Ghost Soldier

Original pic: Elephants via Pixaby – Edited with Strip Designer

One of the most damaging things in a family is the feeling of resentment towards each other. When family members do not talk about their grievances with one another, especially over long periods of time, animosity builds up. However, often, not knowing how to express your feelings or being afraid that they won’t be received well can be the cause of most problems. Thus, learning how to communicate with true love and care for one another is the key to fixing these hurt feelings and is the basis of any good relationship, whether it be with your family, friends, or anyone.

Learning these things when you are younger will help to build a strong, emotional foundation, and no matter what happens in life, if you are emotionally stable, you will be able to handle whatever comes your way.

We are always trying to make it great in our family; it takes a lot of hard work, care, love, and a tremendous amount of patience. We have many family talks, where everyone expresses his or her feelings and emotions. At times, it can seem monotonous and tedious, and sometimes, it feels like we move two steps forward and one step back, but at least we are always moving forward. I realize that, no matter how tiring and painful the talks can sometimes be, my parents are helping me to become the person I would like to be, and I will be a stronger person for it.

Side Note: 

• “Family, a thought that is felt by many and realized by few. In birth we find it, and as the world spins faster, we lose it.” – Read the rest of this poem by Wade Alexander. (It is really good.)
• In our modern society, the world does seem to be spinning faster and faster, and with more of our communication taking place by texting or over the internet, interactions are becoming more impersonal, and the compassionate side of people appears to be fading. This is most evident, especially, in the competitive environment of Xbox live, where tempers flare, and people feel free to say whatever they want without thought or repercussion for their actions. These are the moments when all that I have learned are truly tested.

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight

There have been many great leaders throughout history, but one that rises above all others is Gandhi. Not only did he unite 350 million people to his cause, but through a campaign of non-cooperation and passive resistance, he freed his entire country of a foreign oppressor. Unlike many other leaders in history who had ulterior motives behind their actions, Gandhi did not, could not have. There was nothing personal he could have gained through what he did. He lived very plainly, was arrested and imprisoned many times, and suffered on many levels in his devotion to his people. He truly was one of the most devoted, selfless, caring leaders in the history of mankind. 

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Every gamer needs a snack. Next time you are at the store, before you get those potato chips, consider switching them out for some chocolate chips. These killer cookies only take a minute to whip up. 

Now, Let’s Get Started:

I usually use Nestle milk chocolate chips, (but any milk chocolate chips will work), and I pretty much follow the recipe on the back of the Nestle bag. (Also, I use organic sugar – Florida Crystals, not sure if it makes a difference, but it is what is always in the cabinet.) The secret to making them perfect is to butter the cookie pan really well and don’t overcook them.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt (I usually leave it out.)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (packed) brown sugar
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¾ cup milk chocolate chips (I usually make it 2 cups.)

Utensils:

• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• Measuring cup
• Egg beater
• Two bowls
• Cookie Sheet

Directions: 

• Get all of your ingredients and utensils
•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees

•  Mix flour, baking soda, and salt (optional) into a medium sized bowl.

• In a separate bowl, combine butter, both sugars, and the vanilla extract.

• Mix together using the egg beater.
• Then, add eggs one at a time, and mix again until creamy.

• Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.

• Add chocolate chips and stir evenly (I recommend a spoon for that.)

• Butter the cookie sheet really well, and use a tablespoon to measure out cookie dough.
• Place each on pan a couple of inches apart.

• Place cookie sheet in middle of oven and cook for 10 minutes. (Cooking time may vary a minute or two depending on what type of oven you have, so check often. Don’t overcook. They are best when golden brown.)

• Let cool. ( It is best if you put them on a wire rack to cool; I usually just separate them on a plate while they cool, which works fine.) Then pile them all together and ENJOY!

(I took all of the pictures and wrote up the directions.)

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What are Memories?

Everything one does, says, feels, or experiences in life is stored as a memory. They shape a person’s personality and influence their behavior, attitude, and outlook on life. As life progresses, new memories are formed based on one’s past experiences.

What makes a good or bad memory? How can it affect one’s life?

Everyone starts life as a baby, no memories, just a blank slate capable of becoming any kind of person. From that moment on, everything that happens to that baby will influence his direction and thoughts in life. It will be his own perception of his experiences that logs those memories as good or bad; although, his perception of things may be something he is taught in his youth by those around him. As he grows older, his personality will begin to harden, and as new experiences come his way, he will automatically fall back on older memories to judge what is before him.

Have you ever wished you could change a moment in your life for the better or eliminate a memory altogether?

Painful memories have a powerful impact on the mind. If you could blast them out of your head, then it would be like it never happened. What a perfect solution, right?  But, would it change you? Would you still be you? The reality is that all of the experiences in our life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, form who we are. They help us to grow, be more aware, and make better decisions in life. Dealing with our feelings is much harder than just hitting the delete button, but it is the ups and downs that make life what it is. We begin life, a ball of energy, without any thoughts, and we end life with only memories to keep us company. What will yours be?

Mother teresa and a baby by Kkohdai on deviantART

What is the story? on PhotoPeach

Leave a comment if you like: What do you think the story is? Or maybe it is a message, hmm…..?

Sittin’ on my couch,

Snacking on my chips,

Staring at the screen til my eyes bleed.

Looking back and forth while I swirl my stick,

Hitting those buttons I repeatedly click,

And then, boom, I’m dead.

You got lucky, kid!

Then I respawn, like all the other pawns.

I’m gonna rush back – to take you out,

When I do, please don’t pout.

Because I’m a gamer,

That’s what I do.

I’m flying all around you.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

You don’ t stand a chance,

Don’t even bother making a stance,

Hide in that corner – with all your little buddies,

You’re looking all around,

Trying to stand your ground.

You think your little friends will keep you alive,

Then I burst in with a single stride,

Bang! you’re dead, once again.

Your controller hits the ground in a fit.

Rage Quit!

by Ghost Soldier

•  The student blog challenge, week 4: assignment 3, was to find a picture online and write a poem relating to it. I did not care to do this assignment at first; poetry has never interested me, but since I was free to write it however I liked, it wound up being kind of fun to do, which is also why what I wrote above turned out to be more of a rap/poem. I thought about trying to find some music to put with it or make some of my own to add, but I am not a big rap fan, so that was a little harder to figure out and decided not to bother with it for the moment.

What is a digital footprint? 

 A digital footprint is a permanent online record about everything you do on the internet, such as gaming, commenting, blogging, and etc. Your behavior online and in public can be recorded in many different ways and even be put online without your knowledge.

Is it better to leave a negative digital footprint than none at all? What is a negative digital footprint?

What some people consider negative, others do not; it  is all a matter of perspective. Take the following for example: Bob, a guy in college, is known for his partying. He and his friends put up many explicit images on Facebook. Then, seven years later Bob applies for a job at a law firm. During his interview, the interviewer googles Bob’s name and all those pictures come flying back right onto the screen. Now, he may be perfectly qualified for the job, but his personal life may influence the interviewer’s decision about Bob’s character. That would be a negative digital footprint for Bob, and he probably would have been better off without a digital footprint of any kind. On the other hand, if Bob ended up becoming a rock star, having pictures like that on his Facebook page might be good for his image, (fans like to see that kind of stuff, and it might help him sell more albums). In this case, it would be a positive digital footprint for Bob.

Thinking twice about what you do online is always a good idea, especially if you don’t know where you are going with your life (such as in your teenage years). Most likely, it is better to not have a digital footprint at all than one that will come back to haunt you.

I live in Northwest Arkansas; I’ve lived here my whole life, but I can’t say I have any passion for the state, which makes it hard to be excited about writing this article.

The weather is always terrible; it is the land of miserably hot and miserably cold. There’s probably two weeks out of the year where it’s decent. (And my mom wonders why I stay inside and play Xbox.)

Arkansas used to be the “land of opportunity,” but all the opportunity dried up after the united corporations of America took over, which some of them are headquartered here, i.e. Walmart and Tyson foods. Now, Arkansas is called “the natural state.” However, with all of waste from the poultry industry and chemicals used on our crops, I hardly think that is appropriate either.

Some famous people that have been born here include: Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Billy Bob Thorton, John Grisham, and Jerry Van Dyke. Bill Clinton was born and governed here before becoming president, ruining our country with NAFTA.

Some interesting places (if you’re interested in natural exploration) include: Eureka Springs, Blanchard Springs Caverns, Mystic Caverns, and Devil’s Den. Also, if you really want to, you can go to our diamond mine, the only public one in the world.

Other things: We host Bikes, Blues, and BBQ. The “Trout Capitol of the World” is in Cotter, Arkansas. Last and also least: Our football team, the Razorbacks, is very big here.