feeling. He did not realize what was going on until he stopped and looked around. The backyards of the houses he was walking passed, usually occupied by various barks and snarls, was silent. He scanned the area and not a single dog was to be found. He peered over fences and climbed trees for a better look, but no matter where he went, no dogs were to be found. The boy timidly continued on his way to school, thinking that if all of the dogs were gone, he did not have to worry about them trying to get him as he had worried about before. He arrived at school but found that the doors were locked. He pressed his face against the windows of the school and found dark, empty halls. Perhaps today was a holiday and he had forgotten. He made his way back home but just as he started the trip home he saw them; all of the dogs that had mysteriously disappeared had now mysteriously reappeared, and in a rather big pack, all staring menacingly at the boy. He let out a frightened yelp which set the dogs into a frenzy, at once the dogs took off in unison, bolting after the boy. He turned on his heels and ran as fast as he could, his feet pounding against the pavement. No matter how fast he ran, the dogs seemed to run even faster. His only hope would be to hide somewhere. He cut across a yard and ran up to the door, slamming his fists against it as hard as he could, but it was useless. The dogs had reached him.

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College

Hey guys! It is your boy Ian here with another super awesome journal entry! We made to 30! Only ten more to go! In this entry I want to talk about college. Now the social norm is to graduate high school and continue on into college, making a seamless transition. I love this idea. I love going through all of my schooling at once and not taking a break in the middle. I know that if I were to do like some people do and take a year off after graduating, I would never return to school. I have decided that I will be going the the University of Central Arkansas in Conway! Go bears! I had recently taken a visit to the campus and when I arrived, I was in love. The school itself is beautiful, clean looking and welcoming. As I want to be a nurse, I took a tour of the nursing school facilities, and I was very impressed. The building has a lab set up to a miniature simulation hospital, complete with a storage room, pharmacy, and even hospital rooms. The department owned two lifelike simulation dolls capable of breathing, blinking, vomiting, and even giving birth! This visit made me excited to move on to college and I cannot wait to begin!

“But now I shall go to our estate with its many orchards, to see my noble father who has grieved for me constantly” - Odysseus

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Update

“Ruh roh, Raggy” - Scooby Doo

There is a God. Today I have been given and extension on my journals. I have thirteen left to do by tonight and I think I can get them done! We took our final exam in English today, and I must admit I feel pretty good about it. We also had mock tryouts in band which I completely bombed, but the grading scale is rigged so there is no point in worrying because nothing will change. I had an anatomy test today that I feel like I aced, so that brought a silver lining to the dismal day. I also had a biology quiz which I got a 48 out of 50 on so that made things a little better too. I am very thankful that winter is break is coming soon, because I desperately need a break from the struggle that is school. I look forward to spending two weeks being able to relax and sleep in without having to worry about tests or homework, just me, myself, and my bed. I really cannot wait. But that is it for this entry guys! We are so close to the end! Tune in next time!

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R.I.P.

Hey everyone, it is Monday morning and I'm still not done with my entries. Let us hope by some miracle I can get them in by tonight and she accepts them all. I fell asleep at about 1:15 last night at the end of journal number 26. So in this one I'm gonna talk about disappointed I am in myself. I was so confident that I could finish these by last night, but I made the mistake of laying down while writing them and that was all she wrote. As soon as I did I felt my eyelids getting heavy. I wrote and wrote as fast as I could to get it done before I succumbed to my exhaustion but it was not good enough. Finally, my eyes shut and they didn't open again that night. I had failed in my vain pursuit. My journals would not be turned in on time. Woe is me in this sad sad day. But I will not stop. I will continue writing until have completed all 40 entries. So for now I will write my little heart out until my hand falls off. So farewell for now everyone, I shall see you all soon. “Live long and prosper” - Spock

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Anatomy

I have the great pleasure of taking Anatomy and Physiology at southside this year. While I find the class interesting I also think that it is too much work to be considered a regular class. While I do wish it was an AP class I do understand why it is not. What bothers me though, is how the class is conducted. We take notes over our chapter much like any other class does. We spend close to a week going over the information and then we test over the chapter. I have no quarrel with that portion of the class. However, I do have an issue with how the teacher creates and reviews for the tests that she gives us. We go over a selected few questions from the test and she gives us our open response questions. All of this occurs the day before the test. Then as a student I go home and study for the test which means I memorize the answers to the questions she gives us and that is the end of that. They stay in my head long enough to take the test and then the information is gone, more than likely to never be seen again. And that's what bothers me. The tests are all about memorization instead of learning the concepts. That is not a way that the class should be operated. “Ooh ooh ooh, I wanna be like you” - King Louie

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Survivor Type

What is up everyone? Getting close to being done with these journals guys. ⅝ of the way there! One time I read the short story “Survivor Type” by Steven King. Although intriguing and entertaining the story left a chill down my spine. With such vivid detail and description as King gives, this first person found journal style of writing made it feel like I was experiencing this slow descent into madness with the character. The story is about a surgeon who finds himself stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash. He has nothing with him except for his steady hands and a crate full of heroin. Sounds like a good time right? Well at first the man attempts to kill birds in order to eat them. After successfully hunting a few he fractures his ankle in an attempt to murder another. Being the excellent surgeon that he is he prepares to operate on his foot. Not before he takes a small dose of heroin to help with the pain. Soon enough he deed is done and the doctor is one foot lighter. This is where the slippery slope starts. Seeing as how he has a fresh foot full of meat available he becomes desperate enough to eat his foot. Now he has the taste of flesh in his system and he wants more. As the story progresses he cuts off more and more of his body to eat until eventually he has removed both of his legs entirely, and become cripplingly addicted to the heroin. His hunger becomes so intense that even cuts off one of his arms. The last hung we read as the story ends is the man has given in and has eaten his fingers on his remaining hand, leaving him with no way to write. And the story ends. As I witnessed this man's descent it unnerved me. Seeing how easily that happened and how utterly insane he went frightened me. As I read how he ate himself more and more I wanted to stop reading, but morbid curiosity pulled me along. “Tainted meat” - Bob Stookey

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Monopoly

Throughout my life I have had mixed experiences with this millionaire mindset game. Although mostly positive this game is unpredictable. The unique point of view of a business owner looking to out buy your friends is what I imagine draws many players to this game. This unique view of attempting to bargain and negotiate to gain the best properties is what I love about the game. You must buddy up and deal with the same people that you are trying to rob and force into bankruptcy. This causes the game to have a logical and strategic approach which I find entertaining. Also the fact that I get to see what it would be like to have a fat wad of cash is nice. When I play with my family the game is always very nice and calm and an enjoyable escapade. However, when my friends and I all sit around for a game of monopoly, hell on earth is to follow. There can be heard profanities, curses, shouts, objections, and all sorts of negative interjections during any one of our many monopoly marathons. This game has a way of drawing us closer together by pushing us apart. But no matter what happens in a game, anytime someone offers a game of monopoly, we all happily attend. “Try some more. The strawberries taste like strawberries, and the snozzberries taste like snozzberries.” - Willy Wonka

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It's the Climb

Hello everybody and welcome back to America’s got Talent! Just kidding, it's just my journal entries. Well I'm at 23 now! Over halfway there! I'm getting so close to finishing! Now if only I can come up with 17 more entry ideas I'll be good! But let's be honest, that is probably not gonna happen. However, I have hit shot streak and I've gotten these last few done pretty quickly so who knows? Maybe I will finish these tonight! For the rest of this entry I will write every single word I can think of that starts with the letter Q! Quick, quicker, quickest, queen, quiz, quizzical, quack, quake, Quaker, quiche, quip, quintet, quartet, quarter, quarterback, quotient, quad, quaint, quote, quiet, quieter, quietest, quieted. Okay so that was not as many words as I had hoped. Need more to fill this entry… how about a joke time??? Okay first one! What does a lawsuit wear to work? A lawsuit!!! Hah, that's a good one! Okay, next one. What do you call an aardvark that is 3 feet long? You call it a Yardvark! Hahahah many aren't these jokes the best? One more before I go! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Okay that's enough jokes for me I've met my word quota! Hey quota! Another q word! Anyways, goodbye for now! “Survey says?” - Steve Harvey