Finals!!!!!

One thing that everyone in college worries about is finals. I worry about them myself. You feel that you never know enough about the subject and that you are doomed to fail. One thing that my last Calculus Prof told us is that "No matter how bad you do, your worth in Heavenly Father's eyes is still great." His saying never really made me feel any better, but some things that help me get through finals are as follows.

Rest:
I can't stress this enough. Half of the stuff you learned will be gone if you are not well rested.

Study Groups:
Studying with others is a really good way to retain information and throw new ideas around.

Food:
Eating a well balance diet is important. How can you think of the test question when your stomach is growling

Recreation:
Your mind can only handle so much stress. Unwind, kick back, and play some four square!

LDS General Conference a Must!

     This past weekend, my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, had a general conference. These conferences happen twice every year, and we get to hear from the President of the church, Thomas S. Monson

 

and many other members. I actually had the opportunity to go to a session in Salt Lake City. One talk that really struck me was called "Fatherhood—Our Eternal Destiny" by Larry M. Gibson.
                                      
He relates the story of a time when he went on an all night hike with his two sons. They walked 50 for so miles in 24 hours. When they arrived home, they all collapsed in various places from exhaustion. After Brother Gibson awoke, he went to see how his sons were doing. The younger of the two was alright. He said he never wanted to do it again. Brother Gibson expressed his love and told him how proud he was that his son could do hard things. He went to the elder son next and asked how he was doing. This son said the same thing as the first. "I never want to do something like that again . . . unless my son wants me too." This struck me like it struck Brother Gibson. His son understood what it meant to be a father, and he wasn't even married. He didn't have any kids. This made me think how I wanted to be like that when I am older and have a family of my own. His talk made me think differently than I usually do, and I really enjoyed it. I hope to hear more from him in the future.

Anime! do or don't?

     One thing that I really enjoy is anime! A lot of people don't like it because of the style or the silly looking characters, but the plots are all really well written and the characters are likeable. I have watched a few different animes in my life. They include:

Full Metal Alchemist:

Full Metal Alchemist - Brotherhood:

Sword Art Online:

Attack on Titan:

     The ones that I am currently working on are:

Tokyo Ghoul:

One Piece:

     All of these anime are extremely unique, and the plots to all of them are extremely good. I would recommend all of them to anyone. My favorite out of them definitely is One Piece. It is the most popular, longest running, most amount of episodes, and the most successful anime of this century. The story is about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy, and he wants to become the pirate king.

     In the decades before him, a man named Gol D. Rodger attained all the world had to acquire, hid it away, and was titled the Pirate King. He was eventually executed by the World Government. Before he was executed though, he gave a challenge to the world. He challenged everyone to sail the grand line (most dangerous ocean in the world) to look for it. Since then, countless pirates have left home to search for the one piece in hopes of becoming the new Pirate King.

     Luffy started his voyage, and along the way, he picked up the strangest, yet best crew around. It's a small crew of 9 members, but they get the job done. They go throughout the Grand Line and fight bad guys along the way. They get stronger and stronger after each encounter, and they even take a two year break from pirating to get even stronger. They have made many good friends along the way. Everyone from shop owners, other pirate crews, and even entire nations they have helped. In my opinion, Luffy will become the next pirate king. He just has to find the One Piece!

His crew consists of:

Monkey D. Luffy: - Captain

  

Pirate Hunter Roanora Zoro: - Swordsman

Cat Burgler Nami: - thief and navigator

Sogeking / Sniper King (aka Ussop): - sniper

 

Black Leg Sanji: - cook

 

Tony Tony Chopper: - doctor

 

Nicco Robin: - archaeologist

Cyborg Franky: - shipwright

 

Humming Brook: - musician

 

Off Time?

     So, the end of my semester is coming quickly, and I'm about to head home to work for the next couple of months. I'm trying to look for a job, but it's a little hard from over 1000 miles away. I have learned so many things this semester, but one thing that peaked my interest the most is computer programming. I wish I would have gotten involved in it sooner! It's a ton of fun. When the semester ends, I plan on teaching myself more about programming.

     I currently know C++. It's funny because is punny to other programmers. C stands for computer, and the ++ comes from a function in the program that adds one to any set variable. It's computers plus some!

 

   I plan on learning more about c++ and become fluent in it, but I also want to learn other ways of programming. After c++, I'll probably start with java script. After that, it will be python. All of these languages have things in common, but they are also different in there own distinct ways. I think it is really cool, and I want to know more.

Why personal narratives???

     For writing 150 here at BYU, I wrote a personal narrative for class. I wrote about something I don't talk to people about much, but it was something interesting to write about. I was intrigued about showing how we grew through it and not just telling about it. I'm really glad I received the opportunity to write it. I learned that telling our stories through writing can greatly impact how we view things in life. For example, if we write things down, it's easier to remember. If we keep journals, we will be able to reflect on what went good and what didn't.

     The paper was returned to me today and it was a 97%. It odd, by far writing is my best class. I actually like it a lot. I feel that I learn a lot of useful stuff in the class. My prof is also a champ (bonus points???). She's doing a great job, and I'll miss the class.

Personal Narrative

I was assigned to write a personal narrative for school, so here it is!

Something needs to Change

            Screech . . . CRASH! What had just happened? It was hard to see clearly and the smell of gasoline was strongly in the air. I looked around and saw the crushed heap of what used to be my car; a crushed brown Pontiac Trans Am. I look ahead and see a black Ford Focus with the back bumper smashed and falling off.  I have to escape! I don’t know how bad the damage is! What if my car is on fire? BANG! I kicked the door open and fall out onto the street. I start hugging myself wishing I would have brought my coat. What was I going to do now?

            Two weeks ago, my senior prom was the only thing on my mind. Prom was in three weeks and I had plans on going alone with the guys from my swim team. It was going to be a night to remember. “You can’t go alone! It’s your only senior prom!” There’s nothing that bothered me more than my own mother nagging me through her thick Hispanic accent.

            “It’s my prom! I can go alone if I want.” I argued.

             “Not when you are my only son and you live under my roof!”

            Why was I arguing with her? It seemed futile because she always got her way. Maybe I can persuade her and turn things in my favor. “Okay mom. I’ll take someone to Prom, but you have to pay for both of our tickets.” It was a genius plan in my mind because I could just take my best friend and not have to worry about paying for an expensive ticket.

            “All right, if you take a date to Prom, I’ll pay for both of your tickets.”

            I just won a war. It was an amazing victory against my mother, but now I was dealt with the aftermath. I had to find a date.

            Finding a date was harder than it looked. My best friend went to another high school, and it was too late to turn in the stupid forms for someone from another school to attend. I had to ask someone from my school. It seemed like everyone already had a date. Who could I ask?        

            “Kristopher! Are you listening?” my teacher yells at me.

“Sorry Mrs. Gardiner, won’t happen again.”

Hmm hmm hmmm! I look to my left and see my friend Haley chuckling at my misfortune. Haley is a pretty girl with long blonde hair. She is very nice and fun to be with.

 “It’s her!” I thought. I was going to ask her to Prom! I know I can have a good prom going with her.

After class ended, I caught up with her. “Haley. I was wondering if you had a date to prom yet. If you didn’t, would you want to go with me?” My hearth was racing. I didn’t know if I could take it.

     She finally responded. “I was going to go with my friends, but sure! It’ll be fun!”

     “That’s great!” I finally responded. “I’ll pick up the tickets after school.”

     “Oh, I already bought a ticket, so just buy one for you.” She interjected.

     Coming back to reality, I could feel goose bumps all over my body. There was all this flashing around me. A police officer must have showed up and was looking at the scene. Next thing I knew, he was giving me a ticket. It was for reckless driving, but it was only for $50. I could tell the officer was taking pity on me. At that moment, my mind started to race. How was I going to drive my date to prom now? Was this happening because I lied to my mom about the prom tickets and pocketed the change? How could I ever earn my parents trust back? If only I didn’t waste the money earlier, I could have still made it right.

     POP, POP, POP! I was hidden behind a tree with my enemies circling around me trying to shoot me. I could hear them stepping on every leaf and every twig on the forest floor.  POP! I hit one of them square in the chest. POP, POP! I hit another on their side.

“Kris! Do you have any more paint balls? I’m out!”

I swing my bag over to my friend Alex, but he’s taken out before he gets the chance to reload. The game finally ended with my team winning. It was a fantastic game. In that moment, I was glad I spent the excess money for Prom on paintball. If only I knew what would happen later that day. If only I knew I wouldn't have a car to drive to prom in anymore. Would I have lied to my mother and taken her money?

My father came to the sight of the crash to pick me up. He was happy that I was okay, but as the hours passed, his attitude towards it changed. “HOW COULD YOU BE THIS STUPID!? DIDN'T WE RAISE YOU BETTER!?” I have never seen him that angry. His face was redder than a tomato. It looked as if his head would erupt at any second. “YOU’RE DONE DRIVING!” I was heartbroken. With prom coming up and I had a job to drive to, I didn’t know how I was going to handle it all. My world seemed to be tumbling down.

If I never lied to my parents, would I have been in that accident? Would prom have turned out better?

“Kristopher . . . Kristopher!”

I was brought back to reality. I look up at my mother. She’s laying on the couch with our new puppy reading the newspaper. Can you go to the grocery store and pick up my tea?

Was I hearing her right? I haven’t driven in weeks.

“Are you sure? Is it okay with Dad?” I respond.

“Of course I am. Take the twenty from my purse and go.”

 “Okay mom, I’ll bring you back the change.”

Look Sister Steadman, No Hands! - research blog

For my writing and rhetoric class, I am writing a research paper. Its really cool because I have input on what I get to research. The only two conditions are that it has to be relevant to today, and it involves a family story. At first I had no idea on what I was going to write about, but I wanted to do something that is currently affecting my family, and something I would want to know more about myself. So far, I have read a lot of good sources, but not too much has hit the canvas yet. I have a good idea on how I want to structure my paper, but, like I've said before, not too much has been written yet. The following dialogue is an activity to help me write my research paper.

What is type-2 diabetes? If someone has type two diabetes, their bodies have trouble regulating their insulin levels. Their pancreas is the organ which creates and controls insulin flow that in turn regulates the amount of sugar in their blood. Does type-2 diabetes have a strong genealogical connection? Well, that's a terrific question! Many studies have been performed that seems to show that those who have family members with type-2 diabetes are more likely to get it. Well, if I will get it, what kind of symptoms will I start contracting. Well, if you think you are at risk of diabetes, a trip to your general practitioner might be in order, but some symptoms may include frequent urination, being very thirsty, weight loss, increased hunger, blurry vision, frequent skin or gum infections, fatigue and wounds may not heal, but sometimes, there may be no symptoms. What kind of treatment is there for people with type-2 diabetes? Treatment for type-2 diabetes is not easy on the patient. In include healthy eating, blood sugar monitoring, regular exercising and sometimes insulin therapy.

The prior dialogue has helped me gain good ideas on what to write about, I think I'll start my paper by saying . . .

Pictures everyone can appreciate!

Some awesome pictures for the end of the day!

For the Ladies!

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Now, for the MEN!

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Everyone should be a Fry Chef

In my opinion, everyone in the country needs to work as a fry chef. Before you stop reading because of what I’m saying, hear me out. I've been working as a fry chef for over a year at two different establishments and I have learned a thing or two about life here.

            My first reason why is everyone needs to learn a skill called teamwork. Teamwork is so important in life and a lot of people don’t know how it works. In the back of a restaurant, things can get really busy. Everyone back there has their own job and responsibility to make sure that food comes out at a reasonable pace. To accomplish this goal of “reasonable pace”, communication is a must. Everyone has to be on the same page on what is going on and what needs to be done. Why do you think there is a head chef in all fine-dining restaurants? There needs to be someone who is making sure everything is going smoothly and everyone’s food is being accounted for. This is hard that in looks. Many times at work, I have fallen into that position of being the one in charge making sure everything is coming together nicely. It’s very stressful, but when everything works out well, and everyone is working together as a team, the night can be a success.

            Working in the kitchen, I have learned what true stress is. It’s very similar to the same stress one feels when they have a paper to right and it’s due the next day. When there are 20 tickets on the board and only two people cooking, it becomes hard. When working in a kitchen, the food isn’t the only thing to worry about (even though it’s the most important). We also have to make sure everything is being prepped, things are being stored properly, and that the food is the best possible quality. It’s a lot to worry about, but after a while, the stressful becomes the norm. Stress management is one very important skill I learned as being a fry chef.

            People should be a fry chef because it would give them an appreciation for the people who make their food. Like I've said before, being a fry chef is hard! We’re expected to cook everything as fast as we can, as best as we can, all without mistakes and for little pay. It’s hard work! If everyone worked as a fry chef, then people will learn to appreciate how hard it is.

            In my opinion, everyone needs to be stuck in a kitchen behind a grill, stove, oven, or fryer for some time in their lives. It would make them appreciate what people do for them a lot more.

Battle of Five Armies

Over the holiday, I was able to watch the last Hobbit in the trilogy, the Battle of Five Armies. Talking with people after the movie, I was able to see what others thought of it. Other people didn’t like it as much as I did. They thought it was just one big battle and it didn’t have much plot development on its own. Too bad this is my blog and not theirs :D, but on some scale I have to agree. 75% of the movie was war and battle, but this movie is part of a trilogy that was originally one book. In my opinion, the best way to critique it is by watching all three movies together. Since they all came from one book, watching them all together is almost like watching the Hobbit, the book, whole. For those who don’t agree with me, that’s their problem, but here are some of the highlights I enjoyed.

*****SPOILER ALERT***** 

·         I loved how the directors casted Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug. All I could think of was that Sherlock Holmes was a dragon. It was cool!

·         The sound track was amazing like I expected it to be! I listen to it all the time. Howard Shore and Neil Finn are geniuses!

jj

·         I loved the whole buildup of Sauron and the next part to the story. The movie does a great job of foreshadowing to the antagonist of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

·         The greatest thing I loved about the third movie is how the ending started right where the lord of the rings begun. It was the perfect way to end it in my opinion.

·         There are many other things that I loved that are not listed, but “ain’t nobody got time for that” :D

Flooding the Earth

One of my favorite general authorities in the LDS church is Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The summer before I started school at BYU, Elder Bednar gave a talk during education week called, “To sweep the earth as with a flood”. In this talk, he talked about technology and a world with growing media. He encouraged all who listened to use this new media to spread the gospel. We’ve talked about this talk a lot in class and it is something that I could definitely be doing better, so this blog is in a way fulfilling it. In his talk, he talked about how the internet and new media is one of the adversary’s greatest new tools. For as much bad as new technology has, it has such a great potential for good too. For example, I’m convinced my iPhone can do almost anything a normal computer can. I have written papers, communicated with my older sister who is on a mission, and read my scriptures using it. Devices like iPhones and iPads are so useful, missionaries for the LDS church have also started to use them. I believe that technology is a miracle in itself. A miracle to me is something we know to be true without seeing it. I don’t know how all new technology works, but it does. People were gifted with knowledge they use to introduce new technologies that help others and save lives into the world. That in itself is a miracle. In a growing world, everyone has to adapt to new technologies because technology is changing every day and we shouldn’t be left behind.

Research Paper

This semester, I have the opportunity of writing a research paper for my writing class, and I am going to be researching a member or event of my family’s history and how it can relate to us presently. One thing I might write about is disease. Everyone in the world suffers from disease whether or not it’s them or a close family member. That’s what I might write about. If someone were to list all the diseases running through my family, it would be a long list. I know things like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental illness run through both sides of my family for sure, and I’d like to research someone in my family’s past that suffered from one of those ailments. Maybe they couldn’t be medicated for it, or maybe they died early from it. There are so many possibilities to find something to write about of them, and maybe through writing about it, I can bring more awareness to a certain disease as well. I do count it as a blessing to not be experiencing any of my family’s sicknesses yet. Maybe this research paper might one day save my life too. It’s definitely an interesting thought though; homework saving lives!

Rhetorical Analysis

For class, we had to write a rhetorical analysis of a speech. It was the only one I could remember doing, but I'm sure my high school English teachers haven't completely failed me. I feel like I’m learning so much more in the entry level writing couse than I have in my earlier education. I decided to analyze FDR’s speech to congress after the attack on Pearl Habor. Here’s the analysis. It still need revisions, but if you have any ideas, just leave a comment.

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Calling America to Arms

Analysis of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech “Infamy”

            On the morning of December 7^th, 1941 at 7:48 AM, the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked without warning by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The base was attacked by a barrage of fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes damaging all eight of the United States Battleships currently stationed there, sinking four of them. There was a staggering number of casualties. There were 2,403 Americans deceased with another 1,178 Americans wounded from the treachery. This surprised everyone in the country, including the President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In his speech the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuades congress to declare war on the empire of Japan while at the same time, he calls young Americans to action. Through Roosevelt’s effective use of imagery, emotional wording, clever diction, repetition, and a little bit of logic he is able to pathetically persuade both congress and the citizens of the United States to come together against their new enemy after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

            In the beginning of the speech, Roosevelt alludes to the date of the attack and how it would forever be infamous. He effectively uses this imagery to set the tone for the rest of his speech. He said, “Dec. 7 1941 – a date which will live in infamy”. This sets a very serious tone with just that word alone. How different could the speech have been if he said “on this day, America will never be the same again” or “this day will remembered forever”. They wouldn’t have the same effect. Using good diction Roosevelt is able to capture the attention of his primary audience, while at the same time he is pathetically stirring up the emotions of everyone who is listening.

            Just like the word infamy, Roosevelt uses many other emotional words that keep the tone of his speech very serious and somber while at the same time, they stir up the emotions of people listening. He uses words such as solicitation, deliberately, onslaught, premeditated, and treachery to accomplish this. The same message could be delivered with any replacement of these emotional words, but the effect would not have been the same. Roosevelt uses these words in particular to paint a distasteful picture of the enemy. He uses them to exhibit the ruthlessness of Japan, and the danger presented by them. Using such emotional words amplifies his message and draws focus on how grave and dishonorable the sins of Japan really were.

Roosevelt effectively makes it known to his audience, through clever diction, that Japan, as a whole, was responsible for the attack and not just their military. He does this through various usage of the words Japan. He uses Japan in many different ways like “the Empire of Japan”, “Japanese forces”, “the Japanese”, and “the Japanese government”. By using such an extensive variety of a single word, Roosevelt makes it clear that there are many parts to the Japanese government involve. Furthermore, he makes it clear that none of the parts can be dismissed; that they all must be accountable as a whole.

            Roosevelt used repetition to increase the rhetorical effect during his speech.  When listing all the sins of Japan since the previous day, he listed them all out instead of grouping them together. Instead of using, “Last night…” and listing all of them together, he began each one with, “Last night” and then listed them individually. The rhetorical effect of separating them is so much greater than if he would have just listed them. The usage of repetition both strengthens his message, and draws more focus on certain words such as “Japan” and “attacked”. Those two words together created a summary of the entire speech itself, “Japan attacked”.

            Out of the three modes of persuasion, pathos has been the number one mode so far, but logic is also used in his a little in Roosevelt’s speech. The only piece of logic used is in the statement, “Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger”. At this point of the speech, Roosevelt has his audience so stirred up that they come to the realization that they are in danger. In combination with the facts presented before, it’s pretty hard for them not to see the logic in that statement. With this statement given toward the end of the speech, congress is left with passionate facts left by Roosevelt, a dire need for military action, and their own choice whether or not to go to war.

            Throughout his speech, there is a clear call-to-action presented by President Roosevelt. He addresses his secondary audience, the American people, through different words and phrases within his speech. “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.” “I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.” These two segments from his speech declares this call to action by using words and phrases such as “the American people” and “ourselves”. During the speech, those listening, who were not members of congress, were also being stirred up in emotions through Roosevelt’s speech. They were probably at a point where they all would join the war, which is what a lot of young men did in that ere. A lot of young women also joined up arms from Roosevelt’s speech by becoming war nurses and mechanics for military equipment during war time. President Roosevelt calls strength to the people of the United States, and that it is time to defend the United States and many listen to him and join up arms against their new foes.

            Roosevelt’s speech is widely remembered, even today, and one of the greatest speeches given in the 20^th century. Through the use of imagery, emotional words, clever diction, repetition, and a little bit of logic, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt successfully convinced the United States congress to go to war with Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, while at the same time he called young American’s to arms.

What I Want to do.

If I could make the “I” in the title stand out more, I would. It’s just such a small word. What do I want to do in life? At first this was a hard question to ask myself, but it’s one that every person asks themselves. One thing that sets me apart from others is that I also love to cook and I love to SCUBA. If I never had to worry about money in the future, I would probably own a restaurant somewhere near a beach where I could make amazing food and dive to my heart’s content. Not everything is so easy though. In life, we have to compromise on things. I’m probably never going to own a restaurant on the beach, but I do have the choice to study what I want to study and to work in whatever field I want. There are many things I want to do in my life. Getting a degree and finding a great, well-paying, job is first. I want to have a job doing what I want to do

What do I want most of all though? I want to be happy. I want to feel that everything I’ve done will contribute to my family and society. I don’t want to finish my life mostly taking from other’s hard work. I want to contribute something myself. I want to make a difference. That is what I want to do.

Procrastination Blog #3

With me being stupid, I've put off writing my blog posts to the last day, so I’m going to write ten of them today. I think for the first it would only be appropriate to talk about procrastination. Just about everyone does it, whether it be pushing off a homework assignment or a chore at home. There are something that we shouldn't procrastinate. In my opinion, we shouldn't procrastinate things with indefinite deadlines. A better way to say it, is that we shouldn't hold back on important things because life is short. You should ask that cute girl on a date, you should ask for that promotion, you should ask forgiveness and forgive others for wrong doing. Things do not happen unless they are acted upon. That’s Newton’s first law of motion, and I hope that applies here too. A world where people don’t put off the important things would be a better world for all.

For a friend

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Kristopher Ward, and I'm from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, but I live in Provo, Utah for school. I know its pretty soon after my first blog to be writing another post, especially because who wants to do homework early, but there's something that I really wanted to talk about.

Last Saturday, I received the terrible news about a friends death from my former boss. His name was Jacob Linn. He passed away in a car accident Saturday morning on January 10, 2015. We were in homeroom together since freshman year, and we worked together at Nittany Pizza for 6 or 7 months. Jake was a great human being. I didn't know him very well in middle school, but I got to know him better in homeroom and work. I can still remember him sharing his gum with me in freshman year. I can remember all the hours we put in together at work just talking. I wasn't one of Jake's closest friends, but Jake was a good friend to me who made me feel happier when I was around him.

Jake really knew how to enjoy life. Jake was always excited about sports and knew all the results of almost every game in my opinion. Jake was always excited for the next comedy and the next game to come out, and we loved talking about them afterwards. I remember the countless hours we talked about our futures, from what we wanted to study to where we wanted to study in the kitchen at Nittany. I can remember all the times we used to tease his sister at work and how we all got along so well. Jake had such a good sense of humor and is loved by so many people.

He had pride in his roots. He was proud of where he was from. A little bit after I found out about his death, I realized he had a story on his snapchat from the night before. I watched it, and it was a video from a game in our High School Gymnasium. It made me realize how rooted he was. He loved being with the friends he's grown up with, going to our High School events after he graduated, and supporting those he loved at those events.

We could both relate to each other too. Back in April, I was in a minor car accident, and I really felt down on myself because I felt really embarrassed. When I was feeling down, Jake would be working with me, and he could relate to my problems and helped make my problems seem almost non-existent. Just by talking with him and others, I could feel my problems fell almost non-existant and focus on the tasks in front of me.

After hearing about his death, I didn't know what to think at first because everything was happening 2,000 miles away. Throughout this past week though, he has been on my mind a lot and I know he's in a better place.  I believe that one day, he will be reunited with those he loves. I believe there is life after death. It really pains me that I cannot attend his funeral Saturday being so far away from home, but my prayers are with the Linn family in this terrible time in their lives and the other families and people affected by the accident and his death. He will be missed by many people, and he will be remembered.

Who was Jacob Linn? He was good, funny, caring, generous, a good sport, fun-loving, a brother, a son, and a friend. Rest in peace Jake.

I have to make a blog for my writing and rhetoric class, so this is the beginning. If your wondering why the blog name is 4square or die, its because the guys dorm I live in has started playing four square a lot, and its pretty stupid but fun. I am a freshman at BYU in Provo, Utah. I'm an Electrical Engineering major. I'm pretty far away from home. I come from a small town called Red Lion in Pennsylvania. About 99% of the population here are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon. So am I. I haven't served a full-time mission yet for my church but I plan on serving one. I'm currently working on my paper work for it. I'm taking some pretty tough classes this semester including Physics, Linear Algebra, and Intro to Computer Sciences. It's gonna be a pretty successful, and hopefully fun, semester.