Second Semester Worries

     This semester I told myself I would better academically.  So far it hasn't worked out too well for me.  So far I managed to get 4  A's.  Sadly those four A's have not come out of my core classes.  I told myself over and over that I was going to do better than I did before, but I can't seem to get over the hump and become more productive with my time.  It seems as if I'm procrastinating even more than before.  I've always been a procrastinator, but I never thought that I would get to the point to where I am up every night doing homework at 1 o' clock in the morning.  I need a way to push myself and get my homework done faster than the speed that I am doing it. 

     I've decided that from this day forward that I will strive harder than I have to get the grades that I believe that I deserve.  I promise to myself that I will have the initiative to do the work that is assigned to me.  I will get my priorities in order so that I can get my school work done with so that I may succeed leaving more time for me to do the things that I want to do. 

This I so solemnly swear. 

Jerry Dunbar, Jr.

Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

     This week I am reading the book "Untamed" which is written by P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast.  "Untamed" is the fourth book in the series House of Night.  In this book Zoey's friends have completely turned their backs on her.  Eventually she gains their trust back and they help her confront the new evil that has been reawakened by their evil priestess Neferet.  

     I absolutely love this book.  The plot was great. I like the unexpected surprises that were located through out the book.   P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast really outdid themselves this time with "Untamed".  I hope they do an even better job with the fifth book in the series "Hunted".  I can't wait to get my hands on that book. 

Reading Log:

Friday 25 mins used on Articles

Saturday 75 mins used on Articles

Sunday 50 mins used on "Untamed"

The Death of a Legend

     On Sunday, January 22, 2012, former Penn State head coach and football genius died from his battle with lung cancer.  Joe Paterno was 85 when he finally kicked the bucket.  He was known as a very caring coach who loved to win and his records showed just how much he loved to win.  In fact, in his 46 seasons of coaching Joe Pa' racked up 406 wins.  He is one of the greatest and most well known collegiate coaches of all time.  He truly cared about his players.  It was said that he would always ask his players if they needed anything that he would be there to help them.  He was inspirational to the university itself.  He helped revolutionize the game of football itself and for that he will always have a special place in the heart's of football fans abroad.
     Now that Paterno has passed I hope that others will finally accept that he was a genuinely good guy.  I hope that they don't try and tarnish his image just because one mistake he made.  Don't get me wrong it was a very bad mistake, but like all humans we are prone to trip up and make a mistake every once in a while.  It's expected of us because it is our nature.  I hope that anyone who had anything negative to say will see the good in Joe Paterno.  I pray that Joe Pa' also knew God before he left this Earth and that his soul resides in heaven where it belongs.

R.I.P.
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno

Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

     This week I reading a book entitled Untamed.  The book was written by the mother daughter duo consisting of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.  They work particularly well together because the third installment in the series House of Night was very engrossing.  I could not put the book down.
     I thought the book was very well written, except for a few grammatical mistakes here and there the book itself was was written well.  The word choice could be very barbaric at times with the characters using words that should not be said in public but other than that the words they used fit the character's perfectly from the traits  they showed. I loved the story overall.  I never wanted to put the book down because of it's characters who always surprised me when they did something that did not fit the personality they personified in the first book.  For instance, Stevie Rae who is usually calm and nice curses at one of the girls in the book and gives her a very mean glare.  P.C. Cast and Kristin really did a great job on the creation of this book and the series it belongs to.

Twisted by Gena Showalter

The book that I am reading this week is entitled Twisted by Gena Showalter.  It is a very good book with some amazing characters.  Twisted is involved in series of books and it is the third book in that series. The main characters of this book are Aden, Victoria, Riley, and Mary Ann.
The book starts off by talking about how Aden is becoming more of a vampire and less of a human. It also recaps the events of the last book.  Basically Aden has died twice in the matter of 2 weeks.  Both times he managed to cheat death.  Now that he's alive he is suffering the repercussions of cheating death.  Aden and Victoria must find a way to change back to their normal selves before it is too late. 

Episcopal's Freshman Boy's Team

     On Saturday, January 14 Episcopal's Boy's Freshman team had won their into Catholic High's championship game.  They had two upset wins over two teams who were supposedly better than them.  Episcopal's first test came against Brother Martin whose star player was 6 foot 5 inches tall.  This massive man child sported a man like beard along with a full mustache.  He looked very intimidating, but that didn't stop the Knights from giving him all he could handle.  In the first half Episcopal's defense limited the giant to just 10 points. The Knights went on to win that by a whopping 14 points.  Episcopal's next challenge would be against Teurlington Catholic.  Unlike Brother Martin they didn't have anyone over the height of 5'11, but each and every one of their players played very aggressive.  Episcopal came out with winning on their mind. In the first quarter they went up by 10 points. Gradually the Knights continued their slaughter of this team until they finally won by an unbelievable 30 points.
     The Knight's had one final test and that test's name was Catholic High.  The Episcopal Knights and Catholic High Bears faced off at 7:30 pm.  This game was supposed to be the Knight's for the taking, but for some reason they just couldn't seem to get it together. Everything was working well for the Knights in the first half.  They were up by six and it seemed the championship was theirs.  That was until the Bears came alive in the third quarter. They took the lead into the fourth quarter.  It seemed that all was over until the Knights started a comeback. Paul Johnson hit a very clutch three to cut the Catholic High Bears lead to just 2.  Finally, a shot had been made in the Knights favor and it seemed that they had more energy than the previous quarters. With 1 minute left on the clock the Knights scored a basket and also received foul call on that basket. Catholic High's lead was cut to just 2 points again! The Knights had one final chance to win the game. They in bounded the ball quickly and they passed to one of their best three point shooters. The rotation on the ball was perfect and looked like it was going in.  Sadly, it rimmed out and the Knights lost the game.  The lost was heartbreaking but it was also a learning experience.  Next time they'll finish the Bears off once and for all.

LSU Game

Last night was a clash of the titans type of game between two football juggernauts of college football.  Number one LSU was trying to close their perfect season with a win in the BCS championship last night against number two Alabama.  This was supposed to be LSU's time to shine.  Unfortunately their shine could not compete with Alabama's.  Alabama completely dominated the field last night.  They played so well that their defense caused LSU to score not a single point.
This was a heartbreaking lost to LSU.  I felt so sad for seniors Jordan Jefferson and Jarret Lee for this would be their last season before they enter the NFL draft.  They both had an amazing career at LSU and I hope that all their hard work will pay off in the future allowing them to fully achieve their dreams of playing in the NFL. They have a very bright future ahead of them.  I pray for them both to have a successful career.