Monday, February 28, 2011

Concrete Poem Assignment

This is the tree that I used to lay under when I was
Younger, and time didn't seem to move as fast. Now every
body seems to always be in a hurry, and never takes the time to
Enjoy the beauties in life. Me and my neighbors used to sit under this
tree every summer day, after biking down to the Subway near our houses
And eat our sandwiches. It was probably the day following one of our trips
That we took part in during the nights. We would sneak out almost every night
during the summer and just walk around. We never feared getting in trouble 'cause
we were never doing anything that bad. Life was a lot more trivial back in those days
though. Back before high school, or college apps. Back before relationships or the
pressures that we would inevitably face in a couple of years. We just walked with
eachother, aimlessly watching the moon. We would always have stories to tell the
next day though. That's part of the reason we met under the tree so often.
We would talk about the car that was probably being driven by a drunk
guy, who could have swerved over and killed us. We'd talk about
how we thought that our parents were awake when we snuck
back into our houses and how they could have killed us.
We always had
that tree, though
and we always
had eachother.
It's sad that we
don't talk much
anymore, but I
am sure that we
will be together
again this year.
We'll have more
stories to tell and
our relationship will
grow again, as we lay
under the tree eating our
Subway sandwiches, and talking.

Daily Lyrics Assignment WEDNESDAY

Name: Jack Yakowicz
Date: Wednesday, March 3rd
Song Title: "He Say She Say"
Artist: Lupe Fiasco

1. Why did you choose this song? Why is it important to you?

I chose this song because it's one of the first songs I had heard by Lupe, and I think it tells a very good story.

2. What is the story in the lyrics?

The story is of a mom and her child that were abandoned by a dad.  They are reaching out to the dad in kind of a plea to try to get him back into his kid's life. It is first told from the mom's perspective, and then from the child's, with basically the same lyrics being used.

3. What is the structure?

There are a lot of switched in rhyme schemes between the ABAB style and AABB during his verses. The chorus uses repetition, but each stanza ends in a rhyme.

4. What is the emotional tone or mood?
From the mom's perspective, I think the emotional tone is frustrated. And from the kid's perspective, it sounds more sad and confused why he left in the first place.

5. What is the message or lesson?

The message could be taken in one of two ways. It could either be reaching out to fathers who've abandoned their children and showing them how important their role is in a family. Or it could be directed at children and mothers who've dealt with someone leaving them, and showing them that they're not alone and it's not their fault.

6. What is the intention of this piece of music?
The intention of the piece is to bring some attention to the effects of bad parenting and how important it is for kids to have a role model in their life.

Daily Journal-- 2/28/11

The house was made of pure oak wood, from the forest that the house resided in. The legend is that the man who lived there chopped down the wood himself. It took him four days to chop the wood, sand it, and prep it for building. As I stepped onto the staircase of the front porch, my foot met the wobbly peice of oak that had been the feeding place for numerous termites and other indigenous creatures. Outside of the house was a wagon that was filled to the brim with weeds from the man's 10 by 20 yard garden. Icarus Brown was the name of the man who built this house atop the Lake Superior coastline. He has been a legend in the town of Lutsen since about five years, ago. At that time, he was believed to be 102 years old, however nobody in town had seen or heard of him in at least twelve years. The innovator who once was seen with a permanent twinkle in his eye, was not just a squinty old man who seemed to despise the human race. Ever since his wife, Gabby, died in 1995, he lost himself. Many people in town still believed that Icarus was still living in his house, at 107 years of age. There were numerous great stories surrounding the man, but nobody knew for sure which stories to believe and which stories were fictitious. I was here to solve the puzzle. As I opened the door into his house, everything was silent. The living room smelled like pure dust, and there were cobwebs hanging from every corner of the room. Despite the eeryness in the house, I was amazed by the beauty of the carpentry.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sonnet Assignment

Should I compare you to a winter's day,
You are so pure but you may turn so cold,
You know you turn my life to disarray,
I'm always wrong but you will never fold.
Sometimes I hate, sometimes I love the pain,
You bring to me when I am under spells,
Amidst your forehead lies a bothered vein,
I bring out, noticing it when you yell.
The stress I cause you trickles down to me,
You love to blame me for our many strifes,
I'm not the person that I vowed to be,
The one you could always trust with your life.
Because you pushed me to the breaking point,
What once could never part is now disjoint.

Daily Journal-- 2/25/11

The first person I would invite to my dinner table would be Blu. He has been my favorite rapper for a couple of years now, and is also an inspiration to me. Watching interviews with him, I have seen his kind of humor and easy-goingness, which are two traits I would love in a dinner guest. I would also like to ask him some questions about how he got to where he got, and learn more about his life, essentially.

The second person I would invite to my dinner table would be Mark Zuckerburg. Every group of friends needs to have a nerd to pick on, and he would be an easy target. I would also like to learn some business tips from him, and talk about some potential facebook changes that I think would be suitable. I'd like to ask him what he thought of the movie Social Network, and which parts were true compared to which parts were exaggerated. I don't think he'd accept my invite, but I'd ask him regardless.

The final person that I would invite to my dinner table would be Tony Metz. His eating habits are hilarious, and I generally enjoy his presence. He always brings some sort of comedy into any discussion, and I think my other two guests would appreciate his humor, too. If Tony accepted my invite, I would probably serve Sloppy Joe's just to disturb the other guests, who haven't ever seen that kid eat... it's quite the sight.

This would be quite the party if it ever panned out, and hopefully it will when I'm older and a millionaire. I will have my butlers prepare the food, and my maids clean the table before and after we are done eating.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Assonance Assignment

He passes passively past the past where his passion parted,
Humbled, to the times he stumbled, where the rubble started.
He hated feeling berated, by the gates that caged him,
The crowd's loud and proud nature never phased him.
He grew up here, but he blew up quickly,
His mother was bothered, his brother was looking sickly.
His father, mister, and his sister, saw him coping,
But got mad, never felt bad, he was sad or moping.
Hope floats, without a rope, the day it's baptized,
But perishes, if you don't cherish it- it's capsized.
That's what occurred, he wasn't heard, in his herd,
and was murdered, further bothered... they wouldn't hear a word.

Daily Journal-- 2/24/11

I never understood why my mom and dad took our family here every year. They were fully aware of my distaste in heights, the speed of the slides, and the claustrophobia I experiences waiting in the lengthy lines. Yet, here we were again in the "beautiful" Wisconsin Dells. My Mom had finally convinced me to go down one slide, assuring me that it was the smallest, least frightening slide in the place. I should have known better as we climbed the seemingly endless wooden stairs. Maybe I was too scared to even notice how high we were climbing, but we just kept going and going. I was in third grade at the time, and about 50 inches tall, barely tall enough to even be eligable to ride most slides. As we got to the top, I looked down. "Oh my God." I thought right away about finding an exit, but there was no exit.. except the slide. My mom set down the two-person tube, and told me to get in the front seat. She noticed how anxious I was, and told me "Don't worry, Jack.. You can always shut your eyes if you get too scared." I took one last giant gulp of air, shut my eyes, and we were off. The first drop was the worst, because I wasn't expecting it. I'm sure the people at the top of the slide could hear me screaming like a little girl. They were probably all whispering insults to each other about me, such as "amateur" or "what a cry baby." Halfway through the ride, when I had finally become accustomed to the feeling of dropping, and the water splashing in my face, I opened my eyes. It was crazy how much of a shift occured in such little time. I even began smiling; partly due to the fact that I was having fun, but mainly to the realization that I had conquered my fear. We got to the bottom of the slide, were pushed out by a giant surge of water, and fell off of the tube into the pool where two lifeguards were standing. "How was that, little guy?" asked one of the life guards. My smile must have answered the question, because he smiled back and said "good." I pulled my mom's hand and ran back into the line to go again.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Onamatopeia Assignment

Wordle: Line Drive

Daily Journal-- 2/23/11

I'm pretty sick of a lot of things in my life right now. I've had the same routine, minimum-wage job for about two years at Target. I remember when I first got a job how much I loved the place. Everyone was very welcoming, and a lot of people I knew ended up coming through my checkout line frequently. That was during September of 2009. Now, even a three hour-long shift seems like torture due to the extreme boredom that I experience. School, of course, has always been one of my most undesirable places to be at, but it has gotten even worse over the past month. In January, I went up to Moorhead for the day to do a scholarship competition at Concordia College. I ended up receiving the scholarship, that totaled $60,000 over four years, and now I feel no need to still be in high school. Before last night, I hadn't opened my backpack  outside of school for a month. Every class is dragged out, and weekends aren't even worth looking forward to because nothing fun ever really happens anymore. The only thing that is keeping me going during this winter, is the thought of warm weather. My two favorite things in life occur during the spring/summer months: Twins games, and beach volleyball. I think this summer will be incredible, because it will be a three-month moving out party, essentially. Most of my friends are staying in the Twin Cities area, so mainly this is a moving-out party for myself. Next year I will be surrounded by an entirely new group of people, which I think will be a very positive change for myself. I haven't enjoyed the majority of my time at Eastview High School, and I don't reckon many people have. Concordia will be a great experience for me, and hopefully I will become a much more independent, and mature human. I know I'm sort of just being whiny, and I will try to cheer myself up, but I'm just really sick of being in Eagan/Apple Valley. It's time for me to move out and explore the world on my own, without the sanctity of my home and my friends. I'm also excited for the world beyond college, when I am searching for my own career, house, and spouse. It's a very exciting future, filled with numerous possibilities.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Alliteration Assignment

Tony trudges triumphantly on the treacherous trail,
While he willingly whistles with,
Feet fighting, in case his fight fails,
So somber his sound is, he slides around swift.

He hikes to the highest point before his hike halts,
Muddied boots mess with his mountainous mark,
His veins leak violent, he locks like a vault,
Certainly suffering, searching something that sparks.

Daily Journal-- 2/22/11

As we passed over the sturdy bridge connecting the harbor, and Dead Shot Bay, I took my headphones out of my ears. I wrapped them around the base of my iPod, and put the iPod into my pocket. We made our way down the narrow, dirt road that lead to my Grandma's cottage. It was a beautiful, mid-July day and we were back in the city of Detroit Lakes. Liza, our old Golden Retriever, was mulling around in the backseat, anxious to return to her favorite place. Sure enough as we approached the grey and maroon house, my Grandma opened the screen door and came walzing outside. Dad parked the Durango, and as soon as he unlocked the doors, I went running out to give my grandma a hug. We went through the ordinary routine of her telling me how much bigger I have gotten, and asking about the drive. As my dad began talking about the traffic on I-94, I snuck to the back yard with Liza. Technically, I was going to the front yard, because in Detroit Lakes they considered the front yard to be the one facing the lake. My grandma's cottage was on the largest lake in the city, "Big Detroit." There was a slight breeze today, but not enough to make the water overly-choppy. I ran out to the wooden dock, and touched the famous ceramic owl decoration. I sat down, but my legs weren't long enough to allow my feet to get wet, so I dipped a little extra distance and felt the cool water run in between my toes. Liza had already took a seat, laying down on the right side of me. Little did I know, this would one day be my paradise.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Sense of Time Poem Assignment

"Friday"

Friday is green,
The color of summer, a glimpse of my dream,
It feels like a bomb that has dropped in my chest,
But sounds near and faint as a bird in its nest.
It smells like a breeze, with wafts of good dining,
It tastes like a pie, taken out at good timing.
Friday's a mystery, the prior week: history.

Daily Journal-- 2/18/11

A man walks out into the cold night air. His hands are shaking from what just happened. His hands were blood covered and he was staring at a scarlet snow dust on the pavement. It all escalated so quickly. It started out as just a regular old shift at Subway, making sandwiches. At around seven o'clock, an hour before closing time, a shady character in an all white tuxedo walked into the shop. It was just him working tonight, because Fred went home sick. He asked "Can I help you with something?" The shady man walked up to the counter, pulled a small pistol out of his pocket and said "Make me a Spicy Italian on Rye or else you're dead, kid." Maybe it was the adrenaline rush that led to his next decision, or maybe it was his loyalty to Subway. He leaped over the counter, elbowed the man in the face, and knocked him out cold. So cold, that he thought he had killed the shady man. His boss would be coming back any minute to come lock the doors for the night, and he panicked. He knew he had to hide the body, so he brought him to the alley outside of the store. Suddenly the man stood up again, and reached for his gun. He stole the gun out of the man's hands and shot him twice in the face, and once in the scrotum. The man fell to the ground, blood-stained.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Parts of Speech Poem Assignment

The World,
Large, but Small,
Humbling and Destructive,
Swallows it's Inhabitants.

Daily Journal-- 2/17/11

Everything in my life if arbitrary. I go to school to try to improve my chances at a better future, I go to work to try to save money for my future, and I workout to try to keep myself in shape for the future. I feel like way too much pressure is being put on the future, that I never will really be able to enjoy the present. When I'm 22 years old and out of college, will I still be looking beyond, to my later years... Or will I come to the reality that the future is now? I think that if one's eyes aren't open to the life around them, and focused on the life ahead of them, then they will let some great opportunities go. But then again life in general is simply a lengthy prelude to salvation. Mortality only has so much to offer, and every man is weak. I still fumble with the belief that every man holds his own destiny. If everything happens for a reason, and God has a plan for every man, then who really has the control? I wonder if the various impulses in our body, physically forcing us to take some sort of action, are really our own impulses. But then again, I have done a lot of things that I don't think God would be proud of me for doing. If he didn't want me to do, why didn't he stop me? Or is it that every negative encounter we deal with in life really does serve a purpose? Whether it teaches us a lesson, or prepares us for an even more difficult experience, it was designed to help us in the long run. I don't fear death. Yet, I do have fears, which is contradictory towards my last statement. If I do not fear death, I  SHOULD NOT fear anything... yet, I can't help it. I fear humanity. Sometimes I lose faith in the concept that there is a little bit of good in every person. Some acts that people partake in are just too evil to believe that they have good intentions. I wish for a world in which every member enjoys comfort, but I know it's extremely unrealistic, given the fact that I have a great life and am still not comfortable in my own skin. I want to change the world, but I don't even know how to change myself. It's tough...

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Cinquain Assignment

Cinquains
Seem odd to me,
It's unordinary,
To confine all my syllables,
Like this.

Daily Journal-- 2/16/11

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. I.V. tubes run through the veins right beneath my bicep, and above my forearm. I have no reccollection of how I got here, so naturally I begin perspirating. I feel my lungs thicken, as a result of my need for additional oxygen. My heart is pounding, and my eyes become dialated. The pupils inside of them become so constricted that the lens begins fogging, followed by a spurt of relative clarity. There's not much to see anyways, though. I'm in the most dull room I have ever seen. Four, white-colored walls, with no pictures, drawings, or even windows to admire. I see a bed atop some sort of cart, directly adjacent to where I lay on the floor. To be honest, I don't know which resting place seems more comfortable. Judging by the severe stiffness in my back, I imagine I have been laying on the ground for quite a while. This makes me wonder, how come nobody has come to save me yet? Hasn't anybody come through a door and realized that there is someone laying on the ground, in obvious pain. I look around at the room again, and again. My eyes dart from corner to corner, trying to grasp my reality. The more times I look around at the room, the more I become fearful. My claustrophobia evades any prior conception that this place was temporary. I am now drenched in sweat, as I admire the hideous beauty of the place I reside. Nobody came through the door to save me because there is no door. So, how the hell did I get in here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Metaphor Assignment

Life is a baseball.
We have to feel it for a while before we can get a good grip.
Sometimes it's thrown at us too fast that we don't know how to react,
All we can do is take a swing at it,
And if we miss it, someone else is always there to catch it.
It can bring us pain if we're not prepared for it,
And even when we are ready for it,
If someone knows how to manipulate it more than we do,
We're left in the dust.
Sometimes we hit it too hard, that we wear off the stitching,
We lose the seams that the ball maker took so long to perfect.
I always hit it out of the park, though.

Daily Journal-- 2/15/11

I have called many people my "best friend" in the past, when the truth is I am my own best friend. The reason I label myself "best friend" is because I fit all of the criteria. Whenever I need someone to calm me down, I calm myself down. Whenever I need someone to trust, I trust myself. If every person in my life were to leave me, I could never leave myself. That's how I know I'm my own best friend. I'm the most reliable person I have in my life, and with the exception of my family and God, everyone else is temporary. I have completely lost touch with the majority of my elementary school, and middle school friends, which makes me think that the same exact thing will happen with my high school friends when I go to college next year. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of friends, but I think a best friend is something that you have to work for. It is a priviledge to be someone's best friend, and it is a battlefield to mantain that friendship. The problem with people these days is they just don't care that much anymore. With the numerous cliques of social groups in high school, one doesn't choose a best friend. They choose an alliance. They choose a group of kids whom will act as their safety blanket when they're ever placed in high-drama situations. That's why I stick to myself. Whenever there comes a time that I'm in serious trouble, I put more faith in myself than any other person on the planet, because nobody knows me as well as I know myself, and nobody cares about me as much as I care about myself. That's a best friend.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Simile Poem Assignment

I woke up feeling numb like I was waking from surgery,
Lights flashing in my head like there was an emergency.
Urgently, I searched for fervency, but words were not curbin' me,
So instead I turned my back to the city, like Ron Burgundy.
I layed low in my complex, like witness protection,
Like the son of man, equipped with perfection.
But my quick-wit aggression, couldn't stick to the question,
So I put in change to make it drop, like Chicklets in pension.

Simile Activity

1. A calendar is like a mirror because time gives off reflections.
2. A sandwich is like a dinner table because women should make it.
3. An ice cube is like a cookie because both go well with lemonade.
4. A knife is like a whisper because they both scare me when guys show me either.
5. Kissing is like a careful collision because you should have stopped, before you hit in the rear.
6. Playing beach volleyball feels like a peeled grape.
7. Dating the same person for too long feels like leftover spaghetti.
8. Falling in love sounds like death, because I'll only experience it once.
9. A dentist’s drill feels like being at school because it annoys me.
10. Tomato soup tastes like bleeding hearts because I don't want to eat either.

Daily Journal-- 2/14/11

Out of the dark, we came into the spotlight that flickered on stage. My heart was beating, and trumpets were bellowing in my head. I had never done anything like this, and for the time being there were a million places I'd rather be. I was nervous that I would open my mouth, but no words would come out. All they would hear would be a faint squeal. Not to mention my lack of stage presence, inducing apprehension, and Parkinson-esque hand movements. The stage was elevated about seven feet off of the ground where the crowd stood. This seemed a little dangerous to be entirely honest, which got me thinking that maybe people weren't joking when they said "break a leg." It was feasible at least. My clothes reeked from perspiration and anxiety medication. I was reminiscing on the first time I had written a song. I had always been pretty crafty with words, which definitely came from my mom's gene. Now the biggest challenge was finding confidence in my voice, and trusting my talent. Here goes nothing, I thought. As the beat started playing, it felt right. I walked up to the front of the stage to greet my friends in the front row. Apparently I took one too many steps, because I woke up in a hospital bed with a broken leg. Oh, the irony.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Change Poem Assignment

Things
Aren't
What
They
Used
To
Be

When
We
Were
Young
We
Were
Inseperable

Who
Would
Have
Thought
Inseperable
Could
Seperate

What
Was
Once
Vivid
Is
Now
Unrecognizable

Who
Was
Once
"Friend"
Is
Now
"Stranger"

Daily Journal--2/10/11

My Bucket List:

1-Visit New York. I've always thought that New York is the coolest city in the world, and I'd really like to visit the downtown area, go to a Knicks game, and eat some great food that the city has to offer.
2- Do mission work in Tanzania. I first learned of this service trip through my church, who goes to Tanzania every year. However, to attend the trip you have to be 18, so the soonest I'll be able to go is the summer of 2012. I want to spread my faith, and rebuild villages in the impoverished area.
3- Bungie dive off of the Golden Gate Bridge. My biggest fear is heights, and the ocean. By bungie jumping off of this bridge, I would essentially be conquering my two greatest fears, and I think it would just be an exhilerating experience.
4- Take a trip to space. I'm sure by the time I am in my middle years of life, space travel will be a very popular activity, and it will be feasible for one to take a trip there. I think the flight up would be really cool, and hanging out in space would be an awesome sight.
5- Meet Blu. Blu is my favorite rapper, and some of his songs have been very crucial to my battles in life, and overcoming traumatic experiences. I'd love to tell him that face-to-face.
6- Start my own restaurant. I don't want restaurant managing to be my main major in life, but I would love to own a family restaurant when I have enough time and money later on in life. It has been my dream since I was just a little kid.
7- Live in California. I don't think I will be able to handle the cold weathered Minnesota for my whole life, and I know that California is the place to be for a lot of reasons. Great sports teams, cool music scene, and great place for entrepeneurs.
8- Be on a TV show. Even if I am only interviewed for fifteen seconds on a local news station, I've always wanted to know what a little bit of fame is like. I would really take advantage of that air time.
9- Win a competition for money. Whether it be a karoake competition, a half-court shot, or the lottery, I think it'd be awesome to get some extrinsic rewards for winning a prestigious contest.
10- Own a lakehouse. When I'm older and retired at a young age, I would love to have a lakehouse to go to in the summer, so my kids could ski and tube, and I could relax in peace.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Limerick Assigment

Waking for school is a bummer,
Because I rely on my slumber,
I hate all the homework,
Can't wait 'til it's over,
Because I'm excited for summer.

Daily Journal-- 2/9/11

"And I.. I gotta testify...."

I lazily reach my arm over and shut off my Kanye West alarm. It's another sunny Wednesday in San Diego. I push the button on my universal remote that opens up the shades. I walk out onto the balcony overlooking the beautiful beach, where people have already started playing beach volleyball games. Sean and Matt are in the kitchen, eating breakfast, and Sam is still sleeping. We talk for a while about last night, before deciding to go downtown for the day. We have tickets to the Golden State Warriors game later that night, because Stephen Curry gave me courtside seats when we had met a couple nights ago. I turn on the radio and hear some of my songs playing, but flip the channel to Shade 45. The windows are all rolled down in my BMW, and we are coasting down the interstate that runs parallel to the Pacific coastline. I remember five years ago when we first had moved out to California, after college. Matt, my best friend and now manager, was telling me how Sean and I needed to move out to Cali if we ever wanted our business to prosper. Since then, we have gained notoriety from three albums and over twenty singles. To be honest, sometimes I miss the cold. Without any severe cold weather, the summers are never as exciting as I remember them being back in Minnesota. I remember as a teenager I would where my shorts as soon as the weather turned 40 degrees. Now, I'm bundled up in sweatshirts and pants when it is anywhere below 60.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ode To... Assignment

Ode to the Minnesota Twins

Spring time again, the season's approaching,
Buckets of popcorn, and hot dogs are roasting,
The Twins are playing, with Target Field hosting,
Francisco is pitching, Joe Nathan is closing.
"This is the year," but so was the last,
it's amazing how eight months can end oh so fast,
Before we know it the season is ending,
Salaries raising, and teammates are pending.
We hope for the best, don't settle for less,
When the Yanks come to town, we know its a mess,
But still we don't fret, The Twins are the best,
Thats why they're in my heart, way more than the rest.

Daily Journal-- 2/8/11

"Why couldn't Dad just have paid for a parking pass?"
Evan and I were walking into the school from the "Loser Lot," on a cold, January day. It was about 7:25, which gave me five minutes to walk into the school, put my coat in my locker, and hurry to first hour before getting my third tardy, and a detention. I started walking at a faster pace, which was hard because the ground below me was coated in a sheet of ice. I was passing numerous clusters of people, whom were walking at the speed of molasses, and I was determined to beat the final bell. Right as I made it onto the sidewalk, my Nike shoes lost their traction and I fell flat on my back. All the people who I had passed on the path from the lot now walked by me laughing. Because I was only a freshman, I could not have imagined a more embarrassing moment. Now that I am older, though, I can look back and laugh. Not to mention, I now have a parking pass so I hopefully won't ever have to make the treacherous walk again. However, I am still constantly reminded of this moment due to my brother's re-tellings. I've come along way over the past four years, and have become a much more confident person, but also a more mature person. Due to my own experiences, if I walked by a kid who had tripped and fell, I wouldn't be the type to walk by laughing. I would be the type to offer my hand out to help him/her up. I think this embarrassing moment has turned me into a much wiser person, and taught me how to deal with ridicule.

Monday, February 7, 2011

AutobioPoem

Jack,
The kind, motivated, reliable, faithful
Brother of Evan and Sallie,
And lover of friends, beach volleyball, and song-writing,
Who feels depressed in the winter,
Who needs warm weather to stay in a good mood,
Who gives his full effort to make others happy but
Who fears that it is not enough,
Who would like to see Heaven,
The resident of Eagan, Minnesota,
Yakowicz.

Daily Journal-- 2/7/11

I turn my head and see the lion. The king of the jungle. We're not in the jungle, though. Which raises the question, how would the king of the jungle fare when taken out of his natural habitat? How would the Queen of England fare leading the United States? This makes me smile. I'm no longer scared by the lion. I approach the lion with a grin, and he seems to sense my cynicism. The lion takes a step back, as I reach out my hand to pet the animal. He makes a quick move with his head, as if to make me think he still has the capability to attack me. I don't flinch. Now it's my turn. I make a quick head nod too, and the lion turns and starts running. I chase after the lion, but am far too slow to ever catch up to him. I don't really care if I catch him or not though, I just like the chase. That's always been the case for me. Whether referring to an indigenous species, or females, I've always enjoyed the chase better than the catch. It's like a dog chasing a mailman. If the dog ever really did catch the mailman, he'd have no idea what to do with him. It's simply a way to establish the dog's superiority over the UPS worker. That's all I am doing, as well. Though this encounter may have gone differently if we were in the jungle, I have defeated the lion. I have establish the human superiority.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Haiku Assignment

The Packers will win,
Because the Steelers can't pass.
Rodgers is the man.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Daily Journal-- 2/4/11

I would like to thank my mom for being the one person in the world I know I can always count on. I know I have made her disappointed in recent history, but I also know that no matter how bad I screw up, she will always love me. That's not the case with most of the other people in my life. If a friend and I got in a really bad fight, or my girlfriend and I broke up, I don't know if they'd still like me, or still care as much about me. I never feel that way with my mom, because no matter what she will unconditionally love me. It's amazing to me how one person can give so much to others, but never ask for anything in return. In fact, she specifically asks for nothing in return.

As a younger kid, my mom and I used to hang out a lot more. We would go down the park and play tennis, watch TV together at night, or run errands with eachother. I'm sad to admit that the amount of time we spend together is fizzled quite considerably over the years, but she is still the sole person that I turn to when I am in need of a friend. I don't like to disclose all of my emotional problems with her, but I don't need to either. She must have some sort of motherly instinct, and knows when I could use a lift-up. My mom is going to be the hardest person for me to leave, when I go to school next year. Don't get me wrong, I will miss a lot of people, but there will just be a lot of adjustments I will need to conquer without my mother there. For example, when I am sick at home, my mom always makes me soup and waits on me for the whole day. Who will wait on me at college? It will be hard, but no matter how far away from her I am, I will still love her very much.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

List of Memorable Events in my Life

-My birth
-Death of dog, Duke
-Death of both Grandpas in same year
-Catching a home run at Twins game, from Frank Thomas
-Starting basketball
-Winning writing competition in middle school
-Panther pride awards at BHMS
-First day of high school
-Sitting next to Grant Hill at Wolfgang Pucks in Orlando
-First HS Basketball Game
-Starting Cross Country
-Learning song-writing
-Attending the first ever season-opener at Target Field
-Getting my first acceptance letter, Luther College
-Winning scholarship competition in Moorhead
-Turning in my commitment to Concordia Moorhead, for Fall of 2011

Daily Journal-- 2/3/11

"Alright Mom, I'm leaving."
"Have a good time Jack, be back by dinner."

I run out of the house, pick up my volleyball off of the rack, and shut the garage door. I can hear the song "Show Me The Good Life," coming out of the speakers in Matt's Jeep. I get in the car, and he backs out of the driveway, hitting his bumper on the steep slope of my driveway. On any another day, this might have made Matt livid; not today. Soup and Sam are also in the car, and Jack and Hunter are in the Honda behind us. It is a steaming hot July morning, and we're headed out to Lake Marion for the day. We brought along coolers filled with Gatorade, hot dogs, and condiments.

As we finally approach the beach, everybody is having a good time. Soup and I are rapping in the car, as Matt rolls down the windows. One thing I've learned is that no matter how hot of a day it is, rolling down the windows is a necessity in the Summer. I don't know if it is the cool breeze that comes in, or just the vibe of it, but without rolled-down windows... nobody's as happy. Matt parks his car, we get out, and he locks the doors. Of course, our volleyball court is empty. We have been to this beach so many times over the past few months, that the court is practically reserved with our names on it. We play numerous games, all ending in the phrase "double or nothing?" Finally when everyone is exhausted, we head out to the water. It's cold, but on a day like this it feels perfect. We spot Anna and Sophie further down the beach, resting in the sand. We all go to lay over there for a while, and I plug in my iPod. I fall asleep in the sand, dreaming. However, I don't remember the dream though, until I wake up.

It's six o'clock in the morning, and I step out of bed. I go to the bathroom down the hall, and splash water in my eyes. I proceed to take a quick shower, and go back to my room. I look out the window, and face reality. The snow falls on a cold, mid-January morning.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

What I Want to Learn

I already consider myself a pretty good writer, but the reason I took this class is because I was looking for an outlet to display some of my writings. I have really gotten into song-writing the last couple years, and it is now one of my favorite hobbies. I hope that I can continue writing songs in this class, and also learn other cool forms of writing (haikus, poems, etc.). I think creative writing is the best form of writing, because there truly is no structure to follow. I enjoy writing short stories, just for fun, but really don't like writing essays or research papers in classes. It's cool that Eastview is offering the option of a fun form of writing. I have pretty high expectations and interest in this class.