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                 This is our eighth blog that we are writing, very crazy thinking that we have been writing these for eight weeks now. Time is just flying by and before we know it we will be walking up to the stadium.

                

                 I am writing this blog on a Saturday so that I can get in into the computer before Sunday, this being that I will not have access to a computer tomorrow because I will be going to Phoenix.

               

                On Monday while we were on our trip to the Ronald McDonald House for Mr. Roadrunner, I noticed a sign that said “Flatbush Zombies May 1^st.” I looked it up to see how much it would cost, and it only being twenty-three dollars a ticket we decided that we will be going to this venue.

              

               Now actually getting everybody to be able to go was kind of a hassle. We barely decided for sure that we were going to go about 16 hours ago, so we have been working with the time that we have. Another hassle was that Danny’s mom wasn’t sure if she wanted Danny going with me because I have only drove in Phoenix one time before. In the end, we were able to convince her that I am a well-qualified driver and that I can be responsible for her son’s safety.

               

            I am excited to go to Phoenix for a couple reasons: 1. the concert. It should be a good concert, although their last album wasn’t all that great, I am hoping that the live show will be better. 2. Tomorrow is the first day of National Burger Month, a celebration that I personally take part of. 3. Its Phoenix, and it’s always nice to get away for a little bit.

              

            This to my readers is probably a very boring blog to read and I am very sorry for that. I will try and make it up for you guys with my next blog.

               

            Have a good rest of your weekend and may you have happiness in whatever it brings you.

25 hours of my day

                 Talking to people has never really been a problem for me, especially if I am close to you. I may mumble here and there, but that is just how I am I guess. The whole scenario changes for me, though, when you put me in front of a crowd. I never really enjoyed talking or doing anything in front of a crowd, I would much easily prefer being around just a few people.

               

                It may seem kind of odd that I say this, because my dream job would be to one day be a sports broadcaster on ESPN. I feel as if it would be different because I would be talking about something I love.

               

                Earlier in the school year when we would have assemblies Mrs. Thompson at the last minute would hand me the microphone and say you are talking for the school. This would make me mad as well as nervous, but as usual I would go up there unprepared, make a fool of myself, and go on with my day. I would be lucky if Julian was attending a certain assembly because Julian loves to be on the Mic.

                

            With this coming up week I as well as some other senior boys will be participating in the Mr. Roadrunner pageant. Watching this pageant as an 8^th grader some of my good friends Ryan Baldonado and Dylan Barela were up there on the stage singing “Spending all my time” by Aaron Fresh and it seemed like to be pretty cool to be a part of. Sitting here now, only two days away from the actual thing, I do not really know how to feel about it.

               

           Another thing that is on my mind is that I will have to give the senior speech at graduation. Coming into my senior year this was not supposed to be my job as I was the VP but under certain circumstances I became the president, and with that got stuck giving all of you a speech. Not to make that seem like a bad thing.

             

          Speaking in front of crowds is not a lot of people’s strong suit. Some people out there could care less and just not think about it, I am not one of those people. I will be still performing for Mr. Roadrunner either way, and whether I think hard about it or not I will still have to talk at graduation. I have grown over time to just not care as much. This pertaining to having to do certain things, the events that happen around me and all that life has to throw at me. Although I am not fully there, it is helping me. I hope that I can take advantage of what is to come so that I can use it in my future.

After Some Time, You Just Get Used To It

                Being that I am going to try and show instead of just tell in my current blog I will be expanding on my blog from last week “three is a great number.” 

                As I said in my last blog my friend Danny lost his grandmother recently, her funeral was last Friday.

                

                Chris and I entered the room for which her funeral was partaking downhearted, Chris walked ahead of me. The smell of the flowers mixed with the whispers and soft music could have been the aroma of a nice restaurant, but sadly this was no restaurant.  I noticed that my grandpa or “Pops” was already seated; he was sitting in a pew by himself. I, thinking that I would try and be a good grandson, decided to go say hi or at least burn time until whoever was to be coming to sit by him showed up.

                

                There was already a certain feeling in the air, a gloomy feeling which you would expect being at a funeral. I journeyed over to the row for which he was sitting and said.

“Hey Pops”

               

                 He glanced over, then turned to me and said.

“Sorry, these seats are taken…”

                

              Now this took me by surprise, I was expecting something in the lines of “nothing much” or hearing that he was good, but instead he looked me dead in the eyes and told me that his seats were taken as if he felt threatened  that his grandson was wanting to take a seat that he had saved.

               

              I paused when he said this and from what I remember I did not say anything or just said “oh.” He then went on to say.

“Did your brother get his license?”

            This being that my brother turned sixteen just the Saturday before.

             I responded with “yes he did” and he came back with “oh, cool.”

               

             After he said his last comment I paused there for a second while he looked straight ahead, after a second or two I walked off to sit with Chris for the rest of the service.

                

             Like I said in my last article, my grandpa and I have never been close, while just recently he has gotten closer to my brother. I have accepted the fact that he and I will never really be close, which is fine with me. But when he went out of his way to tell me that I couldn’t sit by him when I didn’t even want to; that I found to be kind of funny.

                

            From experience over my years, you learn that everybody’s social skills are different. With this I lead myself to believe that, or at least hope that, he does not have very good social skills. He could just be lacking social skills or just doesn’t know what to talk to me about. He loves cars where as I enjoy sports; two completely different things. I don’t blame him for not creating a bond with me; I grew up watching him and my father as they had a distant relationship. I just hope that, in my future, I can create and keep bonds with my children and grandchildren. 

Three is a Great Number

I have three sets of grandparents. This being that my father’s mom and dad got divorced at a young age and eventually remarried. I never second thought it while young, I actually believed that everybody had three sets of grandparents and was a little shocked to find out otherwise. This being many years ago, I am grown now. Since then, I have realized that as you age and with all that comes with life, you become closer to some grandparents over  others.

I have always been closer to some grandparents over other ones. I was and am still definitely closest to my mother’s parents. I say was because my “papa” died during my freshman year. I still see my “nana” the most out of all my grandparents, and even though Bryan (my brother) was closer to my papa I still feel as if I was close to him as well.

Then there is my pair of grandparents on my dad’s side. One of which lives in Holbrook and the other of which lives in Ohio. Although the long range in distances apart I feel closer to my grandparents in Ohio than I do to the ones here in Holbrook. This may not be true for my brother, who shares a common love for cars as my grandpa here in Holbrook.

I just find it amazing how you can be close to some grandparents and not close to others. They are all blood to me and yet some of them such as my “Pops”(the one that lives in Holbrook) will speak to me twice a year, maybe three or four depending on the year.

This past Friday, Good Friday, my friend Danny lost his grandma. Her name was Donna Odell but we knew her as Granny. Granny was a great woman and always kind to all of us as Danny’s friends. I bring this up because I feel as if I was closer to Granny than I am to my own grandpa that lives here in Holbrook.

With saying this it does not mean I feel any type of anger or emotion towards my grandpa, I just wish that over these years we could have been closer than we have. I do still Love him. As I am growing, so are they, and it makes me sad to ask my Mom how old they are becoming and getting answers such as 72 or almost 80. 80 years old is up there, even 72 are up there. I have realized that I need to be thankful to have had three sets of grandparents because if you don’t realize it now, you never know when it may be too late.

I wish that over the years I could have spent more time with my grandparents, I always seemed to be busy with sports or school or something going on at that time. You need to appreciate the family that you have not only grandparents, but parents, siblings, cousins, even friends. Like the common known saying you do not know what you have until it is gone, which sadly even applies to family members.