hey hey!!! I'm the worst at keeping up with this thing...I'm so busy with life some times. It's such a bummer. Anyway, I tend to do better P2P so I'll talk again maybe in another 8 mos. Bye bye!

Well, my mom got a new bed today! It's a King Koil! I laid on it...it's amazing. The top of the mattress is a giant pillow, but underneath it's a firm mattress. It's beautiful. She said she can't wait to sleep tonight! LOL! We got the mattress at 11 o'clock in the mornong, and already my mom wants to sleep! So funny, but I don't blame her...it's a dang nice mattress.

So, I finished my final paper for Music History lasy night...at 4 o'clock in the morning! It's pretty good, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's actually an interesting paper about the Council of Trent which took place in 1545 to try to debacle the Protestant Reformation. I talked about the Lutheran theology as compared to the Catholic faith. I talked about how the Papacy finds councils like this one as a threat to the "divine" power of a Pope. I then talked about how the council's ideas of music opened a Pandora's Box to the Baroque Era. My theory is that with the council stating that any "lascivious and impure" music was to be banished, it gave way to the style of Baroque music. By the way, the meaning of Baroque in English is "bent." Twisted. So I could have also said that music was warped and twisted into what the Council's idea of what music was "supposed" to be. Well, I didn't say it in the essay, but I'll say it now. Anyone who likes music or history or the subject of faith would find this essay interesting, though it's geared more towards the musical side. Well, that's enough self-promotion! Sorry.

Well, I'm gonna go now. My family is going to Pennsylvania to pick up a Christmas Tree. Grace is coming too. Yay! Hope everyone has a nice day! 

Yeah, so lately I've been finding myself so distressed about this oil spill near Camden and Philadelphia. The initial estimate of the spill was 30,000 gallons of crude oil, but now there is a new estimate that as much as 436,000 gallons may have been spilt. I am extremely upset about this. It is just so terrible that the environment has been totally messed up, and not to mention that down there it has spread to approximately 45 square miles. There is also a possibility that the spill could get into the Atlantic Ocean. So sad...so sad.

I have been observing my thoughts recently, and I find my views much less right wing in politics than I thought they were. Often times when I feel like I'm hearing opposition I become more defensive in my choice, even though at less difficult times, I may reconsider my position. However, I think about social programs needed to bring communities and families together, and the Republican party has nothing to say about that. Also, I don't want my generation to ruin the natural beauty of this earth, and if we allow businesses to do anything they want, we will be left with a much worse environment than the one we had before.

With acting Governor Codie in New Jersey proposing an ambitious new plan to create new lanes on a stretch of the traffic ridden NJ Turnpike, I have realized that a Republican Governor never would have thought of doing such a thing because they would have been busy trying to funnel money back into businesses. The fact is, we need a governing body. We need social programs, at least to a certain extent. I understand this now.

The No Child Left Behind Act...Federal Gov't never got involved in State governed school districts, and to be honest with you, being prepared for teaching, my schooling has kind of said this No Child Left Behind Act doesn't really have much power in the continuing behavior of state school districts.

Well, anyway, that's all I got to say tonight. Night all.  

These people are expressing thanks, which is exactly what I'd like to do now. I'm thankful for this nation, America, for providing freedom to all who live in this land. I'm thankful for Montclair State University, for providing me with an education in a field that I can't wait to get into. I'm thankful for Parsippany High School for giving me the valuable experience I needed. I'm thankful for my mother for loving me unconditionally. I'm thankful for my siblings who've helped raise me with their personal imprints in my life. I'm thankful for the most wonderful fiancee whom I will cherish forever. I'm thankful for my life situation, and everything I have received from my Lord God Almighty. He's the author of all these things, and I am so very grateful for His love and grace of which I am so undeserving.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Well, I'm going up to Connecticut today. I am helping out with a couple worship services playing bass. I can't wait to get up there because it's one of my favorite things to do. Grace has work this morning, and it stinks that she can't come up, but she's gone up there when I played before...I just wish she could get to a church today instead of working.

School is going alright. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, because I'm in my senior year, and the courses have become harder than they were. I just pray that God can get me through it with good grades. I don't expect great ones, but I hope I'll deserve somewhat good looking grades at the end of the semester. At any rate, though, it looks like I will be getting out of school next May...not this one coming up, but the next one. I am looking forward to student teaching so bad!! I already know which school I will be doing it at. Parsippany High School...So aWeSoMe!! Well, that's about it. Take care all.