When I arrived home this afternoon from school and checked the text messages on my cell phone (new annoying cell phone policy at school, had to wait all day just to whip out my phone), I found one from my brother, saying that two hardcore Christians came to our door today preaching about Jesus. The reason it's funny, obviously, is because I'm not religious, nor is the rest of my family. In fact, if anything, my brother is the antithesis of the women that showed up at our door. He's essentially a hardcore atheist that cracks up in laughter at the mention of any religion.

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with my brother on that one. Religion, especially Christianity, is much too fable-tastic to be taken seriously. People once believed in a God named Zeus that lived above the clouds.... also fable-tastic. I don't doubt that someday Christianity will also be taught in our English cla sses for purely academic purposes. Really, not even kidding.

But, that's not to say I don't have some spiritual side to me. After all, when I hit my low of lows,I still turn to God. Why? How the heck should I know. But I do. Maybe it's just habit from when I was little and was God-fearing. Or maybe there is a part of me that still believes in a higher power? For such reasons, I do at least consider myself agnostic. Like every other religious individual, I get solace in the idea of there being a higher power that can save us all and give us our own perfect vacation spot for all of eternity. For everyone's sake, I hope there is such a thing. I'd hate to spend eternity in an empty dark abyss of nothingness....

Despite my lack of real spirituality, I do seem to believe in a lot of supernatural theories. Karma really is a b***. I don't need scientific proof to understand that. And ghosts? Keep me the hell away from Gettysburg!Who knows, vampires could exist too, for all I know. Can't say I'd be terribly frightened by them... not if they looked like Edward Cullen, anyway. Or even werewolves?A few Jacob Blacks in the world wouldn't hurt either!

For now, however, I'll keep on searching for what I truly believe about where we came from. Big Bang Theory, Adam and Eve, big magic stick that flashed and created a universe.... whatever. The point is, I'm here, and I'm going to live my life to the fullest regardless of where I came from.

*Sigh*

So my first last day of high school is officially over. And, to my surprise, it was very different from my previous first days. Normally, I'm very nervous, and antsy about every aspect of the day. Today, on the other hand, was a completely different story. I got on the bus (yes, the bus, can't afford a car of my own), calm as ever, and upon arrival gladly retreated to my Advisory Room... which has always been a bit of a respite for me in school.

When I arrived, I basically sat down, received my planner and important papers as usual, and just mingled for the next hour. No long lectures about school rules, not any of that crap. It was a relief, but kind of abnormal for what I'm used to. I guess being a senior does have its perks...

Next, I proceeded to my first block class (which is also my second block class), Writing Workshop, and greeted my teacher and some friends I hadn't seen in a few months. The two blocks actually dragged on for what felt like forever, despite the fact that I have one of my favorite teachers in two of my favorite classes. Call me crazy, but too much energy and happiness on a Monday morning, is NOT a good thing. At least I did get to talk to my teacher about havingmy owncolumn in the newspaper, which looks like it should work out. Yay!

My next destination: American Politics! Turns outmy teacher mysteriously disappeared for about two weeks, so I'm stuck with a substitute for the next week. Lucky for me, that substitute is Mr. Thomas, one of the most beloved elderly substitute teachers in the district! I guess I can deal with that. Besides, the class looks to be one of the more interesting classes I have, despite the fact that half of the people in my class seem to be brainless morons.

And last but not least, AP English! I was actually pleasantly surprised with this class. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but my teacher truly fascinates me. He's witty and eccentric, and creepy at the same time. Either way, he appears to be an effective teacher. I found his lecture today to be fairly interesting. I have high hopes for this class.

As a whole, I suppose my day was pretty good. Not spectacular, but then again, what first day is spectacular? First days of school are notorious for their long boring lectures about rules and syllabi. In that case, I guess I didn't expect much to begin with. I am, however, hoping for a fun-filled and productive semester! I'm off to an okay start, thus far.

I know it's probably evil of me to be making this comment about a group of people sitting through a funeral service, but this picture is totally hilarious! George Bush's expression is absolutely priceless.... he has a "dang, I'm surrounded by them (democrats, that is)!" expression on his face. Not to mention I can only imagine what was running through Hillary's mind, sitting next to a man she thrives on berating on a daily basis.

Also, where's Senior Bush? For goodness sakes, we know you weren't a popular President, but if your son can make it there then you sure as heck can!

Anyway, off to school tomorrow. Will blog afterward on my experiences of the day. Have a good end of the weekend, everyone!

As I stood by my cash register yesterday afternoon at work, yawning and daydreaming about any and everything imaginable, I began to take a look around at my surroundings. You see, I don't exactly live in the most cla ssy of places. I live in rural Pennsylvania, amidst people that think poofy hair and neon-colored jumpsuits are still "in". People that value the word of their religious leaders over their own opinions. But alas, they are still people.

So with that in mind, it always amazes me how many of these same people don't come to the same conclusion. Yes, there are differences in some groups of people, and you may not like them, but they're still people.... and should be treated as such. From a political standpoint, things seem to be getting better on this issue.... you know, minus the exploitation of the issue to create partisan divides. God forbid if President Obama were to support same-sex marriage. I mean, seriously, he might end up alienating his conservative base! You know, the one that doesn't exist anyway?

Don't worry, I'm going to try not to go on one of my gay rights rants again. We all know I've been there, done that. But that's because I no longer really view this as a battle for one group, to right one injustice. This is no longer about gays, or blacks, or hispanics, it's about human rights. Ironically, something more non-religious people seem to respect and comprehend than religious individuals do.

That's not to say that everyone that's religious is a bigot. I have several religious friends who treat me as their equal, and I respect them for that. But it can also be argued that the same principles and idealogy fictitious pieces of literature like the Bible teach, go against their own morals of equality. Endorsing slavery and condemning love of any kind is not open-minded, accepting, or "Christian" in any single way, shape, or form.

I recently stumbled upon a new Gallup poll on the issue of gay rights (ok, so I lied, I'm going on a rant again), which contained relatively upbeat news that, though most Americans still oppose same-sex marriage, more are coming around. While this is, in some sort of twisted way, "good news", I think I was more disturbed with the percentages of people that opposed gay rights. Forty-percent of Americans do not believe same-sex relationships should be legal. And I'm not talking about marriage, I'm talking about relationships in general. Essentially, that's saying that forty-percent of Americans are so bitter and miserable that they'd love to spread their own hate and malice upon other human beings, just because they're different. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we taught at a very early age; pre-school perhaps, that we're supposed to respect those who differ from us?

I suppose this wouldn't be so upsetting to me, if it weren't for the fact that so much progress has been made in the past few years. Four states have legalized same-sex marriage in the past six months alone, and more and more legislation is being pushed forward to address hate crimes.

What makes matters worse, in my opinion, is that even though I forsee minorities eventually winning this battle, I don't forsee a victory for the right reasons. I believe conservatives and evangelicals will move on to support these kinds of issues to get ahead politically, not to better themselves socially and morally. Let's get real here, today's America will not elect a Sarah Palin. We're passed the George Bush (pick one) days, and even the Clinton years. This is a new America, and conservatives (and even democrats) are beginning to get a wake-up call.

Perhaps a new party should be formed? Like the Anti-Ignorance Party? Or the Human Rights Party? Anything but democrat or republican, really. I can respect a democrat or a republican, but until they can each entirely respect me, I have no desire to be associated with either.

Around this time every Summer, I reflect back on my three months of freedom from school, and begin to think about all of the things I should and shouldn't have done during that period. The difference I've noticed this year, however, is that I don't seem to have any real regrets? For the first time in my life, I think I'm finally content with how I've spent my summer.

Did I have fun? Hell yes.

Was I productive? For the most part, yes.

Did I utilize the free time to do things I couldn't otherwise do? Not as well as I'd have liked, but yes.

And with that all in mind, I can't wait for school to start! My senior year has been twelve years in the making, and I finally get to see what all of the buzz is about! Granted, I'm not expecting a fairytale year of school like the movies would portray, but I am expecting a more laidback than usual year of academics and such. I received my schedule for the Fall Semester in the mail last week, and I can't find a single flaw in it. I have three English-related classes, and one class on American Politics. How can that go wrong?

But even with all of this excitement built up, it is starting to dawn on me that I'll no longer experience that three month hiatus in between my school years. This time next year, I'll be preparing to be shipped off to college for four years, left in a city all to myself. It's scary, sure, but exciting nonetheless. As I leave behind my Grade School years and, in essence, my childhood, I'll be moving on to a stage of my life that opens up a world of opportunities. And in that case, this next year can't go by quickly enough.

No worries, though. I'll still make sure to savor every moment of the next year, with the early realization that I'll one day look back on these times and want them back. To quote a certain country song....

"You're gonna miss this/You're gonna want this back/You're gonna wish these days/Hadn't gone by so fast/These are some good times/So take a good look around/You may not know it now/But you're gonna miss this"

Bahaha, I do believe that is a sure sign that I need to go back to school if I start quoting country songs... at any rate, stay tuned for my next blog! I know I'm awful at keeping up with blogging, but once my mind gets rejuvinated from being back in school I'm sure I'll pick up on it again!