Im Back!!!!!

I totally forgot that I had this blog for the longest time... So now I'm back and ready to blog once again!!!

skate video update

I can't do my skate video because my parents won't let me take a camera to the skate park. So instead, I am going to work with Taylor making an airsoft video based on WWII. We'll either do taylor's script or I'll make my own script that we will use. Anyway, I will probly make my script based on the battle of Iwo Jima. It'll be great being on the beach, climbing up a huge hill to get to the Japanese, and even make a flag to put on the top of the hill that we concord. It is going to be a sweet movie, with lots of action. and the best part is to make the Japanese look Japanese is we are going to tape our eyes back.

Basketball Game Against Darrington

On Monday 2/25, we had another basketball game. This time it was against Darrington. The 7th grade went first, but because darrington didn't have a JV team both 8th and 7th only played varsity. 7th grade won by about ten points. I think the score was 35-22. Then came the 8th grade varsity game. Darrington only had one sub, while on th other hand we had eight or nine. so throughout the game we were subing five guys at a time, so that everyone got to play. I came in my first time during the scond quarter. the guy I was guarding was a very short skinny kid, his number was two. While playing he kept on screening the ballhandler guard, which was Daniel. So I thought, is there a legal way I can keep him from screening, because when he did screen, our team was suposed to double team the ballhandler, but no one did. so what I did was put my back to number two and then blocked him from going and screening, which waas totally legal. I never scored that game, I only shot the ball twice. But the highlight for me was getting five fouls called on me and making me sit on out the last 30 seconds of the game. we won 55-17, cougars win.

8th grade project

Right now I'm working on this huge project. It's the 8th grade project. So far I am tring to find a website that will download videos from youtube, because vixy.net will not work on my computer ant home. I found one website called youtube download videos. It seems to work but it downloads the video as a flash video. Now, it may not work on a mac, but Mr. Snelling said that he would to download a flash player such as RealPlayer. I haven't really started my poster yet because I'm not quite sure how im going to make it. I was thinking that I will work on making a timeline and have little lines coming out indecating what band played at what time, and have infomation next to a picture of that band.

Video Ideas

"Mr. B" is having us make a video in American studies class. The video was supposed to be a scifi short film, but "B" changed his mind and said that we could do the video on anything we want. I have two great ideas for my short film. One I was thinking I would work with Taylor to make an air soft war video based on a battle during WWII. I was thinking about Iwa Jima because we have lots of beach and Taylor has a big hill we can climb up to attack the Japanese. My other idea was to make a skate video. I could just go to the skate park and film a bunch of guys, including myself, skating and then make a story plot. I was thinking that my story plot would be like this, "In a land where skateboarders and BMX bikers only get along at the skate park. there was a rollerblader who would show peace the skaters and bikers." And then it will just take off from there. I kind of want to do a skate video more than the air soft video because one, Taylor on my last project I did with him I did most of the work. And also I've just started skating again and I didn't realized how good I am at it.

On Wednesday 3/5 we had another b-ball game. This game was for the league championship agaisnt King's. 8th grade JV was up first. At first we were losing 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then we came back 10-3 to win the game at the end of the second quarter. Seth scored 6 of our 10 and Cody scored 4 of our 10 points. So our JV was still undefeted. Then came the 8th grade varity. I didn't play at all that game because we were losing the whole game. We lost the championship 51-28. But we'll still settle for second in the league Next game is agaisnt Tolt. I hope we win. GO COUGS!!!!

Next Tuesday is the first day of practice for track. It sounds pretty fun. I was thinking about doing discus, shot put, and long jump. I don't know what kind of running event I am going to do. I was thinking mabe I could do a relay or the mile. But before I do anything I have to bring my grades up so my parents will let me play. Whatever I run I will have fun doing it.

B-Ball Game At Granite

On Monday we had another Basketball game against Granite Falls. 7th grade JV went first. then 8th grade JV. During the game I stunk, I guess it just wasn't my day. i never followed my shot to get a possible rebound, and my "D" was not so hot like last game. We had tied that game 15-15. Then came the 7th grade varsity they won but I forgot the score. After the 7th grade was done the 8th grade varsity started to warm up by doing lay-ups. I didn't get to to play most of the game, and again I forgot the score but I know that we won.

Fun Day

Last Friday Quitin gave me a ride to basketball practice. When we got to practice it was ten o'clock. We started out with one handed shots, then mankin drill, (left handed lay-up to a right handed lay-up and so on). The we did weaves. We sucked at weaves, we had 7 mistakes so that ment that we had to run 7 times of down backs, down backs. Then we did 1 on 1, I did pretty well at those. Then we went into the gym where the 7th graders were and play against the 7th graders in a 5 on 5 half court game. then we did horse races, so we did 5 on 5 8th grade only. Coach Davis thought that we were doing horrible, and we were. So he started yelling at us and told us to hustle over to the other gym. When we got there he made us run a lot. then he got Harrison to shot a free throw. Harrison missed. so again we ran. Then he got Sam Lee to shoot a free throw, and he missed too, so again we had to run. the he got Avery to shoot. Avery missed and guess what; we had to run. Then I volenteered to go and shoot. I got to the line, blocked out all the noise consintrated then let her go. SWISH! It went in! Everyone was so happy and we celebrated, Sam Lee came and picked me up! then after practice was over I went with Quitin to his house with my airsoft gun to have an airsoft war. About after half an hour later Patrick showed up then Oakley and Taylor. We got started by play a game of defend the tree house. Then Quitin wanted to play 4 on 1 game with everyone against him and his Co2 pistol. Quitin kicked our butts. then it started to rain so we packed up and went in side to play X-Box. Patrick was the first to leave. After he left we all started talking and playing Grand Theft Auto III. Then we had pizza for dinner and all went home. It was a very fun day.

Indoor Soccer in P.E

On 12/4 we played a pretty intense game of indoor soccer in P.E. Before the game started we were doing soccer drills like dribbling with the inside and outside of your feet, juggling on your knees, and bouncing the ball on your head. Then we started to pick teams. Bri and Taylor were the captains but after a while it started to end up as a boys vs. girls teams so we just played that. The girls almost had twice as many as the guys, but that didn't scare us. In the begining we were winning 1-0 from Avery's beautiful kick in the corner of the goal. Suddenly the girls came back startling the guy into shock. buy the boys came back to earth from the girl man slaughter the score was 2-9 girls winning. Then it snaped into me that I should be playing offence instead of defense so that I could help score. As I did this I scored three straight goals in a row, we were coming back to life, then Avery scored two more then Taylor scored three more and we were winning! At the end of the period the score was 11-11, so we had to do a shot out. The first kick we missed, and so did the girls, the second, Casey scored with an amazing off the cone, off the pole, off mackenzie's shoulder into the goal. When the girls shot they had missed and we had won!

Outline Essay
Geronimo lived from 1829-1909. He was 80 years old when he died. He was a very famous war chief of the Chiricahua Apache tribe. He lost his mother, wife and children in a Mexican raid. This event caused him great bitterness. He served under two great Apache leaders, Cochise and Mangas Coloradas. After serving under Cochise and Coloradas, Geronimo led warring parties into Mexico. He also raided non-Indian settlements that were in his land. Geronimo did not surrender until 1887. He was sent to Fort Marion, Florida. To get there he was sent on a train with 340 other Apache prisoners. Nearly a third died on the trip to the fort due to the extreme heat. Geronimo was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1894. He died there of natural causes without ever seeing his homeland again. Geronimo became the most feared of the Apache warriors.

The Europeans considered the Apache to be the most hostile tribe in the southwest. The Apache mainly lived by raiding and warfare. When they did raid they only did it to get material goods such as livestock. Their objective was to obtain a food supply without being seen. There were usually no more than 15 men in a raiding party. If confronted, the Apache warriors were likely to make a quick escape, rather than be caught in a in a bloody battle. However, if forced to fight, the Apache were well prepared for combat. The Apache were trained to fight at an early age. War parties served a different purpose than raids. They were organized to avenge Apache causalities that were previously suffered in battle. A war party could be up to 200 men, recruited from a number of different local groups. Apache children were taught to fight at an early age to be expert warriors. Both boys and girls were taught to be swift and strong. Although girls were also brought up to be obedient wives and mothers, they were also known to accompany men in raiding parties. Wars or battles were only started by the death of a fellow Indian from a former battle or raid.

When the Europeans arrived, many Indians in the southwest wore clothing from either animal skins or cotton woven on a type of loom. On their feet they wore either sandals or moccasins. Some form of jewelry was worn by all tribes. They also had distinctive hairstyles from various tribes as part of their attire. Corn, beans, and squash were the most important cultivated foods of the southwestern Indians. Cotton, gourds, and tobacco were also grown by these Indians. They felt a strong bond with the earth. They did not plant or harvest or gather wild plants without the appropriate prayers and offerings. Water was crucial factor in southwestern agriculture since so much land was arid. This caused many worries about droughts as well as flooding. In some cases, the solutions was to plant in the flood areas and then wait for it to flood to water them. Another solution was to build irrigation ditches. These brought water from rivers to the dry land. Pit cooking was a common method of cooing. A pit was dug and lined with stones. Then a fire was started over the stones. When the fire became red hot the wood and ashes were removed and replaced with food.

The southwestern Indians are outstanding artists. They have a tradition that goes back many centuries, all the way back to the prehistoric rock paintings found on canyon walls. Southwestern potters were generally women. They have been making pottery for centuries. Pottery was made with clay that was found at clay beds, in the forms of slabs and chunks. Basket weaving is one of the most ancient crafts in the southwest. Early weavers used different grasses, roots, and stems to produce bowls and jars. At first, the Navajo only wove blankets for clothing. Now their colorful designs are used for both wall hangings and rugs and are in great demand by collectors around the world. The designs that the Navajo women put on their rug are passed down from mother to daughter. The earliest shapes were stripes, zigzags, and diamonds. The Navajo also got some of their ideas from silver jewelry that they got from Mexican traders. The Zuni learned silver smithing from the Navajo. They began adding turquoise to their silver jewelry. This stone became widely used during this century.

Trade has been going on for thousands of years among the Indians of the southwest. Indians traded items that they made, grew, gathered, or accumulated from earlier trades. In prehistoric times, such items included the blue-green stone turquoise, today frequently found in ruins in the form of pendants. Turquoise was used in many ceremonies. It was mined in the Southwest and apparently traded as far south as Mexico. The Pueblo were especially adept at trading. They traded among their many villages, as well as with other Indians. After the Spanish came, the newcomers fit into the trade network, in a way of life that benefitted everyone. For instance, the Havasupai mined red ocher from deposits in their area. This produced a red paint that was in demand. The Hopi, who didn’t know the locations of these deposits, traded their textiles and pottery to the Havasupai for red ocher, as well as tanned buckskin. The tanned buckskin came from the Hualapai Indians, who had deer on their land. Then the Hopi traded the red ocher to the Spaniards who had settled in New Mexico. It was used by Spanish women of Santa Fe as both rouge for their cheeks and as a protection against the sun. The Havasupai also traded their red ocher and tanned buckskins to the Navajo for blankets, jewelry and horses.

New Appertiship Job

On 10/9 i had a new job in appertiship class. Instead of being at HOPE I'm going down to Langley to work at Sandra DeMartini's Bakery. I am doing this because in HOPE we dnt do much and I also want a job that I can that i can do later and they will know me so I might get the job better then other people. i am only doing Hope 2 days a week. i think it will be very fun working at te bakery and I ecen get free food there before I go back to school!

Thanksgiving 2007

Last week was thanksgiving. My grandparents came over the day before so that my grandma could help my mom make dinner. When they came I was so happy because my grandma had brought the pumpkin and apple pies so that my mom didn't have to make them. We had dinner at about 2;30 pm, a really early thanksgiving. What we had was some turkey, of course, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casarole, mashed potatoes, jello salad, salad, and pie afterwards. We also watched some movies over the break, we watched Shooter, Evan Almighty, and Bicenenial man. Also my friend Preston from Texas came over to his grandma's house, which is right next door to my house, for his thankgiving. The day after he bought imself an airsoft gun shot gun and we had airsoft a bunch a airsoft wars every day! But it as really unfair because my he had a shot gun and my rifle didn't work so I was stuck with my pistol! His shot gun has 325 f.p.s. and my pistol only has 250 f.p.s. so his hurt alot more. This was my second favorite Thanksgiving ever!

Eric the Red Claymation

Anthony Jones
American Studies
November 5, 2007

Stop Frame Reflection Essay

During the first quarter of the eighth grade, Garret Thomson and I did a stop frame animation project on the famous explorer Eric the Red. This project showed how well your artistic abilities are, and your ability to work with technology, such as cameras and computers.

The most fun part was working with the clay models, and using new computer programs that I have never used before. The fun thing about the clay was just being creative with the figures. Like when you make your clay models, what are they going to look like? What are they going to do in your stop frame? These are just some of very many questions that you may have while making your animation. Then the computers, I loved working with the new programs like iMovie, the gimp, image capture, and iTunes. I personally love working on computers and I hope we get to do more projects with them.

The most difficult part of the project was doing almost all of the work. Unfortunately my partner had to go to Europe and I was stuck home working on it. I know he didn’t want to leave me with all of the work, but it made it really difficult to keep up to date on everything else. I did more than half of the animation before he got back. Luckily, he made it all up by doing almost all of the audio. I also did the story board all by myself while he was gone. I didn’t get a very good grade on it because I didn’t put what the characters were going to say, but in the end the story board helped a lot and we also didn’t have the characters say any thing in the animation.

The most important thing that I learned was just accepting the loss of my partner, put it beside me and get the work done on time. I didn’t mess around at all. I took my pictures and immediately put them on the computer into iMovie. I didn’t waste any time, not even a minute, I worked until the last three minutes of class everyday. This taught me that I can get any amount of work done with or without a partner as long as I don’t waste any effort doing it. I also learned a lot about an explorer that I never knew of, Eric the Red. I learned that he may be the first European explorer to find North America. I also learned a lot about making stop frames. Someday I hope to make my own claymation show on YouTube with my partner Garret and let Thomson-Jones Inc. become a big hit!

The best thing part of this project was working with the clay and computers. The most difficult part about the claymation was that my partner Garret was gone, he was in Europe. What I learned was more about a famous explorer, and I learned more about computers, and the most important thing was that showed myself that I can do any thing as long as I work hard to accomplish it. I loved working on this project and I really hope that we get to do another claymation project again this year.

My Last Cross Country Meet (the league finals)

I had my last cross country meet on 10/18. It was the same course as the first one. There are three different leagues there, north county, cascade, and some other one that I forgot what the league name was. We were in the cascade league race. There were only two races per league, boys and a girls race. When we started I actually paced myself because I had a hard time breathing previously while practicing a few days ago. I ended the race this time amazingly 14th! My goal for the season was to get 15th or under and I did it on my last race! Couch Jones told us that we were mainly against one other school, even though there are four other schools, it was just between us and another school for first place. That one other school was our arch enemy Kings. Get this, the girls beat kings by five points for the first place finish in the league final, and the guys totally dominated scoring 33 points against 2nd place Kings who got 51 points. We won the league finals and our school hasn't lost for now 6 years straight!

Another Cross Country Meet

I had another meet on 10/1, this one was at Snohomish against about 12 other schools. This time the 7th grade boys went first instead of the 7th grade girls. Then the 8th grade boys went and finally, the 8th grade girls. The race was about 1.4 miles long, so it was not as far compared to our other races. After the 7th grade girls had finished we started to get ready by stretching, and doing form runs. The next thing I heard was the whistle going off for us to start. I was in first place for the first hundred meters but then people started to catch up and pass me. I ended the race in 27th place. I may have gotten 25th place if my friend Will hadn't cheered me on. The guy I was trying to catch up heard Will and went even faster. Then another guy passed me right at the last second! It was a fun race and I hope to run it again sometime next year. Even though it alerted the other team's runner I appreciate Will's support. Jimmy, our #1 runner, got 8th place! We got 4th for every race and we got 4th overall as a team.

My First Cross Country Meet

My first cross country meet was on 9/20. Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle the day before the meet but luckily it felt slightly better after I iced it. My friend Will said that the race was about 1.5 miles long. So my goal was to run it in about 11 minutes. The only way I could do this was to start out a little fast but not so fast that I would burn all of my energy up front. I have never ran cross country before and this is my first year doing so, it was a very fun race for me. I ended the race 63rd which was better than I had expected out of 100 runners. I was the third runner for Langley in the 8th grade boys race when I finished. I had also had a picture in the newspaper!!

Rebuilding BMX Bike

I took my BMX bike apart because I want to repaint it. I was thinking about painting it either metallic black, red, blue, or green. I can't really decide. What I did was I took it apart then sanded the heck out of the frame and fork. Now, I have to buy the paint to paint it. My dad has a cleaning tub that cleans all of the grease off of the parts prior to painting. After the paint is dry I have to put it all back together, buy a new side pull brake system and then my bike will be as good as new! I can't wait to get back on my BMX bike and do all of the tricks that I know. Like nose manuals and bunny hops.

new blog

This is my new blog.