So...I'm not going to be on for a while, probably not till summer break starts. I'd just like to let everyone know and wish you guys a very happy Easter.
Thanks for looking.

Sophia

So guess who won State? I'm pretty happy about it (still), even though there were only two other girls in my divsion and I only got to play against one. I won by two extreamly sloppy chokes, but they were quick, and I think neither of my matches lasted over a minute. It's the second time I've gotten first place, and for once, my hard work and coming to way more practices than usual payed off. I hope this inspires more people to try it, and even if you don't want to actually join, you should still visit a class or two just to see some judokas (Judo players) in action.

So...Judo. I go to it usually twice a week, but I'm trying to get more classes in before the state tournament. Right now I'm still a little sore from going about five days straight and getting the snot beaten out of me repetitively. It's a lot of fun though, on the good days.
I've been going for over four years and am a second degree orange belt. I'll test for my green belt in probably about a month, but I still need about twelve or so classes before then. Advancing in Judo is pretty slow, and I haven't exactly been working really hard at it. Just how slow? Well, my sensei is a black belt (not sure which degree) and she's still got more than two years to go until she can test again.
Why am I posting this...I have no clue. I guess it's just for fun; I'll probably add more stuff later. Mostly, if I do have a reason at all, it would be as a really lame thank you to all my teachers who come in almost every day of the week and work for free. If anyone is interested in a martial art that is really hard work but worth every last bruise and sore muscle, I would recommend Judo one-hundred percent.
http://www.judo-club-pforzheim.de/bilder_50jahrejcp/50jahre_aktu_Judo.jpg
check out this picture, it is AWESOME!

If there are any games which would be almost impossible not to like (or at least, almost impossible to hate) I'm going to put them on here. So if you're looking for a new game but don't want to blow your money on something that's just o.k. then this is probably a good place to start. If there are some games you think I missed (and there probably will be since I'm only putting ones I've personally played), please post a messege or send me one and I'll most likely add it. Please keep in mind that these are the games that will appeal to a wide audience because they are so much fun, which means that a lot of rpg games aren't going to make it in because they're too hard or long to be a safe bet for everyone.

Top Games for Everyone
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Chrono Cross (PS1)
Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)

RPG's
Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)
Final Fantasy 10 (PS2)
Chrono Cross (PS1)
Dragon Quest 8 (PS2)
Paper Mario (N64)

Platformers
Jak 2 (PS2)
Tomb Raider 1 (PC)
Prince of Persia 1 (PS2)

Puzzles/Strategy
Tetris (Just about anywhere)
PacMan (Many Different Systems)
Age Of Empires 1 (PC)
Starcraft (PC)

Adventure
Myst 1 (PC)
Riven (PC)
Myst Uru (PC)

Action/adventure
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (Game Cube)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Game Cube)
The Legend of Zelda: The Adventures of Link (Game Boy)
God of War (PS2)

Shooters
Resident Evil 4 (Game Cube, PS2)
Perfect Dark (N64)

Here are some cool movies, books, and 2 websites I like.

MOVIES
Minority Report- Tom Cruise actually can act in this one.

Collateral- One of the few other movies where Tom Cruise isn't a stuck up moron.

*Grave of the Fireflies*- If you can get this movie, please do so because not only is this the saddest, most touching and powerful film ever made, but also, it manages to do all this as an anime. I'm really serious on this one, and might even make a review for it later.

Totoro- This is another anime, and even though it is supposed to be a kiddie flick, it is still just as entertaining as the best movies now. It's the perfect family film, and if you saw Spirited Away and/or Howl's Moving Castle and enjoyed them, then this movie is for you. It's done by the same guy, except it was his first and it kicks both of those movies' butts (and they were both pretty good too). Pretty much anything done by the great Hayao Miyazaki is sure to be fun , though (or at least, really pretty).

Millennium Actress- Yet another anime. This is a wonderful little sad story, and leaves very little lacking. This is a personal favorite just because it's so hard not to like.

Whisper of the Heart- One more time! It's anime (kind of a fan, in case you can't tell, but only of the good ones) and really sweet. Perfect is the best way to say it, I think.

Baseketball- This is a Zucker film, and that means that although it might not be completely funny all the time, you are assured of at least two parts where you will almost pass out from laughter. Those parts will be slapstick trash, no doubt, but if you even mildly like that sort of thing, then expect to nearly die from this. It has the creators of South Park in it too, before they stopped being funny.

Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior- Yeah...this is a good movie, but Tony Jaa is the only good thing about it. He can do some mind-numbingly cool stunts.
If you like fighting movies, this is perfect. It's like Jackie Chan before he started using wires and selling out. There are a lot of completely ridiculous parts to it, but I just think those are funny. Another movie in this catagory is Transporters 2.

BOOKS- Almost all of these are bonafied classics, so they're sure to be good one way or another, right?

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri- These are really good books/poetry, like world famed classics, but make sure you have a good translation. The one by Allen Mandelbaum is awesome and has some freaky, cool-looking pictures to boot.

The Lord of the Rings- If you don't have these books, or have never read them at all, you are missing out big time. These are just plain fun and not as difficult to read as others.

The Jungle- Wow, just like Wal-mart, except even worse, if that could be conceivable. I don't recommend this for younger kids unless they're somewhat mature, especially because most of the stuff in this book really did happen. I'm telling you, it is really depressing and doesn't say a whole lot about America as a people. I'll tell you now that most people were outraged at how the meat was taken care of than the working conditions of those poor people trapped there. Read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Don Quixote- This is a really funny, almost perfect book, but, like "The Divine Comedy", it's easy to get a bad translation and end up hating it. Don't get the one from Penguin Classics translated by John Rutherford. It's just not very good and most of the humor, unless it only has shock value (and there is some in there), is pretty much lost.

Websites
homestarrunner.com- This is just plain weird. It's funny, I guess, but it has some mild swear words, mostly c**p repeated over and over again, but it's still pretty clean compared to some of the trash out now.

orisinal.com- These are some of the cutest, and most enjoyable games I have ever played. They are also completely clean.