DW's Blog

The professor's perspective

2010-05-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite classes this semester was Bible Translation for Missions. Prof. S. got his Ph.D. from UCLA and was on a break from his work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Since he wanted a picture of himself "teaching" for his newsletter, one of the students took this before class one day, before the real teaching began. The class looks pretty small in the picture, but rest assured -- it was about twice the size as the one in the picture. It was nice to get to know all the kids in the class a little better than we do in most classes. (I'm on the left in the red.)

His newsletter had a nice note about him and his students. He is very encouraged in how he saw God working in us and calling us to specific ministries relating to the Bible.

Indeed, there was only one student in the class that was not a Bible major, and most of us are emphasizing Biblical Languages in our degree. Two of the students are alumni of the college and were attending The Master's Seminary for their M.Div., so they had some work for the class outside of what the rest of us had to do for our measly 300-level college credit.

By the way, UCLA didn't just give away a doctorate one year. Dr. S. has studied about 30 languages, and brought many of them into class lectures. When I was talking with a couple of very bright and very godly professors at different times concerning him (including a seminary professor who had him as a student years ago), they volunteered some verbal support for Dr. S.'s godliness, knowledge, and excellence in everything he does. That excellence translated into him picking out grammatical mistakes (some big, some little) with some red type in each of the 12 4-6page assignments I turned in throughout the semester, giving some very hints both for English and for the actual answer to each question. It was a very challenging class, but I wouldn't have done nearly as good of a job or studied nearly as well for the quizzes and the final if he weren't such a fastidious grader!

I had originally written some more specific thoughts, but I don't have any published on Blogger in order to preserve the safety of God's workers in lands far from the comfort of the States. We forget that people far away may have access to this, and they may use it for great harm.

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:14-18

Grace Abounding!

2010-01-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

In Awana during the school year I work with an Egyptian woman, who spent her youth in Egypt as an evangelical. What are the chances of that? Between 80 and 95% of the population of Egypt is Muslim. The majority of the small minority remaining is one sort of orthodox or another. Protestant churches have about 2-300K members, or no more than .375% of the country's population of 80M (note 1). And what percentage of that .375% are truly saved? Wow. That is a very small number. And yet I see one of them, I share God's blessings with her each week, and marvel at God's plan. What is there to say, but "Thank you, O God, for redeeming this dear sister"?

And then I am confronted with the reality of where so many of my peers are in their life, how their relationship with God is, and I constantly see God's grace on my life for allowing me to see Him more accurately (with so many good examples at TMC), even when my inner struggle is so much against Him. I have been blessed by a Christian home, church, Awana, school. But what does that matter? It seems to affect very few of my friends who I used to know but now only see from a distance (thanks to social networking). No, forget the means, the individual things. I can look at my friends who had all the same going for them, and they have turned away. But God will do everything to bless His chosen ones for His purposes, and if that includes a changed heart, a redeemed heart, that will only point to His grace, which is out of His great love for us. What kind of love is that? His lovingkindness, His steadfast love, His ḥesed: "the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God"! (Note 2.) I did nothing to merit such grace. I can tell you that right upfront. No, but "He chose us ... before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4; note 3). "For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Eph. 2:8-10). Having such a view of God's grace, what is there left but to live for Him? How would I not pursue studies with greater vigor, encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ with renewed joy, and love Christ and the church all the more energy? It is only the zeal of the LORD which will accomplish great things in His church. Here I am -- choose me!

I close with a song that I sing in chapel and at church (both places in Santa Clarita), which has been a blessing to sing as I reflect on the writer's expression of God's grace. It's called Grace Unmeasured, written by Sovereign Grace.

Verse 1
Grace unmeasured, vast and free,
That knew me from eternity,
That called me out before my birth
To bring You glory on this earth.
Grace amazing, pure and deep,
That saw me in my misery,
That took my curse and owned my blame
So I could bear your righteous name.

Chorus
Grace -- paid for my sins and brought me to life!
Grace -- clothes me with pow’r to do what is right.
Grace will lead me to heav’n where I’ll see Your face
And never cease to thank you for Your grace!

Verse 2
Grace abounding, strong and true,
That makes me long to be like You,
That turns me from my selfish pride,
To love the cross on which You died.
Grace unending, all my days;
You’ll give me strength to run this race,
And when my years on earth are through,
The praise will all belong to You!

What have I done to merit blessings from my Creator? Nothing.
What have I done to deserve God's grace? Nothing.
And so I am off, by the grace of God, to another semester at The Master's College.

---
Notes
1. Religion in Egypt, According to the Wiki. Visited just now.
2. This quote seems to be all over, but I found it at Hesed.com.
3. All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Updated Edition.

Life at TMC: People

2009-12-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

A philosopher has concluded that "Hell is other people." But in Christ, a man sharpens another like alloys sharpen each other; it is personal interaction that encourages and admonishes, and that is what Christians have been called to. I can say with joy that I have experienced this almost every day while attending The Master's College. What is lunch but the biological urge for food that is met? What is dorm life except the physical interaction and close proximity to others -- guys, in my case? Why can't we each just go to class and then return to our 20'x20' box underground? Because that is not the human way of doing things. That would be a misanthropist's heaven. But there never was a happy misanthropist -- just read Wuthering Heights.

No, at The Master's College, I have a hard time imagining a life nearly as fulfilled without the "caf" (cafeteria), the dorms, or the sidewalks. To be sure, I am not an architect, and the physical structures mean very little to me. But I cherish the human interaction that happens in or on those places. For me, it is these that help make The Master's College distinct from other post-secondary institutions. I do generally go to lunch with the very unambiguous desire satisfy my hunger after my class that ends at 12:40, and I even enjoy the food, as a norm. David said, "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8); tasting good food is a good thing. But the physical pleasure of sharing a meal pales in comparison to a good conversation, especially if it brings direct honor to God. Talking with (or listening to) internationals, homeschoolers, new Christians (some of which grew up in Christian homes); sitting with some for the first time, and others for the tenth; sharing how God led them to the college and provided in so many other ways; sometimes continuing the conversation till everyone else has left the caf, or following each other out the door on the way to the mailroom or dorms, for the same purpose -- even if my friends remind me that they did the majority of the talking -- that is what lunch is all about. The food is only an excuse for fellowship with so many other Christians who see God's handiwork in so much of their lives.

Life at TMC: Profs

2009-12-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

There is easily much to say about my first semester at The Master's College, and it seems fitting to start with the academic part. It is not the first aspect that I or anyone else notices when moving in for the semester, but why am I there if it's not for an education? And I don't know where academics starts if it is not with the professors, who choose the texts and teach their own knowledge as nearly equal to that of the books'.

I currently have a link on the side of the blog to the college's page on their professors, a little bio with their degrees, interests, and life experiences. Of my 5 professors last semester, 3 of them had 2 (if not 3) master's degrees and a doctorate in their field. It is a shock to be able to sit down with one of them as your academic advisor or to personally talk to them after class to clarify something. With my night class, our questions aren't even on topic all the time after class since that's our last class of the day. They've done all these things, been so many places, written books and articles in journals, are involved in various societies, and yet you can talk to them because they want to see you learn and grow in faith. They teach us by their example that God's Word is costly and worth every effort of theirs to be used by God to advance it.

The problem with college is, if you want a good grade, you're going to work to get it. Unlike high school, the work load is challenging for every class you take, and you can't fake the work or the thought that is required for the good grade. The professors know how far a good student will go to get the A, and they push you to it. Even my class with my highest grade percentage-wise demanded hours and hours of work. But, being Old Testament Survey 1 with a fun professor, the work was very rewarding.

What makes that professor fun? The knowledge, ability, and experience of reading the Bible in Hebrew and Greek instead of English; the experience of having the same professors as his students did, since he graduated from TMC just 7 years ago; the experience of teaching at IBEX for several years; the quality of being impulsive in leading the class in laughter and then again in the return to seriousness; for blowing away his students' minds each week with new information in the Bible (if we would only look and think), in ancient near-east customs (thanks in part to his understanding of Ugaritic), and even the skills that his past students have developed (do you know anyone who has had 4 students learn Elvish, or be able to write stories in the language?); his use of good examples from video games (even if I've never played them) and (multitudinous) examples from The Lord of the Rings trilogy; and even making fun of himself for being Asian and nerdy. Yes, that is one professor, Abner Chou, B.A., M.Div., Th.M., Th.D., and only 27 years old. Although there are many 27-year-old students at the college who could never measure up to the standard of what Abner's accomplished in his life, he has just been a good steward of what was given him by God, his Creator and Savior. It is always great to be able to look to him and see an example of a godly man, who pursues God, and has not just somehow attained holiness after 3 times the years on the earth -- I've always had old godly people to look up to, but his young age makes his actions more meaningful.

I could praise my favorite professor, but I would be forgetting even his focus, which is God, the proper teaching of His word, and the growth of His kingdom. That is his focus in life, and that is the lesson we learn from his example.

TMC Academic Plan

2009-12-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

As I procrastinate studying for my last final in my freshman year of college (which, according to the math skills of a certain music major, I don't need in order to get an 'A' in the class), here is an update on my major and 3-year schedule.

I have officially changed my major from History to Biblical Languages, which requires 3 years of Greek and 1 year of Hebrew. Since (1) I am a sophomore next semester, (2) Elementary Greek isn't taught in the spring semester, (3) I haven't taken either Greek or Hebrew yet that I might test out of the first class of either, and (4) I would like to do IBEX -- Israel Bible Extension -- semester in Israel), the schedule might be a bit complicated. I met with my advisor yesterday and here's a schedule he drew out for me:

Spring 2010 -- 15 units -- (no change from the classes I had already chosen even as a history major)
OT Survey 2
Christian Theology 1
American Literature 2
Economics and Society
Bible Translation for Missions (a one-time class)

Summer 2010 -- 8 units
1st year of Greek (7 weeks)

Fall 2010 -- 15 units
Intermediate Greek 1
Biblical Interpretation (mandatory for all Bible majors)
English Lit elective
Intro to Music and Art OR Hymnology and Worship
3 units of elective

Spring 2011 -- 15 units
Intermediate Greek 2
NT Survey 2
Theology 2
Critical Thinking (I think everyone has to take this course)
3 units of elective

Fall 2011 -- 13 units
IBEX, including Biblical Hebrew 1

Spring 2012 -- 13 units
Hebrew 2
Greek Exegesis
Foundations of Science (or maybe another course?)
Science Lab (1 unit)
3 units of electives

Fall 2012 -- 12 units
Advanced Greek Grammar
Senior Seminar
6 units of electives
(graduate)

This is the tentative plan to get me a BA in Biblical Languages from The Master's College, with a goal/idea of translating the Bible for those who don't have it in their own language.

I look forward to seeing you all (as I leave tomorrow).

Now I return to my notebook.

Hound of Heaven

2009-11-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

I was reading books which contained snippets of this poem last December, so I read it. After 4 times through, I got a little grip on it. But it took 4 times, and I found more yesterday after taking another look at it.

Read, study, pull up the dictionary, and come back to this poem. I found that being forced to think about it ingrains it in your mind better.

"The Hound of Heaven" by Francis Thompson (1859-1907)

On Heraclitus and Permanence

2009-09-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

[1st paper for college, 4 Sep 2009, for Dr. Morley in Intro to Philosophy]

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus has said, “You cannot step twice into the same rivers; for fresh waters are flowing in upon you.” This idea of constant change is mirrored in the ideas of C. S. Lewis, the Christian professor at Cambridge and Oxford. As he said in his book entitled Miracles: A preliminary study, every atom in a person's body is eventually replaced, and people are, “in that respect, like a curve in a waterfall.” According to this view, there is no absolute physical permanence, as chemical and electrical reactions constantly change everything. But there are unchanging universal laws. If these laws changed as the molecules flow in an object, a waterfall would no longer be a waterfall, and the water might turn into a ship and hit dry land at the bottom of the drop.

Similarly, a wooden desk stays in nearly the same form decade after decade, unless a force or another substance is made to dent or stain it. The same laws of erosion from the waterfall exist and may affect the desk, but if the water is not rushing over it, the wood will last much longer. Also, the sun constantly consumes its own energy and resources, and is always changing. Magnetic storms cause sunspots to come and go, but the diminishing of the sun is constant, and follows the universals of physics.

As scientific fact and theory are progressed, man finds smaller and smaller units that make up the whole. These smallest units change and are replaced much faster than what the eye can see, but the only real difference is the rate at which change occurs. Thus, everything in nature changes, except for the laws that govern the change.

It also may be worth pointing out that the spirit world is similar. The smaller a being, the more finicky it is. Angels, who have far more power than humans, only follow their orders, and never swerve from them, unlike the easily distracted man. The only exception was when the law giver, the Almighty God, gave them a choice of which kingdom to be a part of. And it is only this Law, unchanging (Malachi 3:6), and which holds all things together (Colossians 1:17), that allows any change in smaller forms. In either world, the thing being formed has no power, but only the one that forms (Romans 9:20).

Recent mtn rides

2009-08-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I rode up Glendora Mountain Rd, and Mt Baldy was simply sublime with the slight fog. I didn't have as much luck this Monday when I took my camera, but it's still not a bad view:

From BigDaltonCynRd-GMR

On Wednesday I rode up to 5600' at Mt Wilson. Although Mt Wilson-Red Box Rd isn't as nice, wide, or traveled of a road as Angeles Crest Hwy, its vistas are good nonetheless.

From CA-2/MtWilson

This smile means I didn't work too hard on the bike today.

85.5 miles

Spoken Communication syllabus

2009-07-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Says the teacher, Corinne Thomas (found at the bottom of this page),

One of the main goals of this class is to make you feel more at ease with speaking in public. We will cover various theories of spoken communication, and you will have the opportunity to apply these theories practically through your speeches.
[...]
Along those lines, our main goals for this semester will be:
• To be exposed to and analyze various theories of spoken communication
• To combine theoretical concepts with practical application in the classroom setting by developing skills in preparing, organizing, and delivering various speeches.
• To develop an awareness of and analyze interpersonal and intercultural communication skills
• To develop critical thinking and analytical skills

We will perform these 7 kinds of speeches, which will make up half our grade.
-Testimony
-Demonstrative
-Informative
-Persuasive
-Debate
-Impromptu
-Podcast

Criteria for grading:
C/average: "That was pretty good!"
B/above average: "Very good!"
A/superior: "That was phenomenal!"
(OK, it's not quite that simple, but those quotes were part of it.)

Textbook:
Principles of Public Speaking (16th ed.)

Biblical Fundamentals syllabus

2009-07-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

For Biblical Fundamentals, the 1-unit class all freshman have to take, we will be reading from:

1. Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson, The Peacemaker- Student Edition
2. John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life
3. A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
4. Jonathan Edwards ed. Stephen Nichols, Resolutions and Advice to Young Converts

While a girl from PA was talking to me on facebook, she said Piper's Don't Waste Your Life was a very worthwhile read. (But the TMC faculty did too, so I don't have to read it on my own.) I've also heard plenty of praise for AW Tozer.

We'll have to write 4 kinds of journals for Biblical Fundamentals:

1. Devotional Journal: Set aside a devotional time for a minimum of 30 minutes a day for five days straight Monday-Friday. Journal what your time consisted of? What impacted you about God and His Word? What themes developed? Identify some practical implications of your time in reflection/meditation.

2. Evangelism Journal: Either set aside a one hour session of public evangelism (mall, public event or school) or give a clear gospel presentation to an unbeliever you know. Journal your experience and response.

3. Prayer Journal: Set aside a prayer time for a minimum of 30 minutes a day for five days straight Monday-Friday. The season of prayer must be an uninterrupted 30 minute timeslot (no 30 one minute prayers). Journal your experience and response.

4. Trusted Friends Journal: The student will welcome input from three trusted friends and respond according to the worksheet provided. Only one friend can be a family member. Journal your experience and response.

Wow, it's like you have to follow Christ or something.

And about grading, the syllabus says, "This class is graded on a pass/fail scale. The student must complete all assignments and miss no more than two class periods to receive a passing grade for the course."

Homer's Iliad

2009-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

In an end-of-year economics lesson, we were each given an object or a piece of paper to be traded in with the object specified on the paper. Three 1-in-5000 chances of getting the teacher's guitar didn't lead to any flow of wealth, but plenty of kids were all over his boxes of audio-visual goods. The more studious looked into his bookshelves of philosophical and historical books in hopes of acquiring one of the twain pieces of paper that read, "4 books of your choice (certain restrictions apply)". I had neither of those, but in the end my economic status was not mournful, for I had received the promise of 2 old Whittier High School library copies of The Iliad, Homer's epic poem of the Trojan War. And though I remembered not the wise words of Robinson Crusoe, namely, "all the good things in this world are no farther good to us than they are of our own use"(99), yet I remembered in my heart the same concept, that I could only use one, and so used my blessed economic condition for the blessings of others through philanthropy to the library book store. But indeed I kept the goodliest for myself, that is, the oldest, which was sown and not glued, and used prose and not poem. Knowing mine would continue in durability as it has for near 11 decades and would not confuse my mind beyond measure as English poetry so often does, I read, first encountering the summary, though it be the beginning:

Sing goddess, the wrath of Achilles Peleus' son, the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls; and so the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first strife parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles.

The first lesson is that the immortal gods that sit on Mount Olympus drinking ambrosia do as they please with men, and even Zeus, "the son of Kronos, waged unabating war" (400). But even so, if "wise-counselling Zeus" overstepped his bound as ruler of the gods, Poseidon, "Shaker of the earth" warns him that "our wrath will be inappeaseable" (297), for Zeus never has unanimous agreement with the immortals. Even to his sister and wife, he says, "O thou ill to deal with, Hera" and rebukes her for her "crafty wile" (297).

Homer's imagery is aided by use of metaphors, such as in this passage, of Achilles' "ruinous wrath."

As through deep glens rageth fierce fire on some parched mountain-side, and the deep forest burneth, and the wind driving it whirleth every way the flame, so raged he every way with his spear, as it had been a god, pressing hard on the men he slew; and the black earth ran with blood. For even as when one yoketh wide-browed bulls to tread white barley in a stablished threshing-floor, and quickly is it trodden out beneath the feet of the loud-lowing bulls, thus beneath great-hearted Achilles his whole-hooved horses trampled corpses and shields together; and with blood all the axletree below was sprinkled and the rims that ran around the car, for blood-drops from the horses' hooves splashed them, and blood-drops from the tires of the wheels. But the son of Peleus pressed on to win him glory, flecking with gore his irresistible hands.

Yes, even "Priam son of Dardanos marvelled at Achilles to see how great he was and how goodly, for he was like a god to look upon" (497), but "bright-eyed Athene had slain [Hector] by the hand of Achilles" (447). Even "godlike" warriors can do nothing without the help of the gods. Both Hector and Achilles were pawns of the gods until their death.

When Achilles slew Hector (though it was a goddess using him), he "devised foul treatment of noble Hector":

The tendons of both feet behind he slit from heel to ankle-joint, and thrust therethrough thongs of ox-hide, and bound him to his chariot, leaving his head to trail. And when he had mounted the chariot and lifted therein the famous armour, he lashed his horses to speed, and they nothing loth flew on. And dust rose around him that was dragged, and his dark hair flowed loose on either side, and in the dust lay all his once fair head, for now had Zeus given him over to his foes to entreat foully in his own native land (446).

This foul treatment is worse when the reader remembers how the unburied dead suffer in Hades. Even Patroklos, Achilles' friend, had to remind him.

Thou sleepest, and hast forgotten me, O Achilles. Not in my life wast thou ever unmindful of me, but in my death. Bury me with all speed, that I pass the gates of Hades. Far off the spirits banish me, the phantoms of men outworn, nor suffer me to mingle with them beyond the River, but vainly I wander along the wide-gated dwelling of Hades.

But as Hermes the messenger of Zeus tells Priam the father of Hector,

"Truly Achilles draggeth [Hector] recklessly around the barrow of his dear comrade so oft as divine day dawneth, yet marreth he him not; thou wouldst marvel if thou couldst go see thyself how dewy fresh he lieth, and is washed clean of blood, nor anywhere defiled; and all his wounds wherewith he was stricken are closed; howbeit many plunged their points in him. So careful are the blessed gods of thy son, though he be but a dead corpse, for they held him dear at heart" (491).

OK, yet another unfinished group of thoughts, but at least I finished reading the book. GK Chesterton wrote in The Everlasting Man, "If the world becomes pagan and perishes, the last man left alive would do well to quote the Iliad and die." I think this is a great piece of literature, and I know I didn't do it justice.

Dreaming big

2009-07-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

That sounds pretty nice. Thanks again, Frazz.

True ownership of books

2009-07-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

I found a great article at Pepperdine's website on how to take true ownership of your books, which only happens with markings, says Mortimer Adler. "Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it."

There are three kinds of book owners. The first has all the standard sets and best-sellers-unread, untouched. (This deluded individual owns wood pulp and ink, not books.) The second has a great many books--a few of them read through, most of them clipped into but all of them as clean and shiny as the day they were bought. (This person would probably like to make books his own, but is restrained by a false respect for their physical appearance.) The third has a few books or many--every one of them dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back. (This man owns books.)

Of course we don't want to write in historic editions of books, says Adler:

Is it false respect, you may ask, to preserve intact and unblemished a beautifully printed book, an elegantly bound edition? Of course not. I'd no more scribble all over a first edition of "Paradise Lost" than I'd give my baby a set of crayons and an original Rembrandt! I wouldn't mark up a painting or a statue. Its soul, so to speak, is inseparable from its body. And the beauty of a rare edition or of a richly manufactured volume is like that of a painting or a statue . .

I'm usually the guy who marks up books for all they're worth, which means fewer markings for cheaper books. I have only saved the historic school library books from pre-1920, stamped "Whittier Union High School" in gold on the binding and with the thin sheets of paper separating the picture pages from the text pages. I marked up my 25¢ copy of Richard Wurmbrand's book Tortured for Christ only to find out that that messy writing on the inside cover said "To Lynda with love--R. Wurmbrand". Oh well--he probably meant the book to be marked up anyway.

Chatting about TMC

2009-06-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have recently had the privilege and pleasure of instance messaging kids from around the globe about The Master's College. These kids are in my 2013 class.

I "chatted" (textually) with Nate Akin for half hour last night. He's from Placerville and is joining the pre-med program and is part of Wycliffe, having been a missionaries' kid in Papua New Guinea. He at first didn't want to go to a Christian school, but saw TMC and told me:

I considered it, and looked at the statistics and was impressed and then visited and was really impressed.

I studied it some too, but it was definitely better in person!

Dorian Smallman from Prince Edward Island (near Nova Scotia) has not had a chance to visit, but still says he's

really looking forward to the fellowship there as well as the education.

Steve Crawford, an admissions staff member, was also helpful in gathering college event info for me via in the facebook chat box.

Long days

2009-06-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

I hope to do an all-day ride some day. But for now I just ride in the morning and again in the evening.

TB2:15 -update

2009-06-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Question:
"What's the most important lesson you learned this school year?"

I said:
Since it was difficult for me to find the right place to do my senior project fieldwork, I learned to use every resource I had and keep looking. I asked my parents and my English teacher, but I ended up looking in the yellow pages, and I was successful in the end. I also hope to work on big projects more continually, not saving it all for the week before it's due.

I didn't know where Alfonso's answer came from, so I emailed him about it. No response yet.

UPDATE: Alfonso responded to the email. To be general, he said he pulled a prank on a teacher, and someone from his ASB cabinet (whom he chose) ratted him out. He of course got in trouble.

This should be the last time I will be in the Talk Balk column of the Whittier Daily News.

TB2:14

2009-06-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

June 15, 2009

(Only one more Talk Back column for the semester.)

Question:
"Do you think your senior projects have helped you prepare for college or your intended careers? If so, why? If not, why not?”

I said:
I think they have because we had to choose a topic we're interested in and learn more about it. Usually kids chose a topic consistent with their declared major. We also may have gotten a wake-up call to learn to manage time and meet deadlines.

Hardware for College

2009-06-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a new 15.4" laptop/notebook computer with Ubuntu Linux on it for college. It is nearly as fast as Timothy's desktop computer, but the night I got it, I was blown away by how small it was sitting next to Timothy's box (which of course has plenty of air in it). It has all the goodies -- USB ports, CD/DVD burner, etc. I'm enthused! It's missing a 10-key, but that's fine. My new 2GB flash drive is smaller than it looked online, but it is, as Charles Dickens would say, "infinitely" faster than the 3-1/2" floppy I'm using to get all of my important files off my old mac.

It's fun to have something officially for college that I can have so much fun with before I even take any classes.

This is my first post using my new computer.

One last project

2009-06-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our last project in Architecture class was a paper house. We drew the floor plans and the elevations, then cut, colored, folded, and glued.

From Paper House

TB2:13

2009-06-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

June 8, 2009

Question:
"As a student, do you believe your school's arts/music programs were
a benefit to you or your classmates?"

I said:
I enjoyed some of my Art 1 class, which taught me basic art. I wish that there was more than just band and guitar class for musical instruments. We benefited from what we had, but many of us have wished for more arts/music classes throughout our education.

Extra commentary:
Two seniors in my English class did their senior projects on the benefits of music education, and how to re-integrate music into public schools. I feel like kids want more music around. Of course there's a choir too, but that's mostly girls.

TB2:12

2009-06-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

June 1, 2009

Question:
“Do you think your school's breakfast/lunch offerings should be
improved? If so, what would you suggest?”

I said:
I have never eaten anything from the school's cafeteria because I have been blessed with better food, available to me at home. Based on what I have seen, I would suggest less processing and more whole grains. Try a regular piece of meat instead of one that's breaded after being ground with the fat.

West Fork Trailhead

2009-06-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I headed up San Gabriel Canyon Rd (CA-39), and followed the west fork of the river, which comes from Cogswell Reservoir. This site has pictures from about 7 years ago.

See more of my photos here.

And now, Up the west fork of the San Gabriel River.

On the trailhead:

Plenty of trees for scenery

From SGR-NorthFork

40.6 mi to Laguna Beach (& back)

2009-06-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday after school I headed down my favorite Class-I riverbed bike trail to my favorite coastal road.

Bolsa Chica / Huntington Beach (Surf City USA):

Newport Center Fashion Island:

Newport Beach suburbs:

From PCH

Finally, Laguna Beach:

Looking the other way:

And, on the other side of the road:

It was windy, and I averaged 18.6 mph. On the ride I consumed over 1300 Calories, 34 grams of protein, and nearly a gallon of water.

Commentary on college schedule

2009-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

I made an appointment for Monday and called them up. The scheduling took 35 minutes.

My AP tests got me out of 4 classes. AP European History got me out of World History 1 (I didn't think it would, but the lady looked it up and said it did count), AP English Language & Composition got me out of English Composition, AP English Literature from Intro to Lit, and US Government & Politics out of US Gov 1. I haven't received my scores yet from the last 2 AP tests, which I took this May, but I was told that I might as well skip them for now if I may have passed them, since I can take them later if I need to.

Biblical Fundamentals is mandatory for all freshman.

Normally, a student would only take OT or NT Surveys, but I got signed up for both the first semester since I had schedule openings. I've heard from various sources that these are demanding courses, so I don't know if I want to take them in the same semester. I have the first 2 weeks of classes to decide.

I have also heard from various sources that AP US History was the hardest AP history class/test, which is why I didn't take it as a junior in high school, after having a difficult sophomore year with AP Biology and AP European History. For this reason, I will most likely be taking US History in my first college semester.

Spoken Communication was one of the "suggested alternative" classes for "AP Scholars / overachievers" like me. (And maybe quiet kids like me?) We'll see how it is. My nervous reactions to the thought of public speaking have decreased in the last several years.

Finally, Introduction to Philosophy. This makes for 5 out of 6 classes that I wouldn't want to take / wouldn't take at a state school.

Mom thought that 16 units was intense, but I told her that 15 is average, and 12 units is minimum, not average. Dr. Clyde P Greer, Jr, Chairperson of the Department of History and Political Studies, said that 122 units are required to graduate with a history major. That works out to 30.5 credits per year, or 15.25 credits per semester, or 15 units for 6 semesters, and 16 units for 2 semesters. I was thinking that I wanted to take one less unit, but Dad said that 1 unit isn't going to make as much difference as the teacher or the work load.

TB2:11

2009-06-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

From May 25.

Question:
"With the school year wrapping up, what are your plans for the
summer? Are you headed off to college or the workplace?"

I said:
I will continue my small part-time job, but what I am really looking forward to is riding my bike lots again this year -- something like 100 miles in a day, every other day. I plan to attend The Master's College's Week of Welcome, which is the last week of August. Incoming students can get to know the student body and adjust to life on campus while moving in. We won't set anything in stone until we have time to vacation!

Provisional College Schedule

2009-06-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture to see a screenshot of my how my class schedule might look like at The Master's College:

Classes include Biblical Fundamentals, New Testament Survey 1, OT Survey 1, Spoken Communication, US History 1, and Introduction to Philosophy.

Senior Awards Night

2009-06-03T20:30:00.001-07:00

Tonight Mom and Dad went to school for some dinner before entering the Vic Lopez Auditorium for the senior awards.

Principal Lori Eshilian was happy tonight, as there were 30 more seniors this year than last year that got significant awards.

Of course, she was firm enough to continue her stay as principal.

By the way, I got some sort of recognition. Although I didn't elongate the ceremony quite as much as some kids did, it may have sounded impressive to have participated in Sign Language Club and Cardinals for Christ, to be called an "AP Scholar," and to have received the $9708 Cal Grant, a $1500 TMC Grant, and a $7500 award from TMC. (I didn't tell them about the extra $5000 I got from the Ministry-Matching Grant recently after reciting 2 Timothy in church on Sunday. And thank you Mrs. Church Secretary for driving the check up to Santa Clarita the day it was due!)

Just 2 more weeks till graduation!

Finally, the presentation

2009-05-28T18:50:00.001-07:00

My senior project presentation was today. It was pretty easy to do, and the judges (mostly teachers at the school) didn't ask difficult questions. When we first went in the room, and a teacher asked who wanted to go first, almost all 7 of us immediately raised our hands, but the other kids let me go first, which I appreciated.

One girl's topic was juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which she has been diagnosed with. She takes 6 pills weekdays and and extra 10 on weekends. (Side effects include weight gain and drowsiness.) Another girl, 7 months pregnant, did hers on drug rehabilitation centers. We learned that there are more "womans" who do drugs than men. (And she said "womans" enough times that it was obvious it wasn't just a slip of the tongue.) A third girl talked about the global nurse deficiency, while the fourth girl talked about "gay rights." One boy claimed that boxing was good at controlling aggression, while another talked about gangs, starting with this Mickey Mantle quote: "A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide."

One theme of this year's senior projects has been the removal of the arts from the curriculum of public schools, especially since No Child Left Behind. One judge today, who graduated from WHS in 1955(?) and has been in education all his working life said he wished schools would have more art and shop classes so people can have a meaningful job after graduating from high school, since not everyone can be a mathematician. (And, not everyone can have an above-average IQ, and some people like to work outside with their hands and can't stand sitting down at a desk or even watching TV.)

Presentation: Next Thursday

2009-05-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

I must do my 7-10 minute presentation a week from tomorrow. I became less nervous after one teacher said it shouldn't be a big deal, since it's only 7 minutes, and we should be able to easily answer most of the judges' questions, since we probably know much more than they about the topic. After practicing my presentation at home, I had to delete slides to get it down to just 10 minutes, the upper maximum.

After that, I think I'll be all done with the senior project at school! Won't that be a relief! (Except then we can work on political philosophy papers for government.) 2 more full weeks of school, then graduation practice (2 days) and graduation!
Then, to !

TV: Regular vs. Hi-Def

2009-05-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

TB 2:10

2009-05-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Question:
"If you knew about a student plot to bring violence to school, would
you tell authorities?"

I said:
I don't know why I would not tell the authorities if I heard about a danger to the school as a whole or to individual students. I can generally hear and do things without my peers noticing, and I feel safer than other kids can because not many people take offense at me. I thus do not feel any threat at turning someone in.

I wasn't sure what was meant by this question, but then I thought of an extended response.

Latest Cycling Nutrition

2009-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have never really been in to Powerbar's C2 max carbohydrate blend (organic evaporated cane juice syrup, maltodextrin, fructose, dextrose). I have liked ClifBar's first ingredient, organic brown rice syrup, but since I have been responding negatively to the soy that I've been eating recently (and ClifBar and PowerBar both rely on soy for protein), I've decided to look for other nutrition sources.

I went to Trader Joe's last week, and found 3 other bars. One was Gnu Foods, which has bars with 12 grams of fiber. this might be better for snacking than excercising. Another bar, The Pure Bar, claims that it is "An energy bar that is organic, raw, gluten-free and delightful! Made with fruit and nuts, it is amazingly chewy and sweet." It uses only organic and raw ingredients. It tastes very sweet, and has agave nectar. My favorite of the three is Lärabar, which has the shortest list of ingredients. The Cherry Pie flavor is made of only dates, almonds, and unsweetened cherries. It also tastes a lot sweeter than a PowerBar or ClifBar, even though the "sugars" category on the nutrition facts table is proportional. I guess fruit is sweeter than brown rice syrup or maltodextrin. ClifBar does have a new fruit nectar bar with a shorter ingredient list, but I haven't seen it in any stores yet.

Accidental reflection

2009-05-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

While taking pictures on Wednesday night, I accidentally got a reflective shot with Dad on the side. Even I can remember when he had more hair.

Back to #10

2009-05-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

A new list of seniors was just released at school, starting with the 4.49-GPA girl who's going to Princeton. I was 9 spaces below her with a GPA of 4.17.

Some other WHS news:
Today the drug-sniffing dog came around, and at least 5 kids in the school were caught with something, which could mean suspension or even district transfer. Whittier High has the most seniors on track to graduate in the district, but it also has the most district transfers for disciplinary issues.

TB2:9, Re: bullies

2009-05-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Question:
"Is bullying a major problem for kids today? Why or why not?"

I said:
In high school, it seems easy to avoid bullying, as bullies avoid kids who avoid them. In elementary school, before kids learn how to prevent uncomfortable situations, bullies can take full advantage, and adults need to keep training children to avoid getting hurt, physically or emotionally. Pressure from friends always seems to be a problem.

Didn't have much time to respond to this one.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 8

2009-05-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

May 4, 2009
Re: swine flu

Question:
"Are you, your family or classmates doing anything different because
of fears related to the swine flu?"

I said:
Besides the one kid who jokingly wore a mask to school, nothing there is happening differently. I am a janitor at church, and so have started to be more careful in cleaning everything. It doesn't really seem too serious if only 100 people have it in the US so far -- the regular winter flu affects way more people than that each year.

From Student panel

I'm finally 18!

From Student panel

Government AP Test

2009-05-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today I took the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Exam. I was very pleased with how well I did overall. On the multiple choice, I finished with 20 minutes to spare, skipping only one question. In past AP tests the best I could do was to get to all the questions. On the scale of 1-5, I think I did the work of a 4 (surely not a 5?).

The English Literature test is on Thursday. I don't know as well how I will do, since we haven't practiced as much in class for the test because of the senior project, but I hope to pass it.

Portfolio Finished?

2009-05-03T15:07:00.001-07:00

My senior project portfolio was due to my English teacher on Friday, so he can turn it in on Monday. I got it bound professionally with a plastic spiral at Sir Speedy on Greenleaf, which was cheaper than Kinko's or Staples. I have 3 extra copies, 2 of which I've loned out for the weekend, 1 to my Human Anatomy & Physiology teacher, and 1 to my mentor.

I have the extra copies as a result of not paying enough attention to the first ones, but the last 2 I had to turn in have brochures at the back, which the previous copies did not have. One girl at school was ready to turn hers in after having the portfolios bound 2 or 3 times, just to have me notice that it said 2008 on the front, so she was pretty upset -- all that work just to find out she hadn't changed the date from when her sister did the project last year. (Just kidding about the last part.)

Senior project update

2009-04-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we got a peek of how our 7-10-page thesis papers were graded by 2 random teachers at school. For the content/form category, I got 18/20, and 10/10 on style. Should I enter a fashion show if I'm so stylish? Maybe I can pay my way through college that way.

Portfolios are due May 1, which means I need to write a letter to the judges, a résumé, and a senior project overview. I finished my fieldwork while celebrating the Resurrection, and have turned in the fieldwork logs and mentor verification.

Talk Back 2: Wk 7

2009-04-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2009

Question:
"Have you managed to avoid "senioritis" so far? If so, how? If not,
why not?"

I said:
I think I have stayed focused better than many of my classmates, but the end-of-the-year feeling has come sooner this year. The senior project still presents hurdles to graduation, and AP tests are in a couple weeks, so some things still demand attention and late nights for procrastinators. Having one less class this year helps.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 6

2009-04-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Question:
"What do you think you'll remember the most about high school?"

I said:
"Coming from a private school, my first observation and shock about high school was that everyone did and said whatever they pleased, and teachers paid little attention, either because they act the same way or because they had already conceded defeat. Very nearly everyone knew no standard but self-love. Academically, I enjoyed advanced classes in biology, European history, and French language. In my last 2 years, I even began to enjoy math."

I suppose that it is a great privilege to be able to see problems in society that the society does not see, but it is pretty sad that the others don't see it.

Lori Eshilian, Principle of WHS, saw me today and said she likes reading my comments, which she reads "religiously."

When I posed Dad the question, "What do you remember most about high school," he said Sunday nights as he was hating the thought of returning to school the next day. Besides that, he sort of enjoyed physics, French, and PE. Mom said she remembered most (at least in her senior year at Whittier High) getting out at lunch and spending the afternoons with preschool. Timothy memtioned doing English homework in math class and the cussing. I guess I'm the only Wilson who actually pays attention to the academic part.

From Student panel

I wonder when I'll turn 18.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 5

2009-04-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2009

Question:
"Was your Spring Break a vacation or ‘stay’-cation? What did you do?"

I said:
"There seems to always be more fun that could be had in a vacation, but this time around, the balance between pleasure and toil wasn't too bad. Apart from my weekly duties at work, I had to finish the fieldwork for my senior project to keep my A in English class (and to graduate). I was able to read some, but could hardly dent the many books standing in line on the shelf, always waiting impatiently to be read."

There were only 3 of us in the paper today. My guess is that the 4th (my classmate at Whittier High, and ASB president Espi Gonzalez) was actually on vacation, probably to Europe, and couldn't answer the question, which was posed to us during our break. (The newspaper lady said she assumed we'd know how the week would go even by Tuesday.)

My last sentence gave my the idea for my book post, which I enjoyed writing, even though the extended metaphor isn't quite consistent.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 4

2009-04-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

April 6, 2009
Question:
"How involved are your parents in your education?"

I said:
Since I'm pretty self-reliant, they have allowed me to be the driving force in my education, whether it's day-to-day homework or college campus visits. They encourage me without pushing me and are willing to help when I need it.

The others said their parents are very involved, unlike mine.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 3

2009-04-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2009
Re: campus security officers

Question:
"Do you believe high schools should have police officers, or school
resource officers, patrolling campus? Why or why not?"

I said:
I feel safer on campus when I see the school police woman with a gun instead of just the unarmed security personnel, which would be useless in the event of a shooting. Just having her around probably makes any kids who think about committing a crime on campus a bit more timid. Many years ago the thought of a shooting on campus may have sounded absurd, but since we no longer are taught the basis for either the sanctity of human life or even simple morals, we must consider such things.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 2

2009-04-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

March 23, 2009
Re: online social networking

Question:
"How much time do you spend on social networking sites (i.e.,
Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.)?”

I said:
None for myself, but once in a while I visit someone else's myspace or twitter page. I use Blogger more often because you might say it's less social and more meaningful -- less flashiness and more words.

From Student panel

Notice it says I'm 17, when I'm really 18. Timothy noticed and I let the newspaper know, but it took them a few weeks.

From Student panel

Talk Back 2: Wk 1

2009-04-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

March 16, 2009
Re: Cell phones

Question:
"Do you think cell phones are too much of a distraction for
teenagers? Why or why not?"

I said:
Since some teens send hundreds of text messages every day, they are surely distracted from anything they're doing. At school, sometimes a whole class is interrupted with a loud hip-hop ringtone, but some teachers seem to have suddenly become stricter about electronic distractions at the arrival of a new dean. Some students can 'text' without disrupting anything, but others will only pull the class behind because they weren't paying attention.

From Student panel

About the Talk Back column

2009-04-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how long the Whittier Daily News has had the Talk Back column on the Student Life page, but I read it as a junior and wanted to be on it. Grandma Wilson saw in her newspaper (another part of the Los Angeles Newspaper group), and told me that they were looking for kids to be in the column. I couldn't find it in the WDN, but I emailed the address she gave me to find out more, and after making the proper connexions, I finally went to the newspaper office to have my picture taken. Every Monday the column is in the newspaper. I answer the questions via email.

I answered these questions for 12 weeks before the they took a Christmas vaction and a break from the Student Life page for a few weeks, and then they found some other students. I am currently back on it again because one student dropped out and WDN already had my picture and contact info.

Talk Back: Wk 12

2009-04-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

December 15, 2008
Re: favorite books

Question:
"Of all the books you've been required to read in high school, which
was your favorite and why?"

I said:
Mythology by Edith Hamilton, which summarizes the Greek and Norse mythological beliefs. This book provokes the reader to think about what humans long for, as well as their limitations in imagination. Also, the events in the Norse creation were strikingly similar to some in the Christian Bible, but their outlook on life was much more somber.

The others mentioned:
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Great Gatsby
The Pearl

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 11

2009-04-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

December 8, 2008
Re: colleges

Question:
How do you judge the college that's best for you -- are you swayed by
online polls or lists of the best colleges?

I said:
It is a question of priorities. I, as many people my age, don't have a definite career goal in mind. So instead of the major, I look for the worldview, which may shape the rest of my life more than the major will. If the college/university is respectfully accredited, that is normally good enough.

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 10

2009-04-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

December 1, 2008
Re: MySpace

Question:
"In light of the Megan Meier case, the girl who committed suicide
after a MySpace hoax, do you think teenagers' use of MySpace should
be more restricted?"

I said:
My school wisely bans use of MySpace, so it isn't a problem there. Parents should know what kind of things their kids do on the internet, and I think kids should know -- and do know -- the potential dangers found there. There will always be some who "need" to get on, and they will always be able to.

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 9

2009-04-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

November 24, 2008
Re: spirit of thanksgiving

Question:
"Do you think the spirit of Thanksgiving is alive and well in today's world?"

I said:
George Washington called for the first national day of thanksgiving to thank God for his mercy and to ask for forgiveness. It is not the mailman or cable TV guy we should thank-- though no one does-- but God, who gives every good and perfect gift. Political correctness is devouring true thanksgiving as American families reunite for turkey and not for thanks.

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 8

2009-04-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

November 17, 2008.
Re: stress

Question:
"What do you do to handle stress?"

I said:
I try not to be too stressed, as my peers can be, and sometimes just decide to do what I need to without thinking about how difficult it is or how long it will take. Other than that, I find relief in bike rides, be they 10 mi or 100 mi. Most importantly, I know that whatever happens, my God will provide for all my needs.

From Student panel

Reminders from Francis Thompson

2009-04-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Besides the five books that I mentioned I was reading, I was directed by 2 (impersonal) sources to Francis Thompson's poem called The Hound of Heaven. First published in 1893, it is quite difficult to read and requires reading through multiple times, but I appreciated some reminders, put in quotes to clarify that it is a voice from above:
line 15: "All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."
line 51: "Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me."
line 110: "Lo! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me."
I especially like the last stanza.

Thompson wrote another, more confusing poem, called
New Year's Chimes.

Talk Back: Wk 7

2009-04-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Nov 10, 2008
Re: the presidential election (I stick out more than usual on this one)

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 6

2009-04-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Nov 3, 2008
Re: driving ages

Question:

Should California raise its driving age to 17 or 18, as recommended last month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety?

I said:

I have my reservations on adding unnecessary laws, but doing so would increase road safety. I can't think of many reasons a 16-year-old should need to drive anyway. Yes, remove the youngest drivers from the road.

My cousin had a better idea: base the incentive on grades, whether it means 1.5 GPA students can't drive or their insurance is more than responsible 3.7 GPA students. Insurance rates are "out of this world." why punish the responsible?

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 5

2009-04-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

October 27, 2008
Re: the economy and post-high school plans

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 4

2009-04-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2008
Re: high schoolers and the election process

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 3

2009-04-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

October 13, 2008
Re: libraries

Question:

How do students your age view the school and public libraries?

I said:

The Whittier High School library seems to be little used in the way of books, but the computers are never lonely. Most students treat the library like it's nothing special, [but their loud voices are hardly a problem, as the studious study elsewhere, and don't even check out books because they buy all their reading books in order to write in them. Because of this, our library doesn't feel very important, but that could change after the coming renovation.] This attitude is contrasted with the increased maturity at public libraries, where I see my peers use more self control because (a), they put in more effort just to get there, and (b), the whole atmosphere requires that they be more respectful.

From Student panel

Talk Back: Wk 2

2009-04-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

October 5, 2008
Re: CAHSEE

Question:

Do you think the high-school exit exam, which is a 10th-grade level
test, should be more difficult given that it's a graduation
requirement? Why or why not?

I said:

It is ridiculous how easy it is. I even hear teachers say that we should have been able to pass it by the 8th grade. If an 8th-grader can pass Algebra 1, or even Pre-algebra, a high school sophomore should have no trouble passing the CAHSEE. This is one California standard that must be raised for it to be taken seriously.

From Student panel

Student column: week one

2009-04-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2008

From Student panel

I said:

I do not agree because there will always be a handful of eighth graders who can't understand Algebra 1, but will in high school. In their cases, Pre-Algebra may be sufficient.

I'm too busy

2009-04-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

My books are so impatient. It seems that every day they look my in the eyes and wave their little tails at me to say, "Read me!" Some are mealy-mouthed, while others use bluster to their own ends, whether ingenuous or no. There are various types, but their essential message is the same. Some say, "Remember me? It's been a year since we were introduced. Are you going to invite me out, or should I find someone else?" I feel especially bad for these. My more intimate companions may say, "It's been a year since we talked last -- how about lunch?" But every now and then one of them gets jealous beyond my Great Expectations and accosts me with something more along the high-energy lines of "What are you doing tonight and let's do it together" -- crossing from the land of veniality and into the realm of rottenness and incorrigibleness. Whatever cant I can muster seems to only be drivel in the face of this inveigler.

Egressing with the Pilgrim's Regress, I stop only to think about John on his horse, and (surely) not Daniel and his boss. Actually, I've finished that book and feel as John did when he returned to his home, seeing everything a bit differently than before. Having also finished annotation of American Notes, I am currently wending through five books. For class discussion, (and I normally find the selected books to be a waste) we're studying the Waste Land and Prufrock (TS Eliot), and I'm also getting credit for The Red Badge of Courage. Which reminds me -- The Story of the Tour de France is pretty interesting too, and also has stories of red badges of courage.

Some are philosophical and ask questions like "How Should We Then Live?" or speak of "The Problem of Pain," while others are historical and aged but haven't known anyone apart from Washington and his Colleagues. Some are historical fiction, while others are historically fictitious (but after perambulation, I hope to lose these). Still others are autobiographical, which is to say that they introduce themselves with forwards and epigraphs and FDA warnings so you know their birth weights and mothers' maiden names before you start on their personal lives. I may have 6 of one genre, half dozen of another, but in my book, they each have personalities of their own.

This last point is especially important for the infrastructure. Had each book been equal, I don't know how I would ever allow some of those books on my shelf (they probably weigh a stone) when I could cover the wood with lilliputian self-help books like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." But believing in individuals rather than Karl's "masses," to each book I give equal weight, irregardless of its own.

I know that Groucho's idea of books doesn't fit my tone ("Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"), so perhaps William Feather can aid my peroration: "Finishing a good book is like leaving a good friend."

The worst part

2009-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

I wish that the previous post was only a story of when Christians didn't speak up, but I am afraid that it was not. Do you know how many nominal Christians are cheerleaders or in ASB, dancing in front of the school like Bacchus worshippers? I don't know either, but there are those who I wish did not call themselves Christians or associate with any church group. It is not that the Christians did not speak up, but that they worship Dionysus themselves. I am reminded of the gathering of clergymen reported in Tortured for Christ, where "Joseph Stalin [was chosen] as honorary president of [the Christian] congress," and Richard Wurmbrand's wife told him,

"Richard, stand up and wash away the shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in his face."

But, not having elders who have displayed the love and knowledge of Christ to them, today's generation has shown no interest in reading and has not read John:

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.

(1 John 2:3-6, NIV)

Dickens and 'poetical effusions': just ribaldry

2009-03-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

"Visitors will please not copy nor extract the remarks and poetical effusions from the registers and albums kept here." . . . Curious, however, after reading this announcement, to see what kind of morsels were so carefully preserved, I turned a few leaves, and found them scrawled all over with the vilest and the filthiest ribaldry that ever human hogs delighted in.

It is humiliating enough to know that there are among men, brutes so obscene and worthless, that they can delight in laying their miserable profanations upon the very steps of Nature's greatest altar. But that these should be hoarded up for the delight of their fellow swine, and kept in a public place where any eyes may see them, is a disgrace to the English language in which they are written . . .
--Charles Dickens, American Notes, Volume 2, Chapter 7, inside a cottage by Niagara Falls.

I was happy to remember my new LED flashlight for reading American Notes during the WHS spring assembly in the dark Vic Lopez auditorium. My English teacher would have enjoyed it if I shared with him, but, as usual, he was obligated to walk up and down the aisles to look for troublemakers, magazine in hand.

The quote within the quote is the first similarity I will draw between the experiences of Charles Dickens at Niagara Falls and my own at the spring assembly. No, cameras and other recording devices are not forbidden, and neither is the use of them. The parallel is more specifically in the phrase "poetical effusions;" since the school administration has become the Alma Mater's poet by heartily saying, "We'll . . . always, always, love you, Whittier High," they have seemingly embraced every passion of ASB with the edict that everyone must attend on the threat of a truancy. And what is it that we must attend? ShowGirl training? I can enjoy the Cardinal Brigade, the school band (even if it does get too loud and makes my bones rattle), but I cannot experience any emotions for the Vasity Song or some of the ASB dances save disgust and repugnance, sorrow and pity. The offensive 'music' that easily penetrates my earplugs causes me to become angry, as that is what the so-called 'singer' felt and wanted others to feel. And this is what we are to enjoy, or else...? I will be hard pressed to find any positive memories from these apart from the realisation that "God [...] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:8-9, Updated New American Standard), as I know that without God's choosing, I would still be "dead in my trespasses and sins, ... indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Eph. 2:1,3).

I suppose that beyond the above brief prompting, the rest of the similarities between the two experiences are quite undisguised; the assembly being open, even mandatory, if only for the school, celebrating the grotesqueness in the auditorium of few equals, and I can see that you will understand my direction.

Staff and student body, associated or not, of Whittier High School,
"Shout it aloud, do not hold back,
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to [your] people their rebellion" -- for will you not discipline the one you love?
(Isa. 58:1 and Prov. 3:12, adapted from the New International Version)

My 2008, sur le vélo

2009-01-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

(that means, "on the bike")

This year I rode 6,100 miles, mostly on the bike that I got in 2007. That's 1,500 less than in 2006, but I didn't curve my front wheel on an inconsiderate car that year.

From Collarbone etc

This year I rode more than 70 miles in a day on 20 occasions.
I rode more than 100 miles on 4 occasions this year, to:
Dana Point (where I saw someone I knew from church on a Huntington Beach sidewalk)
San Clemente (farther down the coast on PCH)
Dawson Saddle

From Angeles Crest Hwy

Lytle Creek

From Lytle Creek & Fontana

My 2008 Year in Books

2008-12-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

In my junior year of high school, I had to read these books in 2008:
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

For the summer I had to read:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

For my senior year so far, I've had to read:
Wuthering Heights by the Brontës
Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I've also read these books for school credit:
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Surprised by Joy
The Problem of Pain
Miracles
The Great Divorce
(the last 4 books were all written by CS Lewis)

Also in 2008, I've read, not for any school credit:
Child Life in Colonial Days by Alice Morse Earle
Everyday Life in Colonial America by Louis Wright
America's Christian History: The Untold Story by Gary DeMar
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory by Anita Bryant
Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows by by Ravi Zacharias
The Story of the Tour De France: 1903-1964 by Bill McGann
and (the greater part of) How Should We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer, after getting it for Christmas this week.

This year, I've also read portions of:
The Betrayal of Health by Joseph D. Beasley, MD
Eat Right, Live Longer by Neal Barnard, MD
Why Animals Don't Get Heart Attacks . . . But People Do! by Matthias Rath, MD

. . . and a few other small books

Many of the books I've read or would like to read may be found here.

Cheating and my peers

2008-12-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Whittier Daily News published an editorial on the 5th of this month, entitled, "Another scary teen survey".

These facts were presented:

According to the Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based organization that promotes ethics education, 64 percent of students nationwide said they cheated on a test, up from 60 percent in a 2006 survey.

And 30 percent admitted stealing from a store over the past year.

And yet, 93 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character.

So what have I experienced at school? When a teacher walks out of the room while we're taking a quiz, even in an Advanced Placement class, students quickly and discreetly look at their notes / study guide to see if they can find the answers to the questions they couldn't think of. During a test, though, teachers make sure that students only have a pencil or pen out on the desk before they are given the testing materials.

One teacher generally has his classroom open at lunch for kids who want to study, play chess, or just hang out. The student with the highest grade in this AP Government class went beyond the previous quiz-cheating transgressions by entering the teacher's room at lunch one day, alone, and took pictures of the upcoming test, and then typed up the test and printed it out for his personal use. When the teacher found out, he was noticeably distraught, and was "very disappointed." He then pointed out that the first assignment in September was to sign the course syllabus and rule sheet, which said that the first offense of cheating would incur a punishment of an "F" for the semester grade. (The cheater still holds that he is the epitome of an AP student due to his "social awesomeness" -- never mind his social depravity.)

A third kind of cheating that I have witnessed includes a very intelligent and motivated student and a humorous, less academically inclined pupil. The former wrote a one-page paper for the other, and was paid a few bucks for it. Of course the boss in this picture was disappointed at the smart student's work, complaining that it was too "smart," which is to say that the teacher might not think that the one could have written such a paper.

Aunt Cindi recently asked Mom jokingly if Mom had helped me write a college application. I did the work myself, and Mom didn't even know what questions that I had to answer, and certainly had not read my application to make suggestions. My aunt responded by saying something like, "that's refreshing," and went on to say that in her job she sees way too many mothers basically writing the applications for the teens who want to get in to college.

Here's a story with a slightly different ending:
About four years ago, there was a senior at Whittier High who knew about a zoo at a park nearby. He "did" his fieldwork for his senior project at the zoo, but oops! He forgot that the zoo no longer existed at that location, so his ignorance, naïveté, and laziness kept him from graduating that year.

I have heard that senior projects are scanned in so that they may be compared to others around the district to prevent student-to-student copying. Plagiarism is also a very big deal at school. Every new fact we present in a paper must be properly cited, using the MLA format and "Works Cited" page. And for the papers smaller than the senior project at the Whittier Union High School District, teachers can type in a sentence from the kid's paper on a website, and it will find where it is on the web (according to my Uncle Brad, who teaches US history at King High in Riverside).

I have more that I could say, but my readers weren't expecting another "George Washington" discourse, which was a previous post (or were you?). But I will say more about the moral of the story. The editorial writer has said, "In the meantime, maybe parents ought to take the lead on character building." Yes, this is good. But what, exactly, is "character building"? Colossians 2:8 says,

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."

I got really tired writing papers about editorials last year in English class because they offer nothing but "philosophy and empty deception," human tradition, and worldly principles (as the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition tells us, if I must not plagiarize). What help is there for our government and public schools, which are just reflections of our society, if it is not "Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) and to rest on God's wisdom and his standards?

Ponder this for your Christmas celebration and New Year's resolution.

From an email concerning this school year

2008-09-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

There have only been two [now three] days of school so far, but they've been okay. My only complaint is that my AP Government teacher (Econ is 2nd semester), Kele Perkins, has bad language. Today he only cursed 8 times, which was a big improvement from yesterday, which was a shorter class. His arm is in a sling due to a broken collarbone, just like the kid in AP English, who flew off his quad (all by himself). Eng is only exciting because of Mr Gotts, who speaks, um, English, understands French and Spanish, and has studied other languages like Egyptian hieroglyphics and Sumerian. When I was in his class 2 years ago, I caught him reading the Greek New Testament. Other than that, he's just really funny due to his subtle jokes and grinless face. I think I'll like Human Anatomy class. The teacher is new to the school, but has previously taught biology, and took anatomy and physiology in medical school. But he was up to 8 instances of bad language, too.

116 miles

2008-07-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike to the corner of El Camino Real and El Portal in San Clemente yesterday, and I was prompted to think of the costs of riding after mentioning that I ate 5 ClifBars, 2 Jack in the Box chicken sandwiches, about 65 oz of Coke along with the 1/2 gallon of energy drink (and at least 1-1/2 more gallons of water).

Now, let's see...
$5.00 in ClifBars
$3.43 at the Dana Point Jack in the Box
$2.68 at the Seal Beach Jack in the Box . . .
that comes out to $11.11 for just a single ride in the southern end of July.
But wait! What about sunscreen? Or the wear on my jersey, shorts, and shoes? The wear on my rear tire alone approaches $1.

But then again, we must take into account that when I eat away, I don't eat at home. Oh wait-- after 2 belt sandwiches (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato), I did eat most of a 30-oz can of pinto beans. So much for losing weight. (And no, it didn't give me gas.)

So far this year I have ridden more than 70 miles in one day 17 times. Last year I did that 25 times.

"Maybe you should find something cheaper" was my dad's suggestion.

One thing that can help cut the cost is cans. We now have seatbags that are more than big enough to hold several cans of soups or beans or anything else. Soup is good because it's a) cheap, and b) easy to eat because it's both wet and solid, so you can easily and cheaply replace water and energy.

George Washington

2008-07-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Washing and his Colleagues recently, which I got from the Whittier High library. It is copyright 1918 and 1921, and was stamped 1924. On the side, it is stamped, just as the title is stamped, WHITTIER U.H.S. (for Whittier Union High School). It is the Yale University Press's 14th volume of Chronicles of America.

When Washington was first elected ruler of the Republic of the United States of America, John Adams wanted the ruler to be called "His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of their Liberties," but when "Mr. President" was decided upon,

It was a relief to Washington when the Senate discontinued its attempt to decorate him. He wrote to a friend, "Happily this matter is now done with, I hope never to be revived" (10-11).

Another example of our first president's timidity:

...when Washington made his first address to Congress he was "agitated and embarrassed more than ever he was by the leveled cannon or pointed musket" (21).

The days became worse, and at one time Adams called for many arms and munitions to protect the president from the 10,000 protesters in Philly.

An entry of August 2, 1793, in Jefferson's private diary, forming the volume since known as "The Anas," relates that at a cabinet meeting Knox exhibited a print entitled the funeral of George W----n, in which the President was placed on a guillotine. "The President was much inflamed; got into one of those passions when he cannot command himself; ran much on the personal abuse which had been bestowed upon him; defied any man on earth to produce one single act of his since he head been in the Government which was not done from the purest motives; that he had never repented but once the having slipped the moment of resigning his office, and that was every moment since; that by God he had rather be in his grave than in his present situation; that he had rather be on his farm than to be made emperor of the world; and that they were charging him of wanting to be king; that that rascal Freneau sent him three of his papers every day, as if he thought he would become the distributor of his papers; that he could see in this nothing but an impudent design to insult him" (137-138).

And again, when "[h]e was blackguarded and abused in every possible way," Washington said that

"he would rather be in his grave than in the presidency"

and said he had been attacked

"in terms so exaggerated and indecent as could scarcely be applied to a Nero, a notorious defaulter, or even to a common pickpocket" (192).

Finally, when his job was given to Adams, Washington was so happy that

Adams remarked that Washington "seemed to me to enjoy a triumph over me. Methought I heard him say, 'Ay! I am fairly out, and you fairly in! See which of us will be the happiest'" (194).

Update

2008-07-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I recently learned that there are, in fact, prerequisites for the nationals. For my age group, I must be at least a Cat 3 rider. It was just a slight disappointment, but more of a relief to learn that--more rides in the mountains, especially around Big Bear! (The races were the week of the church camp-out there.) For some of you, this could have an unwanted side effect of fewer bike pictures, but I'll see what I can do. (I probably want the pictures most so I can have more options for my computer desktop.)

I now have a Google books library, which currently has 37 of my books. There would be more if Google Books had them.

Summer Races

2008-06-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to give a heads-up on some races for planning. I was thinking of doing a race in La Mirada last Saturday, but I was sick last week, so I didn't.

Here are some races that I'd like to do:
-Sat, July 19: Sisquoc Road Race, Santa Maria--regional road race championship for juniors. 8am, 54 miles.
-Sat, Aug 30: Mount Charlestron Hillclimb, NV--Juniors, 7:30am
-Nationals are in Orange County this year!
--Wed, Aug 6--time trial
--Sat, Aug 9--road race (34 miles); If necessary, there'll be a 69-mile race on Sun as well to find the winner.

As always, I would love to ride (race) in the Everest Challenge Sep 20-1, which is the NorCal-Nev climbing championship and boasts that it's the "hardest 2-day USCF race" because of its some 29,000 feet of climbing in 2 days, and hardly even going below 4000' elevation. It is in Bishop, CA.
Here is a picture of the area:

The Nationals are the week of the church camping trip to Big Bear, but I think I can split the week.

I'll need to renew my racing license for this year if I want to race.
I will also need to find someone to take me.

What's Next?

2008-06-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

What will I do this summer? Y'all know that I'll be riding my bike lots, but this year, I think I'll ride up to Big Bear! Our church plans to go camping in the beginning of August there, where some ladies have a cabin. Dad also wants to ride down the coast from Monterey to LA in two days, with a one-day ride from San Luis Obispo as a practice beforehand. I think I'll visit the Wrightwood bakery (boulangerie) a couple times on my own, but those dates aren't so concrete.

As always for above-baseline English classes, I'll have homework to do over the summer. This year, for AP Eng Lit & Comp, I'll have to read one book (probably The Awakening by Kate Chopin) as well as the research (paper) part of my Senior Project. My thesis sentence will be something like this:

"After decades of public trust and dependence, the medical industry has deceived the American public into relying on them for excessively expensive drugs in place of the less expensive natural cures, which can be both safer and more effective, and of which the drug industry pretends to know nothing."

Today I started the first of two books by Ravi Zacharias given to me by Gram, and have a long list of other literature to read as well.

Here is my tentative list of classes for next year:
AP English Literature & Composition
AP French Literature
AP Government (AP Economy 2nd semester)
Math Analysis/PreCalculus
Human Anatomy

September 2007 school picture

2008-01-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

We finally got around to ordering the prints. I guess you could let Mom know if you want one, and we'll work something out.

My 2007

2008-01-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Bike-related:
RMMC (Feb 10), Cat 5
LA Circuit Race (Mar 25), Cat 5
WLACGP, 15-16 (photos here and here)
Lunch w/ Glen and Cindi at Baldy
Wrightwood
7000 miles
Sta Barbara w/ Dad
Spend most of summer on bike in the mtns
Bought Madone
Janitored at church

School:
Advanced Placement (college-level) European History test--3 (of a possible 5, where 3 is considered passing)
AP Biology test--4
weight GPA over 4.0 after 4 semesters
now in AP French and English Lang and Comp

Books (summer for school):
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Books (on my own):
Before Honor, by Eugene B McDaniel, Captn, USN (Oct)
Dickens in His Time, by Ivor Brown (Nov-Dec)
Can Man Live Without God, by Ravi Zacharias (Dec-Jan 08)

First report on school

2007-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my schedule, which is the provisional schedule listed, but put in order:

Physics
AP French Language
Algebra 2
AP English Language and Composition
US History
Mechanical Drafting Tech 1

My 2 AP classes (French and English), as well as mechanical drafting, have given me little homework so far, yet College Prep physics, Algebra 2, and US history have. I sort of makes me think that I could have gone for AP US since I'm getting homework anyway for the subject, but then I remember that in AP European history last year, we would have to write paragraphs instead of a simple sentence for answers to homework.

I'm not really a math person, so I don't always understand the physics problems right away, but when I do, they have been generally easy so far.

The French teacher only speaks French to us, but I can for the most part understand what he says. It's the reading we do that is difficult for me.

Algebra 2 has just been review of Algebra 1 so far, so it's pretty easy.

In English, the teacher seems to spend too much time on the kids who are behind and don't know what they should have known before they got to high school, so it's been boring for some of us. The teacher is Mrs. Bean, who likes to hang around with another English teacher, Mr. Rice.

US history has been fun with an energetic black person as teacher. He has special rules and doesn't put up with anything, but I think everyone likes him.

So far in mechanical Drafting we've done 2 "drawings" of lines, but I have enjoyed them. It's just sad that the non-academic kids get thrown in there when they aren't good in that class either.

The first sign language club of the year met Thursday at lunch. I plan to be there the whole year.

Just last week I received mailing from Washington University of St Louis and Reed College in Portland, Oregon. The former mentioned my "academic record at Whittier High School," so it has nothing to do with cycling (like the mailing I got from Brevard College that I got early this year).

Test

2007-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

This was at the 2006 La Mirada GP.

Update on New Bike

2007-07-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can ride the new bike before going back to school. I now have ridden over 15,000 miles on my Trek 1500 that I bought Nov 2004.

New parts we currently have to put on:
cassette
chain
crankset and bottom bracket
brake levers
shifters
pedals
rear derailleur

Parts we still have to sell:
cassette
chain
crankset and bottom bracket
brake/shift levers (brifters)
front derailler
wheels
handlebars

Parts we still need to buy (to replace what we sell):
wheels
saddle
handlebars
aerobars?

New Bike!

2007-07-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

See more photos here.

Above is the 2006 Trek Madone SL 5.2 that I bought today.

Dad, Timothy, and I went to Helen's Cycles big 4th of July blowout sale in Santa Monica today, and I bought myself a new bike! Yes, it's been less than 3 years and 15,000 miles since the last time I bought a bike, but I paid less than dealer cost, hardly over half the MSRP.

I wasn't sure I really wanted to buy a bike today, but I knew that it would be a good day to buy because of the huge annual Independence Day sale at Helen's. (The last time I bought a bike I didn't know I was going to buy one in just one day either, although I spent the whole day at the shop.)

It was really just the frame I wanted before it was too late to get a new one, but I bought the whole thing (which is much easier). In 2005, according to a major Trek dealer, Chain Reaction Bicycles, Trek got 6 months behind on shipping these because they were so popular. Now, however, Trek is only making their new bikes, which are radically different from their 2007 models, and not suitable for our kind of long riding. See more on the new bikes here. We're going to sell a quite a few parts on ebay and buy slightly different parts, which should last longer: handbuilt wheels with a lifetime warantee, and 9-speed parts of the drivetrain, as opposed to 10-speed.

Once in the parking lot full of bikes, I immediately saw the model I was looking for. I was undecided if I wanted a bike the size of my current bike or a size larger. The bike I was looking at was the larger size. However, when I tried getting in a riding postion on it, I was too stretched out, so we found another of the same model in a size down at the same blowout price.

Provisional Schedule for Next Year--Updated

2007-06-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

If I don't see a counselor, this will be my schedule for the 2007-2008 school year:

AP English Language and Composition
AP French Language
Algebra 2 (No longer Honors)
US History
Physics
Mechanical Drafting Tech 1

I hope that this is a good balance between being busy and staying out of the prison classes.

Yesterday, I received two certificates and a "Letter" (W for Whittier), which I hear can go on a Varsity/Letterman jacket. It is for Academic Achievement, but I haven't heard any specifics yet.

It's good to know that the Nelles school won't be a prison, since it's just down the street from Whittier High School. (Or would that keep better discipline at my school?)

West LA College GP '07

2007-05-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

I was 5th out of 12 (see results here).

Me going up the hill
Copyright Avuncular Glen

Next Race

2007-05-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

I plan to go the race at West LA College on Sunday, 20 May at 9:00. It has a 130-ft climb in each lap. This will be my first juniors' race this year. Dad will be going to San Diego that day and will catch up with the junior highers as they have lunch their second day out.

Bike Racing and Mail

2007-04-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Since getting a racing license in 2005, I have gotten many flyers and such for bike races and rides, some bike racing magazines, and catalogues. Several weeks ago, I got my first college brochure--from a college in North Carolina. Brevard College is a smallish college with 40 majors and minors, with a National Forest close by and collegiate racing teams, road and mountain, for those who like to ride. Most kids get college brochures from colleges closer to home, so this was a little strange.

More pics from Mom and me

2007-04-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

Mom's photo account online is with Google at http://picasaweb.google.com/awilson.wilson.

I also have a new Google photo account at http://picasaweb.google.com/djwilson.wilson. I have only put photos there of myself from other photographers (professionals) and have taken some off flickr that weren't taken by family members.

Race Pics--Updated

2007-03-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Uh . . . Mom's camera is slow and she can't see me with all those big riders in the way.

This is a portion of Mom's best picture of me on that day.

*On Saturday, March 31, Mom got a new digital camera*

See the full pic and more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dw4/.

This is one of Kenny_Bz's pics from the race (here). More at his web site.

LA Circuit Race Result--Updated

2007-03-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

I was 11th out of 23 in the Cat 5 B race, averaging 23 mph for 1 hour, and maxing out at 37.5 mph, which was as fast as I could pedal in my junior gears. The smaller gears are now required for all juniors (10-18 years) for any race they compete in--not just junior races. (This new rule doesn't seem to be popular any bike racers.)

It is my first race in my new skinsuit from Voler, which was exciting.

What really shaped the day, though, was my time warming up. As I was getting a drink while I was going down a short hill, I hit a bumb in the road, which caused a crash. I was going about 20-25 mph, but I was able to stand up immediately after I stopped rolling. I was in good enough shape to still race, and so was the bike. I decided that this certainly wasn't going to stop me from having a good race.

(This was my first crash in just under 10,000 miles, spanning 19 months.)

Before the race, I washed off my left leg's wounds, which were the worst, and got a spray from the First Aid tent. It wasn't until after the race that we found that my skinsuit's zipper was ruined at the top, but Timothy fixed it when we got home. I have found that I was scuffed in 12 generalized areas, but some wounds were more serious than others, and only 5 bandages were required Sunday night.

During the race, there was a crash quite close to me, taking down 4-5 racers, and I heard that the ambulance was required for someone.

Pictures should be coming soon.

Yes for LA Circuit Race

2007-03-20T07:32:00.002-07:00

I will (Lord willing) be in the LA Circuit Race at Westchester Parkway at LAX at 2:50 this Sunday, the 25th, racing as Cat 5. At 24 miles, it is longer than any real races I have competed in so far, and is over "rolling terrain".

Next will probably be the Easter Sunday Crit in Ontario, at 7:30am, which will be the first juniors' race I've participated in this year.

Update

2007-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

No ride for the LA Circuit Race--at least not the juniors' race.

Next Races

2007-03-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

If I can get a ride, I plan to go to the LA Circuit Race on March 25th. There was a stage race I wanted to do, but registration filled up before I could get it paid.

I would also like to go to the Easter Sunday Grand Prix, Ontario

(My) First Crit of 2007

2007-02-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sat, 10 Feb 2007, 3:25 pm
Roger Milikran Memorial - Valentine's Day Crit, Brea
Cat 5, to age 29

result: 11th out of 23.

It was easier than I expected for the first race of the season.

I didn't do the juniors' race because it's easier to keep up with cat 5 (and it only takes 10 races to move up to cat 4).

Photo from http://www.kennybz.com/

7600 Great Miles

2007-01-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

In 2006, I rode 7600 miles.
7500 on my own Trek 1500, and 100 on Dad's beater bike I use for errands.
According to my records, I rode about 297 days.
I completed 3 real English/US Customary centuries (Palos Verdes, San Diego, Mount Baldy), and rode over 100 miles in one day 4 times (the other was unplanned--I had two rides which added up to 108 miles that day, which I posted about).

Lions, Tigers, and Bears--Oh My!

2006-09-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is at least the first part of a story of how I rode to Mount Baldy Village and back last summer. I haven't edited it (except for this note) since Sept 27.

On Thursday, the 31st of August, I rode to Mt Baldy Village and back, which was 108 miles. I had just recently got the thing used to take two additional water bottles on the bike attached to the seatpost, and already tried to go out once with it on Tuesday. My rear tire was approching the end of its life, but I thought it should have at least several hundred miles more to go, but I was wrong. I was on San Gabriel Mtn Rd, 25 miles from home, and I ran over some glass, so I thought I'd rub the tire to be safe, and I noticed something was wrong. I got off the bike and had a look at it, to find that the tread was coming apart in one place, so I let some air out of the tire and rode it home, with it getting worse the whole way.

Two days later, with a new rear tire, and (almost) recovered from Tuesday's ride, I again set out on my quest. Up the trail to the end 20 miles away, then on to San Gabriel Mtn Rd for 10 miles before turning onto East Fork Rd. After a mile I was in unknown territory, but things were pretty straight forward; after several miles, the road went up, and I was down in my lowest gear, going 9 mph for quite a few miles straight--it was beautiful scenery, though, with only a few motorcyclists going up, and 3 road workers trimming the plants. Then there is a T in the road--left for Mt Baldy, right for Glendora Mtn, which is still closed from the '01 or '02 fires.

After turning left (after a rest), it is mostly easier, but the road goes up and down, which makes for a lot of shifting. And safety from 70-pound cats. On one downhill section, I was just resting, perhaps wondering how I'm going to feel at the end of the ride, and I see something I've never seen before--two mountain lions (I assume) right in the middle of the road. What am I going to do? Do I yell? Will I have to go around them? I get in the big ring, going 30 mph, and they see me--they must have been thinking the same thing, as they both ran off the road, out of sight, immediately.

The only cyclist I see on major climbing sections today was on this road, going about 6 mph as I passed him at 9 mph. More motorcyclists pass me as I go uphill, but when the road went down, I could see that they weren't gaining on me in the corners.

I wonder how much farther it is, and stop at an RV ranch being worked on, which was at 4527 or 4537 feet. I asked for directions, and learn the village is hardly past the ranch, so I went two more miles and am there (at 4000'), and get a refill on my four water bottles.

Summer End GP Result

2006-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the end, I was in sixth place out of 11 for the 15-16 category.

Summer End GP, Ontario

2006-08-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

From the computer:
13 miles
~23 mph average
37.5 mph max

Well, the last race of the season is over (all 35 minutes of it). I used Dad's rear wheel since mine has about 15 cracks on the rim, and Dad is getting new wheels soon (they're supposed to arrive later this week). Since the Tuesday night practice race is a four-corner, .4-mile course, I'm used to the corners, but today's race was a 7-corner, 1.2-mile circuit, with one right-hand turn in a counter-clockwise parcours, which made it a little more complicated than having all the corners go the same way, since you can't sneak around on one side without being on the inside of a turn in not too long (which can be nerve-wracking, if you've seen how close they already get to the curb without you to take more space). I was quite surprised after the race to see how high my maximum speed was, as there weren't any major down slopes of the road.

Thanks to Aunt Becky, Uncle Brad, (Cousin) Mackenzie, and Grandma and Grandpa Wilson for being there (even when you were there a day too soon). If you took any photos, I would be interested to see them--you can email me (but races without photos of myself aren't uncommon, so it isn't a big deal).

Results will probably be posted online within a few days.

108.69

2006-08-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Such reads my new Cateye Mity 8 cycle computer--in miles, yesterday.

First I was going to go to the beach (a 38-mile ride), but I went home early, which added 11 miles, since I then proceded to ride to the beach, and came back in record time--49 minutes for about 18.3 miles.

Dad's ride of the day was a 60-mile trek into the San Gabriel mountains, and I went with him (although maybe planning to turn around early). (We got off where the San Gabril River Trail ends at the mountains' feet, and turned around in 10 more miles, just after getting on East Fork Rd.)

I certainly wasn't planning on riding more than 60 miles yesterday, let alone with about 3000 ft of climbing, but circumstances changed. I should have drunk more, which is true on most longer rides I do; I drank about 5 pounds, but still weighed 3 pounds less after the ride.

5 hours and 48 minutes for the whole 100+ miles, and an average of 18.7 mph (If I was really rich I could tell you how many watts I averaged also, like Floyd Landis in the Tour.)

Official Result: Velo Allegro Crit, Long Beach

2006-08-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

The official result for the Velo Allegro UPS Criterium in Long Beach on Sunday, 6 Aug 2006 had me taking 5th out of 10 in the junior 15-16 male category.

Before this race, I decided that I would attack since I know that I am not a good sprinter. I wanted to do well in this race, whether it be a good overall result or if I just got a prime (prize at an intermediate lap). There was one problem, however: they were too fast. Maybe if the 17-18s didn't ride with the 15-16s it would have been easier, but that was not the case. I chased after the many attacks that came so soon into the race, so eventually I let one go, thinking it'd be caught, as are all the others, although this attack lasted to the end, meaning that my group was sprinting for about 6th place (I don't know if there were any 15-16-year-olds, though). For the first time in an actual race, there was a time when I thought that I was going to get dropped, which would be quite embarrassing, but they slowed soon enough. I thought that I was 3rd to last, as I was at the race in Inglewood, but the results showed that there were 5 more behind me, but maybe they were dropped, and really far back.

For those of you in Riverside and surrounding, I will probably go to the race on the 27th of August which is in Ontario, and that will most likely be my last official race this year. See a previous post.

Official Result

2006-07-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was 26th out of 32 at the Paramount Crit.

Paramount Crit

2006-07-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

My first official race with adults was sort of exciting for me, and I think I did pretty well. Most Tuesdays I go to a practice race at Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs, so racing with adults isn't entirely new for me. There might have been 50 or 60 racers, although I couldn't really count since I was always towards the front, and I didn't see more than 5 juniors in the race. One of the young men that often races at Heritage Park was there, which was fun for me, even though we didn't talk. In comparison to other races I've done, it was faster, covering 20 miles in 50 minutes instead of about 10 in just 30 minutes. In comparison to the practice race, it was easier to keep up, with a longish downhill stretch at the back of the course to rest. Since the corners were wider than at Heritage Park's course/parcours/percorso, only the sheer number of riders had any nervous affect on me. With three laps to go, someone skinned a tire in front of them, but stayed upright (which was really good for me because I probably would have fallen as well had he done so). The last lap was pretty fast, but Aunt Cindi counted me as 27th across the line, so I don't think I lost too much ground (but I don't really know how many were there).

Since this was near the velodrome in Carson, we had talked of going there after just to see it, but instead we went out for supper in Cerritos at Hof's Hut. Thanks Uncle Glen and Aunt Cindi for going through the "consuming" "stress and responsibility" of taking me there - it was fun.

Next Up: Paramount

2006-07-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

My next race is planned to be the Paramount Criterium in Carson on 30 July. Because of how the race is set up, I would be racing with 15-18-year-olds. However, because I don't particularly like this setup, and I want to race with the adults, I will be racing in the Senior 4/5 category (I most likely won't have any more chances to do so in a race I would desire to do so until February or March). The race (should) start at about 4:05pm, and last 50 minutes.

Pretty certain now is the Velo Allegro UPS Criterium in Long Beach on 6 August, at 3:35pm (a juniors' race), and for those of you in Riverside and surrounding who would like to see me race, I'll probably go to the Summer End Grand Prix in Ontario on 27 August at 7:30am.

Official Result

2006-07-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

The official result for the Cycle for Life Crit in Inglewood on Saturday was sixth place for me - out of eight. My (not so official) excuse for the poor performance was made in my previous post/entry. As I said previously, each race I go to should just give me more experience for next time.

Cycle for Life Crit, Inglewood

2006-07-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

This was the earliest race I have done this year - or would have been. It was supposed to start at 7:00, but with traffic and the sand bales, it started about 55 minutes late. I wasn't feeling as good as I thought I would have, and it seemed much faster than the last somewhat flat race I did (in Ontario), rarely going below 20 mph (32 k/h). Since I didn't attack, I came to not appreciate the downhill finish straight because I was going 35.5 mph (57 k/h), getting passed, and had run out of gears because of the USCF regulations on Juniors. Since we didn't have to run off to church, we stayed and watched the next race. There were primes (prizes) every lap for the first person across the line, but what captured our attention most was a man whose left arm was thin, shriveled, and taped to his chest. He probably couldn't win that way, but he wasn't at all off the back of the peleton.