The paradox of the high school senior

By Erik Green

So turning 18 means you're grown, right? Yes, of course. You can drive. You can vote. You can join the military. You can get married. It is even legal to do married type things before marriage. You can watch R-rated movies. The vast world of adulthood lies before you like an unexplored island paradise.
Unfortunately, your senior year of high school keeps you in the bosom of childhood a little longer, and it *&^%$# stinks! In school you cannot sleep (no matter how hungover you are). You cannot chew gum or tobacco. You can't kiss your girlfriend/boyfriend, even though you will likely marry them (har, har, har). You can't speak freely (No, your teacher is not dude). You can't talk on the phone (OMG wtc?). You can't dress as scantily clad as you might wish. Your days are meticulously scheduled to the minute, and your mom even makes you ride the bus now and then.
The worst part is you can't do anything about it, unless you plan on quitting, and then there goes 12-plus years of lectures, experiments, and kick ball games. But it happens. According to an ABC News story (http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2667532), some 2,500 students drop out of school every day! Obviously not all of those students are seniors, but I suspect there is an alarming number of seniors who simply quit months before they are scheduled to graduate. Why? Because they are adults, of course.
I am convinced that seniors drop out because they have been convinced that turning 18makes them an adult, when it is simply untrue, and they feel that school is no longer relevant. It's kid stuff. Seniors seem to be more combative with teachers, more resistant to school rules, and more reluctant to comply academically than other students because they simply believe that they are grown, and that such a title awards them some sort of immunity. I had a senior come to In-School Suspension because he'd been accused, perhaps wrongly, of vandalism. He said that instead of taking his punishment he was going to quit school. It smelled like pride to me, and I told him so. His mindset was, "I am an adult, and they cannot treat me this way." Sure they can, especially if you plan on graduating. The same is true in the working world. I can tell my boss where to stick it, but not if I want to eat and pay the bills.
In my opinion, seniors become discouraged with their circumstances because they have yet to acquire the valuable resource known as foresight. At present, what is important to a typical senior is Billy's party, or Tommy's Mustang, or Susy's... characteristics. It isn't "I need to put something away for retirement," or "When I get to college I am going to be clueless, so I'd better study."
I understand because I've been there. I rolled my eyes when my parents talked about responsibility, hard work, and goals. My goal was to chase girls, a task at which I was utterly pathetic. As a senior, I was driving a free car, on free gas, and complaining about it. I was the guy arguing about the drinking age with my economics teacher. I could die for my country, but I couldn't have a beer. Please, I wasn't about to die for my country, but it was the principle of the matter. I was an adult; I could do as I pleased. It took 12 years to make up for doing as I pleased as an 18-year-old child.

Primal Scream

I just need to scream AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a bad day at school, so......................................AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....ok getting there.....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ok all better. Thanks! :)
Erik

PS...If you are ever bored and have some time to kill, check out this site: http://www.faceresearch.org/demos/average

Update on Fischer

Here is an update from my friend Bryan on baby Fischer.

Fischer Michael Young
Born 8-21-08 10:18am/est 6lbs 10oz 19 1/2"
Floyd Medical Center Rome,GA

Fischer is doing great. He was moved to the NICU Friday at lunch because he was not eating good and his sugar was dangerously low. Since then his sugar is stable with help from an IV and is eating great. He will be able to leave when his eating has gotten a little better and has the is IV removed. Erin is doing great and will be able to go home Sunday or Monday. We will have to leave Fischer at the hospital until he is a little stronger. Please continue to pray for us.
Bryan

Hurray for Fischer Michael

Many of you have heard that my friend Bryan and his wife Erin were expecting a baby, but have had complications due to her type one diabetes.
Well, Fischer Michael Young was born today at 10:18 a.m., weighing 6 pounds and 10 ounces, and he was 19.5 inches long. Praise the Lord! Everyone is healthy!

R.I.P LeRoi Moore

Many of us have been inspired over the years by the music of the Dave Matthews Band; I know I have. On Tuesday, the DMB's saxophone player LeRoi Moore died of complications from injuries he suffered in a recent ATV accident. He was 46. LeRoi never basked in the spotlight, but make no mistake, he was fabulously talented. He was also the coolest cat on the block. I am terribly saddened by the death of this masterful musician. It pains me to no end that murderers, thugs, rapists, and other scum continue to live on, while a true gem like LeRoi is taken so young. Please pray for LeRoi's family.

On the DMB's Web site, the band left a statement:
"We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program."

--
I also heard today that the younger of my two nieces, Michelle, who is 16, totalled her car at some point last week/weekend. She is fine, but as you can imagine it has been a wild series of events for my sister, brother-in-law, and the rest of the family. Continue to pray for strength for them all.

--


Keep up the prayers folks!

--Erik

The word nerd's ultimate wardrobe

Here are some t-shirts, and other designs, that just crack me up! (never end a sentence with a preposition).

The Great Coke Can Debacle.

So after much pressure to continue, I now humbly submit a blog. Yaay!

As many of you know, Angie and I moved into a new house at the end of May. We have really enjoyed it, and it has been everything we wanted. Well, except the upstairs toilet. Mind you, this is a brand new house. We have, um...left our mark where no man has marked before. Now, one particular Sunday afternoon I was typing away on our computer upstairs and decided to make a routine bathroom visit. When I flushed, however, the result was anything but routine. The toilet stopped up, and began to overflow. The water--and it is a stretch to call it water--began to go under the wall and run down our kitchen wall downstairs. I knew this was happening because Angie was screaming something in French. So, I went and bought a plunger, and nearly had a heart attack as I attacked the John. In fact, I plunged so hard that the--uh toilet history, if you will--began to flow into our shower. This, my friends, was as close to hell as I ever want to get. So, clearly, I was not going to fix the toilet myself. Luckily, a plumber was open and someone came out and fixed it so that it would at least flush. I then cleaned up the considerably grotesque mess and we called the guy who built our house and told him about it. He decided he wanted to send out his own plumber to check it out. So, a week or so later, three guys show up and go to work. After an hour or so, one of the men came in the house and said,
"I know what your problem is."
I'm thinking, "Yeah really? I believe my problem is that I had to clean up crap!"
But he said, "There is a coke can in your pipe."
Apparently, during construction, some genius threw his Dr. Pepper can into the pipes. The plumber brought the discarded can in on a stick and showed it to me. Needless to say, our builder agreed to reimburse us for our considerable plumber bill. Unfortunately, neither money nor Ajax could scrub the memory of that blasted day out of my mind. Bluuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

--
In other news, Angie and I are both very busy this semester, as usual. She is working on her masters, getting a gifted endorsement, and taking a mentoring class. I have two classes, the first of which begins tomorrow and involves the reading of 11 books. I am making strides, I guess. Also, I have been invited to be a Palanca Cha at Tres Dias in November, so I am stoked about that! Hope everyone has a nice week!
Erik

Guess who's back!?!?!?!

OK, so after a tremendously long hiatus we are back! It has been a quick and busy summer for us thus far. We moved into our new house in Chatsworth on May 30 and had to wait several weeks for cable, phone and Internet to be turned on. In the mean time we have both started college. I am enrolled in four summer classes at UTC and Angie started her master's degree with one online class. We are busy! Spanish is kicking my tail. Angie insists I should be able to easily pick up on the language of my "Motherland," but I already speak fluent Alabama Redneck, so...
We spent some time with my family earlier this month in Atlanta, checking out the Braves, World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium. We are not taking any extended trips this year due to school. Next weekend I head to Tres Dias and Angie follows the next weekend. We are both looking forward to that. Mostly this summer we have worked in the yard and around the house. It's crazy for both of us to be students again, but in the end it will be well worth it. We also got a cat, Crimson. I guess this a good start to our blogging efforts. Check out some pics from our summer.

Ps..the couch in the picture of us on a couch was from American Idol.

Quick update

Hey gang,
Angie and I are in our new house, but we're without cable, internet, etc., until June 19 so it will be difficult to post. We are having a great summer and we hope you are too!

From the sublime to the ridiculous: bombs that kill YOU but not nature.

Charles Q. Choi
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com
2 hours, 49 minutes ago



New explosives could be more powerful and safer to handle than TNT and other conventional explosives and would also be more environmentally friendly.

TNT, RDX and other explosives commonly used in military and industrial applications often generate toxic gases upon detonation that pollute the environment. Moreover, the explosives themselves are toxic and can find their way into the environment due to incomplete detonation and as unexploded ordnance. They are also extremely dangerous to handle, as they are highly sensitive to physical shock, such as hard impacts and electric sparks.


To make safer, more environmentally friendly explosives, scientists in Germany turned to a recently explored class of materials called tetrazoles. These derive most of their explosive energy from nitrogen instead of carbon as TNT and others do.


Tiny bombs were made from two promising tetrazoles with the alphabet-soup names of HBT and G2ZT. These materials proved less apt to explode accidentally than conventional explosives.


After the bombs were detonated in the laboratory, G2ZT also proved as powerful than TNT, and HBT more powerful than TNT and comparable to RDX, said researcher Thomas Klapötke, a chemist at the University of Munich in Germany.


In initial experiments, G2ZT and HBT produced fewer toxic byproducts than common explosives. Still, they did generate some dangerous hydrogen cyanide gas. But mixing these compounds with oxidizers not only avoids making hydrogen cyanide, but also improved performance, Klapötke said.


These compounds have great potential, "especially for large caliber naval and tank guns," Klapötke added.


Klapötke and his colleague Carles Miró Sabate are scheduled to detail their findings in the June 24 issue of the journal Chemistry of Materials.


The research was financially supported by the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, the European Research Office of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, and the Bundeswehr Research Institute for Materials, Explosives, Fuels and Lubricants.

Latest comings and goings

The blog-well has been a bit dry as of late. Busy. Uninspired. Lazy. So today I thought I would write about what's been going on with us.

The most important thing right now is our new house! Angie and I are lease purchasing a house in Murray County very close to where we work. This has been our goal for some time and finally we are making it happen. It's a three bedroom, two bath deal. It is in a subdivision we had been hoping to move in to so we're excited. We move in in late June.

Here it is:




Other than that I don't know if I mentioned that Angie was beginning her masters in June. Go Angie! If we can get through a few more days of school we should have a nice summer ahead of us. I will get back into school (UTC) in late June. We plan on heading to Jekyll Island with some friends in mid-June after my family gets together for a weekend of aquarium, Braves, etc. in Atlanta.

For our church friends, we have not stopped coming. We've missed four out of five Sundays due to one thing or another. We will be back Sunday. And no, the move to Murray County does not mean we will stop going to church at EMC.

Have a great weekend yall!

Un-Reconstructed

Hey some friends of mine play in a band called Unreconstructed, a Civil War period band that is up for an Emmy!!! Yes, an Academy Award! Chris and Heather Dempsey are my friends in the band. Check them out:

http://www.pointsouth.com/unreconstructed/

songs about men and women

Here’s some funny songs about how men and women differ


Brad Paisley-I’m Still a Guy

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnics
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You're probably thinking that you're going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up oh but no matter what
remember I'm still a guy

When you see a priceless French painting
I see a drunk, naked girl
You think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy
And I'd like to give it a whirl
Well love makes a man do some things he ain't proud of
And in a weak moment I might walk your sissy dog, hold your purse at the mall
But remember, I'm still a guy

I'll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
'Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

I can hear you now talking to your friends
Saying, "Yeah girls he's come a long way"
From dragging his knuckles and carrying a club
And building a fire in a cave
But when you say a backrub means only a backrub
Then you swat my hand when I try
Well, now what can I say at the end of the day
Honey, I'm still a guy

And I'll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
'Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

These days there's dudes getting facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can't grip a tacklebox

Yeah with all of these men lining up to get neutered
It's hip now to be feminized
I don't highlight my hair
I've still got a pair
Yeah honey, I'm still a guy

Oh my eyebrows ain't plucked
There's a gun in my truck
Oh thank God, I'm still a guy



Kellie Picker-Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind


I need to go shopping
These shoes are all wrong
Just look in my closet
Not a thing to put on
I wonder how these jeans make me look from behind
Things that never cross a man's mind

Lets turn off the tv
Now can't we just talk
Lets lay here and cuddle
Til we both drift off
If we don't make love
That'll be just fine
Things that never cross a man's mind

That joke is too dirty
This steak is too thick
Ain't no way in the world I'll ever finish it
That car is too fast
This beer is too cold
And watchin all this football is sure getting old
Wish I was workin this weekend
Not on the lake reelin my line
Things that never cross a man's mind

Here lips are too red
Her skirt is too tight
Her legs are too long
And her heels are too high
Boy, she looks like the marryin kind
Things that never cross a man's mind

That joke is too dirty
This steak is too thick
Ain't no way in the world I'll ever finish it
That car is too fast
This beer is too cold
And watchin all this football is sure getting old
Wish I was workin this weekend
Not on the lake reelin my line
Things that never cross a man's mind

I feel a little bloated
I think I'm fixin to starve
That movie was good except for the violent parts
Brad Pitt is sexy
Why did he change his hair
I knew him and Jenny never had a prayer
These curtains clash with the carpet
The color scheme is a crime
Things that never cross a man's mind
Things that never cross a man's mind

Birthday girl!

Today is Angie's birthday! She turns 28 today. Happy Birthday sweet heart! I love you!

John Smoltz and the snapping turtle: the story of our spring break

Don't you just love the catchy headline?

Oh well, we are regretfully on the other side of Spring Break, but we had a great time being off. We spent the preceding weekend in Alabama at my parents house and we had a great time. I made a point to spend as much time with my dad as I could this go-round. We went fishing and caught a bunch of bream and one ol' snapping turtle. He was caught by yours truly. It felt like a fish for a while when I first hooked it, but as I reeled it in I thought I'd just snagged a limb because of the dead weight. But when I got "it" to the bank I realized "it" was a snapping turtle. Luckily he worked himself free before I had to get the knife out and cut him loose, thus saving my line and perhaps my finger. We didn't have any moving conversations-- dad and I that is--but it was nice just looking over and knowing he was there.

During the week Angie and I worked on beautifying our yard. We planted flowers, raked and mowed and had fun being outdoors all week. On Friday Wade, Angie's sister Cristy and I worked all afternoon moving probably a ton of mulch. Amazingly, at age 30, I finally like yard work. I can just hear my mom cussing me now haha.

On Saturday we saw our Dodgers lose to those pesky Braves (yes Joel, I know). We had a great time though. My niece Ashley and her boyfriend Casey met us in Atlanta for the game. She is such an adult now at 19. Amazing. We will post some pics soon. Before the game there was a line of people waiting to get an autograph from Braves pitcher John Smoltz. Being a Dodger fan I didn't wet myself to get over there to him. But this guy approached Angie and me and asked told us he'd give us an autographed ball if we stood in line with him (a person could have have two things signed), so we did and Smoltz signed a ball for us. Very cool. Anyway, that was our week in a nutshell. This weekend Angie heads with the ladies to Gatlinburg and I'll head to a shady spot and snooze. Have a good one.

--Erik

Reflections: Old Blue Chair by Kenny Chesney

I love this song because it sort of relates to my way of thinking. Maybe you can relate (plus you gals can see Kenny's bod ;) )


There's a blue rockin' chair,
sittin' in the sand.
Weathered by the storms,
and well oiled hands.
It sways back and forth,
with the help of the winds.
Seems to always be there,
like an ol' trusted friend.

I've read a lot of books, wrote a few songs.
Looked at my life, where it's goin', where it's gone.
I've seen the world, through a bus windshield.
But nothing compares,
to the way that I see it,
to the way that I see it,
to the way that I see it,
when I sit in that Old Blue Chair.

From that chair I've caught
a few fish and some rays,
and I've watched boats sail,
in and out of Cinnamon Bay.
I let go of a lover,
that took a piece of my heart.
Prayed many times for forgiveness,
and a brand new start.

I've read a lot of books, wrote a few songs.
Looked at my life, where it's goin', where it's gone.
I've seen the world, through a bus windshield.
But nothing compares,
to the way that I see it,
to the way that I see it,
to the way that I see it,
when I sit in that Old Blue Chair.

That chair was my bed one New Year's night,
when I passed out from too much Malibu and diet,
and I woke up to a hundred mosquito bites. I swear.
Got 'em all sittin' right there, in the Old Blue Chair.

There's a blue rockin' chair,
sittin' in the sand.
Weathered by the storms,
and well oiled hands.

Laid up here in a country state of mind (with pics from home)

Ronnie Jones preached a sermon based on a Hank Williams song not long ago, so I figured it was OK for me to write an ode to a Hank Jr. song. So here it goes:


"That hot ol' summer sun make you beg for your next breath,
So you best be on the creek bank laid in the shade.
Chewin' on a hickory twig, pass that bottle, I'll have me a swig,
I ain't got a lot, but I think I got it made (in the shade)."


Many people talk about not having regrets in life and I have very few, really. Everything I’ve done, every mistake I have made, has led me here, which is where I want to be. I am married to my soul mate. I am pursuing a career that I believe God would have me do. But some days I miss my country home in Alabama. I miss that quiet peace that comes with sweet tea and front porches. I miss those pine covered hills and the fog that rolls through the hollows in the morning. I miss that old wooden barn that was built long before I was born and the smell of freshly cut hay. I miss flinging a fishing rod over my shoulder and walking into the backwoods for a shot at some bream. I miss the country store where everybody knows you when you walk in. I miss those Alabama and, yes, Auburn car tags. I miss being a part of what that rivalry means in that state. I miss the buzz of bicycle tires whirling under me as I peddledown back roads of aged blacktop. I miss the smell of axle grease coming from underneath that old red Farmall. Mostly, though, I regret that I didn’t learn more than I did from my father. He is a man’s man. He can fix anything, grow anything, build anything. You know the type. I regret not getting up early and going fishing with him as much as I should have. I regret not being under his wing every day in those vast fields. I regret having smooth palms when his were so calloused. I regret never going dove hunting with him or paying attention to him when he taught lessons about life that I had to learn the hard way. I will never regret being my momma’s baby, but I will always regret never being my dad’s little man. I can’t make up for lost time with him now, but I am trying more than ever to savor those moments we have left. I look forward to Friday when I can see that place again.


"Me, I'm laid up here in a country state of mind,
Catchin' these fish like they're goin' out of style,
And drinkin' this homemade wine.
Hey, if the sun don't shine tomorrow,
People I've had a good time,
I’m just laid up here in at country state of mind."

--Erik

Green's Game Notes: Volume IV

So if you were driving from Dalton towards Murray County around 6:25 this morning you probably saw my lovely wife doing a dance in the Regions Bank parking lot. Yes, and maybe you heard her shouting too. She was not filled with the Holy Ghost, but rather giant mosquitoes. So here's how it went down: we pulled into Regions to get some money and there were maybe five of those huge mosquitoes sitting on the machine. When Angie went to put the card in, BuzZZZ WHACK BAM CRASH, those things flew onto her like planes to a hanger. She started saying "They're on me. They're on me." Then she began to panic and whack the air like mad. Then she yelled "They're on me! They're on me! I've got to get out!" So yes, she got out and performed her own rendition of Flash Dance. "She's a maniac, maaaniac on the floor..." As for me? I just enjoyed the show... No mosquitoes were hurt...

I don't know if I have mentioned it before in the Blog, but I believe God has put a burden on my heart to become a guidance counselor. I believe I can relate to kids in that fashion. I have done the stupid, trouble making stuff. I have experienced unrequited love (Who hasn't haha). I have gone through the "My parents are morons" phase. I have had drug addicted friends. I mean, I feel like I understand teens. So I suppose I am going to get my masters and Eds. in counseling. That's a couple years away, so things might change...

Mercifully Angie's CRCT testing is complete and she can return to normal, Amen!...

Spring Break begins Friday! AND I only have a couple more class meetings left in the semester. Two classes, two A's right now! Go me...

So last night in my education class we discussed discipline in the classroom and basically my professor made it seem as though only bad teachers have to discipline kids. When asked what should be done for discipline in the classroom, he said "Teach better." Of course, he is about 80 years old. What sort of discipline do you feel is correct? Paddling? Removal from class? Writing sentences, etc. I'd like to hear your thoughts...

Prayer requests (update)

Folks, one of my best friends Bryan Young had gastric bypass Monday morning and is doing just fine. Thanks for all the prayers.

Please continue to pray for Angie today, the final day of the CRCT wooo hoo!

--Erik

Game Notes: Volume III

So who's coming to game night tonight? We have debated going because Angie is not much of a game person, but I am, so we're at a stand still. If someone is going and is not much of a gamer then Angie might have some company...

Speaking of Angie...she has had a great week of testing this week and the Lord really helped her stay calm and perform her job. She is also going to be her grade rep next year! Please pray for her next week as tests resume.

It has been a crazy week for me as well...my ISS class has been full most every day and that forces my blood pressure up a few notches, but luckily it is Friday. Next week is our last week before Spring Break, whee! On top of that I only have about four more Mondays and Tuesdays left in the college semester, which is nice. I will take most of June off before heading back in the summer. Gotta get finished!

Hope you all have a great one!

--Erik